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Debounce and Throttle in Real Life Scenarios | Debounce and throttle are two programming techniques that can save the day when it comes to performance. It’s important to know when to use them — but also important to know when not to use them.
Debounce and throttle are recommended to use on events that fire more often than you need them to. You may have come across scenarios like this when binding to mouse movements and window events such as scrolling, push notifications and Ajax calls.
Debounce
Debouncing enforces that a function not be called again until a certain amount of time has passed without it being called. For example, “execute this function only if 100 milliseconds have passed without it being called.”
In other words: The debounce technique allows us to “group” multiple raised sequential functions into a single function.
Throttle
Throttling enforces a maximum number of times a function can be called over time. For example, “execute this function at most once every 100 milliseconds.”
In other words: By using throttle, we don’t allow to our function to execute more than once every X milliseconds.
Live demo performance implication
I created some live demos to demonstrate the differences between debounce and throttle. In these demos, I am firing calls on the mouse drag event. The first demo is binding without debounce or throttle, the second is with debounce binding, and the last one is with throttle binding.
Each time the WalkMe logo is dragged, a callback is called. In the top right corner, you can see the actual number of callback calls. In addition, I added a timeline chart to visualize the callback calls during the drag. Go ahead and try to drag the WalkMe logo to see the difference without debounce and with debounce/throttle.
Regular binding to drag event
Debouncing binding to drag event
Throttling binding to drag event
How to implement debounce throttle
Debouncing implementation
// as long as it continues to be invoked, it will not be triggered
function debounce (func, interval) {
var timeout;
return function () {
var context = this, args = arguments;
var later = function () {
timeout = null;
func.apply(context, args);
};
clearTimeout(timeout);
timeout = setTimeout(later, interval || 200);
}
}
Throttling implementation
// as long as it continues to be invoked, raise on every interval
function throttle (func, interval) {
var timeout;
return function() {
var context = this, args = arguments;
var later = function () {
timeout = false;
};
if (!timeout) {
func.apply(context, args)
timeout = true;
setTimeout(later, interval)
}
}
}
And usage
var myHeavyFunction = debounce(function() {
// do heavy things
}, 250); window.addEventListener('mousemove', myHeavyFunction);
Real life example
Why and when do we need debounce or throttle?
I used debounce in my application in the search module. I have an input text box, into which the user can type terms and search for data. Of course, when the search process ends, the results are rendered on the screen. I bind the keypress event of the input text box to fire the search process: | https://medium.com/walkme-engineering/debounce-and-throttle-in-real-life-scenarios-1cc7e2e38c68 | ['Kfir Zuberi'] | 2018-05-06 14:52:06.894000+00:00 | ['Debounce', 'Throttle', 'JavaScript', 'Performance', 'Front End Development'] |
How to upgrade October CMS to Laravel 6? | It’s been over a year since the release of the 6th version of the Laravel framework. And some time ago October CMS that we developed the Shopaholic e-commerce platform for, released the long-awaited 1.1.0 that supports Laravel 6. As you may have noticed, the version numbering principle has also changed, and it now better reflects the current state of affairs.
Anticipating possible opinions about the current major version of Laravel, we clarify that so far October CMS has been based exclusively on LTS releases. This seems like a reasonable choice in light of the fact that there have been cases of broken backward compatibility even when upgrading the next minor version of the framework.
Moving to Laravel 6
General information
The October core has undergone many major changes, which led to a rather long wait. At the same time, the release of Laravel 6 is marked as LTS (Long Term Support), which means an increased life cycle and maintaining long-term relevance.
Some of the system requirements have changed:
minimum PHP 7.2, PHP 7.4 recommended (versions from 7.0 will also work, but cannot be updated);
minimum SQLite 3.7.11, 3.8.8+ recommended.
Version 1.1.0 was available as a test update on August 16, and the stable version was released on September 7.
Installing October CMS v1.1.x “from scratch”
To clean install October version 1.1.x use the Composer installation:
Run the composer create-project october/october . command. Open the config/cms.php file and activate the disableCoreUpdates setting, which will disable CMS core updates via the October gateway: ’disableCoreUpdates’ => true,. Finish the installation using the terminal by running the php artisan october: install command.
Correctly installed October version 1.1.x will not display its number in the admin settings.
If you try to update the core from the admin panel after installation without enabling the disableCoreUpdates setting, you will get the following picture indefinitely.
Update of October CMS v1.0.x
In order to upgrade an existing October installation to the 1.1.x branch, it must be originally installed with Composer. If not, then the easiest update will look like this (if you’ve installed October with Composer, skip to step 6):
Install in a separate directory for October CMS version 1.469 using the command composer create-project october/october. “1.0.469”. Open the file config/cms.php and activate the setting disableCoreUpdates, which will disable CMS core updates via the October gateway: ’disableCoreUpdates’ => true,. Copy the plugins and themes folders to this directory. Apply migrations using the php artisan october:up command. Resolve the conflicts that have arisen. Raise dependency versions in composer.json*:
“repositories”: [
{
“type”:”vcs”,
“url”:”https://github.com/octoberrain/composer-merge-plugin"
}
],
“require”: {
“php”: “⁷.2”,
“october/rain”: “~1.1”,
“october/system”: “~1.1”,
“october/backend”: “~1.1”,
“october/cms”: “~1.1”,
“laravel/framework”: “~6.0”,
“wikimedia/composer-merge-plugin”: “dev-feature/composer-v2 as 1.5.0”
},
“config”: {
“preferred-install”: “dist”,
“platform”: {
“php”: “7.2.9”
}
}, If you started with step 6, you should make sure step 2 is complete. Update dependencies using `composer update` command. Apply migrations with php artisan october:up command.
*Note the non-standard wikimedia/composer-merge-plugin, it is forked by Luke Towers (one of the main developers of the October kernel) to ensure compatibility with Composer v2.
Congrats, you now have the latest features of the October CMS platform!
Affected functionality
As we’ve already noted, the move to Laravel 6 deeply affected the functionality of the October CMS. Therefore, some parts of your code may also require changes:
Also, don’t forget to update all installed plugins to the latest versions. Thus, if you have RainLab.Translate installed, make sure its version is at least 1.7.3. With earlier versions, you will run into trouble using it.
New versioning scheme
In addition to supporting Laravel 6, October moved to a new one, more suitable for the current realities of the development of this CMS. The main change is that the version number will now include the minor version number.
October CMS is still in the “evergreen” stage, where versions differ only in build numbers. This is the result of the development team agreement from day one of the project.
The previous LTS version of Laravel had a fairly long lifespan. It is currently used by many sites. Therefore, we need a way to keep providing security updates for these websites, especially if they cannot update to the latest CMS or PHP.
As a result, October CMS switched to a new version control scheme where the major number (v1) will remain at 1 to reflect the commitment to update stability. Minor number (v1.x) will now increase when updates that might affect dependencies are released (for example, Laravel framework updates). The patch number (v1.0.x) will still reflect ongoing updates or builds, but will be reset every time a minor version is changed.
There will now be three main types of releases for this CMS:
Develop — where active developments take place;
1.0 — stable build running Laravel 5.5 (previously master);
1.1 is a stable build running Laravel 6.
It’s important to note that October CMS is still evergreen, so when a minor version is released all previous versions will no longer be supported. Only security issues in the core will be patched in prior versions. So we recommend that you always stay up to date with the latest version of October CMS. | https://medium.com/oc-shopaholic/how-to-upgrade-october-cms-to-laravel-6-b4df0a433be6 | ['Pavel Lautsevich'] | 2020-12-16 10:55:11.623000+00:00 | ['Laravel 6', 'Octobercms', 'Version 1.1.0', 'Oc Shopaholic', 'Laravel'] |
China smart vehicle industry report 2020 | On the afternoon of November 6, “Fourth Industrial Revolution and Smart Travel Forum” was held at CIIE, on the forum, industry experts from Ford, Baidu, BMW, Qualcomm, and Pony.ai focused on the field of travels and imagined what the future would hold.
According to the research and analysis of JP Morgan Chase, from 2019 to 2025, China’s L1 to L5 assisted driving and the autonomous driving market will achieve an average annual growth rate of 33% and reach approximately $7.1 billion USD by 2025.
The four elements of intelligent networked vehicles, namely sensors, algorithms, high-precision maps, and three-electric systems, are trendy investment directions for the future.
Haojun Wang, Pony.ai VP and general manager of its Shanghai company, believes that in terms of L4 and L5 autonomous driving, Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure System(CVIS), and Single Agent needs to advance hand in hand to achieve a large-scale operation. As far as vehicle iterations are concerned, there are still at least 2–3 foreseeable generations of iterations, and the development cycle for each generation is 3–4 years.
Currently, the Chinese government plans to target 2025 as the year to achieve their goal of conditional autonomous vehicles to account for half of the new car sales. Not only is it significantly increased on their original goal of 25%, but they also expect to promote the formulation of relevant laws to go with this ambitious change. By proposing active plans led by the state, encouraging relevant enterprises to accelerate their pace of development.
The United States has always been regarded as the leader in the field of autonomous driving, now China, with the world’s largest market within its grasp, has begun to catch up.
Basically, functional “Level 4” self-driving cars that do not need manual operation will reach practical levels by 2025, with a foreseeable sales ratio increase to 20% by 2030.
By the year 2035, China will expand the operation of advanced level 4 and other advanced autonomous vehicles nationwide to achieve integration with smart cities (environmental protecting cities).
Source: https://36kr.com/newsflashes/960177895340424 | https://medium.com/@techinchina/china-smart-vehicle-industry-report-2020-c8082a954907 | ['Tech In China'] | 2020-11-16 00:41:28.931000+00:00 | ['Autonomous Cars', 'Autonomous Vehicles', 'Smart Vehicle', 'Autonomous Driving'] |
Asus Announces Tinker Board 2 and 2S Single-Board Computers | The Raspberry Pi gets some fresh competition from Asus’ new boards, with 1.5x performance promised.
By Matthew Humphries
Single-board computers have grown in popularity over the last several years thanks to the Raspberry Pi. Asus introduced a competitor called the Tinker Board back in 2017, and now we’re getting a second-generation board with two model options.
As NotebookCheck reports (via French publication Clubic), the Tinker Board 2 and Tinker Board 2S are exactly the same except for one feature: The 2S includes 16GB of eMMC storage and a Micro SD card slot, whereas the Tinker Board 2 includes only a Micro SD card slot.
Both boards use the Rockchip RK3399 64-bit system-on-chip, consisting of a dual-core ARM Cortex-A72 running at 2GHz and quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 running at 1.5GHz. The GPU is an ARM Mali-T860 MP4 running at 800MHz, and 2GB/4GB dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM options will be available.
There are plenty of connectivity options on these boards (which measure just 85mm by 56mm), including:
1x HDMI 2.0 (4K-capable)
1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C (OTG & DisplayPort 1.2)
3x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
1x 22-pin MIPI DSI
1x 15-pin MIPI CSI-2
1x RJ-45 Gigabit LAN
1x Wi-FI 802.11 AC and Bluetooth 5.0
1x 40-pin GPIO header
1x DC fan header
1x RTC battery header
1x Power and recovery headers
1x 12 V — 19 V DC-in barrel connector
The expected performance gain over the original Tinker Board is 1.5x, and Asus is supporting Debian 9 Linux and Android 10, although Android support isn’t expected until Q1 2021. We don’t know pricing or an official release date yet, but the first Tinker Board cost $60, and it seems likely Asus will try to hit a similar price point again, especially considering the 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 costs $75.
Meanwhile, the latest product carrying the Raspberry Pi name is a keyboard with a Raspberry Pi 4 inside and offering everything you need except a display for under $100, or just the keyboard on its own for $70. | https://medium.com/pcmag-access/asus-announces-tinker-board-2-and-2s-single-board-computers-de32b19bf9ef | [] | 2020-11-24 13:56:02.464000+00:00 | ['Raspberry Pi', 'Technology', 'Computing', 'DIY'] |
[Free] Learn Python 3 From Scratch | Python for Absolute Beginners | Learn the Basics of Python3
Learn Python 3 fundamentals from the very first level. Python 3 for those who have never touched programming.
Take This Course: CLICK HERE
Learn Python 3 From Scratch | Python for Absolute Beginners
What you’ll learn
You will be able to write a good and generic code after this course.
You can create a bunch of simple projects.
All the concepts after this course will be cleared
Everyone who take this course can mention on Resume that he knows all programming fundamentals
He/She will be able to take advanced courses like OOP and Data Structures & Algorithms
He/She will be able to take his/her next advance course like Data Science and Machine Learning
Requirements
Basic Computer Knowledge
Good typing
Description
Why you should learn Python?
The best answer is that this is one of the powerful language to develop any thing in computer science. You can develop any type of application that you wants. That application may be a desktop or web application. Machine learning and Data Science are two most important things that you can perform using python.
Why you should take this course?
You become a professional developer in Python you must need to start from scratch. This course basically takes you from the very first topic and take you to a position where you can learn the advance libraries and advance topics of programming. If you are just starting your course you must take this course to make your basic concepts strong like concrete.
About this course:
Now, this course is designed for beginners level students. They will learn each and every topic that they must know to take advance course. Also we will learn the latest version of Python that is Python 3 that more flexible then Python 2. In this course we start from very basics like Data types, variables, strings, operators, Conditional statements and then we will move towards Loops, Lists, Dictionaries, Tuples. Functions and at the end you will get flavor of classes and objects. Once you learn that you can make little projects that make some worth.
When I started programming then i was really interested to learn python and now I am again very much excited to teach Python to you guys. I hope that you will learn a lot from this course.
I will see you in my course. Let’s get into it!
Who this course is for:
Beginners who are willing to learn to program
Anyone who wants to clear it’s all programming fundamentals concepts
Anyone who is interested
Those who are interested in Python 3 Programming
Those who want to make their career in programming
Anyone who wants to learn different applications of computer science
Take This Course: CLICK HERE
Python Online Course Youtube, Learn Python Online Youtube, Python Programming Courses Online Free, Top 10 Python Courses Online, Best Python Courses Online 2019, Learn Python 3 Online, | https://medium.com/best-python-course-udemy/free-learn-python-3-from-scratch-python-for-absolute-beginners-98824aae868d | ['Best Python Courses On Udemy'] | 2019-09-01 23:27:48.009000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Programming', 'Free', 'Python', 'Python3'] |
MicroK8s on Windows, the Canonical way | MicroK8s is a compact Kubernetes distribution that will install a complete, single node cluster of Kubernetes on your PC. This is great for local development, CI/CD and for the edge where resources may be limited.
Installing MicroK8s is as simple as:
sudo snap install microk8s --classic
On a Windows machine
MicroK8s and Kubernetes require a Linux kernel to operate. Currently, the way to achieve this is by running MicroK8s in a virtual machine (VM).
The Canonical way to get a VM on Windows is with multipass. Multipass gives you an easy to use interface to manage VMs on Windows, MacOS and Linux. You have the option of creating VMs with HyperV on Windows Pro and Enterprise or you can take advantage of a local installation of VirtualBox.
Here is what you have to do:
Go to https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/multipass/releases/ and grab the windows executable.
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run
multipass launch ubuntu -n microk8s-vm -mem 4G -disk 40G
Above, we name the VM microk8s-vm and we give it 4GB of RAM and 40GB of disk.
You can read more on the multipass installation and VM creation process here.
Getting MicroK8s in the VM
Installing MicroK8s is as simple as:
multipass exec microk8s-vm - sudo snap install microk8s -classic
multipass exec microk8s-vm - sudo iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT
Where to go from here?
In our previous blog we showed how to manage the VM and the hosted MicroK8s so this is a good place to start getting familiar with this setup.
You may find interesting information on MicroK8s in the official docs.
Finally, have a look at the production grade offerings from Canonical Ltd. I am pleased to see how committed Canonical is. The production grade K8s distribution (CDK) runs on-premises and/or in public clouds. All offerings including MicroK8s, are covered by a simplified, coherent support contract.
Links | https://itnext.io/microk8s-on-windows-the-canonical-way-ed15fd4e5476 | ['K. Tsakalozos'] | 2019-06-06 07:25:58.684000+00:00 | ['Windows', 'Linux', 'Windows 10', 'Kubernetes', 'Microk8s'] |
Groove Magazine Launch | GrooveDigital software development company, led by CEO Mike Filsaime, is focused on creating the most powerful, affordable, and simple to use all-in-one software service that you can use to build, grow and manage an online business.
He got the idea from observing what others were doing in the industry. Everyone was giving away free trial extended software products or free featured locked accounts. However, Mike decided he wanted to give more.
Similar Software cost $299 a month
He wanted people to use the software and its features but he didn’t feel right charging people later after they got used to using the product. So he decided to make it completely free forever.
During a global pandemic and worldwide economic hardship, Mike and his team were still able to build 8 figure company during one of the most challenging years in recent memory.
Ever since taking the Internet marketing industry by storm in early 2020, GrooveFunnels has since become the number one platform in the game.
Now, to end the year in spectacular fashion, GrooveFunnels has just announced the launch of the Groove Magazine, dubbed the definitive marketing and business magazine.
Also, in a last-minute push to overdeliver one last time before the end of the year, GrooveDigital has just announced the launch of their all-new Groove Magazine.
During a live “Launch Party,” Filsaime, along with fellow co-founder, Donna Fox, held a 2-hour virtual event, where they shared the details of the Groove Magazine.
Plus, a surprise second bonus was announced, one that included a fast-start marketing training to be hosted by GrooveDigital’s world-class internal Marketing Team.
Scheduled to kick off in early 2021, this brand-new business and marketing training will undoubtedly be a game-changer for anyone who wants to achieve monumental success in digital marketing.
Groove Magazine Launch Party
For those who are looking for the new best way to get started in online entrepreneurship, with the unfair advantage of learning digital marketing directly from the very best Internet marketers in the world, now is the time to consider getting started with GrooveFunnels.
No one could predict the pandemic. What I’ve learned from this is there’s no security in a job. Instead, I think it is important to focus on multiple streams of income to add more security to your future.
One way to create this income stream is by launching that business you’ve always desired to start.
Now is the perfect time to do something different. If you are excited to get started, let 2021 be the year that you take action, the results will follow, and you’ll see it all come together.
The Groove Magazine is here! Learn more about it and grab your chance to access the all-new Groove Magazine at. Get started today!
I hope you got value for this article please drop a comment or share this with anyone who may benefit.
Disclaimer: In this article may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll be compensated in some small way at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! | https://medium.com/@tabinjada02/groove-magazine-launch-ed87b9b0d100 | ['Ladyt Wat'] | 2020-12-25 04:51:28.155000+00:00 | ['Digital Marketing', 'Online Marketing', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Affiliate Marketing', 'Business'] |
Watson Speech-to-Text Services — tl;dr need not apply | Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
In consideration of today’s too long; didn’t read (tl;dr) mentality, my desire to tell you EVERYTHING about Watson’s Speech-to-Text Service is directly confronted.
Being a writer, I personally enjoy writing in full description and meaningful explanation. Long prose can be satisfying in a way — a somewhat cathartic baring of the subject at hand, exposed for all to read and know.
Oh, the stories I could tell about the various uses of our services, like:
A call center transcribing audio conversations between customers and agents to analyze common call patterns and issues.
A medical service provider creating an application for doctors to dictate patient diagnoses and treatments directly into their files.
A retailer servicing its customers through an online conversational application with transcription for real-time logging.
But today, first thing’s first.
Today, I simply want to remind you of what our speech-to-text services can do, in a way that is exactly the opposite of tl;dr.
How? With a CHEAT SHEET!
Dive into our documentation and you will find so many golden nuggets of detail in there, conveying the many features of our speech-to-text service and the flexibility at which you can work with it.
But tl;dr, right?
Hence the cheat sheet below.
This cheat sheet is meant to be a quick reference to our feature set, so you can know in just a matter of seconds what our services can do.
And, for the readers among you — I conveniently hyperlinked my cheat sheet to our correlating technical documentation in case you want to dive in for more details. I mean, being the writer that I am, I cannot not* refer to our thorough worth-reading-all-the-way-through documentation. It’s just that good!
(*double-negative noted, for emphasis and creative flair!) | https://medium.com/ibm-data-ai/watson-speech-to-text-services-tl-dr-need-not-apply-ce4a27a56adb | ['Kati Venturato'] | 2017-11-10 15:20:26.782000+00:00 | ['API', 'Speech Recognition', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Ibm Watson', 'Tutorial'] |
Please Exhume President Warren G. Harding’s Hot Body So Every American Can Have A Chance To Ride His Excellent Dong | Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash
“A request by a grandson of Warren G. Harding to prove his lineage with ‘scientific certainty’ by exhuming his grandfather’s body has been denied by a judge in Ohio.” “After he ascended to the presidency, they continued their affair in ‘a small closet in the anteroom’ in the West Wing, she wrote. [The grandson] said his grandmother ‘would get the biggest smile on her face’ talking about the 29th president. ‘I want it in there,’ he said. ‘I want people to know President Harding as a man, too — as a lover and as a president.’” New York Times, December 1, 2020
We need to exhume the sexy irresistible corpse of Warren G. Harding like fucking yesterday. Why? Get the fuck out of here, “why.” When was the last time you visited Warren G. Harding’s Wikipedia page? Me? I just jacked off to his wiki page photo yesterday, so get the fuck out of my face. Go on. I’ll wait. Open a new tab on your browser and google “Warren G. Harding.” Just have a large container of Nivea Intensive Care Hand Cream and some paper towels at the ready.
Warren G. Harding is so fucking hot. Obviously he needs exhumation so the scientists or the estate lawyers or the historians or whomever the fuck needs some Harding DNA to determine ancestry and descendancy and lineagecy can get some DNA. Or whatever. Blah, blah, blah. But you know what the world needs even more? What we really really need? The world needs to get fucked by Warren G. Harding.
What does the G. stand for? It stands for “Gallons-of-hot-jizz,” that’s what. I don’t fucking know and I don’t fucking care. All I care about is that every American gets the chance to be pleasured by every inch of Warren G. Harding’s enormous, unstoppable, cadaverous cock.
I’m so tired of all this red state and blue state bullshit. We need a return to the United States. The United States of We All Love Warren G. Harding’s Skin Flute. What unites us? Upon what can we all agree? We can all agree that we all want our mouths on Warren G. Harding’s schlong. Imagine how much unity there would be if every single person alive got plowed by Warren G. Harding’s big giant sausage. We would all be unified, walking around with red hats with white letters that say, “Make Warren Hard Again” or sweatshirts that say, “I 69d with 29.” It would be so awesome. Warren G. Harding’s spectacular dong would unify us.
“O say can you see, by his dong’s early light…”
That’s another thing, no one would care about kneeling for the anthem, because we’d all be kneeling in front of Warren G. Harding to get our mouths on his tasty pecker.
Imagine a world where Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson, Maureen Dowd, Rush Limbaugh, Jake Tapper, and Joy Reid all lead with the same exact lead story: Goddamn, but that Warren G. Harding can fuck. No more racism or sexism or hatred of any kind. Warren G. Harding would vigorously fuck us all regardless of race or gender or religious affiliation. No more electoral maps. Just big Erectoral Maps whereupon John King and Steve Karnacki chart the best areas, general shaft condition, and overall turgidity of Warren G. Harding’s penis.
No more arguing about everything. We would all just agree that Warren G. Harding just fucked us like the nasty pigs we are and that it was very awesome.
What a glorious nation it would be.
No more division. No more hatred. We need to sow love. Or rather, Warren G. Harding needs to sow love. Or at least fuck us all silly with his giant pork sword.
Exhume him today. | https://medium.com/slackjaw/please-exhume-president-warren-g-hardings-hot-body-so-every-american-can-have-a-chance-to-ride-ad704fb2f0f4 | ['Gary M. Almeter'] | 2020-12-09 17:47:21.380000+00:00 | ['Ohio', 'Sex', 'Humor', 'Satire', 'President'] |
Magical Thinking: Onslaught | Welcome back to Magical Thinking, a look at the art and cards of Magic: the Gathering, set by set, from the beginning, through the eyes of a casual fan. This week we start with a new block, the Onslaught block, with the titular set of the block: Onslaught.
Released in October of 2002, Onslaught continues the storyline of the Odyssey block: Kamahl the Pit Fighter has become a druid of Krosa as the Mirari begins to mutate the local wildlife (which is why you destroy the One Ring, you don’t just bury it). Meanwhile the Cabal has resurrected Kamahl’s sister Jeska as the deadly Phage the Untouchable, and the illusionist Ixidor has used his newfound reality altering powers to create the mighty Akroma, Angel of Wrath. What will happen when all these forces come head to head? Let’s find out, won’t we?
The Onslaught block’s primary thing was making tribal matter. Creature types suddenly mattered because various effects were based around having lots of creatures. As someone who is a huge fan of tribal decks, it means I really enjoyed the cards from the set (Even though I wasn’t playing at this particular time, I started playing again shortly thereafter, so these cards were still out and about). Of course I question the efficiency of tapping five clerics to gain ten life, but I presume white has plenty of ways to lock the board down during this time.
I love flavorful effects like this. Just straight up turn any creature that attacks you to gold. It even had the tried and true trope of once the spell leaves play its effects are instantly reversed. I mean, I don’t know if this card saw any play, but from experience not a lot of people run a lot of enchantment removal, so this can turn out to be a problem in a hurry.
Another White tribe: Soldiers. This one makes a bit more sense to me since you’re tapping them to man the catapult. Seems like a fun little ping machine.
I like the concept of this card, maybe helping you stabilize a little in a bad way, but I think at this point it would be too little too late.
Ah, yes. Morph. Morph is one of the new mechanics of this set, which basically lets you play creatures face down like it’s Yugioh, I think it was meant to represent camouflage or shapeshifters, but the whole thing never really clicked with me for some reason. Doesn’t help that in game morphs are represented by these weird spider things.
That’s another thing I don’t care for, the weird wicker armor that the clerics in this set all wear. I guess it looks nice and all, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I mean, I think the wicker armor is a cool concept, but these designs don’t really click with me. Maybe I just don’t like it because I associate White cards with boring stuff. Oh well.
And of course we have another tribe: Birds. You may remember the Aven from the last block. Also, taking out a foe by crashing into them. Launchpad McQuack would be proud.
Ah yes, that legendary magical artifact, the Skull of Gobby. Bane of all Goblins everywhere. Never forget Gobby. Never forget.
There’s a whole bunch of these Gustcloak cards in this set. Basically their entire thing is that when they are blocked they just…peace out. I guess it represents them turning invisible. Also the art here is confusing. I think the visible guy is a Cabal spy, and in the foreground is the runner preparing to strike them.
Cycling is back! Always love to see that mechanic. Also, I have to say the more I think about it the more the wicker armor thing is starting to grow on me. (Heh, Grow).
I think this is the first time we see a Leonine in the game, and he’s much bigger than the ones we will get later. Big Kitty. Gets bigger when blocking.
I like the flavor here, where the courier is just here to give his weapon to another soldier. It’s a really cool “band of brothers” effect.
While Onslaught didn’t start cycling, I do think this is the first set where cycle did stuff other than just draw you a card. We’ll see more of this later of course with other cycling cards that do stuff.
Cleric, Wizard, buzz-saw enthusiast. He does it all.
Wow, rare actual footage of the Fox News media bubble. Someone hand me a pin!
Ships in a bottle? Those are for casuals. Also, be careful which snow globes you shake, you might hurt someone.
How’s that for a badass name? Arcanis the Omnipotent! Now that’s a name for a legendary. I was wondering why this guy isn’t a bigger deal, but looking up his backstory he’s a pit fighter at the Cabal arena, which makes him the Dominaria equivalent of a pro wrestler. That does explain the overblown name and airs. Still pretty cool though.
The thing about Morph is that it also brings up a lot of cards which are pretty much useless unless you are playing in an environment with Morph in it. I mean, I guess you can put your own things face down, but it’s still limiting the card’s usefulness (which is why it has cycling I presume).
Complicate, AKA “What the Wizards R&D Team Spends All Day Doing” (I kid). I actually really like this card, since if your opponent taps out to cast a spell you can just cycle it for the same cost, still counter the spell, and get a card out of the deal.
Hey look, it’s Sherlock Holmes’ favorite card (Maybe like five people will get that joke).
I think this is supposed to illustrate the act of the morph turning into whatever it was meant to be. It’s just…why? Does this factor into the fiction? What are these morph things? I am so confused by this ability. Apparently Morph is a 4 on the storm scale, but I would rate it a bit higher because of how confusing it is fluff wise.
So it’s a tribal matters deck, so not only do we need cards that support tribes, we need cards that punish people not using tribes. Like a 3/4 that can’t be blocked unless your opponent is playing a tribe. Pretty sneaky, MTG.
Arcanis may claim that he’s Omnipotent, but Ixidor here is one of the main movers and shakers of this storyline. And his powers are based around…morphs. So is Ixidor making all these morph creatures and they just hatch into new creatures when he wills it? Is that what’s going on? Because if so suddenly Morph makes a lot more sense to me.
Mistform is another creature cycle from this set: Basically the Mistform creatures can become any creature type. Except for this one who turns other creatures into any creature type (except walls or legends). A neat trick in all honesty.
Yep, just got the letter. Ali Baba has just tended his resignation. I guess this was just one wall too far. Well, we wish him luck in his future endeavors.
It’s weird they look like they are about to start making out. The Shape of Water 2: You’ve Seen Enough Hentai to Know Where This Is Going.
Ah yes, the ultimate anti mill card. Just get your entire graveyard back in your deck. Hope your opponent has a lot more mill in their deck. My army of waterspouts in armor has my back.
You will never defeat my power of GIANT FROG HANDS. The Frog hands are unbeatable. Also, I just love shapeshifter cards and all the different way Magic has tried to make them work over the years.
Yeah, they’re arguing over what to cut next: Home ec or art class. Those new football team uniforms aren’t gonna pay for themselves.
Looks like he just lobbed a beach ball at someone. A magic beachball. Is this a sport at the cabal arena? I need more info.
NOOOOo! THE INK STAINS! THE PAPER CUTS! THE RUINING OF GOOD LITERATURE!
Does give new phrase to the meaning “threw the book at them”.
Well, it’s nice to see that Braids is still alive and kicking at this point in the story. So many people died last block it’s kind of hard to keep track.
There must be something in the water because Cabal clerics look freaking awful. It’s called skin moisturizer, people. It’s not expensive.
And here is our first look at Phage, one of my favorite legendaries of all time. Sadly she hasn’t shown up on a card yet, nor her rival Akroma, but more on them next expansion.
You know what they say, yesterday’s Necromancer is today’s zombie chow.
I mean…someone probably said that at some point. Don’t quote me.
And here we have my favorite tribe: Zombies! Yes, bring on those rotting dead guys I love so very much.
We got the fat zombie, a guy after my own heart. I always like seeing fat versions of monsters.
Wow, an actual demon. Not a Horror or Nightmare. I guess this was the point WOTC decided they weren’t afraid of the morality police anymore. Good on them.
You know, if Nantuko shed their exoskeletons like other bugs do, the owner of this husk might be alive somewhere. So this is basically the Magic equivalent of Shedinja.
Look, I’ve seen real life Pangolins and they are adorable. They are not giant man eaters like this thing. It’s like someone saw that Lemur from Ice Age and was like “I can make something dumber.”
I never noticed before but they are actually carrying little standard flags. That is adorable. And horrifying. It can be both.
Every tribe has an avatar which has the power of all its tribe members in play. Of course, this one is the best one because A) zombie, and B) It counts zombies in graveyards, so it’s gonna get big.
Yeah, did I mention Phage kills whatever she touches. The slap game is on point. Also, remember cosplay is not consent, Cabal guy.
Visara is another arena fighter like Arcanis. Not much else about her, but I like her because her tentacles look neat. They’re like big, fat worms.
I love that flavor text. Also, I’m pretty sure Charlotte from the Princess and the Frog movie would take that as a challenge and pull out a knife to dig that prince out.
Zombies are my favorite tribe, but Goblins are a close second. Once again I love that flavor text. Remember, it’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the sudden goblin at the end.
I think that Cephalid would be grateful to be out of that thing. However this is another card that’s pretty much useless unless your opponent is playing with morph cards.
See, with this one I can imagine its morph form is just it hiding inside its shell or something, but that probably isn’t the case. I’m sorry but Morph just doesn’t click with me.
Oh hey, it’s Sarkhan’s favorite card. Oh wait, all the dragon cards are his favorite. Even the bad ones. Man I hate Sarkhan.
This one looks like a Warhammer 40k card rather than Magic. Maybe it needs more dakka?
Who’s this coming down the ramp? IT’S GOBBY JR! HE’S GOT A STEEL CHAIR. OH MY GOD HE’S CASHING IN HIS MONEY IN THE BANK. WHAT AN UPSET!!!!
Yeah, I think the cleric might be at a slight disadvantage on this one.
You never want to hear the phrase “Kaboom” when Red Mana is involved. This block also had a “cost matters” theme; Where you wanted to have high cost cards in your deck to take advantage of spells like this. Its also the reason Morph exists, Since you can play your high cost creatures as morphs for cheap them flip them up later.
This is neat. Not only does it reward you for cycling, it punishes opponents for also cycling. Very versatile enchantment.
Ah yes, the dreaded turkey snake dragon. I think this is another pit fighter. Not gonna bother looking him up though. I think I can guess that’s his deal.
This is like the opposite of sticking your cold hands on someone warm skin after you’ve been working in the freezer all day.
I actually have an IRL Goblin deck that has these guys in it. I really like the flavor since the Marshal destroys everything on the board except himself, which makes him a pretty powerful finisher.
Another card from my IRL Goblin deck. The Sparksmith demonstrating why important eye-wear is essential when you are smithing sparks.
One thing I love about Magic is how sometimes you just get random monsters which fall under the umbrella of beasts. What are they? Just beasts, don’t worry about it.
And that’s why brand recognition is important. Yes, I said it. And I’ll say it again.
I guess Kamahl took up watching cat videos to mellow out. Also, this card seems made to punish combo decks that don’t play creature cards.
Yeah, this could pretty much devolve into “destroy everyone’s land and non-creature things in a hurry”, couldn’t it? There are other chain spells this expansion, but this one was the most eye-catching for me.
Man, I can’t believe landwalk is still a thing this late in Magic’s life. I kind of wish they would bring landwalk back, it was a neat mechanic.
I mean, it was just 100 years ago when the invasion happened. It wasn’t that long ago, especially not for Elves (do MTG elves live longer than humans? I assume so).
I like Gigapede, he’s pretty much impossible to keep down: Spell proof, and he keeps coming back every turn as long as you keep discarding.
Looks like things haven’t changed much for Kamahl, although it’s nice to see he’s channeling that berserker rage to more useful pursuits.
Man, imagine being unlucky enough to cast Break Open on this big beast. Would that be an instant concede or what?
Bongzilla, the most chill monster on Monster island. A fan favorite to be sure.
Man, Morphs are like the worst pinata ever. Instead of candy you get giant snakes.
And of course it wouldn’t be green if we didn’t have some hating of flying creatures in there. Always fun to see, especially since flying creatures annoy me to no end.
Forget Edward Scissorhands, have a taste of Legolas Centipede arms. Now that is some good old fashioned nightmare fuel.
I like to call this the “Why yes, I do want to lose” card. The only time I’d ever play this is in a Golgari deck with lots of discard.
Behold: BATTLE SLOTH. Available where fine toys are sold.
Okay, I talked with Ali Baba and he might be willing to come back for some more benefits aaaand he’s gone again. No thank you, Wall of Mulch.
I like this card. I like the flavor and I like the artwork. Even if it’s supremely gruesome. It might be useful in a mistform deck since you can control what creature you can sacrifice better with it.
Hey, it’s the guy the scrapper was fighting. I like this card because it’s basically a different creature based on what kind of tribe you are rolling with. And if you are mixing tribes it does that much more.
Behold! The most coveted of all lands, the fetchlands. People go crazy for these lands. So much so when they were reprinted in Zendikar it was a big deal.
Of course in a tribal set we have tribal lands. Such as this bad boy, which might be the first instance of the fight mechanic showing up in game (although not with that name).
And of course cycle lands. Because sometimes you really don’t need to draw another land.
I think that’s about it for this time. Join us next time when the Onslaught block continues with Legions. Where we finally meet Akroma and Phage in person, and we see the return of some old slivery friends. But that can wait until next time. Until next week, stay Magical. | https://medium.com/there-will-be-games/magical-thinking-onslaught-b613076653c6 | ['Jessie Staffler'] | 2020-12-15 23:30:22.011000+00:00 | ['Hobby', 'Game Design', 'Magic The Gathering', 'Board Games', 'Gaming'] |
Transform Your Audience Into An Engaged Community | Social Media Marketing | Do you lack the time, staff, or know-how to develop your community? We can help you take full benefits of the power of social media marketing. We plan and deploy personalized strategies that support your business, increase lead generation, and ultimately, sales.
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Social networks are an essential component of your marketing strategy to create a community, reach your audiences, generate traffic, and above all to engage and find new customers.
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Making your business nearby and amenable to your targets is a benefit for your image and your standing.
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Statistical data is regularly analyzed to manage social media marketing strategy even more effectively. | https://medium.com/@itechleadz/transform-your-audience-into-an-engaged-community-social-media-marketing-bdd2fa43237d | ['Itechleadz Marketing Agency'] | 2021-12-27 16:01:41.732000+00:00 | ['Social Media Strategy', 'Social Media Marketing', 'Digital Marketing', 'Social Media Management', 'Digital Marketing Agency'] |
Capitalism is the only system that suits our inherently greedy nature | Question from the Internet:
“What is the point of capitalism, should not capitalism support humanity, rather than being supported by humanity isnt it just greed?”
The economic, governing, social systems we use are the external expressions of our Human nature and the state of Human relationships.
Capitalism is the most suited economic and social system that fits our modern — maximally egotistic, self-serving, narcissistic - nature, that thinks only about itself and pursues excessive overconsumption, ruthless, exclusive competition.
We are all the same in this, but the hunger, the willingness to sacrifice ourselves and others to get what we want is very different in people.
This creates a pyramid structure in Human society, where the peak of the pyramid — the most selfish, egotistic in society — exploits the rest.
We don’t have to force Capitalism on people, it evolved naturally. It is true that when inequality becomes too great, intolerable, people protest and suggest different system like communism, but such a system is against Human nature and after an initial “honeymoon period" it can be sustained only through oppression, terror.
This gives the helpless swinging between the “right and left"we can observe all around the world, which helpless swinging slowly pulls us towards self-destruction.
There is no solution on the political, economic, social level since the problem is not there but it is inside is. Changes will only come when we start changing, upgrading our own greedy nature, our tendency to succeed at each other’s and Nature’s expense.
And that is possible — without any coercion, misleading, oppressive propaganda — only through the right, purposeful and practical educational method. Only when we adjusted how we relate to each other and to the world in general can we build a Human society with the right political, economic, social structure that is fair, equal and sustainable.
https://youtu.be/khzvGZMUNhA | https://medium.com/@samechphoto/capitalism-is-the-only-system-that-suits-our-inherently-greedy-nature-c42a1287e2dd | ['Zsolt Hermann'] | 2020-12-16 23:23:38.716000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Society', 'Communism', 'Capitalism', 'Humanity'] |
Review: Mosky Deluxe Preamp | TL;DR — A Timmy and boost at a bargain price
Rating — 9/10
RRP — £30
I’ve written before about how the Paul Cochrane Timmy is my favourite drive pedal in the Tubescreamer family tree. It’s uncompressed, open-sounding, and has a highly usable gain range, especially if, like me, you run it into a tube amp. For distortion tones I’m more in the metal or fuzz camp, favouring an Amptweaker Tight Rock or Tight Metal for saturated distortion tones, or an op-amp Big Muff for fuzz tones. Latterly I’ve found that, although the op-amp Big Muff records well, my Transmission Killer distortion does a decent enough impersonation of it that I tend to use that live instead.
Although the MXR Timmy is now set to make the Timmy a lot easier to get hold of in the UK, until recently your best bet was — sadly — probably a clone, with the Caline Pure Sky and Mosky MM Silver being the two most popular choices. I’ve got a few friends that have original Timmys, but on the whole, the MM Silver seems to be the more popular choice, a fact that may have something to do with its circa £20 price tag.
So, when I discovered that,
a) The Lovepedal Amp 11 is a Timmy clone
b) Mosky do an Amp 11 clone
I suppose it meant I had to check one out. Now, the Mosky pedal I had in mind was the Amp Turbo — which looks visually basically identical to the Lovepedal. However, I also turned up this, the Deluxe Preamp. Having built a Timmy clone from a kit, I instantly wondered whether the two switches on the left were equivalent to the DIP switches found on some Timmy models. Meanwhile, the toggle on the right suggested that the boost in this circuit was not an Electra — as on the Lovepedal original, but something else.
NB — after a reader helpfully took theirs apart, it seems this isn’t an SHO and the sticker is an odd red herring. Until I actually bother to take mine apart and trace it properly, it looks like it could be an Electra after all, or an AMZ booster. I’m leaving these paragraphs in because hey, we’re all wrong sometimes.
When I unboxed it, I saw that on the reverse, Mosky have placed a sticker that says “crackle okay”, which I suppose answers the question of what exactly the boost is. For the uninitiated, the original Z-Vex Super Hard On Boost often had art thatreferenced the crackle you get when turning its sole control (created as a result of the pot re-biasing the MOSFET). On many units, the pot is still marked “crackle okay.” At a guess, the switch simply removes the zener diode from the circuit, but I’m not 100% sure.
I’m a fan of MOSFET and JFET based drives since finally cracking and getting my hands on a smallsound/bigsound Mini, and I can report that the boost side of this pedal is deceptively powerful, driving my 5W test amp very nicely into warm saturation.
Over on the other side, the drive instantly barked into life as a Timmy-style drive. It’s open, a little noisy, has plenty of gain, and cleans up to the point of almost being usable as a clean boost. With the toggle switches flicked over, the level of compression jumps up, and the amount of volume on tap feels lessened. They sound to me like additional soft-clipping diodes, which again, would make sense if they’re like the DIP switches on a Timmy.
It’s also worth noting that while on the original pedal, the Bass and Treble controls were both cuts, on this, they operate more as you’d expect, with clockwise turns heading toward maximum — that is, no filtering, and anti-clockwise being a cut.
On its own, the drive side has more than enough punch and clipping — especially with the extra diodes in — to function as indended with a solid-state amp, but it’s obviously with a tube amp that it shines, pulling some hair and saturation sympathetically out of the tubes. For my money, the best sounds were with the gain pulled back a bit, volume up, and the boost used to kick it off the cliff edge, driving both the Timmy and the amp into lead breakup.
My test amp isn’t a high-gain amp, but I’m looking forward to playing this through other amps that have a more metallic tone, and I strongly suspect that the combination of its tiny form-factor and integrated boost will mean it goes on my board, and then stays there. | https://medium.com/postguitar/review-mosky-deluxe-preamp-d6753adec766 | ['Alex Lynham'] | 2020-03-27 09:16:26.090000+00:00 | ['Guitar', 'Pedal', 'Gear'] |
Why Empowerment is Not Enough | Why Empowerment is Not Enough
Decoding the Instagram feminism of millennial Indian artists
Art is obsessed with women - or at least their bodies. You can see it in the flood of naked bodies in a gallery of the Louvre as much as in the drawings of strong women on your Instagram feed. From Greek sculptures and Renaissance paintings to Picasso’s masterpieces, the female form has been a constant “source of inspiration” to male artists who have sexualized her body to the extent of almost completely normalizing this treatment in the art world.
However, what was once depicted as a symbol of purity, chastity, and sexual desire is now being used by female artists to depict empowerment. The empowerment that is derived out of making a choice to dress and look the way she wants. It is this philosophy that several Indian feminist artists subscribe to, and propagate further through platforms such as Instagram.
Nimisha Bhanot’s painting ‘No Boxed Gifts Please’ from her ‘Bad Bahu’ series
A recurrent figure that comes out of this community of artists is the ‘badass’ Indian woman. She is positioned in a strong, commanding pose, dons a tough looking leather jacket or such, and wears gravity-defying heels. Her face is painted with makeup and her body adorned with what looks like all the gold jewelry a woman could possibly carry.
While Nimisha Bhanot’s ‘Bad Bahu (daughter-in-law)’ is seen casually blowing off a wad of cash, Babneet Lakhesar’s ‘Bad Beti (daughter)’ has a carefully positioned joint behind her ear, and a lighter ready in hand. Damini Gupta’s ‘Besharam (immodest) Bitches’ wear low cut blouses, and sport several tattoos. These symbols of defiance are not exceptions but have become a general trend, an easy way of depicting empowerment.
Nimisha Bhanot’s painting ‘No Boxed Gifts Please’ from her ‘Bad Bahu’ series
An illustration from Damini Gupta’s Besharam Bitches series
What Bhanot, Lakhesar, and Gupta, among many others, are trying to do is reclaim the woman’s right to her own body, by showing freedom in her right to dress and portray herself the way she wants to. She tries to defy patriarchy’s attempt to police her actions and protect her modesty, but in the process, ends up sexualizing her own body further. She ends up subscribing to the same narrative, of a woman’s body is an object of sexual desire, that is propagated by men; the only difference being that she chooses to treat it that way, as opposed to being asked to do so. Hence, the defiance that makes her ‘bad’ or ‘besharam’, is not a resistance to the misogynistic objectification of women’s bodies, but a reclamation of it. The very tools used to subjugate her have now become a means of empowerment. Thus, though well-intentioned, this kind of art fails to challenge the institution of patriarchy as a whole and ends up encouraging women to internalize it instead.
These artists also often rely on images of strong Hindu Goddesses such as Durga and Kali, to draw on their ‘stri-shakti’ or female strength. While this is not only exclusionary to those either shunned by the religion or those who choose not to subscribe to it, it is also an invocation of a figure considered divine, one who is above all mortals. Stri-shakti manifests itself in the woman’s ability to suffer through adversities without complaining about them. Thus, this narrative of empowerment derived out of the divine feminine form promotes the idea of the woman as one who is capable of enduring all kinds of oppression. Moreover, the image of a Hindu goddess is undeniably tied with Hindu nationalism. Attempting to denounce western feminist principles, the symbol was used by Hindu nationalists as a means of mobilizing women during the freedom struggle. Thus, the use of this image automatically aligns itself with a narrative of violence and selective empowerment.
When Sam Madhu shares her illustration of a woman looking into the mirror and finding a reflection of the enraged goddess Kali, I do not know if I like that kind of empowerment — I do not wish to be compared to a goddess are be made aware of my inherent strength that comes with being a woman. Maybe the solution is not to deify the woman and idolize the strength that she shows in enduring unending oppression, but to identify and eradicate the oppression itself.
An illustration by Sam Madhu depicting the reflection of Goddess Kali
Similarly, when Priyanka Paul posts an illustration (made in collaboration with Shantanu Sharma) of goddess Durga clutching onto Donald Trump’s slain head, she draws on the nationalist narrative which endorses the use of power and violence to protect the country if it were in trouble. The question of separating violence from the narrative of feminist empowerment also crops up in Tara Anand’s series of heroic Indian queens who had taken up arms to defend their territory. Such images subtly promote a militant idea that necessitates the need to take up arms and defend the female form. There is a sense of something that needs to be protected and sheltered, making the woman protector of it.
An illustration of Goddess Durga by Priyanka Paul and Shantanu Sharma
An illustration from Tara Anand’s series of heroic Indian queens
This image of a strong, sexually liberated, rule-defying women fits right into the choice-feminist’s mould of empowerment, focusing only on a small group of upper-class women who now have the ‘choice’ to sexualize their own bodies, drink and smoke, and talk about their periods. However, it leaves one wondering if empowerment is really what we need — if it is a lazy attempt to reward women with a little more freedom than before so as to distract them from the real issues that multitudes of women continue to battle against every day. Empowerment becomes yet another attempt by patriarchy to ensure that its power over women remains in place, by making sure that women do not challenge it in ways that are de-stabilizing.
While policing women’s bodies and actions is an act that is deeply entrenched in patriarchy, and one that requires to be protested against, feminist art aimed solely at bringing about individual empowerment distracts one from the more urgent need for collective action against oppression of women- all women. It is not enough to replace a few men in power with a few women, as this kind of empowerment makes sure that women from lower classes, lower castes, and other marginalized groups continue to face oppression, same as before. It is not an inclusive solution and fails to challenge the institution of patriarchy as a whole.
What we need is art that is conscious of its impact on young minds; one that does not aestheticize or eroticize women’s oppression but challenges it in a meaningful way. The aestheticization of defiance through figures of ‘bad’ women is merely a superficial attempt at questioning patriarchal norms; more than anything, it seems like a stunt carried out to reach a larger audience under the pretense of feminism. Although possibly well-intentioned, feminist art coming out of the community of these choice feminists not only fails to address the issues that need attention but also makes it harder for more women to raise their voices against these issues, by placing them in the illusion of empowerment. | https://medium.com/thecontextmag/why-empowerment-is-not-enough-a0493f15e1a1 | ['Context Staff'] | 2018-10-11 16:15:16.384000+00:00 | ['Indian Politics', 'India', 'Feminism', 'Indian Feminists'] |
Donr Spotlight — Introducing: Mermaids | Mermaids’ national helpline has seen a dramatic increase in calls requesting support from young gender variant people. The charity plans to use Donr’s Text Giving service to help fund this helpline. Photo by Bogdan Glisik on Unsplash
This week, Rosanna Andrews, Fundraising Manager at UK-wide charity, Mermaids, talks to Donr Spotlight about her organisation’s work in supporting thousands of transgender or gender non-conforming children.
Founded back in 1995 by the parents of gender-variant children and young people, Mermaids was originally intended as a support group and has since grown to respond to need and now provides a much wider range of services.
‘Mermaids’ overarching aim is to create a world where gender diverse children and young people can be themselves and thrive,’ Rosanna explains. ‘Our goal is to relieve the mental and emotional stress of all those aged 19 years and under who are gender variant, as well as to promote education and awareness.
‘We offer information, support, friendship and shared experiences to young people and their families, as well as providing some local and national opportunities to meet others.’
In 2019, there is possibly a greater awareness of transgender issues across society than there has ever been before. Has this has meant a much greater number of requests for support from Mermaids in recent years? ‘Over the last three years, the number of emails and calls received [requesting support has] increased from 495 in 2013/2014 to just under 4,000 in 2016/2017,’ Rosanna confirms.
Despite this increased awareness of transgender issues in the UK today, Mermaids still report that young transgender people and their families face serious challenges in their daily lives.
‘Children and teens dealing with gender dysphoria and their families require support to cope with isolation, discrimination and prejudice,’ Rosanna says. ‘Gender variant young people are among the most vulnerable in the UK — almost half of transgender school pupils (45%) in the UK have attempted suicide; 1 in 9 of those pupils have received death threats, 8 out of 10 have self-harmed.
‘They (gender variant young people) experience bullying, both physically and mentally, by their peers, adults and even people in authority, such as teachers and local authority workers. Without adequate support, transgender young people are far more likely to drop out of school and are less likely to access higher education.
‘At a recent Mermaids residential weekend, we did a session with Stop Hate UK,’ Rosanna continues. ‘We asked how many of the parents in the room were frightened for their children and what they face in the outside world — they all raised their hands. We then asked the gender diverse teens and young people in the room how many had been subject to transphobic abuse — they all raised their hands.’
To add to these shocking revelations one young person even said of the charity: ‘I would probably be dead, if it wasn’t for Mermaids. Being able to meet other trans people has been invaluable for me. Being able to talk about things that I couldn’t discuss with anyone else and receiving positive messages, advice and feedback from admins and other members has also been invaluable.’
Clearly, in 2019, Mermaids’ work is absolutely vital, and they intend to use the money they are able to raise via their Donr Text Giving keyword to help fund that national helpline which has seen such a dramatic increase in calls requesting support in the last three years.
If you would like to help Mermaids continue to provide young gender variant people and their families with the support they need, please text ‘MERMAIDS’ followed by a donation amount to 70085. For instance, if you would like to donate £20, please text ‘MERMAIDS 20’ to 70085*.
To find out more about the charity, visit their website or email [email protected] | https://medium.com/donr/donr-spotlight-introducing-mermaids-e9aa2ccb9254 | [] | 2019-05-23 15:13:03.624000+00:00 | ['Nonprofit', 'Learning', 'Charity', 'Partnerships', 'Transgender'] |
It’s Not ‘Writer’s Block’ — It’s Emptiness. | The phrase ‘Writer’s Block’ looms over all of us who dare to pick up a pen or tap out sentences on our computers. It suggests that we, the writer, have hit an impasse — we’ve strained too hard, or squeezed out every inch of creativity we had, with nothing left. Well, I have a confession to make…
I don’t think writer’s block exists.
Recently, I read the fantastic Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. In it, she talks about so-called ‘writer’s block’, and describes it like this —
“If your wife locks you out of the house, you don’t have a problem with your door. The word ‘block’ suggests that you are constipated or stuck, when the truth is that you’re empty…”
In the classic The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron also describes it not as a ‘block’ but as a ‘drought’ —
“In any creative life there are dry seasons. These droughts appear from nowhere and stretch to the horizon… our work feels mechanical, empty, forced.”
There it is again: emptiness.
It’s time to refuel.
Acceptance first, action second
The issue, much of the time, is that we are taught that all creative people — truly talented or capable writers — must always be writing. This ridiculous notion ensures we place pressure on ourselves to always be producing something (and normally not just ‘something’ but ‘something good’). The reality is, nobody is like this.
Back to Lamott, and her wise words:
“The problem is acceptance, which is something we’re taught not to do. We’re taught to improve uncomfortable situations, to change things… but if you accept the reality that you have been given — that you are not in a productive creative period — you free yourself to begin filling up again.”
As creatives, there is the notion that the act of creation is essential to our being. That means demanding creativity at any and all moments from ourselves, in order to keep proving (to ourselves or others) that we are, in fact, the ‘real deal’.
The notion of acceptance, as Lamott describes it, doesn’t generally factor in. Gentleness isn’t really a trait associated with ‘genius’ and if we’re honest, that is what many of us aspire to be. The entire concept of ‘genius’ comes round to hurt us, more than help.
Freeing ourselves to simply be who we are — creatives, yes, but also many other things — acknowledges the fact that we will require more than our creativity to keep us going. We might need to nurture other parts of ourselves. Because while our creativity is important and is likely essential to many of us, it cannot be everything. Some people enjoy being workaholics, or are very dedicated to one aspect of their lives. But that doesn’t have to be you, and your creativity will likely benefit from a little diversity, a little gentleness, and a little openness.
It starts with acceptance: you might not be in your most creative phase right now. That’s okay. Free yourself by acknowledging this honestly and openly. Give yourself the chance to address it.
Read widely, and embrace your uniqueness
Part of the problem with the idea of ‘writer’s block’ is that it suggests you have moved as far as you can, and now your path is being obstructed. If only you could jump the hurdle and continue moving forward in that unendingly direct and efficient forward momentum! It says we should be moving in that linear motion at all times. What does this even mean in the context of creativity?
When we hear stories about famous writers who did supposedly work in this mythically perfect fashion, it can create a blank in us. For me, it was the story I heard about Tolkien. As a young woman who adored Lord of the Rings, I had heard that Tolkien simply sat down at his typewriter and churned out the epic, all of it coming clear and easy to his fingers.
I doubt that this story is at all true. But it didn’t matter: I was influenced. If I can’t also sit down and execute a string of perfect sentences, plot and character emerging naturally at first attempt, then I must not be a ‘real’ writer. I must be a fraud.
In Francine Prose’s essential Reading Like A Writer, she says:
“Some writers stop you dead in your tracks by making you see your own work in the most unflattering light. Each of us will meet a different harbinger of personal failure, some innocent genius chosen by us for reasons having to do with what we see as our own inadequacies. The only remedy to this I have found is to read a writer whose work is entirely different from another, though not necessarily more like your own — a difference that will remind you of how many rooms there are in the house of art.”
Creativity isn’t linear. It isn’t ‘efficient’. There is no one way to ‘do’ creativity. Obviously, there isn’t just one kind of writing. You could read any number of books, different and wonderful in equal measure. And you probably already do! Returning to the love of reading here is important — if we are empty, we need to refuel. We can refuel by finding inspiration. We can find inspiration through admiration. It might be time to try new books, to try new forms of writing, new writers, to listen to new voices.
And Prose’s final sentiments are the ones I try to remind myself of: there are many, many rooms in the house of art. Perhaps my room will be a little different.
Honing in on the one method to acquire the status of genius is so entirely problematic and narrow-minded as to disqualify all other attempts at creation, all of which are likely valid and helpful. Don’t try to get into Tolkien’s room. Go out and discover, then return to your unique place in the vast landscape of creativity.
No perfectionism, just play
In a period of emptiness, releasing perfectionism is going to be top priority in allowing you to find that unique place that is yours alone. Feeling empty, you are likely not going to do your absolute best work in these times. So, it’s time to just shake things loose, and see what happens.
One reason we believe we get ‘blocked’ is due to perfectionism having the final word over everything we try to create. It helps to kill off any of those burgeoning ideas we might well have to struggle with, incubate, and toss around for a while, before they make any sense to us on the page.
Back to Julia Cameron, who says —
During a drought, the mere act of showing up on the page, like the act of walking through a tackless desert, requires one footfall after another to no apparent point… What do we do? We stumble on.
Cameron of course pioneered the idea of the Morning Pages — three pages written first thing every morning, with no clear purpose or intention. Just whatever comes to mind. Personally, I’ve tried, and I find it incredibly wearying. Instead, I write down dreams and random things that come to me in the night, and then leave it. If it’s not three whole pages, that’s fine. But it still serves the purpose of starting me off — of getting my brain going, and accepting that I don’t need to be writing pure prize winning glory first thing in the morning. Or indeed any time of day.
Cameron’s idea here is the important thing. We stumble on. Just get to the page, and try to see what happens. Even if it’s stream of consciousness, drivel, boring, or whatever other negative word your brain can conjure up.
And for good measure —
The time in the desert brings us clarity and charity. When you are in a drought, know that it is to a purpose… To write is to right things… A path will emerge.
I like this a lot. To write is to right things — we have to work through it. Throw something onto the page and see what sticks. Forget about declaring anything your magnum opus.
Jeff Vandermeer’s very colourful and fun Wonderbook adds —
“Different forces are at work today with regard to the imagination. Modern ideals of functionality and the trend towards seamless design in our technology have taken the very human striving for perfection and given us the illusion of having attained it (which, ironically, seems very dehumanizing). In this environment, some writers second-guess their instincts and devalue the sense of play that infuses creative endeavours…”
Personally, I’d argue this tendency goes back much further than the modern day and the impacts of technology — it’s imbedded in ancient Western aesthetic ideals, from the desire to create ‘perfect’ and eternal structures in cement, through to today.
Vandermeer, however, rightly suggests play as the most important thing we can allow the mind to engage in, as it “leads to making the connections necessary to create narrative.” This is a rather prosaic way to put it, but it’s true. Without the chance for the brain to spark, where will we get our stories? We need the chance to form connections, to turn things over in a new light, and to let the mind work its own magic. That brings me to my last point…
Rest is not optional
Your brain needs a minute to just figure things out. Let the process happen. Give yourself time to recharge. If it’s refuelling that we need to do, it’s going to be hard to feel excited or inspired by anything we might engage with if we are, in fact, exhausted.
We should all know by now what the benefits of a proper sleep and rest are. We need down time and actual sleep for cognition, concentration and productivity. So start with actual sleep. Are you getting enough of it? Is it of a good quality?
Then move on to the next stage: creative rest.
This means you are going to part your work in progress, any pressure being applied, and even your determination that things must be finished ASAP. It’s time to start crocheting, painting, drawing, dancing, reading, singing, cooking, and any other damn thing you need that is not doing your writing. Rest your brain for a while. Let your characters take care of themselves in the background. They’ll be fine.
Do some combinatory play. In the words of Einstein, it is the “act of opening up one mental channel by dabbling in another”. Opening is what we want here — release, relaxation and ease. This is the antidote to stress, pressure, tightness, perfectionism, and emptiness.
You’ll be on your way again, soon
Finally, trust that you will refuel in time.
Ask yourself: if I never published, or never had a reader, or never achieved what I wanted, would I have been happy, anyway, to be a writer? For me, the answer is yes. Even if nothing ever comes of it, I trust now that writing is a part of my life. Even if it all goes nowhere. I don’t care about that, I just love to write.
That means I’ll find a way to keep on doing it, even if I’m empty, lost, whatever. I’ll take a break, I’ll ease back, I’ll refuel, and I will, eventually, come back to the page. | https://medium.com/swlh/its-not-writer-s-block-it-s-emptiness-fb3f7c2bcfe1 | ['Christina Hope'] | 2020-04-07 04:12:53.807000+00:00 | ['Creative Process', 'Mental Health', 'Creative Writing', 'Creativity', 'Writing'] |
Why Humanity Needs To Outgrow Its Playground Phase | I’ve been fortunate to experience many different ecosystems, from desolate deserts to frigid tundras to luscious woodlands.
None compares to the vivacity of a rainforest.
When you step into a rainforest, you feel a sense of wonder as you crane your neck to see trees as high as mini-skyscrapers, trees growing on other trees, plants growing from the air, soil hosting species both visible and invisible to the naked eye, and the creatures we can more easily identify with, namely large vertebrates.
You can hear the rainforest too. You can feel the sounds of silence as you enter a world unencumbered by engines and wheels. You can listen to the birds chirping near and far, the leaves quaking and sometimes falling in the wind, the creatures tiptoeing their way around their natural homes, and the raindrops falling from a life-giving sky.
Life is all around you; it’s above you, in front of you, behind you, and below you. Every corner of the rainforest is alive. You can feel the biodiversity with every sense — sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
You can’t help but feel inspired by nature. You ask yourself how the system works so wonderfully. How did those trees grow so high? How did those plants grow on top of those trees?
Nature naturally sparks curiosity and wonderment. It imbues you with a sense of appreciation and gratitude. You feel so small and vulnerable as a lush expanse of greenery envelops you. You heed the warnings to stay on the trail, trying to minimize your impact on the ecosystem and let nature do its thing.
In sum, you experience a sense of aesthetic enjoyment and develop curiosity as to how this system works.
But soon enough, the temporality of the experience dawns upon you. You step off the trail and jump back into your gas-guzzling car, eating a meal dominated by domesticated animals whose lives were contingent on a systematic destruction of habitats like the one you just entered and exited.
You reflect on how fragile and sensitive the natural world is, a product of that most magical of natural forces: evolution. | https://medium.com/climate-conscious/why-humanity-needs-to-outgrow-its-playground-phase-e02646caa58 | ['Danny Schleien'] | 2020-10-08 12:02:43.185000+00:00 | ['Environment', 'Gardening', 'Psychology', 'Nature', 'Climate Change'] |
If Your Year Could Talk, What Would It Say? | If Your Year Could Talk, What Would It Say?
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash
Here’s a confession. I’m a personal development junkie.
It all started back in 2008 when I studied Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). Books, courses, quotes, podcasts — you name it. I devour them. Not endlessly. I need time for reflection and digestion in between. I’m the one who buys a recommended book, especially if the title resonates with me (Flourish by Martin Seligman is an example). Always game for a suggested exercise or quiz and intrigued by personality tests. And forever interested in learning something new about my own personality and psychology in general.
Life is a journey and not a destination. Sometimes we have to make pit stops to refuel, change course, ignore a compass and decide whether to take a road less travelled. Life is also one big learning opportunity. And that’s why I believe it’s important to wrap up your year before you can be totally ready for the next one. The only person you should benchmark yourself against is you, your growth, your desires, your goals, and your achievements.
Why? Comparison is the thief of joy. | https://medium.com/@karin-75074/if-your-year-could-talk-what-would-it-say-5defba07efb7 | ['Karin Weiser'] | 2020-12-17 20:43:30.608000+00:00 | ['Personal Development', 'Goal Setting', 'Personal Story', 'Storytelling', 'Personal Growth'] |
Why I quantify 80 metrics about my life every day | The aspects of my life that I keep track of
Fitness, Diet, Sleep
The basic things to track, and I do it for obvious reasons like seeing my progress towards fitness goals and making sure that I'm not telling lies when my mom asks if I've been eating my veggies.
Health data is a big focus of the quantified self community (the online society of folks that track, share, and analyze their personal data), but even if you've never heard the term "Quantified Self" you're probably automatically tracking some sort of health data if you have a modern cell phone or electronic watch.
