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The German Separable Prefix “mit-” | Posted on December 05, 2020 by Ulrike Rettig
German prefixes are hard for English speakers as they often seem capricious.
When used in sentences, they are sometimes attached, and sometimes they’re not.
And where to put them if they’re not?
Mark Twain, who had a love/hate relationship with the German language, put it this way:
“The Germans have an inhuman way of cutting up their verbs. Now a verb has a hard time enough of it in this world when it’s all together. It’s downright inhuman to split it up. But that’s just what those Germans do. They take part of a verb and put it down here, like a stake, and they take the other part of it and put it away over yonder like another stake, and between these two limits they just shovel in German.” (Mark Twain’s Speeches, “Disappearance of Literature” in twainquotes.)
Our German Quick Language Game with the separable prefix “mit-” is a popular one. That’s not surprising. The separable prefix “mit-” (with, along with) connects to a lot of common verbs, adding the idea of “with [sb]”, “along with [sb]”, “together with [sb]” etc.
When prefixes in German are added to a verb, they change the verb’s meaning, sometimes a lot. But sometimes the new meaning is easy to guess, as in the examples below:
kommen (to come) — mitkommen (to come with, come along).
bringen (to bring) — mitbringen (to bring with, bring along)
nehmen (to take) — mitnehmen (to take with, take along)
What makes German prefixes often tricky is the fact that there are three types of them:
1. Inseparable Prefixes are the easiest ones. They are never detached from the verb.
Common inseparable prefixes: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-
Examples are:
befreien (to liberate)
empfehlen (to recommend)
entschuldigen (to excuse, apologize)
erkennen (to recognize)
gefallen (to like)
missverstehen (to misunderstand)
versuchen (to try)
zerschneiden (to cut into pieces)
2. Separable Prefixes are the ones that can cause trouble, and there are a lot of them. They detach from the main-clause verb in the present tense and simple past.
Common separable prefixes: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, bei-, ein-, hin-, her-, mit-, nach-, vor-, zu-, zurück-
abholen (to call for [sb, sth], pick up)
anrufen (to call [sb])
aufmachen (to open)
ausbrechen (to break out, escape)
beifügen (to add, enclose)
einladen (to invite)
hingehen (to go there)
herkommen (to come here, approach)
mitkommen (to come with, along)
nachschlagen (to look up [a word])
vorschlagen (to suggest, propose)
zumachen (to shut, close)
zurückgehen (to go back)
3. Prefixes that are Separable or Inseparable. Fortunately there are not that many of them, and we only mention them in case you encounter one of them.
Common examples: durch-, über-, unter-, um-, wider-
The stress on the verb gives you a clue, as in the one example below.
Separable Prefix: umschreiben — to write again, rewrite (literal meaning, “um” is stressed)
Inseparable Prefix: umschreiben — to paraphrase (meaning is not literal, “schreiben” is stressed)
Taking our three separable prefix verbs: “mitkommen, mitbringen, mitnehmen”, let’s look at what happens to “mit-” in the various types of common German sentences.
The Separable Prefix “mit-” in Simple Present-Tense Sentences
In sentences with one subject and one verb, the prefix “mit-” separates from the infinitive and goes the end of a sentence. It is now an independent word.
mitkommen — Kommst du mit? (Are you coming with me/with us?)
mitbringen — Ich bringe ein paar Freunde mit. (I’m bringing a couple of friends with me.)
mitnehmen — Ich nehme es gerne mit. (I’m happy to take it with me.)
The Separable Prefix “mit-” in Simple Past-Tense Sentences
Note: The simple past of verbs is not used a lot in conversational German (except with the verbs “sein” and “haben”, and for telling a story or a past event).
You’ll see the simple past routinely in books and newspaper stories. It looks like this:
mitkommen — Du kamst mit. (You came with me/us.)
mitbringen — Ich brachte ein paar Freunde mit. (I brought along a couple of friends.)
mitnehmen — Ich nahm es gerne mit. (I was happy to take it with me.)
The Separable Prefix “mit-” as a Past Participle:
Note: The prefix “mit-” attaches to the participle of the stem word, i.e. “gekommen”, “gebracht”, “genommen”.
Here are the same sentences in conversational German.
mitkommen — Du bist mitgekommen. (You came along.)
mitbringen — Ich habe ein paar Freunde mitgebracht. (I brought a couple of friends with me.)
mitnehmen — Ich habe es gern mitgenommen. (I was happy to take it with me.)