Good habits & things I want to learn
Anything I want to improve on actively, I try to keep track of. I find that I get motivated by streaks and especially if it's a new habit, I'm more likely to keep it going when I visually see the momentum I have.
When I'm trying to get better at something new, I track it. It's been interesting to see the habits that stick around, and those that fizzle out. Sadly, my meditation practice that started this all isn't doing so well these days. Ironically though, I've found that the actual process of self-tracking has been a meditation of sorts, and a time for me to check in with myself.
Bad habits
Most people just celebrate good habits and try to brush their bad ones under the rug. I've found that tracking bad habits can be eye-opening, insightful, and opens the door to changing those habits if you wish to.
Like most people my age, "I don't have a drinking problem, but I could probably drink less". Sound familiar?
Humans are really bad at estimating, and most life decisions more than a day old are bundled up into the past and forgotten. It's one thing to know that you could drink less, and a completely other one to know exactly how many drinks you had this week, how that affects your sleep, mood, productivity and all of the other positive ambitions you have for your life.
There's also the reverse effect of the good habit streak. When you see that you've drank the past 2 nights, you're more likely to be a bit more conscious of taking today off from the sauce.
Your memory will lie to you, but your data won't.
Time spend
Time is the most precious resource, so it makes sense to keep track of it. Not that we need to be productive for every second of every day, but it does help to have a general idea of what you're spending your time on, and how that affects the other parts of your life that you care about.
I'm always working on a couple of different projects at the same time, and think of my time as an investment as there's always something else I could be doing. It helps to be able to zoom out and really see how I'm choosing to spend my time and compare that with what I'm getting out of it. I also find it fascinating to see the impact of what I'm working on and my mood, sleep, diet, and overall life choices.
Another time-related thing I track is who I spend my time with. Nothing too precise, just if I see a particular friend that day or not. This one is more just for curiosity (both myself and my friends), they always get a kick out of seeing the correlations between the days that we hang out and the rest of my tracked metrics.
How I feel
This one's big, as how we feel about ourselves is often times the key driver behind our life choices and day to day actions.
Call me crazy, but I want to be happy. I want to start my day in a good mood, and even more, I want to end my day in a good mood. I want to feel worry-free, confident, kind, decisive, and humble.
Unfortunately, I was born the old fashioned way and not in some sort of human positivity lab. I don't get to feel those things every single day. That's fine, I've accepted the human condition.
However, the daily actions I take do impact my mood (and the reverse is also true), and I'd like to be in touch with that. So I keep track of both, and every once in a while look at the relationships. I want to be able to answer questions like "What can I do to feel less anxious today?" or "Will eating this ice cream actually make me happy?"
These tracked metrics I keep close to myself, and the insights I get from them are my gold bars in the bank for a future rainy day.
Datapoints tracked over time
Here are the categories and some stats about each one
And here is my data input magnitude over the years (up through December)
So why bother doing all of this?
The million dollar question, and the answer has evolved over time. To sum it up though:
- Goals - Keeping myself accountable and reinforcing good habits
- Awareness - Not hiding from my bad habits, but acknowledging them in order to make decisions with data when it makes sense
- Mindfulness - This daily check-in lets me reflect on the day and set goals for tomorrow
- Insights - What starts as a one-way street of putting data in, turns into a two-way highway that gives me information about my life that goes beyond the obvious and has the potential to even surprise me
- I can't stop... - A joke but also not really. Is there a name for this type of addiction?
Is it worth it?
I can only speak for myself, but I'd say absolutely. Those 5 minutes every night are not only not a "waste" because I reap the benefits of the data at some future point in time, but the forced moment of self-reflection is one that can be quite valuable.
The human lifespan is an adventure that can't simply be reduced to numbers, but I've found that using quantified self data about the day to day can enrich your life experience, answer interesting questions, and provide confidence in the actions that are taken every day.
What I will say though is that it doesn't need to be this extreme. For those interested in quantifying certain aspects of their life, it's easy to start small & focused to help yourself with your goals. I'll warn you though, it can be addictive.
The Quantified Self movement
This concept of self-tracking is not one that I made up. There is a set of awesome online communities of people who quantify aspects of their life in different ways, and share their methods, reasons, conclusions, and insights with others.
However robust those communities are though, I think that QS is only getting started. Every year more and more wearables, devices, applications, and services that track personal data are coming out for a variety of use cases (health, wellness, financial, and medical are just the initial ones). This data needs to be handled in an ethical manner and with the upmost respect for what it stands for, in order for humans to fully trust & adopt this technology. But if that can happen, our day to day data can be used for some incredible applications to really enhance the human experience.
What I learned about myself
Thanks for getting this far, but I think it's time for a break. In my next post I'll share the top insights that I've learned about myself from tracking all of this data every day. | https://medium.com/@dailyvis/quantifying-the-self-why-i-track-80-metrics-about-my-life-every-day-1bb4a8ed20d | ['Daily Vis'] | 2020-12-26 21:48:19.502000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Data', 'Data Visualization', 'Healthy Lifestyle', 'Quantified Self'] |
Doubt Begets Doubt | It starts small. Something is just a little more off than it was yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.You might feel lonesome or muted or simply bored and the little ‘ ? ’creeps in the corners where you wish your deities were. If you know how to handle this very specific, very common emotion, it will make your faith stronger.
I have a lot of doubt in my worship — before I came back to polytheism, I used to think I wasn’t very adamant about being agnostic. Until I found this incredibly deep root of Doubt. It price-matches the faith I have for my deities. The stronger my bonds with a god are, the stronger the doubt will be when it hits.
I just can’t seem to shake the doubt.
That’s okay.
I get to say “that’s okay” because right now, it is okay.
A little bit of doubt will help you decide if it’s better to do a prayer in the morning or the evening. It will tell you if it’s time to offer a meal. It will tell you that they love you. If you are wondering “should I…?”, then you’re in the right place because you will need to ask questions in your worship!
Sometimes the “should I…?” evolves in to bigger Q’s.
“Why not this?”
“Where to now?”
“What the heck is going on?”
(this is my most common phrase used while shaking sticks at the sky)
All of these questions can be maintained and I believe that they are healthy sentiments— it’s not the answer that’s important, but the worshiper’s interpretation of an answer. Because that shows how you used the tool. | https://medium.com/polytheist-problems/doubt-begets-doubt-1ea8eb118090 | ['Eraes Ellis'] | 2019-09-01 12:47:20.586000+00:00 | ['Paganism', 'Polytheist Problems', 'Religion', 'Polytheism', 'Worship'] |
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язык : Rusia Выпущено: Dec 10, 2020 Продолжительность: 136 минут Жанр: история, приключения, фэнтези, мелодрама Звезды: Fedor Fedotov, Sofya Priss, Aleksey Guskov, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Severija Janušauskaitė, Kirill Zaytsev Crew: Nikita Mikhalkov (Producer), Leonid Vereshchagin (Producer), Anton Zlatopolsky (Producer), Alexandr Zagoskin (Production Design), Igor Grinyakin (Director of Photography), Tatyana Patrakhaltseva (Costume Design)
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In 1889, on November 1 in Gotha, Germany Anna Therese Johanne Hoch, who later would be known as Hannah Hoch was born. Being the eldest of five children, the girl was brought up in a comfortable and quiet environment of the small town. Her parents, a supervisor in an insurance company and an amateur painter sent her to Girl’s High school. However, at the age of 15 Hannah had to quit studying for the long six years to take care of her newborn sister. Only in 1912 she continued her education with Harold Bengen in School of Applied Arts, mastering glass design. As the World War I broke up Hannah returned to the native town to work in the Red Cross.
The first years after war the young woman recommenced her studying, getting to know graphic arts. 1915 was highlighted by an acquaintance with an Austrian artist Raoul Hausmann, which grew into the long-lasting romantic relationship and involvement in Berlin Dada movement. For ten years till 1926 Hoch worked in Berlin’s major publisher of newspapers and magazines. Her task was to design embroidering, knitting and crocheting patterns for the booklets.
Being on vacation with her beloved in 1918, Hannah discovered ‘the principle of photomontage in cut-and-paste images that soldiers sent to their families’ (National gallery of Art). This find affected greatly on her artistic production, and she created mass-media photographs comprising the elements of photomontage and handwork patterns, thus combining traditional and modern culture. Her prior preoccupation was to represent the ‘new woman’ of the Weimar Republic with new social role and given freedoms.
Hoch was the only woman in Berlin Dada, who took part in all kinds of events and exhibitions showcasing her socially critical works of art. Till 1931 she participated in exhibitions but with the rise of National Social regime was forbidden to present her creative work. Till her last breath in 1978 Hannah Hoch lived and worked in the outskirts of Berlin-Heiligensee.
The piece of art which is going to be analyzed in this research is ‘The beautiful girl’ designed in 1919–1920. It combines the elements of technology and females. In the middle of the picture one can clearly see a woman dressed in a modern bathing suit with a light bulb on her head which probably serves as a sun umbrella. In the background a large advertisement with a woman’s hair-do on top is presented. Maud Lavin describes strange human as ‘she is part human, part machine, part commodity’ (Lavin). The woman is surrounded by the images of industrialization as tires, gears, signals and BMW logos. A woman’s profile with the cat eyes, untrusting and skeptical, in the upper right corner is eye-catching as well. This unusually large eye symbolizes DADA movement — a monocle, which is present in almost every Hoch’s work. The colour scheme does not offer rich palette of tints, including mostly black, white, orange and red pieces. The photo is surrounded by the BMW circles which add the spots of blue.
An apt description of the piece is given in the book ‘Cut with the Kitchen Knife’ and states that it is ‘a portrait of a modern woman defined by signs of femininity, technology, media and advertising’ (Lavin). In other words Hannah Hoch focused on the woman of the new age, free and keeping up with the fast-moving world. The artist promoted feministic ideas and from her point of view urbanization and modern technologies were meant to give hope to woman to gain equality of genders. With this photomontage she commented on how the woman was expected to combine the role of a wife and mother with the role of a worker in the industrialized world. The light bulb instead of a face shows that women were perceived as unthinking machines which do not question their position and can be turned on or off at any time at man’s will. But at the same time they were to remain attractive to satisfy men’s needs. The watch is viewed as the representation of how quickly women are to adapt to the changes.
In a nutshell, Hoch concentrated on two opposite visions of the modern woman: the one from the television screens — smoking, working, wearing sexy clothes, voting and the real one who remained being a housewife.
The beautiful girl’ is an example of the art within the DADA movement. An artistic and literal current began in 1916 as the reaction to World War I and spread throughout Northern America and Europe. Every single convention was challenged and bourgeois society was scandalized. The Dadaists stated that over-valuing conformity, classism and nationalism among modern cultures led to horrors of the World War I. In other words, they rejected logic and reason and turned to irrationality, chaos and nonsense. The first DADA international Fair was organized in Berlin in 1920 exposing a shocking discontentment with military and German nationalism (Dada. A five minute history).
Hannah Hoch was introduced to the world of DADA by Raoul Hausman who together with Kurt Schwitters, Piet Mondrian and Hans Richter was one of the influential artists in the movement. Hoch became the only German woman who referred to DADA. She managed to follow the general Dadaist aesthetic, but at the same time she surely and steadily incorporated a feminist philosophy. Her aim was to submit female equality within the canvass of other DADA’s conceptions.
Though Hannah Hoch officially was a member of the movement, she never became the true one, because men saw her only as ‘a charming and gifted amateur artist’ (Lavin). Hans Richter, an unofficial spokesperson shared his opinion about the only woman in their community in the following words: ‘the girl who produced sandwiches, beer and coffee on a limited budget’ forgetting that she was among the few members with stable income.
In spite of the gender oppressions, Hannah’s desire to convey her idea was never weakened. Difficulties only strengthened her and made her an outstanding artist. A note with these return words was found among her possessions: ‘None of these men were satisfied with just an ordinary woman. But neither were they included to abandon the (conventional) male/masculine morality toward the woman. Enlightened by Freud, in protest against the older generation. . . they all desired this ‘New Woman’ and her groundbreaking will to freedom. But — they more or less brutally rejected the notion that they, too, had to adopt new attitudes. . . This led to these truly Strinbergian dramas that typified the private lives of these men’ (Maloney).
Hoch’s technique was characterized by fusing male and female parts of the body or bodies of females from different epochs — a ‘traditional’ woman and ‘modern’, liberated and free of sexual stereotypes one. What’s more, combining male and female parts, the female ones were always more distinctive and vibrant, while the male ones took their place in the background. Hannah created unique works of art experimenting with paintings, collages, graphic and photography. Her women were made from bits and pieces from dolls, mannequins of brides or children as these members of the society were not considered as valuable.
Today Hannah Hoch is most associated with her famous photomontage ‘Cut with the kitchen knife DADA through the last Weimer Beer-Belly Cultural epoch of Germany’ (1919–1920). This piece of art highlights social confusion during the era of Weimar Republic, oppositionists and government radicals (Grabner). In spite of never being truly accepted by the rest of her society, this woman with a quiet voice managed to speak out loud her feministic message.
Looking at Hannah Hoch’s art for the first time I found it confusing, because couldn’t comprehend the meaning. It was quite obvious that every single piece and structure is a symbol of the era, its ideas and beliefs. However, after having learned about her life and constant endeavors to declare about female’s right, little by little I started to realize what’s what. As an object for research I chose ‘The beautiful girl’ as, to my mind, its theme and message intersects with the modern tendency: a successful, clever, beautiful and free woman has to become one in no time, cause the world is moving faster and faster. I enjoyed working with this artist as her example is inspiring and is worth following
WRITTEN BY
Its somewhat ironic that a movie about time travel can’t be reviewed properly until your future self rewatches the movie.
It’s bold of Nolan to make such a thoroughly dense blockbuster. He assumes people will actually want to see ~Tenet more than once so they can understand it properly, which some may not. This movie makes the chronology of Inception look as simplistic as tic-tac-toe.
Ergo, it’s hard for me to give an accurate rating, without having seen it twice, as I’m still trying to figure out whether everything does indeed make sense. If it does, this movie is easily a 9 or 10. If it doesn’t, it’s a 6.
It’s further not helped by the fact that the dialogue in the first 15 minutes of the movie is painfully hard to understand / hear. Either they were behind masks; they were practically mumbling; the sound effects were too loud; or all of the above. The exposition scenes are also waayyy too brief for something this complex — a problem also shared with Interstellar actually.
(Interstellar had this minimalist exposition problem explaining Blight, where if you weren’t careful, you’d miss this one sentence / scene in the entire movie explaining that Blight was a viral bacteria:
“Earth’s atmosphere is 80% nitrogen, we don’t even breathe nitrogen. Blight does, and as it thrives, our air gets less and less oxygen”).
I guess it’s a Nolan quirk. Hopefully, a revision of the film audio sorts the sound mixing out. I do like the soundtrack, but it’s too loud initially.
I liked all the actors. You think John Washington can’t act at first, but he can, and he grows on you as the film progresses. And Pattinson is his usual charming self. Elizabeth is a surprise treat. And so on.
Its worth a watch either way. See it with subtitles if you can. And definitely don’t expect to fully understand whats going on the first time around.
Its one hell of a complicated film. It will be very hard for an average viewer to gather all the information provided by this movie at the first watch. But the more you watch it, more hidden elements will come to light. And when you are able to put these hidden elements together. You will realize that this movie is just a “masterpiece” which takes the legacy of Christopher Nolan Forward
If I talk about acting, Then I have to say that Robert Pattinson has really proved himself as a very good actor in these recent years. And I am sure his acting skills will increase with time. His performance is charming and very smooth. Whenever he is on the camera, he steals the focus John David Washington is also fantastic in this movie. His performance is electrifying, I hope to see more from him in the future. Other characters such as Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth, Himesh Patel, Dimple Kapadia, Clémence Poésy have also done quite well. And I dont think there is a need to talk about Michael Caine
Talking about Music, its awesome. I dont think you will miss Hans Zimmer’s score. Ludwig has done a sufficient job. There is no lack of good score in the movie
Gotta love the editing and post production which has been put into this movie. I think its fair to say this Nolan film has focused more in its post production. The main problem in the movie is the sound mixing. Plot is already complex and some dialogues are very soft due to the high music score. It makes it harder to realize what is going on in the movie. Other Nolan movies had loud BGM too. But Audio and dialogues weren’t a problem
My humble request to everyone is to please let the movie sink in your thoughts. Let your mind grasp all the elements of this movie. I am sure more people will find it better. Even those who think they got the plot. I can bet they are wrong.
~Tenet is the long awaited new movie from Christopher Nolan. The movie that’s set to reboot the multiplexes post-Covid. It’s a manic, extremely loud, extremely baffling sci-fi cum spy rollercoaster that will please a lot of Nolan fan-boys but which left me with very mixed views.
John David Washington (Denzel’s lad) plays “The Protagonist” — a crack-CIA field operative who is an unstoppable one-man army in the style of Hobbs or Shaw. Recruited into an even more shadowy organisation, he’s on the trail of an international arms dealer, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh in full villain mode). Sator is bullying his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) over custody of their son (and the film unusually has a BBFC warning about “Domestic Abuse”). Our hero jets the world to try to prevent a very particular kind of Armageddon while also keeping the vulnerable and attractive Kat alive.
This is cinema at its biggest and boldest. Nolan has taken a cinema ‘splurge’ gun, filled it with money, set it on rapid fire, removed the safety and let rip at the screen. Given that Nolan is famous for doing all of his ‘effects’ for real and ‘in camera’, some of what you see performed is almost unbelievable. You thought crashing a train through rush-hour traffic in “Inception” was crazy? You ain’t seen nothing yet with the airport scene! And for lovers of Chinooks (I must admit I am one and rush out of the house to see one if I hear it coming!) there is positively Chinook-p*rn on offer in the film’s ridiculously huge finale.
The ‘inversion’ aspects of the story also lends itself to some fight scenes — one in particular in an airport ‘freeport’ — which are both bizarre to watch and, I imagine, technically extremely challenging to pull off. In this regard John David Washington is an acrobatic and talented stunt performer in his own right, and must have trained for months for this role.
Nolan’s crew also certainly racked up their air miles pre-lockdown, since the locations range far and wide across the world. The locations encompassed Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and United States. Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is lush in introducing these, especially the beautiful Italian coast scenes. Although I did miss the David Arnold strings that would typically introduce these in a Bond movie: it felt like that was missing.
The ‘timey-wimey’ aspects of the plot are also intriguing and very cleverly done. There are numerous points at which you think “Oh, that’s a sloppy continuity error” or “Shame the production design team missed that cracked wing mirror”. Then later in the movie, you get at least a dozen “Aha!” moments. Some of them (no spoilers) are jaw-droppingly spectacular.
Perhaps the best twist is hidden in the final line of the movie. I only processed it on the way home.
And so to the first of my significant gripes with ~Tenet. The sound mix in the movie is all over the place. I’d go stronger than that… it’s truly awful (expletive deleted)! Nolan often implements Shakespeare’s trick of having characters in the play provide exposition of the plot to aid comprehension. But unfortunately, all of this exposition dialogue was largely incomprehensible. This was due to:
the ear-splitting volume of the sound: 2020 movie audiences are going to be suffering from ‘~Tenetis’! (LOL);
the dialogue is poorly mixed with the thumping music by Ludwig Göransson (Wot? No Hans Zimmer?);
a large proportion of the dialogue was through masks of varying description (#covid-appropriate). Aaron Taylor-Johnson was particularly unintelligible to my ears.
Overall, watching this with subtitles at a special showing might be advisable!
OK, so I only have a PhD in Physics… but at times I was completely lost as to the intricacies of the plot. It made “Inception” look like “The Tiger Who Came to Tea”. There was an obvious ‘McGuffin’ in “Inception” — — (“These ‘dream levels’… how exactly are they architected??”…. “Don’t worry… they’ll never notice”. And we didn’t!) In “~Tenet” there are McGuffins nested in McGuffins. So much of this is casually waved away as “future stuff… you’re not qualified” that it feels vaguely condescending to the audience. At one point Sator says to Kat “You don’t know what’s going on, do you?” and she shakes her head blankly. We’re right with you there luv!
There are also gaps in the storyline that jar. The word “~Tenet”? What does it mean. Is it just a password? I’m none the wiser.
The manic pace of ~Tenet and the constant din means that the movie gallops along like a series of disconnected (albeit brilliant) action set pieces. For me, it has none of the emotional heart of the Cobb’s marriage problems from “Inception” or the father/daughter separation of “Interstellar”. In fact, you barely care for anyone in the movie, perhaps with the exception of Kat.
It’s a talented cast. As mentioned above, John David Washington is muscular and athletic in the role. It’s a big load for the actor to carry in such a tent-pole movie, given his only significant starring role before was in the excellent BlacKkKlansman. But he carries it off well. A worthy successor to Gerard Butler and Jason Statham for action roles in the next 10 years.
This is also a great performance by Robert Pattinson, in his most high-profile film in a long time, playing the vaguely alcoholic and Carré-esque support guy. Pattinson’s Potter co-star Clemence Poésy also pops up — rather more un-glam that usual — as the scientist plot-expositor early in the movie.
Nolan’s regular Michael Caine also pops up. although the 87-year old legend is starting to show his age: His speech was obviously affected at the time of filming (though nice try Mr Nolan in trying to disguise that with a mouth full of food!). But in my book, any amount of Caine in a movie is a plus. He also gets to deliver the best killer line in the film about snobbery!
However, it’s Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki that really stand out. They were both fabulous, especially when they were bouncing off each other in their marital battle royale.
So, given this was my most anticipated movie of the year, it’s a bit of a curate’s egg for me. A mixture of being awe-struck at times and slightly disappointed at others. It’s a movie which needs a second watch, so I’m heading back today to give my ear drums another bashing! And this is one where I reserve the right to revisit my rating after that second watch… it’s not likely to go down… but it might go up.
(For the full graphical review, check out One Mann’s Movies on t’interweb and Facebook. Thanks.)
As this will be non-spoiler, I can’t say too much about the story. However, what I can is this: ~Tenet’s story is quite dynamic in the sense that you won’t understand it till it wants you to. So, for the first half, your brain is fighting for hints and pieces to puzzle together the story. It isn’t until halfway through the movie that ~Tenet invites you to the fantastic storytelling by Christopher Nolan.
Acting is beyond phenomenal, and I’d be genuinely surprised if neither Robert Pattinson nor John David Washington doesn’t receive an Oscar nomination for best actor. It’s also hard not to mention how good Elizabeth Debicki and Aaron Johnson both are. All around, great acting, and the dialogue amps up the quality of the movie.
The idea of this movie is damn fascinating, and while there are films that explore time-travelling, there’s never been anything quite like this. It has such a beautiful charm and for the most part, explains everything thoroughly. It feels so much more complex than any form of time-travelling we’ve seen, and no less could’ve been expected from Nolan.
Oh my lord, the score for this film fits so perfectly. Every scene that’s meant to feel intense was amped by a hundred because of how good the score was. Let me just say though, none of them will be found iconic, but they fit the story and scenes so well.
In the end, I walked out, feeling very satisfied. Nevertheless, I do have issues with the film that I cannot really express without spoiling bits of the story. There are definitely little inconsistencies that I found myself uncovering as the story progressed. However, I only had one issue that I found impacted my enjoyment. That issue was understanding some of the dialogue. No, not in the sense that the movie is too complicated, but more that it was hard to make out was being said at times. It felt like the movie required subtitles, but that probably was because, at a time in the film, there was far too much exposition.
Nevertheless, I loved this film, I’ll be watching it at least two more times, and I think most of you in this group will enjoy it. I definitely suggest watching it in theatres if possible, just so you can get that excitement.
(4/5) & (8.5/10) for those that care about number scores.
At first, I want to ask Christopher Nolan one question, HOW THE HELL YOU DID THIS? Seriously I want to have an answer, How did he write such as this masterpiece! How did he get this complicated, fabulous and creative idea? What is going on in his mind? The story is written and directed perfectly, the narration style was absolutely unique. I have no idea how can anyone direct such as this story, that was a huge challenge, and as usual Nolan gave us a masterpiece that we’ll put beside (Memento), (Inception) and (Interstellar) The movie is so fast-paced in a good way, there was no boring moment. The chemistry between John David Washington and Robert Pattinson was great and funny and both of their performance was really good. Elizabeth Debicki performance was the best in the movie because she had the chance to show her acting abilities and she cached up that chance and showed us an A level acting.
The music wasn’t unique and distinct as the music of Interstellar for example and I think this movie needed the touch of Hans Zimmer, I’m not saying that Ludwig Göransson failed but Hans Zimmer in another level.
If there was something I’d say that I didn’t like it in the movie would it be that Nolan discarded any set up or characters backgrounds except Elizabeth Debicki dramatic story but it wasn’t that bad for me, I didn’t care about that, the exciting story didn’t give me the chance to focus on it. But the actual problem was the third act, it was really complicated and I got lost and I convinced myself to discard the questions that were in my head and enjoy the well-made action sequences and Elizabeth Debicki performance.
I think this kind of movie that gets better with a second and third watch.
I honestly don’t quite know where to begin with ~Tenet. I love Christopher Nolan’s work but I have never seen a more complicated film (and I understood Memento). ~After nearly three hours, I came away from ~Tenet not knowing myself, my mind reduced to nothing more than piles of ash.
Was there time travel involved? Hmm, there was definitely something about time inversion. I mean, does Nolan even understand what he wrote? Look, I give credit to the director because he’s one of the few directors left who knows how to create a compelling and intelligent blockbuster. ~Tenet is full of Nolan trademarks — the gratuitous Michael Caine cameo, a loud, really loud score, complete with stunning cinematography and slickly inventive action set-pieces.
This time around however, Nolan has finally managed to ‘out-Nolan’ himself: the palindromic plot, whilst creatively ambitious, is simply far too complicated for its own good. ~Tenet is overlong, overstuffed, pretentious and too exhausting to comprehend in its entirety — it makes Inception and Interstellar look like Peppa Pig by comparison.
I’m aware of the technical wizardry and creative mastery in this film and lord knows I’ll have to watch this again. For those who want a puzzle, ~Tenet at least provides a unique cinematic experience. But to actually enjoy solving it Nolan wants you to work very very hard. | https://medium.com/@mkundang348/%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B8-serebryanye-konki-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9-%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BC-2020-hd-online-sub-ru-119c360e3ec5 | ['Malin Kundang'] | 2020-12-23 15:09:34.620000+00:00 | ['Drama', 'Russia', 'Adventure', 'Romance', 'Family'] |
Predicting your next query even before you type! | The CGF computes a relatedness score among pairs of candidate queries and ranks the destination queries for each source query based on a function of relatedness score. It operates in the following stages:
Finding related queries. Arriving at relatedness-score using blender. Ensuring candidate quality.
Finding Related Queries
We derive the related queries in two ways :
Immediate query to query reformulations in a user session Common (Extent of intersection between) products clicked on the search results page of two different queries: co-clicked products
Using immediate query to query reformulations
Representation: Probable destination queries for a source query
From the user journeys represented as a stream of events, we find the probability of a user reformulating to a next query using the ‘search’ events. For the ‘source query’ → ‘destination query’ pairs which have the same category intent, we compute the probability of reformulating to the ‘destination query’ from the ‘source query’. (Read more about Flipkart’s query understanding here).
Where R is the relatedness score of source query, destination query pair
Using co-clicked products
Common products being reached from different queries on Flipkart
Co-clicked products are an important signal of relatedness of queries as the users looking for the same set of products may express their intent through different queries. The extent of overlap between product clicks for different queries represents the extent of relatedness between the queries.
The relatedness score is a function of two probabilities :
Arriving at relatedness score with Blender
For the source query harry potter, we merge the candidates from the two sources as shown below, to arrive at a blended result with final scores.
While the current blending function weighs both sources equally, it is expected to evolve towards a weighted function with machine learnt weights.
Ensuring candidate quality
This phase eliminates poor quality queries to arrive at the final pool of related queries in the following steps:
Spell Correction
Often, queries in the actual user journeys are prone to misspellings, as the user may have written in a hurry, is unaware of the spelling, or may not be proficient with the spellings in the language. All query candidates go through Flipkart Search’s Semantic Spell Module (read more about it here) to rectify the misspelled queries.
Deduplication
We eliminate the duplicates or similar query suggestions. The current version of deduplication considers the following kinds of query duplicates :
Same stemmed tokens → ‘shirt for boys’ ~ ‘shirts for boy’
(We use porter stemmer here)
(We use porter stemmer here) Same character stream → ‘backpack’ ~ ‘back pack’
Among duplicate queries, we retain the one that has better relatedness score with the source query.
For example, in a source query, out of the 10 destination queries, if there are two duplicates, then we’ll retain only the one with a higher relatedness score from the two.
school bag → (backpack, 80), (back pack, 50), (barbie school bags, 40), .
Here, ‘back pack’ is eliminated from the list of destination queries as its score 50 < 80 (that of the corresponding duplicate query).
Performance Check
We fetch the historic performance numbers (click-through-rates, popularity, etc.,) of all destination queries and eliminate the ones that do not meet certain threshold values (based on historic distribution). This way, we ensure users see the apt search results which assist in the ‘buy’ decisions.
The following is a representation of the chosen related queries for a source query:
Representation of destination queries for a source query — Related Searches
The CGF module operates as a series of Spark jobs in our ETL pipelines that are orchestrated via Airflow and their frequency is determined based on freshness requirements of the result and how rapidly the input signals change. These jobs run over Flipkart’s Data Platform — FDP (read more about FDP here).
Understanding the need for Distributed Key-Value Store
The CGF operates as ETL pipelines with the output saved in HDFS. The scale of this data is about 10s of million rows. This section addresses how this data is made available for Autosuggest’s service to be consumed with each applicable request.
For data consumption by an application, we needed to transfer this data from HDFS to another data store that could support the scale of data size, rate of requests coming from Autosuggest, and the latency constraints.
We chose the data store on the following constraints:
Data retrieval should be fast enough to meet with Autosuggest’s latency constraint of single-digit milliseconds. The data store should be scalable in terms of the size of data it can store and requests per second (RPS) it can serve.
While in-memory alternatives such as Guava Cache can adhere to constraints of high RPS and low latency, these cannot scale for the size of data we get from the CGF. We thus concluded on using a distributed key-value data store which meets our needs on scalability, latency, and availability.
The distributed key-value data store is updated with the latest data from the CGF periodically. Let’s find out how this data is employed to render the ‘Discover More’ suggestions in Autosuggest.
Personalising ‘Discover More’ in Autosuggest
Consider a user who has searched for — blender, Harry Potter and Fitbit, in the recent past. When the user opens Flipkart app and searches, we’ll show her the following suggestions: | https://tech.flipkart.com/predicting-your-next-query-even-before-you-type-83487a34109d | ['Flipkart Engineering'] | 2021-01-22 10:42:12.446000+00:00 | ['Search', 'Ecommerce', 'Backend', 'Startup', 'India'] |
Life, Ultra-Racing, and Everything else . . . Part 1 | (This article was penned and published on November 6, 2017, in the Notes section of my Facebook page)
While I am here in Italy, attending an academic conference in the beautiful and quaint town of Bologna, incredible things have transpired back home. The main architects of those incredible feats are Yagnesh and Kartik. But, this post is mainly about Yagnesh, his journey over the last year, and his exploits.
I mostly love those individuals who I draw inspiration from and Yagnesh (hereon referred to as Yaggi) is surely one of those. Back in 2015, when I first started cycling, I signed up on the website of an Ahmedabad based cycling club — Cyclone — The cycling club, to receive emails regarding their daily group rides. At that time, Yagnesh Ahir was a mere name from whose mail account, the ride details were broadcasted. I chose to go on one of those rides and there I saw the man for the first time in flesh and blood, clad in a green jersey and a grey helmet, saddled on a green Giant SR1 road bike, and performing occasional bunny hops over speed breakers to show-off his acquired adroitness on the bike. Yaggi, along with his lifelong friend and training partner, Anuj, stood out from everyone else, owing to their proclivity for speed and seriousness for proper training. The two, as I remember now, used to hit the extremely inclement Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar roads on the hottest of summer days to remain competitive for the race days. They found some success in their endeavors as theirs turned out to be the names to reckon with in local Ahmedabad races and the duo performed reasonably well in them.
However, Yagnesh’s desire was to do something far greater. His thirst was not to be quenched by remaining merely competitive at the local scene. With his compadre Anuj, he instituted Amdavad Crankmeisters — AC — a racing team consisting of like-minded individuals with a bit of a talent for the sport and gusto to train, and train hard! Yaggi had a dream and I am sure he still does — To make Amdavad Crankmeisters a national level noteworthy and respect-worthy cycle racing team, something analogous to Team Sky at the UCI World Tour. Till today, I had found the dream a bit too lofty to achieve or even aim for. But, something changed today. Something that has been taking shape for a year now (more on that shall follow shortly).
So, the team started taking shape; with time deserving riders got added to our roster and as it stands today, Team AC is a ten-member strong coterie of individuals (including a female rider and a support crew). The team has had quite a few number of achievements spread across its teammates — couple of fabulous ironman triathlon finishes by Ingit Anand, a RAAM qualification and a fourth-place at The Deccan Cliffhanger 2015 by Yadav Gaurav, multiple qualifications for National Road Race championships based on state championship performances, and numerous other podium finishes and respectable positions at local, state and national level races and duathlons. But until today, I still wasn’t convinced that Yaggi’s dream was taking shape or was even close to it.
At the time of writing this note, it has been close to about 17 hours since Yaggi defied everything that circumstances and conditions threw at him and the naysayers thought was improbable, if not impossible. Today, Yaggi raced brilliantly, and almost in a manner that would probably befit a movie, or at least a documentary, to achieve the bragging rights of stepping onto the second podium step at The Deccan Cliffhanger 5th Edition.
Continuing with the tone of this note, I’ll continue being a wee-bit non-linear with my storytelling.
So, what exactly is The Deccan Cliffhanger? Well, The Deccan Cliffhanger is a ‘short Ultra-race’ (There might be a bit of an oxymoron involved in that phrase in the inverted commas but that’s how the Ultra-racers describe it. The actual Ultra-cycle races span more than 3000 km. For E.g. The best-known Race Across America (RAAM) spans about 4,500 km (+- 300 km) and is to be completed within 288 hours or 12 days in the solo category (Source: RAAM 2016 rules) for the solo rider to be classified as the race finisher. So far, there have only been two Indian finishers in this rather tough-nut-to-be-cracked race — Srinivas Gokulnath and Dr. Amit Samarth; both finishes coming in the 2017 race. Other Ultra races include (but are not limited to) The RACE (The Race across Europe) measuring 4,722 km, and the leviathan challenge known as The Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme extreme (14 stages in 24 days, each between 300–1400 km!)). It (I am back to The Deccan Cliffhanger) spans 643 km from Pune to Goa and is a RAAM qualifier. The elevation gain achieved during this race is close to 5800 meters (that’s about a two-thirds of Everesting during the race)! In the solo category, a rider needs to complete the distance in 32 hours to achieve the title of a RAAM Qualifier (RQ).
Yaggi started training for something big since November of 2016. However, he needed a structure, something he had always craved for. He knocked on the proverbial doors of Coach Deepak Raj, a 19-times Ironman Finisher including the IRONMAN World Championship at Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Post joining Coach Raj’s tutelage, Yaggi defined that something big for himself — To complete the BRM-200 (a 200 km Randonneuring event) in March 2017 within 6 hours and become the fastest Indian in doing so (the Indian record is not clear, though). Yagnesh almost achieved this feat and completed the distance in six hours and some pocket change (five hours and 54 minutes of ride time and the extra time spent in getting the brevet card stamped at the control points, nature breaks, etc.). Again, the ever-so-thirsty Yagnesh Ahir was clamoring for the next big challenge. In my opinion, there is nothing bigger than The Deccan Cliffhanger in India, and Yaggi duly signed up for it after consulting his coach. There began his tapas. Day in and day out, Yaggi kept up with the schedule designed by his coach, come hell or high water. Mind you, the schedule was not the one for the weak-spirited or weak-hearted. It involved 16–20 hours of biking and core workouts per week, a huge chunk of it during the weekends — a time when the majority of youngsters and young couples unwind and have fun. There were rides spanning five hours, six hours, seven hours at endurance pace with the last hour at a tempo/threshold speed, extremely arduous interval workouts and variations, and excruciating exercises to strengthen the core. Yaggi did them all. With élan and a smile on his face. He did them all keeping up with his work schedule (certain client meetings of his went beyond midnight). He got better, bloody better. The distances he achieved on the bike and at the speeds he executed them in, progressively improved. What seemed like an impossible task a year or two ago, was a walk in the park for Yagnesh now. In this process, he lost oodles of weight and looked meaner and fitter than ever. His gait dripped determination and purpose. No action was unaccounted for. Food and nutrition, sleep, partying, time spent in miscellaneous pursuits, everything was monitored. So much so that he skipped all nine days of Garba nights this year. Ask any Gujju, and he/she will tell you what that means! Yaggi even skipped the national road cycling championships, a mere qualification of which is a dream for many for various reasons — a government job, marriage, bragging rights, etc. There was only one goal — winning The Deccan Cliffhanger 2017.
Onto the race day and Yaggi makes a safe but solid start. He cruises to 150 plus kilometers, things well under control. But, what’s an ultra-race without its idiosyncrasies and its uncertainties? Yaggi gets hit by a vehicle from the back and tumbles to smell the tarmac, on the way picking up terrible bruises and road burns on both his knees and a deep cut near his left ear, something that needed prompt medical attention and some stitches. Now, any lesser man (or woman) would have resigned him(her)self to fate and would have lived to fight (read race) another day, next year or some other. But, Yaggi being Yaggi, would not let this hiccup derail his plans or the hundreds of hours of training to waste. His plan was simple and clear. Continue fighting. After having lost close to two hours in having himself medically attended to, Yaggi resumed his race. Kilometer by kilometer, hour by hour, with every ounce of sweat and pedal-stroke, Yaggi started to make it count. He started making up for the lost time. The reality, they say, is stranger than fiction. In “Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar”, we have seen Amir Khan and Deepak Tijori make up places in a 50 km race after their freak fight and contest for a sprint finish. Many of us let out a chuckle whenever we saw it happen during the numerous re-runs of the movie on TV or elsewhere. I certainly have. In a more realistic but still improbable scenario, Yaggi started making up places, leaving those racers behind who, at a point of time in the race, were almost 70–100 km in the lead! Yaggi made up enough places to finish second! And, who was he beaten by? None other than Dr. Amit Samarth, the first Indian to complete RAAM in his first attempt (no shame in losing to him, eh!). Yaggi completed the culmination of his tapas in 28 hours and 33 minutes. I will not mull on counterfactuals here but my question to a discerning as well as a non-discerning reader of this note — What do you think Yaggi’s timing and position be, if not for the freak accident?
As it always happens in life, his victory is not his alone. I am sure Yaggi would be a better person to recount all important and pivotal people to have contributed in his journey but to my mind, the following names appear — Ingit Anand (his training partner in many of his massive rides), Anuj Sharedalal (more of a brother to Yaggi than his friend and training partner), Kartik Kansara (the other RAAM qualifier from Team AC on the day), Deepak Raj (Yaggi’s Coach), Shaily Chauhan (Yaggi’s Nutritionist) and Yaggi’s crew members on the day. Here’s a brief description of each of them –
Robin Thakur — The most amicable person in the whole of Ahmedabad, my training and team duathlon partner, a triathlete, an aspiring ironman and a beautiful human being.
Mayank Tripathi — I could write a separate post on him for the respect I have for this incredible athlete. But, I just have one instance to cite which is enough to bring forth his passion for the sport. Mayank got married on 31st October 2017. On 4th November 2017, he was crewing for Yagnesh!
Dharati Metra Ahir — Yagnesh’s wife and his equal half. This feat would have been impossible if not for Dharati’s support. One of the sweetest individuals I have ever met, Dharati sacrificed her time and moments with Yaggi while he toiled away. Yagnesh’s incredible achievement is as much as Dharati’s.
Now, for the life lessons, I have drawn from Yaggi’s too-good-to-be-expressed-in-words sojourn –
· An indomitable spirit backed by a perfect work ethic is enough to conquer any challenge in this world. Everything else, apart from the union of two attributes I mentioned, follows from these.
· A coach/guru/teacher is a must. He/she proffers the much-needed direction, without which optimal results are difficult to achieve in an optimal manner.
· It’s not over until you decide it’s over. Whenever I come across incredible feats such as this, I am reminded of the US Navy Seals’ idea of efforts. According to them, when you think you are done, you are only 40% done.
Yaggi, I congratulate you on your feat.
Cheers
PS — This post is long because it has been a long while since I wrote anything but thesis and I wanted to get out of the rut. I have also been wanting to write something about sports. Moreover, in view of Yagnesh’s humongous achievement, this post befits its size. | https://medium.com/@kishanparasu/life-ultra-racing-and-everything-else-part-1-2b0231aea22d | ['Kishan Parasu'] | 2019-11-21 06:14:26.016000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'Determination', 'Ultracycling', 'Perseverance', 'Cycling'] |
Can You Explain What is God Consciousness And Individual Self-soul As Stated in The Scriptures For Authenticity? | Can You Explain What is God Consciousness And Individual Self-soul As Stated in The Scriptures For Authenticity?
It is difficult to explain something which we cannot see with our eyes. There are five elements of nature earth, water, fire, air and Akasha or space. — Can you see or measure the parameters of space? Ajay Gupta Follow Dec 24, 2020 · 3 min read
Bhagavad Gita explains the concept of God-consciousness in very clear and lucid verses. I give here excerpt from my book: ‘Word of God Bhagavad Gita.’ ….Ajay Gupta: Amazon.in: Kindle Store : — Word of God Bhagavad Gita by Ajay Gupta यथाऽऽकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायुः सर्वत्रगो महान्। तथा सर्वाणि भूतानि मत्स्थानीत्युपधारय।।9.6।। Just as the mighty wind moving everywhere, always exists in the Space (Akasha); by the same example know that all beings and the entire Creation exists in My all pervading Spirit of God. (Book: Word of God Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 verse 6) Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa in his lifetime used to say to his followers, “What is God-consciousness or ‘Brahman’ like? It cannot be defined in words. It cannot be perceived with the human senses. Defining ‘Brahman’ or God-consciousness is much more difficult after experiencing God-consciousness, as one simply becomes silent, and it is unthinkable and beyond words.” The four basic elements of earth, water, fire and air have their own characteristics. The gross elements like earth, water and air can be weighed and their quality can be assessed. — The quality and purity of air and the pollution in air can be scientifically measured. The temperature of fire can also be measured.
The fifth element Akasha or space undergoes no modifications and remains changeless. — The element of Akasha is insentient while the consciousness is sentient.
The above verse gives the analogy of the wind which although moving everywhere always exists in Akasha. — Similarly all beings and the entire creation exists in the all-pervading Spirit of God at all times.
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम्।
परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम्।।9.11।।
The difficulty arises when we imagine the existence of God in human forms like Krishna, Rama, Vishnu, Jeusu Christ and others. — For this reason there is no picture of Allah in Islam to remove this confusion.
We cannot bring the Spirit of God to the human form but yet different incarnations of God came into existence to explain the message of God to the humanity. | https://medium.com/life-lessons-of-bhagavad-gita/can-you-explain-what-is-god-consciousness-and-individual-self-soul-as-stated-in-the-scriptures-for-efc8d0fcc457 | ['Ajay Gupta'] | 2020-12-24 07:02:47.406000+00:00 | ['Books', 'Life Lessons', 'Spirituality', 'Religion', 'God'] |
My Work & Me | My Work & Me
All In One Place…
Autumn leaves blow in the breeze. Courtesy of Tremaine L. Loadholt
I have noticed a ton of you compiling your works into one, safe, snug-space, and well, I think it’s HIGH time I did that too. However, there’s far too much to load here, I will simply place some works going as far back as January of 2016. I hope this helps each of you navigate through my profile a bit better. It is my simple offering to a group of astoundingly amazing people.
Sky’s Falling Girls:
Sky’s Falling Girls & Aunt May:
Harmony: See Also, “Harmony, Missy, & Lacy Relive Aunt May’s Past:
The Jernee Chronicles:
Poetry & Prose:
In Publications:
All Entries to The Weekly Knob can be found there. Also, great writing prompt publication too!
Tribute Prose-Poems:
Essays:
One-Lined Poems:
Light Up Medium! Light Up The World!
The Weekly Knob: Candle Prompt (LUMLUTW)
Collaborative Works:
Simple:Soul:Sister | https://medium.com/the-archived-collections/my-work-me-a050eacc0145 | ['Tre L. Loadholt'] | 2018-06-01 22:14:29.201000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Medium', 'Writing'] |
Relational Database 9 | AWS IAM, S3, and RDS Services | AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)
In practice, we have to collaborate with others. For the reason that several people should have the access to an instance, we have to manage the identity and the accessibility for that specific instance that we are going to use. This is called the IAM for AWS.
To change the accessibility of an instance or to create a new identity, from the AWS Management Console, we click on our user name and then choose “My Security Credentials”.
Create a new IAM user
An IAM user is different from the root user, and the IAM user only has the accessibility of a few instances selected by the root user. As a root user, we have the permission to create IAM users for a specific instance, however, the IAM user doesn’t have the permission to add or delete users.
To create a new IAM user, click on the Users tab from the left bar and then click on the “Add user” button,
For example, Jeff is our friend and we would like to give him permission for my instances. Then check the boxes of “Programmatic access” and “AWS Management Console access”. For the password, we just simply write “Abc12345” (or you can write what you want) for an original one because the AWS will ask the IAM user to change the password after they log in for the very first time because of the security issues. Then we click on the “Next: Permissions” button to continue.
On the Permission page, we are supposed to restrict the IAM user because we don’t want the other sensitive information being accessed. So we have to create some policies for the IAM user. Because the IAM users can be more than one for a specific project and in most of the cases, we have to set the same policies for all of them, that’s why we create groups to give policies to all of the IAM users with the same permission. Because it is said that we haven’t got a group now, then we have to create a group first.
Click on the “Create Group” button,
Then in the popped-up window, we can write the Group name randomly (i.e. I use projectname for this). We can either create some new policies or we can search for some common permission policies.
For example, suppose we are going to give access to the EC2 servers, so then we can check the box of the EC2 policies (note that the description will describe specifically what’s the meaning for this policy).
However, we are going to create a policy because the common policies are not enough for us to use. So we click on the “Create policy” button and then we will be redirected to a new page for creating policy.
a. Allow the permission to S3
Step 1. Add S3 to the service
Step 2. Choose all S3 actions except for the permissions management, because the IAM user should not have the ability to change the permissions
Step 3. From the source part, choose the permission for the buckets (i.e. in our case, we only allow the bucket named “project1127” for our resource). It doesn’t matter whether we have created this bucket or not. And what is the bucket? We will talk about it later.
b. Allow the permission to RDS
Now, let’s do the same stuff to add permission to the RDS. To make things easier, we just give all the action permissions and all the resource permissions at this time.
Then we click on the “Review policy” button to continue. For this policy, we just simply name it as “newpolicy”. After that and make sure all the permissions are set correctly, we then click on the “Create policy” to create this policy.
It will be fine if we can see this sign,
Then we go back to the “Create Group” page and click on the “Refresh” button to refresh the policy list. In the policy search box, we write “newpolicy” and then we can find the policy that we have created. Check the box of it and then click on the “Create group” button to create this group.
Select “Add user to group” and check the box of this group to make the permissions that we have set working on the current IAM user. Then we click on the “Next: Tags” button to continue.
On the “Add tags” page, we can add some information about this IAM user. For example, name, email, phone number, etc. Or we can just leave it there because this is an optional page for us. Then we click on the “Next: Review” button to continue.
The review page will show us the settings that we have made to that IAM user and if there’s nothing wrong, click on the “Create user” button to continue.
The next page will show us the access key ID and the secret access key for that IAM user and we should download a CSV file with all these pieces of information because they are not going to show for a second time. Click on the “Download .csv” button to download the information.
Then from the downloaded CSV file, we can find a console login link. With this link, we can log into the IAM account.
Click on the link to open it (or copy and paste it in the browser). In case you forget, the username and the password are,
Username: Jeff
Password: Abc12345
Then we are asked to change the password because we have checked (by default) the box of “Require password reset” in the previous settings.
After resetting the password, we can then check the accessibility of our IAM account. Because we didn’t choose to give the accessibility of the EC2 service, let’s see what will it be if I go to the EC2 dashboard. We can discover that we haven’t got any accessibility to the current instance of the root account, and also, we don’t have the permission to create a new EC2 instance. This is basically what we want to set for this IAM account.
IAM Log in with the command line
Remember we have got the access key ID and the secret access key of the IAM account and this is used for log in the AWS through the command line. For macOS, firstly, we have to download the latest version of the AWS Command Line Interface and install it,
$ curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.pkg" -o "AWSCLIV2.pkg"
$ sudo installer -pkg AWSCLIV2.pkg -target /
Then we type in,
$ aws configure
to open the aws service. In this window, we enter the AWS Access Key and the AWS Secret Access Key that is stored in the CSV file we have downloaded,
AWS Access Key ID [None]: .........
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: ...........
Default region name [None]:
Default output format [None]:
2. AWS S3 Bucket
Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is an object storage service that offers data storage services. The basic storage units of Amazon S3 service are objects which are organized into buckets. To make things easier, we can abstract that an S3 bucket is a remote disk that can be used to store data.
Create a new bucket
In the dashboard of the S3 service, let’s click on the orange button with “Create bucket”.
Step 1. Assign a unique bucket name. This bucket can not be the same as any buckets that is existing and created by any users of S3. I will use “project1127” as the bucket name and of course, you can not use this unless I delete this bucket (it may happen).
Step 2. Make it a public bucket
In my case, I want this bucket to be publically available, so I uncheck the box of block all public access and check the box of acknowledging the risks.
Step 3. Click on “Creat bucket” to create this bucket
Upload files to the bucket
Step 1. Click on the bucket that we have created and from the object page of this bucket, we can choose to upload files. We click on the “Upload” button to upload the files.
Step 2. Click on “Add files” to select the files we want to upload. For example, I choose two PDF files for this,
Step 3. Click on the “Upload” button to upload these two files to the server.
After a second, we can see that those files are uploaded successfully.
Change the permission of a bucket
To modify the permission of a bucket, we will go to its Permissions page and then click on “Edit”,
We can also change the bucket policy by clicking on the “Edit” button of the Bucket policy part,
We don’t have to write the JSON policy because we can use the policy generator. We click on the “Policy generator”,
Then for the AWS Policy Generator we choose the type as S3 Bucket Policy. The * for the principle means this can be used for all the users. GetObject is selected as our action and ARN shoule be the bucket ARN of this bucket plus the name of the files separated by comma (for example, my ARN for this is arn:aws:s3:::project1127/Q7.pdf,arn:aws:s3:::project1127/Q8.pdf).
Then we click on thee “Add Statement” to add this statement. Finally, we should click on the “Generate Policy” button to create a JSON file.
Then we copy and paste the generated policy to the bucket policy and then click on the “Save changes” button to make it works for this bucket.
{
"Id": "Policy1606547208127",
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Sid": "Stmt1606547131805",
"Action": [
"s3:GetObject"
],
"Effect": "Allow",
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:s3:::project1127/Q7.pdf",
"arn:aws:s3:::project1127/Q8.pdf"
],
"Principal": "*"
}
]
}
3. AWS RDS Cloud-Based Database
AWS relation database service makes it easier to deloy a relational database in the cloud.
Create a cloud database
To create a cloud-based database, first of all, we have to click on the “Create Database” button and then we choose “Standard create”. Then we should choose PostgreSQL (or other relational databases) and the “Free tier” template (because this service can be really expensive for us).
For the Settings part, the should create a name for our database instance (i.e. projectdb) and then we create the username (by default, postgres) and the password for our database.
If you are not using the free tier, you should then choose a proper DB instance size. Of course, a higher performance machine means a more expensive cost and we should be careful about this. For me, because I choose the free tier, so it won’t be a problem.
Then in the connectivity part, select yes for the Public access because we want the others connect to the database freely form their local machines.
Remember to check the bill before we continue. For me, it is a free service and I am not worrying.
Finally, click on the “Create database” button to create this database. It can take quite a while before we can use this database. If you see there’s no endpoint and port, keep patient and wait for some time until they appear.
Add the cloud-based server to the PgAdimn
To connect the PgAdmin to that cloud server that we have created, we should right click on the Server and choose “Create > Server”.
Then we give its name as the “projectdb” and we select the connection tag to configure more about this server.
Under the connection tag, first of all, we copy and paste the endpoint information from the AWS and then we should type in the password of this database. Keep the other blanks as default if you followed our steps of creating a RDS instance. Then click on Save to save our server.
Now, after a second, we will have a problem: connection time out! Again, this is a problem because of our firewall settings.
Let’s go back to our RDS dashboard and from the Security, we can find a VPC security groups. Click on it to change its inbound rules. Then click on the “Security group ID” to change the rules.
Then we select the type as PostgreSQL and choose anywhere for the Source. Click on “Save rules” to make this work.
Now let’s go back to the PgAdmin, and reconnect. Now we can successfully connect to the database service.
Load data from S3 to RDS
First of all, we upload the “nyt_bestsellers.json” file to the S3 bucket. Remember to change the permissions after this.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Id": "Policy1606547208127",
"Statement": [
{
"Sid": "Stmt1606547131805",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Principal": "*",
"Action": "s3:GetObject",
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:s3:::project1127/nyt_bestsellers.json"
]
}
]
}
Secondly, we go back to the RDS dashboard and open the query tool of this database,
Where we can write,
CREATE EXTENSION aws_s3 CASCADE;
this query will install the aws_s3 extension for us,
| NOTICE: installing required extension "aws_commons"
| CREATE EXTENSION
Then we create a new table as we have done for the other database,
CREATE TABLE nyt_bestsellers (
bestsellers JSON
);
To load the data from the S3 to RDS, we should add an IAM role to this database. From the Manage IAM roles section, we choose the role of “AWSServiceRoleForRDS” with the feature “s3Import”.
Then we go back to the PgAdmin and run the following query,
SELECT aws_s3.table_import_from_s3(
'nyt_bestsellers', 'bestsellers', '',
aws_commons.create_s3_uri('project1127', 'nyt_bestsellers.json', 'us-east-2')
);
where the we have to add a “create_s3_uri function” which follows the rules of aws_commons.create_s3_uri(<bucketname>,<filepathname>,<region>).
Then we can successfully load the data from S3 to RDS by this method. To check our result, we can write, | https://medium.com/adamedelwiess/relational-database-9-aws-iam-s3-and-rds-services-8abe8e77e8ca | ['Adam Edelweiss'] | 2020-11-28 08:36:48.616000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'S3', 'Iam', 'Rds', 'AWS'] |
Sheffield youth pushing for conversation about endometriosis | With there being no cure nor precise explanation for the second most common gynaecological illness among women in the UK, some Sheffield youth took it upon themselves to raise awareness about the condition.
The Rotaract Club of Sheffield, a newly established organisation that’s run by young people and aims to empower others aged between 18 and 30 to improve the community, put their minds together to involve people online through a conference and photo competition to ensure that more is being talked about the illness, and for a reason.
Jane Chatterton, the Club’s President, says, “The main thing that it all comes down to is the lack of awareness.
“No matter how much of a buzzword ‘awareness’ has recently become, you got to start somewhere.
“Awareness develops into interest and this transcends into funding for the right organisations and programmes as well as actual solutions rather than abandonment of the problem.”
Every one in 10 women in the UK suffers from endometriosis at a childbearing age. Yet, it takes seven and a half to eight years on average for a woman to be diagnosed; a figure that hasn’t changed in the past decade.
The way that endometriosis forms is that the tissue that lines the inside of a uterus starts growing where it shouldn’t be, such as the ovaries and pelvis. Just like during the normal period, this tissue builds up and shreds during the menstrual cycle before becoming trapped, leading to razor-like pain in the abdomen.
This explains why some of the common symptoms can be masked by their seemingly normal nature: heavy or painful periods, lower stomach pain, pain during or after sex, pain during bowel movements, diarrhoea, constipation and even bloating.
While our society may have gotten too used to the monthly complaints from women about their periods, the women themselves may not question the underlying problems despite their prevalence through the reproductive years.
Catherine Pennington, 24, has only just received her diagnosis a few weeks ago despite experiencing symptoms since she first got her period. As a Treasurer and Marketer of the Sheffield’s Rotaract Club, she has used her experience to break the silence surrounding the condition.
She says, “My periods have always been off since they first started and I always had to miss school because of them.
“I’m a nerd and I hated missing classes while everyone else didn’t have to deal with this every month.
“I’ve been using all kinds of contraceptives since the age of 14 to try and deal with my periods. The doctors would constantly tell me that I would just grow out of it, but I haven’t.
“Most of the times you are just told to take paracetamol to numb down the pain rather than have your symptoms investigated.”
Catherine, who’s a recent Master graduate of Biomedical Sciences from the University of Sheffield, got endometriosis from her mother, who only received the correct diagnosis at the age of 42. Among the presently known causes, genetic predisposition, which was observed in Catherine’s case, is one of them.
Catherine says about her mother, “When she was 15, she was advised by her GP that perhaps to deal with the symptoms she should just get pregnant.
“Her symptoms continued and she kept getting bogged off by the doctors.
“One of her previous gynaecologists told the other that there was no point giving her anymore tests and that it’s all in her mind.”
In 2003, Catherine’s mother went for a check-up looking as though she was ‘nine months pregnant’ because of the bloating, or rather the ‘endo-belly,’ a term coined by the online communities of women suffering from endometriosis.
Only seven years later did another gynaecologist take notice of her symptoms, when she kept rocking back and forth during one of the appointments while on her period, and prescribe a diagnostic laparoscopy, a surgery where a small telescope is inserted into the abdomen to confidently diagnose the condition. While she was told it was only meant as a precautionary measure, it was then revealed to her that she had severe endometriosis.
Catherine says, “It was hard seeing my mum go through all of this, and it seems to me that a lot of people are gaslighted by the medical professionals.
“If I hadn’t already been armed with that information, I’d have been waiting forever just like everyone else, listening to the doctors telling you to lose weight or get on a pill. Even if the pill works, it shouldn’t be the only option out there.”
When it comes to being ignored by the medical community, a recently published report conducted by the All Party Parliamentary Group has discovered that almost half of all the 10,000 endometriosis patients involved in the survey found their GPs unhelpful or very unhelpful.
After waiting for a laparoscopy since December due to the lockdown, Catherine had to endure the experience of going for the surgery alone. Partly due to her medically related degree and partly thanks to her informational preparedness, she remained calm while surrounded by women who kept ‘sobbing and making constant phone calls.’
Given the invasiveness of the surgery, more research is now being conducted by those at the University of Oxford to find better ways of diagnosing a condition that’s as common as diabetes.
Catherine adds, “There’s a lot of shame and a lot of pressure to keep up with everyone else.
“Anywhere you work, you can’t take two days off for being on your period, and unfortunately taking the time off is not how our society works.
“And yet you keep questioning why you can’t do all the things that everyone else is doing; how come no one complains about the pain the way i feel it?”
Even then, endometriosis affects each woman differently, given that there are several types of it based on what organ areas are affected, as well as the four stages of its severity.
During the conference that the Rotaract Club organised, it has come to light that the existing four-stage classification has only been efficient when predicting the condition’s impact on a woman’s fertility.
Dr Lucy Whitaker, Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Edinburgh, says, “The problem is, these [stages] didn’t really correlate with the symptoms.
“It certainly didn’t predict a treatment response and it didn’t also predict the disease progression, so using this as a way of defining the disease wasn’t particularly helpful.”
Dr Whitaker also mentioned that The University of Edinburgh researchers have been trying to find new ways to treat the condition to offer women better options than just the contraceptive painkillers or hormones, which can either be ineffective, lead to ‘unacceptable’ side effects or make women postpone the time when they can create a family.
She says, “I think we’re slowly catching up with other specialties that if you can phenotype your disease better, so if you can split it down into all the subtypes, that can really move forward how you treat these different conditions more effectively rather than just having [the same] approach of giving people a combination of hormones, painkillers and surgery.
“It’s about finding the right treatment for the right patient.”
For young women like Catherine, their ability to be diagnosed on time rather than years after the first signs of endometriosis develop can be largely dependent on how informed they are of what kind of pain is or isn’t normal in a society where period suffering is normalised.
Despite some mind-blowing medical breakthroughs that are happening around the world such as with the COVID-19 vaccine, it is only recently that Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products freely accessible for women, who make up a half of the UK’s population.
With the right tools, raising awareness using community initiatives and a personal voice can be the crucial step in bringing attention to the gaps in medical practice. In turn, the right scientific improvements and research can finally make the lives of millions of women a bit easier when they reach ‘that’ time of the month again. | https://medium.com/@katerinav5809/sheffield-youth-pushing-for-conversation-about-endometriosis-78df909c3773 | ['Katerina Vyurkova'] | 2020-12-09 15:04:02.149000+00:00 | ['Activism', 'Periods', 'Youth', 'Endometriosis', 'Women'] |
Sometimes Love Lasts | Relationships/Creative Nonfiction/LGBTQ
Sometimes Love Lasts
Even though I cheated, I’m not the cheating kind
Photo credit: William87/DepositPhoto/59555339
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead — Adele
Almost everyone believes that cheating is wrong. But most of us who get caught cheating don’t see ourselves as the “cheating kind.”
It’s only the others guilty of infidelity who are the real cheaters.
Transgressors rationalize their offenses as unintentional, temporary, excusable, or justifiable. My husband, Doug, was no exception. Neither am I.
Inside my head, a voice screams, “Don’t say more. What will they think of you?”
We are told Don’t cheat. But then there’s this caveat, If you do cheat, don’t talk about it.
As uncomfortable as this is, I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t own up to my own philandering. What we want to do, what we say we do, and what we do are often quite different.
Most people say they value monogamy, but the truth is we’re not very good at it.
AOL
On a hot August afternoon, made hotter by our disagreement, I aimed my flame thrower at Doug for how much he had hurt me.
Doug shot back, “How do you think I felt when I read your message to Roberto!”
“What message to Roberto?” I asked.
Doug answered, “I saw your messages on AOL.”
“Doug, I haven’t been on AOL for fifteen years! I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I remembered that Roberto, my first boyfriend, had surprised me from six thousand miles away shortly after I signed up for AOL. That was all I remembered.
Doug continued, “I read your messages while you were in the shower.” Doug and I shared a computer, so it was inevitable that we’d expose our private conversations if we failed to shut it down.
I was indignant. “And you’re still pissed off about it? How am I supposed to remember?”
Doug fought fire with fire. “Well, I fuckin’ remember it! You said you wondered what it would have been like if you were with Roberto instead of me.”
It’s true. I had had those thoughts, but only when Doug and I were fighting and only if I successfully edited out the bad parts of my relationship with Roberto.
I answered, “I don’t remember what I wrote. I’ve never wanted to be with him instead of you.”
“It sure didn’t sound that way to me,” he said as he stomped away.
I thought about how easy it is to amp up a conversation online. Doug’s accusations weren’t the first time I’d been accused of dalliance. It was the same allegation Roberto made before his fists flew at me and blackened my eyes when I ended our relationship.
I didn’t deserve to be assaulted, but I wasn’t as innocent as I claimed to be.
I couldn’t leave well enough alone. “Now you know how I felt when you wrote to someone, ‘I can call you on Sunday morning about 10:00. Loren will be at church.’”
Doug responded, “That was Pieter from Holland. I’ve told you about him.”
“If it was Pieter, why did you have to wait to talk with him until you knew I’d be gone?”
Then Doug dropped the final bomb. “Before you left for Vegas in April, I saw your text message from Alan. It said, ‘Can’t wait to see you.’’
Then he asked, “Who’s Alan?” I felt like I was on black ice and skidding out of control.
Justice is never served by retaliatory responses. I had to stop wanting to hurt Doug back every time he hurt me. What I had written to Roberto was wrong. Doug had a right to feel hurt by it.
What happened with Alan was more difficult to explain. | https://medium.com/prismnpen/sometimes-love-lasts-edc55859b831 | ['Loren A Olson Md'] | 2020-12-10 09:02:22.909000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Creative Non Fiction', 'Equality', 'LGBTQ', 'Marriage'] |
Nymph | A nymph bathing in divinity,
you never leave my mind,
along with your symphony,
that leads me when I’m blind.
You found the end of my world
and rebuilt it so it was infinite;
cleared all that was blurred
and made me a little less cynical.
Flowers grow where you’ve stepped,
the air you breathe out is luminescent.
You have taught me how to accept,
to respect and appreciate my essence. | https://medium.com/literary-impulse/nymph-61f34954dde4 | ['Veronica Georgieva'] | 2020-10-30 05:09:49.744000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Love', 'Poem', 'Poetry', 'Literary Impulse'] |
Healing From A Mother Wound Pt 4: Overcoming Emotional and Mental Burn Outs (Scroll Down for Audio Track ) | Healing From A Mother Wound Pt 4: Overcoming Emotional and Mental Burn Outs (Scroll Down for Audio Track )
Photo by Joseph Balzano on Unsplash
Dear Thoughts,
We are finally here on part 4 of Healing from a Mother Wound! This has been one hell of a process!
An American astronomer, Carl Sagan, stated,
“You have to know the past to understand the present.”
And he couldn’t have been more right! Reflecting on my past has provided me the opportunity to understand and notice the deep frustration toward my mother, women, and myself that I experience today. Plus, it allowed me to answer the question:
How has my mom’s relationship influenced my intimate relationships?
which were:
1.Emotional Trust issues. 2.The Weight of her dependency. 3.Emotional detachment. 4. Emotional and mental burnouts.
Time to keep it transparent, my beloved thoughts — here’s to Part 4: Overcoming Emotional and Mental Burn Outs.
Filling In Shoes That Didn’t Fit
Everybody experience mental and emotional burnouts; I discovered most of my burnouts derived from the expectations I created during my childhood.
Majority of my childhood, I always wondered, “What it meant to be a man?” Growing up, I heard phrases like, “You are becoming the man of the house!”; “Suck it up and be a man”; even, “Can you just be a Man.” But I had no clue.
My biological Father wasn’t present, every male my mother brought around I paid no attention to, and many of my friends’ Father, well, they worked! Plus, any Black Man representation on media was either a raper with Bitches and money, an athlete with bitches and money, or a Drug Dealer with — you guessed it, bitches and money. Excuse my language; women were heavily called that back then.
So what did I do? I fake the title! I piece together everything I knew about Manhood to assert my own. In my eyes, a man represented
“A person who problems solved rather if he knew the answer or not; they protect what’s important by any mean necessary; they make orders and do not settle; they play sports and embrace pain with no tears; They are responsible for anything his hands touched! Lastly, you guessed it, he made money and had Bitches!”
Some of these traits are excellent qualities and very needed in many cases, except calling women out their name.
However, at a young age, I miserably failed in those expectations, and having a Mother, who I admit only wanted the best for her son, did not relieve these disappointments but added to them. As I felt like I was failing as a man, there have been times in my youth, she vocalized, “I failed her.” I get it now that her tactic was meant for me to act right, but I felt like I had to prove myself for a long time.
I learned from my mother that I needed to take action when problems manifested and follow orders to be a Man. However, hardly receiving validation for my efforts, I view them as defeats, thus I collected defeated after a defeat and carried them all the way to adulthood! I forced myself to wear a fabricated shoe to assert my Manhood all the through college. | https://medium.com/the-diary-of-a-black-men/healing-from-a-mother-wound-pt-4-overcoming-emotional-and-mental-burn-outs-1e670ff63c7a | ['The Diary Of A Black Man', 'Td Bm'] | 2020-12-17 23:01:05.935000+00:00 | ['Manhood', 'Healing', 'Masculinity', 'Healing From Trauma', 'Self Improvement'] |
Can You End Up Paying More Money Than the Lawsuit Loan You Took in a Settlement? | If you have a lawsuit settlement, can you end up paying more money than your lawsuit loan amount? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, and it’s a big problem. In this post, we’ll be going over why it happens and how to avoid getting into that situation.
Before you commit to a lawsuit loan, make sure that you explore other financing options as well. No matter what your final decision will be, consider both advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.
Considerations When Taking a Lawsuit Loan
When you take out a lawsuit loan, the lender expects to be paid back with interest. That’s how they make their money. However, if you happen to win your case and receive a larger settlement than what you took out in loans, the lender can come after you for that extra money.
It is essential to carefully consider all of your options before taking out a lawsuit loan. Make sure to explore all financing revenues, such as personal loans or credit cards. If you decide to take out a lawsuit loan, be sure to shop around for the best rates and terms.
The Pros and Cons of Lawsuit Loans
When considering whether or not to take out a lawsuit loan, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons carefully. For personalized advice, talk directly to a provider like High Rise Financial, LLC. Here are some pros and cons to keep in mind:
Lawsuit Loans Can Be a Welcomed Financial Safety Net
A lawsuit loan can offer the financial safety net you need to cover expenses that are weighing you down. This can include medical bills, living expenses, and your other obligations while your lawsuit is pending.
You Can Have More Time for Legal Strategies
As lawsuit loans can help ease the immediate financial strain that is weighing you down during the lawsuit, you will not be as tempted to accept the first settlement option. As with negotiations, in general, it is not wise to accept the first offer, as this tends to be lower than what you are entitled to get.
Lawsuit Loans Can Be Expensive
Lawsuit loans are typically expensive and come with high-interest rates. This means that you can end up paying more for the loan than if you had taken out a traditional loan from a bank or other lending institution.
It Can Take a Long Time to Repay a Lawsuit Loan
The amount of time it will take you to pay off the loan can be quite long, especially if the case takes longer than expected to resolve. This can mean that you will be paying interest on the loan for many months or even years.
Not Every Case Qualifies for a Lawsuit Loan
Offering you a loan is considered a risk for the lending company since they only profit if you settle or win your case. You will not have to pay the money back if you lose your case. Therefore, loan providers often hold out and accept to work only with surefire cases. Furthermore, if the amount you are awarded for your case ends up being smaller than the amount you have borrowed, you may have to pay them back less.
If the first lending company turns your case down, do not get discouraged. There are many available firms from which you can choose. Some people end up going to five different providers until they finally get the green light.
Reasons Why You Can Overpay in a Lawsuit Loan
When you take out a lawsuit loan, you may be tempted to overpay to get the money you need as quickly as possible. However, this is not a wise decision. There are several reasons why you can overpay.
To begin, you could face a prolonged lawsuit. If your lawsuit drags out, you will be paying your periodical interest rate for a longer time. Also, you might receive a cheaper option through one of the traditional financing options. However, taking a loan from a bank, for example, will have its own disadvantages. Make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.
If you overpay on your lawsuit loan, you may not have enough money left to cover other costs associated with the lawsuit. This could negatively impact your case and create some major problems.
Lawsuit Loans Are Typically Unregulated
One of the main problems with lawsuit loans is that they are typically not regulated by government laws. Instead, some states have stepped up and set regulations in place. If you are not sure what is the case for your state, consult with your lawyer or a trustworthy representative from a lending company.
If you are wondering how this industry could avoid government scrutiny, the answer is quite simple. Representatives of the lawsuit lending industry claimed that lawsuit lending is, in fact, not a loan. Thus, it stands to reason that the same rules and regulations should not apply.
The narrative of industry representatives is that lawsuit lending is nonrecourse. In other words, clients do not have to repay the money unless they settle or win the case. A small hit to take to have a free rule over fees and other expenses regarding the loans.
While some stated and specific courts exert some regulatory power over the industry, this power is very limited. The restrictions only apply to service standards regarding disclosure and transparency, sometimes the amount they can charge for services rendered.
This being said, the offers you receive from different companies can vary greatly. Before choosing a provider, conduct in-depth research into what several firms offer. Study these offers and see which one would be more convenient for you.
How You Can Avoid Paying More Money Than You Have Loaned
There are a few things you can do to avoid this problem. Start by talking to your lawyer before taking out any lawsuit loans. Research different lenders before choosing one. Finally, only take out as much money as you need. | https://medium.com/@highriselegalfunding/can-you-end-up-paying-more-money-than-the-lawsuit-loan-you-took-in-a-settlement-7b81cb138caf | ['High Rise Legal Funding'] | 2021-12-28 10:24:11.729000+00:00 | ['Lawyers', 'Money', 'Legal', 'Settlements', 'Funding'] |
ICO Alert Crypto Minute: June 10, 2018 | EOS Network Enters Voting Phase After Appointed Block Producers Agree to Launch Mainnet
The appointed block producers of the EOS network have voted to launch the EOS blockchain. According to Cryptoslate, the vote to launch the main network (mainnet) was nearly unanimous. Next, EOS token holders are responsible for staking their tokens as votes into democratically-elected block producers. Once 15 percent of all EOS tokens are staked as votes for block producers, the EOS chain is considered valid and all normal functions of the EOS mainnet are activated.
Thailand’s SEC Announces New Framework for Cryptocurrency and ICOs
Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revealed details of its new regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings. The SEC permits seven cryptocurrencies for ICOs as trading pairs: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Ripple, and Stellar. In addition, ICO issuers, digital exchanges, brokers, and dealers involved cryptocurrencies must register with the SEC within 90 days of the ICO start date or the effective date of this new regulatory framework. Thailand’s Finance Ministry’s is responsible for approving those registrations. Finally, cryptocurrency exchanges must pay an annual fee equivalent to 0.002% of the total trading volume (or at least USD 15,600), while brokerage firms must pay 0.001% of the total trading volume (or at least USD 7,800). According to Bitcoin.com, the new framework will come into effect in the beginning of July 2018.
Poland Financial Regulator Says Use, Trade, and Business in Cryptocurrencies Allowed
Poland’s financial regulator, the Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), declared that cryptocurrency transactions are legal in the country. According to Blockt, the KNF clarified that no specific law prohibits the use, trade, or business of cryptocurrencies. However, the country’s government is looking into options for taxing cryptocurrencies, which are currently categorized as “property.” Details of the country’s new regulatory and tax framework will, which comes into effect on July 13, will aim to bring cryptocurrencies under the purview of their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism (CTF) laws.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Addresses Cryptocurrency Issues in Annual Q&A Session with Russian Citizens
In his 2018 Q&A session with Russian citizens, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated cryptocurrencies has its place in the world, and that his government should carefully consider when and how to participate its development. According to Bitcoin.com, Putin went on to claim that neither Russia, nor any other country could have a national cryptocurrency. “If we talk about cryptocurrency — this is something that goes beyond national borders,” Putin said. | https://medium.com/ico-alert/ico-alert-crypto-minute-june-10-2018-877fb516746e | ['Kyle Protho'] | 2018-06-10 14:42:31.348000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Crypto Minute', 'Eos', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Thailand'] |
Bitcoin: Two roads diverged in a wood.. | Referencing to Fundstrat, Bitcoin has an expected mining cost of around USD 8,000 at the end of 2018. This is not an all-in cash cost as it excludes capital expenditure and management costs. While these secondary costs might have come down over time, it’d be fair to allocate 25% on the variable cost to arrive at 10,000 global average all-in cash cost for producing Bitcoin. Then how the hell does Bitcoin trade below that cost?
First, let’s go back to what had happened before: As per Fundstat’s chart below, since mid 2013 — there has been only a slight breach of the 1.0x cost boundary following mid 2016 in the run up to USD 1,000. If today’s prices hold as it is then, the breach down would be higher by the year end. What might be causing the problem? After all the price is up significantly over a year, so how did the costs increase so much?
Fundstat’s Mining Model Chart
The answer probably lies below. It is a droplet approach we can take. Even though in 2010–2011 and in 2013–2014 there has been steeper increases in the hashrate, the total hashrate was a lot lower. 2011 hashrate rally ended weith 10 TH/s, 2014 with 300,000 TH/s. Now we’re at 37,000,000 TH/s. Simply put even comparatively (as can be seen in a log graph) the increase is milder, the nominal size of the increase (due to the larger base) is very substantial. And it could be the last drop that makes the teacup overflow.
Blockchain.com 1 Yr Bitcoin Hashrate
Would it be possible to focus on transactional metrics instead of hashrate to explain the situation? Could we say that BTC usage is increasing so much that the growth of the hashrate can be justified? While there are different calculations on this, I’ll ignore whether the net value is correct or now and instead focus on comparing the trend.
As you could see from below, usage is around 60% of 1 year ago. Hold on now — hashrate is 700% of 1 year ago. So 11.5x more hash for every BTC transacted (again disregarding speculative purposes or not). The cost side has decoupled from the usage. This is the main reason Bitcoin price and mining cost relationship has broken down. So should this be good news for Robert Frost?
Estimated Transaction Value in BTC from Blockchain.com
I believe the answer will come in around 6 months and the road taken will reveal itself after the fact. It seems unlikely that a substantial spike in Bitcoin usage will happen soon. Consequently, the good news could be a reduction akin to destruction in the hashrate will miners stepping out en masse. This will produce a more balanced ecosystem that can grow slowly with either usage or main market financial adaptation. Note that if hashrate reduction postpones with the current transaction figures, there could be a period of violent price and network quality swings up ahead.
The rather worse option is that Bitcoing price relative to mining cost breakdown might signal an extended reversal. It is likely that the USD value of 6 billion sent per day (as per Bitinfochart.com) is at least 75%+ exchange related transactions. I don’t have proof but enough observation that this could be even higher. So with around USD 1.5 billion in non-speculative transactions including money transfer functions — how big a network value does Bitcoin need? Some multiple of this — perhaps USD 10 billion? This is the price risk scenario where for whatever reason the huge speculative hold position starts to unravel to a level where the price can fall to USD 600 — USD 1,000 range. Putting fuel on on fire would be the huge overcapacity of the mining pool during this move.
I think a choice of which road to take is coming. Six months to a year down the line, I’d be very surprised to see Bitcoin around the current prices. It will be either testing a new high or returning to 2016. | https://medium.com/coinmonks/bitcoin-two-roads-diverged-in-a-wood-ca08282c0443 | ['Hulki Okan Tabak'] | 2018-07-12 10:36:36.700000+00:00 | ['Investing', 'Investment', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Bitcoin'] |
Dynasty of Ruin: The crash of China Airlines flight 676 | The wreckage of China Airlines flight 676 litters a residential street after the crash. (ETToday)
On the 16th of February 1998, a China Airlines Airbus A300 was on final approach to Taipei, Taiwan when the pilots realized they were coming in too high. The captain decided to execute a go-around, climbing away to return to the beginning of the pattern to try again. But within seconds, something went catastrophically wrong: the plane pitched up steeply, stalled, and fell from the sky as the pilots fought for control. The fully loaded jet slammed into a residential street adjacent to the runway, sending flaming debris ripping through a row of two-story townhouses. The devastating crash killed all 196 passengers and crew along with seven people on the ground. But the most remarkable thing about the crash was a chilling sense of de ja vu: less than four years earlier, another China Airlines Airbus A300 crashed while attempting a go-around in Nagoya, Japan, killing 264 people. Everyone wanted to know: what had gone wrong this time? Why hadn’t China Airlines learned its lesson from this previous disaster? And how many people would have to die before something fundamentally changed?
China Airlines planes at the terminal in Taipei. (Taiwan News)
China Airlines is the state-owned flag carrier of Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China. Its reputation is fairly strong today, but this was not always the case: for more than four decades after its founding in 1959, it suffered an astonishing accident rate that made it something of an international pariah. In 1985, a China Airlines Boeing 747 fell 30,000 feet over the Pacific after the pilots lost control during cruise, injuring dozens of people. In 1986 a 737 was lost with all 53 passengers and crew; in 1991 a 747 cargo plane went down with the loss of all hands; in 1992 a passenger 747 was written off after sliding into Hong Kong bay on landing; and in 1994, in the airline’s worst accident yet, an Airbus A300 crashed while trying to land in Nagoya, Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board — one of the deadliest plane crashes in Asia. After that accident, China Airlines’ entire slate of executives resigned, and foreign experts were brought in to try to turn the situation around.
B-1814, the Airbus A300 involved in the accident. (Frank Schaefer)
By February 1998, China Airlines had so far avoided any further accidents, but four years was not enough time to prove that improvements had really occurred. Little did the people of Taiwan know that some of the worst was yet to come.
On the 16th of February that year, Captain Kang Long-Lin and First Officer Jiang Der-Sheng suited up to fly China Airlines flight 676, a regularly scheduled service from Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali back to Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city. The plane they would be flying was an Airbus A300, the first model Airbus ever produced and the world’s first twin-engine, wide body jet. Although this particular plane was only eight years old, by 1998 the A300 was not particularly technologically advanced. It predated Airbus’s introduction of fly-by-wire technology and flight envelope protections, so in most respects it flew just like conventional jets by Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Captain Kang had been flying the A300 for several years, accumulating over 2,300 hours on the type — a significant contrast to First Officer Jiang, who was not inexperienced but had only recently transitioned to the A300 and had just 304 hours on the new airplane.
Route of China Airlines flight 676. (Google)
With 182 passengers and 14 crew on board, China Airlines flight 676 departed Bali at 3:27 p.m., headed north toward Taiwan. But by the time flight 676 drew near to the island several hours later, night had fallen, and bad weather was rolling over Taipei’s Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. Fog reduced visibility to 1300 meters with a broken ceiling just 100 feet above the ground. Nearby, thunderstorms dumped rain over the city and lightning flashed between the clouds. The pilots tuned in to the airport’s Automated Terminal Information Service, or ATIS, to receive the details: visibility was bad, and trending downward.
With the visibility worsening, Captain Kang was eager to get on the ground as quickly as possible, while the conditions were still above the minimums for landing. At 7:35 p.m., still in cruise off the coast of Taiwan, First Officer Jiang informed the rest of the crew that they would begin their descent in seven minutes. But in what would prove to be the initiating factor in an escalating sequence of errors, Captain Kang didn’t instruct First Officer Jiang to request descent clearance until ten minutes later, three minutes after they had calculated they would need to leave their cruising altitude. As a result, flight 676 would need to lose the same amount of altitude over a shorter distance.
As the plane descended toward 25,000 feet, the cockpit voice recorder picked up conversations which set the tone for all further interactions between the pilots. At 7:45, Captain Kang instructed First Officer Jiang to contact China Airlines’ operations center and ask for their gate assignment. But just seconds later, he changed his mind, deciding that Jiang’s time would be better used preparing for an expedited descent. Jiang tried to call operations anyway — but he forgot to change the radio frequency, so he accidentally said, “Operations, Dynasty 676” over the general air traffic control frequency. Captain Kang jumped on the radio to tell the controller to disregard the transmission, after which Jiang switched to the correct frequency and made the call to operations, having thoroughly embarrassed himself in front of his captain and everyone else on approach to Taipei that night.
As the descent continued, Kang constantly pushed Jiang to get new descent clearances from air traffic control as quickly as possible. As the plane neared 25,000 feet, he said, “Approaching 250. Contact them immediately. Don’t write these things down. We keep on descending. We don’t want to stay here.” Jiang quickly contacted ATC, who cleared them down to 21,000 feet.
Moments later, Kang said, “This is the most important thing. You see, if we don’t descend, the visibility will be getting worse. Go back soon, it’s important. These things… these things… what are you doing!?”
“Yes. Key in this data?” Jiang said hesitantly.
“Key in?” said Kang. “Use this is okay. Just write down there, we need to be back as soon as possible. Later on, maybe we won’t be able to descend, it [ATIS] said ‘downward.’ Don’t waste too much time on these. What is the QNH? This is the most important.”
“Yes, 1014,” said Jiang, providing the barometric pressure reading at the airport.
A minute or so later, a new ATIS broadcast came over the radio, and Captain Kang said, “Now we start listening and writing!” He then added that he could see lightning off to one side of the plane, and that they would need to hurry up and land before the weather got worse.
But despite his apparent desire to expedite the descent, Captain Kang took no action to get down quicker. Because they started the descent three minutes late, they were well above the optimal descent path, and he would have needed to increase the plane’s descent rate by throttling back and deploying the speed brakes. But he only deployed the speed brakes for about one minute before retracting them, nowhere near long enough to get back on course. At the same time, he violated standard operating procedures by talking to ATC himself whenever he thought First Officer Jiang was not quick enough getting on the radio, something which happened with considerable frequency. As the pilot flying the plane, Captain Kang was supposed to leave the radio calls to his First Officer, but his trust in Jiang was apparently so low that he often took this on himself.
At 7:57, as the pilots began the approach checklist, the controller cleared them to descend to 4,000 feet, but amid the escalating workload neither pilot heard the transmission. And after finishing the approach checklist, they were supposed to cross-check their altitude and their distance from the airport, but neither pilot did this. According to the operations manual, they should have been at about 8,000 feet by this point, but they were actually at 10,000. Despite this, Captain Kang allowed their descent rate to go from -1,500 feet per minute to -800 feet per minute over the next 90 seconds, further exacerbating the problem. At 8:00, First Officer Jiang said, “Only 16 miles to the runway, currently the altitude is 7,000 feet,” probably in an attempt to get Captain Kang to realize that they were way too high. By this point they should have been at 4,000 feet. But despite being aware of their excessive height, Kang merely told Jiang to extend the flaps early in a futile attempt to increase drag and improve their descent rate. Recognizing that this would be insufficient, Jiang also extended the speed brakes without having been told to do so.
The correct descent path from the outer marker to the runway. Note that where it says “4000',” they were actually at 7,000'. (CAA Taiwan)
Both of these measures were in fact totally inadequate — by this point the only way to safely get down to the runway would have been to make a loop and rejoin the pattern at a lower altitude. Nevertheless, Captain Kang pressed on, extending the landing gear early to try to increase their descent rate even more. Noticing that flight 676 was clearly too high, the approach controller asked, “Dynasty 676, is it too high for you?” But there was no reply, because he didn’t manage to get the transmission in before the crew switched frequency to contact the tower.
Meanwhile on the plane, Captain Kang said, “Oh, we are high,” finally acknowledging the reality of the situation. But then he added, “Go down further, it doesn’t matter.” He then began making distance calculations out loud, and came to the conclusion that they probably couldn’t make it. Nevertheless, he did not call off the approach, apparently out of desperation to reach the runway before conditions deteriorated. At this point, they passed over the outer marker — the beginning of final approach — at a height of 3,000 feet instead of the required 1,400. “God, tailwind is too strong,” said Captain Kang, although the light tailwind they were experiencing was not the source of the problem. “Two miles,” Kang said. “Did you report? Report again.”
First Officer Jiang initially did not reply, so Kang yelled at him, “Report, report to the control tower!”
Jiang hastily called the tower and reported that they were three nautical miles (5.5km) on final, which was the correct figure (as opposed to the value of two miles given by the captain). Jiang was clearly paying attention to their position, but at no point did he advise Captain Kang that it would be impossible to make the runway.
By this point, flight 676 had still not picked up the signal from the glide slope, the equipment which would guide them at the precise angle needed to reach the runway, because they were too far above it. It was at this point that something unexpected happened: the flight director and autopilot suddenly stopped indicating that they were above the glide slope and began indicating that they were below it.
Simplified diagram of false glide slopes. (An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation)
What had happened was they had strayed across a false glide slope located six degrees above the real one. A glide slope transmitter emits a directed beam at an angle of three degrees, the optimal approach angle, but due to the interference pattern used to create the signal, duplicate “lobes” also exist at six degree increments above the real glide slope. Thus false glide slopes exist at nine degrees, fifteen degrees, and so on, with alternating polarity. “Reversed polarity” means that the glide slope at nine degrees will induce a “fly down” command when below it and a “fly up” command when above it, which then returns to the correct polarity at the 15 degree glide slope. So when flight 676 strayed above the nine degree false glide slope, the plane’s instruments began receiving a “fly up” command. As a result, the autopilot moved the horizontal stabilizer toward nose up in order to climb.
Diagram of the various false and real glide slopes with the trajectory of the plane, and the regions of “fly up” and “fly down” commands. (CAA Taiwan)
But Captain Kang was well aware that they were above the real glide slope, not below, so he responded by pushing the nose down with his control column to prevent the plane from leveling off. Now the autopilot was moving the stabilizer — which determines the resting pitch attitude of the plane — toward nose up, while Kang used the elevators to try to push the nose down.
At that moment, Kang was taking advantage of a feature of the autopilot called “supervisory override.” When the autopilot was in glide slope capture mode — that is, prior to intercepting the glide slope — the pilot is allowed to make inputs using the control column to adjust the plane’s longitudinal trajectory and intercept the glide slope more quickly. But as soon as the plane gets close to the glide slope, the autopilot switches to glide slope track mode, where it holds the plane on the three-degree glide slope and the supervisory override function is disabled. While Captain Kang attempted to push the nose down against the autopilot, the plane got close enough to the false glide slope at 15 degrees for the autopilot to switch to glide slope track mode. In this mode, pushing on the control column with sufficient force will disconnect the autopilot and return the plane to manual control. Because Kang was already applying sufficient pressure to the control column, the autopilot disconnected as soon as it entered glide slope track mode. A loud autopilot disconnect warning suddenly sounded in the cockpit, but one of the pilots quickly reached up and turned it off.
At first, Captain Kang appeared not to notice. He ticked off one last checklist item and then called “landing checklist complete,” seemingly indicating that he planned to continue. But just one second later, he changed his mind: finally acknowledging that they were much too high, he announced, “Go around!” At the same time, he swiftly reached down and pressed the go-around switches, which instruct the autopilot and autothrottle to initiate the go-around sequence and abandon the approach. Normally, pressing the go-around switches will put the autopilot in go-around mode, where it holds the pitch attitude at or below eighteen degrees to maintain a stable climb. But the autopilot had disconnected six seconds earlier, so the switch only had an effect on the autothrottle. Engine thrust automatically began to increase toward go-around power, but with the autopilot off, it was Captain Kang’s responsibility to follow the instructions on his flight director — the overlay on his main display showing him the correct angle at which to fly. But instead of taking the control of the plane, he found himself sucked into a confusing exchange with his copilot.
An excerpt from the CVR recording around the moment of the go-around. (CAA Taiwan)
“Go lever, go around?” Jiang said, sounding confused by the sudden change of plans.
“Positive [rate], gear up,” Kang ordered.
But normally the flaps must be retracted before the landing gear during a go-around. “Gear down?” Jiang asked, sounding even more confused than before.
“Gear up!” Kang insisted.
“Gear up,” said Jiang, finally retracting the landing gear. A configuration alarm began to sound in the cockpit, indicating that they were configuring the plane out of order.
Throughout this exchange and for several seconds afterward, Captain Kang made no attempt whatsoever to take control of the plane. Without anyone working the controls, the power produced by the engines — which are mounted below the center of gravity — caused the plane to pitch up rapidly. For eleven seconds, Kang did not react to this increasing pitch. When he finally noticed the problem, the plane had already pitched up to thirty degrees, nearly twice the proper pitch angle during a go-around. He now began making some hesitant nose down inputs, but his reaction was insufficient to stop the increase in pitch, which reached an astonishing 42.5 degrees within seconds. The plane’s speed dropped precipitously, falling below 100 knots. The stick shaker stall warning activated, informing the pilots that the plane was about to fall from the sky. As the wings began to lose lift, the plane banked nearly 50 degrees to the right, reached a peak altitude of 2,751 feet above the ground, and began to fall. With a forward airspeed of just 43 knots, the A300 seemed to hang in the air for a split second before the nose dropped and the plane banked 79 degrees to the left and entered a dive. Captain Kang immediately applied the stall recovery procedure, pitching down to regain airspeed, but they were rapidly running out of altitude.
Diagram of the final moments of the flight path. I don’t have a translation for the labels, but it gets the message across. (KK News)
In a panic, First Officer Jiang keyed his mic and said to air traffic control, “676, Tower, Dynasty — ”
“Dynasty 676, confirm go around?” asked the tower. There was no reply.
Inside the cockpit, warnings blared as the plane plunged toward the ground. “TERRAIN,” said the ground proximity warning system. “WHOOP WHOOP, PULL UP!”
Captain Kang attempted to re-engage the autopilot, but in such an unusual attitude this was impossible. The plane began to pull out of the dive, but it was clear they weren’t going to make it. “Pull up, altitude low!” shouted First Officer Jiang.
“WHOOP WHOOP, PULL UP,” said the ground proximity warning system. These were the last words on the cockpit voice recording.
Overview of the wreckage field of flight 676. (ETToday)
At 8:05 p.m. and 57 seconds, China Airlines flight 676 slammed into the ground just outside the airport perimeter wall to the left of runway 05L. The plane touched down in a field, slid across a four-lane road, and slammed headlong into a row of two-story townhouses. A massive explosion rocked the residential street as flaming wreckage was catapulted over the tops of the buildings; several residences collapsed into rubble on the spot. Terrified residents ran out into the street, only to be confronted with a scene of total devastation. Four multi-unit buildings had been completely destroyed and several others were severely damaged. Burning wreckage and bodies littered the streets and yards. As emergency workers rushed to the scene, they held out little hope for those on the plane: although it was reported that a child passenger was found with signs of life, they quickly died of their injuries, and no other survivors could be found. All 196 passengers and crew were dead, along with seven people on the ground. Emergency crews did manage to extract a few survivors from the collapsed buildings, including a baby found under the wreckage more than 20 minutes after the crash, but for the most part the ambulances went home empty.
Pieces of the plane littered the street in front of the burned out shells of homes. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives)
Among the dead in the crash was the director of Taiwan’s national bank, along with his wife and two of his high-level officials. With the rest of the region in the midst of the late 1990s Asian financial crisis, the government moved swiftly to prevent instability in the state bank from plunging Taiwan into the same sort of financial collapse. The prime minister convened an emergency cabinet meeting and appointed a new acting director later that very same night. But with financial turmoil averted, Taiwan still had to deal with a different crisis: a crisis of confidence in the country’s flag carrier. Before the wreckage had even gone cold, Taiwan and the world had already begun to ask: how was it that China Airlines could suffer a second massive disaster with over 200 dead in less than four years? What became of the restructuring that was undertaken after the crash in Nagoya? The Taiwanese government responded by grounding all of China Airlines’ Airbus A300s, and all of the airline’s high level executives immediately resigned. But before these critical questions could receive real answers, Taiwanese investigators would need to figure out the basic sequence of events.
Aerial view of the crash site. Some pieces of the plane flew clear over the rooftops and can been seen in the forest behind the row of buildings. (Unknown source — in Chinese)
The escalating series of errors which led to the crash began when the pilots initiated their descent three minutes later than planned. After this, the plane was too high throughout the approach. Although the approach could have been salvaged by expediting the descent in the early stages, this was not accomplished, and the flight remained much too high all the way past the outer marker and onto final approach. The pilots knew they were too high, but Captain Kang Long-Lin refused to circle around or perform a go-around to get back on track because he was afraid that if he did so, weather conditions would deteriorate below minimums and he wouldn’t be able to land.
The tail was one of the largest recognizable pieces of the plane after the crash. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives)
It was in the final minute of the flight that things truly went awry, however. Because they were too high, the plane entered an area of reversed glide slope polarity, causing the autopilot to try to fly up to intercept the glide slope instead of down. To prevent the autopilot from putting the plane into a climb, Captain Kang pushed down on the controls, fighting against the autopilot. When the autopilot entered glide slope track mode, the force he was applying on the control column was sufficient to cause the autopilot to disconnect, apparently without him being aware of it. Six seconds later, he decided to abandon the approach and initiated a go-around by pressing the go-around switch. This caused the autothrottle to accelerate the engines, resulting in a large pitch up moment which it was his responsibility to counter because the autopilot was off. However, he didn’t realize that the autopilot wasn’t in control, so he took no action. Instead, he became distracted trying to clarify his orders for his confused first officer, who was suffering from mental whiplash due to the captain’s extremely sudden decision to abandon an approach that he had seemed intent on continuing right up to the very moment he changed his mind. This untimely distraction, combined with his expectation that the autopilot would control the pitch, caused Captain Kang to miss their steep pitch angle until they were already on the brink of disaster. By the time he took decisive action, the plane was already stalling, and there wasn’t enough room to recover.
Airplane parts were completely mixed together with the wreckage of destroyed buildings. (ETToday)
Contributing to the crash was the pilots’ poor use of crew resource management. Throughout the descent, the captain spoke to the first officer in a somewhat condescending manner, like a master to an apprentice. He displayed dissatisfaction with the first officer’s performance, on several occasions taking over his duties for him or snapping at him if he felt he wasn’t moving fast enough. First Officer Jiang also made an embarrassing error at the beginning of the approach which put him on the defensive. As a result of these factors, Jiang had little room to challenge Captain Kang’s delusional decision to press onward with the approach. Jiang was clearly aware that more needed to be done; for example, he obliquely stated that they were too high, and he deployed the speed brakes without being asked. But at no point did he attempt to tell Kang what he really thought about the situation. And even if he had, Kang’s behavior suggests that he would have been unlikely to listen. This was a classic example of an excessive authority gradient where all information flowed from the captain to the first officer, and the first officer was completely subordinate. There were two people in the cockpit of flight 676 but effectively only one brain, because the first officer’s opinions didn’t matter. This reduced the amount of information available to the captain when he was making decisions. In contrast, a crew which utilizes effective crew resource management techniques would have discussed their excessive height much earlier and come to a mutually agreeable decision as to what should be done. Such a crew also would have hashed out their plans for a go-around well in advance of having to actually do one, ensuring that both pilots were ready just in case.
Aerial view of the crash site of China Airlines flight 140 in Nagoya. (JTSB)
When investigators published their preliminary findings, experts and amateurs alike were struck by the similarity between the crash of flight 676 and the crash of flight 140 in Nagoya. In that accident, an Airbus A300 was on final approach to the airport when the inexperienced first officer accidentally pressed the go-around switch, putting the autopilot into go-around mode. The autopilot attempted to climb, but the captain still wanted to land, so he pushed down in an attempt to override the autopilot. The problem was that in go-around mode, pushing on the control column doesn’t disconnect the autopilot. So the autopilot, trying its hardest to climb, kept adding more and more nose up stabilizer trim — until the captain gave up and decided to just go through with the go-around. He pulled back on the controls to climb, not aware that the autopilot had already trimmed the stabilizer to nearly the maximum nose up position. This combination of inputs resulted in the plane pitching up to an extreme angle, stalling, and nosediving back down into the runway, killing 264 of the 271 passengers and crew.
Firefighters search the buildings for victims after the crash. (Unknown source — in Chinese)
After the Nagoya disaster, China Airlines’ chairman, director of flight operations, and director of safety all resigned, and the company signed a contract with Lufthansa Technik to try to knock the airline into shape. The goals of the restructuring included enhancing crews’ knowledge of aviation language, weather, and aircraft performance, and to improve crew resource management (CRM). The crash of flight 676 made it obvious that none of these measures worked. Even though Captain Kang had undergone initial CRM training focusing on cockpit cooperation strategies, he hadn’t received any follow-up training in the years since, and it was clear that the session had little impact on his working philosophy. Investigators who examined China Airlines’ training program also wrote that little appeared to have changed since the Nagoya crash — sure, some new concepts had been introduced and some personnel swapped around — but nothing was fundamentally different.
Landing gear from the plane came to rest in front of a damaged house. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives)
In the opinion of many experts, the problem with China Airlines wasn’t mysterious, nor was it “Asian hierarchical values” as many have tried to claim since, nor even (as CNN spuriously insinuated) the fact that it operated Airbus A300s. The problem lay in where it got its pilots. In the 1990s, most China Airlines pilots had military backgrounds, and many had spent far more time flying in the military than in the civilian industry. (Indeed, both pilots of flight 676 used to fly for the Taiwanese Air Force.) In much of the world, revolving doors between the military and commercial airlines are deliberately avoided because military culture includes values which are incompatible with the modern techniques that make civil aviation so safe. A strong command structure led by an unquestionable authority figure is one thing when under enemy fire, and quite another when trying to land at Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport during a storm with 196 passengers and crew on board. Korean Air notably suffered from the same problem at around the same time. Both South Korea and Taiwan had only recently come out of decades of dictatorship in the wake of devastating wars, and in both countries the military was afforded utmost respect. As a result, pilots who achieved high rank in the air force tended to be given the rank of captain right away, even if they had no civilian experience, simply out of deference to their former high status. At China Airlines, this got in the way of efforts to adopt modern CRM techniques, which required experienced captains to work together with and consider the opinions of first officers who they tended to view the same way an officer viewed his subordinates.
View down the street the morning after the crash. (Unknown source — in Chinese)
To make matters worse, 71.5% of China Airlines was owned by a nominally government-run board called the China Airlines Foundation, which in practice received no government oversight and was immune to lawsuits. The China Airlines Foundation had pursued a policy of profit at all costs and was deeply intertwined with the former military elite who held senior pilot and management positions. After the crash, many in Taiwan called for the foundation to be disbanded immediately. Many others began boycotting the airline, causing profits to plummet. It was clear to the government that this time, something really did need to be done.
After the accident, China Airlines appointed a new chairwoman who promised to completely overhaul the company culture. The airline began severing its military connections and hired dozens of new pilots with civilian backgrounds and proven experience. An internal review group called the “special project team” was set up to identify safety problems, and it eventually submitted no less than 128 recommendations for areas that could use improvement. Among these recommendations was that China Airlines recertify all its A300 pilots to weed out those who lacked the necessary skill; during two rounds of re-testing, 13 pilots failed in the first round, 14 more failed in the second, and one failed both. The dismal results of these tests provided the cover the company needed to hire new pilots who, it was thought, would bring with them a safer attitude.
In front of one of the destroyed buildings. (Apple Daily)
It did take some time for these changes to sink in and truly alter China Airlines’ safety culture. Its last crash due to pilot error occurred in 1999, when an MD-11 flipped over while trying to land in Hong Kong during a typhoon, killing 3 and injuring over 200. Then in 2002, China Airlines suffered its third and final massive disaster when flight 611, a Boeing 747, disintegrated in midair over the Taiwan strait, killing all 225 people on board. But the cause of that crash was traced to improper maintenance conducted all the way back in 1980. The pilots were found to have done nothing wrong.
Flight 611 was China Airlines’ last fatal accident. Nineteen years have passed since then, and the airline’s reputation has mostly recovered. The three disasters have not been forgotten by the Taiwanese people, but they have managed to forgive: any desire to boycott the airline has long since passed, and experts now consider China Airlines just as safe as other major flag carriers. Taiwan’s government has learned its lesson too: after Taiwanese regional carrier TransAsia Airways suffered two back-to-back crashes in 2014 and 2015, regulators revoked the airline’s operating certificate, and it never flew again. This time, the problem airline wouldn’t be allowed to complete the trifecta of disaster. This time there would be no second chances.
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You can also support me on Patreon. | https://medium.com/@admiralcloudberg/dynasty-of-ruin-the-crash-of-china-airlines-flight-676-c953ff47f5da | [] | 2021-01-23 18:22:40.813000+00:00 | ['Aviation', 'Taiwan', 'Human Behavior'] |
Kubernetes Real Industry Use Cases | Container-based microservices architectures have profoundly changed the way development and operations teams test and deploy modern software. Containers help companies modernize by making it easier to scale and deploy applications, but containers have also introduced new challenges and more complexity by creating an entirely new infrastructure ecosystem.
Large and small software companies alike are now deploying thousands of container instances daily, and that’s the complexity of scale they have to manage. So how do they do it?
What is Kubernetes?
Containers
Kubernetes is an open-source container-orchestration system for automating computer application deployment, scaling, and management. It was originally designed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.
Containers have become increasingly popular since the Docker containerization project launched in 2013, but large, distributed containerized applications can become increasingly difficult to coordinate. By making containerized applications dramatically easier to manage at scale, Kubernetes has become a key part of the container revolution.
Going back in time
Let’s take a look at why Kubernetes is so useful by going back in time.
Container Evolution
Traditional deployment era: For example, if multiple applications run on a physical server, there can be instances where one application would take up most of the resources, and as a result, the other applications would underperform. A solution for this would be to run each application on a different physical server. But this did not scale as resources were underutilized, and it was expensive for organizations to maintain many physical servers.
Virtualized deployment era: As a solution, virtualization was introduced. It allows you to run multiple Virtual Machines (VMs) on a single physical server’s CPU. Virtualization allows applications to be isolated between VMs and provides a level of security as the information of one application cannot be freely accessed by another application.
Virtualization allows better utilization of resources in a physical server and allows better scalability because an application can be added or updated easily, reduces hardware costs, and much more. With virtualization, you can present a set of physical resources as a cluster of disposable virtual machines.
Each VM is a full machine running all the components, including its own operating system, on top of the virtualized hardware.
Container deployment era: Containers are similar to VMs, but they have relaxed isolation properties to share the Operating System (OS) among the applications. Therefore, containers are considered lightweight. Similar to a VM, a container has its own filesystem, the share of CPU, memory, process space, and more. As they are decoupled from the underlying infrastructure, they are portable across clouds and OS distributions.
Containers have become popular because they provide extra benefits, such as:
🔷 Increased ease and efficiency of container image creation compared to VM image use.
🔷Continuous development, integration, and deployment
🔷Dev and Ops separation of concerns: Create application container images at build/release time rather than deployment time, thereby decoupling applications from infrastructure.
🔷Resource isolation: predictable application performance.
🔷Resource utilization: High efficiency and density.
Why you need Kubernetes and what it can do.
Containers are a good way to bundle and run your applications. In a production environment, you need to manage the containers that run the applications and ensure that there is no downtime. For example, if a container goes down, another container needs to start. Wouldn’t it be easier if this behavior was handled by a system?
Kubernetes provides you with:
Service discovery and load balancing Kubernetes can expose a container using the DNS name or using their own IP address. If traffic to a container is high, Kubernetes is able to load balance and distribute the network traffic so that the deployment is stable.
Kubernetes can expose a container using the DNS name or using their own IP address. If traffic to a container is high, Kubernetes is able to load balance and distribute the network traffic so that the deployment is stable. Storage orchestration Kubernetes allows you to automatically mount a storage system of your choice, such as local storage, public cloud providers, and more.
Kubernetes allows you to automatically mount a storage system of your choice, such as local storage, public cloud providers, and more. Automated rollouts and rollbacks You can describe the desired state for your deployed containers using Kubernetes, and it can change the actual state to the desired state at a controlled rate. For example, you can automate Kubernetes to create new containers for your deployment, remove existing containers, and adopt all their resources to the new container.
Automatic bin packing You provide Kubernetes with a cluster of nodes that it can use to run containerized tasks. You tell Kubernetes how much CPU and memory (RAM) each container needs. Kubernetes can fit containers onto your nodes to make the best use of your resources.
You provide Kubernetes with a cluster of nodes that it can use to run containerized tasks. You tell Kubernetes how much CPU and memory (RAM) each container needs. Kubernetes can fit containers onto your nodes to make the best use of your resources. Self-healing Kubernetes restarts containers that fail, replaces containers, kills containers that don’t respond to your user-defined health check, and doesn’t advertise them to clients until they are ready to serve.
Kubernetes restarts containers that fail, replaces containers, kills containers that don’t respond to your user-defined health check, and doesn’t advertise them to clients until they are ready to serve. Secret and configuration management Kubernetes let you store and manage sensitive information, such as passwords, OAuth tokens, and SSH keys. You can deploy and update secrets and application configuration without rebuilding your container images, and without exposing secrets in your stack configuration.
Is Kubernetes getting adopted in enterprises?
In two words: Hell Yeah!
Several data points show rapid Kubernetes adoption. Sumo Logic’s fourth annual Continuous Intelligence Report on “The State of Modern Applications and DevSecOps in the Cloud” highlights some cool adoption data on Kubernetes within enterprises. The report states that K8s is seeing increased adoption in on-premise as well as cloud-based environments. In fact, 1 in 3 enterprises in the AWS cloud today use Kubernetes as their key orchestration solution.
Kubernetes from Real-world Use Cases
Tinder’s Move to Kubernetes
Tinder moves to Kubernetes
Due to high traffic volume, Tinder’s engineering team faced challenges of scale and stability. What did they do?
The answer is, of course, Kubernetes.
Tinder’s engineering team solved interesting challenges to migrate 200 services and run a Kubernetes cluster at scale totaling 1,000 nodes, 15,000 pods, and 48,000 running containers.
Was that easy? No way. However, they had to do it for the smooth business operations going further. One of their engineering leaders said, “As we onboarded more and more services to Kubernetes, we found ourselves running a DNS service that was answering 250,000 requests per second.” Tinder’s entire engineering organization now has knowledge and experience on how to containerize and deploy their applications on Kubernetes.
Reddit’s Kubernetes Story
Kubernetes at Reddit
Reddit is one of the busiest sites in the world. Kubernetes forms the core of Reddit’s internal infrastructure.
For many years, the Reddit infrastructure team followed traditional ways of provisioning and configuring. However, this didn’t go far until they saw some huge drawbacks and failures happening while doing things the old way. Then they moved to Kubernetes.
The New York Times’s Journey to Kubernetes
The New York Time’s
Today the majority of the NYT’s customer-facing applications are running on Kubernetes. What an amazing story. The biggest impact has been an increase in the speed of deployment and productivity. Legacy deployments that took up to 45 minutes are now pushed in just a few. It’s also given developers more freedom and fewer bottlenecks. The New York Times has gone from a ticket-based system for requesting resources and weekly deploy schedules to allowing developers to push updates independently.
Spotify Using Kubernetes
is an early K8s adopter and has significant cost-saving values by adopting K8s as described in this note. Leveraging K8s, Spotify has seen 2–3x CPU utilization using the orchestration capabilities of K8s, resulting in better IT spend optimization.
Spotify
Airbnb’s Kubernetes Story
Airbnb’s transition from a monolithic to a microservices architecture is pretty amazing. They needed to scale continuous delivery horizontally, and the goal was to make continuous delivery available to the company’s 1,000 or so engineers so they could add new services. Airbnb adopted Kubernetes to support over 1,000 engineers concurrently configuring and deploying over 250 critical services to Kubernetes. The net result is that AirBnb can now do over 500 deploys per day on average.
I want you to see this excellent presentation from Melanie Cebula, the infrastructure engineer at Airbnb.
Pinterest’s Kubernetes Story
With over 250 million monthly active users and serving over 10 billion recommendations every single day, the engineers at Pinterest knew these numbers are going to grow day by day, and they began to realize the pain of scalability and performance issues.
Their initial strategy was to move their workload from EC2 instances to Docker containers; they first moved their services to Docker to free up engineering time spent on Puppet and to have an immutable infrastructure.
The next strategy was to move to Kubernetes. Now they can take ideas from ideation to production in a matter of minutes, whereas earlier they used to take hours or even days. They have cut down so much overhead cost by utilizing Kubernetes and have removed a lot of manual work without making engineers worry about the underlying infrastructure.
Pokemon Go’s Kubernetes Story
Pokemon
How was Pokemon Go able to scale so efficiently became so successful? The answer is Kubernetes. Pokemon Go was developed and published by Niantic Inc. and grew to 500+ million downloads and 20+ million daily active users.
Pokemon Go engineers never thought their user base would increase exponentially to surpass expectations within a short time. They were not ready for it, and the servers couldn’t handle this much traffic.
Pokemon Go also faced a severe challenge when it came to vertical and horizontal scaling because of the real-time activity by millions of users worldwide. Niantic was not prepared for this.
The solution was in the magic of containers. The application logic for the game ran on Google Container Engine (GKE) powered by the open-source Kubernetes project. Niantic chose GKE for its ability to orchestrate their container cluster at a planetary-scale, freeing its team to focus on deploying live changes for their players. In this way, Niantic used Google Cloud to turn Pokémon GO into service for millions of players, continuously adapting and improving. This gave them more time to concentrate on building the game’s application logic and new features rather than worrying about the scaling part.
LendingTree Using Kubernetes
LendingTree has many microservices that make up its business apps. LendingTree uses Kubernetes and its horizontal scaling capability to deploy and run these services, and to ensure that their customers have access to service even during peak load. And to get visibility into these containerized and virtual services and monitor its Kubernetes deployment, LendingTree uses Sumo Logic.
And We have data on 18,653 companies that use Kubernetes. The companies using Kubernetes are most often found in United States and in the Computer Software industry. Kubernetes is most often used by companies with 50–200 employees and 1M-10M dollars in revenue.
Conclusion. Kubernetes is a great tool for orchestrating containerized applications. It automates the very complex task of dynamically scaling an application in real-time. The world is turning to automatic so Nowadays all companies using Kubernetes. | https://medium.com/@vinodhakumara2681997/kubernetes-real-industry-use-cases-72f104abd588 | [] | 2020-12-26 07:47:01.071000+00:00 | ['Containers', 'Real World', 'Kubernetes', 'Docker', 'Container Orchestration'] |
GraphQL In Action: Introduction | This chapter covers
What GraphQL is and the design concepts behind it
How GraphQL is different from its alternatives, like REST APIs
The language and service parts of a GraphQL system
The advantages and disadvantages of GraphQL
Necessity is the mother of invention. The product that inspired the creation of GraphQL was invented at Facebook because they needed to solve many technical issues with their mobile application. However, I think GraphQL became so popular so fast not because it solves technical problems but rather because it solves communication problems.
Communication is hard. Improving our communication skills makes our lives better on many levels and, similarly, improving the communication between the different parts of a software application makes that application easier to understand, develop, maintain, and scale.
That’s really why I think GraphQL is a game-changer. It changed the game of how the different “ends” of a software application (front-end and back-end) communicate with each other. It gave equal powers to them, it made them independent of each other, it decoupled their communication process from its underlying technical transport channel, and it introduced a new rich language in a place where the common previously spoken language was limited to just a few words.
GraphQL powers many applications at Facebook today, including the main web application at facebook.com, the Facebook mobile application, and Instagram. Developers’ interest in GraphQL is very clear and GraphQL’s adoption is growing fast. Besides Facebook, GraphQL is used in many other major web and mobile applications like GitHub, Yelp, Pinterest, Twitter, The New York Times, Coursera, and Shopify. Given that GraphQL is a young technology, this is an impressive list.
In this first chapter, let’s learn what exactly is GraphQL, what problems it solves, and what problems it introduces!
1. What is GraphQL
The word “graph” in GraphQL comes from the fact that the best way to represent data in the real world is with a graph data structure. If you analyze any data model, big or small, you’ll always find it to be a graph of objects with many relations between them.
That was the first “aha” moment for me when I started learning about GraphQL. Why think of data in terms of resources (in URLs) on even join tables when you can beautifully think of it as a graph?
The “QL” in GraphQL might be a bit confusing though. Yes, GraphQL is a “Query Language” for data APIs but that’s from the perspective of only the frontend consumer of these data APIs. GraphQL is also a runtime layer that needs to be implemented on the back-end and that layer is what makes the front-end consumer able to use the new “language”.
The GraphQL “language” is designed to be declarative and efficient. Developers of data APIs consumers (like mobile and web applications) can use that language to request their exact data needs in a language close to how they think about data in their heads instead of the language related to how the data is stored or how data relations are implemented.
On the back-end, GraphQL needs a runtime. That runtime provides a structure for servers to describe the data to be exposed in their APIs. This structure is what we call a “schema” in the GraphQL world.
Any client can then use the GraphQL language to construct a text that represents their exact data needs using the back-end schema. The client then sends that text to the API service through a transport channel (for example, HTTP). The GraphQL runtime layer accepts that text request and then communicates with other services in the backend stack to put together a suitable data response for the text request. It’ll then send that data back to the consumer in a format like JSON.
Figure 1. 1. GraphQL is a language and a runtime
GraphQL is not specific to any back-end or front-end framework, technical stack, or database. It can be used in any frontend environment, on any backend platform, and with any database engine. You can use it on any transport channel and make it use any data representation format. In frontend Web or Mobile applications, you can use GraphQL with a client like Apollo or Relay or by manually making Ajax calls to a GraphQL server. You can use a library like React (or React Native) to manage how your views use the data coming from a GraphQL service but you can also do that with APIs native to their UI environments as well (like the DOM API or the native iOS components). While you do not need React, Apollo, or Relay to use GraphQL in your applications, these libraries add more value to how you can leverage GraphQL APIs without having to do complex data management tasks.
1.1. The Big Picture
An API, in general, is an interface that enables the communication between multiple components in an application. For example, an API can enable the communication that needs to happen between a web client and a database server. The client needs to tell the server what data it needs and the server needs to fulfill this client’s requirement with objects representing the data they asked for.
Figure 1. 2. The big picture of data APIs
There are different types of APIs and every big application needs them. When talking about GraphQL, we are specifically talking about the API type that is used to read and modify data, which is usually referred to as a “Data API”.
GraphQL is one option out of many that can be used to provide applications with programmable interfaces to read and modify the data they need from data services. Other options include REST, SOAP, XML, and even SQL itself.
SQL (the Standard Query Language) might be directly compared to GraphQL because “QL” is in both names, after all. Both SQL and GraphQL provide a language to query data schemas. They can both be used to read and modify data.
For example, assuming that we have a table of data about a company’s employees, the following can be an example SQL statement to read data about employees in one department:
Listing 1. 1. SQL statement for querying
SELECT id, first_name, last_name, email, birth_date, hire_date
FROM employees
WHERE department = 'ENGINEERING'
Here is another example SQL statement that can be used to insert data for a new employee:
Listing 1. 2. SQL statement for mutating
INSERT INTO employees (first_name, last_name, email, birth_date, hire_date)
VALUES ('John', 'Doe', '[email protected]', '01/01/1990', '01/01/2020')
You can use SQL to communicate data operations like we did in listing 1.1 and 1.2. The relational databases that these SQL statements are sent to usually support different formats for their responses. Each SQL operation type will have a different response. A SELECT operation might return a single row or multiple rows. An INSERT operation might return just a confirmation, the inserted rows, or an error response.
While possible, SQL would not be a good language to use for communicating data requirements directly by mobile and web applications. SQL is simply too powerful and too flexible and it would introduce many challenges. For example, exposing your exact database structure publicly would be a challenging security problem. You can put SQL behind another service layer but that means you need to come up with a parser and analyzer to perform operations on users’ SQL queries before sending them to the database. That parser/analyzer is something that you get out of the box with any GraphQL server implementation.
While SQL is directly supported by most relational databases, GraphQL is its own thing. GraphQL needs a runtime service of its own. You cannot just start querying databases using the GraphQL query language (at least not yet). You will need to use a service layer that supports GraphQL or implement one yourself.
JSON is a language that can be used to communicate data. Here is a JSON text that can represent John’s data:
Listing 1. 3. JSON object representing data
{
"data": {
"employee":{
id: 42,
name: "John Doe",
email: "[email protected]",
birthDate: "01/01/1990",
hireDate: "01/01/2020"
}
}
}
Note how the data communicated about John does not have to be in the exact “structure” of how it is saved in the database. I used camel-case property names and I combined first_name and last_name into one name field.
JSON is a popular language to communicate data from API servers to client applications. Most of the modern data API servers use JSON to fulfill the data requirements of a client application. GraphQL servers are no exception; JSON is the popular choice to fulfill the requirements of GraphQL data requests.
JSON can also be used by client applications to communicate their data requirements to API servers. For example, here is a possible JSON object that can be used to communicate the data requirement for the employee object response in listing 1.3:
Listing 1. 4. JSON example for querying
{
"select": {
"fields": ["name", "email", "birthDate", "hireDate"],
"from": "employees",
"where": {
"id": {
"equals": 42
}
}
}
}
GraphQL for client applications is another language they can use to express their data requirements. The following is how the same previous data requirement can be expressed with a GraphQL query:
Listing 1. 5. GraphQL example for querying
{
employee(id: 42) {
name
email
birthDate
hireDate
}
}
The GraphQL query in listing 1.5 represents the same data need as the JSON object in listing 1.4, but as you can see it has a different and shorter syntax. A GraphQL server can be made to understand this syntax and translate it into what the actual data storage engine can understand (for example, it would translate it into SQL statements for a relational database). Then, the GraphQL server can take what the storage engine responds with and translate it into something like JSON or XML and send it back to the client application (see Figure 1.1).
This is nice because no matter what storage engine (or multiple storage engines) you have to deal with, with GraphQL you make API servers and client applications both work with a universal language for requests and a universal language for responses.
In a nutshell, GraphQL is all about optimizing data communication between a client and a server. This includes the client asking for the needed data and communicating that need to the server, the server preparing a fulfillment for that need and communicating that fulfillment back to the client. GraphQL allows clients to ask for the exact data they need and make it easier for servers to aggregate data from multiple data storage resources.
At the core of GraphQL, there is a strong type system that is used to describe the data and organize the APIs. This type system gives GraphQL many advantages on both the server and client sides. Types ensure that the clients ask for only what is possible and provide clear and helpful errors. Clients can use types to minimize any manual parsing of data elements. GraphQL type system allows for rich features like having an introspective API and being able to build powerful tools for both clients and servers. One of the popular GraphQL tools that relies on this concept is called GraphiQL, which is a feature-rich browser-based editor to explore and test GraphQL requests. You will learn about GraphiQL in the next chapter.
1.2. GraphQL is a specification
Although Facebook engineers started working on GraphQL in 2012, it was 2015 when they released a public specifications document for it. You can see the current version of this document by navigating to jscomplete.com/graphql-spec.
This document is maintained by a community of companies and individuals on GitHub. GraphQL is still an evolving language, but the specifications document was a genius start for the project because it defined standard rules and practices that all implementers of GraphQL runtimes need to adhere to. There have been many implementations of GraphQL libraries in many different programming languages and all of them closely follow the specification document and update their implementations when that document is updated. If you work on a GraphQL project in Ruby and later switch to another project in Scala, the syntax will change but the rules and practices will remain the same.
You can ultimately learn EVERYTHING about the GraphQL language and runtime requirements in that official specification document. It is a bit technical but you can still learn a lot from it by reading its introductory parts and examples. This book will not cover each and everything in that document, so I recommend that you skim through it once you are done with the book.
The specification document starts by describing the syntax of the GraphQL language. Let’s talk about that first.
Alongside the specification document, Facebook also released a reference implementation library for GraphQL runtimes in JavaScript. JavaScript is the most popular programming language and the one closest to mobile and web applications, which are two of the popular channels where using GraphQL can make a big difference. The reference JavaScript implementation of GraphQL is hosted at github.com/graphql/graphql-js and it’s the one we will be using in this book. I’ll refer to this implementation as “GraphQL.js”.
1.3. GraphQL is a language
While the Q (for query) is right there in the name, querying is associated with reading but GraphQL can be used for both reading and modifying data. When you need to read data with GraphQL you use queries and when you need to modify data you use mutations. Both queries and mutations are part of the GraphQL language.
Besides queries and mutations, GraphQL also supports a third request type which is called a subscription and it’s used for real-time data monitoring requests.
This is just like how you use SELECT statements to read data with SQL and you use INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements to modify it. The SQL language has certain rules that you must follow. For example, a SELECT statement requires a FROM clause and can optionally have a WHERE clause. Similarly, the GraphQL language has certain rules that you must follow as well. For example, a GraphQL query must have a name or be the only query in a request. You will learn about the rules of the GraphQL language in the next few chapters.
A query language like GraphQL (or SQL) is different from programming languages like JavaScript or Python. You cannot use the GraphQL language to create User Interfaces or perform complex computations. Query languages have more specific use cases and they often require the use of other programming languages to make them work. Nevertheless, I would like you to first think of the query language concept by comparing it to programming languages and even to the languages that we speak, like English. This is a very limited-scope comparison, but I think in the case of GraphQL it will make you understand and appreciate a few things about it.
The evolution of programming languages in general is making them closer and closer to the human languages that we speak. Computers used to only understand imperative instructions and that is why we have been using imperative paradigms to program them. However, computers today are starting to understand declarative paradigms and you can program them to understand wishes. Declarative programming has many advantages (and disadvantages), but what makes it such a good idea is that we always prefer to reason about problems in declarative ways. Declarative thinking is easy for us.
We can use the English language to declaratively communicate data needs and fulfillments. For example, imagine that John is the client and Jane is the server. Here is an English data communication session:
John: Hey Jane, how long does it take the sun light to reach planet earth? Jane: A bit over 8 minutes. John: How about the light from the moon? Jane: A bit under 2 seconds.
John can also easily ask both questions in one sentence and Jane can easily answer them both by adding more words to her answer.
When we communicate using the English language, we understand special expressions like “a bit over” and “a bit under”. Jane also understood that the incomplete second question is related to the first one. Computers, on the other hand, are not very good (yet) at understanding things from the context. They need more structure.
GraphQL is just another declarative language that John and Jane can use to do that data communication session. It is not as good as the English language, but it is a structured language that computers can easily parse and use. For example, here’s a hypothetical single GraphQL query that can represent both of John’s questions to Jane:
Listing 1. 6. John’s questions to Jane in GraphQL
{
timeLightNeedsToTravel(toPlanet: "Earth") {
fromTheSun: from(star: "Sun")
fromTheMoon: from(moon: "Moon")
}
}
The example GraphQL request in listing 1.6 uses a few of the GraphQL language parts like fields ( timeLightNeedsToTravel and from ), parameters ( toPlanet , star , and moon ), and aliases ( fromTheSun and fromTheMoon ). These are like the verbs and nouns of the English language. You will learn about all the syntax parts that you can use in GraphQL requests in Chapters 2 and 3.
1.4. GraphQL is a service
If we teach a client application to speak the GraphQL language, it will be able to communicate any data requirements to a backend data service that also speaks GraphQL. To teach a data service to speak GraphQL, you need to implement a runtime layer and expose that layer to the clients who want to communicate with the service. Think of this layer on the server side as simply a translator of the GraphQL language, or a GraphQL-speaking agent who represents the data service. GraphQL is not a storage engine, so it cannot be a solution on its own. This is why you cannot have a server that speaks just GraphQL and you need to implement a translating runtime layer.
A GraphQL service can be written in any programming language and it can be conceptually split into two major parts: structure and behavior.
The structure is defined with a strongly-typed schema. A GraphQL schema is like a catalog of all the operations a GraphQL API can handle. It simply represents the capabilities of an API. GraphQL client applications use the schema to know what questions they can ask the service. The typed nature of the schema is a core concept in GraphQL. The schema is basically a graph of fields which have types and this graph represents all the possible data objects that can be read (or updated) through the service. The behavior is naturally implemented with functions that in the GraphQL world are named resolver functions and they represent most of the smart logic behind GraphQL’s power and flexibility. Each field in a GraphQL schema is backed by a resolver function. A resolver function defines what data to fetch for its field.
A resolver function is where we give instructions for the runtime service about how and where to access the raw data. For example, a resolver function might issue a SQL statement to a relational database, read a file’s data directly from the operating system, or update some cached data in a document database. A resolver function is directly related to a field in a GraphQL request and it can represent a single primitive value, an object, or a list of values or objects.
The GraphQL restaurant analogy
A GraphQL schema is often compared to a restaurant menu. In that analogy, the waiting staff act like instances of the GraphQL API interface. No wonder they use the term “server”!
Table servers take your orders back to the kitchen, which is the core of the API service. You can compare items in the menu to “fields” in the GraphQL language. If you order a steak, you need to tell your server how you’d like it cooked. That’s where you can use field arguments!
order {
steak(doneness: MEDIUMWELL)
}
Let’s say this restaurant is a very busy one. They hired a chef with the sole responsibility of cooking steaks. This chef is the resolver function for the steak field!
Resolver functions are why GraphQL is often compared to the remote procedure call (RPC) distributed computing concept. GraphQL is essentially a way for clients to invoke remote — resolver — functions.
1.4.1. A schema and resolvers example
To understand how resolvers work, let’s take the query in listing 1.5 (simplified) and assume a client sent it to a GraphQL service:
Listing 1. 7. Simplified example query text
query {
employee(id: 42) {
name
email
}
}
The service can receive and parse any request. It’ll then try to validate the request against its schema. The schema has to support a top-level employee field and that field has to represent an object that has an id argument, a name field, and an email field. Fields and arguments need to have types in GraphQL. The id argument can be an integer. The name and email fields can be strings. The employee field is a custom type (representing that exact id/name/email structure).
Just like the client-side query language, the GraphQL community standardized a server-side language dedicated to creating GraphQL schema objects. This language is known as the “Schema Language”. It’s often abbreviated as SDL (Schema Definition Language) or IDL (Interface Definition Language).
Here’s an example to represent the “Employee” type using GraphQL’s schema language:
Listing 1. 8. GraphQL schema language example
type Employee(id: Int!) {
name: String!
email: String!
}
This is the custom Employee type that represents the structure of an employee "model". An object of the employee model can be looked up with an integer id and it has name and email string fields.
The exclamation marks after the types mean that they cannot be empty. A client cannot ask for an employee field without specifying an id argument and a valid server response to this field must include a name string and an email string. The schema language type definitions are like the CREATE statements that we use to define tables (and other database schema elements).
Using this type, the GraphQL service can conclude that the GraphQL query in listing 1.7 is valid because it matches the supported type structure. The next step is to prepare the data it is asking for. To do that, the GraphQL service traverses the tree of fields in that request and invokes the resolver function associated with each field in it. It’ll then gather the data returned by these resolver functions and use it to form a single response.
This example GraphQL service needs to have at least 3 resolver functions: one for the employee field, one for the name field, and one for the email field.
The employee field’s resolver function might, for example, do a query like: select * from employees where id = 42 . This SQL statement returns all columns available on the employees table. Let’s say the employees table happens to have the following fields: id , first_name , last_name , email , birth_date , hire_date
So the employee field’s resolver function for employee #42 might return an object like:
Listing 1. 9. Response from the database for employee #42
{
id: 42,
first_name: 'John',
last_name: 'Doe',
email: '[email protected]'
birth_date: "01/01/1990",
hire_date: "01/01/2020"
}
The GraphQL service continues to traverse the fields in the tree one by one invoking the resolver function for each. Each resolver function is passed the result of executing the resolver function of its parent node. So both the name and email resolver function receive the object in listing 1.9 (as their first argument).
Let’s say we have the following (JavaScript) functions representing the server resolver functions for the name and email fields:
// Resolver functions
const name => (source) => `${source.first_name} ${source.last_name}`;
const email => (source) => source.email;
The source object here is the parent node. For top-level fields, the source object is usually undefined (because there is no parent).
The email resolver function is known as a "trivial" resolver because the "email" field name matches the "email" property name on the parent source object. Some GraphQL implementations (for example, the JavaScript one) have these trivial resolvers built-in and used as default resolvers if no resolvers were found for a field.
The GraphQL service will use all the responses of these 3 resolver functions to put together the following single response for the query in listing 1.7:
Listing 1. 10. Example GraphQL response object
{
data: {
employee: {
name: 'John Doe',
email: '[email protected]'
}
}
}
We’ll start to explore how to write custom resolvers in Chapter 5.
GraphQL does not require any specific data serialization format but JSON is the most popular one. All the examples in this book will use the JSON format.
2. Why GraphQL
GraphQL is not the only — or even first — technology to encourage creating efficient data APIs. You can use a JSON-based API with a custom query language or implement the Open Data Protocol (OData) on top of a REST API. Experienced backend developers have been creating efficient technologies for data APIs long before GraphQL. So why exactly do we need a new technology?
If you ask me to answer the “Why GraphQL” question with just a single word, that word would be: Standards.
GraphQL provides standards and structures to implement API features in maintainable and scalable ways while the other alternatives lack such standards.
GraphQL makes it mandatory for data API servers to publish “documentation” about their capabilities (which is the schema). That schema enables client applications to know everything that’s available for them on these servers. The GraphQL standard schema has to be part of every GraphQL API. Clients can ask the service about its schema using the GraphQL language. We’ll see examples of that in Chapter 3.
Other solutions can be made better by adding similar documentations as well. The unique thing about GraphQL here is that the documentation is part of how you create the API service. You cannot have out-of-date documentation. You cannot forget to document a use-case. You cannot offer different ways to use APIs because you have standards to work with. Most importantly, you do not need to maintain the documentation of your API separately from that API. GraphQL documentation is built-in and it’s first class!
The mandatory GraphQL schema represents the possibilities and the limits of what can be answered by the GraphQL service, but there is some flexibility in how to use the schema because we are talking about a graph of nodes here and graphs can be traversed using many paths. This flexibility is one of the great benefits of GraphQL because it allows backend and frontend developers to make progress in their projects without needing to constantly coordinate that progress with each other. It basically decouples clients from servers and allows both of them to evolve and scale independently. This enables much faster iteration in both frontend and backend products.
I think this standard schema is among the top benefits of GraphQL but let’s also talk about the technological benefits of GraphQL as well.
One of the biggest technological reasons to consider a GraphQL layer between clients and servers, and perhaps the most popular one, is efficiency. API clients often need to ask the server about multiple resources and the API server usually knows how to answer questions about a single resource. As a result, the client ends up having to communicate with the server multiple times to gather all the data it needs.
Figure 1. 3. A client asking a server about multiple resources
With GraphQL, you can basically shift this multi-request complexity to the backend and have your GraphQL runtime deal with it. The client asks the GraphQL service a single question and gets a single response that has exactly what the client needs. You can customize a REST-based API to provide one exact endpoint per view, but that’s not the norm. You will have to implement it without a standard guide.
Figure 1. 4. GraphQL shifts multi-request complexities to the backend side
Another big technological benefit about GraphQL is communicating with multiple services. When you have multiple clients requesting data from multiple data storage services (like PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and a REDIS cache), a GraphQL layer in the middle can simplify and standardize this communication. Instead of a client going to the multiple data services directly, you can have that client communicate with the GraphQL service. Then, the GraphQL service will do the communication with the different data services. This is how GraphQL isolates the clients from needing to communicate in multiple languages. A GraphQL service translates a single client’s request into multiple requests to multiple services using different languages.
Figure 1. 5. GraphQL can communicate with different data services
GraphQL is a translator Imagine that you have three people who speak three different languages and have different types of knowledge. Then imagine that you have a question that can only be answered by combining the knowledge of all three people together. If you have a translator who speaks all three languages, the task of putting together an answer to your question becomes easy. This is what a GraphQL service can easily do for clients. This point is valid with other data API options, but GraphQL provides standard structures that enable implementing this kind of data need in easier and more maintainable ways.
One other benefit for GraphQL that I think is often underrated is how it improves the frontend “developer experience”. The GraphQL schema gives frontend developers a lot of power and control to explore, construct, validate, test, and accurately perform their data need communication without depending on backend developers. It eliminates the need for the server to hardcode the shape or size of the data and it decouples clients from servers. This means that clients and servers can be developed and maintained separately from each other, which is a big benefit on its own.
More importantly, with GraphQL, developers express the data requirements of their user interfaces using a declarative language. They express WHAT they need, not HOW to make it available. There is a tight relationship between what data is needed by a UI and the way a developer can express a description of that data need in GraphQL.
2.1. What about REST APIs?
GraphQL APIs are often compared to REST APIs because the latter has been the most popular choice for data APIs demanded by web and mobile applications. GraphQL provides a more efficient “technology” alternative to REST APIS. But why do we need an alternative? What is wrong with REST APIs?
The biggest “relevant” problem with REST APIs here is the clients’ need to communicate with multiple data API endpoints. REST APIs are an example of servers that require clients to do multiple network round-trips to get data. A REST API is a collection of endpoints where each endpoint represents a resource. So, when a client needs data about multiple resources it needs to perform multiple network requests to that REST API and then put together the data it needs by combining the multiple responses it receives. This is a big problem, especially for mobile applications, because mobile devices usually have processing, memory, and network constraints.
Furthermore, in a REST API there is no client request language. Clients do not have control over what data the server will return because they do not have a language to communicate their exact needs. More accurately, the language available for clients of a REST API is very limited. For example, the READ REST API endpoints are either:
GET /ResourceName - to get a list of all the records for that resource, or
- to get a list of all the records for that resource, or GET /ResourceName/ResourceID - to get a single record identified by an ID.
In a pure REST API (not a customized one) a client cannot specify which fields to select for a record in that resource. That information is in the REST API service itself and the REST API service will always return all of the fields regardless of which ones the client actually needs. GraphQL’s term for this problem is over-fetching of information that is not needed. It is a waste of network and memory resources for both the client and the server.
One other big problem with REST APIs is versioning. If you need to support multiple versions that usually means new endpoints. This leads to more problems while using and maintaining these endpoints and it might be the cause of code duplication on the server.
The REST APIs problems mentioned here are the ones specific to what GraphQL is trying to solve. They are certainly not all of the problems of REST APIs.
REST APIs eventually turn into a mix that has regular REST endpoints plus custom ad-hoc endpoints crafted for performance reasons. This is where GraphQL offers a much better alternative.
It is important to point out here that REST APIs have some advantages over GraphQL APIs. For example, caching a REST API response is a lot easier than caching a GraphQL API response, as you will see in the last section of this chapter. Also, optimizing the code for a REST endpoint is potentially a lot easier than optimizing the code for a generic single endpoint. There is no one magical solution that fixes all problems without introducing new challenges. REST APIs have their place and when used correctly both GraphQL and REST have their great applications. There is also nothing that prohibits the use of both of them together in the same system.
REST-ish APIs Please note that in this book I am talking about pure REST APIs. Some of the problems mentioned here and solved by GraphQL can also be solved by customizing REST APIs. For example, you can modify the REST API to accept an “include” query string that accepts a comma-separated list of fields to return in the response. This will also avoid the over-fetching problem. You can also make a REST API include sub-resources with some query flags. There are tools out there that you can add on top of your REST-based systems and they can enable such customizations or make them easier to implement. Such approaches might be okay on a small scale and I have personally used them before with some success. However, when compared to what GraphQL can offer, these approaches require a lot of work and will cause slower iterations in projects. They are also not standardized and will not scale very well for big projects.
2.2. The GraphQL Way
To see the GraphQL way for solving the problems of REST APIs that we talked about, you need to understand the concepts and design decisions behind GraphQL. Here are the major ones:
1) The Typed Graph Schema
To create a GraphQL API, you need a typed schema. A GraphQL schema contains fields that have types. Those types can be primitive or custom. Everything in the GraphQL schema requires a type. This static type system is what makes a GraphQL service predictable and discoverable.
2) The Declarative Language
GraphQL has a declarative nature for expressing data requirements. It provides clients with a declarative language for them to express their data needs. This declarative nature enables a thinking model in the GraphQL language that is close to the way we think about data requirements in English and it makes working with a GraphQL API a lot easier than the alternatives.
3) The Single Endpoint and the Client Language
To solve the multiple round-trip problem, GraphQL makes the responding server work as just one endpoint. Basically, GraphQL takes the custom endpoint idea to an extreme and just makes the whole server a single smart endpoint that can reply to all data requests.
The other big concept that goes with this single smart endpoint concept is the rich client request language that is needed to work with that single endpoint. Without a client request language, a single endpoint is useless. It needs a language to process a custom request and respond with data for that custom request.
Having a client request language means that the clients will be in control. They can ask for exactly what they need and the server will reply with exactly what they are asking for. This solves the problem of over-fetching the data that is not needed.
Furthermore, having clients asking for exactly what they need enables backend developers to have more useful analytics of what data is being used and what parts of the data is in higher demand. This is very useful data. For example, it can be used to scale and optimize the data services based on usage patterns. It can also be used to detect abnormalities and clients’ version changes.
4) The Simple Versioning
When it comes to versioning, GraphQL has an interesting take. Versioning can be avoided altogether. Basically, you can just add new fields and types without removing the old ones because you have a graph and you can flexibly grow it by adding more nodes. You can leave paths on the graph for old APIs and introduce new ones. The API just grows and no new endpoints are needed. Clients can continue to use older features and they can also incrementally update their code to use new features.
By using a single evolving version, GraphQL APIs give clients continuous access to new features and encourage cleaner and more maintainable server code.
This is especially important for mobile clients because you cannot control the version of the API they are using. Once installed, a mobile app might continue to use that same old version of the API for years. On the web, it is easy to control the version of the API because you can just push new code and force all users to use it. For mobile apps, this is a lot harder to do.
This simple versioning approach has some challenges. Keeping old nodes forever introduces some downsides. More maintenance effort will be needed to make sure old nodes still work as they should. Furthermore, users of the APIs might be confused about which fields are old and which are new. GraphQL offers a way to deprecate (and hide) older nodes so that readers of the schema only see the new ones. Once a field is deprecated, the maintainability problem becomes a question of how long old users will continue to use it. The great thing here is that as a maintainer, you can confidently answer the questions “is a field still being used?” and “how often is a field being used?” thanks to the client query language. The removal of not-used deprecated fields can even be automated.
2.3. REST APIs and GraphQL APIs in action
Let’s go over a one-to-one comparison example between a REST API and a GraphQL API. Imagine that you are building an application to represent the Star Wars films and characters. The first UI you are tackling is a view to show information about a single Star Wars character. This view should display the character’s name, birth year, planet name, and the titles of all the films in which they appeared. For example, for Darth Vader, along with his name, the view should display his birth year (41.9BBY), his planet’s name (Tatooine), and the titles of the 4 Star Wars film in which he appeared (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith).
As simple as this view sounds, you are actually dealing with three different resources here: Person, Planet, and Film. The relationship between these resources is simple. We can easily guess the shape of the data needed here. A person object belongs to one planet object and it will have one or more films objects.
The JSON data for this view could be something like:
Listing 1. 11. JSON data example object for a UI component
{
"data": {
"person": {
"name": "Darth Vader",
"birthYear": "41.9BBY",
"planet": {
"name": "Tatooine"
},
"films": [
{ "title": "A New Hope" },
{ "title": "The Empire Strikes Back" },
{ "title": "Return of the Jedi" },
{ "title": "Revenge of the Sith" }
]
}
}
}
Assuming that a data service can give us this exact structure, here is one possible way to represent its view with a frontend component library like React.js:
Listing 1. 12. UI view example in React.js
// The Container Component:
<PersonProfile person={data.person}></PersonProfile> // The PersonProfile Component:
Name: {data.person.name}
Birth Year: {data.person.birthYear}
Planet: {data.person.planet.name}
Films: {data.person.films.map(film => film.title)}
This is a very simple example. Our experience with Star Wars helped us here to design the shape of the needed data and figure out how to use it in the UI.
Note one important thing about the UI view in listing 1.12, its relationship with the JSON data object in listing 1.11 is very clear. The UI view used all the “keys” from the JSON data object. See the values within curly brackets in listing 1.12.
Now, how can you ask a REST API service for the data in listing 1.11?
You need a single person’s information. Assuming that you know the ID of that person, a REST API is expected to expose that information with an endpoint like:
GET - /people/{id}
This request will give you the name, birthYear , and other information about the person. A REST API will also give you access to the ID of this person’s planet and an array of IDs for all the films this person appeared in.
The JSON response for this request could be something like:
{
"name": "Darth Vader",
"birthYear": "41.9BBY",
"planetId": 1
"filmIds": [1, 2, 3, 6],
... [other information that is not needed for this view]
}
Then to read the planet’s name, you ask:
GET - /planets/1
And to read the films titles, you ask:
GET - /films/1
GET - /films/2
GET - /films/3
GET - /films/6
Once you have all six responses from the server, you can combine them to satisfy the data needed by the view.
Besides the fact that you had to do 6 network round-trips to satisfy a simple data need for a simple UI, the whole approach here is imperative. You gave instructions for how to fetch the data and how to process it to make it ready for the view. For example, you have to deal with the planet’s and the films’ IDs although the view did not really need them. You had to manually combine multiple data objects although you are implementing a single view that naturally need just a single data object.
Try asking for this data from a REST API yourself. The Star Wars data has an excellent REST API which is hosted at https://swapi.co where you can construct the same previous data object. The names of the data elements might be a bit different, but the endpoints structure is the same. You will need to do exactly 6 API calls. Furthermore, you will have to over-fetch information that the view does not need.
Of course, SWAPI is just one pure implementation of a REST API for this data. There could be better custom implementations that will make this view’s data needs easier to fulfill. For example, if the API server implemented nested resources and understood the relationship between a person and a film, you could read the films data (along with the person data) with something like:
GET - /people/{id}/films
However, a pure REST API would not have that out-of-the-box. You would need to ask the backend engineers to create this custom endpoint for your view. This is the reality of scaling a REST API. You just add custom endpoints to efficiently satisfy the growing clients’ needs. Managing custom endpoints like these is hard.
For example, if you customized your REST API endpoint to return the films data for a character, that would work great for this view that you are currently implementing. However, in the future, you might need to implement a shorter or longer version of the character’s profile information. Maybe you will need to show only one of their films or show the description of each film in addition to the title. Every new requirement will mean a change is needed to customize the endpoint furthermore or even come up with brand new endpoints to optimize the communication needed for the new views. This approach is simply limited.
Let’s now look at the GraphQL approach.
A GraphQL server will be just a single smart endpoint. The transport channel would not matter. If you are doing this over HTTP, the HTTP method certainly would not matter either. Let’s assume that you have a single GraphQL endpoint exposed over HTTP at /graphql .
Since you want to ask for the data you need in a single network round-trip, you will need a way to express the complete data needs for the server to parse. You do this with a GraphQL query:
GET or POST - /graphql?query={...}
A GraphQL query is just a string, but it will have to include all the pieces of the data that you need. This is where the declarative power comes in.
Let’s compare how this simple view’s data requirement can be expressed with English and with GraphQL.
Table 1. 1. GraphQL vs English
# In English The view needs: a person’s name, birth year, planet’s name, and the titles of all their films. # In GraphQL
{
person(ID: ...) {
name
birthYear
planet {
name
}
films {
title
}
}
}
Can you see how close the GraphQL expression is to the English one? It is as close as it can get. Furthermore, compare the GraphQL query with the original JSON data object that we started with.
Table 1. 2. GraphQL vs JSON
# GraphQL Query (Question)
{
person(ID: ...) {
name
birthYear
planet {
name
}
films {
title
}
}
} # Needed JSON (Answer)
{
"data": {
"person": {
"name": "Darth Vader",
"birthYear": "41.9BBY",
"planet": {
"name": "Tatooine"
},
"films": [
{ "title": "A New Hope" },
{ "title": "The Empire Strikes Back" },
{ "title": "Return of the Jedi" },
{ "title": "Revenge of the Sith" }
]
}
}
}
The GraphQL query is the exact structure of the JSON data object, except without all the “value” parts (bolded in table 1.2). If you think of this in terms of a question-answer relation, the question is the answer statement without the answer part.
If the answer statement is:
The name of the Star Wars character who has the ID 4 is Darth Vader. A good representation of the question is the same statement without the answer part:
(What is) the name of the Star Wars character who has the ID 4?
The same relationship applies to a GraphQL query. Take a JSON data object, remove all the “answer” parts (which are the values), and you end up with a GraphQL query suitable to represent a question about that JSON data object.
Now, compare the GraphQL query with the UI view that used it. Every element of the GraphQL query is used in the UI view and every dynamic part that is used in the UI view appears in the GraphQL query.
This obvious mapping is one of the greatest powers of GraphQL. The UI view knows the exact data it needs and extracting that requirement from the view code is fairly easy. Coming up with a GraphQL query is simply the task of extracting what is used as variables directly from the UI views. If you think about this in terms of multiple nested UI components, every UI component can ask for the exact part of the data that it needs and the application data needs can be constructed by putting these partial data needs together. GraphQL provides a way for a UI component to define the partial data need via a feature called “Fragments”. You will learn about GraphQL fragments in Chapter 3.
Furthermore, if you invert this mapping model, you will find another powerful concept. If you have a GraphQL query, you know exactly how to use its response in the UI because the query will be the same “structure” as the response. You do not need to inspect the response to know how to use it and you do not need any documentation about the API. It is all built-in.
Star Wars data has a GraphQL API hosted at graphql.org/swapi-graphql. You can use the GraphiQL editor available there to test a GraphQL query. We’ll talk about the GraphiQL editor in the next Chapter but you can go ahead and try to construct the example data person object there. There are a few minor differences that you will learn about later in the book, but here is the official query you can use against this API to read the data requirement for the same view (with Darth Vader as an example):
Listing 1. 13. GraphQL query for the Star Wars example
{
person(personID: 4) {
name
birthYear
homeworld {
name
}
filmConnection {
films {
title
}
}
}
}
Just paste this query in the editor area and hit the run button. This request will give you a response structure very close to what the view used, you expressed this data need in a way that is close to how you would express it in English, and you will be getting all of this data in a single network round-trip.
Is GraphQL a REST killer? When I first learned about GraphQL, I tweeted that “REST APIs can REST IN PEACE!”. Joking aside however, I don’t really think that GraphQL is a REST APIs “killer”. I do think however that more people will pick GraphQL over REST for APIs used by web and mobile applications. REST APIs have their place and I don’t think that place is for web and mobile applications. I like to think that GraphQL will do to REST what JSON did to XML. XML is still pretty heavily used but almost every web-based API I know of today uses the JSON format.
GraphQL offers many advantages over REST APIs but let’s also talk about the challenges GraphQL brings to the table as well.
3. GraphQL Problems
Perfect solutions are fairy tales. With the flexibility GraphQL introduces, a door opens to some clear problems and concerns.
3.1. Security
One important threat that GraphQL makes easier is resource exhaustion attacks (AKA Denial of Service attacks). A GraphQL server can be attacked with overly complex queries that will consume all the resources of the server. It is very simple to query for deep nested relationships (user → friends → friends → friends …) or use field aliases to ask for the same field many times. Resource exhaustion attacks are not specific to GraphQL, but when working with GraphQL you have to be extra careful about them.
This resource-exhaustion problem can also come from non-malignant client applications which have certain bugs or just bad implementations. Remember that a GraphQL client is free to ask for whatever data it requires so it might just ask for too much data at once.
There are some mitigations you can do here. You can implement cost analysis on the query in advance and enforce some kind of limits on the amount of data one can consume. You can also implement a time-out to kill requests that take too long to resolve. Also, since a GraphQL service is just one layer in any application stack, you can handle the rate limits enforcement at a lower level under GraphQL.
If the GraphQL API endpoint you are trying to protect is not public and is designed for internal use by your own client applications (web or mobile), you can use a whitelist approach and pre-approve queries that the server can execute. Clients can just ask the servers to execute pre-approved queries using a query unique identifier. While this approach introduces back some dependencies between the servers and the clients, there are some automation strategies that can be used here to mitigate against that. For example, you can give the frontend engineers the freedom to modify the queries and mutations they need to use in development and then automatically replace them with their unique IDs during deployment to production servers. Some client-side GraphQL frameworks are already testing similar concepts.
Authentication and authorization are other concerns that you need to think about when working with GraphQL. Do you handle them before, after, or during a GraphQL resolve process?
To answer this question, think of GraphQL as a DSL (Domain Specific Language) on top of your own backend data-fetching logic. It is just one layer that you could put between the clients and your actual data services. Think of authentication and authorization as another layer. GraphQL will not help with the actual implementation of the authentication or authorization logic. It is not meant for that. But if you want to put these layers behind GraphQL, you can use GraphQL to communicate the access tokens between the clients and the enforcing logic. This is very similar to the way authentication and authorization are usually implemented in REST APIs.
3.2. Caching and Optimizing
One task that GraphQL makes a bit more challenging is client’s caching of data. Responses from REST APIs are a lot easier to cache because of their dictionary nature. A certain URL gives a certain data so you can use the URL itself as the cache key.
With GraphQL, you can adopt a similar basic approach and use the query text as a key to cache its response. But this approach is limited, not very efficient, and can cause problems with data consistency. The results of multiple GraphQL queries can easily overlap and this basic caching approach would not account for the overlap.
There is a brilliant solution to this problem. A Graph Query means a Graph Cache. If you normalize a GraphQL query response into a flat collection of records and give each record a global unique ID, you can cache those records instead of caching the full responses.
This is not a simple process though. There will be records referencing other records and you will be managing a cyclic graph there. Populating and reading the cache will need query traversal. You will probably need to implement a separate layer to handle this cache logic. However, this method will be a lot more efficient than response-based caching.
One of the other most “famous” problems that you would encounter when working with GraphQL is the problem that is commonly referred to as N+1 SQL queries. GraphQL query fields are designed to be stand-alone functions and resolving those fields with data from a database might result in a new database request per resolved field.
For a simple REST API endpoint logic, it is easy to analyze, detect, and solve N+1 issues by enhancing the constructed SQL queries. For GraphQL dynamically resolved fields, it is not that simple.
Luckily, Facebook is pioneering one possible solution to both the caching problem and the data-loading-optimization problem. It’s called DataLoader.
As the name implies, DataLoader is a utility you can use to read data from databases and make it available to GraphQL resolver functions. You can use DataLoader instead of reading the data directly from databases with SQL queries and DataLoader will act as your agent to reduce the SQL queries you send to the database.
Figure 1. 6. DataLoader can optimize the requests between GraphQL and databases
DataLoader uses a combination of batching and caching to accomplish that. If the same client request resulted in a need to ask the database about multiple things, DataLoader can be used to consolidate these questions and batch-load their answers from the database. DataLoader will also cache the answers and make them available for subsequent questions about the same resources.
There are other SQL optimization strategies that you can use. For example, you can construct the optimal join-based SQL queries by analyzing GraphQL requests. If you are using a relational database with native efficient capabilities to join tables of data and re-use previously parsed queries, then a join-based strategy might actually be more efficient in many cases than IDs-based batching. However, IDs-based batching is probably a lot easier to implement.
3.3. Learning Curve
Working with GraphQL requires a bigger learning curve than the alternatives. A developer writing a GraphQL-based frontend application will have to learn the syntax of the GraphQL language. A developer implementing a GraphQL backend service will have to learn a lot more than just the language. They’ll have to learn the API syntax of a GraphQL implementation. They’ll have to learn about schemas and resolvers among many other concepts specific to a GraphQL runtime.
This is less of an issue in REST APIs for example because they do not have a client language nor do they require any standard implementations. You have the freedom of implementing your REST endpoints however you wish because you don’t have to parse, validate, and execute a special language text.
4. Summary | https://medium.com/edge-coders/graphql-in-action-introduction-5117fe8a49c7 | ['Samer Buna'] | 2020-04-13 16:36:41.172000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'GraphQL', 'Programming', 'Books', 'API'] |
Capitalism is destroying ‘safe operating space’ for humanity, warn scientists | Published by Insurge Intelligence, crowdfunding systems journalism for the planetary emergency. Support us to report where others fear to tread.
The COVID19 pandemic has exposed a strange anomaly in the global economy. If it doesn’t keep growing endlessly, it just breaks. Grow, or die.
But there’s a deeper problem. New scientific research confirms that capitalism’s structural obsession with endless growth is destroying the very conditions for human survival on planet Earth.
A landmark study in the journal Nature Communications, “Scientists’ warning on affluence” — by scientists in Australia, Switzerland and the UK — concludes that the most fundamental driver of environmental destruction is the overconsumption of the super-rich.
This factor lies over and above other factors like fossil fuel consumption, industrial agriculture and deforestation: because it is overconsumption by the super-rich which is the chief driver of these other factors breaching key planetary boundaries.
The paper notes that the richest 10 percent of people are responsible for up to 43 percent of destructive global environmental impacts.
In contrast, the poorest 10 percent in the world are responsible just around 5 percent of these environmental impacts:
“These findings mean that environmental impact is to a large extent caused and driven by the world’s rich citizens.”
The new paper is authored by Thomas Wiedmann of UNSW Sydney’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Manfred Lenzen of the University of Sydney’s School of Physics, Lorenz T. Keysser of ETH Zürich’s Department of Environmental Systems Science, and Julia K. Steinberger of Leeds University’s School of Earth and Environment.
It confirms that global structural inequalities in the distribution of wealth are intimately related to an escalating environmental crisis threatening the very existence of human societies.
Synthesising knowledge from across the scientific community, the paper identifies capitalism as the main cause behind “alarming trends of environmental degradation” which now pose “existential threats to natural systems, economies and societies.” The paper concludes:
“It is clear that prevailing capitalist, growth-driven economic systems have not only increased affluence since World War II, but have led to enormous increases in inequality, financial instability, resource consumption and environmental pressures on vital earth support systems.”
Capitalism and the pandemic
Thanks to the way capitalism works, the paper shows, the super-rich are incentivised to keep getting richer — at the expense of the health of our societies and the planet overall.
The research provides an important scientific context for how we can understand many earlier scientific studies revealing that industrial expansion has hugely increased the risks of new disease outbreaks.
Just last April, a paper in Landscape Ecology found that deforestation driven by increased demand for consumption of agricultural commodities or beef have increased the probability of ‘zoonotic’ diseases (exotic diseases circulating amongst animals) jumping to humans. This is because industrial expansion, driven by capitalist pressures, has intensified the encroachment of human activities on wildlife and natural ecosystems.
Two years ago, another study in Frontiers of Microbiology concluded presciently that accelerating deforestation due to “demographic growth” and the associated expansion of “farming, logging, and hunting”, is dangerously transforming rural environments. More bat species carrying exotic viruses have ended up next to human dwellings, the study said. This is increasing “the risk of transmission of viruses through direct contact, domestic animal infection, or contamination by urine or faeces.”
It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the COVID19 pandemic thus emerged directly from these rapidly growing impacts of human activities. As the new paper in Nature Communications confirms, these impacts have accelerated in the context of the fundamental operations of industrial capitalism.
Eroding the ‘safe operating space’
The result is that capitalism is causing human societies to increasingly breach key planetary boundaries, such as land-use change, biosphere integrity and climate change.
Remaining within these boundaries is essential to maintain what scientists describe as a “safe operating space” for human civilization. If those key ecosystems are disrupted, that “safe operating space” will begin to erode. The global impacts of the COVID19 pandemic are yet another clear indication that this process of erosion has already begun.
“The evidence is clear,” write Weidmann and his co-authors.
“Long-term and concurrent human and planetary wellbeing will not be achieved in the Anthropocene if affluent overconsumption continues, spurred by economic systems that exploit nature and humans. We find that, to a large extent, the affluent lifestyles of the world’s rich determine and drive global environmental and social impact. Moreover, international trade mechanisms allow the rich world to displace its impact to the global poor.”
The new scientific research thus confirms that the normal functioning of capitalism is eroding the ‘safe space’ by which human civilisation is able to survive.
The structures
The paper also sets out how this is happening in some detail. The super-rich basically end up driving this destructive system forward in three key ways.
Firstly, they are directly responsible for “biophysical resource use… through high consumption.”
Secondly, they are “members of powerful factions of the capitalist class.”
Thirdly, due to that positioning, they end up “driving consumption norms across the population.”
But perhaps the most important insight of the paper is not that this is purely because the super-rich are especially evil or terrible compared to the rest of the population — but because of the systemic pressures produced by capitalist structures.
The authors point out that: “Growth imperatives are active at multiple levels, making the pursuit of economic growth (net investment, i.e. investment above depreciation) a necessity for different actors and leading to social and economic instability in the absence of it.”
At the core of capitalism, the paper observes, is a fundamental social relationship defining the way working people are systemically marginalised from access to the productive resources of the earth, along with the mechanisms used to extract these resources and produce goods and services.
This means that to survive economically in this system, certain behavioural patterns become not just normalised, but seemingly entirely rational — at least from a limited perspective that ignores wider societal and environmental consequences. In the words of the authors:
“In capitalism, workers are separated from the means of production, implying that they must compete in labour markets to sell their labour power to capitalists in order to earn a living.”
Meanwhile, firms which own and control these means of production “need to compete in the market, leading to a necessity to reinvest profits into more efficient production processes to minimise costs (e.g. through replacing human labour power with machines and positive returns to scale), innovation of new products and/or advertising to convince consumers to buy more.”
If a firm fails to remain competitive through such behaviours, “it either goes bankrupt or is taken over by a more successful business. Under normal economic conditions, this capitalist competition is expected to lead to aggregate growth dynamics.”
The irony is that, as the paper also shows, the “affluence” accumulated by the super-rich isn’t correlated with happiness or well-being.
Restructure
The “hegemonic” dominance of global capitalism, then, is the principal obstacle to the systemic transformation needed to reduce overconsumption. So it’s not enough to simply try to “green” current consumption through technologies like renewable energy — we need to actually reduce our environmental impacts by changing our behaviours with a focus on cutting back our use of planetary resources:
“Not only can a sufficient decoupling of environmental and detrimental social impacts from economic growth not be achieved by technological innovation alone, but also the profit-driven mechanism of prevailing economic systems prevents the necessary reduction of impacts and resource utilisation per se.”
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
The paper reviews a range of “bottom-up studies” showing that dramatic reductions in our material footprint are perfectly possible while still maintaining good material living standards.
In India, Brazil and South Africa, “decent living standards” can be supported “with around 90 percent less per-capita energy use than currently consumed in affluent countries.” Similar possible reductions are feasible for modern industrial economies such as Australia and the US.
By becoming aware of how the wider economic system incentivises behaviour that is destructive of human societies and planetary ecosystems critical for human survival, both ordinary workers and more wealthy sectors — including the super-rich — can work toward rewriting the global economic operating system.
This can be done by restructuring ownership in firms, equalising relations with workers, and intentionally reorganising the way decisions are made about investment priorities.
The paper points out that citizens and communities have a crucial role to play in getting organised, upgrading efforts for public education about these key issues, and experimenting with new ways to work together in bringing about “social tipping points” — points at which social action can catalyse mass change.
While a sense of doom and apathy about the prospects for such change is understandable, mounting evidence based on systems science suggests that global capitalism as we know it is in a state of protracted crisis and collapse that began some decades ago. This research strongly supports the view that as industrial civilization reaches the last stages of its systemic life-cycle, there is unprecedented and increasing opportunity for small-scale actions and efforts to have large system-wide impacts.
The new paper shows that the need for joined-up action is paramount: structural racism, environmental crisis, global inequalities are not really separate crises — but different facets of human civilization’s broken relationship with nature.
Yet, of course, the biggest takeaway is that those who bear most responsibility for environmental destruction — those who hold the most wealth in our societies — urgently need to wake up to how their narrow models of life are, quite literally, destroying the foundations for human survival over the coming decades.
Dr Nafeez Ahmed is Executive Director of the System Shift Lab. He is a Research Fellow at the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems and a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts. An award-winning investigative journalist, change strategist and systems theorist, Nafeez is editor of the crowdfunded investigative journalism platform, INSURGE intelligence. Previously he was ‘system shift’ columnist at VICE reporting on ‘global system transformation’, and a Guardian environment blogger covering the geopolitics of interconnected environment, energy and economic crises. He is a former Visiting Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University’s Global Sustainability Institute, where he produced his latest book, Failing States, Collapsing Systems: BioPhysical Triggers of Political Violence (Springer, 2017). He is the winner of the 2010 Routledge-GCPS Essay Prize and 2015 Project Censored Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, and has been twice listed among the Evening Standard’s top 1,000 most influential Londoners. | https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/capitalism-is-eroding-safe-operating-space-for-humanity-warn-scientists-6e469132dbba | ['Nafeez Ahmed'] | 2020-06-19 16:43:36.806000+00:00 | ['Economy', 'News', 'Business', 'Climate Change', 'Environment'] |
[Etheremon Dev Update] 2019.02.25 | A blockchain game about collecting, training, evolving and trading Monsters, built with blockchain and VR technology. Think Pokemon on blockchain.
Follow | https://medium.com/etheremon/etheremon-dev-update-2019-02-25-70964215bb26 | [] | 2019-02-25 00:00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Crypto', 'Japanese', 'Art', 'Ethererum'] |
Simple guide to setting Stop-Losses | What’s up, my friends.
TraderTyler here, also known as the only dude in the cryptosphere that writes articles by not stretching 2 sentences into a full on PHD-worthy scientific paper, teaching you the basics to stop-losses.
Let’s get it.
As the name suggests, this type of order is used to prevent a trader from losing absurd amounts of money on a trade.
The general point of a stop loss for a trader is to exit out of a trade as soon as the market proves the trader wrong.
Being disciplined about using stop-losses on each and every one of your trades also prevents you from being a ‘HODLer’ when you enter a losing trade.
The point is you want to be flexible and not be stuck in a losing trade.
Cutting losses quickly and MOVING ON
How to start using a stop-loss.
We’ll cover many examples but first let’s see where and how we determine a stop whilst charting a trading set-up.
Example of a set-up on KEY
Where the stop loss was placed and where the target was.
Using simple Technical Analysis, I have now determined my Stop-Loss, my target and my entry. Only NOW will I go and determine my position size…
A trader’s stop loss should be based on technical analysis.
To me, what determines my position size is the risk I am willing to take.
There is a formula you can follow using the following variables.
POSITION SIZING
Risk per trade : what percentage of TOTAL PORTFOLIO a trader is willing to lose per trade
: what percentage of TOTAL PORTFOLIO a trader is willing to lose per trade Position size : number of units of an asset one purchases
: number of units of an asset one purchases Distance to stop loss from entry: Self-explanatory, you can even see it in the chart, it’s the red line.
FORMULA FOR POSITION SIZING
(Total portfolio x Risk per trade) / Distance to stop loss from entry
Ex. (100 x 0.03) / 0.05 = 60
Please do notice: A trader using this formula has now determined that his trade will be 60$ worth of his portfolio, which is quite large, yet he has utterly minimized his risk and feels no anxiety going into the trade as the trader has set up by knowing his risk and potential profits.
The only thing left for the trader is to execute it and let the market do its job for him.
You might have noticed that I pointed out the obvious liquidity pool, why?
We have all encountered the following issue…
My stop got hit yet the market reversed after filling, it keeps happening!
The most common problem with stop-losses and why many don’t use them is because there is a chance your stop gets hit only for you to see the market reverse and rally — slapping you in your face and leaving without you.
A simple liquidity pool, be careful, not every swing high/low is a pool.
To read more about liquidity pools I explain them more thoroughly in my article → Best guide to trading barts you will EVER see.
There are certain principals you must follow while searching for an exit.
Stop-loss principles.
A trader’s stop loss should be placed at the level at which your trade does not make sense anymore and is proven wrong by the markets. Your stop-loss is found through Technical Analysis.
by the markets. Your stop-loss is found through Technical Analysis. Fixed percentages for stop-losses are impossible because EVERY moment in the market is unique, it’s a horrible strategy.
moment in the market is unique, it’s a strategy. BEFORE EVERY TRADE YOU MUST KNOW YOUR EXITS AND TARGETS.
Setting a stop-loss too tight.
Many traders set their stop very tight and their target far off then take one look at the Risk/Reward and say “Oh man what a great trade.”
Later their stop gets triggered and the market continues without them, the trader, missing out on profits as he was too scared entering.
A tight stop-loss is either used whilst betting on a reversal in that moment and wanting to leave the trade as soon as you’re proven slightly wrong OR it’s used in a very volatile market and again, you want to leave ASAP if shit hits the fan.
Let’s look at one example of a bad tight stop-loss from a trade I took some 2 weeks ago.
VERY bad stop.
My reasoning/excuse behind the stop placement was that I was expecting a very volatile move soon, which is why I wanted to leave quickly if it went the wrong way.
Here is how I should have placed it..
So I’m placing it ON THE WAY to the obvious swing high.
This is much, much better. And pulling out a calculator confirms my good stop placement as the Risk/Reward was still a very good 3, compared to the bad placement which made it an 8R trade — A trade with a better risk/reward of course, but your R doesn’t matter shit if your stop placement is wack.
Conclusion:
Like trading, charting and waking up in the morning — Setting a stop-loss is very simple, the only hard bit is actually putting effort into PLANNING your trade instead of just entering because it ‘looks good’.
Cut your losers quickly, be grateful you can set a stop-loss.
BONUS TIP
Setting a stop on binance.
Always set your LIMIT sell order slightly under your STOP order, otherwise the market might ignore you and not give you a fill.
Sources:
I recommend watching CryptoCred’s videos on the topic and reading the following article: → 5 Stop Loss Mistakes To Avoid
Watch the following video → Risk Management — Technical Analysis Series
Shoutout to @traderdante @trader1sz @cryptocred and @caneofc — these are their twitter handles, many helpful posts, incredible analysis and great shitposts from these mates.
Found this article informational/useful? This is just the tip of the iceberg..
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Did you know you can leave 50 claps on this article yourself? Please try it out, please, please I have to feed my family. | https://medium.com/coinmonks/simple-guide-to-setting-stop-losses-686acda316a6 | ['Getgood'] | 2019-04-09 10:13:17.885000+00:00 | ['Trading', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Tutorial', 'Bitcoin', 'Investing'] |
Diving in Mexico | I had recently heard a lot of good things about Mexico and, along with a lot of my dive buddies having worked or currently working there, I jumped at the chance to go for a diving trip — and I wasn’t disappointed either.
I went off to explore the popular underwater adventure that is diving in Cozumel, which I can say was maginificent. Most of the central dive spots are on the West Coast of Cozumel and due to the changing currents, they are drif dives.
The coral reef, though, is extremely healthy and the underwater formation of the land is amazing, with many swim-throughs. I must say that this isn’t a spot with much fish and has very little in the way of macro marine life, but you will be visited by an abundance of loggerhead and green turtles, nurse sharks and also eagle rays.
While on the ferry back over to the mainland, I took a short drive up to the Belmond Maroma Resort, which is home to the most relaxing diving I have ever done. Imagine pretty schools of fish, great topography and no boats for miles.
I moved further down the coast to Playa del Carmen for a few dives, again admiring over the blue and clear waters along the picturesque coastline to your next dive spot. I was extremely lucky as I was a little early for the bull shark season, so off I went to seek out these giants and I found them.
Late November to Mid-March is when the pregnant bullsharks around this place start to give birth. This is the only time when these creatures are relaxed enough for you to dive with them. This dive is all about being on the bottom of the ocean and watching the bull sharks coming towards you from all angles. It truly is an amazing thing to witness. The dive lasted around 45 minutes and we had up to 6 sharks coming to check us out (as well as an eagle ray!).
Now on to the Cenote diving. This is a different kind of diving all together. I moved further down the coast to Tulum, which is world-famous for having access limestone sink holes filled with crystal-clear water. Diving in these underground, fresh water river systems with the sun light glistening through the various sink holes along the way. You are never in darkness and you always have an exit in reach so you never feel you are going into the unknown.
There are hundreds of cenotes to dive with El pit, Dos Ojos, Carwash and Angelita being some of the top ones.
If you are looking for a place to do some spectacular diving, you cannot go wrong with Mexico. Whats more is that the food and culture of the country also make it a worthwhile trip and the fact that you can dive and see so much within a small space of land is incredible. From the cenotes to the bull sharks, Mexico diving has everything to offer! | https://medium.com/@annaschroeder808/diving-in-mexico-6cca4804278a | ['Anna Schroeder'] | 2021-08-17 18:33:43.905000+00:00 | ['World Travel', 'Travel', 'Oceans', 'Mexico', 'Diving'] |
A critical examination of Social Control in relation to Risk Management and the negative impact this has on Youth Offenders | A critical examination of Social Control in relation to Risk Management and the negative impact this has on Youth Offenders Mustafa Hussain Jul 1, 2020·12 min read
“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains”
- Jean Jacques Rousseau (1765)
In this essay we will be examining social control, in particular, the roles of authority figures and school concerning risk management as well as exploring the impact it has on youth offenders, in particular, the white working-class male who currently have poor academic outcomes as well as a high level of criminality (Strand, 2014). In the first paragraph, we will be examining social control as a theory and how it may work in controlling crime and producing conforming behaviour. We will then discuss the specific idea of social control through authority figures and the role of education systems concerning risk management to decide whether or not it is an effective way of controlling behaviour in relation to youth offenders.
The concept of social control can be interpreted in many different ways (Cohen, 1989). At its most general, it describes the theoretical social processes directed at reducing delinquent behaviour and subsequently reducing the number of offenders by maintaining the ways of life as well as the social practices of groups (Innes, 2003). Social control is primarily based on the idea of social contract theory. Social contract theory has been around since the 1600s where it was first introduced by Thomas Hobbes whom himself believed that in the state of nature, men are naturally and exclusively self-interested which leads to a perpetual state of war (Hampton, 1996). According to Hobbes, this is due to limited resources with a lack of power, forcing men to cooperate, which is necessary for a functioning society. Hobbes also believed that men are somewhat rational actors, so would recognise and accept such power by recognising the need for authority (Hobbes, 1975). Hobbes stated a need for absolute authority, such as that of a sovereign state. This is somewhat different to John Locke who stressed the need for authority but not an absolute one, suggesting that society should be run, so each person gives up some of their liberties in order for reliance on the state to protect their interests which he deemed as necessary for a fair and functioning society (Locke, 2003). This social contract is very much in effect today with people giving up privacy in order to be kept safe from any perceivable threat by giving up more freedoms and accepting ever-expanding surveillance and control methods (Kellner, 2003) This shown by the ever-expanding emergence of CCTV cameras as a form of ‘societally dispersed Panopticon’ (Koskela, 2003) This is more true in the UK than anywhere else with London being one of the most heavily monitored cities on earth (Ratcliffe, 2019).
The idea of social control is to produce conforming behaviour as well controlling crime through preventing delinquency through measures of control, which occur at all levels from the household they grow up into the laws of the nation. This increased need for social control comes from an increased fear of victimisation (Innes, 2003) perpetuated by the media’s accentuated focus on crime (Grier and Reiner, 2015). A focus that aims to decontextualise complex events to reflect narratives that demonise and offer simple explanations (Best, 1995)This overemphasis on crime leads to an inevitable moral panic and subsequent fear of crime. This fear of crime has great political utility, as it joins crime with an idea of nonconformity and deviancy (Hornqvist, 2004). This then leads to widespread public support for social control efforts leading to a change in public policy aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour that is associated with social disorder and deviant behaviour (Cohen, 1980; Althiede, 2009).
These social control methods are not just formal control measures in terms of national laws but have been ingrained into the culture, leading to informal forms of social control such as in the household and community people grow up in, to the educational institutions they attend from very young (Black, 1983). These education systems often work to carry out the commands of society and enforce them on students in order to offer adequate knowledge into the minds of students to fit into the demands of societal norms (Durkheim, 1956). This control is often given to deter potential ‘self-destructive’ desire in order to fit in with the demands of a larger society, examples of this control in education can be seen from the universal dress code and mannerism codes that are enforced on all students (Bernstein, 1971). These codes and ties to a sound education system are seen to be a necessity in society as they are seen to be ‘crucial part of diminishing one’s inclination for deviant behaviour’ (Hirschi, 2002) hypothetically leading to a lower level of offending in the long term. In actuality this form of social control, particularly in the classroom only works to alienate and label those who do not conform to societal norms potentially leading to further delinquency in later life. This harsh level of social control is shown by the ‘disciplinary’ methods that are carried out when conformity inducement is seen to be unsuccessful, often referring to overt punishment in order to repress behaviour that may be considered by some as deviant. This discipline is socially constructed and is very much symbolic of a “space of trouble” that students fall into when not conforming to the normative expectations of school settings (Irby, 2014). Potential acts of misbehaviour by students does not only earn the condemnation of their teachers but also leads to a loss of reputation amongst their peers potentially leading to ostracisation and shame (Sharp et al, 2017). This ostracisation can lead to a further sense of social alienation which is particularly damaging amongst youth leading to a sense of powerlessness.
It should be noted that punishment itself does not lead to gaps in discipline or even funnel students into the school to prison pipeline (Irby, 2014) but it does however, have profoundly counterproductive effects on the main aim of education through overly punitive punishment to seemingly minor misbehaviour. By doing this they miss the opportunity to address the real reasons for youth misbehaving (Kupchik, 2010). This is made worse for students that attend urban schools with lower levels of funding who are at higher risk of facing harsh disciplinary regimes such as expulsion particularly for those who come from inner-cities and working-class families (Gregory et al., 2011). These harsh disciplinary methods are used to ‘manage risk’ and therefore are perceived to be mandatory in deterring ‘at risk’ students from partaking in further delinquent acts. However, this could not be further from the truth as students who behave badly enough to be expelled are often sent to educational institutions that are consistently stuck in a cycle of low performance for 13 or more years (Busby, 2020). These types of social control and punitive discipline methods in the name of ‘Risk Management’ are not very beneficial to all students; instead working to alienate children from the academic curriculum making it more likely for them to be funnelled into the school to prison pipeline which undoubtedly has a negative impact on the rest of their lives (Irby, 2014).
As mentioned previously, these Hobbesian methods of risk management within the education system are particularly damaging. They have been identified regularly as being a primary reason for the high level of youth offending particularly in that of white working-class males who make up a large proportion of all youth offenders (Briscoe et al., 2017). Particularly damaging is that of the exclusionary discipline practices such as suspensions which are all too familiar within the education system. These practices do not help; instead they hinder and interfere with academic progress subsequently reaffirming the failure cycle of these ‘at-risk’ students which then leads to a decrease in opportunities to gain academic skills and appropriate social behaviours that they may require outside of the educational environment (Costenbader & Markson, 1998). The ineffectiveness of such harsh disciplinary practices is further shown by research on suspension, which consistently indicates that, despite its all too frequent usage, it is not effective in reducing behavioural problems (Civil Rights Project, 2000; McFadden & Marsh, 1992). It is also often cited as a primary reason for young people dropping out of school altogether (Baker et al., 2001). This shows that disciplinary practices of risk management often work to remove students from academia and the educational practices, which therefore have unfortunate implications for their long term life chances (Stahl, 2017). Particularly for those that are from a low socioeconomic background which includes white working-class male who consistently ranks as the worst-performing ethnic group (Stahl, 2017; Adams, 1990) often pushing them into the prison pipeline with many of these young men, unfortunately, engaging in high levels of criminality (Strand, 2014).
The emergence of a high number of white working-class boys into the ‘prison pipeline’ may come as a surprise to some due to the high level of a perceived privilege that comes with being white. However, it has been argued by Preston that just merely being White is not something that all groups benefit from equally (Preston, 2009), but there are “grades of whiteness”. These grades are almost always saturated with distinctions of class, nation and gender (Garner, 2012). These distinctions are shown by the mass media who continuously work to demonise the working-class by consistently holding them responsible for a variety of social issues (Stahl, 2017). This shows that being white is shaped by class and various cultural practices (Moore, 2013). These white working-class people from low-income areas are often associated with the slanderous and often derogatory terminology of the word “chav” (Preston, 2009). These “chavs” are often portrayed in the media as personifying laziness, rudeness, criminality, as well as undertaking an anti-educational stance (Skegs, 2004). When in reality, those that are white working-class have specific barriers to educational attainment such as a low level of parental engagement as well as an apparent lack of community. However, those from other ethnic groups that may be seen as equally as disadvantaged and in need of support usually have access to special programs primarily focused on raising academic achievement, support that is not regularly offered to those from a white background (Demie and Lewis, 2010). Despite all these explanations for reaffirming the white working-class as a “new race victim” (Keddie, 2013). Those from disadvantaged backgrounds are frequently blamed for their own “failure” to act responsibly in regards to their academic progress (Reay, 2009). Despite the fact that those from working-class backgrounds regardless of colour or ethnicity have historically attended underfunded and often poorly resources schools (McCulloch, 1998) which as mentioned previously only works to further funnel these disadvantaged boys into the ‘prison pipeline’.
As stated previously, white working-class boys are consistently failed by the educational institutions that were put in place to mould their behaviours into what is deemed socially acceptable in mainstream society. The question we now ask is, What happens next to these ‘academic failures’. Unfortunately, the reality of these circumstances become much more apparent with a vast majority of court-involved youth offenders experiencing academic failure or school exclusion (Christle et al., 2005). These lack of academic achievements greatly hinder their ability to gain an honest and decent living. This is regularly shown by the employment advantages given to those who excel academically with entry into higher-level jobs often being restricted to graduates in many cases requiring professional degrees (Wise, 1975).
Moreover, with just 17 per cent of white working-class boys attaining five or more A*-Cs at GCSE compared to a 56 per cent national average (Centre for Social Justice, 2006) the probability of landing a decent job is severely reduced. These social structures of employment as well as the dominant masculine culture of ‘providing for the family’ (Russell, 1981) and other such socially accepted goals often work to pressure these young boys into committing crimes as a means to acquire financial stability (Agnew, 2015). This often wrong path inevitably leads to young boys going through the criminal justice system. A system that primarily promotes retributivism. These processes include forms of risk management such as, short term juvenile sentences, which often last from 11.4 to 16.7 months within a juvenile detention facility ultimately working as another form of social control (Ministry of Justice, 2019). This form of social control aims to use retributive and proportional punishment to deter these youth offenders from reoffending (Lambie and Randall, 2013). However, in practicality, it does almost the opposite with 40.9 per cent of young offenders reoffending. A rate that is on average higher amongst custodial sentences of under 12 months compared to those who may be sentenced to serve the community via court orders and even those with longer sentences (Mews et al., 2015; Myers, 2003). A reoffending rate that is no doubt greatly exacerbated by not only the academic failure but also the community in which the offender is usually from and will ultimately return to when released (Hayner and Ash, 1940). When arriving back at the community these youth offenders usually do not learn how to be accepted and behave as a law-abiding citizen, instead learning the rules of an institutionalised routine which is utilised as a form of radical social control which above all else leads to their community seeing them as peculiar and often deviant as these formats do not occur on the outside (Hayner and Ash, 1940). This peculiarity subsequently leads to further social exclusion as well as further labelling, which subsequently plays a role in the high recidivism rate of youth offenders. This idea of further labelling is also referred to as secondary deviance. This is when the reaction of others, in this case, the community of the young offender, further labels them as ‘deviant’, even after serving their sentence. This then leads to the potentially one-time young offenders adopting a ‘Master status’ by acting in accordance with the label leading to a significantly higher chance of becoming a career criminal (Lemert, 1951; Cicourel, 1995; Becker, 2008). This shows that even when serving after serving their time in remand under the guise of high levels of social control in the name of risk management, these youth offenders are ultimately shunned from their community and further labelled as deviant which may lead to a higher rate of reoffending.
Not only are these short term custodial sentences hugely ineffective in reducing recidivism rates as well as deterring crime, but they are also mostly damaging mentally and physically to the youth that they are aimed towards. In recent years we have seen a large proportion of youth offenders suffer from mental health issues such as depression and suicidal thoughts (Lambie and Randall, 2013) as well as having a high prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Stimmel et al., 2014). These mental health issues are well documented but hardly addressed as mental health systems are not well integrated within the juvenile justice system (Rapp-Paglicci, 2007). This lack of integration can alarmingly be seen in the increase of self-harm incidents within custody which rose by a staggering 40% to 1,800 incidents in 2018(Ministry of Justice, 2019). These incidents are likely exacerbated by experiencing the adverse conditions within these facilities (Lambie and Randall, 2013). These unpleasant conditions may also help in explaining the increase in the victimisation of youth offenders with a large proportion of youth becoming victims of bullying as well as feeling isolated (Greve, 2001). Those victimised from bullying within custody, are on average, Nine times more likely to self-harm as well as attempting suicide (Kiriakidis, 2008). These figures show that incarceration for youth offenders leads to a variety of mental health problems that are not adequately treated by these juvenile facilities. These negative impacts of their stay during their adolescence not only have short term effects but long term ones who ultimately result in further adverse outcomes during adulthood (Lambie and Randall, 2013).
It is clear that these punitive methods of punishing young offenders are highly unsuccessful, and another format is needed in order to deal with them. In this case, recommending a rehabilitative approach to youth offenders. An approach that will include support for drug and substance abuse in young offenders as well as providing the mental health support necessary to help deal with these problems. As shown previously, young offenders, in particular, the white working-class remain the lowest-performing ethnic group within the school system (Okilwa et al., 2017) with many below their chronological age in terms of reading, spelling and cognitive abilities (Kroll et al., 2002). This is partially due to the issues of social control as well the disciplinary methods utilised by the schooling system as mentioned above, as well as a severe underfunding of schools within low-income neighbourhoods (Busby, 2020). In order to deal with this a recommendation of increased funding to schools within low-income areas ensuring they meet OFSTED requirements, as well as this an abolishment of the harsh disciplinary system of suspensions and exclusions which as stated before do more harm than help these troubled kids.
In conclusion, social control within the schooling and juvenile systems may prove to work for some but does not work for all (Christle et al., 2005) These levels of social control which theoretically are meant to reduce a child’s prominence for delinquency but in more ways than one hinder the child, eventually forcing them down the prison pipeline. From here things do not get easier, as a significant proportion of these children are given short term sentences which often lead to victimisation, further exacerbating delinquent behaviour and problematic mental health issues that are not adequately dealt with within the system. Once released the child is then forced to readapt to a world they are not used to while being shunned from their community, who still apply a deviant label on to them further pushing them towards a criminal career. | https://medium.com/@mustafakaramathussain/a-critical-examination-of-social-control-in-relation-to-risk-management-and-the-negative-impact-79d3344741fa | ['Mustafa Hussain'] | 2020-07-01 10:38:14.729000+00:00 | ['Youth', 'Criminal Justice', 'Crime', 'Sociology'] |
(悲報)Google商家被停權了怎麼辦? | Google My Business local business reinstatement request - Google My Business Help
Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firms and doctors, should not create multiple pages to cover all… | https://medium.com/%E7%94%B0%E8%A8%80%E8%AC%90%E8%AA%9E/%E6%82%B2%E5%A0%B1-google%E5%95%86%E5%AE%B6%E8%A2%AB%E5%81%9C%E6%AC%8A%E4%BA%86%E6%80%8E%E9%BA%BC%E8%BE%A6-fe9f18c2e721 | [] | 2019-09-21 09:02:52.347000+00:00 | ['Google My Business', '行銷', 'Google', 'Google Maps'] |
Hello Redux middlewares! | Redux-saga
redux-saga uses an ES6 feature called Generators to make those asynchronous flows easy to read, write, and test. Contrary to redux-thunk, you don’t end up in callback hell, you can test your asynchronous flows easily and your actions stay pure.
Why saga?
Easier to manage
More efficient to execute
Easy to test
Better at handling failures
Pre-requisites?
Before we see our saga in action, a few avengers you would want to explore:
Avenger 1: Generator functions
Generators are functions that can be paused and resumed, instead of executing all the statements of the function in one pass.
function* myGeneratorFunction() {
let a = yield "first value";
let b = yield "second value";
return "third value;"
}
use of function* , which is not a normal function, but a generator
When you invoke a generator function, it will return an iterator object. With each call of the iterator’s next() method, the generator’s body will be executed until the next yield statement and then pause:
const gen = myGeneratorFunction();
console.log(gen.next()); //{value: "first value", done: false}
console.log(gen.next()); //{value: "second value", done: false}
console.log(gen.next()); //{value: "third value;", done: true}
console.log(gen.next()); //{value: undefined, done: true}
This can make asynchronous code easy to write and understand. For example, instead of doing this:
fetch(URL).then((response) => {
console.log(response.json());
})
With generators, we could do this:
let response = yield fetch(url);
console.log(response.json());
In redux-saga, we write a saga whose job will be to watch for dispatched actions:
function* actionWatcher() {
}
Avenger 2: Basic helpers
It is very important to understand the basic helpers which are used to run the effects in saga. Let us visit a few of them: | https://medium.com/weekly-webtips/hello-middlewares-5934c9455aa8 | ['Sumit Kumar Rakshit'] | 2020-06-04 08:40:53.301000+00:00 | ['Front End Development', 'Redux Saga', 'React', 'JavaScript', 'Redux'] |
How I survived the novel virus. So I am not much of a writer but given… | Symptoms that I dealt with:
It all began with a very bad headache and I am not someone who ever gets those.Day 2 my ashtma started to flare up. It was also the spring season so I thought that maybe the reason. I immediately called up my doctor and got my asthma medications. The wheezing lasted for more than a week but I kept telling myself its not the COVID virus as I was not coughing. Body pains were starting to show and I could hardly make myself move from my bed. Even going to the kitchen was a big task and I would start panting. I however did go for the COVID test and I waited for the results.The results took more than three days and during this time the cough started as well. This was the worst of all. If you think its the cough you get when you have the flu then you are wrong. Every time I coughed it felt like lungs were going to pop out and thinking about it now gives me the chills. I couldn't sleep because I would be coughing all day. The body pains, the cough and my asthma; it was the worst I ever felt.
What I did:
Thankfully my aunt is a doctor here, so I asked her help immediately. She put me on steroids for asthma, Tylenol for fever, benadryl for my cough. I even tried the non FDA approved drug(I keep forgetting the name). I think I am just thankful that I did not end up in the ER. I was dealing with the symptoms for a little more than a month before I was able to do things without losing my breath. Do not read the news when you have the virus. It just worries you more and doesn't help.
Few things I did at home that helped me:
Hot milk with turmeric and honey twice a day
Hot water every time. Helped with with the throat pain
Eating bland food cause diarrhea is an issue
Using my inhalers five times a day
Inhaling steam with a vapor rub
What I realized about the American facilities:
I hated the fact that I had to drive 20 mins in my condition to get tested in my area. People who are sick shouldn't have to go through this.
My doctor suggested that I get a chest X-ray to make sure its not spreading.Guess what? None of the facilities were willing to treat me. Umm okay. What if it got serious? Aren’t you an essential facility? I called up to four locations and none allowed me.
The county officials called me for contact tracing. I appreciated the efforts they took. I gave them my roommate's details but they did not check on her. Icing on the cake, two weeks later they sent me a mail saying I am all good to go out now. Out of the blue.
Reach out
I know I missed out on a lot of details but anyone who needs help or just wants to talk about this please feel free to comment so we can talk personally if you’d like.
Did I tell everyone?
NO. I dunno why I am being secretive about it but I guess I just felt people around me would think less of me or something which I think is stupid even as I type. This is my first step in trying to be open about it and talk about it. So hopefully I muster the courage to talk about this openly to everyone and educate them. | https://medium.com/@amazing_lawn_weasel_419/how-i-survived-the-novel-virus-covid-19-a3f0087a4dda | [] | 2020-06-08 05:30:39.335000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Covid 19 Crisis', 'Covid19 Survival', 'Covid Diaries', 'The Struggle Is Real'] |
It’s Complicated | It’s Complicated
Visualizing complex health histories & symptoms for two patients with rare and mystery conditions
I recently worked with a smart, well-spoken patient, E., to put together a visual summary of her health.
Unlike many others I’ve worked with, she was not looking for answers or a new diagnosis; she was motivated because she was starting the application process for a new service dog, and she needed to demonstrate her physical constraints and daily needs. She also had a complex medical history, with multiple chronic conditions, injuries, surgeries and procedures, and she wanted to see everything in one place for the first time.
I went through my standard process of gathering her information, talking through her story with her, and creating visuals to represent the conversation. I then created a detailed timeline and symptom map, with an emphasis on her two longstanding conditions, Cryoglobulinemia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Both of these conditions are considered ‘rare diseases’ — meaning each one affects fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time.
A quick aside with some definitions: Cryoglobulinemia is the presence of abnormal proteins in the blood, and symptoms often include skin lesions and purple spots, joint pain, peripheral neuropathy (in other words burning or tingling in hands and feet), and more. EDS is a connective tissue disorder “generally characterized by joint hypermobility (joints that stretch further than normal), skin hyperextensibility (skin that can be stretched further than normal), and tissue fragility” (source: Ehlers-Danlos Society website).
In addition to these two key diagnoses, E. also had Dysautonomia, an issue with her autonomic nervous system that causes fast heart rate, lightheadedness on standing, inability to regulate sweating, and more.
All together, these three conditions caused E. a whole host of symptoms and injuries, many stretching back to her childhood. She’d had six broken ankles between age 10 and 15; at one point both of her ankles were broken at the same time. She estimated she’d had close to 50 surgeries since 1985. It was a lot to look back on, and it made for a very full timeline, as you can see below (most words and dates removed for privacy). | https://medium.com/pictal-health/its-complicated-60b2cb9c2398 | ['Katie Mccurdy'] | 2019-03-13 12:40:04.849000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Healthcare', 'Patient Experience', 'Health', 'Data Visualization'] |
Social Media and Brands: A Love Story? | Did you know some social media platforms have more active users than the population of China? For context, China has a population of 1.3 billion people, the most populated country in the world.
Well, by the second quarter of 2020, Facebook already had 2.7 billion active monthly users, that’s twice the population of China, 4 times the population of the US and over 13 times the population of a country like San Marino.
“Social media is not one media channel, it is a virtual society in which all sorts of human activities take place“ — Professor Mike Yao (Illinois GIES College of Business)
According to Statista, Youtube is the second-most used social media platform with 2 billion monthly active users. No wonder we see so many ads on YouTube, signifying an active relationship, and brands have to be present to keep the love going.
Here are some other major platform statistics, Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Instagram have 2 billion and 1.1 billion monthly active users respectively, Tiktok is growing at 689, Snapchat at 433 and Twitter at 353 million monthly active users.
Although social media and brands may have a strong relationship, it definitely isn’t the type of affair you had in mind. Brands work hard in this relationship to leverage the power of social media by introducing creative ways to appease the interests of their customers.
Even if this isn't a romantic relationship, content is still the love language. The most successful brands know that curating valuable content on social media will drive engagements, increase awareness, recognition and ultimately build trust.
To curate the right content, it is important to note that creating detailed buyer personas will help your brand understand the social media behaviour of your ideal customers, and ultimately allow you tailor messages that will resonate with your target audience.
Buyer personas can help you curate the right content and also help set the right voice for your brand. Buyer personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customer including demographic and psychographic data.
For your brand to be successful on social media, you have to align all your communications with your brand’s voice, actively use storytelling — everybody loves a good story, use images, videos and blog posts to capture the attention of your audience and personalize your posts by always writing your posts to your buyer persona. | https://medium.com/@tkprincewill/social-media-and-brands-a-love-story-2e16c4b5e4b0 | ['Tk Princewill'] | 2021-01-07 23:59:02.632000+00:00 | ['Brand Strategy', 'Business Development', 'Branding', 'Social Media Marketing', 'Brands'] |
Latinx Heritage Month: Why we should use Latinx over Hispanic | Latinx Heritage Month is a designated time to celebrate the contributions of the Latinx community to our country. It is a month filled with pride for many, a reflection on where we have been, and where we hope to go as a community.
It is also a complex existence that can’t be easily acknowledged in a month wrapped up easily on October 15th. The Latinx community is incredibly diverse. We do not all come from one experience.
To be Latinx is to identify with ancestors from Latin America. That may be Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, or Colombia. My own identity as a Latina is diverse. I am a Venezolana and Mexicana born in the United States of America. I definitely feel a connection to those from other Latin American countries, and I acknowledge that our experiences are not all the same.
The ancestors we come from did not all have the same journey that contributes to who we are today.
Many debates have existed for decades as to how people who are connected to Latin American countries should be titled and acknowledged formally by our government and in relationship with one another as people.
Unfortunately, the two do not often meet.
The term Hispanic became widely used in the 1980s as the government struggled to define who we were as a community. The term refers to Spanish speaking countries (not all Latin American countries speak Spanish) and is tied to Spain and their history of colonization.
Elevating our history with Spain over our indigenous history ignores the advanced communities that existed before any Spaniards set foot on Latin American lands.
Latinx is a term I prefer because it encompasses a diversity of people from throughout Latin America who are on a journey to shed mindsets and systems of colonization. Part of that journey includes finding words that can better define our complexity while also being as inclusive as possible
To root my identity in colonization highlights the pain of my ancestors and not their joy.
And I’m done with that.
My place in the journey of our lineage is to break from the narrative that something is wrong with us and we are not enough. To step into my authentic self and change the trajectory for generations to come, is to honor the beauty and joy of my ancestors and continue to remove the abuses embedded in our spirits.
My journey began generations before I was born. The spirits of generations past live through me today as I evolve as a living ancestor.
How I choose to continue the journey sets the stage for those who follow me.
It is a sign of respect to honor the spirit of my ancestors and I choose to do so on a daily basis. What that looks like has evolved over time as I learn more about who they were and how their spirit is alive within me today. As those connections become seen, heard, and felt, a new level of appreciation grows as I am enlightened of their struggle and their joys.
What often surfaces in their struggle is the lingering impact of oppressive systems rooted in colonization that taught them there was something wrong with who they were.
The generations of abuses physically, mentally, and emotionally embedded in their brains and hearts have remained in future generations hidden in corners of our subconscious.
These messages that something was/is wrong with how we look, speak, and move in the world.
The joy that I feel from my ancestors are the places where they were able to break free. Moments of connection to our past untouched by a colonizer’s gaze of judgment. Moving their bodies freely to the sounds that rang through rainforests in Venezuela before they were born. Filling their bellies with the food of Zacatecas that was made with love and deemed delicious because of the hands that made it.
In moments of joy, they were enough. In moments of joy, I am enough.
During Latinx Heritage Month, and all year round, we celebrate that we are beautifully made and more than enough. When you remove Hispanic and refer to my people as Latinx, you honor the complexity of history and future possibilities that live within our community. You join me on the journey to respect and honor my ancestors while breaking barriers to inclusivity which will pave the way for liberation in future generations. | https://medium.com/surge-institute/latinx-heritage-month-why-we-should-use-latinx-over-hispanic-7ddb94e9a00b | ['Michelle Seijas'] | 2020-10-19 17:33:50.783000+00:00 | ['Bay Area', 'Latinx', 'Éducation', 'Thought Leadership', 'Latinx Heritage Month'] |
Symbols of Countries | It does not matter how small or big the flower is, it means a lot for the ones we surprise them with. Flowers have the power of concretizing the importance of special celebrations. Flowers symbolize our personal feelings, it has also the specification of symbolising countries.
Iris
Picture from Old Farmer’s Almanac
The flower Iris is also known in France as “Fleur-de-lis”. This flower took a place in the emblem of France since the 12th century. Iris is also mentioned in Greek mythology. The name of the goddess who conveyed the messages of the Gods and brought the souls of dead woman to Hades is also known as Iris. Due to that the goddess brought the souls, the flowers represent death. No matter its negative intitling, people from France continue to see this flower as the symbol of their country.
Tulip
Picture from The Times
Tulip, a species unique to the Turks during the Ottoman period, is now a symbol of the Netherlands. It is a flower that many countries enjoy growing. This flower is sent by Suleyman the Magnificent to the King of the Netherlands in 16th century. This was the first time the Dutch and whole Europe met with Tulip. Now, when the Netherlands is memorised, the first thing that comes to our mind is their Tulips.
Mimosa
Picture from Sarah Raven
Mimosa which’s name is “Acacia Pycnantha” in Latin is a bush plant. It is famous with its fragrant and yellow flowers. This flower represents the country Australia. The most important feature of the golden mimosa flower is that it is believed that this plant has helped the first settlers to establish their lives. The other feature of this plant is that it is durable. According to the rumors, the first person who has settled in the region has been preparing his house from golden mimosa plants.
Sunflower
Picture from Sudbury
Sunflower which’s production comes from Russia, is the national flower of Ukraine. Russia and European countries realize 60% of the worlds sunflower production. Sunflowers, reflecting fertility and the energy of the sun, creates a marvelous view with its appearance. It is known that sunflowers follow the sun. It has the habit of turning its front towards the sun. At nights, it gives the look as if it falls asleep with its heads down and wait for the sun to rise again.
Orchid
Picture from Brialliant Orchids
Orchid is the symbolic flower of Hong Kong. It has more than 25.000 species. The history of orchid goes 85 million years back. It is also known that the powder of salep is made from the flower orchid. This flower has a place for many countries over the world due to its beauty and the taste after undergoing a process.
Flowers are not just appealing to a specific nation or person but instead, the importance of it is worldwide. No matter that countries do have their own symbols, the importance of flowers are inestimable. | https://medium.com/@emeklieezgi/symbols-of-countries-387f5b256cf7 | ['The Secret World Of Plants'] | 2021-12-12 18:32:22.338000+00:00 | ['Flowers', 'Tulip', 'Country', 'Sunflower', 'Mimosa'] |
Kyber Organization and Decentralized Trade | There are more than 2,000 digital currencies in presence now and in all actuality huge numbers of these tasks will stop to exist in ten years. Indeed, some crypto ventures have fizzled and many will come up short. Then again, a portion of these blockchain ventures have additionally endure unfathomable chances and many have proceeded to hold a spot among the top-performing cryptographic forms of money in presence.
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https://www.harmonyrelo.com/nuw/video-a-v-b-liv05.html | https://medium.com/@priyanka_chopra/kyber-organization-and-decentralized-trade-99c365d1225e | ['Priyanka Chopra'] | 2020-12-19 12:03:46.601000+00:00 | ['Organization', 'Kyber', 'Decentralized'] |
Saskatchewan Distributed 576 Invitations In Recent Draw | With all Canadian provinces holding their final draws of the year, it seems that 2020 immigration has not been a complete failure. Saskatchewan recently hosted a draw on December 17 in an attempt to attract some more eligible workers to the province before the end of the year.
The immigration candidates who were successful in receiving invitations to apply during the draw are now at liberty to apply for a nomination from the province that will give them an edge when it comes to acquiring Canadian PR.
Canadian PR Visa From The Comfort of Your Home! Discover Your Immigration Options Today!
Details of the draw
The candidates invited in this draw had already submitted their Expression of Interest profiles with the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program or the SINP. The International Skilled Worker category was the main focus of this draw. SINP specifically targeted the following two subcategories: Occupations In-Demand and Express Entry.
A majority of the invitations, 386 to be precise, were assigned to candidates belonging to Occupations In-Demand. Another 190 invitations were issued to Express Entry candidates. Altogether, Saskatchewan distributed 576 invitations in this draw.
The minimum EOI score required for candidates in both subcategories was 71, and it was mandatory for them to have their Educational Credential Assignments. The candidates who were successful in this draw had professional experience in any of the 89 eligible occupations listed by Saskatchewan.
The EOI system is an essential tool for measuring a candidate’s chances of success in the provincial labor market. SINP is always on the hunt for candidates who can show that they are dedicated to building a wonderful life in Saskatchewan. Candidates are usually ranked on the basis of the International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid.
Canadian PR Visa From The Comfort of Your Home! Discover Your Immigration Options Today! | https://medium.com/@betterplaceimmi/saskatchewan-distributed-576-invitations-in-recent-draw-b88c048e4a4f | ['Betterplace Immigration'] | 2020-12-27 15:12:06.811000+00:00 | ['Betterplaceimmigration', 'Canada Immigration', 'Canada', 'Saskatchewan', 'Immigration'] |
The Shortcut To Happiness with the 4x44 Manifestation Method | Shortcut To Happiness with the 4x44 Manifestation Method
What if I told you there is a shortcut to happiness with the 4x44 manifestation method? Want to hear about it?
Thoughts are energy. By using the 4x44 manifesting method, you can problem your subconscious mind to vibrate abreast with the energies of the important things you intend to materialize.
The LOA has to do with bring in right into our lives things we focus on and also it is all too very easy to focus on the adverse.
This method or technique is an aid to focusing on the positive by utilizing an ancient method for manifestation.
The 4x44 Manifestation Method in Few Words
The 4x44 technique works by drawing up an affirmation 44 times for 4 days in a row.
It has to do with being present as well as thanking AS IF it has actually currently occurred.
Writing your desire brings the essential emphasis and also is a powerful approach to re-train your subconscious as well as elevate your vibrations.
The 4x44 manifestation method is a manifestation writing method that helps storing in your mind your desires.
It is proven that this scripting techniques are excellent as a shortcut to happiness with the 4x44 manifestation method you will succeed.
Sure you want to manifest happiness in your life, so lets take a look of some of the best manifestation techniques you can apply.
Most Common Manifestation Techniques
Manifestation is the concept of filling your thoughts with things you favorably speak about.
Before you start the journey, you need to rely on your own. Did you understand there are wonderful manifestation strategies that can open your doors to success as well as wealth?
Well, this is a fantastic method of discovering what’s ideal for you.
However with the many methods out there, you may be overwhelmed with the ones that function best.
Here is a run-through of the most preferred manifestation techniques.
Affirmations
Affirmations are declarations claimed in confidence concerning a viewed reality — your wish-list to the Universe.
This is the fastest manifestation strategy and has helped millions of individuals. It is necessary that you speak as if what you appear is currently your own.
Your affirmations require to be clear and also concise. As an example, if you attest that you’re going to get a job quickly you require to know that the Universe will certainly bring you precisely that.
All you need to do is to write down your statements in a journal in the here and now strained.
Next off, claim them out loud every day and then meditate on them.
Finally, develop some visuals on your affirmations and also establish it as the history on your computer or smart device.
Visualization
If you’re looking for one of the most effective manifestation technique, after that visualization ought to be your best bet.
This strategy has actually been in use for lots of ages and also yields stunning results. It’s a wonderful way of concentrating on one goal and total with confidence.
To increase the achievements of those desires or ambitions, you need to envision them everyday.
Usage Vision Boards
If you want to make your dreams real, a vision board will aid you accomplish that. It involves making concrete presentations of what you believe in.
The law of attraction calls for that you focus on the positive thoughts while removing the adverse ones. This is an essential step of relocating your life to the instructions of growth.
Be sure to take your time to create all the vital objectives in all areas of your life.
To make your vision attractive and memorable, make use of a variety of shades as well as appearances.
Scripting
This is a powerful method that helps you become an engineer of your dream life. It includes pulling your deep-rooted desires and putting them theoretically. I
f you want to turn on the power of scripting, you simply jot down exactly how you desire your future to work out.
To obtain a peek of the genuine power of manifestation, you need to know you’re the actual protagonist of your tale.
Yet, how do you manuscript your life? Beginning by telling just how you desire it to appear like as well as be detailed in your descriptions.
Besides that, you need to set a time limit when you desire your wishes to manifest.
Definitive Action
The last step of manifesting your desires is to confiscate the moment through focused activities that incline perfectly with the measurements of your desire.
You just do not stay idle and also wait for your desire to emerge through some mystery.
The elevated regularity of your vibrations automatically causes specific activities that ultimately culminate into the gratification of the dream.
Rationale hinges on your capability to readjust your vibrations to the frequency of your dreams.
Releasing from Negative Thoughts
Some people tries really hard to manifest their dream life but only get frustration in the process.
This can happen due to the enormous negativity haze in our minds, so even you work hard, results do not come our way.
A great solution for that is listening to audio tracks perfectly designed to change our vibration frequency turning old negative thoughts into fresh positive ones.
Take a look at this great resource by clicking the image.
4x44 Manifestation Method — The 4 Day Manifestation Technique
After taking a view of the most common manifestation techniques, lets jump in to this shortcut To happiness with the 4x44 manifestation method explained in detail.
What Is The 44x4 Manifestation Method?
The 4x44 technique has to do with creating a particular need 44 times for 4 days straight.
Basically, this manifestation approach is a restructuring system for the subconscious mind.
The idea is to alter your subconscious assumed patterns over 4 successive days so that your ideas make a straight link with the energetic regularity of your needs.
Generally, WHATEVER is energy …
And we humans are constantly releasing energetic regularities via our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Whenever we create ideas that match the vibration of our desires …
The “like draws in like” aspect starts. This is how the Law of Attraction jobs.
The 44x4 Manifesting Formula mosts likely to work straight on the subconscious mind.
How Do You Make use of The 4x44 Formula?
Let’s break this down right into some easy to comply with actions …
1.) Select An Affirmation
The magic behind this entire procedure all boils down to one solitary affirmation.
Have an excellent think of your desires …
What is it exactly that you appear?
Right here are some pointers for picking a powerful affirmation.
— · Be specific.
— · Attempt not to make it also long.
— · Pick something that excites you.
— · Constantly produce affirmations in the present stressful.
— · Infuse some thankfulness.
The idea is to word your affirmation as if your desire has currently manifested.
Here are some examples:
· I am grateful to have gotten $1000 today.
· I am happy to be driving my new dream car.
· I am honored to be on a tropical holiday.
· I am grateful to have actually drawn in a date with my future true love.
Make your affirmation long enough to be particular however brief enough to be easily etched right into the subconscious mind.
2.) Write Out Your Affirmation
As soon as you have selected the ideal affirmation, compose it out on a paper or in a manifestation journal.
But wait there’s even more …
Obviously, this strategy would not be called the 4x44 manifesting formula for nothing right?
The secret sauce behind this manifestation routine is that you require to write it out …
— 44 times …
— Everyday …
— For 4 consecutive days.
Now, that might sound like a lot but when your desire starts to manifest, you’ll rejoice you did it!
CRUCIAL:
When writing out your affirmation, attempt to stay as existing as feasible.
If your mind wanders off, that’s ok but attempt and also bring it back to your affirmation writing process.
Often it can be valuable to check out the affirmation out loud as you are creating.
3.) Let It Go.
After every day of writing, let your affirmation go.
Set and also fail to remember.
Spending additional time stressing over your wish or pondering over when you might obtain it, could, in fact, be unsafe to the manifestation process.
This is because the ego-self can be instead cynical.
Sadly, this makes it extremely easy for our compulsive thought clutter to take a turn for the even worse.
Think about it …
How many times have you thought of something you desired, just to be entrusted to a sensation of hoping or lack?
You might acknowledge those sensations as a small suffering or an anxious sensation in the pit of your tummy …
These feelings are usually called “Limiting Ideas” and also can influence your manifestation in a negativeway.
Keep in mind, like draws in like, so whatever feelings you release to the universe, you will certainly remain to bring in right back into your life.
Instead, turn your focus to something that makes you delighted …
Take note of the indications and synchronicities the universe sends out as your wishes manifest!
https://youtu.be/ssfzG3cx9Zw
Resources:
If you are serious about the Law of Attraction and you want to manifest a better life of yours, download our free manifestation guide.
After reading the guide, I will send you information and exercises I never share on public.
Download Visualization for Manifestation Free Guide
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If you liked it, I would really appreciate it if you can share it using one of the social sharing icons.
Also, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought — I love talking to the readers, so hopefully will talk to you in the comments below.
4x44 Manifestation Method | https://medium.com/@jovvanamanzano/the-shortcut-to-happiness-with-the-4x44-manifestation-method-cacfc5a5af4b | ['Jovvana Manzano'] | 2021-06-08 14:55:27.531000+00:00 | ['Lawofattraction', '4x44manifestationmethod', 'Manifestation', 'Manifestationtechniques'] |
Would Finland’s Recipe for Gender Equality Work in Other Countries? | The slogans used in a gender equality protest in the US (Source: Getty Images)
In 2020, the World Economic Forum ranked Finland as the third most gender equal country in the world. Still, Finland has the fourth largest gender pay gap of any developed country, much higher than for example the US or the Czech Republic, which are ranked 53rd and 78th respectively for gender equality.
For many feminists, reducing income inequality between genders is seen as a key factor in empowering women. In the US, A Pew Research Center survey showed that the public considers the gender wage gap the most important factor in gendered differences in quality of life. This surprisingly contrasts with Finland, a much more gender equal country, where the gender wage gap is considered a significantly less important factor in female empowerment.
This raises questions about why these two countries have such different views on gender equality, and if the pay gap really is that important.
A key difference in how the economies of Finland and the US are organized may help explain why people in these countries hold such different views on gender equality.
Whilst both Finland and the US have market economies, the mentality of the people in these countries are very dissimilar when it comes to economic matters. American society holds money, and the ability to obtain it, in very high esteem. Because of these values, higher-income individuals are considered to be more ‘successful’. This is reflected in the country’s culture as well, as the long-standing goal of the lower and middle classes is the so-called “American Dream”. This is an individualistic goal that focuses on a person creating wealth for themselves and rising through the ranks of society. High net worth individuals such as Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are considered ideal success stories, not in virtue of their contributions to humanity, but due to their ability to create wealth for themselves. What this mentality also implies is that poorer people are ‘losers’ because of their failure to create wealth for themselves.
Finland on the other hand holds very different economic values, which support its social-democratic system of government. Social security is a constitutional right, and the state has to provide subsistence to anyone who for whatever reason cannot do so themselves. Because of this, a person’s income or wealth is much less important in determining their quality of life and position in society. Whilst these differences in mentality are quite subtle in everyday interactions, they have massive consequences for how these two countries’ social and economic policies are shaped.
“Those who cannot obtain the means necessary for a life of dignity have the right to receive indispensable subsistence and care.” - 1999 Finnish Constitution, Section 19
To illustrate, the US is the only developed country in the world without any paid parental leave. The Boston College Center for Work & Family says that although public opinion is shifting, the reason why the US is lagging behind in this respect is because the idea that one should be ‘rewarded’ for choosing not to work clashes with the idea that one is responsible for creating their own success.
Finland has taken a totally different approach to parental leave. Unlike the US, the Nordic country has 140 days of paid leave for each parent after a child is born, which helps guarantee equality of employment for men and women. This is important, as a 2019 study by the Economist showed that without equal parental leave there is a large “motherhood penalty”, meaning that after childbirth women’s employment rate and income decrease compared to men. Data from Switzerland shows that when parental leave was introduced in the country, the motherhood penalty decreased significantly. Other policies, such as practically free childcare in Finland allow women to return to work sooner as well. This also contributes to the fact that Finland has a childhood poverty rate of 5%, compared to 25% in the US, which does not have free childcare. Not only can these policies improve women’s ability to maintain a career after having children, but they also increase economic efficiency by allowing capable professionals to continue working after having children.
Whilst differences in parental leave between the two countries directly impacts gender equality, there are also many indirect ways in which the countries’ different economic values affect women’s quality of life.
Across both the US and Finland, polls show that on aggregate women have higher preference for occupations such as nursing, teaching, etc. that are often less financially rewarding than male-dominated fields such as engineering and finance.
In the US, this preference for lower-paying jobs means that women often have a lower quality of life because of their job “choice”. The US is the developed country with the highest healthcare and university education costs, meaning that poverty significantly affects people’s lifestyles and career opportunities. Studies have shown that American people with lower incomes are less likely to obtain quality education and are also more likely to have health problems linked to low income. An International Sociological Association study has shown that in Finland poverty has a smaller impact on health compared to other developed countries. This is important because it means that a lower average income doesn’t mean that women have to have a lower quality of life
This can largely be attributed to Finland’s strong social security system. The country has free public education and universal healthcare. Equal access to education is actually a constitutional right in the country, and the Finnish education system is consistently ranked as one of the best in the world. Different societal values mean that in the US, there is less support for universal healthcare and education, since they are often seen as an individual’s responsibility.
The difference in economic values and consequently policies clearly explains why the gender wage gap is considered so important in the US. As one’s income and wealth are directly linked to quality of life, it is natural that feminists would try to promote increased income equality.
At the same time, the case of Finland gives a totally different solution: income inequality does not have to be a major problem when success in a society is not defined by a person’s income.
This puts the goals of the feminist movement into perspective, as reducing the gender wage gap doesn’t break down the systematic indifference towards poverty in the US, but rather ensures that they are not affected by this poverty themselves.
A 2018 survey in the US showed that many people believed that the feminist movement has improved the quality of life for women. Still, whilst 26% of respondents said that the feminist movement has done “a lot” for white women, only 13% believed that the movement made significant improvements for women of color, and even less so for poor women.
By ignoring the fact that gender is not the only determinant of inequality, the feminist movement overlooks many possible solutions that could benefit a much larger part of the population. The US economic system causes deprivation to most poor people. By working to change the mentality that is the foundation to this system, the way poor people are treated in the country can be fundamentally changed. This wouldn’t only be a victory for the feminist cause, but also for all other groups that have been made to feel like second-class citizens because of their lower incomes.
This is an important consideration for the feminist movement, because it questions how effective the movement can really be in empowering people if it doesn’t work to change the system’s underlying values. A prominent 20th century feminist, Audre Lorde, aptly said that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”: In order for genuine change to be brought about, there needs to be a change in the way society views income and treats those that are less well off. | https://medium.com/an-injustice/would-finlands-recipe-for-gender-equality-work-in-other-countries-91b470fc2530 | ['Nour Attalla'] | 2020-08-19 07:45:04.542000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Society', 'Feminism', 'Inequality', 'Change'] |
Christmas Decorating Secrets to a Successful Project | And, now for something on the lighter side. I know I deal mostly on problems, but I think this will be enjoyable for the time of the year. Enjoy!
Let’s Get Started On Christmas Decorating
For Christians, now is the time to deck the halls — here we have a few of the secrets to stunning Christmas home decorating, reflecting the spirit of the season and the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Christmas is a happy time of the year when we go through the closets and the garage to find our Christmas ornaments, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, and holly, to dress up our homes with good Christmas cheer.
The outcome of the special linens, candles, and Advent calendars. We prepare special dishes, get the kids involved in Christmas art projects and Christmas crafts, to create that special Christmas ambiance.
New Christmas Decorating Idea?
So, what new ideas can you put in place this year to make a special impression that fills your family and guests with that holiday spirit? Let’s take a look!
Christmas lights, indoors and out, do much to spread cheer. As passersby view your home, the lights hung from your porch become a bright spot — whether you choose the traditional bulbs or icicle style, the message is clear.
Why not add garlands of pine branches, highlighting the lights? When you shop for your Christmas tree, ask the tree vendor for snips of pine branches, to wind between the lights. Dig through your Christmas ornaments for that old-style Santa or dove, to interweave | https://medium.com/@freedomroad93/christmas-decorating-secrets-to-a-successful-project-e5027efe635c | [] | 2020-12-12 13:55:29.253000+00:00 | ['Christmascookies', 'Christmas', 'Christians'] |
Every Good Logo Tells a Story! 40 Famous Brand Logos & Their Hidden Secrets | In the business world, every brand is looking for a unique place in the market. They formulate distinctive strategies and plans to capture this position. In this article we discuss Every Good Logo Tells a Story! 40 Famous Brand Logos & Their Hidden Secrets.
Although it might appear like these plans, strategies, and other business stuff are all that goes into making a business stand out, there is an artistic element every modern-day business has to have, which serves as its primary distinctive factor in the market: the brands logo.
Logos were born out of the need for distinction and communication, a face and identifiable element.
Logo design history dates back to ancient family crests, hieroglyphs and symbolism. Early versions of the logos were developed in the Middle Ages (around 1300 AD), as shops and public houses used signage to represent themselves.
The first modern logo designs were created in the early 1900s, evolving alongside mass printing.
Today brands try to fulfill the same purpose using logos, but their messages have become more complex and intricate. Brands use storytelling a lot more as they look to engage consumers and build trust in their brand.
People love stories, especially behind the brands they believe in, trust and purchase from, as they feel connected to them, and a brand logo design tells these stories in a simple visual way.
We see a ton of brand logos every day and are familiar with them, but do we hear their stories?
The meaning of some might look obvious from the logo but might not be so. Some might not make sense at all and look random.
Have you looked at the Adidas lines or the peculiar-looking creature on your Starbucks cup and wondered: why did they specifically choose that? They are not random at all.
They almost always have a story associated with the brand or communicate the vision or goals of the brand.
Here are 20 popular and well-known brand logos and their meanings and hidden secrets:
1. Microsoft
Microsoft, one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world, was founded in 1975. The logo has changed 5 times since. The current logo was created by employees of Microsoft in 2012.
Its salient features are the Segoe UI font and the brand symbol made up of four colors ( red, yellow, green, blue), which are said to represent its products- PowerPoint ( red), Outlook (yellow), Excel (green), Word (blue).
2. Gucci
Gucci has one of the most iconic luxury fashion brand logos in the world. It has an artistic and classic logo, which hasn’t changed since its inception.
But one might wonder why it has two G’s instead of two C’s from the name Gucci. The logo was created by Aldo Gucci to honor his father and the founder of Gucci, Guccio Gucci.
3. Domino’s
Domino’s, the largest pizza chain in the world with a huge network of outlets, the brand has a geometric logo which looks like two domino pieces.
Owner Tom Monaghan designed the logo containing two squares, which were intended to make one think of pizza boxes, and the three dots in the boxes represent the initial three outlets, which were bought by him.
Colours red, blue, and white were chosen as they capture attention quickly.
4. Harvard University
Harvard University, one of the most prestigious schools in the world, has a shield logo with three open books with the word “Veritas”, which is Latin for truth.
The books represent the importance of learning, and the iconic crimson color was chosen over magenta by a majority vote of students in 1875.
The color crimson was made popular by Charles W. Eliot Benjamin, who provided crimson scarves to their teammates so that spectators could differentiate between Harvard’s crew team and other teams during a regatta.
5. Puma
The famous sportswear brand Puma’s logo has an image of a leaping cougar, a panther that remains active day and night. It goes perfectly with the attitude of “activeness” that every sportswear brand aims to convey.
6. Evernote
The popular note-taking, organizing and task management app has an elephant head as the logo. It perfectly conveys the message of “good memory” as elephants are said to have a great memory. As the saying goes, “an elephant never forgets.”
7. Unilever
The popular consumer brand Unilever has a very interesting logo as it comprises of 24 symbols.
It might appear like a random combination of icons forming the ‘U’ icon, but the 24 smaller icons. Each represents the products the company deals with, from a tea leaf, a jar, a spoon to a lock of hair symbolizing shampoo.
8. Adidas
Adidas is one of the oldest and most premium sports brands on the market. Its logo has three lines pointing outwards, forming a mountain.
This imagery of a mountain is created to symbolize the challenges people need to overcome and the goals to be achieved.
9. Amazon
One of the most profitable companies in the world, owned by the very famous Jeff Bezos, Amazon has an interesting logo with a yellow arrow beneath the word amazon.
The arrow points from ‘a’ to ‘z’, representing the variety of products they sell and it also looks like a smile representing customer satisfaction.
10. Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz also has one of the most recognizable logos in the world. The strong brand symbolizes luxury and refinement.
Its logo has evolved from a golden three-pointed star to a silver star enclosed in a circle. The three-pointed star represents the prevalence and strength of their engines on land, sea, and air.
11. Starbucks
Starbucks has one of the most controversial logos, as people keep guessing the meaning behind the cryptic logo.
The popular coffee brand’s logo has a mermaid with fishes in both hands, which is a Greek figure. It is said that like sirens lure sailors, the brand aims to lure coffee lovers.
12. Audi
The well-known silver rings of the luxury automobile manufacturer is one a lot of people desire to have on their car.
Why four rings, one might think. It’s symbolic of the merger of four automobile companies: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, forming the Auto Union AG. The interlocking of the silver rings represents the merger of the four companies.
13. Walt Disney
Walt Disney is all about art and creation; therefore, their logo represents the same. The symbol logo has a castle, which represents magic for kids and adults alike.
The elaborate animated logo is said to showcase a detailed image of cinderella’s castle, which is known to all, representing magic.
14. Nestle
The leading FMCG company has a logo of a nest with two chicks and a mother bird. The earliest version had the family shield of the owner Henri Nestle, containing a nest.
They eventually removed the shield figure and kept only the nest. The current version was created as it represented the primary direction of the company — “food for feeding babies’.
15. Toblerone
The popular chocolate bar, Toblerone, has been around for quite some time. Its current logo features a mountain, symbolizing the Matterhorn Mountain in Switzerland.
Hidden inside the mountain is a bear, symbolizing the unique honey flavor found in the chocolate and the fact that the chocolate is made in the City of Bear.
16. Dove
Dove, a Unilever brand, is one of the most accepted skincare brands in the world known for its iconic soap bar.
The soap was first developed for the Navy to deal with dry skin caused by seawater and sand exposure.
Due to its popularity, it was branded in 1957 with the name Dove and the icon of a dove as it’s symbolic of “peace”, given its history of military use.
17. Xiaomi
Xiaomi is a Chinese technology company which started selling its mobile phones in 2013 and has garnered popularity since. The word Xiaomi is Chinese, which is pronounced as “Shao-Mi”.
It is difficult to pronounce the word “shao” for non-native speakers that’s why the logo constitutes the text ‘Mi’, which shows the vision of the company to capture the international market.
18. Twitter
The popular logo of Twitter might look obvious to you- a blue bird, as the messages sent on the social media platform are called ‘tweets’, the sound birds make.
But, the bird also has a symbolic meaning — it represents freedom and endless possibilities. It also presents the idea of how short messages can be delivered as fast as birds fly.
19. NASA
NASA has one of the most recognizable logos, printed on various articles like clothing, bags, stationery, etc. The logo is a complex one containing many elements.
The round blue shape represents a planet. The stars represent space. The circular orbit around the text shows space travel, and the red V-shaped wing represents aeronautics.
20. Levi’s
The iconic jeans brand has a logo you must have spotted on the back of its jeans. The logo is a monogram and has the word Levi’s written in a red figure that has an interesting batwing shape.
The batwing forms the shape of the pockets found at the back of a pair of Levi’s jeans.
21. LG
The popular electronics brand has a memorable pink and white logo. Though most people think they have cracked the L and G in the logo, there is something that can be missed.
The L and G in the logo are placed to form a face, which gives the brand a human element and feels inviting.
Logos are an interesting tool for telling the narrative of the company. We encounter so many of them in our day to day life, but if you look closely we can see that they have deeper and fascinating meaning.
It can be safely said that you can judge a company by its logo.
22. Apple
The Apple logo is one of the most recognizable logos in the world, the Apple logo is theorized to have come from the famous story of Adam and Eve.
The apple is supposed to be the apple Eve bit from in the bible and represents the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge.
23. Google
Google is one incredibly recognizable logo worldwide. Google’s logo is supposed to symbolize that they don’t play by the rules and are all about having fun. Instead of having a crazy typeface or symbol, they chose to project their message with colour.
They stuck with the primary color palette but broke it with a secondary color, green.
24. IBM
IBM’s famous logo is globally recognized. The white stripes passing through the letterforms give the illusion of equal signs in the lower areas of the letters, which represents equality.
25. Cisco
Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking for the internet, is named after its headquarters’ location in San Francisco.
While its namesake doesn’t have a hidden meaning, the blue stripes above the logotype not only represent an electromagnet but also, the Golden Gate Bridge.
26. NBC
NBC’s logo has a couple of hidden meanings. It’s clear that it’s a peacock, but why? When the logo was developed color televisions were being introduced (explaining the rainbow of colors), and the network wanted a logo that would cause black and white tv owners to make the switch.
So, they went with the common phrase (at the time), ‘proud as a peacock’, promoting that they were proud of their new color system.
The six different colors of the feathers represent the six different divisions of NBC.
27. FedEx
Fedex is one of the world’s most recognisable logos, but just in case you’ve missed it, look between the “E” and the “x.” In the white space there’s an arrow that subliminally represents speed and precision.
28. McDonalds
Everyone knows about the Golden Arches and that the “M” stands for “McDonald’s.”
But what you might not know is that in the 1960s design consultant and psychologist Louis Cheskin said customers unconsciously recognize the logo as “symbolism of a pair of nourishing breasts.”
It’s quite possible this man was sexually frustrated at the time.
29. LEGO
The name of the Danish toy company comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt,“ which means ”play well.”
30. Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins is known for its 31 flavors of ice cream. Highlighted in the pink colour the number 31 is hidden in the “B” and the “R” of their logo, acting as the curve of the “B” and the stem of the “R”.
The logo represents fun and energy, much like how you’ll feel when you’re eating their ice cream.
31. Wendy’s
If you take a closer look at the Wendy’s logo their is the hidden word “MOM” can you spot it?
The word appears on Wendy’s collar, suggesting that their cooking is like Mom’s home-cooked meals. I don’t know a lot of moms who make square burgers and serve them with a paper cup filled with ketchup, but Wendy must have!
32. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
At first glance the Pittsburgh Zoo logo looks like a simple tree, but hold on.. If you look at the negative space, you’ll see the image of both a gorilla and a lion facing each other.
This helps to showcase the wildlife that can be seen at the zoo. It’s one of our favorite negative space logos and is often referenced when negative space in the logo design is discussed.
33. Chick-fil-A
It’s quite obvious, but if it’s not you need an eye test. Chick-fil-A logo design incorporates a chicken into the “C.” We see this in a lot of Chicken restaurant logos, but we like the incorporation here its not overdone and it’s a clever addition.
34. Tour de France
The Le Tour De France logo has not only one but two hidden messages within the logo.
One is more obvious than the other and this is the cyclist making up the letter “R”, but the second is more subdued. The yellow circle that acts as the bike’s wheel is also a sun, indicating that the events of the race only occur in the daytime. Simple and clever!
35. Coca-Cola
It’s not a logo you normally see in articles about famous logos that tell a story and have hidden secrets.
Spotting this hidden secret will take some time, since its not one that most people are aware of. The Denmark flag is present in Coca-Cola wordmark.
This wasn’t the original intention, but once they discovered the Danish flag, which has been named the happiest country on Earth, they set up a media stunt in Denmark’s biggest airport where they welcomed people with flags.
Why they didn’t welcome them with Coke is still a mystery.
36. Sony VAIO
Sony Vaio, aka Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer, is known across the globe for its technology, but not everyone knows the meaning behind the logo design.
Vaio represents the integration of both analog and digital technologies in its products. The letters “VA” are made to look like an analog wave, while the “IO” resemble the numbers 1 and 0, representing a digital signal or binary code. Clever!
37. Gillette
Gillette, a shaving razor company, has a razor sharp logo design. The intricate and precise cuts in the “G” and “I” look as though they’ve been carefully removed with an extra sharp Gillette razor.
38. Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems was a technology company that was acquired by Oracle. Although the company is not around anymore in the form of Sun Microsystems, the logo is referenced and featured in logo books for its unique concept.
The diamond shaped logo isn’t just a bunch of squiggly lines, but it is comprised of “U’s” and “N’s”. Some of the letters are stacked on top of each other, creating the letter “S”.
All of this puts together the word “SUN” over and over.
39. Tostitos
Tostitos, the popular chip and salsa brand, has some fun imagery hidden in its typography. The “tit” in Tostitos is two people enjoying chips and salsa at a table, showing that the snack is fun and social.
It’s nice when you see fun, clever things like this in a logo design.
40. Pinterest
Pinterest got its namesake from the idea of ‘pinning’ things you like to a board. To further the idea of the pin, the “P” represents a pushpin.
This brings together the real life aspect of pinning something on your wall and also doing it in the digital age.
We interviewed the designer how created this logo Juan Carlos Pagan in our designer interviews.
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Normally £399 — Now only £25 for a limited time. Don’t wait — Claim Your Seat! | https://medium.com/@thelogocreative/every-good-logo-tells-a-story-40-famous-brand-logos-their-hidden-secrets-4590bd7a858c | ['The Logo Creative'] | 2021-03-30 22:35:06.543000+00:00 | ['Famous', 'Design', 'Brand', 'Hidden', 'Graphic'] |
After Banning TikTok and Other Chinese-Made Apps, India Goes After Clones | TikTok and several other apps were banned in India a month ago, and now the government there is cracking down on dozens of clones that have popped up in their absence.
The country’s ruling political party today announced the takedown of 47 Chinese mobile apps, including one called TikTok Lite. The apps were all “variants and cloned copies” of TikTok and the other 58 Chinese-made apps that were wiped from Indian app stores in recent weeks.
Indian authorities claim the apps were secretly collecting users’ data and sending it to servers in China, making them a potential spying threat. “This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” the government said last month.
TikTok racked up 164 million mobile app downloads in India during the first half of 2020, according to research firm Sensor Tower. Since the ban, Indian users have flocked to other video-sharing apps, such as Roposo and Zili. However, the TikTok clone app indicates some users in the country are trying to circumvent the ban.
Other Chinese apps that India outlawed last month include WeChat and UC Browser, which come from the two biggest tech companies in China, Tencent and Alibaba Group. And others could be on the chopping block. According to the Economic Times, local authorities are examining 275 mobile apps, including Tencent’s popular gaming title PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, for violations of national sovereignty and user privacy.
In the US, the Trump administration is also considering a ban on Chinese-made social media apps, including TikTok. White House officials are worried the Chinese government could exploit the same apps to collect data on US citizens for spying purposes. However, TikTok has routinely denied that it poses a threat to users’ security.
“We’re committed to building an app that respects the privacy of our users and to being more transparent with our community,” the company said last month. | https://medium.com/pcmag-access/after-banning-tiktok-and-other-chinese-made-apps-india-goes-after-clones-daf487249b6b | [] | 2020-07-29 16:01:01.383000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Social Media', 'India', 'Apps', 'China'] |
What If We Don’t, And They Stay? | Photo by Alexandre Debiève
A company’s CEO and CFO were discussing training programs for their employees when the CFO says, “what happens if we train them and they leave?”
The CEO replies, “what if we don’t, and they stay?”
This unattributed business adage (or maybe the attribution has been lost due to thousands of posts and reposts on LinkedIn) lays out a classic tension between management and labor. How does an organization train its employees just enough to do a proper job but not so much that they depart for a higher-paying firm? And what is the cost of not training them?
While civilian corporations take some risk in investing in employees, they can offset employee loss by participating in the open market for talent. They can hire MBA and Ph.D. graduates who funded their own training. They can also poach talent from other firms that funded training for their employees.
The Army, however, must build talent from within. It can’t — or at least, it doesn’t yet — take mid-career management consultants and make them tactical battalion commanders.
The Army clearly values professional development for both its officer and enlisted corps. Whether it’s one of the captain’s career courses, the Command and General Staff College, or the Advanced Leaders Course, the Army has a school for leaders at every echelon. These standard courses are also supplemented with numerous fellowships, broadening opportunities, and advanced civil schooling offered to servicemembers for free.
But they are not entirely free.
While free in terms of money, they are not free in terms of time. Army professional education opportunities, especially non-standard offerings, typically come with an active duty service obligation. Some ADSOs require an additional year of service, while ADSOs for advanced civil schooling are three days owed for every one day in the degree-producing program.
Recently, the ADSO became a focus for Army Futures Command.
After laying out three initiatives to train the next generation of Army cyber talent — each involving a financial investment on the Army’s part — the commander of Army Futures Command laid out one of his top priorities.
“And so we’re starting off with a service obligation. We’re starting off with an additional skill identifier or potentially a new branch in the Army,” he said. “We’re going to have to focus on how do we not train these folks up and then lose them to industry as soon as we have them trained. And that’s really the focus for the next six months or so for AFC.”
Although it’s possible AFC will develop a unique solution for service obligations, it will likely use the standard 3-for-1 ADSO. Using one of the cyber programs as an example — a two-year master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon — a soldier would incur a six-year service obligation upon completion of the degree. However, they may only serve three of those six years in an assignment that would use their acquired skills before the Army reassigns them to another unit.
Gen. Murray is correct in that we can’t generate talent without considering how to retain it. However, senior leaders’ focus on the current ADSO model as a retention tool is misplaced.
While the Army needs to receive an adequate return on investment when it commits taxpayer dollars towards professional education, it should do so in a way that also encourages greater participation across a wider pool of talented soldiers.
Murray reported that 20,000 soldiers expressed interest in the cyber initiatives. Taken at face value, this might suggest participation won’t be an issue.
There are two problems with this line of thinking. The first is that interest does not equate to applications, and time will tell how many actually apply for the opportunities offered. Additionally, it’s unclear how many more soldiers would be interested in participating in the new programs if there were no strings — or fewer strings — attached.
If the Army reconstructed ADSOs for certain opportunities, it might recruit higher-quality candidates for special professional education, such as the cyber programs in development. The most impactful change would be to adjust ADSOs from time-based obligations to duty-based obligations.
For certain specialized education opportunities, the Army should tie the service obligation to service in post-graduation assignments. For instance, if the Army pays for an officer to attend an MBA program and then teach at West Point, the officer should be required to fulfill the commitment to teach. Beyond that, it’s up to the Army to figure out how to retain the officer.
A duty-based obligation would encourage officers to apply to teach at West Point who aren’t interested in whatever comes after (remember: assignments are usually three years, and the current ADSO for an MBA is approximately six years).
The Army could still retain these officers after they meet their duty obligation. The Army could offer a compelling assignment in a similar functional area or improve quality of life and quality of service programs to encourage continued service. Not only could these changes increase the talent pool of applicants, but it would also serve as a forcing function for the Army to hyper focus on talent retention initiatives.
This focus would have downstream effects for all officers, not just those interested in selective opportunities. And while teaching at West Point was used as the example, the Army could apply this same logic across its catalogue of professional education.
The Army’s recent talent management improvements under Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville have been revolutionary. The Assignment Interactive Module 2.0, the Battalion Commander Assessment Program, and the Colonels Command Assessment Program are not just incremental improvements to current systems; they are wholesale changes that represent a commitment to rethinking the status quo.
Why can’t we do the same to the ADSO? | https://medium.com/@brennanrandel/what-if-we-dont-and-they-stay-42378d7dcec6 | ['Brennan Randel'] | 2020-12-23 06:34:41.088000+00:00 | ['Military', 'Army', 'Talent Management', 'Newsletter'] |
DreamTeam Development Update #10’2019 | Dear Contributor,
By now you know the drill, we are continuing to work on a massive update that we cannot publicly discuss. With the progression of the new update, a larger and larger percentage of the work done at DreamTeam, is being done on that very update. As a result, it appears that month over month, we are reporting fewer and fewer updates. Do not worry. The DreamTeam crew is busier than ever. Until we can publicly talk about what we’re working on behind closed doors, here is what we can talk about. We are progressing nicely with Apex Legends and Fortnite. Let’s take a look at the launch of Fortnite and Apex Prime, new DreamTeam Challenges, a unified LFG, and much more in this edition of the DreamTeam Development report.
Game Features
In September, the Game Features team added DreamTeam’s fourth game, opened Apex Challenges to the entire world, and worked on several Apex updates that will improve retention and boost user acquisition.
Fortnite
September was a big month for DreamTeam and Fortnite fans as Fortnite was added to the DreamTeam family. Fortnite is a free-to-play Battle Royale game played by 250 million gamers around the world. Because of the success, Epic Games has had with Fortnite, DreamTeam will be able to reach tens of millions of young and dedicated gamers. Let’s take a look at what DreamTeam offers.
Profiles with Stats
Every Fortnite Player Profile displays stats, a breakdown of game modes played, a player’s latest achievements, and a list of similar players. Profiles also allow Players to connect various social media links. Players can connect their YouTube page in order to get more video views or their twitch channel in order to get more subscribers. By doing this, DreamTeam Fortnite becomes part of the larger Fortnite community.
Game Mode Stats
Get an understanding of which game modes you excel at based on your stats.
Latest Achievements
A player’s Challenge achievements are shown in the latest achievements section.
Similar Players
The Player Profiles display similar players. This is the easiest way to find players of the same skill. Players can add each other in Fortnite in order to play together.
Challenges
The Fortnite Challenges are very similar to the Apex Challenges. Here is a recap of how the Challenges work and why DreamTeam Challenges excel over the competition. Each day, DreamTeam hosts two challenges. Each challenge has a specific goal to reach: get the most kills, have the highest win ratio, etc. Players can join one challenge per day for free and they have 24 hours to try to place in the top 3 places on the Challenge’s Leaderboard. The top 3 places receive a cool DT Challenge badge for their profile and a cash reward sent directly to their PayPal account.
So why is this feature better than anything else on the market? Right now, players can enter tournaments on other websites, Those tournaments often have a requirement for the number of entrants needed and specific start times and dates. Most of the time, the number of entrants needed isn’t reached and the tournament is canceled, leaving the players who want to participate with no tournament. One reason for players never signing up for a tournament is because of an inconvenient start day or time. These problems don’t exist with DreamTeam Challenges as our Challenges don’t have minimum entrant requirements and players can join at any moment as the challenge runs for 24 hours, allowing participants to compete when they have free time available.
Leaderboards
DreamTeam Fortnite Leaderboards allow users to see the world’s best Players in ten different categories. The leaderboards can also be filtered to display the leaders in:
Different Game Modes
All platforms: PC, Console, Mobile
Weekly or all-time (coming soon)
Seeing the statistics of the world’s top Players can help motivate Players to play more and try to reach greater heights. If the Players on the leaderboards have created a DreamTeam Fortnite profile, other Players can chat directly with them. Hopefully, some of the best in the world are willing to share some tricks and tips.
LFG
DreamTeam Fortnite’s LFG, looking for a group, is much more than a place for the community to post messages about needing a teammate; any old forum can be used for that. What makes DreamTeam’s LFG better and more innovative? Well, aside from the normal info displayed in any old LFG, the DreamTeam Fortnite LFG connects a player’s stats to each message and displays the player’s DT Rating, a unique equation that shows a player’s overall skill. Why are stats and the DT Rating important? Without seeing stats, an LFG message is still just a random person. And the point of an LFG feature is to avoid playing with random people. Each message is a glimpse into the ability of the Player, making it much easier to find the right teammates. And, with the chat feature, Players can connect directly to the Player who posted the message, making finding Fortnite players easier and faster than ever.
Apex Legends
Apex Legends has gone through a long list of tweaks and updates. In fact, the current changes, from the launch of Apex Prime to Challenges being opened to the entire world, have resulted in a massive increase in some of our most important metrics. Here’s a look at some of the updates in more detail.
Prime Challenges
The daily Prime Challenge is restricted to Prime members. Prime Challenges offer higher prize pools with less competition. Prime members are still restricted to only joining one Challenge per day. Prime Gold members can join all three daily challenges every day as well as take part in the Prime Challenges.
Prime LFG
Prime LFG pins a member’s post at the top of the LFG feature for four hours. This will ensure that the LFG message is not overlooked and will help players find better players easier and faster.
Prime Gold members are not restricted to one post per day and are free to post as many messages as they want.
Prime Profiles
Both Prime and Prime Gold memberships open up the possibility to personalize the Player Profiles custom background images. Players will also have access to the Prime Performance section, a cool way to visualize a player’s skills.
In summary, Prime and Prime Gold members get:
Prime
Prime is a paid membership that grants you access to:
Prime Challenges — less competition with higher prizes
The ability to customize your profile design — stand out from the crowd
LFG message boosts — find better squads faster
More dynamic stats — cool graphs with customizable stats
Prime Gold
With Prime Gold, you get access to all of the same features that Prime offers, as well as:
No daily Challenge limits — join all daily challenges and triple the chance of winning
Unlimited LFG posts — persistence pays off
Live 24/7 support — hopefully, players never need this
Worldwide Challenges
Previously, DreamTeam Challenges were only open to residents of the United States. Because of the success of the Challenges and user demand, Challenges are now available to players across the world. Opening Challenges to the world has helped DreamTeam improve the retention rate and has made it a bit easier to acquire users. In September, the Games Features team also created the UX & UI design for the Apex Ranked Challenges and My Challenges log and finalized the illustrations for the new Apex Challenges Badges.
In October, the Game Features team will:
Launch Ranked Challenges
Integrate PayPal into Profiles for Challenge payment
Add ranked Challenges
Update and Improve Fortnite
Increase Apex Prime Conversion rates and Challenge engagement
Platform Features
In September, the Platform Features team completely reworked the LFG feature for Apex and Fortnite. So what’s new with the DreamTeam LFG? Find out below!
New Post Algorithm
Our LFG no longer displays posts based on when they were posted. Although doing that is helpful, it isn’t really what is most important to players who use our LFG feature. The DreamTeam LFG now displays posts based on who is currently online first. After all, that’s what really matters. Players use LFG to find someone to play with at that moment. Players no longer need to scroll through posts to find the players who are currently online or wait until an offline player replies to a message. Players can connect and start playing sooner.
Quick Skill Understanding
Each post displays the DreamTeam Rating. The DreamTeam Rating uses a complex algorithm to calculate a player’s overall skill based on stats and play experience. This will help players find the perfect player for their squad easier and faster.
Filter System
Players can now quickly filter LFG posts according to different players’ needs.
Sharing
Players now have the ability to share whom they are looking for with players across Facebook groups and Twitter. They probably won’t need this as the LFG finds players pretty quickly. However, having the ability to share LFG posts will help increase player acquisition and retention.
Avatar
As an added bonus, we’ve added avatars. Players choose their avatars for a reason. Each post now displays a little bit more about who the poster is.
In October, the Platform Features team will:
Release the new common navigation for all games on DreamTeam
Implement sign up/sign in via Discord
Implement DreamTeam notifications on Discord
Develop the new homepage
Start the development of the next platform game
Game Analytics
The Game Analytics team has begun the development of the DreamTeam Apex Overwolf project. We can’t go into detail what the means just yet, however, news about the project should be released by the end of the year. The Analytics team also completed the UX & UI design for the updated Game switcher, completed the illustrations for the CS:GO and LoL features removal page, and prepared for the CS:GO and LoL features to be temporarily turned off. We will go more into depth on the turning off of certain features in the next development report.
In October, the Game Analytics Team:
Finalize Apex Companion prototype
Turn off certain CS:GO and LoL features
Design Lab
In September, the Design Lab:
Helped create the UX & UI design of the Apex Ranked Challenges, Apex My Challenges log, and updated Game switcher
Created illustrations for the new Apex Challenges Badges, CS:GO & LoL feature removal page, and Fortnite launch main page
Conducted Premium Apex qualitative research (survey + interviews) and experimented with value proposition options
Created New target audience questionnaire (for external quantitative research)
Architecture and Infrastructure
In September the Architecture, Infrastructure, and Process Updates team:
Continued the development of the Overwolf application
In October, the Architecture and Infrastructure team will:
Finalize the Overwolf application
Blockchain and Payments
September was a busy month for the Blockchain and Payments team. The DreamTeam Tokenomics Paper has been completely rewritten to include the new DreamTeam Token and Platform landscape. Look for the release of the paper sometime in late October.
If you missed our previous reports, you can find them here.
About DreamTeam:
DreamTeam — infrastructure platform and payment gateway for esports and gaming.
Stay in touch: Token Website|Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn|BitcoinTalk.org
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support team any time at [email protected]. Or you can always get in touch with us via our official Telegram chat. | https://medium.com/dreamteam-gg/dreamteam-development-update-102019-2f90c3ff34e0 | [] | 2019-10-16 15:13:03.221000+00:00 | ['Dreamteam Development', 'Games', 'Gaming', 'Game Development', 'Esport'] |
How To Get Shit Done (when you don’t feel like it) | 1|
Take a shower
After you take a shower, don’t you feel refreshed? Brand new? This feeling helps to clear your mind and restarts your body on the right foot. Showering increases the norepinephrine hormone, releasing it to the brain that works as a boost of energy.
2|
Time blocking
Most of the time, to do lists aren’t the best way to get things done or to be more productive. What it does is that it gives you an endless list that it will evidently overwhelm you. An alternate solution is time blocking. This action is blocking out time of the day for each activity that you have to do. How is this better? It gives you that comfort of knowing you’ll have enough time to do everything. This also minimizes multitasking, which is one of the main factors of stress.
Breaking down your tasks will help to give each individual activity the time it needs for it do be done effectively and not in a rush. It is best if you time block the night before, because you are aware of each assignment. This will prevent from forgetting anything the next morning.
You can time block digitally or in a blank piece of paper. Here is an example:
3|
Environment
Even though this seems like an obvious point, it surprises me how many people still do the opposite. The environment you work in is crucial and is a very important factor to productivity. When finding a workspace, take account in lighting, minimalism, and comfort. If you aren’t able to change your workspace, there are things you could do to benefit how you work.
First, let’s talk about lighting. If you are in a room, you would most likely want to have one where its well lit. Remember when you were younger and the teacher would have almost every light in the classroom on? The well lit room helped you and your classmates improve their work ethic. It also helps you see what’s infant of you. No shit. Dark rooms will probably want to make you fall asleep or make you tired, and that is definitely not what we want.
Minimalism is the art of eliminating the unnecessary. Remove any papers or materials in your workspace that aren’t needed at the moment. The more things you have, the more you’ll have in your mind, resulting in getting overwhelmed.
Sitting in a chair that is a little too comfortable for working, has a big effect on how you work. If you work at home, working on your bed isn’t the best option either. Don’t you see that every single time you work in those places you either fall asleep or go on your phone? Sitting in a chair, upright will help you into get in the right headspace and will prevent you from doing the opposite of working. Sitting in the right chair will help you stay focus through long hours.
4|
10 jumping jacks method
When you’re in the right work mindset, you don’t want any distractions. No one does. This method takes less than a minute to do and it will increase the chances of your productivity.
When you’re about to give up and go back to bed, do 10 jumping jacks on the spot. Exercising makes sure that the hippocampus region in your brain is functioning properly. It releases endorphins to your body that work as an uplift to your state of mind.
5|
Look at it as the big picture
Usually when we have lots of things to do, we don’t really see the big picture. Let’s say that you have to do some research. Ask yourself, what are the benefits of that research? One benefit is that it will expand your knowledge on a certain subject. Is what you’re doing getting you closer to where you want to be? If it is, then that should be a reason why you should just stand up and do it. Every hard task you do has some kind of reward in the long run. Keep that in mind when you’re working.
6|
Fun then task
I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I do something that excites me, it makes me want to get my life together, or do more than what I have planned. A few days ago, I painted some pottery at an art studio and it opened my eyes in a way that I couldn’t even imagine. That same day I wanted to get everything done, exercise and cook a meal that wasn’t the easiest to cook.
If you are in need of that stimulation, some things you could do are:
Going outside
Paint
Call a friend that you always have a good time with
Exercise
You don’t have to limit yourself to that list. Go beyond if possible! Avoid using electronic devices as a stimulation because in most cases, they aren’t the best. | https://medium.com/@lorenaarcelay/how-to-get-shit-done-when-you-dont-feel-like-it-76f6a2abea23 | [] | 2020-12-27 15:30:32.665000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Motivation', 'Happiness', 'Work Life Balance', 'Productivity'] |
The Genres | Genres
Genres are the most practical way to categorize different styles of stories and content for writers, artists, and filmmakers. (Aldredge, 2020)
Historical
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”- George Santayana. (Clairmont, 2013) Most of the films I watch are of the ‘Historical’ genre. According to Wikipedia, a Historical Genre is a story based on a real person, group of people, or event. (List of genres, 2020) Most of the films cannot be labelled as to be purely from a certain genre, rather a film can belong to many genres, hybrid genres, at the same time. Nowadays, most of the films are based on hybrid genres. Similarly, the Historical genre is a big umbrella that covers various themes.
Historical Themes
The most famous theme under the Historical genre is biography and autobiography. A biography is the real story of a person told by someone else such as Hacksaw Ridge (2016), whereas an autobiography is a story by the same person who is the subject of the story, for example, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). A slight variation of these is a memoir, which is the real story through the subjects’ eyes and point of view. Still non-fiction yet more subjective than the biographies. (List of genres, 2020) The Sky Is Pink (2019), one of my favourite films is a good example of a memoir.
Most people think that the historical genre is one hundred percent non-fiction which is not the case. At times, films based on history needs to be dramatized due to real-life limitations and for entertainment purposes. For example, Sanju (2018) based on actor Sanjay Dutt’s life is criticized for detracting from the actual events to show the subject in a positive light.
Another major sub-genre of historical is documentary films. Documentary films intend to document reality, primarily for instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record. (Oxford English Dictionary, 2018) Most documentaries are combinations of real-life footage and reenactment with narrations, such as Wild Wild Country (2018).
One of the most interesting sub-categories of historical is the theme of alternate history. Alternate history is a more extreme variant of historical fiction which posits a “what if” scenario in which some historical event occurs differently (or not at all), thus altering the course of history; for instance, “What if Nazi Germany had won World War II?” is an alternate history concept that has had treatment in fiction. (List of genres, 2020) For example, based on the alternate history of Franklin D. Roosevelt losing the 1940 presidential elections, The Plot Against America (2020-).
Why do I like the Historical genre?
Most people think that this genre is repetitive, follows the same pattern over and over again, and is boring, especially the biopics.
Everyone complains about biopics, but no one does anything about them. It is a well-known fact among cinephiles and people of taste that the biopic is an abject sort of entertainment, ruled by cliché, and following a narrative arc more rigid than Calvinism. The genre is excoriated in polite conversation with meticulous regularity. (Clover, Spring 2009)
I do not think this is the case. Every historical film is unique in its way. For example, The Aviator (2004) is a film about a successful business magnate of the 1920s, who is also patient of few psychological illnesses, The Social Network (2010) is about a young Harvard student who revolutionizes the way we interact on Social Media in mid-2000s, and Spartacus (1960) is about a slave who leads a revolt against the Roman Republic in 73 BC. What similarities can be there in these diverse characters, backgrounds, and periods? On the contrary, you get the human emotions, feelings, relationships, struggles, and dreams in each biopic that you can relate to. Everyone can relate to some parts of the biopics. They either have experienced those experiences, experiencing it, or dreaming of experiencing it.
The historical genre is a lot more than just repetitive biopics. Historical genres help us record the history for coming generations. Through movies like Schindler’s List (1963) we have recorded Hitler’s atrocities for the generations. With movies like Malcom X (1992), Lincoln (2012), and Ali (2001) we immortalize our heroes. With movies like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and Mary Kom (2014), we give recognition to our sportsmen which they deserve. Historical films also play a crucial part in preserving our roots, culture, traditions, and histories behind it.
Drama
“I like a drama” –Clint Eastwood, and so do I. (Drama Quotes, n.d.)
Drama films incline more towards realism and usually have a slower pace than other genres. Drama shows intense conflict within the characters and between the characters. A good drama film will involve the audience and take them on a journey of intense emotional rollercoasters with conflicts and contradictions. I cannot specifically point out that why I like the drama genre, it is just that most of the films I like usually have drama elements in them. I can relate to the characters and become an active participant in their life. The intense feelings, sometimes unexplainable, one gets following the intense drama film is worth it. At times, the feeling of not being at peace with oneself can go on for a couple of days.
“If there’s not drama and negativity in my life, all my songs will be really wack and boring or something” –Eminem (Drama Quotes, n.d.)
Drama Themes
Drama is the most diversified genres. Any film can have elements of it. Just like dough in pizza, drama can be the foundation in a film for other genres to be built over it. Name any other genre, and you can merge it with the drama.
If you want crime-drama, you can have The Godfather (1972). If you want historical drama, you can have Schindler’s List (1993). For drama-romance The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), for drama-action The Revenant (2015), for drama-adventure The Martian (2015), for drama-science fiction Her (2013), for drama-mystery The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), for drama-comedy you can have We’re the Millers (2013) and so on.
This much variety makes the drama one of the best genres for films.
References
Aldredge, J. (2020, June 10). Blog. Retrieved from Premium Beat by Shutterstock: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/guide-to-basic-film-genres/
Clairmont, N. (2013, July 31). Retrieved from Big Think: https://bigthink.com/the-proverbial-skeptic/those-who-do-not-learn-history-doomed-to-repeat-it-really
Clover, J. (Spring 2009). Based on Actual Events. Film Quarterly, 8–9.
Drama Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from Brainy Quote: https://www.brainyquote.com
List of genres. (2020, August 6). Retrieved from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres
Oxford English Dictionary . (2018). Oxford University Press. | https://medium.com/@mir-faisal/the-genres-21d19f156621 | ['Mir Faisal Talpur'] | 2020-12-25 09:29:16.079000+00:00 | ['Drama', 'Historical', 'Movies', 'Cinema'] |
We Need to Talk About the Racial Investing Gap | Investing is a crucial way to build wealth and secure financial future. There are numerous ways people may choose to approach investing: stocks, bonds, high-yield savings accounts, real estate and more. You would expect everyone who has disposable income to consider available investment opportunities. Unfortunately, there is a group of individuals who invest less often than others: women of color. Today we will investigate the reasoning and attempt to find a solution.
Reviewing the numbers: How many women decide to invest?
First of all, let’s look at this financial activity from the gender perspective. Men and women seem to have equal opportunities, yet their investment styles are quite different. What’s painfully different is statistics, according to the SoFi investing platform:
On average, of those who have recurring deposits, men contribute 48% more than women.
Men contribute 32% more than women.
53% of men choose the most aggressive investment plan, compared to 38% of women.
At the same time, women accomplish particular education- and money-related tasks better than their male counterparts:
Women pay around $200 per month more on their loans and pay off the loans 10% faster.
Women earn two-thirds of degrees and half of the masters’ and doctorates.
The existence of the investment gap is evident.
Investment gap starts with a gender pay gap
Payscale.com is reporting that women earn 81 cents for every dollar compared to men. There is the reasoning behind this discrepancy: women stay home to raise children and seek lower paid positions to gain work flexibility so that they can look after their family. However, it explains the gap only up to a certain point — this is where the discrimination comes into play. According to PewResearch.org, “about four-in-ten working women (42%) said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, compared with about two-in-ten men (22%) who said the same.”
The difference in investment strategies: Gender gap
Factors such as education and cultural environment contribute to the gender gap as well. Merril Lynch conducted a survey on women’s financial wellness. Here are the findings:
“41% of women wish they had invested more of their money.
The cumulative lifetime earnings gap between men and women at retirement age equals to $1,055,000 (based on earnings from 23 and 65).
(based on earnings from 23 and 65). When it comes to managing investments, only about half (52%) of women, say they are confident, compared to 68% of men.”
Acorn recently published statistics about the gender pay gap. It highlights the following differences:
While admitting the lack of knowledge in investing, only 26% of men cited it as a concern, compared to 37% of women.
56% of women admitted to never following the financial markets, compared to 29% of men.
When asked how much they invested the previous year, 44% of men didn’t invest — much less compared to 57% of women.
If given $1,000 right now, men would be 2.5 times more likely to invest that money in stocks.
Gender pay gap is worse for people of color
Circling back to Payscale’s report, women of certain ethnic groups earn less than white men and women. American Indian, Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic women end up getting 75 cents for every $1 men make, compared to 81 cents for $1 that white women make.
The graph below demonstrates the gender gap by race — how much women earn compared to men:
How wide is the investment gap compared to caucasian families?
The Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education researched in 2010 regarding the racial or ethnic differences in high return investment ownership. They found out that “in the 2004 and 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances datasets, 30% of Hispanic, 36% of Black, and 65% of White households had high return investments such as stocks, investment real estate, or private business assets”.
The study has also shown a significant difference between the nature and amount of investments, depending on the family’s racial profile. For instance, 58% of white families owned stocks, compared to only 28% of black and 22% of Hispanic households. The amount of stock investments also varies greatly: white families invested $143,758, black households only had $14,015, and Hispanic homes had $14,162.
Check out the break-down of other investment instruments along with amounts in the table below:
The gap exists in venture capital too
Investing is not the only area signifying gender and race gaps. Start-up funding allocation is an issue as well. According to Entrepreneur.com, only 2.2% of women received Venture Capital funding in 2017, with the total funding amount being $85 billion.
Project Diane reports that “since 2009, black women-led start-ups have raised $289MM in venture/angel funding, with a significant portion of that raised in 2017. This represents .06% of the $424.7 billion in total tech venture funding raised since 2009.”
It’s important to note that the One-Million-Club is growing. Having that said, the average funding raised by black women is significantly lower than the overall start-up average:
It is time to make a change
How do we change the narrative and ensure the women of color invest on the same level as females of other ethnic groups?
It starts with education. All women need to understand they should invest, and it will serve them well if they do. We need to minimize the cultural and racial biases, as well as prevent discrimination. Once women believe in their abilities and stop limiting themselves, the statistics will go through a drastic change.
There are several resources you can start with: | https://medium.com/an-injustice/we-need-to-talk-about-the-racial-investing-gap-9b31d54e3e26 | ['Joanna Henderson'] | 2020-05-22 09:00:12.622000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Women', 'Equality', 'Money', 'Race'] |
Winning Solution of RecSys2020 Challenge | Winning Solution of RecSys2020 Challenge
By Benedikt Schifferer and Even Oldridge
Our 1st place solution of the RecSys Challenge 2020 focused on predicting tweet interaction based on this year’s dataset provided by the competition host, Twitter. NVIDIA’s interdisciplinary team included colleagues from NVIDIA’s KGMON (Kaggle Grandmasters), NVIDIA’s RAPIDS (Data Science), and NVIDIA’s Merlin (Recommender Systems) who collaborated on the winning solution.
In the post, The Great AI Bake-Off: Recommendation Systems on the Rise, we tell our story behind the scene. The focus of this blog post is to share our learnings of this year’s competitions from a technical perspective, including speeding up end-2-end data processing by 25x with GPUs-acceleration and influencing the next version of NVTabular, which simplifies data processing.
Our approach achieved the highest score in seven of the eight metrics used to calculate the final leaderboard position. The acceleration of our pipeline was critical in our ability to quickly perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) and led to discovering a range of effective features used in the final solution, which is provided as open-source software.
Introduction
Recommender systems (RecSys) play a critical role in driving user engagement and revenue on online platforms. The data structure is often tabular and requires extensive feature engineering to find features that provide the best performance when modeling. Although deep learning architectures can automatically extract good data representations in other domains, such as images and text, they still depend on expert knowledge and feature engineering in tabular data. Top solutions in previous and current RecSys challenges depended on custom features fed into boosted decision trees or neural networks.
For the RecSys 2020 Challenge, Twitter provided a dataset containing 200 million user-tweet combinations, requiring participants to predict the user’s behavior given a user-tweet combination: does the user like “reply”, “retweet”, and/or “retweet with comment” the tweet? A description of the data schema can be found here. The 200 million tweet dataset required significant computation to do feature engineering and prepare the dataset for modeling, and our winning solution leveraged several key tools to accelerate our pipeline.
Acceleration of ETL and Training
Discovering the most accurate model requires running many experiments, such as varying feature engineering, different validation dataset splits, and finding hyperparameters. One experiment may require running multiple steps of the data pipeline. For example, a new feature requires training a model and calculating the performance metrics. It is crucial to optimize the data pipeline end-2-end to be able to run all experiments in time.
Figure 1. Computation time in seconds for different libraries and infrastructure
Our final implementation runs entirely on GPU and includes feature engineering, preprocessing, and training the models for the 200M interactions all in two minutes 18 seconds, a speed-up of greater than two orders of magnitude over CPU optimized code. This was achieved using a combination of RAPIDS cuDF, Dask, UCX, and XGBoost on a single machine with four NVIDIA V100 GPUs. Let’s analyze the different stages of our data pipeline.
Preparing
We must preprocess the original dataset to get it into an optimal format. This is only performed once and then used by all future experiments. In this step, we loaded the provided TSV files, imputed NaNs, factorized categorical variables, optimized variable data types, processed lists into columns, decoded BERT tokens into text, extracted text features (e.g., word counts), and computed a dozen of count features related to engaging and engaged users. As this was a one-time preprocessing step, we did not include it in our comparison in Figure 1.
Feature Engineering
The essential feature engineering techniques are Target Encoding, Count Encoding, and Difference Lag (variable differences in time). After brainstorming an idea, we would compute the feature(s) and then train, infer, and compute validation scores. It was essential to speed up this cycle as much as possible. Using RAPIDS cuDF, DASK, and UCX enabled us to use four NVIDIA V100 GPUs for this task. With these libraries, it takes less than one minute to engineer all features, while using Pandas on CPU takes eight hours 56 minutes, a speed-up factor of over 500x. Even compared to optimized CPU code (Pandas+Dask) on 20 cores, our solution provided a speed-up of 42x. Figure 1 visualizes the speed up, excluding Pandas, as it is outside the range.
Training
Using Dask-XGBoost enabled our models to be trained on four NVIDIA V100 GPUs, which sped up model training and inference significantly compared to LightGBM on CPU. Using this multi-GPU solution, we accelerated training by a factor of 120x. The competition metrics PRAUC and RCE required the calculation of AUC and log loss. We accelerated these calculations with GPU and Numba JIT, reducing computation from minutes to seconds.
End-2-end our solution was 280x faster than our initial CPU-based implementation and 25x faster than the optimized CPU code. The techniques used in the solution are also being integrated into NVTabular, our recommender system-specific ETL library.
Simplifying recommendation workflows with NVTabular
NVIDIA’s Merlin is an application framework and ecosystem that enables end-2-end development of recommender systems, accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs. NVTabular is the ETL component of NVIDIA Merlin. In the NVTabular v0.2 release, we implemented the learnings from the RecSys2020 challenge to provide the operators Target Encoding, Count Encoding, and Difference Lag, as well as new multi-GPU support. NVTabular creates the feature engineering pipeline in just 64 lines of code.
Let’s take a look at the pipeline operator-by-operator:
We transform the labels (targets), reply, retweet, retweet with comment, and like to a binary column. In the raw data, positive interactions are encoded with the timestamp. We apply Target Encoding with 5 k-fold strategy and smoothing factor of 20 on all labels for the categorical features defined by cat_groups. We use Count Encoding defined on the categorical features in columns. We create a new feature by taking the ratio of a_following_count and a_follower_count. We create a new feature by taking the ratio of b_following_count and b_follower_count. We convert the timestamp to datetime format. We extract the hour from the timestamp. We convert the datatype for the columns b_follower_count, b_following_count, and language. We apply Difference Encoding on the columns b_follower_count, b_following_count, and language. We fill missing values with 0.
The full end-2-end implementation will be released here.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we explained our 1st place solution of the RecSys2020 challenge to a technical audience. We shared the techniques that enabled us to win the competition. We were able to speed up our pipeline 25x (optimized CPU implementation) to 280x (initial CPU implementation), running end-2-end in two minutes and 18 seconds. We showed a detailed analysis of the different stages of our pipeline. First, a data preparation step is executed only once. Second, the feature engineering step was accelerated by 42x, and finally, the training step achieved 120x speed up. Our GPU-optimized pipeline enabled us to quickly iterate on new ideas and run many experiments in a short time, giving us a competitive advantage to win this year’s competition.
In addition, we share the data pipeline as an NVTabular workflow, requiring only 64 lines of code. We implemented our learnings throughout this process into NVTabular, providing easy access to the same techniques for the community.
Authors
A collaboration of the participating team in the RecSys2020 challenge: Benedikt Schifferer, Gilberto Titericz Junior, Chris Deotte, Christof Henkel, Kazuki Onodera, Jiwei Liu, Bojan Tunguz, Even Oldridge, Gabriel De Souza Pereira Moreira and Ahmet Erdem. | https://medium.com/rapids-ai/winning-solution-of-recsys2020-challenge-gpu-accelerated-feature-engineering-and-training-for-cd67c5a87b1f | ['Benedikt Schifferer'] | 2020-09-23 18:09:06.820000+00:00 | ['Recommender Systems', 'Python', 'Kaggle', 'Machine Learning', 'Kaggle Competition'] |
Mishaps & Misalignments | Photo credit: Pinterest
Epoch: Riding.
Year: 2006.
When it all came apart, I was surprised how easily it happened.
For the bicycle, it was the right pedal.
For me, it was my barely-bolted-together sense of well-being.
The pillar of my mornings — scouring online job sites — lately seemed little more than a placebo. A stinging reality check burst within me, one morning, as I watched the garbage collectors from the front window. After dozens of applications — if not hundreds — over the course of eighteen months, I had landed not a single interview.
An advertorial about a local podiatrist awaited my careful hand. Among her services, she tended the feet of diabetics. During our interview, she had used the word debridement. Something about the term caught in my throat. Unsure why it bothered me. “… the removal of dead (necrotic), or infected, skin tissue to help a wound heal.” Diabetics required it. They demanded it. It was a vital service. The knowledge of it made breakfast impossible.
Ghostwriting the biography continued, but left me feeling more like a ghost than a writer.
On television, the weatherman forecast general malaise with scattered periods of high anxiety.
Time passed. As the weather improved, my bicycle expeditions expanded. To the bicycle’s detriment, I looked after it much as I looked after myself: zero maintenance.
It never occurred to me to look at the chain, much less clean and lubricate it. Never checked the tires beyond a quick, initial squeeze to see if they were mush. They seemed firm enough. I wasn’t much good at buying melons, either.
Never cleaned the bike after muddy rides. It was probably red when it began its life at the department store where it was first assembled. Now, beneath the dried mud spatter, the frame was the ominous deep rust red of crime scene blood.
The seat was hard as a boiled rock and its incorrect height put undue strain on my quads and knees. As a consequence, I spent more and more time riding standing up, the pedals enduring my weight all that time.
As I was soon to learn, bicycles do not announce their displeasure quietly. In their own passive-aggressive way, bicycles are quite dramatic.
Photo Credit: Chegg Study
During the ride, my mind had meandered back to when I was five years old, attending a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk at the local teachers’ college with my kindergarten class. It was my first experience with the Real Unreal. I knew Jack and the Beanstalk was a made-up story, a fable, but my certainty about that vanished the moment the theatre lights went down. The darkness scooped me up as my brother and I once scooped tadpoles with J.T. Hurley along his shore on Lake St. Clair. When Jack furtively entered the giant’s dwelling, a voice suddenly boomed from offstage: “Fee-fi-fo-fum…” I felt like I was in actual, mortal danger.
That, however, was not the most frightening part of the play.
Earlier, watching hapless Jack misuse his mother’s money to buy magic beans transported me back mere weeks, to a similar mishap I had experienced.
My mother sent me to the corner store with some money to buy a can of soup. To a five year old kid, the store was a labyrinth of cans and boxes and bags and bottles, the top shelves twice my height and virtually no label that I could read. Although the store wasn’t much bigger than our living room, it was so jammed with grocery items, the visual onslaught was unnerving, confusing.
Tony ran the store, a surly Italian dude in his thirties, who yelled at kids. God only knows what torments he endured from the neighbourhood miscreants to put him like that. Or, maybe he was just a natural born son of a bitch. Dad said Tony was a crook who kept a damp cloth on the corner of the scale on which he weighed cold cuts and sliced cheese.
In any case, when I couldn’t find the soup I was to buy, I reluctantly turned to Tony for help. He regarded me like a dog messing on his floor. I had only begun asking for help when he reached over the counter, took the money from my hand and thrust a candy bar at me. I protested, but was quickly rebuffed by Tony’s pre-verbal tirade sending me out of the store.
I walked home, stomach in a knot. The task had been simple and I had failed. When I arrived home with a candy bar instead of soup, and no change, I got the reaction I feared. I attempted to explain, and as it turned out, Tony’s well-known record as a son of a bitch seemed to outweigh my mother’s suspicion about my subterfuge. She took me back to the store, put the candy bar on the counter and —
— The pedal came off the bicycle, mid-stride, causing my foot to slam down onto the pavement, jarring my knee and hip. My sternum crashed against the handlebars. Somehow, I retained my balance and steered out of traffic, up onto the sidewalk. When I caught my breath, I walked back and retrieved the errant pedal.
I learned, later, that when bearings are dirty or damaged, preventing the pedal from rotating freely, pedals are designed to unscrew from the crank arm rather than lock, jarring the rider. Gotta say, the bike designers might reconsider that trade-off. At the time, all I knew was that the earth fell out from beneath me.
I walked the hobbled beast home.
It was a sunny, temperate day in an April that was still trying to get things right. There had been sleet two days before and talk of snow for Easter. Such were the morbid torments of the weatherman, evoking images of a crucified Christ with snow on his outstretched shoulders. Recalling, as a kid, my class in Catholic school first learning about the Crucifixion. We had seen crucifixes all our lives, but figured Jesus was hovering in front of it, or stuck to the cross like Spider-man.
“No,” our teacher explained, “Jesus was nailed to the cross, for our sins — ”
“ — Like hammers and nails?” a classmate blurted, echoing our collective shock.
“Yes,” the teacher said.
“But wouldn’t that hurt?” another kid said.
Before the teacher could reply, somebody else exclaimed: “You mean Jesus is hanging there on nails?”
As my class grilled the teacher on the gory details of our faith, I mused how the story of Easter could be greatly improved if Ultra Man, hero of my favorite Japanese sci-fi TV show, emerged in the Holy Land and saved Jesus. Then, shooting off into the sky with the miniaturized Christ on his shoulder.
No, there was no playing around with Jesus.
Recalling the look on Dad’s face when he found me and a buddy at his workbench in our basement. I had nailed two pieces of wood together and taken a spongy rubber Spider-man figure — whose leaping pose was strikingly similar to Christ’s pose in crucifixion — and nailed him to my homemade cross.
Dad had the timing of a seasoned straight man. He walked in just as I finished my bit of carpentry. Raised by a devout, widowed mother and having spent a year in the seminary at age nineteen, Dad was reasonably devout, himself, educated by the Basilian fathers in high school. He looked at me as though I held a severed head.
His horrified gaze moved from Spider-man to me. I braced for harsh words, but instead, Dad said in a strangled voice: “Son… take Spider-man down from the cross.”
Our primary school teacher tried easing us in to the Crucifixion by showing us the Stations of the Cross. Demonstrating that it was a process that led to Christ’s ultimate end. The comic book panels of the Stations were drawn in the trendy minimalist line-art of the 1970s.
The Stations of the Cross:
Peter Parker dons his Spider-man suit. Watches weather report presented by affable, unreliable meteorologist. Goes outside on his bicycle. Rides to the Jack’s Convenience Store to purchase a can of beanstalk soup. Pontius Pilate hands him a hammer and some nails, instead, and then chases Spider-man out of the store. Spider-man rides to Lake St. Clair and scoops tadpoles into his hands. Returns home to give his mother her change for the hammer and nails. Finds himself locked out of the house. Goes around back to climb in through a window that has a broken lock. The window comes down on Spider-man as he attempts to enter the house. Spider-man turns into Father Willy jogging along miserable morning train tracks. Father-Willy-Spider-man’s travails are witnessed by a passing motorist and his sons, who proclaims: “I think he’s nuts.” Weather report ends and TV news station goes to commercial. Spider-man is taken down off the cross. Joke is deemed not funny and is laid in its tomb.
You never realize how efficient you are on a bicycle until you have to walk home mid-way completing your route.
Traffic swept passed. Birds sang. I was many miles away.
“The Atomic Theory,” I said out loud, feeling a throb of pain in my right ankle.
Then I said: “What do you think of this, Art?”
“Arthur” was the name of Dad’s dad. My middle name is “Arthur”. Art Murphy thought these were interesting coincidences.
In his prime, Art Murphy was a robust beer-drinking man who owned a series of muscle cars. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, he raced them with friends in Detroit in loosely organized illegal street competitions. One night, he was approached by a local denizen during a race in a particularly rundown part of Detroit and told: “The last white boy who came here ended up stuffed into one of them.” Art looked where the guy pointed and saw a rusty oil drum in which a meager fire burned. Message received.
Art had been a midnight security guard at a Windsor auto plant. He was active in union negations, so much so, that his car, during one set of talks, was equipped with a remote starter.
“In case somebody put a bomb in my car,” he said.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby: “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” The Atomic Theory meets Fluid Dynamics.
By the time I knew him, Art was long divorced from my mother-in-law. He was in poor health, gaunt and pale, suffering with diabetes and had a smoker’s cough that would shame the Marlboro Man. To the end, however, he possessed a prodigious head of hair. At thirty, I had more gray than he did.
Art never remarried. He lived with his mother, and sustained himself on home-rolled cigarettes and endless cans of diet caffeine free Coke.
“So, you’re just interested in the stuff that makes it brown,” I joked with him.
Art’s cremated remains are in a box that sits in the “W” section of my bookshelves. There is no significance to it being in the “W” section. It just fit there best.
Beyond the name “Arthur”, we had much in common. I was in love with his daughter, Grace, and was soon to marry her in those early days. Art and I both enjoyed movies, we had an interest in the JFK assassination, and loved the music of Johnnys Cash and Rivers.
Art was so affable, the best part of our conversations was when we disagreed. To his mind, the only thing better than Johnny Cash, was the music of Billy Ray Cyrus.
“Wait — what?” I’d said, nearly driving us off the road when he told me. “Like ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ Billy Ray Cyrus?”
“Yep.”
His favourite store in the world was Consumers Distributing, whose demise he still mourned.
“Were you ever able to actually buy anything there?” I asked him.
“Oh, sure,” he laughed.
The pain.
Many of my early attempts at shopping were made at Consumers, that twisted tease of a retailer. Their catalogues were amazing, whole tomes of products any human being would want in abundance. Their tidy show rooms held endless, empty promise.
The merchandise they actually carried was stored in the back warehouse.
To make a purchase, customers went to a chest-high table, similar to those found in banks of decades past, where deposit and withdrawal slips were filled-out. The Consumers’ table was stocked with “request cards” that stood in mocking piles surrounded by a potters’ field of dull, stubby pencils.
Customers had to work for their purchases, scribbling the product description in the cramped space provided, the SKU number, checking various tiny checkboxes with those infernal stubby pencils. My already-agonized penmanship was further distorted by the pencils’ perpetual dullness. My completed cards looked like they were traced in dirt with a stick. Then, presenting the card to the counter person — merchant of disappointment — who disappeared into the back, returning moments later, uttering Consumers’ motto: “Out of stock.”
Still grit my teeth remembering when I tried buying a basketball, there, when I was about ten. Filling out card after goddamned card, only to have the counter guy come back each time and briefly shake his head, like a doctor wordlessly indicating the patient could not be saved.
“Could I have that one?” I said, finally, in desperation, pointing to a basketball in the showroom.
“No, it’s a display.”
“Well, I just want a basketball,” I said.
“Fill out a card.”
Back to the chest high table and the familiar result: “Out of stock.”
“Do you have any basketballs?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Which ones.”
“The leather.”
Well, no shit — the leather basketballs cost $99 and weren’t meant for outdoor use.
Art laughed. “Yeah, I filled out my share of cards.”
Part of me hoped that Art had purchased the mountain bike at Consumers Distributing, but the company had gone under years before.
Art loved watching movies. Grace and I had worked in video stores while going to school, each in our own, separate timelines, before we met. Having seen more classic films on tape, than at the cinema, I enjoyed hearing about the experience of seeing those movies on the big screen — people going into hysterics and passing out at The Exorcist. Dad saw Apocalypse Now at the cinema and said it sounded like the helicopters were flying right through the theatre.
“I took Grace’s mother to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Art told me, as I drove him over to our apartment for dinner. My mother-in-law was a sweet, gentle-natured woman who looked like the fourth Charlie’s Angel. Love Story was more her speed, or What’s Up Doc, or Murder on the Orient Express.
“What in God’s name possessed you to do that?” I asked him, laughing.
He was surprised by my reaction, then smiled. “She didn’t like it.”
When a friend came to the house to watch Dawn of the Dead with me, he asked Grace if she would be joining us.
“Uh, no, I think I’m OK!” she said.
Mom told me of the time Dad took her to a movie when she was pregnant with me. It was early 1971 and Dad took her to see A Clockwork Orange, probably thinking it was the story of a clockmaker who inherits an orange grove, and manages to save the local orphanage while simultaneously falling in love with the young, new school teacher in town.
It’s a marvel I wasn’t born that night in the Royal Theatre. | https://medium.com/the-kilominator-chronicles/mishaps-misalignments-dd696dc37acf | ['Matthew St. Amand'] | 2021-01-19 00:37:01.961000+00:00 | ['Cycling', 'Memoir', 'Mental Health', 'Outdoors', 'Bicycles'] |
Feeling Pretty is Hella Expensive | My husband and I both have relatively well-paying salaried jobs. We own a house and two vehicles and have the ability to occasionally splurge on a meal out or a weekend away.
But at the end of the day, we don’t have a lot of money leftover to spare, and whatever there is “remaining” is allocated towards paying off debt, and towards bigger expenses like a new mattress or the treadmill we’d been talking about for a couple of years.
I asked a friend recently how it is that other people our age — people with similarly paying jobs — can afford to spend so much money on high-end clothes and beauty treatments.
Her explanation is that people our age — millennials, if you will — are known as the generation of instant gratification, which means that if they want it, they get it. Some argue this is a good thing, that this preference for wanting-it-now has revolutionized efficiency in the realms of business and technology.
At the same time, millennials — often burdened with student loan debt and the reality of ever-rising housing prices — are prone to the believing they’ll never save enough to “get ahead.” So instead, they funnel their resources into more gratifying and immediate rewards, whether that be $500 passes to a weekend music festival or $350 on premium eyelash extensions.
If money were simply no object (ha!), and my husband and I weren’t channelling the majority of our financial resources into our house and other related expenses, then I can bet you I’d have no problem splurging $150 per month on eyelash extensions, $275 every eight to 12 weeks for balayage hair colour service, $40 a month on brow and upper lip waxing, $100 per month on manicures, $200 per session on laser hair removal (I can’t begin to guess the total here, since I’d elect to have my pits, legs and bikini area all well and taken care of) — and hey, I recently saw a poster for cosmetic Botox at my dental office, which was mildly alarming, but the before and after comparison was convincing enough that I figure why not throw that in the mix, too, for a conservative $300 per treatment.
All of this — the thousands of dollars potentially spent — doesn’t even encompass the cost of additional beauty products and keeping atop the latest fashion trends.
Yes, it would be nice to have the luxury of spending the equivalent of my monthly salary on feeling pretty, but this, my friends, is not my reality.
And I think what’s most frustrating about it all is the notion that by failing to have this be part of my reality, I’m disentitled from the privilege of getting to feel pretty.
But beauty comes from the inside, and yes, I know that, and I’ll get to that as well, but first let me also say that I’m not a high maintenance girl. As much as I fantasize about having the disposable income to keep my brows groomed and my armpits stubble-free, I honestly don’t really love spending my time fussing over such things.
For example: I’m prone to seasonal allergies. This means that on more than one occasion last summer, I caught myself absentmindedly rubbing my eyes before remembering I’d paid $150 to have synthetic lashes glued to my face, and that I was in the process of ruining them. There was this, and the fact that the extensions needed to be brushed several times a day, lest they look sloppy and wayward.
Also: I hate wearing make-up.
I hate the time it takes to put it on, and I hate the feeling of having it sitting on my skin.
I still wear make-up, yes, especially since I’ve been suffering a long spell of hormonal acne rivalling that of my teens. And yeah, I don’t mind the ritual of getting myself dolled up for a special occasion — an anniversary dinner with my hubby or meeting up with friends for drinks.
But I also cannot wait to wash it all off when I get home, the same way some people cannot wait to peel off an underwire bra.
It helps that I don’t have the kind of lifestyle that requires me to wear a lot of make-up.
There isn’t much need to apply a layer of foundation before a hike, when it’s guaranteed to all melt off, or to draw on eyeliner before a swim in the lake. Since moving out of the city two years ago, the frequency with which I apply make-up has become increasingly less, and I one hundred per cent do not mind.
It’s a weird thing, though, the fact I enjoy being relatively low key when it comes to my beauty routine, but also sometimes wishing I had the luxury of being a bit more high maintenance, a little more “put together”.
And I think this is where the insecurity comes to play, because this feeling of not being good enough always invariably stems from instances of comparing myself to others. | https://lizziewoo.medium.com/feeling-pretty-is-hella-expensive-57fc4022ed56 | ['Lizzie Woo'] | 2019-08-17 15:41:56.736000+00:00 | ['Makeup', 'Insecurity', 'Self Image', 'Skincare', 'Beauty'] |
Photojournalist: Abigail Romo-Cea | What is one of your happiest memories? What made that memory so special.?
“One of my most happiest memories is remembering my mom taking care of and holding my child as a baby. Its my most happiest and most saddest memory knowing that she loved her so much and the saddest part is that my daughter didn’t get to know her grandmother as much as she should have.” | https://medium.com/humans-of-south-los-angeles/photojournalist-abigail-romo-cea-f505c0825135 | ['Teresa Wierzbianska'] | 2017-09-05 18:06:12.838000+00:00 | ['Poetry'] |
Murdered for Sand | “It is to cities what flour is to bread, what cells are to our bodies: the invisible but fundamental ingredient that makes up the bulk of the built environment in which most of us live.“ — Vince Beiser, author of “The World in a Grain: The Story of Sand and How It Transformed Civilization”
Think of a valuable resource. What images come into your mind’s eye? Maybe oil? Water? Perhaps you looked at a ring on your finger and thought of gold. All of these are valuable resources, it’s true.
Now, what if I told you sand was also an incredibly rare and precious resource? It may sound absurd, especially if you’ve been anywhere near a beach or desert lately, but the world is running out of sand. A crucial material in everything from cellphones to high-rises, the resource is being used up faster than it can replenish itself, sparking environmental concerns and community conflicts. Some are even willing to kill for it.
You may not realize it, but nearly everything around you is built with sand. The concrete your apartment, condo, or house is made out of was mixed with sand. The glass windows you look through to see what the weather looks like — those were made with sand as well. The cellphone or computer you’re reading this on — the silicon chips in them are made with sand. The road you travel on to work — sand as well. If you live in any kind of urban setting, it is constructed with sand.
Sand Isn’t as Plentiful as You Think
You may be thinking: But sand is everywhere, there are whole deserts filled with the stuff.
The sand in a desert, though, is useless as a construction material. The grains are out in the open and blow around for thousands of years. This rounds them off until they become useless as building blocks. Imagine trying to make a building with golf balls. In order to build, sand with angular edges must be used. The preferential type is the kind found in a river bed, sea, or beach.
The fact that desert sand is useless makes for some unexpected situations. Despite being surrounded by endless miles of sand, the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was built with sand imported from Australia. Dubai also imports sand for its beaches from Australia. Apparently desert sand doesn’t do well in a beach atmosphere either.
Sand also regenerates slowly. It takes thousands upon thousands of years for rock and sediment to break down into the usable grains we all rely on.
Construction’s Endless Appetite for Sand
The world has seen a construction boom in recent years. The base that boom is built on, quite literally, is concrete. The United Nations estimates that the world consumes more than 40 billion tons of building aggregate — sand, gravel, and crushed stone — each year. Some estimates predict consumption will top 50 billion tons by next year, with China alone gobbling up much of the world’s concrete supply as it undergoes a massive urbanization. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, between 2011 and 2013 China used more concrete than the U.S. used throughout the entire 20th century. Other parts of Asia, such as India, are rapidly expanding as well.
The urbanization driving this construction boom, and increasing reliance on concrete, shows no signs of slowing. By 2030 the U.N. expects 60 percent of the world’s population to live in urban areas.
“Sand mafias” are groups of criminals that illegally dredge sand from areas where extraction is prohibited.
Sand is also used for reclamation projects — reclaiming land from the sea. Singapore is probably the most extreme example. Since 1960, the country has expanded its landmass from 581.5 to 721.5 square kilometers. By some estimates, reclaiming one square kilometer requires up to 37.5 million cubic meters of sand. In an effort to accommodate a growing population and rising sea levels, Singapore plans to add another 40 square kilometers by 2030, though officials say they are turning to methods that will reduce the need for imported sand.
The Sand Business Attracts the Criminal Underworld
One of the prime issues with sand is that it’s heavy. Heavy items incur large transportation costs, especially over a long distance. The scarcity and high prices attract the attention of criminals. Why go to a legal mining area when sand can be extracted for next to nothing elsewhere?
“Sand mafias” are groups of criminals that illegally dredge sand from areas where extraction is prohibited. Since they’re not following laws, all environmental protocols are ignored. Often rivers are illegally mined, destroying the habitat for fish and fishermen. Sometimes land from private villages is even taken over by these mafias.
If they’re confronted, violence often results. And according to a 2015 Wired story on sand mafias in India, police are typically of little help: “The conventional wisdom says that many local authorities accept bribes from the sand miners to stay out of their business — and not infrequently, are involved in the business themselves.”
This problem is particularly rampant in India. A number of murders have allegedly been committed by these sand mafias to keep journalists and agitators quiet. In a recent murder, journalist Sandeep Sharma was run over by a truck after he secretly filmed a police official agreeing to a bribe in exchange for allowing sand mining in a crocodile sanctuary. According to the editor of the local television channel where Sharma worked, he was denied police protection after receiving threats. The editor also told the Guardian that police confiscated Sharma’s camera with footage of the bribe agreement and never gave it back.
In another murder in 2013, Paleram Chauhan was shot multiple times by masked assailants in his own bedroom. According to Wired, his family is certain they know who the killers are. About 10 years prior, as India’s building boom got underway, a sand mafia had arrived at Chauhan’s village. The mafia seized 200 acres of communal land, tore up the topsoil, and started digging up the sand. Though it is illegal to steal a village’s land, not to mention sand mining is banned in the area due to a nearby bird sanctuary, local authorities did nothing when Chauhan approached them for help.
Chauhan kept up the pressure though, and eventually, one of the members of this mafia was put in jail, then quickly released. As Chauhan’s son told the Australian news show Foreign Correspondent, this member threatened Chauhan after his release, telling him to back down or his family would be killed. A week later, Chauhan was killed.
The head of this sand mafia and his sons were arrested for the murder, but released on bail. When the Australian reporting team visited Chauhan’s son last year, they found the man who allegedly threatened his father still mining in the village.
These are only a couple of the murders that have been committed in pursuit of yellow grains. People are actually killing each other for sand.
Are We Doomed to Run Out of Sand?
You might be feeling depressed right about now. The world is going to run out of sand, there will be chaos in the streets, and sand mafias will kick down your front door to steal your kid’s sandbox.
Alright, I’m making light of a potentially terrible situation. But the world has encountered terrible situations before and managed to pull through. Early 1800s economists explored a theory called the law of diminishing returns in an attempt to explain why grain prices were falling. In the classic example of this theory, Thomas Malthus used a field of land and a farmer. As the farmer adds more labor to the field, he gets improved output, but only to a degree. Eventually, his returns diminish as he adds more and more labor.
Many looked at this theory and concluded that humanity would inevitably starve to death. As the population increased, food production wouldn’t keep up. It is now widely recognized, though, that Malthus missed something critical — technology.
Just as criminal cockroaches will crawl out from under rocks to terrorize villagers and take their sand for a profit, this demand and scarcity will call for innovation.
Technology can greatly offset this law of diminishing returns by increasing productivity. Through today’s technology, areas of the world that have always been net importers of food are becoming net exporters. Hybrid seeds, fertilizers, farming techniques, and pesticides have fought back the diminished returns from a plot of land and increased yields to levels previously thought impossible.
Just as criminal cockroaches will crawl out from under rocks to terrorize villagers and take their sand for a profit, this demand and scarcity will call for innovation. Brilliant minds in search of riches and problems to solve will find solutions. In fact, a possible solution may have already come about. Four college students in England have developed a material called Finite, a concrete alternative made of desert sand. It’s as strong as residential concrete and capable of being melted down and recycled. It is just a prototype currently, but it looks promising.
Sand is definitely a perishable resource. If humanity continues to use it at its current pace, the world’s supply will likely be depleted. However, the situation is far from hopeless. Technology has been used in multiple industries to change predicted ends to various other resources — sand shouldn’t be any different.
If efforts were taken to use sand more efficiently in building, this would be a major first step to progress. In addition, the use of technology to find sand substitutes would be another game changer. Just from a quick internet search, it appears that a number of concrete substitutes are already pushing forward to fill this need.
Sand may be a limited resource, but the human mind is only limited by its imagination. I have a feeling technology and perseverance will find a way to solve this problem. | https://medium.com/s/story/murdered-for-sand-the-birth-of-the-sand-mafia-5fd5d16c9dcb | ['Erik Brown'] | 2018-10-30 21:00:52.521000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Equality', 'Business', 'Economics', 'Environment'] |
6 Tips to Get through the Winter & Beyond | Cognitive Hygiene:
Amina Ann Qutub, PhD and Erin Pollet, RPSGT
Sisu. The Finnish people use the term to mean “extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity.” It is a powerful mindset that enables mental and physical strength beyond what was thought possible. Sisu is getting us through the winter.
Still, we’re battle-weary. 2020 derailed routines, including habits that protect our brains and bodies. Stay-at-home orders and more stringent lockdowns are buying time before a vaccine halts the spread of SARS-CoV-2, at the same time straining resolve. A trick to cultivating Sisu is to adopt habits that provide the foundation for resilience.
Our brains repair themselves when we sleep, clearing out toxins and rearranging connections between cells. A small unit of the brain (shown) called the suprachiasmatic nucleus controls our wake and sleep cycle.
Good quality sleep and exercise help support resilience, cognitive reserve and long-term brain health [1–5]. Compounded daily, healthy habits can become more powerful than prescription drugs and even combat genetic predisposition to cognitive decline [1]. When we sleep, the brain repairs itself — flushing out toxins and waste through the glymphatics [6] and cerebral spinal fluid [7], rearranging synaptic connections between cells, and solidifying memories through molecular changes [8–10]. Exercise too has incredible rejuvenating effects. As we exercise, our brain secretes growth factors, bathing neurons in nutrients that promote their growth and function [11–17]. With sustained exercise, new blood vessels grow in response to molecular sensors of low oxygen tension and carve out new routes for oxygen to reach brain tissue [18].
As researchers tracking daily habits that support brain health, we bear witness to the decline or resilience of volunteers through their sleep and exercise [19]. Below are six tips to support brain health this winter and beyond. Tips 1–3 were curated by sleep specialist and graduate student Erin Pollet:
Tip 1: Get out in the sun in the morning
Exposure to sunlight during the day, especially in the morning, improves quality of sleep at night [20]. Lack of morning sunlight in their bedroom was correlated to sleep disturbances in a recent study of young to mid-aged employees [21]. Relatedly, a study of nursing home residents showed a significant improvement in reported sleep among residents who spent at least 30 minutes outside in their gardens between 8 and 10 am [22]. Opening up blinds and curtains in your home upon waking up and taking your morning coffee outside is an easy way to make sure that you are resetting your internal clock. If you live in an area that does not get a lot of sunlight during this time of year, UV light lamps can provide an alternative.
Tip 2: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
Since the start of the pandemic, bedtimes and wake times have shifted later, napping has increased, and overall sleep quality has decreased [23]. Working from home may mean a laxer schedule making it harder to maintain consistency in wake/sleep cycles. Lockdowns have been associated with disrupted sleep routines around the world. In an Italian study, 55% of subjects reported poor sleep quality during lockdown [24] and our May survey of 267 people in the U.S. indicated over a third of respondents had less consistent sleep during stay-at-home orders. With many factors out of our control, one way to encourage better sleep is to set a consistent — and early — bedtime. A review of 41 scientific articles on earlier and less variable bedtimes was correlated with better health outcomes [25].
Tip 3: Avoid screens in the hours before bedtime
Avoiding screens (phones, computers, TVs) before bed confers many benefits. (1) Short wave light from devices (blue light), no matter how low they are set, physiologically disrupts the mechanics of sleep [26]. (2) Studies have shown that increased social media use can lead to later and more variable bedtimes, especially in teens and young adults [27]; and (3) stress in general has a negative impact on sleep [28]. With the almost daily assault of negative world news, limiting consumption to earlier in the day can help mitigate its effect later on in the night. Shutting off screens well before bedtime may even help in weight maintenance [29].
Tip 4: Head outdoors to exercise
Natural environments can boost brain health [30]. People who exercise for at least two hours a week outside score better on measures of mental health than those with less outdoor exposure [31]. A pandemic study in Spain reported that people with access to outdoor spaces or even just blue-green elements in their view had more positive emotions and perceived themselves better able to cope with lockdown measures [32]. These observations align with prior studies that support the benefits of “green time” for mental health [33, 34]. Outdoor environments can also improve physical fitness. One study in school children concluded that two years of outdoor exercise conferred significant speed, power and endurance advantages to indoor exercise [35]. Hiking in a preserve, jump-roping on a porch, or even just exercising with a window (or screen) view of trees or fresh snow are ways to take in more nature.
Tip 5: Make exercise social
Combining multiple positive habits (e.g., exercise, social engagement, high quality sleep, good diet, learning) can confer up to 60% more protection against cognitive risks than adopting one alone [36]. Social engagement supports brain health, and coupling exercising with socializing can magnify both their effects. However, 2020 chipped away at positive social interactions. See where you stand by taking a shortened Lubben Social Network Scale quiz. Small changes can make exercise more social.
A few examples:
Tip 6: Turn Zombies into Zoomies
Pandemic lockdowns make cities look like Zombie apocalypses. Except the Zombies move inside. As we quarantine, work or learn from home, screen-time is increasing [37], and with it, time spent sedentary [38]. Imagine a video camera recording you all day. Are your eyes glazed over, glued to a phone, computer or TV monitor? Sitting for extended periods can lob off years from your life [39–41], and many people are sedentary for 8 hours or more each day [41]. Even if you have a dedicated exercise routine, moving regularly throughout the day provides health benefits. Aim for at minimum 30 minutes of moderate to highly active minutes. Stealth exercise built into daily chores (e.g., cleaning, building, gardening) or work (e.g., a bike desk) is one way to increase activity. Habit-conducive tricks like always taking a walk after coffee, tracking your fitness, or laying out a pair of running shoes before bed can make taking more steps easier. Or you can take a cue from animals who love to run, and zoom around between video calls. Ever seen a puppy go crazy with pent up energy? This frenetic random activity is appropriately called “zoomies.” A jump-rope, rebounder, stepper, or space to do a few pushups can help for humans. Or turn up the music and have a one-song dance party!
A final note on cultivating Sisu: Most people know that good quality sleep and exercise help the body and brain. Telling people to increase both in the face of sheer exhaustion is like telling a marathoner as they cross the finish line, “Oops, sorry, one more mile left.” Chronic psychological stress effects the body in ways that overlap with smoking or exposure to high altitude, where atmospheric oxygen is lower. It may feel harder to exercise. But like training in high altitude, sustained or increased activity can counteract the negative effects of stress on our cells [42]. Over time, exercising in high altitude confers evolutionary advantages, protecting tissues including the brain [43–45].
2020 vacuum-packed adversity. Continuing the analogy of exercising in thin air, much of the world has been training in intermittent hypoxia [46]. Your family, like ours, may have lost loved ones, or faced economic, health, or mental hardships that leave you exhausted. This is when it’s easiest to give up on healthy habits. Instead, dig deep. Move a little more, a little faster or both. Go good air hunting outside. Sleep soundly.
Sisu is how we are getting out of this. The steps that we take this day and daily habits we form this winter can help protect our minds and bodies for years to come.
Credits: images created with bioRender.
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35. Pasek M, Szark-Eckardt M, Wilk B, et al. Physical Fitness as Part of the Health and Well-Being of Students Participating in Physical Education Lessons Indoors and Outdoors. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17.
36. Dhana K, Evans DA, Rajan KB, Bennett DA, Morris MC. Healthy lifestyle and the risk of Alzheimer dementia: Findings from 2 longitudinal studies. Neurology 2020;95:e374-e83.
37. Ellis L, Lee M, Ijaz K, Smith J, Braithwaite J, Yin K. COVID-19 as ‘Game changer’: Use and impact of augmented reality games on physical activity and mental well-being during the pandemic. J Med Internet Res 2020.
38. Narici M, De Vito G, Franchi M, et al. Impact of sedentarism due to the COVID-19 home confinement on neuromuscular, cardiovascular and metabolic health: Physiological and pathophysiological implications and recommendations for physical and nutritional countermeasures. Eur J Sport Sci 2020:1–22.
39. Lehallier B, Shokhirev MN, Wyss-Coray T, Johnson AA. Data mining of human plasma proteins generates a multitude of highly predictive aging clocks that reflect different aspects of aging. Aging Cell 2020;19:e13256.
40. Chudasama YV, Khunti K, Gillies CL, et al. Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy in people with multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A longitudinal cohort study. PLoS Med 2020;17:e1003332.
41. Ekelund U, Tarp J, Fagerland MW, et al. Joint associations of accelero-meter measured physical activity and sedentary time with all-cause mortality: a harmonised meta-analysis in more than 44 000 middle-aged and older individuals. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:1499–506.
42. Horowitz AM, Fan X, Bieri G, et al. Blood factors transfer beneficial effects of exercise on neurogenesis and cognition to the aged brain. Science 2020;369:167–73.
43. Faber JE, Storz JF, Cheviron ZA, Zhang H. High-altitude rodents have abundant collaterals that protect against tissue injury after cerebral, coronary and peripheral artery occlusion. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2020:271678X20942609.
44. Storz JF, Cheviron ZA. Physiological Genomics of Adaptation to High-Altitude Hypoxia. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2020.
45. Tate KB, Wearing OH, Ivy CM, et al. Coordinated changes across the O2 transport pathway underlie adaptive increases in thermogenic capacity in high-altitude deer mice. Proc Biol Sci 2020;287:20192750.
46. Navarrete-Opazo A, Mitchell GS. Therapeutic potential of intermittent hypoxia: a matter of dose. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2014;307:R1181–97. | https://medium.com/@aminaq/brain-health-6-tips-3007779c87a8 | ['Amina Qutub'] | 2021-01-04 19:37:57.219000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Resilience', 'Motivation', 'Brain', 'Fitness'] |
How an artist moves from primary to secondary market — The case of Adrien Ghenie | How an artist moves from primary to secondary market — The case of Adrien Ghenie Maecenas Follow Dec 13, 2018 · 3 min read
Moving into the secondary from the primary market is typically key to an artist’s commercial success and can often mean the difference between scraping by and international fame and fortune.
But how exactly does an artist transition from one to the other?
Let us take the example of Adrian Ghenie, a Romanian painter born in 1977 in Baia Mare. Ghenie grew up under the oppressive Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, where the structure and rules of a Western-style art market barely existed. Only a few artists could live off their works, and artworks were considered intellectual property rather than commercial goods. Very little changed after the fall of the Iron Curtain and it has taken many years to establish a quasi-healthy local art market.
Portrait of Adrian Ghenie by Oliver Mark, Berlin 2014, Collection of the Bukovina Museum
Ghenie was a student at the now-famous University of Art and Design in Cluj, and he was considered an extremely talented painter at a young age. His lush, vibrant and often large-scale paintings quickly became popular among his fellow students and teachers. Nevertheless, finding opportunities for gallery exhibitions in an economically struggling Romania were few and far between. Eventually, he decided to open his own art gallery with his friend, Mihai Pop in 2005. Commercial success and global recognition soon followed as he participated in more and more international art fairs, gaining contacts with foreign curators, including UK-based independent curator, Jane Neal, along the way. His works started to attract the attention of international collectors. In 2009, he famously sold a work to the mega-collector, François Pinault for approximately €60,000, through the help of the now-closed Haunch of Venison gallery in London.
Further solo and group shows followed, including exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (2012–2013); the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kuns (S.M.A.K.), Ghent (2010–2011); and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest (2009–2010). This all helped make Ghenie more and more popular, to the point where he could no longer meet the growing demand of his collectors. For those unwilling to join the expanding waiting list, there were limited opportunities to collect Ghenie’s paintings.
Recognising the increasing demand for Ghenie’s works amidst his outstanding success, the leading auction houses quickly stepped in to secure consignments from owners willing to sell his artworks via auctions.
Once a painting has been acquired in the primary market directly from the artist or his gallerist and resold, it becomes a part of the secondary market.
Ghenie nor his gallerist remain in complete control of his prices. Instead auction houses’ PR machines take over and the artist becomes part of a much larger market with a much wider range of potential buyers and sellers.
Remember the above-mentioned acquisition by François Pinault? The very same painting, titled “Nickelodeon” (2008), went under the hammer at Christie’s London in October 2016. After a tense bidding war, the diptych was sold for an artist-record of £7.1 million, a price rise of 16,000%!
Adrian Ghenie’s “Nickelodeon,” a 2008 piece. Credit Adrian Ghenie, via Christie’s Images Ltd. 2016
In less than ten years, despite hailing from a country lacking the structures of an operating art market, Ghenie has managed to become both commercially and critically acclaimed. Gaining gallery representation and selling his works in the primary market was the first step in validating his creative production. Being targeted by leading auction houses and entering the secondary market was the second step in his global recognition. Indeed, Adrian Ghenie represents the perfect success story of an artist transferring from the primary to the secondary market. | https://medium.com/maecenas/how-an-artist-moves-from-primary-to-secondary-market-the-case-of-adrien-ghenie-90b5a348c8dd | [] | 2018-12-13 08:01:00.735000+00:00 | ['Ghenie', 'Investment', 'Maecenas', 'Art', 'Blockchain'] |
Under Pressure | 17 Onji publishes haiku and senryu in both modern Western style (i.e. 17 syllables) and in a form more in keeping with Japanese tradition (i.e. poems that are closer in length / duration to 17 Japanese onji, or what we know as mora), as well as lunes.
Follow | https://medium.com/17-onji/under-pressure-8ac177bed1b5 | ['Mark Farrar'] | 2020-12-27 16:26:37.496000+00:00 | ['Dog', 'Japanese Poetry', 'Nap', 'Haiku', 'Poetry'] |
The Ox-Bow Incident and Fake News, A Cautionary Tale | A FILM REVIEW
“Why do you keep asking me all these questions? You don’t believe anything I tell you.” ~Anthony Quinn, the accused
Henry Fonda (L) with Harry Morgan, before the story breaks.
Raymond Burr made a name for himself playing the attorney Perry Mason in the early Sixties television series. Courtroom dramatics are featured in many Hollywood movies as well. An orderly, fair trial for the accused is one of the foundations of a civilized society and all the procedures for helping to insure justice are an essential part of it.
As any alert and educated person has observed, our current legal system has many flaws, but the French Revolution shows us how frightening our prospects can be when the pendulum swings the other way and we yield to mob rule.
The establishing of reliable factual evidence is one of the basic features of a fair trial. Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s The Ox-Bow Incident vividly reveals what happens when due process is scuttled in favor a fast results. Published in 1940, it was but three short years before the film reached the silver screen.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Illustration by the author.
Hollywood’s 1943 Old West re-telling of Clark’s novel is one of many great films in which Henry Fonda fights for justice. In 12 Angry Men we find him cast as a single juror who insists that the easy way out, conviction of the accused, is not warranted until all the evidence is fully examined. In The Ox-Bow Incident, the mob assumes the role of judge and jury, reacting emotionally to a situation based on baseless hearsay. Both films reveal how easily injustice can happen.
The Ox-Bow Incident is a black and white Old West drama that takes all of 75 minutes to thread the needle. There are almost no side stories. The plot moves straight forward from the opening scene to its tragic conclusion.
In addition to Fonda we also see a young Harry Morgan, later of Dragnet and M.A.S.H. fame, as well as Anthony Quinn in one of his earliest roles.
When I read the book many years earlier it made an impression on me. I discovered it after having read The Track of the Cat, another story by Clark that takes place in the Old West. An early line in the movie hints at one of the recurring themes in both these stories. “Why do you suppose he’d be living in this neck of the woods if he didn’t have something to hide?” Fonda declares. The Old West was society’s fringe.
As a kid I liked Westerns with gunslingers and shootouts. Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger were good diversions. This film is quite distant from your O.K. Corral type of film. No High Noon, no 3:16 To Yuma. No Peckinpaugh bloodletting. It’s a simple story about the consequences of misinformation and mob rule.
You can be sure this kind of tragedy has played out all over and not just in the Wild West. It happened right here in Duluth in 1920. A mob of more than 1,000 took the law into its own hands, broke into the jail and hanged three black men on one dark night that has now been memorialized as a reminder that we ourselves are not immune to horrific injustice. There was no evidence beyond hearsay and, like this film, there was no happy ending. | https://ennyman.medium.com/the-ox-bow-incident-and-fake-news-a-cautionary-tale-f56a3d49758d | ['Ed Newman'] | 2020-06-17 13:28:26.050000+00:00 | ['Social Media', 'Movies', 'Film', 'Fake News', 'Movie Review'] |
Small Things in Life | We seek happiness
With so much effort
We don’t realize
We can be happy
Every day.
We only need
To stop
Taking things
For granted
And appraise
The small things.
The small things
In life
Gives us
The real
Happiness. | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/small-things-in-life-79a01d402557 | ['Ivette Cruz'] | 2020-12-19 06:37:36.457000+00:00 | ['Positive Thinking', 'Life Lessons', 'Poetry', 'Self Improvement', 'Philosophy'] |
Building exactly what you need: welcome Brandit | The world has been making payments in very much the same way since the late 19th century. The first wire transfer was performed by Western Union in 1872, via telegraph. The technology has evolved, evidently, but the basic methodology hasn’t.
Payments are an analog medium in a digital world.
Utrust wants to change this. And when you are a company that’s dedicated to changing the way the world does something with a centuries-long history, you need like-minded partners.
Welcome our new technology partner, Brandit
Brandit is a group of immensely talented individuals that have a service as diverse as it is qualified. They will create unique branding and marketing solutions for you whether you’re a band, an individual or a company. They will create websites, apps, and if you have a musical side-gig, they will even produce your album for you.
Brandit has a remarkable skillset, and boast the client portfolio to back it up. Anyone from Coca-Cola to Real Madrid, from BMW to Bosch, from Barclays to Deloitte. They have all found themselves in need of Brandit’s expertise at some point or another.
Custom solutions for a world of individuals
And that’s exactly why Brandit is the ideal partner for Utrust. One of Utrust’s core values is community, and we make it a point to present every one of our merchants and customers with the exact solution they need for their business.
This goes beyond just making payments through our service.
We want to bring digital currencies to your business, whether it’s big or small, in whichever way you like, and we are bringing in the best in the business to do it.
We want to create the solution you need
So if you are running a large business, and you want to use digital currencies for purposes other than simply accepting payments via your webstore, now is the time to get in touch. We will build whatever solution you need, on whatever platform you desire.
And now, as Brandit continues their good work with their own clients, Utrust will feature prominently as a premiere payment platform.
We are bringing the future to you. | https://medium.com/utrust/building-exactly-what-you-need-welcome-brandit-48def5a6b23d | [] | 2020-12-17 16:56:06.520000+00:00 | ['Payments', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Ecommerce', 'Marketing', 'Branding'] |
How Can We Reduce Community Impacts of COVID-19? | The UHVI considers ages 65+ and serious medical conditions as “high risk” factors. The UHVI does not visualize occurrences of COVID-19. It does, however, include state-level data about overall testing and confirmed cases. It also includes hospital data to show geographic proximity, and it shows nursing home locations should additional safety protections in surrounding areas be required.
How does identifying vulnerable neighborhoods support a strong response to coronavirus?
The novel coronavirus, as reported by the CDC, disproportionately affects older adults and people of all ages with chronic conditions, like diabetes, lung disease, and heart disease. The UHVI quickly communicates where high-risk populations are located to help decision-makers keep people safe in the following ways:
Helps government and health officials target public health interventions.
Offers empirical insights for urban communities at the local level.
Allows organizations to target outreach and assistance where it is most needed across cities.
Provides information about the prevalence of chronic conditions related to those the CDC has identified as at-risk conditions.
Identifies proximity to hospitals.
Keeps vulnerable communities top of mind.
How should we prioritize this information?
The Urban Health Vulnerability Index offers a view of a community’s vulnerability based on health factors. This provides a good foundation for a variety of analyses to explore how we can combine health and other types of risk to better understand where populations may be most impacted by COVID-19.
For example, we combined health vulnerability with social vulnerability to identify where populations are at particularly high risk from a health and social perspective. Social factors such as poverty, crowded housing, and language barriers can inhibit access to care, increase transmission, and predispose people to severe economic hardship as a result of measures taken to “flatten the curve”.
For this analysis, we used the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Similar to our Urban Health Vulnerability Index, the SVI measures factors that play a part in health and wellbeing: Housing Type and Transportation, Housing Composition and Disability, Socioeconomic Status, Minority Status and Language.
Variables used to measure the CDC Social Vulnerability Index. Source: CDC
Using New York City as an example, we evaluated overall vulnerability based on health and social variables, and narrowed our focus to census tracts that fall in the top 25% of each type of vulnerability.
Close-up of legend. © RS21
Purple areas indicate high vulnerability of both health and social factors; red areas denote high health vulnerability; blue shows high social vulnerability; and gray tracts represent areas in the lower 75% of risk for both health and social factors.
We then segmented the social vulnerability factors to look at how each of the four SVI sub-themes correlated with health indicators. We found a high correlation between the socioeconomics and health indicators.
TIME Magazine has already reported on how the coronavirus could disproportionately hurt the poor. Lower income communities are often less protected, with circumstances such as reduced access to health care, being underinsured, or experiencing food insecurity. | https://medium.com/rs21/how-can-we-reduce-community-impacts-of-covid-19-b5f706aedf4e | [] | 2020-04-09 17:33:27.808000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Technology', 'Health', 'Vulnerability', 'Coronavirus'] |
Platinum Group Metals: A Sustained Rally Anticipated For Palladium in 2020 | Despite Declining Auto Sales, Industry Demand For Palladium Rose 2% in 2019
Stricter emissions regulations around the globe are sustaining the palladium rally of the past decade and precious metals experts at Metals Focus are predicting that the metal so vital for efficient catalytic converters will continue to rally strong in 2020.
Stringent regulations now in effect, especially in densely populated China, nullified the 2019 drop in car sales due to increased PGM loads in vehicle catalytic converters across the board. Fewer cars running cleaner still require even more precious palladium.
At Resource Erectors we’ve been keeping a close eye on the Platinum Metals Group and, today, it’s still correct to say that palladium is more precious than ever.
PGM (Platinum Metal Group) Loading in Catalytic Converters
In 2019, Platinum Group Metals (PGM) loadings per vehicle increased to such an extent that above-ground palladium inventories available to satisfy this voracious global demand dropped to just 14 months by the end of 2019, as compared with a 24-month supply available just a decade ago in 2010.
The Metals Focus group anticipates a doubling of the palladium deficit in 2020, reaching a 4-year demand high in an “increasingly tight physical market.”
As even more stringent emissions regulations come into effect higher PGM loads will be required in both gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. An informative article at Johnson Matthey Technology Review points out that the majority of gasoline-powered vehicles use a palladium-rhodium combination. Up to 7 times more palladium than rhodium is required for typical gasoline-powered auto-catalyst applications globally.
Even in diesel-powered vehicles, the metal formulation doesn’t vary much and still requires palladium for a platinum-palladium catalyst combination.
The average PGM load is 4 to 5 grams per car but large high-powered vehicles can require as much as 15 grams or more.
High Palladium Prices and High Demand Attracts New Players in the Mining Industry
The global demand for better environmental performance has driven global palladium production to outpace even gold.
According to statistics reported at miningtechnology.com, global palladium production soared to 214 tons in 2017, easily surpassing gold production at just 175 tons for that year. The palladium boom has spot bid prices well above $2,000/ounce at the time of this writing in February 2020, up from $562.98 at the end of 2015.
Even amidst the inevitable volatility which occurs with any hot commodity, palladium prices have quickly recovered after rounds of short-term profit-taking. Now a $200 dip is often viewed as a buying opportunity for investors looking to get in on the palladium rush.
Resurgent palladium prices have mining companies refocusing on profitable palladium operations and a sustained supply chain for the near future. North American Palladium launched an 8-year plan in 2019 to continue underground operations with an ambitious production target of 2.32 million ounces by 2027. Palladium brought new life to the the Lac Des Illes mine in Canada, when lucrative prices made it feasible to restart production in 2010 after a 2-year shutdown.
New specialized palladium operations are now drawing heavy investment from US-based Platinum Metals Group which is launching its new Waterburg mine in South Africa. The initial $847 million investment is projected to produce a whopping 420,000 ounces of palladium per year. Secure financial backing from industry giants Implats and JOGMEC boosts confidence that the Waterburg Mine will continue to pour out precious palladium for the next 45 years.
New low-cost, high-production operations such as that anticipated for the Waterburg Mine, and restarted operations driven by high demand and high prices could combine to “challenge the monopoly” of Russia-based Norilsk Nickel, which generated the majority 41% of the world’s palladium supply in 2017.
The high price is also driving a $3 billion “parallel industry” for recycling palladium from older vehicles, one that provided 41 tons in 2010 to help fill the palladium deficit while large scale palladium mining operations slowly gain traction after a decade of under funding.
As the world continues to move toward cleaner emission control from gasoline-powered vehicles, with small gas engines in hybrids expected to make up 20% of the worlds automotive power train, and large diesel vehicles requiring a palladium-platinum catalytic combination, the future for palldium demand for the 2020 decade is strong.
Mining For Precious Human Resources at Resource Erectors
Just as the palladium supply is “physically tight” and in record-high demand, so is the supply of top professional candidates in the mining industry, civil construction, tunneling, engineering, and manufacturing.
At Resource Erectors we bring industry-specific experience to the table to match the most highly qualified professionals with North America’s industry leaders who are ready and eager to put their talent to work.
Whether you’re building your company’s dream team or you’re a professional eager to make a strategic move up the career ladder, Resource Erectors is standing by with 20 years of human resource expertise, so don’t hesitate to contact us. | https://medium.com/@mining-recruitment/platinum-group-metals-a-sustained-rally-anticipated-for-palladium-in-2020-a0d0aa67d2fe | ['Resource Erectors'] | 2020-09-24 20:39:12.110000+00:00 | ['Automotive', 'Precious Metals', 'Platinum', 'Mining'] |
A Word About Crypto Exchanges | A Word About Crypto Exchanges
… and what makes Kriptomat different
If the world of cryptocurrencies seems exciting to you and you’re looking for a way to start filling your digital wallet, then you should definitely understand what are crypto exchange online services and how they work. In this article, we will try to explain this subject in a simple and understandable way.
For starters, let’s describe the basic types of online crypto exchanges:
Standard, centralized exchanges
These work in a similar manner as regular stock exchanges. Buyers and sellers use them to trade based on the market price of digital currencies. Some of these exchanges allow only cryptocurrencies, and others enable users to trade fiat (state-issued) currencies for Bitcoin, Ether, and others. Kraken exchange is an example of this type.
Sometimes, exchanges allow users to buy or sell cryptocurrencies at a price set by the broker, which in most cases represents a market price plus a small premium amount. An example of this type of exchange is Coinbase.
Decentralized exchanges
Platforms used for direct, peer-to-peer trading between sellers and buyers based on smart contracts, but not at a fixed rate. With this type, sellers can set their own exchange rate, and buyers publish the rates for which they are willing to purchase the cryptocurrency. They are generally more difficult to use, have limited functionality compared to centralised exchanges, and are characterised by low trade volume.
Each of the mentioned categories has its own good and bad sides from the perspective of the customer. In other words, choose one that suits your needs and provides currency pairs that you’re interested in.
One of the key characteristics of the cryptocurrency market is that it’s extremely volatile, and this is especially the case in 2018. That’s why, besides really careful planning of your investments, you should consider these aspects when looking for a suitable exchange service:
Server/website safety
You definitely want to find a trustworthy service because your finances are in question here.
Exchange fees
This is self-explanatory; the lower, the better!
Support
Check if the exchange website has implemented an adequate customer support. Do your own research of customer experience.
Trading pairs
If you’re a beginner, then you’re probably interested in investing in Bitcoin or Ethereum. But if you’re looking to buy and sell other coins, then you should look for exchanges that support them.
Volume of trade
Contrary to exchange fees, the higher the volume, the better.
Payment options
Does it suit your needs? Will you use your debit card, credit card, SEPA form or other?
Interface
Is it user-friendly? It will be helpful if you’ve just stepped into the cryptomarket world.
Introducing Kriptomat
Starting from the second quarter of this year, the first localised exchange service with language options for the whole Europe will become operational. Kriptomat will be fully adapted to beginners, which means that the whole process of buying and selling cryptocurrencies will be easily accessible even to those who have never dealt with it before.
The best part about it is that the service will be available in as many as 27 European languages and adapted to all EU regulations, including the GDPR. Kriptomat’s founders took care to implement the highest security standards, as well as a free digital wallet for storing your currency.
Initially, the platform will support the most popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, while other currency pairs will be introduced gradually.
Follow us on social networks and be among the first users of Kriptomat! | https://medium.com/kriptomat-blog/a-word-about-crypto-exchanges-d73a2301cbe7 | ['Igor Mitić'] | 2018-06-07 10:39:28.733000+00:00 | ['Digital Wallet', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Exchange', 'Bitcoin', 'Investment'] |
How To Get Google Adsense Approval | As a blogger, I understand that no one will deny the way to make money online. Google Adsense is one of the best approaches that you can utilize to do so. You can monetize your website or blog with Adsense.
All you need to do is to follow some rules and guidelines, in accordance with the Google Adsense policies and you can get the account approval easily.
To make this procedure uncomplicated, I would like to share a few tips and tricks that can help you in getting Google Adsense approval.
1. Creating Genuine Content
Content is the primary key to reach the audience. Create high-quality content that is relevant, unique, valuable and engaging. Make sure there is no plagiarism on your website. Also, look for good content ideas that can generate traffic.
2. Write Sufficient Content
Blog count doesn’t matter in Adsense if you have quality, but the length of the blog can play a big role. Create unique and fresh content having 1000+ words. Don’t just focus on the length but also the quality. But if you have a new blog or website then ensure it has 15 to 20 posts published on it, before applying for a Google Adsense account.
3. Create Necessary Pages
In order to get an approval of Google Adsense, a website or blog should have some necessary pages. These pages are
About us
Privacy Policy
Contact us
All these pages should have accurate information about your business. If your website or blog doesn’t have any of the pages, you will not get an approval of Google Adsense.
If you don’t have a privacy policy page, you can generate it online or you can copy it from other websites having a similar business.
4. Set SSL Certification on Blog
Before applying for Google Adsense, set up an SSL certificate on your blog or website. SSL shows that your website is secure on the internet.
If you want a free SSL certificate, you can get it from the Cloudflare.
5. Add your website to Google Webmaster Tools
Add your website (property) to Google webmaster tools such as on Google search console.
Ensure to submit and index all the pages and blogs on Google search console and check and analyze it for errors or penalties, randomly.
6. Create SEO Friendly Content
Optimize your blog content by adding meta desc and title of the posts and also add specific tags for each post. This practice is not only good for Adsense approval but also, to rank on top of the search results.
Google cannot review thousands of websites manually for the Adsense process and may use the crawlers to check your blog. In this scenario, creating optimized content is beneficial for you.
7. Design User Friendly Blog
Design a blog or website that has a user friendly interface so that your users don’t find any difficulty in accessing information.
Make it responsive and professional to improve and enhance your user experience.
Apply for Google Adsense
After maintaining your blog or website with all the above-specified rules, you can apply for the Google Adsense account.
Simply go to the signup page for the Google Adsense account and enter your website and contact details.
Enter accurate information such as the name, address and business information.
After completing the signup process, you will get an Adsense code. You need to put this code into your website or blog. It can take up to 14 days for approval.
After the Adsense approval, you will get an email like the below mentioned one.
Yes, this is my Adsense account approval mail. It was a moment for me that I get Google Adsense approval in a first attempt.
After the confirmation, you will start to see ads on your website or blog and can earn money from it.
If you have any question about Google Adsense approval, you may contact me or dm me on Instagram. | https://medium.com/@digitalkeshav343/how-to-get-google-adsense-approval-8147c7b262b0 | ['Digital Keshav', 'Digital Marketing Consultant'] | 2020-04-23 11:34:10.948000+00:00 | ['Earn Money Online', 'Approval', 'Blogging', 'Google', 'Adsense'] |
Filtering out weeds of fitness influencer promises | Does the amount of followers influence your own industry professional choices?
I’m a sucker for searching the ends of Google earth for a particular expert in a subject I’m curious about. I can spend hours upon hours in the endless filtering of words, searches and subtopics. Have you ever experienced this scenario?
When it comes to weight loss, I know all too well what it’s like to keep on searching for that golden nugget that’s going to make things happen for me. It’s a realistic expectation. We have thousands of people posting resourceful information online for us to digest.
Does that information become all too overwhelming at times? I most definitely can attest to that one as well!
One of my colleges admitted to me today, that when she’s in an endless pursuit of finding an expert, her initial reaction is to go onto social media to find the person she believes will suit her ideal role model. Picking the best of the best, the most searched, expensive and most famous in our “social media world” dictates an individual who knows what they are doing and is an expert. Put your hand up if you feel this is you too?
Now, I’m not a nutrition expert, and my qualifications aren’t university-based, I’m no doctor or a practitioner. I’m from the school of hard knocks — which is what I call “life.” See, I have come to see that most experts are those who have gone through the trenches of those endless days, when weight loss is not moving ahead, or when you don’t know why you are always doing it hard. Does everyone else but you get it easy? The short answer is no. We all have our own separate and individual gene pool — composed of all relatives, parents and a bit of environmental noise. This is the basics of nutrition.
It’s very realistic to point out that sometimes we don’t receive the luck of the gene pool, and that means perhaps hard work will be involved in the nutritional aspect of our plans. Whatever the case may be for you, know that cookie-cutter diet and exercise plans DO NOT work. I remember many years ago when I finished a personal training session (that was particularly hard — that’s why I remember it) A friend pulls me aside and we start having a great conversation. Then she asks me “what do you think of our trainer? Have you been getting good results?” Now, this guy was the best and busiest trainer in the whole gym. He was muscular, clean-cut, friendly, lean and good-looking mind you. I always looked up to him for how he looked (until I found out he did steroids lol). Was I getting good results — well, not particularly? But I can’t blame it on him entirely, because it was my diet after all.
Just because someone has thousands or millions of followers, doesn’t mean they are an expert in anything. Perhaps they are a couple of levels higher than you on the subject.
When it comes to getting results, I like to look at what the person does when no one is watching. Check out a personal trainer. What do they do in the gym? What do you see them eating? How does their skin look? Are they lean, or are they overweight? Same goes for nutrition. Does the actual person who’s studied a million books know the fundamentals of particular subjects? Have they been through the weight loss journey many times, or are they just naturally skinny since birth? All these play critical factors, because if someone has not even gone through the situation your in, how can you trust they will be able to help on a deeper level. Sometimes we need something more than book smart options.
Personally, if someone doesn’t walk the talk, then I don’t feel they know enough or are deeply passionate about the subject. Those kinds of people I want in my life, as their advice and energy is beyond infectious.
Next time your stuck on finding a professional, or someone to mould you into the person you want to become, really think about what they do when no one is watching. Then ask yourself, do you admire their integrity, grit and passion on the craft they teach? If so, go all the way and take the chance. | https://medium.com/@a-dimos/filtering-out-weeds-of-fitness-influencer-promises-2e493f38db56 | ['Ange Dim'] | 2020-12-18 10:07:28.710000+00:00 | ['Exercise', 'Personal Development', 'Healthy Lifestyle', 'Nutrition', 'Fitness'] |
Nate Cash: Five Things Every Business Needs To Know About Storing and Protecting Their Customers’ Information | Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in a small midwestern college town, during the time the internet was becoming mainstream within households. My friends and I would play outside, ride bikes, or play games on computers. We even got to the point where we would mess with each other’s games by setting up code to sabotage the other’s games or give us extra resources when the game started.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue your particular career path? We’d love to hear it.
When I installed network equipment, our single security person quit, and I volunteered to take over. I was at a customer site when the customer asked me how this equipment was supposed to stop the Code Red computer worm. The Code Red worm was a big deal; it would copy itself and try to spread to other machines. To answer my customer’s question, I labbed up a vulnerable environment and figured out how the worm propagated and how the equipment would prevent the spread of the worm. At that point I was hooked on cyber security.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I would say this has to be during my pentesting days. Pentesting is where you take the tactics of a bad guy and try to break into a network, like an attacker would. It shows an organization where their weak points are, and they can beef up their defenses to prevent those attacks from working in the future. It’s wargaming: attackers breach the defenses, the defenders learn and upgrade their defenses and the cycle repeats itself. Anyway, I was doing a pentest on an organization and the VP of Security told me I would never break in. Four days later I was sitting at his desk with his favorite cup of coffee from the coffee shop downstairs, and a report on how I learned his special coffee along with how I got in. I used a combination of social engineering and pentesting techniques.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are too many to list. The security community is open to sharing and supportive. My parents gave me the freedom to explore things on my own accord but if I have to choose just one person, it would be the first person who set me up for success. I had a teacher in high school who took a chance on me. I just didn’t care to do homework, it never helped me learn anything and I saw it as busy work and a waste of time. I would take the tests and score high on them; I was failing because I didn’t want to do the homework. Like a lot of teens at that age, I was dealing with a lot of changes, and that was compounded when my mom died my freshman year. I didn’t have the discipline or the money to go to college, so I decided to join the military, then I narrowed down that decision to the Marines because I needed to prove something to myself.
The problem was by the time my senior year came around I was failing all of my classes. I told the recruiter I was going to drop out of high school, take the GED test then go into the Marines, I scored a 1200 on my SATs so the GED would have been an easy sit in, take it, and ship out to bootcamp that same week. The recruiter told me I needed a high school diploma, and the GED wouldn’t do. At the bare minimum I needed a passing grade in a math class, an English class, and science class to get my diploma. When I went to all of my teachers to explain how I wanted to complete all of my homework for the entire school year, Chuck Herber was the first to say yes, and when the other teachers refused, he went and talked to them. It’s because of him, that they reluctantly agreed. I was able to complete all of the homework in 3 days, and barely scrape by with a high school diploma so I could join the Marines.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Vertical farming & 3d printing. Specifically designing and printing 3d parts to put together a low-cost vertical farming and hydroponics system for growing food.
What advice would you give to your colleagues to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
You have to balance your priorities. Be healthy by working out, get plenty of sleep, and drink plenty of water. Disconnect for your technology periodically and have a hobby that brings you’re a lot of joy. Recognize your symptoms of burnout and take a break before you get there. Everyone’s symptoms are different.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Privacy regulation and rights have been changing across the world in recent years. Nearly every business collects some financial information, emails, etc, about their clients and customers. For the benefit of our readers, can you help articulate what the legal requirements are for a business to protect its customers’ and clients’ private information?
Here in the United States, there is no single legislation. It’s a complex web of sector and medium specific laws and regulations from the federal and state level. The easiest way to ensure you’re compliant is to pick a trusted security framework and implement that as part of your policy. As an entity you need to take reasonable measures to protect data, follow a published privacy policy, and provide sufficient security for personal data.
Beyond the legal requirements, is there a prudent ‘best practice’? Should customer information be destroyed at a certain point?
A lot of organizations horde vast amounts of data which they will never use. If you send out an email newsletter, do you really need to keep more than the person’s name and email address? An organization that accepts credit card payment will need to keep detailed records to send to the payment companies. Some organizations are keeping data and analyzing that data for advertising purposes or to gain some kind of competitive advantage.
A small organization should pay close attention to the data they are collecting. They don’t have the resources to protect the data and have increased risk if that data is stolen. I recommend small organizations to store the minimum amount of data they need to offer their services for their customers. The more data or sensitive the data an organization collects, the more due diligence that organization needs to provide to protect the data. They should aggregate the data and delete the original. Aggregating the data allows organizations to keep an accurate count while purging the personal data behind it, lowering the risk to an organization. They should also purge the data periodically. To put a cost to this, one user record is worth $39 — $220 depending on the data that is compromised. PCI and health data are worth more than just an email address.
So adhering to a minimal data collection policy and purging old records will limit your financial risk in the event of a breach.
In the face of this changing landscape, how has your data retention policy evolved over the years?
I used to think we should keep ‘all of the data’ because hard drive space is cheap, to help enable the business. Now I look at data as risk, so we need to change our risk profile on data to help the business make money while mitigating risk.
Are you able to tell our readers a bit about your specific policies about data retention? How do you store data? What type of data is stored or is not? Is there a length to how long data is stored?
Some organizations need to keep data for a specific period of time for operational or regulatory compliance. Those organizations should rotate the stored data to offline storage as soon as they are done actively working with it. Organizations should classify the data and limit access to individuals who need to use that data as part of their day-to-day operations. Data should be stored and transferred securely, i.e. full disk encryption and transfer via secure protocols like HTTPS, using strong encryption methods. If the data is no longer used, delete it, unless there is a regulatory requirement to save it, then rotate the data to offline, secure storage. Once the data is beyond the retention policy, dispose of it in a secure manner.
Limit access to the data by ensuring you use strong and unique usernames and paraphrases (password) for each separate online account you create. Hackers are using credential stuffing techniques. If a data is compromised in a breach, they will retry those usernames and passwords in other services. If you reuse the same username and password across your accounts, the bad guys can hope between account successfully. Using a password manager allows you to memorize one password, but to create unique credentials for each online service you have.
Has any particular legislation related to data privacy, data retention or the like, affected you in recent years? Is there any new or pending legislation that has you worrying about the future?
GDPR is the newest legislation which is turning heads in the industry. GDPR is an updated protection directive. It requires organizations to protect data and privacy for EU citizens. It’s a high standard for all 28 EU member states and was derived due to public outcry for updated privacy standards. Shortly after the EU passed GDPR, California passed their own called the CCPA. States and Federal entities will be close behind GDPR and CCPA in passing their own consumer privacy regulations.
In your opinion have tools matured to help manage data retention practices? Are there any that you’d recommend?
Tools have matured over the past few years. There are leading market data retention and archiving systems whose purpose is to automate your retention policies. The tool you choose is based around your budget, the amount and type of data, and which regulatory compliance framework you need to follow. The goal is to perform a reasonable amount of due diligence. You don’t want to spend millions of dollars on a solution when you have names and email addresses for 100 people on an email list. Try to figure out what the data is worth, then develop a solution that is reasonable.
There have been some recent well publicized cloud outages and major breaches. Have any of these tempered or affected the way you go about your operations or store information?
The cloud is an amazing place, and it is not going anywhere. Security practitioners need to understand and learn how to protect the data in the cloud. It’s a cost-effective solution and it has empowered small organizations to compete with fortune 50 companies. It’s purely a David and Goliath story, if you will. Any data retention policy for an organization who uses the cloud will need to be updated. The security team will need to run checks and balances against the settings to verify that the data is complaint with the policy. No company goes out of their way to set the data storage to be accessible by anyone, yet it happens. Security organizations need to setup templates so turning up services are turned up securely and they need to audit to verify that settings have not changed.
Ok, thank you for all of that. Now let’s talk about how to put all of these ideas into practice. Can you please share “Five Things Every Business Needs To Know In Order Properly Store and Protect Their Customers’ Information?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
Strong & Unique paraphrases for all accounts — In the early days I had a handful of passwords I used. When I noticed one of them was compromised in a breach the attacker was only able to log into my accounts with the same username and password. They only had access to my social media accounts, but this attack is now known as a credential stuffing attack. Using a service like haveibeenpwned to change username/passwords for confirmed breaches and a password manager are crucial steps to protecting data.
Encrypting data in motion and at rest with strong encryption mechanisms — Full hard drive encryption and projects like let’s encrypt are the cornerstone to keeping sensitive data safe. These mechanisms will ensure if data is going across the wire it’s encrypted and if someone walks off with your computer the data can’t be taken. In my pentesting days I plugged my laptop into a financial institution’s network while their systems were performing a backup. It wasn’t encrypted and I was able to pull down everything including account numbers, addresses, and date of birth. Needless to say, this was a major finding.
Keeping your software up to date — Security practitioners will state this until they are blue in the face. Keeping firmware and software up to date are important for organizations. Updates include security fixes and patches to vulnerabilities. You would be surprised at how many organizations have devices with 5+ year old vulnerabilities on them.
Asset inventory — Asset inventory is a way to track everything that your organization uses. It’s an up-to-date list of what devices, software, and versions is used in the day-to-day operations. Keeping this in an up-to-date list is important because if there is a security event that is publicized it’s easier to look at the list to determine if you have an affected device and how you can best protect it from the impact.
Implement Accountability principle — Leadership has to be able to prove they are taking the appropriate measures in protecting data. Policies and procedures need to be written and adhered to, training given to all employees, and plans need to be written up around impact assessments, records management, and finally breach responses. In all of the organizations I have worked with, the organizations where leadership took this responsibility scored better in pentests and assessments.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-) (Think, simple, fast, effective and something everyone can do!)
Vertical Farming — More food with less space, less land, and less water. Also means more food sources are closer to consumption, so less logistics.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Linked-In https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-cash/
Twitter — @vipergts46
This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview! | https://medium.com/authority-magazine/nate-cash-five-things-every-business-needs-to-know-about-storing-and-protecting-their-customers-614abb509667 | ['Jason Remillard'] | 2020-12-30 03:54:28.483000+00:00 | ['Tech'] |
Allow your disability to make you a better leader | I just celebrated my 48th birthday. This is quite a milestone because being born with Cerebral Palsy the odds were not in my favour to reach this age, let alone a professional career in leading change and leading leaders.
Reflecting back on my career of all the late hours I would put in to prove to others and myself that I could make a huge impact. This helped me deliver products to market, gave me the opportunity to fail and grow and be an amazing individual contributor because I had enough energy to tackle everything that came my way. Now at 48, I do not have the energy I once had. The need to focus my energy on the right thing and not everything. Needing to put my trust in others to accomplish things.
Be Invisibly present
What Cerebral Palsy and age took from me to limit my impact as an individual contributor has enabled me to develop the traits I need to be a better leader.
Focus. To be selective on what I focus on, instead of focusing on everything.
Courage. To trust my team can solve problems without my direct involvement.
Openness. To be open about my weaknesses so they can supplement with their strength. This develops team openness where we can supplement each other’s weakness.
Respect. The respect that no one can do it all and respect people for their weakness as well as their strength.
Commitment. Commitment to each other to achieve things together.
Courage. The courage to either ask for help or to offer help. None of us are smarter or stronger than all of us.
Everyone has a disability, some are just more visible than others.
I would like to leave you with two things:
Create a list of all your weaknesses that your people on your team can compensate for. This serves as a good starting point to release control and allow autonomy to happen. Learn to be invisibly present. Learn to support your team without needing to be a direct presence.
Every keystroke is precious so I will end here.
Lead how you would like to be led.
Dave
www.davedame.com
LinkedIn Profile | https://medium.com/dave-dame/allow-your-disability-to-make-you-a-better-leader-caf361ebf8d9 | ['Dave Dame'] | 2019-02-04 18:53:37.988000+00:00 | ['Leadership Deve', 'Empowerment', 'Disability', 'Leadership'] |
Suicides : Committed or UNCommitted | Suicides : Committed or UNCommitted
Introduction:
Suicides are on rise even with the greater advancement in every aspect of life .We have now in our hands the device with which we can communicate not only with people sitting in our town but also can communicate with people who is sitting in the another corner of the world.
There are numerous factors which has led to suicides in India and the number of cases are uneven across the states. Reasons behind committing Suicides by the people in India are numerous , some of them are Failure in Examination, Poverty, Physical Abuse, Professional Problem and Ideological Causes etc. which varies across Gender, Age Group and causes as mentioned in the data.
Insights to the Analysis Done:
I: State in India having maximum suicides reported -
You will be shocked to see that the state with one of the largest areas and also rich resources wise, which is “Maharashtra” has reported with maximum number of suicides cases. Above all , the top 5 states with respect to natural and human development index that are — Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka , also top the suicide charts.
II: Major Cause of Suicide committed by females in India -
Family which is regarded as the emotional support system to its members but how ironical is that the topmost reason for suicides reported was due to the family problems. And also Other prolonged illness and mental illness are the factors of committing suicides.
Causes of Suicides by Females in India(2001–2012)
III: Does the emotional support of partner reduces the rate of suicide -
This picture is also very dismal of the fact that the people who are married committed maximum number of suicides although it is followed by the people who never married , but the difference of number of suicides committed by married people and unmarried people is very much.
Suicides committed by people wrt social status
IV: Status of Children and Elderly -
West Bengal is the state which is not able to provide the support system to the children with the age group of 0–14 years and hence it has witnessed maximum number of suicides in this age group.
State with maximum child (0–14 years) suicides rate
And if we consider the case of Elderly with the age group of 60 years and above then it is the state of Kerala which has witnessed maximum number of suicides. It is very much disturbing to see that the state with excellent parameters with education and medical support system have witnessed this trend.
State with maximum elder people (60 + years ) suicides
V: Does Education help in curbing suicide rate ?
At least we have some data which shows that with imparting more education we can prevent the suicide rate among the people in India. We can see from this graph below that maximum suicides are committed by the people who have acquired only primary education and least suicides are committed by the people which have acquired education of Post graduation and above.
Suicides committed by people having different education background
Conclusion:
There are plenty of takeaways from this analysis which tells us that today we are lacking in providing the emotional support in each other lives and merely physical presence whether family members or partners is not enough specially in today’s world of unbearable stress and competition. Providing education is one of the way to tackle with this problem of suicide but we need to discover other pathways like providing support to people which would enlighten their lives so that they feel empowered not powered. Each state in India possess unique challenges hence in order to lower suicide rate the unique challenges must be met both in terms of policy making and implementations | https://medium.com/@bhrigu-parashar16/suicides-committed-or-uncommitted-691fbb93157c | ['Bhrigu Parashar'] | 2020-12-19 11:13:13.449000+00:00 | ['Suicide', 'Status Of Women Suicides', 'Suicides In Indian States', 'Suicides In India'] |
Stories to Keep Everyone Engaged While apart | At Once, we want to change the way businesses connect with their audience using the power of stories-on-the web. But the recent crisis and shift to remote working raised some questions. All company events, (team building, talks, conferences…) that relied on our stories for announcement and organization were suddenly cancelled. So this got us thinking, how could we quickly adapt to this unforeseen situation?
At first concerned, we quickly realized that remote working could unlock new value in Once, strengthening the way teammates communicate with one another. In the same way companies have flocked to Zoom for videoconferencing, Notion for documenting, and Slack for instant messaging, they can now turn to Once for visual storytelling.
Once stories are particularly suited to remote working. They’re designed for two-way communication. When a teammate opens a story, it starts a dialogue. Once stories are visual. They add context and warmth to plain text. And they’re also short and impactful which makes consuming content easy and fun.
In short, stories are a unique way to keep teams engaged and connected. That’s been the consensus at eFounders, the Paris-based startup studio. Their team has been making the most out of Once stories to communicate during the lockdown. We asked Solène, Office Manager at eFounders, to share how they have leveraged Once stories during remote working. Here’s her response.
Checking the team’s engagement
To gauge our team’s engagement and morale, we send out a Once story (check it out here!) on our confinement dedicated Slack channel. The goal here is to assess how everyone’s week went and to suggest ideas on how we can do better in the following weeks.
Submissions are anonymous so everyone can feel free to be transparent about what’s working and not working for them. We’ve been loving the story format, it’s much more relaxed than a traditional survey but still gives us all the data and metrics we need to make sure that we’re accurately evaluating our team’s engagement.
Preview of our story to check on your team morale 💪
Challenging Ourselves
If one thing this lockdown has taught us is that we have some serious Chefs at eFounders. One of the most successful confinement initiatives has been the eFounders Masterchef Challenge.
Every Friday, we announce the cooking theme of next week’s challenge on Slack. It can be as simple as pasta and as advanced as a vegetable in different variations. Who knew you could make 8 different variations out of butternut squash? Yes, 8!
On Wednesday, people get to post their state-of-the-art creations on Slack. And a few days later, the whole team gets to vote using a Once story. The story recaps everyone’s dish with a visual reminder of each dish, and people can cast their votes in the different categories (presentation, originality, relevancy to the theme, etc).
It’s been a great way to keep the team spirits up even though we’re all apart. And we’re definitely all looking forward to tasting some of the goods once the confinement lifts!
Who knew you could make 8 different variations out of butternut squash? Yes, 8!
Team-wide quizzes
To keep the conversation going on our Slack channel, we regularly prepare fun quizzes on Once for the team. Just recently, I created a ‘Guess Who’ story with team member’s baby pictures. Seeing your colleague’s cute baby pictures is definitely one way to stay close!
Ever wanted to know what your team’s latest Netflix binge is? We did. So we’ve asked the team for their Netflix recommendations using a Once story. And to get over the lockdown blues, we’ve asked everyone for their “feel-good” tunes on Once. We then compiled the songs and created a Spotify playlist. Best listened to in the morning, to get you started!
Seeing your colleague’s cute baby pictures is definitely one way to stay close!
Onboarding with care
Joining a team in this environment can be pretty stressful. Not being able to meet your teammates and not knowing when you’ll get to meet them in person is definitely far from ideal. So to add a bit of warmth to the whole onboarding process, we created a Once story to welcome our new teammates. We send it right before their first day to get them excited about joining and it includes a short presentation about eFounders. We also link to our onboarding Trello board where they’ll be able to find all the information they need to have a great first week. | https://medium.com/oncedotapp/stories-to-keep-everyone-engaged-while-apart-fb7fd57646b | ['Svend Court-Payen'] | 2020-04-23 14:39:20.058000+00:00 | ['Team Building', 'Teamwork', 'Remote Working', 'Remote', 'Stories'] |
FYTA: A green thumb for everyone | FYTA: A green thumb for everyone
Meet Claudia, Sylvie and Alexander. With their indoor gardening IoT commerce platform, anyone can grow plants at home, learn more about them, and be part of a community of living room gardeners APX Follow Jul 7 · 3 min read
During the pandemic, many of us spent more time than ever before in our living rooms. A team led by Italian researcher Katia Perini from the University of Genoa has made an exciting observation during this time: people with houseplants have found the contact restriction measures in spring 2020 less stressful. Plants are good for human health, as many studies show. In hospital rooms with plants, for example, patients recover more quickly than in rooms without plants.
Indoor plants do not only look beautiful, but they make our homes more liveable. Indoor gardening is a fulfilling hobby because people are taking care of another living being, strengthening the perception of self-efficacy. And more people in urban areas have a living room rather than a small plot or a garden out front. But the catch is — not everyone has a green thumb. Many people know the feeling when the gardening experience fails to bear fruits — and the most beautiful houseplant degenerates into a sad, withered eyesore in the apartment after just a few days.
FYTA provides data-driven plant care combined with knowledge, inspiration and community
Claudia Nassif, Sylvie Basler and Alexander Schmitt are working to make it possible for everyone to become a successful gardener in the comfort of their own home — with their start-up FYTA, an IoT commerce platform for home gardening. Their platform combines a self-developed state-of-the-art IoT sensor for plants that measures humidity, amongst others, sends the data to the smartphone and is modularly expandable. The mobile app analyzes the data and, with the support of machine learning, helps people take care of their plants, giving them useful tips and bringing together hobby indoor gardeners with a community tool. “Growing a plant indoors is harder than growing it outdoors,” says Sylvie. “FYTA helps to keep the plants alive — and provides knowledge, inspiration and fun with additional features.”
The team of Claudia, Sylvie and Alexander is united by the fact that they themselves are passionate hobby home gardeners. They are convinced that gardening is a fantastic way to experience and get to know nature and believe in the soothing powers of plants. Their mission: they want people to be able to experience nature in their everyday lives, even if they don’t have a garden or a green thumb. “It would be wonderful if FYTA could create millions of gardens in people’s homes around the world,” Claudia says.
An economist, a fashion designer and a developer who took the leap for their idea
That’s why the three of them are now bringing their soft spots for data and science, design and technology together at FYTA — and have left their previous career paths to do so. Claudia has worked as an economist for the World Bank all over the world, among others in Afghanistan, Sylvie was a fashion designer and brand strategist in an upper management position of a fashion corporation, and Alexander is a full-stack developer who worked as a sales expert for hardware and software companies before joining FYTA. Following their founding in 2018, 25 people now work at FYTA.
They plan to launch their product in time for the next indoor gardening season in the fall of 2021 — and APX is helping them to get there. “The great thing about APX for us is that it’s just a very large pool of knowledge,” Alexander says. “Young people, experienced founders, and a super diverse environment keep giving us exciting input from different areas that helps us and our plants to grow.”
Follow FYTA’s journey on Instagram, LinkedIn or explore their website. | https://medium.com/apxberlin/fyta-3cfab8782a1c | [] | 2021-07-07 13:09:21.946000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Gardening', 'Plants', 'IoT', 'Life'] |
The Most Feature-Rich ML Forecasting Methods Available: Compliments of RemixAutoML | Breakdown of AutoCatBoostCARMA()
This is my go-to method. The main difference between the CatBoost, XGBoost, and H2O versions relate to the ML parameters available for tuning. All functions listed in this blog have working examples in the GitHub README, the R help files (which can be opened in your R session) or the package reference manual.
Five feature aspects of AutoCatBoostCARMA():
Feature engineering Data series enhancements Machine learning parameters Grid tuning parameters Model insights
F eatures Engineering
The function has arguments for specifying the types of feature engineering you’d like generated. Most of your accuracy lift will come from exploring these.
Most ML forecasting methods do not have an option for utilizing moving averages (let alone other rolling statistics) unless they are for single time series models (no grouping variables). I’ve spend a lot of time optimizing the run times for generating those for both the training data creation and more importantly the scoring data which is generated after each update step during forecasting (the features have to be generated after each forecast step, just like an SARIMAX). These features always dominate the variable importance so it’s important to make use of them.
Image by author
Data Series Enhancements
These parameters can be set to alter the underlying data used in the ML training and forecasting output. Time weighting, for example, is especially useful if you are forecasting KPIs from a business unit that modifies their processes from time to time. It will allow the model to pick up on the changes more quickly.
Image by author
Feature Comparison to Neural Prophet
Image by author
ML Parameters
These arguments are the same ones you would see if you were building an ML regression model for regression types of projects using the AutoCatBoostRegression() function from RemixAutoML. CatBoost has plenty more parameters to tweak but I haven’t had the need to add them at this point.
Image by author
Grid Tuning Parameters
I typically don’t run grid tuning on the underlying regression model itself but it can be done and a multi-armed bandit system using randomized probability matching is used on discrete subspaces of the parameters to achieve that. I, however, prefer to grid tune on the out of sample forecast evaluation which is not done internally, and you can see how I set that up in the code at the bottom of this article.
Model Insights
The model insights output is useful for data scientists and ML engineers when it comes to understanding the underlying regression model. Business folks can also benefit from the insights output to help them understand what is going on inside the black box, when you’re trying to get buy-in.
TrainOnFull: When you set this argument to TRUE the regression model is trained and then a forecast is generated. When it’s set to FALSE only the model is trained but get back all the model insight information. I typically run in FALSE mode first to get the model insight info for sanity checking.
The following model insights information is returned. You can also have everything except the validation data saved to file in PDF form by supplying a file path to the PDFOutputPath argument.
Validation data for further analysis (includes model predictions) Regression evaluation plots (box-plot version below) Regression performance metrics on holdout data (R2, MAE, MAPE, RMSE) Variable importance data.table and a formatted bar plot (below) Interaction importance data.table (below) Partial Dependence Calibration Plots and Box Plots (below)
Model calibration box-plot by every 5th percentile of the predicted values range (Image by author)
Variable importance plot (Image by author)
Below are two examples of the partial dependence calibration plots that are generated. You can tell the system how many plots you want generated by setting the NumParDepPlots argument to a specific value.
Example of one of the partial dependence box-plots. GroupVar is the interaction of the categorical variables. (Image by author)
Partial dependence calibration plot for categorical variables (Image by author)
Pairwise interaction importance is a new offering from the CatBoost team. | https://towardsdatascience.com/the-most-feature-rich-ml-forecasting-methods-available-compliments-of-remixautoml-61b53daf42e6 | ['Adrian Antico'] | 2020-12-31 00:55:49.132000+00:00 | ['Catboost', 'Feature Engineering', 'Forecasting', 'Machine Learning', 'Optimization'] |
WINDOW 10 WILL BE RETIRED IN 2025 | Microsoft says it will quit supporting Windows 10 out of 2025, as it gets ready to disclose a significant patch up of its Windows working framework not long from now.
When Windows 10 was dispatched, Microsoft said it was planned to be the final form of the working framework.
Be that as it may, from 14 October 2025, there will be no new updates or security fixes for either the Home or Pro forms.
Also, Microsoft says its replacement will address one of the “main updates” to the OS in the previous decade. Windows 7 was designed in 2020, even though organizations could pay Microsoft to keep getting refreshes for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise.
Windows 10 was delivered in July 2015 and named “Windows as an assistance,” which implied the product was step by step refreshed at no additional charge, as opposed to the organization delivering another rendition of its OS like clockwork.
At that point, CEO Satya Nadella said it denoted “another period” for individualized computing. Designer evangelist and Microsoft worker Jerry Nixon went further, describing it as “the last form of Windows.” Also, Mr. Nadella added he was incredibly “energized” by highlights, for example, advanced individual right hand Cortana, which was planned to rival Apple’s Siri
Yet, Cortana never indeed took off, and in April this year, it was resigned on versatile, zeroing in instead on usefulness help in Windows 10, Outlook and Teams.
Moreover:
A month after Windows 10’s delivery, numerous mainstream webcams quit working, with Microsoft fixing a bug in the manner in which Windows encoded video.
Many clients whined they lost documents and their messages not, at this point adjusted, and complex issues with broken wi-fi associations and printing.
As per purchaser guard dog Which?, a few clients needed to pay for their PC to be fixed, while others said they felt “annoyed” to redesign by the standard cautions.
Mr. Nadella and boss item official Panos Panay will dispatch the new OS at a virtual occasion on 24 June, with Microsoft presently confronting firm rivalry from Apple as well as from Google.
While PC deals rule — 79.4 million sent in 2020, as per Gartner — Google’s option demonstrates mainstream, with 11.7 million Chromebooks, which run on Google’s Chrome OS, dispatching in the equivalent time.
A few reporters propose the new OS will be given a name instead of number 11.
Rebranding bits of gossip to the side will probably incorporate a large group of new highlights, a more contemporary look, and an upgraded Start menu.
A year after its delivery, the French information authority said Windows 10 assembled an over-the-top measure of individual information on clients.
Profitpk
facebook page | https://medium.com/@profitpk/window-10-will-be-retired-in-2025-146fdc48cedb | ['Profit Pk'] | 2021-06-17 11:04:23.263000+00:00 | ['Windows 11', '10', 'Microsoft', 'Window 10', 'Window'] |
“Data Experience”: It’s Getting Personal | Companies can capture significant benefits by using analytics to harness the power of their data, but too often, the benefits get left on the table.
Why are so many companies having the same problem?
Many companies are having trouble using their data to make decisions because the solutions they are working with were not designed for their unique experience when it comes to answering questions with data.
How to identify if your organization is frustrated with its data experience
A bad design frustrates users
Spotting a bad design
A bad design frustrates users. No matter what they are trying to achieve, there’s always a problem, and they can’t quite do what they need to do. The dashboard is too slow, too complicated, or too confusing. We see this scenario so often: dashboards and reports are used once or twice after launch and then never opened again.
Is this because the people who should use them are reluctant to change?
In our experience, it’s mainly because of poor design at the outset. Dashboard design is often approached with bias and a self-oriented perspective. Many times, the dashboard designer fails to understand people’s needs or doesn’t take the time to discover what users are trying to achieve.
Creating the Data Experience
Organizations are trying to base more and more their decisions on data, and many leaders are becoming aware of the strategic value of driving business performance with numbers. We often find that companies need our help capturing this value or even understanding the possibilities. To create value for users, we combine User Experience Design (UX Design) and data analytics in a discipline we call Data Experience (DX).
Analytical dashboards help us see some of the most important elements of an organization. Creating these dashboards is an essential first step for turning information into action. In this article, we explain how we use DX to help our clients succeed.
How Cervello transforms the data experience by making it personal
Understanding the elements of a good DX
Data visualization tools make it easy to create interesting charts and almost any other kind of visual element — so easy, in fact, that trying to include all the latest flashiest features when creating a new analytics project can be a trap. After all, don’t most of us feel great when we get enthusiastic comments after showing off our newest dashboard?
Unfortunately, flashy features is not a good measure of success. Data visualization is about a lot more than using a tool to create pretty charts. Data dashboards need to tell a compelling story that provides value to users. A good DX is also tailored to specific goals and solves the right problem.
Wireframing is the best way to design a dashboard at a structural level
Being user-centered is essential to success
To deliver a successful product, Cervello works in a customer-centric way to ensure users achieve their goals with our solution.
“The user-centered design (UCD) process outlines the phases throughout a design and development life-cycle all while focusing on gaining a deep understanding of who will be using the product.” Source: usability.gov
When we design a product, we keep in mind that we are not the end-user, so we don’t design according to our own preferences. We get to know users to adapt the solution to their needs and avoid making assumptions. By focusing on the user, we create insightful and innovative data solutions that add incredible value.
Before trying to solve a problem with a design, we focus on functionality and utility, asking ourselves the following questions:
Why is this product needed?
What is the problem?/Who has the problem?
What will the solution achieve?
What features are required to accomplish the objective?
How will we solve the problem?
Then, we ask ourselves what the product will look like and how it will function.
Business Focused Design
Our methodology, called Business Focused Design (BFD), builds a foundation of knowledge about the business, its data, and the end-users. Designs are then based on those factors. Our methodology goes beyond technological considerations and puts the end-user at the center of the design process. Our design process incorporates years of experience, diverse perspectives, and user experience standards to produce a tailored outcome.
Business Focused Design framework
DX as service
Our methodology harnesses the power of the organization’s data to gives users the insights they need. Creating a great user experience helps us deliver a return on your investment and can be the differentiator between success and failure.
We have applied BFD across a variety of industries to deliver not only a cutting-edge technical tool but also a high-value business solution. We have delivered BFD in various levels of detail and duration, depending on the size and complexity of the organization and the level of insight required to set business priorities.
Business Focused Design process
The unique power of Cervello
At Cervello, we have a strong team with a wide range of skills. The BFD process is a fusion of expertise from our business and technical teams, with experts in data visualization and UX design. Our 360-degree perspective is new in the industry, and we can solve data problems more efficiently than any traditional data company. Let us know if you think an improved data experience could benefit your organization.
For more information, please contact:
Camille Granai, UX/UI Designer: [email protected] | https://medium.com/cervello-an-a-t-kearney-company/data-experience-its-getting-personal-2dcb4ceeb8b4 | ['Camille Granaï'] | 2020-06-30 19:07:42.792000+00:00 | ['Data Analytics', 'Data Experience', 'Data Visualization', 'UX Design', 'User Centered Design'] |
Notes on ESPN’s “The Last Dance” | The Last Dance, ESPN’s 10-part docuseries on the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990’s ended last night. In the end, as Chicago play-by-play announcer Jim Durham once famously declared: “the Bulls win, they win!”
Directed by Jason Hehir, The Last Dance is a tremendous work, a triumph of non-fiction storytelling and all that goes into it. Juggling numerous personalities and myriad competing interests, the task here was as tall as it gets: how do you tell a story that takes place over the span of almost two decades, features one of the most beloved athletes/personalities of all time, and gives what the Bulls achieved — six championships in eight seasons (one and a half of which Michael Jordan was in retirement for) — the proper gravitas?
For the most part, the documentary succeeds. By weaving together archival footage, new interviews and what at times feels like an extended highlight reel, we get 10 episodes that are, in the end, a real joy to watch. Built around flashbacks, you relive the dynasty as if you were right there. In this, we bear witness to a great march, taking place over many years, leading up to the big dance. It’s the last dance, as Phil Jackson calls it. And that’s maybe where the documentary hits its only snag.
Much was made about how long the behind-the-scenes footage of the 1998 Bulls season sat in storage. There was said to be 500 hours of this stuff, a treasure trove that would only be seen if Michael Jordan agreed to it. The promise of The Last Dance was that, by viewing the footage now, something we had not already known about that famous ‘98 Bulls team would be revealed.
But much of the footage, beautiful though it may be, offers little. The 1998 version of Jordan makes almost no comments, nor do Phil Jackson or Scottie Pippen. Instead, we get Jordan taking the piss out of teammate Scott Burrell, some footage of the locker room and team plane or bus. The best or most interesting moment is Rodman being snuck out of the arena so as to not answer questions from the media about missing a practice during the NBA Finals so he can wrestle. Runner up is the trash talk between Larry Bird and Jordan after the Bulls ousted Bird’s Pacers from the playoffs.
The rest of it, sadly, doesn’t measure up. I don’t believe this was intentional; as stated, the footage is still beautiful. Seeing the grace and tenacity with which Jordan and his Bulls played, you at times watch The Last Dance and believe you are looking at a ballet. In effect, the story is not behind-the-scenes, the story is on the court. And on the court, seeing the players move is like listening to a fine piece of music, the ebbs and flows to a sweet melody, moving as it does to an eventual climax.
But, that’s the game of basketball itself. We know that already. Because we watch basketball. So then there’s all the extra stuff, the behind-the-scenes footage, which you hope can shed some new light into what the Bulls were going through. But in an era where behind-the-scenes footage is almost commonplace, expected even, the level of access promised in The Last Dance doesn’t deliver. It’s possible the footage sat in storage for all those years because, taken together, it didn’t have anything to say.
And there is no doubt that whoever shot the footage tried their best, they got good stuff for what it is, but if there is no additional commentary from the time period — if there is no riff from Michael Jordan about Rodman missing that practice, something like that — the footage is akin to having a bucket of paints but no picture.
Maybe that was the reason Michael Jordan resisted giving his permission to use the footage, too. Because here was an artist who painted his greatest pictures on the court, and it was on the court, in the heat of competition, which told the story. There was nothing behind the scenes or in between the cracks that could get closer to what actually happened, then what actually happened. The games were proof. What else was there to say?
This was the challenge in using the ’98 season as the lens to tell the Bulls story. In 1998, the Bulls beat the Jazz in six games during the 1998 NBA Finals, and while it was competitive, it never felt that there was anything at stake. Not once, watching The Last Dance, do you see the Bulls sweat. The games are close but not that close — even the Game 7 win against The Pacers, only the second Game 7 the Bulls had played since 1992, seemed destined to be. The Bulls won because that’s what they did then — they won.
This dominance was a thing to marvel at, to celebrate. I mean, you might never see a team and a player that good again. But it was also weird, celebrating it. As a fan, you often find yourself rooting for the underdog, because that’s what you are, and that’s likely all you ever will be. In the NBA, Michael Jordan and the Bulls were Goliath. Everyone else was David. But here we were, watching The Last Dance, watching the Bulls in 1998, rooting for Goliath.
And then there is the deeper question, the one the documentary never really plumbs, which is — let’s say that Bulls team is the best team to have ever competed in professional sports; and let’s say that, ahead of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Bill Russell, heck ahead of even Muhammad Ali or Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan is the greatest athlete in the history of sports, period — what did it all mean?
The Last Dance does a wonderful job showcasing Michael Jordan’s hyper-competitiveness, his desire to win at all costs. His commitment is psychopathic, sociopathic, all-consuming. But The Last Dance takes place in 1998. That’s twenty-two years Jordan had to sit back and reflect on the way he played the game. And yet, there is so little of that.
The elephant in the room is: if Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time, what was the engine driving that, the motivation, the spark? Why did winning matter so much? Numerous times in the doc he mentions grudges he held, moments that occurred between him and other players, coaches, organizations, that made it “personal.” Why did it need to be that way? I get the who, the what, the when and the how. But in The Last Dance, said to be a definitive doc on Jordan and the Bulls, you don’t get the why.
And maybe that's alright. A storyteller is at the mercy of their story. You submit to the facts, let them tell the story for you. And maybe, in the end, it wasn’t that deep. Jordan played the game. He wanted to be the best at it. Nothing more, nothing less.
But, it’s more likely that the “why?” is yet to come. That Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and still one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, is not done yet. And all we can do until then is wait. | https://paulcantor.medium.com/notes-on-espns-the-last-dance-5827a06d02ac | ['Paul Cantor'] | 2020-05-18 17:42:08.693000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'The Last Dance', 'ESPN', 'Documentary'] |
We Examined U.K. Flight Data: Here’s Where the British COVID Mutation Might Be | We Examined U.K. Flight Data: Here’s Where the British COVID Mutation Might Be
Original picture from NextStrain
On Saturday, December 19, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that a new strain of the coronavirus emerged in the country in late September, either on September 20th or 21st. According to early data presented by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Advisory Group (NERVTAG), a government committee of experts, the new mutant strain is anywhere from 39% to 93% more transmissible, with the average growth rate based on genomic data being 71% and the 95% confidence interval being 67% — 75%.
The new strain identified in the U.K. is similar to one identified in South Africa (they have have the same mutation at N501Y). However, the South African mutation has emerged independently from the British one according to Dr. Emma Hodcroft, co-developer of NextStrain.
Visualizing the new British (green) and South African (yellow) COVID strain growth (Source: NextStrain)
There is still a lot we do not know about the mutant British strain (the same is true with the South African too). We do not know if the new virus is deadlier or has a shorter incubation period, nor has the 71% increased transmissibility rate (the R0 of the virus) been confirmed.
However, there is a lot we do know. We know that the new mutant strain grew exponentially during the lockdown this fall, we know that vaccines are likely to work, we know that the new strain made up over 60% of new cases in London over the past week (which are up 40% week-over-week), and we know it accounted for “20% of viruses sequenced in Norfolk, 10% in Essex, and 3% in Suffolk.” (For context, the South African strain has accounted for 90% of the second wave cases.)
We also know that the mutated coronavirus from the U.K. spread to the Netherlands at least since early December. The strain has also been detected in Australia, Denmark, and now Italy (Rome, specifically).
Context: COVID first emerged in Wuhan, China around December 1, 2019. By January 24, 2020, the virus had spread to at least Thailand, Japan, South Korea, United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, Vietnam, and Nepal.
In this article, Global Guessing will examine U.K. flight data from London Heathrow to predict where the new coronavirus strain might turn up. Based on our predictions, it is likely the new mutated strain is already in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Note: We are only examining the spread of the British strain, not the South Africa one.
But beforehand, it is important to contextualize the significance of this new COVID strain, because there is a chance that we are about to face a COVID-20 threat greater than COVID-19's.
For best formatting, continue reading at GlobalGuessing:
Contextualizing a +70% R0
As Clay wrote on Medium earlier this weekend, “if this new mutation of COVID-19 is 70% more transmissible-then the pandemic’s home-stretch will be a lot worse.”
An R0 increase of 70% would make the coronavirus pandemic much worse for two reasons:
An increase in the total number of cases An increased likelihood of hospital collapse
The first is fairly straightforward: Based on simple models developed early in the pandemic, a 70% increase in the R0 of the coronavirus (the number of people a single person, on average, will infect) would lead to a 70% increase in the total number of COVID-cases. Although we do not know if the lethality of the new strain is any different, if the case-fatality ratio (CFR) of the new virus were similar to the current strains the number of deaths would also increase by 70%.
Context: Had this new strain been the original, the U.S. would’ve crossed 550,000 deaths yesterday instead of 324,000.
However, the second point is the more worrying. Although developments in therapeutics and better care techniques have decreased the CFR of SARS-CoV-2, the disease caused by COVID-19, we know that as hospital capacity increases so too does the CFR. The increase in lethality is most drastic when the hospital system collapses.
We saw this early in the pandemic, when countries such as Italy, Sweden, Spain, and Iran saw their death-rates soar as their hospital systems collapsed.
Given that hospital systems both in the United States and across Europe are already strained, 70% more cases would likely tip hospital systems past collapse. Should this happen, per Clay’s article on Medium, countries could witness over 8 times the number of deaths until they reach herd immunization from vaccination. This is exactly the fear of an I talian health minister: “The mutation is probably already present in big cities, we risk the collapse of the healthcare system.”
London Heathrow Flight Data
So where is this new COVID-20 strain heading?
Destination of Flights from London Heathrow (Data Source: FlightRadar24)
Examining all out-bound flight data from London Heathrow Airport over the past 2 days-Saturday 12/19 and Sunday 12/20-we can get a sense of where the virus might have spread (data available for download at the end of article).
Over the past two days, there have been 463 flights out of Heathrow. The most common destinations (not including within the U.K.) were:
United States: 56 Flights
Spain: 25
Germany: 24
U.A.E.: 20
France: 18
Context: Over the past two days, there were 17 flights to Italy (where the new strain has been detected).
There were also more than 10 flights (greater than the 9 to the Netherlands, where the new strain also is) to: Switzerland, Portugal, and Ireland.
Moreover, there are 16 more countries that had more 5 or more flights arrive from London Heathrow in the past 2 days (Denmark, which has the strain, received 5 flights in the past 2 days).
Note: We are only examining flight data from the largest international airport in London and only examining data from two days. Australia, which imported the new strain, only received one flight from Heathrow since Saturday. As such, this list is not exhaustive but illustrative. Moreover, we have also increased the time horizon and width of our confidence interval to account for these facts.
Predicting Where COVID-20 Goes
There is a 82.5% chance that at least 4 of following 5 countries identify the new COVID mutation from the U.K. within their borders in the next two weeks: United States; Spain; Germany; United Arab Emirates; and France.
This prediction has an 89% confidence interval of [75%, 90%]. The key factors behind the probability were: The number of flights inbound from London Heathrow in comparison to Italy and each country’s current COVID case count.
There is a 85% chance that at least 3 of the following 5 countries identify the new strain in the next two weeks: India; Switzerland; Portugal; and Ireland.
This prediction has an 89% confidence interval of [75%, 90%]. The key factors behind the probability were: The number of flights inbound from London Heathrow in comparison to the Netherlands and each country’s current COVID case count.
There is a 75% chance that at least 4 of the following 6 countries identify the new strain in the next three weeks: Austria; Qatar; Sweden; Greece; Japan; and South Africa.
This prediction has an 89% confidence interval of [70%, 85%]. The key factors behind the probability were: The number of flights inbound from London Heathrow in comparison to Denmark, each country’s current COVID case count, and the possibility of virus sequencing taking longer in the destination countries.
And there is a 73.5% chance that at least 4 of the following 10 countries identify the new strain within their borders in the next four weeks: Canada; Egypt; Russia; Turkey; Hong Kong; Maldives; Nigeria; Poland; Romania; and Singapore.
This prediction has an 89% confidence interval of [60%, 80%]. The key factors behind the probability were: The number of flights inbound from London Heathrow in comparison to Denmark, each country’s current COVID case count, and the possibility of virus sequencing taking longer or being delayed in the destination countries.
Most Likely Entry Points | https://medium.com/@globalguessing/we-examined-u-k-flight-data-heres-where-the-british-covid-mutation-might-be-d21e57c4aab2 | ['Global Guessing'] | 2020-12-21 18:31:44.961000+00:00 | ['Predictions', 'UK', 'Covid 20', 'Covidmutation', 'Covid 19'] |
Covid0 Blues | Covid Blues
Hi.
It’s been a long time. I’ve come to accept that this is how I function. I don’t want to force myself to pour out my emotions every few days. I stopped expecting things to happen. I’ve stopped forcing things that I know will only disappoint me in the future.
I have been letting things just happen as they were meant to. If I can’t change it, I’m not spending time worrying about it any longer. This is the way I’m coping at the moment. Although I’m having difficulty in not having high expectations of myself, I’m working on it.
To be honest, the past few months every single day feels repetitive. Getting up so late in the day, to do little to no work, and then sleeping in the early morning to do it all over again. It has been tiring. I can’t believe that staying at home can be this exhausting! I feel more tired than when we used to travel to uni for 2 hours back and forth daily.
This is my entry for today. Who knows when I’ll be able to write again. I’ve been working on writing my dissertation while doing bits for my project as well, so that has been keeping me busy and should keep me busy until the next semester starts again…
I guess this is it for now. I’m working on things. I’m working on myself.
’Til the next one,
-S | https://medium.com/@dearshine/covid0-blues-68a2de9eea9a | [] | 2020-12-22 05:08:29.878000+00:00 | ['Personal', 'Covid', 'Journal', 'Mentalhealth', 'Diary'] |
Wet Sheets and Lions Teeth | Wet Sheets and Lions Teeth
Be careful what you drink in France
Congerdesign Pixabay
Although it is still only mid-winter, there are already signs of that most pugnacious of weeds, the dandelion, pushing and shoving other plants aside to get to the light. They are so prevalent in parts of the French countryside that, come the spring, fields will be turned into vast golden arenas that even the most ardent weed hater will be hard-pressed not to admire. After flowering, those same fields will be briefly turned silver-grey before the delicate heads are blown to fluff and carried for miles by the slightest hint of a breeze.
The word dandelion comes from the bastardization of the French ‘dent-de-lion’ which is derived from the teeth like serrations along the edge of the leaves.
Interestingly, the French never use that word and if you do they will look at you with that ‘dumb foreigner’ expression I have grown to know so well over the years.
Instead, the French call the plant ‘pis-en-lis’ which literally means to wet your bed.
StockSnap Pixabay
It would be unnatural for the French, when exposed to such a wealth of plant material, not to find some way to either eat it or drink it. With pis-en-lis they have found ways in which to do both. Dandelion wine is a fortified wine made from the ripe flower heads of the plant. It is very widely consumed here and during spring, when they are at their most abundant, you will regularly see people wandering across the fields filling bags with the yellow treasure.
The flowers are later soaked in fruit alcohol, white wine and sugar for six weeks during which time the jars are stirred regularly. After that, the sieved contents are bottled and then laid down, sometimes for years. It is then served as an aperitif, either chilled or at room temperature, depending on how hot the weather is.
The mixture is quite delicious in managed quantities but if you get a little carried away with your enjoyment you run the risk of having an overnight accident from which the plant draws its local name.
The drink is surprisingly strong and has the ability to creep up on you unexpectedly if you are not careful. (Who’s ever careful after half a dozen glasses of fortified wine?) Although I have yet to have a nocturnal mishap I have been cursed with several thumping hangovers which have made me surprisingly wary. I don’t know how much you would have to drink to actually wet your bed but I suspect it would probably be enough to floor a mule.
As an alternative, there is a non-alcoholic version of the drink but I am not going to bore anyone with that because, like low alcohol beer or decaffeinated coffee it just isn’t the same as the real thing.
To gain further value from this free food source, the French also add the leaves to salads which give a pleasant peppery taste. Alternatively, they can be mixed into omelettes or quiches. Any leftover flower can be made into jelly which is sometimes served as an accompaniment to the local goats cheese.
And you thought it was just a weed. | https://medium.com/one-table-one-world/wet-sheets-and-lions-teeth-1c3d8812e7bf | ['Mike Alexander'] | 2020-02-01 14:57:07.440000+00:00 | ['Culture', 'Food', 'France', 'Wine'] |
FACT: Mercury is covered in hundreds of craters. | Did you know that Mercury is covered in hundreds of craters, making it the most cratered planet in the Solar System? Out of all these craters, the largest one is Caloris Planitia, measuring a whopping 960 miles wide. Another interesting fact in relation to Mercury’s craters is that all of them are named after artists. The craters bear distinguished names like Bach, Beckett, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Goya, Goethe, Horace, Ibsen, Imhotep, Keats, Kuiper, Lennon, Twain, Melville, Milton, Moliere, Mozart, Ovid, Picasso, Poe, Raphael, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Wagner, Yeats, Hemingway, Botticelli, Tolkien, Beethoven, Dali, Bronte, Byron, and Dickens. A very creative planet indeed… | https://medium.com/curious-facts/fact-mercury-is-covered-in-hundreds-of-craters-51427147b77 | ['Jacob Vandersluys'] | 2020-12-30 07:52:09.222000+00:00 | ['Astronomy', 'Education', 'Science', 'Facts'] |
Hoo.com Will List mBTC & uBTC on December 23 | Dear Hoo users,
Hoo will list mBTC/USDT and uBTC/USDT trading pair at 17:00 on December 23, 2020 (UTC+8)
In order to promote the small amount bitcoin solution, as the first trading platform that supports mBTC and uBTC trading, Hoo.com does not support mBTC and uBTC direct deposit and withdrawal for now, if you withdraw you need to swap mBTC and uBTC to BTC in the quick swap page and then withdraw (quick swap does not charge any fee).
Introduction to mBTC & uBTC
mBTC and uBTC are synonyms for bitcoin units, which are more similar to RMB cents, millis, and centi. The units of Bitcoin were planned at the beginning of Bitcoin’s creation.
1 bitcoin (BTC) = 1000 millibitcoins (mBTC) = 1 million microbitcoins (uBTC) = 100 million Satoshi.
Risk Alert: Any digital assets investment is risky. Please evaluate your risk tolerance before getting involved. Your support on Hoo is highly appreciated.
Hoo Community
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Hoo Team
December 23, 2020 | https://medium.com/@Hoo_exchange/hoo-com-will-list-mbtc-ubtc-on-december-23-180d024c3f53 | [] | 2020-12-24 07:41:30.008000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Cryptocurrency News', 'Ubtc', 'Mbtc', 'Bitcoin'] |
12 Ways to Add an Array of Integers in C# — Part 5: All Together Now | Photo by Ruiyang Zhang from Pexels
Way back when I first started this series, I promised a total of 12 ways to add an array of integers in C#. So far I’ve delivered 10 of them (plus a JavaScript version and an F# version). To recap:
Part 1: (1) a simple for loop, (2) a variation of that using goto, and (3) another variation using pointers
Part 2: (4) a foreach loop and (5) using Enumerator explicitly
Part 3: (6) Enumerable.Aggregate and (7) Enumerable.Sum
Part 4: Recursively, using (8) arrays, (9) Linq, and (10) pointers
Where else could there possibly be to go from there? As Vizzini said (right before unwittingly poisoning himself): “I’m just getting started!”
Really, though, I’m not. I’m almost out of ideas. In fact, the next one is so silly it almost doesn’t count. But I’m going to use it to lead to something more interesting, so bear with me.
Reading from a queue
There are two snippets here.
Not even all that interesting, is it? It’s useful in coding interviews (remember that’s where this whole thing started) for discussing extension methods. But otherwise it’s just a more complicated way to do the same thing we did in the very first version.
Worse, it’s actually on the slow side compared to the other methods. And not surprising, because it’s a lot more complex than the others, with no real benefit.
But could this lead to something better? What if, for example, we replaced the Queue<T> with a ConcurrentQueue<T> ? Could we multi-thread this baby and get it running in half the time or less?
Parallel using concurrent queue
Let’s give it a shot.
No problem! We just run take the queuing example from before, split it into four parallel tasks, and watch it burn. The Interlocked.Add there keeps us from messing up on the adding.
So does it actually work? Well, sort of. I can only go by my own laptop, which has two decent cores but isn’t setting any speed records. But from my results so far, this method is catastrophically slow. Like 10X or more slower than the average. To be honest, I’m not really sure exactly why. It’s probably just too much scaffolding for such a little operation as adding one number to another. For a longer-running, more complex operation, this approach might actually work.
So technically that’s our 12 ways. But just in case anybody thought #8 and #9 were basically the same — they sort of were, but at some level almost everything here is a different version of the same thing — or that #11 was too ridiculous to count, here’s one more method, which is actually a bit of an improvement on #12.
Parallel using rectangular array
There’s more than one way to provide thread-safe concurrent access to a list of things.
There’s a lot to this, but to summarize: we take the one-dimensional array and rearrange it into a multi-dimensional array, and then process all of the dimensions in parallel. It’s more complicated than the concurrent queue version, but it’s also vastly better performing. In fact, it’s slightly above average among the other methods. Sadly, it’s nowhere near the fastest, probably because of the setup costs.
Conclusion
So what’s the point of all this? Superficially, it’s a way to spelunk the depths of a potential team member’s knowledge of the C# language, for whatever that’s worth. More importantly, talking through these examples is a way of gauging the breadth and depth of a person’s understanding of how computer programming works. These various methods demonstrate important concepts in software development generally, not just with C#. A person that understands them well is likely to be a positive contributor to your team. A person that is hazy on the concepts but asks good questions and shows a real interest is in a good position to learn and grow.
To recap, here’s the complete list:
(1) for loop: the most commonly understood and among the fastest
(2) goto : about as fast as for , not really any faster, and way more confusing
(3) pointers: pretty fast, but not the fastest; no good reason to do it
(4) foreach : another common solution, almost as fast as for
(5) Enumerator : same basic idea as foreach , but more complicated and not any faster
(6) Enumerable.Aggregate : a great way to do it in JavaScript (reduce), but not so good in C#; one of the slower methods
(7) Enumerable.Sum : Not quite the fastest, but pretty close, and by far the simplest. Sometimes fails on larger data sets.
(8) Recursive with arrays: a good idea in F# due to tail call optimization, but not in C#; stack overflow on larger data sets, fair performance on smaller data sets
(9) Recursive with Linq: same drawbacks as recursive with arrays, worse performance
(10) Recursive with pointers: surprisingly good performance, but still fails on large data sets
(11a) Queue: needlessly complex and below-average performance
(11b) Concurrent queue: surprisingly abysmal performance
(12) Rectangular array: only about average performance, for a lot more complexity
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. You’d never do most of the stuff I’ve described here, but hopefully there are some techniques in here that you’ll find helpful for more appropriate applications.
Any other suggestions? I’d love to hear your comments. | https://medium.com/dev-genius/12-ways-to-add-an-array-of-integers-in-c-part-5-all-together-now-e45323a86610 | ['Michael Gant'] | 2020-12-11 21:07:52.382000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Software Development', 'Programming', 'Csharp'] |
How Mass Incarceration Became a Poverty Trap | Rebecca talks to the Brennan Center’s Ames Grawert & Terry Ann Craigie about their research finding the annual earnings loss by Americans with criminal conviction records now totals $372 billion per year — further entrenching poverty and the racial divide. Subscribe to Off-Kilter on iTunes.
“America is approaching a breaking point. For more than four decades, economic inequality has risen inexorably, stunting productivity, weakening our democracy, and leaving tens of millions struggling to get by in the world’s most prosperous country. The crises that have rocked the United States since the spring — the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting mass unemployment, and a nationwide uprising for racial justice — have made the inequities plaguing American society more glaring than ever.
This year’s intertwined emergencies have also driven home a reality that some would rather ignore: that the growing gap between rich and poor is a result not just of the market’s invisible hand but of a set of deeply misguided policy choices. Among them… is our entrenched system of mass incarceration.”
So writes Joseph Stieglitz in a foreword to a recent report released by the Brennan Center that provides critical new analysis showing the extent to which America’s failed experiment with mass incarceration and over-criminalization has served to dramatically worsen income inequality in the U.S. — while also deepening already glaring racial disparities, such as the massive racial wealth gap.
Among the report’s harrowing findings: people who spend time in prison see their lifetime earnings cut in half — and the annual earnings loss by Americans with criminal conviction records is $372 billion per year.
This week’s guests:
Ames Grawert , Senior Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program (@amescg)
, Senior Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program (@amescg) Terry Ann Craigie, Economics Fellow in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, and associate professor of economics at Connecticut College
For more on all this:
TRANSCRIPT:
♪ I work and get paid like minimum wage
Sights to hit the clock by the end of the day
Hot from downtown into the hood where I slave
The only place I can afford ’cause my block ain’t safe
I spend most of my time working, tryna bring in the dough…. ♪
REBECCA VALLAS (HOST): Welcome to Off-Kilter, the show about poverty, inequality, and everything they intersect with, powered by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. I’m Rebecca Vallas.
“America is approaching a breaking point. For more than four decades, economic inequality has risen inexorably, stunting productivity, weakening our democracy, and leaving tens of millions struggling to get by in the world’s most prosperous country. The crises that have rocked the United States since the spring — the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting mass unemployment, and a nationwide uprising for racial justice — have made the inequities plaguing American society more glaring than ever. This year’s intertwined emergencies have also driven home a reality that some would rather ignore: that the growing gap between rich and poor is a result not just of the market’s invisible hand, but of a set of deeply misguided policy choices. Among them, this groundbreaking report reveals, is our entrenched system of mass incarceration.”.
I’m quoting here from Professor Joseph Stiglitz in a foreword to a recent report released by the Brennan Center that provides critical new analysis showing the extent to which America’s failed experiment with mass incarceration and over-criminalization has served to dramatically worsen income inequality in the U.S., while also deepening already glaring racial disparities, such as the massive racial wealth gap. Among the report’s harrowing findings, people who spend time in prison see their lifetime earnings cut in half, and the annual earnings lost by Americans with criminal conviction records is now $372 billion with a B per year. The report is called Conviction, Imprisonment, and Lost Earnings: How Involvement with the Criminal Justice System Deepens Inequality. And I’m excited to be joined by two of its authors.
Ames Grawert is Senior Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program. He leads the program’s quantitative research team, focusing on trends in crime and policing and the collateral costs of mass incarceration. And Terry-Ann Craigie is the Economics Fellow in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program. She works to document the broader economic and social costs of mass incarceration and is also an Associate Professor of Economics at Connecticut College. Ames, Terry-Ann, thank you so much to you both for making time to come on the show in such a busy moment. And congratulations on this phenomenally important and timely report.
TERRY-ANN CRAIGIE: Thank you, Rebecca.
AMES GRAWERT: Thank you. It’s such a pleasure to be here.
VALLAS: Well, and I say timely, of course, as COVID economic relief talks resume in Washington, although we’ll see to what end this time around. And timely, of course, as the transition to a Biden/Harris administration moves forward — words that feel good to say every single time we get to say them — with addressing inequality, and in particular, racial inequality, high on the President-elect and VP-elect’s promised priority list. So, just to get right into it, because there’s a lot to talk about here, I want to just sort of say (we were talking a little bit about this off air) a big part of why this report struck me and why I really wanted to have you both on the pod at this kind of a moment is because of how often economic policy and criminal justice policy are treated as entirely separate conversations. A lot of my own research and policy work over the years has been at this intersection, so obviously, I have something of a bias here. But I also think I’m right when I say that criminal justice policy is economic policy and vice versa. Or put differently, sometimes I’ve said it as a criminal record is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. And your report is just an incredibly important contribution to really the literature that makes this point.
So, I’d really love to start with you, Terry-Ann, and give you an opportunity to talk about some of the chief findings in this report. I noted in my opening that some of what you do is to actually put numbers to the long-term impact of criminal justice involvement on a person’s future economic chances. Talk a little bit about what you guys found there.
CRAIGIE: So, you make a great point there, Rebecca. To start us off, let’s think about the fact that having a criminal record is really like a death sentence when it comes to the labor market in many ways. We know that having a criminal record also presents a roadblock to education, housing, public assistance, civic participation as well. But it’s chiefly, these collateral consequences, are chiefly found in the labor market. And what our report set out to do is investigate how a criminal record might affect labor market outcomes, primarily earnings. And the report has to be meaningful, right?
What we wanted to do, we wanted to calculate the number of Americans alive who’ve had a misdemeanor, a felony, or who have been imprisoned. Next, we wanted to figure out what that impact would be. So, what is the impact of a criminal record such as this on earnings measured on annual and lifetime bases? And then we would calculate the total economic losses from these events. And what our study confirmed is that a criminal record, regardless of the spectrum, whether it’s as small as simple assault or petty theft to a long time spent behind bars via imprisonment, the impact on earnings is pretty astronomical.
So, just to give you some numbers, what we find is that there are close to 70 million Americans alive who’ve been either imprisoned, who’ve had a misdemeanor, or who’ve had a felony. And what we find for this particular population is that either a conviction or imprisonment will lower your earnings significantly. So, if you’ve been imprisoned, your earnings will be cut by half on an annual basis. But over the course of a 30-year career, you’re bound to lose about a half a million dollars in earnings. And further, what we find is that even a misdemeanor or a felony, if you’ve never been imprisoned, your annual earnings are going to be cut by 16 to 22 percent. And over the course of a 30-year career, you’re going to lose about $100,000 on average. And so, when we aggregate these numbers, it accounts for $372 billion. That’s with a B.
And when we put that in context, it’s about half of GDP per year. You could close the York City poverty gap 60 times over, and you could even give a home to a homeless person worth half a million dollars with money left to spare. And so, these consequences, these economic consequences from either a conviction or imprisonment are pretty large, and they seem to be quite perpetual.
VALLAS: Well, and I want to jump in there and just note that part of, I think, what’s so stark about these findings, right, is it’s been, I think, pretty well appreciated — it hasn’t always been appreciated — but in recent years, it has been increasingly well appreciated that having a criminal record can be a significant barrier to employment. And that’s something we talk a lot about on the show, in particular because of my interest in these issues. But you all have really taken that concept many steps further because it isn’t just about, OK, while people face barriers to employment, they might not get callbacks, they might not get the job, people are at some point going to, in the lifetime they have after being released from prison or if they’ve never done time behind bars but have a conviction that’s following them, going to find some way to support themselves. And very infrequently do I find that the conversation ends up being, well, what is going to be the impact on their earnings once they are lucky enough to find a job at some point, if they are?
So, draw out the earnings/losses just a little bit further for me, given that you really broke this down in really rich ways. You looked at different types of records that people have who did time behind bars and who didn’t. There’s a lot there. But help us understand really the significance of the findings when you zoom out and kind of recognize what it is that we’re talking about when you think about the tremendous scale here.
CRAIGIE: Right. You’re absolutely right, Rebecca. I mean, it is a tremendous scale. Our report really dissected or dissolved what criminal justice involvement looks like. So, again, we separate those who’ve had a misdemeanor but who’ve never been imprisoned. We also look at those with felonies who have never been imprisoned, and then we look at those who’ve been imprisoned separately. And even if you’ve never been imprisoned, a conviction of any spectrum, whether it’s a misdemeanor or a felony, is going to cost you on an annual or lifetime basis. If you have a misdemeanor, your annual earnings are going to fall by 16 percent. If you have a felony, but you’ve never been imprisoned, your earnings are going to fall. Your annual earnings are going to fall by 22 percent. And over a lifetime, this accounts for about $100,000 in earnings over a 30-year career.
And we further dissect this by race. And what we find is that by the end of a career, someone who’s Black and without a criminal record actually does worse than somebody who’s white with a criminal record! And so, we see that the consequences or the stigma attached to a criminal record is not uniform across racial ethnic groups, and it tends to be more devastating for Black and brown people.
VALLAS: And I want to dig in on that more, and Ames, I want to bring you in as well. That was really another major finding of the report. Actually, there’s a few different findings that are all worth spending time with when it comes to the racial implications here, right? On the one hand, you find that mass incarceration and over-criminalization, really, we should say — because it isn’t just about people who have been behind bars, to restate that — they haven’t just become major drivers of poverty and of inequality. They’ve also played a huge role in exacerbating and perpetuating racial inequality, and in particular, racial income disparities and the racial wealth gap. But you also note that you really got to keep in mind, as you think about the intersection of the stigma that comes with a criminal record and the racial disparities that a criminal record can exacerbate, the baseline racial disparities that we already have are so great that a white person with a record, as you just said, is going to earn more, on average over their lifetime, than a Black person who does not have a record. Which, of course, parallels other work, including by greats like Devah Pager who’ve looked at this in other contexts. But I’d love to hear you, Ames, as we bring you in a little bit here, talk a little bit about how your report finds that mass incarceration and over-criminalization have themselves exacerbated existing racial disparities.
GRAWERT: Absolutely, and thanks so much for having me, Rebecca. It’s a real pleasure to be here. Devah Pager and some of her work is something that was on a lot of our minds when we were working on this report and when we came up with that finding. I think we were all surprised by it. But at another level, we sort of knew to expect that. When we’re dealing with the disadvantage created by the criminal justice system, none of that exists independent of racism and racial injustice in this country. So, even if you strip away all the problems caused by mass incarceration, there’s still a baseline level of disadvantage that’s being perpetuated against people of color. And I think that’s what that finding that you referred to really shows: that if we have someone who’s Black with no record, who at the end of a career is still earning less than someone who’s white with a record, that suggests that if you could snap your fingers and disappear the criminal justice system from that picture, you’d still be operating with a profoundly unjust society. Look, there’s something else going on. I think that was a really sobering thing to expose.
Going into this report, we also sort of wondered. I don’t think we had any preconception about this, about whether you’d see the effect of a criminal record or a prison record dissipate over time. I mean, I think we hoped the answer was yes, that as life goes on, it becomes less and less salient in your job prospects and career. But what our findings really suggest is that that conviction or imprisonment event sort of knocks you on to a completely different trajectory, which is a really sobering and upsetting thing to think about. That you can’t really get back on that track beforehand, that a second chance might not be real.
And Terry-Ann alluded to this too, but we found that to be much more so for Black men and women. In our sample, it seemed like people who were white or Latino seemed to sort of recover a bit of their income trajectory. That never really happened for Black men and women in the sample, which is really sobering and tees up exactly what you’re saying, that what we’re seeing is mass incarceration help tee up and perpetuate cycles of poverty. You become justice-involved because you’re poor. You’re poor because you’re justice-involved and on and on and on. Yeah, it was a sobering report to work on, to say the least.
VALLAS: Well, and in some ways, right, you’re raising a couple of different buckets of issues. And on the one hand, not everyone starting from the same starting line, right? And so, when you add a criminal record onto existing either disadvantage or privilege, right, you see that intersection there. But on the other hand, and I think this is just such an important takeaway from your report — obviously, again, adding to a really important literature, not the first time that we’ve seen this, but the most recent, and I think largest-scale report that I have seen that underscores this point — and that is that a criminal record follows someone for life. This is not just a problem that someone faces when they are immediately quote “returning” to society or in the period following finishing their sentence, if they don’t end up behind bars. This is something that follows someone for life and has dramatic economic implications for an individual, for a family.
I want to just sort of do the public service announcement reminder, even though your report doesn’t get into this, that this is families, too, who get impacted. Some work that CAP did a number of years ago on related issues found that nearly half of American kids have at least one parent with a criminal record, and that that can dramatically impact family economic security and kids’ long-term chances here. So, this lifelong implication, as you put it, Terry-Ann, a death sentence for someone’s employment chances or their economic potential, I think that really sums it up incredibly well.
So, I want to bring the significance of the report into kind of the present day conversations that are happening in Washington, in halls of power across the country. To do that, I want to refer back to Joseph Stiglitz, who I quoted before, quoted his foreword in the opening, and I mentioned this up top as well. And that is that given how many people’s lives have now been impacted by America’s failed experiment — I think we can all call it a failed experiment — with mass incarceration and over-criminalization, the individual earnings losses that you guys are talking about and that we up till now have been talking about on mostly an individual basis and a family basis, they add up to immense macroeconomic implications that we as a nation can’t afford to ignore either even if we didn’t care about the individual people who are having their lives destroyed economically as the aftermath of involvement with the criminal justice system.
And this is a big part of why I wanted to have this conversation about a report that you guys put out actually in September now, in this current moment. Because we’ve got leaders in Washington resuming COVID relief talks. Most of the focus is on more traditional economic policy solutions, many of which I should note, like unemployment insurance and the expiring federal eviction moratorium, have to be at the top of the list as Congress hopefully gets something done. But your report is just such a clarion call to policymakers to remember that criminal justice reform is also an economic issue and has to be understood as such, particularly at times of economic downturn, or else we risk — to be really concrete about it — leaving behind one in three American adults in an unintentionally exclusive recovery, and then longer term, relegating them to a permanent underclass that’s serving out life sentences to poverty that no judge ever handed down!
Ames, staying with you for just a moment, talk to me about the significance of these research findings in the context of the current downturn spurred by the pandemic and what your hoping that leaders in Washington take from it as they continue to debate needed relief.
GRAWERT: Absolutely. Yeah, it’s really funny. I think this paper did wind up coming at precisely the right time, but almost by accident. We spent a long time developing this paper, and it originally, the original focus was on the macroeconomic costs. We wanted to see if you add up all the dollars that go unearned from unemployment and underemployment related to criminal justice involvement, would that be a big number? And would it be something that would grab people’s attention at a macroeconomic level? The answer turns out to be yes. [chuckles] As Terry-Ann pointed out, the answer is definitely yes. But that was sort of not the full story that we found. We found the full story was more personal, that, as you say, these are people who are being set up for a permanent sentence of poverty. So, I think people are sort of coming to a point where they’re ready to hear that, which has been a welcome thing to see.
I actually saw Senator Schumer gave an interview early last month saying, and I want to find a quote because the quote is actually just really interesting. He says, quote, “Criminal justice reform is another economic issue. If you have a small conviction for a minor crime, you can never get a good job.” That’s not something I would’ve expected to hear from a United States senator a couple months or even a year ago. But to hear a leading Democrat say that and to say it in the context of what he envisions his work with President-elect Biden will be is really exciting. It’s exciting in the sense that this is a problem whose time might finally have come to be talking about it as a solvable problem. So, I’m hopeful that it means that when we get to talking about real recovery, real measures to fight inequality, we won’t leave the justice-involved community behind. And you’re entirely correct to talk about the effect on families as well. I know Terry-Ann’s done some research on that, too.
CRAIGIE: And just to follow up with Ames’s point that was brilliantly put, by the way, yes, incarceration has far-reaching effects, not just the individual. There is an extensive literature, including my own, confirming that incarceration, especially of fathers, has adverse effects on children’s outcomes, such as their cognitive development, behavioral problems, food security, as well as future justice involvement. But to speak to Senator Schumer’s point more directly, he is indeed correct that having a minor conviction makes it difficult for you to find a job. Unemployment and underemployment are two of the most common collateral consequences associated with a criminal record. Still, I think that criminal justice reform as an economic issue runs far deeper than that. We really need to think about reforms both from the ex-ante and ex-post positions. Now, when I say ex-ante here, I mean we need to do more on preventing justice involvement in the first place along with their far-reaching precautions before they happen. Now, for the population most at risk for justice involvement, educational and economic opportunities and future economic prospects are usually pretty grim, and in my view, mean key factors leading to justice involvement.
Further, the lack of economic self-sufficiency influences carceral outcomes in other ways, specifically through the inequities already embedded within the criminal justice system. Now, the poor and disadvantaged typically have representation by public defenders, for example. And they often encourage them to take plea deals whether they’re guilty or not, which basically secures them a spot behind bars. And so, living in areas with over-policing or rampant racialized policing as well ensure that Black and brown people will be disproportionately represented behind bars. And so, we do need to do a lot more to improve the economic outlook and economic justice for at-risk populations on the front end, so we won’t be left trying to fix the hefty collateral consequences such as joblessness ex-post or on the back end.
VALLAS: It’s also, and I feel like you’ve both really sort of touched on this, but it’s worth really drawing out as its own point as well, the fact that it sort of sets up a feedback loop, right? That you’ve got poverty actually being itself a driver and a cause of criminal justice involvement. And then you have criminal justice involvement itself being a poverty trap that can then result in further criminal justice involvement, for lack of any sort of other way to get a foothold. And so, this sort of, I’m actually struck thinking about a survey, some survey data that I was looking at just the other day from The Marshall Project that was just absolutely harrowing. They had gone, it was the second round of survey data I’d seen from this project, which is really, really significant. Because the people they’re serving are actually people who are behind bars who almost never get actually asked for their opinions or their qualitative data in surveys. And they were asking kind of the $1 million question, right? Or I guess based on you guys’ research, it would be the $372 billion question, which is what could have prevented you from ending up behind bars in the first place? And the top three answers — and this just like should be absolutely soul crushing to anyone listening — were number one, a living wage, number two, therapy, and number three, affordable housing, right?
And so, the takeaway, of course, is that here we are, as a society, effectively choosing to warehouse people, largely low-income people, largely Black and brown people, disabled people behind bars in numbers that eclipse anything else that any other country around the world sees fit to do, rather than provide affordable housing and ensure a living wage and ensure that we have universal, affordable healthcare that also involves mental health services. I mean, and on and on. So, back to the kind of the other directionality, right, of economic policy also intersecting with criminal justice policy.
And Ames, I want to go back to you as we sort of dig in more deeply then on the policy agenda that flows from this. As I think Terry-Ann was just putting it, the policy take aways sort of fall into a couple of different buckets. There’s the front-end piece of needing to prevent people from ending up behind bars and/or with a conviction in the first place to prevent them from falling into that poverty trap, among many other things. But we also need relief on the back end for the 70+ million people who already have criminal records that are preventing them from securing anything resembling gainful employment that could allow them to get ahead and close those racial gaps. Talk to me about the policy agenda that you feel that this research speaks to. We’ll start at the federal level. I know there’s a lot we can get into at the state and local level as well.
GRAWERT: Absolutely. Yeah, I also want to plug we worked on this project with the Robin Hood Foundation. There’s a group in New York that’s aimed squarely at funding efforts to eradicate poverty in New York City. And Wes Moore, who leads Robin Hood, just released a book over the summer called [00:26:41]Five [0.0s] Days, talking about Baltimore and the Baltimore uprising in 2015. In his prelude, I just think it’s a great vignette that shows exactly what you and what Terry-Ann were talking about. His prelude to the book talks about Freddie Gray, but about Freddie Gray’s life: how the incredible level of poverty is something that I think few of us can really understand that he was born into and the effect that had on his life. Like the high concentration of lead in the house that he was born into affecting brain development. And I don’t think we’ve truly reckoned with the way, you know, talk a lot about equality of opportunity, but I don’t think we’ve truly reckoned with the degree to which we don’t provide equality of opportunity to people. And that really, it’s really staggering. And I think it does set people up on a trajectory that a society more committed to dignity could help them escape from.
So, policies! [chuckles] I think one big one, and one thing that I know you have an interest in. I know you were just speaking with Josh Hoe, who’s one of my Twitter friends as well about, is sealing expungement. What we show is that these conviction records never really go away. But that’s a policy choice. You can make them go away. There are laws that can be written that would allow people to move past a minor criminal record or a more serious criminal record if we were willing to be a little more bold about it. So, I know there was pending in Congress a federal version of the Clean Slate Act that would allow people to seal minor criminal records and let them move past it so they don’t have to acknowledge that record in future applications. That’s a real step in the right direction. And there’s, I can’t remember if you mentioned this in that episode with Josh, but there’s been some promising research showing that in the year after a record is sealed, it actually does lead to some promising wage growth for people who receive that benefit. I think that’s really promising and worth exploring, especially at the state and local level, but at the federal level, to be sure as well.
Another thing that’s really dear to my heart is prison education. A lesser-known aspect of the 1994 crime bill that was litigated so extensively over this past presidential election cycle essentially made it impossible for people who are behind bars of a federal or state prison to receive Pell Grants. And the effect on what was then a burgeoning field of post-secondary education behind bars was nothing short of cataclysmic. The data on the number of providers who had to essentially close up shop because their students could no longer afford to participate is really staggering. So, what’s happened since then is that prison education came close to vanishing from prisons for a little bit, then adapted considerably to new funding models, but funding models that are sort of less stable. So, that means that, especially if we’re talking about a population of people who might have other disadvantages, might never have had a chance to get a good education, if those people behind bars now are hoping to get an education and turn their life around, it’s that much harder for them today.
Restoring Pell Grant eligibility would be just the simplest thing in the world, especially if we’re talking about the harms created by the ’94 crime bill. And it seems both Republicans and Democrats are having that conversation. I’ve seen, you know, I’ve talked to some of the best providers in the field about this. They think it would really turn the ship around. It would have a huge, almost waterfall, effect on their ability to provide services to people in prisons.
And something that’s been really fascinating to me — this is actually a really popular idea with both Republicans and Democrats. It’s just a good idea — [chuckles] I actually, I worked with Gerard Robinson, Stan Veuger, who also was a peer reviewer on our report, and some people at the American Enterprise Institute, generally regarded as a somewhat right-of-center think tank, on a book about prison education. And one of the sort of sub-currents of the book was we should really restore Pell eligibility. So, I think if…. You know, it’s hard to move anything in Congress, but there’s such a huge coalition behind Pell restoration. And I think it wouldn’t negate the damage that we identified, the damage of time in prison, but it would blunt that effect. And that sort of harm reduction is, I think, it’s not nothing. I think it’s really worth doing.
VALLAS: I don’t want to put you on the spot to look in a crystal ball that is incredibly cloudy until at least January 5th, possibly a little bit after that — assuming it will take a minute to know exactly what has transpired. Of course, I’m referring to the date on which we’re going to see some really important Senate runoff elections take place in Georgia that will help us understand, we think, who controls the Senate — what do you see as prospects right now for criminal justice reform conversations, but also in particular, the bipartisanship you were just talking about? It hasn’t just described the outside stakeholders who maybe are strange bedfellows on these kinds of issues. It has also, to some extent, described the energy and momentum we’ve seen in Congress, especially in a time when very little can be agreed on. But even in the incredibly polarized Congress that we’re apparently still living through for just a little while longer, criminal justice reform has been one of those kind of rare bipartisan issues that has seen traction despite the polarity. Most recently, we saw the First Step Act where some incremental progress was made at the federal level.
Rather than just putting you on the spot to say, where do you think criminal justice reform is headed in the next conversation and under a Biden/Harris administration, where we may have a little bit greater clarity, I think I’ll phrase the question a little more generously and ask you, where would you like to see criminal justice reform conversations headed in a new Congress now that we have a Biden/Harris administration coming in? And do you see — you referenced that terrific Chuck Schumer quote before about criminal justice being an economic issue — do you see increasing understanding in Washington of the interconnectedness between reckoning with mass incarceration and what a huge swath of our population we’ve saddled with criminal records at this point, and the economic and racial divides that are currently being put on steroids by the ongoing downturn that was triggered by the pandemic?
GRAWERT: Yeah, it’s a really complicated issue. I have to say too, I grew up in Atlanta, so I am just fascinated to see all this attention on my home city. [laughs]
VALLAS: I didn’t know that you did, because I did, too. That is so weird.
GRAWERT: Oh, really?! We’ll have to talk about it. [laughs]
VALLAS: All right. On the list for after we stop taping.
GRAWERT: Exactly. Yeah, it’s fascinating. But so, one thing that my colleagues and I have talked about for years — and we’re hardly the only people talking about it. And this is something that could happen regardless of what happens on January 5th — is clemency reform. There’s been, especially in the past few weeks, some really sobering and disturbing news about how the pardon power has been used or how it’s alleged to have been used by this president. Obviously, he’s done some limited good things with it as well, like the clemency for Alice Marie Johnson, who’s an incredible advocate in her own right. But so, the antidote to a bad use of the clemency power, in my mind, is not let’s curtail the clemency power. The antidote is good use of the clemency power to restore public faith in that as an important tool in a criminal justice system that has some semblance of belief in mercy.
So, what the Brennan Center has been talking about for years is really, we advocate for a proposal that Professor Rachel Barkow and Professor Mark Osler have been championing forever, the idea of which is to strip DOJ of its sort of veto point over the clemency process. I think Mark Osler would say DOJ has like seven different points where they can veto a clemency petition. But instead, centralize the power more in the person of the president. So, the idea is that you would have a panel of experts, essentially, who would advise on clemency petitions that come in. And DOJ would be a stakeholder in that conversation, but they wouldn’t be the only voice. And the idea is to systematize clemency, basically, and to ensure that it takes account of things like rehabilitation, mercy, sociological understanding of how crimes happen, like you mentioned earlier.
And another good part of that is that, aside from systematizing it, it could subject it to some predictability. You know, I was a huge fan of the Obama administration’s clemency initiative, but one criticism was that it was hardly routine. There were people who seemed to be very similarly situated. Some got clemency, some didn’t. And I think that was, I know that was, very frustrating for people. If we were to truly systematize clemency, you could come up with a way to ensure that people are bought in on the process every step of the way. So, if there’s a concern that might stop them from getting clemency, they can respond to it. Or even if not, that there can be at least be some internal precedent about how clemency grants work, so that people can apply for clemency, keeping that in mind. The sky’s the limit! The president has the ability to almost rewrite the rules of executive clemency. And there’s no shortage of experts willing to tell him how. And I think Professors Barkow and Osler have a real, a great plan on how to do it. So, that’s one. [chuckles]
Number two, I really think there were a few things that were sort of left behind by the First Step Act. And something that was really interesting about watching this campaign, this presidential campaign, it seemed like President Trump was trying to cast himself as the criminal justice reform candidate. Like he was the one who’d gotten the First Step Act passed versus Joe Biden, who he said was a key person in crafting the ’94 crime bill. Of course, that argument belies the fact that Joe Biden has had a completely, a really interesting evolution in criminal justice, and his justice platform was really fascinating and in-depth. But I read that as basically a dare, like a dare from Trump and from the Republican Party, daring Democrats to go big on criminal justice. And we’ll meet you in the middle, and we’ll do something. And that’s a dare that Democrats should take up! They should say, you know, you campaigned in part on criminal justice reform being an important part of the Trump legacy. Let’s actually put pen to paper on a Second Step Act, which you never bothered to do, by the way.
And one really simple thing would be there are a lot of provisions of the First Step Act that weren’t retroactive. So, you have people serving time under provisions of the law that’ve been changed and that everyone now agrees are unjust. Making those provisions retroactive would help some people immediately. That could be done through clemency, but it would probably, it could also be done through legislation. That’s something I would love to see. I’ll go back to Pell and sealing as other things that I think could be bipartisan. If you talk to people on the conservative side of the criminal justice movement, which I do a lot — they’re really valuable allies — some of the vocabulary that they use is “redemption” and “second chances.” And that’s something I very firmly believe in and I think there’s real agreement on. So, if we orient some of our solutions to second chances and redemption, I think maybe we can actually get something done. The concern, of course, is if the Senate shifts into obstruction mode, and then we might just have to really, really hope that President-elect Biden takes the advice of experts seriously and pursues fairly aggressive clemency reform, matching or exceeding something that his former superior, President Obama, did.
VALLAS: Well, and one of the things I have to say with all of this as a question mark around January 5th is, I share your, I think, appreciation for the very genuine bipartisan interest that really does seem to not only still exist, but to continue to be growing in the wake of the First Step Act. And my hope, I think, is the same as yours: that Second Step becomes something people are really going to start to be talking about in earnest at some point in a new Congress, no matter what happens on January 5th, given both parties’ interest in hopefully coming to the issue, coming to the table. But I like your frame, I think, even better, which is that this was a dare, and Democrats should take it. And I think that’s absolutely the message that we should take.
Terry-Ann, are there any other policies that you want to add into the mix? Your work not only on this report and at Brennan, but also in the academy as a professor, focuses on collateral consequences broadly, the barriers that people with criminal records face. And one of the issues you have looked at in particular, is fair chance hiring, often known as Ban the Box. Anything else that you want to throw into the mix in terms of the kinds of policies that could really make a difference to break the link between criminal justice involvement and that poverty trap?
CRAIGIE: Absolutely. I believe that policies must be put in place to prioritize investment in second-chance employment. Now, as you said, Rebecca, I research about how Ban the Box policies affect the public-sector employment outcomes of those with criminal records. And just to give a brief overview of my work to the audience, now, currently we have about 70 million people in the U.S. with some form of criminal record. And trying to find a sense of economic independence is often the number one goal for this population. And so, about 17 years ago, a grassroots civil rights organization called All of Us or None spearheaded a campaign for a fair chance hiring or Ban the Box policies, which again aim to improve the employment outcomes of those with criminal records, primarily within the public sector.
Now, Ban the Box policies, for those who are unfamiliar, mandate the removal of criminal history questions from job application forms. And the objective here is to allow job seekers to highlight their qualifications to employers before criminal history becomes known to them, which could potentially improve their odds of securing a job. And so, my study evaluated how Ban the Box policies change the employment odds within the public sector for those with criminal records. And what I find is that it’s doing a tremendous job. Ban the Box policies increase the probability of public employment for those with criminal records by about 30 percent on average.
Now, in recent years, there has been quite a bit of media attention on the negative unintended consequences of Ban the Box policies, primarily related to a concept called statistical discrimination against young minority males. Now, what do we mean by statistical discrimination here? Now, the theory of statistical discrimination asserts that since young, low-skilled, minority males are more likely to be justice-involved, employers will basically use their race, their gender, their education to try to figure out who has a criminal history. And so, employers might use these characteristics to weed out applicants regardless of their criminal history. And so, young, Black and Latino males with low education are going to be left worse off compared to their white counterparts. And so, my study tests for statistical discrimination against young minority males, but uncovers no evidence of this.
Now, other studies actually confirm my results, including one recent study by Daniel Shoag and Stan Veuger find that Ban the Box policies improve employment in general in high-crime neighborhoods as well. And so, in general, Ban the Box is indeed a good policy, despite initial media accounts. And securing fair-chance hiring should be a priority moving forward. Currently, we have about 36 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 150 municipalities with Ban the Box policies in effect, and it would be great to see that number continue to improve.
Now, one other thing we should be mindful of is the fact that a majority of people behind bars are afflicted with drug addictions and mental health disorders as the United States continues to use incarceration as a solution to these problems. Now, the narrative for law enforcement diversion programs for drug offenses and reinstalling rehabilitative programs and centers for mental health issues is picking up steam. And I’m really hopeful that this will continue to gain traction, and especially so in the new administration.
VALLAS: I appreciate so much the sharing of some of the critiques of fair-chance hiring that have gotten perhaps even more attention than the policy itself, and also probably more attention than the early indications of how much the policy is working to remove barriers to employment for people with records in recent years. So, really appreciate you going into detail on that. And obviously, more research is going to be incredibly helpful to help folks have the full picture on fair-chance hiring because no one is interested in unintended consequences and wants to do policymaking the right way, so that it’s not just people with records who get helped, but it’s the broader population being better off as well. That’s obviously the goal.
I appreciated you, Ames, mentioning that there’s research as well looking at record clearing and the impact that getting a criminal record cleared can have on wages and employment. I want to give a shout out to Sonja Starr and J.J. Prescott, two fantastic researchers at the University of Michigan who have done some of the best work there and the most direct work there, a much fuller conversation on this in that episode you referenced, Ames, a couple of months ago that I did with Josh Hoe, who is also the host of Decarceration Nation. And his podcast is always worth a plug. But the TL;DR on the Starr/Prescott research on what happens after you get a record expunged is really pretty phenomenal in that it’s wages go up by about 11 percent in the first year, that that person’s chances of employment also increase by about 25 percent on average. Really, really stark findings for one year after a record being cleared.
We’re going to run out of time. But I want to give both of you an opportunity to sort of close, just briefly, given that it is not only Congress that can do things. You guys have a lot of recommendations in this report for state policymakers, local policymakers, and other findings we didn’t get a chance to cover. So, Ames, and then Terry-Ann, I’ll give you each a chance to sort of have a last word on what you think are sort of the most important takeaways here or anything we didn’t get a chance to cover.
GRAWERT: Yeah, happy to. I have two quick ones, if you don’t mind. One is actually federal, but it’s worth mentioning because we’re going through stimulus negotiations now. The original draft of the Paycheck Protection Program, as originally implemented, had a fairly aggressive criminal background check, made it very difficult to get a PPP loan if you had a criminal record. And that requirement appeared nowhere in the CARES Act, nowhere in congressional legislation. It was inflected on the program by the administration, which was very odd. That actually eventually got moderated, but sort of too little, too late. So, that’s something Congress can do if we’re going to talk about extending some sort of stimulus effort that will affect business so that we can not have background checks like that or have them much more narrowly tailored than they were in the original version.
And number two is something really exciting that I found while doing the research for this report is, there are some really successful state and local programs that — the broad term was diversion programs, I know you’re familiar with — but the idea that I found really interesting was the pre-arraignment pre-charge diversion. The idea is that if you’re brought in by police for an eligible offense, rather than even getting charged with a crime, you’re immediately sent to a program where you might be offered treatment or the opportunity to complete some community service. And if you complete it, you never get charged with a crime at all. The DA, the prosecutor, just declines the case. Those are really powerful programs, depending on how you analyze it. It seems that programs like that actually helped drop the misdemeanor conviction count in New York City and State significantly over the last decade. The Brooklyn DAs did some really impressive work on a project called Project Reset pre-charge diversion. But I don’t see that model being taken up much outside of the city and much outside of the state. I think that’s a really valuable program worth replicating. Because one of the messages of our report is just it would be good to help people avoid ever getting charged with a crime in the first place. And a pre-arraignment diversion does just that.
VALLAS: And it also really connects in a big way to some of what Terry-Ann was just rightly talking about, right. It obviously isn’t just mental health; it’s disability more broadly that effectively gets criminalized, given the disproportionate share of people behind bars who have disabilities, something that we haven’t talked about on this show in a focused way in quite some time, but which really is, I think, underappreciated in the broader conversation around criminal justice and criminal justice reform. The lead statistic there is that people behind bars in prisons and jails are three to four times more likely than the general population to have a disability. And a big part of why we are, in some cases on purpose and in some cases not on purpose, as a country, locking people up because of their disabilities is often police interactions and first responder interactions that go wrong and that could have been averted with diversion. So, I really appreciate you mentioning that and wanted to sort of draw that connection with Terry-Ann’s really important point before about the front end.
Terry-Ann, you’re going to get the last word.
CRAIGIE: Right. So, in this moment, we cannot forget that people behind bars are at a high risk of coronavirus infection. Statistics early in the pandemic showed that coronavirus cases in federal and state prisons were over five times higher than that of the general population. Death rates were three times higher. Now, these infection death rates are high because of limited testing, close confinement within prison cells, the lack of personal protective equipment, and high rates of pre-existing conditions for this population. Early on in the pandemic, numerous prison and jail facilities across the nation sought to curb the spread by releasing inmates who did not pose a significant threat to public safety. Now, in my view, these efforts have either dropped off or remain insufficient as prisons continue to see incredibly high infection rates. A prime example of this that comes to mind is El Paso’s county jail, which currently has nearly 60 percent of inmates infected with coronavirus. And so, more than ever, we need to make an effort to decarcerate those who pose little threat to public safety. But we should also be mindful of the fact that they’re going to be entering a bitter economic crisis. And so, it’s going to make reentry quite difficult for this at-risk population. Right now, we have millions who are facing food insecurity, homelessness, and unemployment as a direct consequence of the pandemic. And so, as we implement policies to curb this economic crisis, we should also keep this at-risk population in mind.
VALLAS: And such an important note to end on as we sort of leave off with the message that every conversation about addressing the pandemic needs to start with people are dying behind bars. The spread of the pandemic needs to be addressed not only as a nation, but in the places where we’ve shelved people out of sight, out of mind, first and foremost, given what gruesome death traps they have proven to be. I’m talking about prisons as well as other congregate settings like nursing homes, back to the ways that people with disabilities and seniors have been impacted, to our conversation before. So, the place we need to leave it for now and really the right note to end on.
Terry-Ann Craigie is Economics Fellow in the Brennan Center’s Justice program, where she’s working to document the broader economic and social costs of mass incarceration. She’s also an Associate Professor of Economics at Connecticut College. And Ames Grawert is Senior Counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, where he leads the program’s quantitative research team, which produces numbers like the ones we’ve been talking about today and that are in this report. The report, again, is Conviction, Imprisonment, and Lost Earnings: How Involvement with the Criminal Justice System Deepens Inequality. And you can, of course, find it on our nerdy syllabus page at OffKilterShow.medium.com. And we’ll be tweeting it out as well.
Appreciate you both so much for making the time. Ames, Terry-Ann, thank you so, so much. And congratulations again on this incredibly important and timely report.
GRAWERT: Thank you so much.
CRAIGIE: Thank you.
VALLAS: And that does it for this episode of Off-Kilter, the show about poverty, inequality, and everything they intersect with, powered by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. I’m Rebecca Vallas. The show is produced by Will Urquhart. Find us on the airwaves on the We Act Radio Network and the Progressive Voices Network, and say hi and send us your show pitches on Twitter @OffKilterShow. And of course, find us anytime on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. See you next time.
♪ I want freedom (freedom)
Freedom (freedom)
Now, I don’t know where it’s at
But it’s calling me back
I feel my spirit is revealing,
And now we just tryna get freedom (freedom)
What we talkin’ bout…. ♪ | https://medium.com/@offkiltershow/how-mass-incarceration-became-a-poverty-trap-6211e6712380 | ['Off-Kilter Podcast'] | 2021-03-08 16:16:46.453000+00:00 | ['Mass Incarceration', 'Poverty', 'Covid 19', 'Inequality', 'Criminal Justice'] |
Insights From the Book ‘Boundaries’: DAY 8 Pages 91–100 | It’s 7 am and am up. Took out the first few minutes to say my prayers and then drank a glass of warm water and today I skipped checking the news first. Picked up from page 91 and am ready to continue my journey with the laws of boundary.
Law #6, ‘The Law of Evaluation’. Our boundaries are for our safety, like the authors mentioned to protect our properties. We should always evaluate the effect of our boundaries. I was glad to learn about the concept of ‘hurt’ and ‘harm’ today. I strongly feel how we understand these two terms affects our boundary sense. Our boundary rules may hurt others but they should not harm them. In the book it was made clear that sometimes when things hurt they are can turn out for the good (maybe a lesson is learn’t, e.t.c) so don’t why allow yourself undergo struggle or pain like Jason in the book because you don’t want people to get hurt. Tell people how you feel, be honest, they may feel hurt but they won’t be harmed by it. Be like Sandy. A good example of where this law works are in corporations where they carry out work evaluations maybe yearly. You get an appraisal and the question whether you will get hurt isn’t considered but the fact that you don’t keep working in harms way (personal and organization wise) is the ultimate goal.
Law #7, ‘The Law of Proactivity’. Your boundary rules should bring you joy and love, not resentment and pity. To operate effectively in this realm you must realize the need to take on a positive reaction. It’s time to drop the toxic ‘against’ feeling and live through a flourishing corridor. One that is adorned with love, purpose, joy and a sense of fulfillment. Yes, there might be some history of abuse, emotional pain, the sense of victimization that will want to keep you in the reactive stage (these feelings does not make you any less a good or strong person) but you must make effort not to live the rest of your life in this stage. Move past it, realize this is not your identity and find Joy again. Your boundary laws won’t bring any joy or meaning if you stay as a reactant.
Law #8, ‘The Law of Envy’. Is there anyone that is not envious? The book says we all have an envious part in us. But how we react to this ‘stimuli’ as I want to call it, is what makes the difference. “Envy defines “good” as “what I do not possess,” and hates the good that it has.” You see where the problem begins? With envy our focus becomes outside our boundaries. Making us keep an eye on what others have and we end up forgetting our own responsibilities therefore leaving us with an empty heart of perhaps grief, regret, and hate. If your envious part rules you, then you can’t keep healthy boundaries because you will shut the good out because of hate and you will often allow the bad in because you are often insatiable and maybe greedy. How do I work on this? The way out is to understand the right role of the envy feeling. Envy should make you question your own self and not others. It should make you want to do the work required to get what you want. It should either make you realize what you need to do to get to where you want to be or help you give up the desire or feeling of wanting what you are not capable of getting.
Law #9, ‘The Law of Activity’. The authors did a great work here, you should see the book for the entire scene. hahahahaha. Yeah, right back! They classified humans as responders and initiators. And as I reflected I agreed with them perfectly. Our boundary problems according to the book may often have its root to the fact that we lack initiatives. We have entirely become passive beings instead off being active beings. We are at the mercy of others. Not because they want it so but because we have given up that right to own and direct our lives. We can only create boundaries when we are active and aggressive with life. We can’t create boundaries when we have chosen to live at the mercy of others.
Law #10, ‘The Law of Exposure’. One man exist in a vacuum and because of this fact we daily interact with others. So if you are setting boundaries and we are also exposed to other people, then comes the need to clearly make our boundaries visible and well explained to others. Its time to get out of the dungeon where you constantly say, she/he is supposed to know that isn’t fair. She/he is supposed to be human and understand such an action is not right. Who told you its supposed to be so? The right thing is supposed to be you explaining to them clearly why it should be so. With unexpressed boundaries, relationships will suffer, feelings will be hurt, expectations will be dashed and hopes will be broken. Talk to people about your boundaries, ensure they understand what you mean before you start expecting that they keep it.
Thanks for your time reading. If there be spelling or sentence errors pardon me, I write out of thought and for now I post just after writing. I look forward to a day with less schedules where i will be able to reedit before posting. Thanks. You can reach me with [email protected] | https://medium.com/i-inspire-me/insights-from-the-book-boundaries-day-8-pages-91-100-99b9f3765ff2 | ['Christian Idemudia Uwa'] | 2020-02-20 02:04:26.443000+00:00 | ['Books', 'Boundaries', 'Reading', 'Self', 'Life Lessons'] |
Proof of Work (PoW) VS Proof of Stake (PoS) | What is Proof of Work (PoW) ?
The term “proof of work” was coined by Markus Jakobsson and Ari Juels in 1999. It’s relevant to bitcoin. Proof of work is a protocol which is designed for secure digital transactions without any interference of 3rd parties. This work is based on previous puzzle solutions. Proof of work may be a method of authenticating the current and past transitions. Basically this work is used in solving the puzzle generating rewards for whoever solves it called mining. Simply this is an algorithm that is designed to authenticate transactions and obtain new blocks added into blockchain. In Proof of work, miners are competing or fighting to solve a mathematical puzzle which will generate the new block then get the rewards as a bitcoins.
Benefits of Proof of Work
Proof of work reduces the risk of 51% attack because it is very difficult to do work.
The whole bitcoin network cannot be controlled by single handedly based on the Hashcash Proof of work system.
The miner needs to provide the proof that they have done some work before suggesting a new block.
Each solution is easy to verify for the community at the same time. This makes it convenient to check all transactions for trustworthiness.
Proof of work also sets a specific limit on how many new blocks of data can be produced. E.g, miners can only create Bitcoin blocks every 10 minutes.
It doesn’t depend on a single third party transactor. This is based on a truthless and transparent network.
Monopoly can increase time by time.
Seemore | https://medium.com/@js9766501/proof-of-work-pow-vs-proof-of-stake-pos-85d20b1a7b96 | ['John Smith'] | 2021-04-06 11:09:28.102000+00:00 | ['Proof Of Work', 'Crypto', 'Proof Of Stake', 'Blokchcain'] |
Media, echo chambers, and personal bias | The fact that no one seems to be able to agree on what the facts are regarding things really scares me. It feels like we’re living in two different realities and if we can’t reconcile this in some way, we are inevitably going to be headed to real conflict. See for example the fact that, according to polls, 98% of Biden voters see his win as legitimate, whereas only 12% of Trump voters do.
So let’s talk a little bit about facts, bias, and the media. TL; DR will be at the bottom, but please read. I think this is important for all of us to understand to be able to move forward together. I’m going to do my best to keep this non-partisan, this isn’t a right vs left issue.
I see a lot of people dismiss “mainstream media” as politically biased, and then use that excuse to dismiss any story from any media outlet that they don’t like. This is generally pretty bad. Especially since *generally* mainstream media reports facts pretty well, they may present those facts with spin, but mainstream journalism societies have high standards of factual reporting. Of course they get things wrong at times, but everyone does. There is not a person on this earth who has not had their facts wrong at some time or another. But that’s why most mainstream media outlets will link in their articles to the sources that they get their facts from.
So next time someone posts an article that conflicts with your worldview, instead of immediately dismissing it as “media bias” please verify their facts (and this is where it becomes important to be able to separate facts from spin — an article can have heavy spin one way or another, but still be factually correct — we’ll go in more depth on this later in the post). Facts don’t have a bias, if you disagree with the facts, you’re wrong. Period. Believing gravity isn’t real, or the earth is flat doesn’t make those things true.
I think this is something we all struggle with, a lot. People inherently struggle with coming to terms with being wrong. But we all need to realize that being wrong isn’t a character flaw. We are all wrong all the time about a LOT of things. And maybe this is a flaw we have in our language (and I’m speaking for English only here because I’m mostly speaking to my American audience), where we don’t really have a distinction between being wrong morally and being wrong factually. They’re related but not really the same, especially in this context. We can disagree on what is wrong and wrong morally and a lot of the time there has to be an ability in society to be able to “agree to disagree” on some of those topics. But where it becomes extremely problematic, is when I see people saying that phrase when it comes to what the actual facts of the situation are, and the refusal of a lot of people to come to terms with reality.
Being wrong factually is okay. We all are raised and taught things that are wrong all the time. I mean look at history, we have countless examples of common beliefs over time that we now know to be factually incorrect. I think it is incredibly ignorant to believe that we still don’t have a lot of common myths that are perpetuated in our societies even today. Being wrong becomes problematic, however, when we reject facts that conflict with our worldviews. And we all do it.
There are a number studies in sociology that dive into this phenomenon. One way of explaining it, is that we all have frames (or metaphors) through which we interpret the world. If you’re into spirituality, you may have heard of this as ego, and another way I like to refer to it is worldview. It affects how you see yourself, your friends, even how you interpret language. This is also where spin comes from, and it’s also a lot of the reason why liberals and conservatives struggle communicating about politics. And studies show that when people are confronted with facts that conflict with their frame, that most will reject the facts and keep the frame. And I think that it’s pretty obvious why that’s the case. It’s hard, and a lot of work to reconstruct your worldview, ego, frame, or life-metaphor every time you encounter a fact that doesn’t fit-in. And trying to hold facts that conflict with your worldview creates cognitive dissonance.
Honestly how do deal with this is a part of emotional maturity that we do a horrible job of teaching people (and honestly I honestly think we fail pretty badly at teaching any emotional maturity in people) and I think it’s largely responsible for the predicament we are in now. When no one can agree on the basic facts around what is happening in the world, it makes it incredibly difficult for us to move forward with anything. Differing worldviews is inevitable, no one can know everything and we all have very different lived experiences. Learning how to operate with people who see the world differently than you do is something we all need to get better at doing, and requires a high level of empathy. But when we can’t even agree on basic facts, it becomes a lot harder (maybe even impossible at times) for us to have empathy for each other. And the converse is true too, once we can agree on basic facts, it becomes easier for us to dissolve things like spin and find common ground. The ability to constantly reevaluate the things you believe for a grounding in reality is also a skill I think we do a poor job of teaching. I know for me the a lot of what I’m talking about right now didn’t make it into my brain until I was in my 30’s, and I’m still to this day working on implementing it and probably will be for the rest of my life.
So next time you see a news article that conflicts with what you believe (or even reinforces what you believe), take some time to review the facts they’re presenting. If you can pick out statements that can be objectively true or false, you can then try and verify those with independent sources. Once you verified the facts, it becomes much easier to evaluate the spin as well as your own biases. Once you have a better handle on both of those it’s easier to have a real discussion on the subject matter with others, especially those who have opposing perspectives. But if we spend all of our time arguing on what the facts are we aren’t going to get anywhere.
Again, I know this is a big ask. It’s a lot of work and can be hard on people emotionally, especially when you’re really invested in your worldview. But this is something we all need to commit to being better at, including myself. Nobody can do this work for you. But if we don’t we’re going to keep heading down a really dangerous path. When a large portion of the population is living in an alternate reality, that becomes a weakness that despots exploit. They twist that alternate reality to suit their purposes and use it to control people. They will feed you alternative facts that fit your worldview, and with use those alternative facts to shift your frame. (Before I make the next statement I need to clarify something, when I say “holy” I don’t mean in a purely religious sense. Religion informs world views and creates frames, and on the flip side non-religious people can have perspectives that are sacred to them. We all have things that are “holy” regardless of religosity.) They will use that to start a holy war against their enemies. It is a lot harder to control someone who double checks all of their facts, and wars don’t happen unless you can convince the masses that they’re going to their death for something important to themselves. But I’m really worried right now that if we don’t take the time to work on this, that we leave ourselves open to real armed conflict when a despot gets into a good enough position to take real advantage of it.
TL; DR (yes I know it’s kind of disjoined, just read the post): Just because media is “biased” (as if anyone isn’t lol) doesn’t mean their facts are wrong. When presented things you don’t agree with (and maybe even more importantly when you find things that you do agree with), always verify the facts being presented. The ability to separate facts from spin is going to be important if we’re going to be able to move forward as a society. We also all need to constantly evaluate our implicit biases to make sure they align with factual reality, and then make an effort to be aware of those biases (and our limited personal perspective) when evaluating facts being presented to us. When we refuse to confront our own biases we become open to radicalization, and it’s generally more helpful to hold media we agree with accountable than it is media we don’t. When we hold our own sides accountable to truth and transparency, we protect ourselves from radicalization by those who would take advantage of us, only going after the other side results in echo chambers that don’t do us any favors. | https://medium.com/@tonymorgan-pol/media-echo-chambers-and-personal-bias-e2ba7f9fd535 | ['Tony Morgan'] | 2020-11-21 00:40:41.951000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Bias', 'Ego', 'Media'] |
Top Smart Home Furnitures To Buy USA 2021 | Introduction: Top Smart Home Furnitures To Buy USA 2021
In today’s date, everyone wants some amazing smart home furnitures to modernize their living area. I have spent about 20 hours over the web to scratch some unique and amazing smart home furniture.
A few of these might even blow your mind. As you spend most of your time in your living space. So why not make that time simpler, comfortable, and more convenient for you.
This is where a new breed of technology furniture will help you out. Smart furniture is a sort of compliment for other smart home technologies that you have placed in your living space.
This is a Smart space storage product. The jewelry almirah is built with durable P5 material. You can mount it on the wall with the help of screws or hung it over the doors with hooks.
Comes with three adjustable height options. Features five lines for finger ring or for an earring. Sixty-five earring slots, fifty-five earring holes, 14 hooks for the necklace, and bracelets.
The cabinet has three storage spaces with a full-length mirror. Which is convenient for you to try your clothes. The full length offers you better performance of your head-to-toe outfit. Doesn’t have that wavy effect.
Trust me, it is a convenient addition to your living space that could be used to display photos and organize jewelry.
Striking the pros of using HollyHOME Mirrored Jewelry Cabinet Lockable Wall Door Mounted Jewelry Armoire Organizer with Full-Length Mirror
Provides a lot of hooks for storing your jewelry and other essentials.
Prevent your jewelry from getting scratches.
The full-length mirror on the armoire is good for convenience.
Striking the cons of using HollyHOME Mirrored Jewelry Cabinet Lockable Wall Door Mounted Jewelry Armoire Organizer with Full-Length Mirror
There are some quality issues regarding packaging and manufacturing.
Whenever you are living in a place that has a small design then it is not just your bedroom space that suffers. You will be needing triple the space of your bedroom and dining room for your living room.
But if you will bring a full-size dining table to that area, then you won’t have much space for anything else. Fortunately, to tackle that problem, we have a comfortable dining solution.
That allows you to have a comfortable space to eat even if your visitors are over. And the best part about it is that it won’t take too much of your living room space.
Striking the pros of using Winsome Wood Suzanne Kitchen, Square
The wheels make this kitchen square more portable.
Winsome Wood Suzanne Kitchen, Square serves many functions.
This product is very durable in use.
Striking the cons of using Winsome Wood Suzanne Kitchen, Square
You have to first assemble it before you use it.
Though it is compact, it could take up the space that you needed for other functions.
The bathroom storage cabinet has shelves that are sturdy and hold two large baskets. You can arrange your several items in this large basket.
I would like to suggest it to someone those are afraid of arranging things by themselves. The appearance of this cabinet is unobtrusive so that the pretty basket stands out.
It is very useful and easy to store things in a small bathroom space. Every single party of this cabinet rack is flexible. If you are worried about knocking off your head to it just because you are tall.
Don’t worry it won’t be a problem as you can adjust the height of the storage rack according to yourself. The cabinet features an open area for access to toilet paper, hand towels, shampoo, and other bathroom essentials.
Striking the pros of using ALL ZONE Bathroom Storage Cabinet
Its 4 shelves offer maximum storage space for towels, shampoo, and other essentials.
You will be getting the stand in stylish design so that it does not get incorporate with decor and interior.
Comes up with strong and safe shelves that could bear weight up to 22 lbs.
Striking the cons of using ALL ZONE Bathroom Storage Cabinet
The base of the stand is unstable.
The metal construction of this bed prevents the bed from sagging and makes this loft bed more durable and stronger. As it has 12 bedboard slats, which makes it more supportive and suitable for teens, adults, and kids.
This high loft bed is suitable for a small room with small space. So you could utilize the whole area of the room. There are two wooden shelves for storage and a large desk. Which is fitted right under the bed for children to learn.
This product features a guardrail for added safety, which guarantees you a safe and comfortable experience. On both sides of the bed, ladders are attached so that you could easily get in and out of bed.
This loft bed is made up of sturdy metal and with a strong bearing capacity. So you don’t have to worry about collapsing into bed. It is an easy-to-fit bedroom decor that would be an excellent addition to your home.
Striking the pros of using Twin Loft bunk Bed, Metal Loft Bed Frame, Loft Bed with Desk and Storage
The bed is easy to assemble.
The overall construction of this loft bed is sturdy and durable.
You will be getting a warranty period of 1 year.
Striking the cons of using Twin Loft bunk Bed, Metal Loft Bed Frame, Loft Bed with Desk and Storage
The customer service could have been better.
The load-bearing capacity of this floating desk is 60 kg that is pretty impressive. You can use it as a computer desk when unfolded. And you can use it as a bookshelf when folded. Wall-mounted and foldable design makes it a compact space product.
For those who want to keep their room clean and want to store their basic items, this is what they needed. It is perfect for living room, bedroom, reading room, office room or another place you wanted.
Striking the pros of using Foldable Home Office Desk Workstation, Floating Desk with Storage Shelf
You can simply mount it on any wall.
The product is sturdy and durable.
Features an extra storage space to declutter your workstation.
Has a stylish and contemporary look.
Striking the cons of using Foldable Home Office Desk Workstation, Floating Desk with Storage Shelf
No cons were found.
That sums up our list of some Intelligent designs furniture. All the products mentioned above will help in bringing out the maximum utility of your living space.
Acknowledging Questions
Why You Must Have Smart Home Furnitures?
There are many reasons why you must have this furniture. But the most promising reason is that it is the backdrop of our lives.
We need smart furniture to live a more comfortable life. As the world is getting faster and more engaged. I think the ability to create a relaxing and individual environment with a piece of furniture is going to be very valuable.
That is where smart home furniture comes into place. Living in a small apartment is not so easy as the accommodation of space is not enough as per demand.
That is where this smart furniture plays its role. The furniture can enact as a multitasker. Where in one frame you would be using it as a table and in the next frame it gets converted into a bed.
So these are some small advantages that make it demand high in every home. | https://medium.com/@shoppingpossiblenow/top-smart-home-furnitures-to-buy-usa-2021-10335700c2d1 | ['Shopping Possible'] | 2021-07-23 17:42:45.993000+00:00 | ['Smart Home', 'Home', 'Lifestyle', 'Living Space', 'Home Furniture'] |
Chynge Renaming Token from XCLP to CLPX as of 13th August, 2018 | Dear Chynge Community,
Chynge has been using XCLP for our token since the very beginning of our project.
We have since received feedback on the difficulty of XCLP’s pronounciation and elected to change it to CLPX instead which is not just easier to pronounce for everyone but to have a tighter association with “Chynge”.
We could continue our ICO using the current XCLP token symbol which would be easier to do. However, the team discussed and agreed that renaming the Chynge token after our ICO ends would likely bring about more inconveniences (read: headaches) for both Chynge and our community when distributing our tokens and listing on exchanges. Hence, this has led us to the decision of biting the bullet, and making the change now.
Our new token will henceforth be known as CLPX.
For existing Chynge token buyers and bounty participants, please note the following:
1. The renaming of the Chynge token from XCLP to CLPX does not affect your token rights.
2. For those who have already created a Stellar trustline to XCLP, that trust line will no longer be valid. You will need to create a new trustline with CLPX.
3. For those who have not created a trustline to XCLP yet, this does not affect you. You will simply need to create a trustline to CLPX to receive CLPX tokens.
We have not distributed any tokens, neither XCLP nor CLPX, thus, there is no effect on the receipt of tokens, and no exchange of old and new Chynge tokens is required.
NOTE: For buyers, please be advised to always pay attention to the token logo and new name during your purchase in the future.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you all for your understanding and patience.
from Chynge team
To learn more about Chynge, please visit: http://www.chynge.net
Read the Whitepaper: http://bit.ly/chynge_whitepaper
Join the Chynge community on Telegram: https://t.me/chynge | https://medium.com/chynge/chynge-renaming-token-from-xclp-to-clpx-as-of-13th-august-2018-6dec5bf6234 | [] | 2018-09-15 14:56:35.677000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Token Sale', 'Announcements', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
CyberPower PFC Sinewave UPS review: This is the perfect power backup for most PCs and Macs | CyberPower PFC Sinewave UPS review: This is the perfect power backup for most PCs and Macs Robert Nov 16, 2020·6 min read
The CyberPower PFC Sinewave CP1000PFCLCD has many of the features necessary for acting as a stable uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for modern PCs and Macs, including gaming systems and those used by creative professionals. This 600-watt capacity unit can keep a fairly high-end computer system with external drives and monitor running for the few minutes necessary for safe shutdown when maxed out. A more modest setup that draws just 300 watts could chug along for nearly 10 minutes, letting you bridge a short, but sustained outage.
It’s a surprisingly compact unit, at 4 x 9 x 10.4 inches (WxDxH) and weighing just under 16 pounds, and is sleekly designed and styled without looking too fancy for a UPS’s quotidian function. Its front-panel LCD display contains a fair amount of information by default, and a Display button to cycle through more of it.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best uninterruptible power supplies, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.Some features can be programmed through the front panel, though it requires a long panel in a large folded instruction manual to explain the indicators and a separate letter-sized sheet with programming instructions if you want to change settings. This unit has a USB connection and CyberPower provides Windows, macOS, and Linux software for handling most settings more easily, as well as monitoring. (There’s even a serial port for older computers.) This model also works with UPS features built into some operating systems.
Glenn Fleishman / IDG CyberPower’s PowerPanel Personal software informs you of the UPS’s status, including how much runtime is available.
Via the OS or using CyberPower’s PowerPanel Personal, you can set parameters for how long before attempting an automatic shutdown when the UPS switches to battery power, among other settings, including scheduling power off and on times.
[ Further reading: The best surge protectors for your costly electronics ]This CP1000PFCLCD produces enough power for the price that it could be useful and affordable to provide a power backup for home or small-office network hardware that totals 50 to 100 watts, with a runtime of more than an hour on the lowest end, if you have frequent or longer outages, and want to keep your network online while using laptops and mobile devices that have their own batteries to keep them going.
This model, however—and the UPS tower series of which it’s part—has features specifically designed for modern computers, attempting to ensure that the power it outputs is as clean as possible no matter the power variation and outages that occur. Modern PC power supplies are sophisticated, working over a variety of different power systems in different countries. With that flexibility comes fragility, as they rely on cleaner power.
CyberPower Systems Cyberpower’s PFC Sinewave CP1000PFCLCD UPS sports 10 outlets (five of which feature battery backup), but they’re closely spaced and won’t accommodate very many large wall warts.
Most computers of the last several years feature power supplies with active power factor correction (PFC), which requires a fairly pure sine wave, or the visualization of the speed of change of power in alternating current as it cycles back and forth, reversing direction like pivoting a small basin left to right to left.
Power lines produce a pure sine wave that’s extremely smooth. UPSes can produce either a pure one or a simulated sine wave, which is rough and chunky, but works fine with older power supplies and solid-state hardware.
The CP1000PFCLCD has a pure sine-wave feature, and that lets it not damage or impose wear on an active PFC power supply when it’s feeding power from its internal battery, as well as avoiding making the power supply buzz or hum, which it can if running off a chunky sine wave.
This UPS model is also line interactive, which means that it is always conditioning power, raising sags (down to 90 volts) and reformatting higher voltages (up to 140 volt), as well as correcting any irregularities in the AC cycle—those are rarer, but can damage devices, too. These corrections happen using internal circuitry that don’t draw on the battery at all, as long as sufficient power is present to smooth out the problems. That keeps the battery from being used unnecessarily, extending its life.
Glenn Fleishman / IDG The UPS will boost the supplied voltage when voltage dips below a defined threshhold, and reduce it when it exceeds a defined ceiling.
When the battery does need to kick in, CyberPower says it takes just 4 milliseconds (ms), well within what’s needed to avoid a computer or other device losing the continuous pulse of electricity that keeps it processing and not stumbling. The cheaper standby kind of UPS takes from 5 to 25ms to provide power, depending on the model, which might be too long.
CyberPower equipped the CP1000PFCLCD with 10 outlets, spaced a little tightly together; I wouldn’t try to get many wall warts to fit in there. Five of the outlets are connected to the battery and power conditioning, while the other five receive protection against surges, or high-voltage transients, as on a standalone surge protector.
The front display provides quite a lot of information and the unit also produces beeps and alarm sounds based on what’s happening internally with its battery and externally with incoming power. You can mute the sounds thankfully, and one indicator counts the number of power outages if you want to check after the fact.
The CP1000PFCLCD has a wiring fault light on the unit’s back, which you should check when first plugging it in. The LED illuminates red if there’s any wiring issue, such as a missing ground, bad ground, or reversed wiring. If you were to buy this unit and see a red light when plugging this UPS in to power, disconnect it and call an electrician immediately.
CyberPower provides quite a lot of information about the CP1000PFCLCD, and includes a legitimate and useful manual and front-panel programming sheet in the box. However, nowhere online or in the manual does it explain what happens next, if in the course of a power outage the battery fully depletes: does the unit power back up immediately or require a manual restart? It’s likely the latter, as that’s the common approach, but it would be good to state it explicitly or even offer a way to select that option given how much configuration the unit enjoys.
Glenn Fleishman / IDG You can program the UPS to initiate a computer shut down as soon as the power is interrupted, or you can choose to keep the machine running as long as battery power is available.
Unlike many UPS makers, CyberPower includes a legible warranty in the box (as part of its instruction manual). The company offers three years’ worth of protection against an unexpected failure of the UPS and a perpetual $350,000 worth of insurance against repairs or destruction of attached equipment. Both the UPS and attached-equipment warranties are available only for the original purchaser, who needs to report a failure within 10 days of the incident and provide the original dated purchase receipt.
There only fly in the ointment with this model was that I could not get CyberSource’s PowerPanel Personal software for macOS (10.14 Mojave) to recognize the UPS, even though it appeared in macOS’s built-in UPS support in the Energy Saver preferences, meaning it was communicating correctly with the computer. On a different Mac running 10.15 Catalina, the software connected after a couple of tries.
The Mac software is also “unsigned,” which means CyberPower doesn’t pay the paltry $99-per-year fee to Apple as a developer to add cryptographic integrity to it, meaning a malicious party could release or modify the software without a user being aware. Users also must take an extra, non-obvious step to bypass macOS protections and install the software, which many Mac users will not know to do.
The bottom lineThere’s nothing not to like about the CP1000PFCLCD, if you ignore its wonky Mac software, a minor issue since all the features are available through the front panel and macOS’s Energy Saver preference pane. Well designed, with the right set of features all around, it’s the ideal solution for most modern computer owners, particularly if you live in an area that has frequent power dips, surges, and short outages.
If this unit is too low or too high-wattage for your needs, good news: it’s part of a line of very similar PFC Sinewave models, which run from 510 watts ($134.95) to 1,050 watts ($329.95), and have slightly different front displays and numbers of outlets, with higher-wattage units offering front-panel USB charging ports, too. Any in this series should fit the bill as well as this one.
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/@robert10926975/cyberpower-pfc-sinewave-ups-review-this-is-the-perfect-power-backup-for-most-pcs-and-macs-4af20228d3a1 | [] | 2020-11-16 20:21:08.036000+00:00 | ['Home Tech'] |
Basketball Analytics: Predicting Win Shares | Analysis
Objective: Can we predict individual win shares of NBA players using other basketball metrics?
The data used for this analysis is from the 2016–17 and 2017–2018 NBA Season, using Basketball-Reference. Essentially, I used data from the 2016–2017 NBA season to create our model and stats from the most recent season to predict win shares. I performed a supervised regression machine learning analysis:
Supervised : The data had win shares and all other basketball metrics included to train and test the models
: The data had win shares and all other basketball metrics included to train and test the models Regression: Win Shares is a continuous variable
Today, there are plenty of new basketball metrics used by fans and analysts worldwide to compare and measure players. In order to predict Win Shares, I used a mix of basic and advanced NBA stats:
Exploratory Data Analysis
What did the distribution of win shares originally look like?
Before continuing the analysis, I used basic EDA to see what our data can tell us first hand. First, I took a quick look at the distribution win shares:
Right away, we see that the distribution of win shares is skewed to the right. The majority of NBA players during the 2016–2017 NBA season had win shares of less than 5. This makes sense since only a selected few, mostly composed of NBA All Stars, will have very high win shares. For example, the win shares leader of the 2016–2017 NBA season was James Harden,the runner-up for MVP, with 15 win shares. So, it’s an elite status to have a high win shares.
The odd takeaway from the distribution is the number of players with 0 win shares. After further analysis, I was able to find that there was a high number of players that barely played at all. Although these players are on NBA rosters, that doesn’t mean they will not have significant impact to both the team and their own individual stats. Therefore, I updated the data to only include players that had played at least 30 games and averaged at least 25 minutes of playing time per game. Here’s what the distribution of win shares looks like after cleaning out the data:
There’s a lot less players with 0 win shares now! The distribution of win shares is still right-skewed, but looks a bit more normally distributed.
Were all the features I chose good predictors of win shares?
I analyzed this question by using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, which measures the linear correlation between the features and target (win shares). It has a value between -1 and +1, where a value close to -1 represents a negatively strong relationship and a value close to +1 represents a positively strong relationship:
This discovery was surprising! Of the 13 basketball metrics I originally chose to predict win shares, 4 of them did not have a strong enough correlation (strong = greater than 0.5 & less than -0.5). Therefore, I excluded those metrics from my model.
I was stunned to see 3-Point percentage (3P%) have not only a weak correlation, but also a negative correlation. In today’s NBA, almost every team and player relies heavily on the 3P, so I assumed 3P% would play an important part in the analysis. Another interesting finding was the weak relationship between games played (G) and win shares. One would assume that the more games a player is involved in, the higher their win shares would be. However, just because a player is involved in a game, doesn’t mean they will have success. Assists (AST) was another metric that I assumed would have a strong relationship with win shares.
Were the remaining features highly correlation with one another?
For the next part of the analysis, I wanted to see whether the features were strongly correlated with one another, or multicollinearity. Multicollinearity generally occurs when there are high correlations between two or more predictor variables. Remember, features having a strong correlation with win shares is good, but features being strongly correlated with other features might not be that helpful. It can even make it tougher to interpret the models we will be creating.
Based on the PairPlot above, I found some issues between the features:
VORP vs BPM: has a very strong positive relationship (correlation of 0.98). Box Plus Minus (BPM) is a player’s contribution per 100 possesions over the league average when the player was on the court. Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) takes BPM and translates it into minutes based contribution to a team. In order to calculate VORP, you need to use BPM. Therefore, they are highly correlated.
has a very strong positive relationship (correlation of 0.98). Box Plus Minus (BPM) is a player’s contribution per 100 possesions over the league average when the player was on the court. Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) takes BPM and translates it into minutes based contribution to a team. In order to calculate VORP, you need to use BPM. Therefore, they are highly correlated. Shooting Percentage Metrics: We had three shooting percentage metrics left in the analysis. Field goal percentage (FG%) is a ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points. True shooting percentage (TS%) measures a player’s shooting efficiency by calculating two- and three-point field goals and free throws. I felt that these metrics were closely related (TS% and eFG% had a correlation of 0.90). Therefore, I decided to only use TS% since it had the highest correlation with win shares.
After exploring the data, I was left with the following basketball metrics as the features that were used for creating the models: | https://towardsdatascience.com/basketball-analytics-predicting-win-shares-7c155651e7cc | ['Oscar Sanchez'] | 2019-02-15 18:02:42.529000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Sports', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'NBA'] |
40ine | Did you find this article interesting?
If you liked it and if you feel like it, leave some claps to help whoever wrote it to pay his Lamborghini Urus.
Thank you! | https://medium.com/the-fluxus/40ine-5a86e503cb07 | ['Martino Pietropoli'] | 2020-06-05 14:20:54.107000+00:00 | ['Drawing', 'Italy', 'Cartoon', 'Comics', 'Illustrator'] |
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