The Separable Prefix “mit-” following a Modal Verb:
Not much to worry about here: just use the infinitive.
mitkommen — Du kannst nicht mitkommen. (You can’t come along.)
mitbringen — Ich kann ein paar Freunde mitbringen. (I can bring a couple of friends along.)
mitnehmen — Ich kann es gerne mitnehmen. (I can take it with me, no problem.)
Other Verbs with the Prefix “mit-”
The meaning of most of these is easy to guess.
mitreden — to join in or add to a conversation
Da kann ich nicht mitreden. (I can’t add anything to this conversation.)
mitgehen — to go with [sb]
Ja, meine Kinder gehen auch mit. (Yes, my children are also going with me.)
mitgehen lassen — to steal, pinch, swipe
Ich glaube, er hat einen Silberlöffel mitgehen lassen. (I think he pinched a silver spoon.)
mitmachen — to join in, take part in [an activity]
Heute hat er beim Spiel nicht mitgemacht. (Today he did not join in the game.)
mitfahren — to ride along [as a passenger]
Kann ich mit dir mitfahren? (Can a get a ride with you?)
mitschreiben — to take notes
Ich mache heute blau. Kannst du für mich mitschreiben? (I’m cutting class today. Can you take notes for me?)
mitspielen — join in the game, be involved
Willst du mitspielen? (Do you want to join in the game?)
mitkriegen — catch, get [what’s been said, or done]
Das habe ich nicht mitgekriegt. (I didn’t catch that.)
mithalten — to keep up with somebody
Du rennst zu schnell. Da kann ich nicht mithalten. (You’re running too fast. I can’t keep up.)
The more you engage with a language — by reading, listening, speaking and writing — the more familiar you become with how it works. Prefix verbs are no exception. Practice with short sentences until you can confidently push those prefixes around.
And by the time you are able to “shovel in German” between a prefix and the stem verb, you should feel pretty good about yourself.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. | https://medium.com/@peterrettig/the-german-separable-prefix-mit-a145ce5701a1 | ['Ulrike', 'Peter Rettig'] | 2020-12-06 21:58:57.538000+00:00 | ['Germany', 'German'] |
Happiness or freedom? | Most people live anchored in their communities, close to their family and friends, in towns and houses they can call home. They’re privileged by continuity and things never ending. They walk through familiar streets and known faces and rest in the same bed every night. They drop in unexpected, put smiles on their parents’ faces, drive you home in the middle of the night, meet you for 10 minutes outside work, make every party about you and worry about your next day hangover. They console you, they laugh with you and they are always a few minutes away. You feel safe and protected. You exist. The world around you is a display of what you add to it. The smell of coffee, warm apple pie, scented candles, mulled wine, fresh cut oranges, laundry hanging in the sun. The sound of chatter and drunk steps on empty streets, Ella Fitzgerald on Sunday mornings, raised voices over toilet seats and the rustle of sheets while love making. You belong because you add and subtract to the micro-universe enough times to count. There’s so much harmony in having second chances for every moment, and to commit to finetuning every detail until your reality mirrors every aspect of your beauty. The world is at your service.
Or is it worth it to jump into a lyrical loop, instead? To change prompts more often than shirts; to leave everything and everyone behind, missing bits and pieces scattered all over the world? What do you learn from dedicating time to doing so many things only once and be left with them ghosting every inch of your body for what I assume the rest of your life? How does it feel to not be needed? To just be wanted for a short time? To be expected to give your very best because the seconds are counted and you don’t get to repeat the same mistakes again? How much work is there in getting it perfect the first time? And how cold the detachment if you don’t? How do you perceive places and people when, by the time you arrived, you had already left in your mind? How many times did you drag your tipsy heart to some anonymous hotel room? How often did your mind contradict you, asked you why and told you to slow down, to stop even? Were you ever so lonely, lonelier than yesterday and even more than the day before? Hundreds of people around going home and you going nowhere, everywhere?
Living inside your memories that become so as soon as you acknowledge time. So many, so often, and they keep adding. You find yourself struggling to remember names, things they said, the softness of their skin, still seeing those eyes, still dreaming of that smile, still thinking about that street where you had your last or first kiss stolen. You are dying to remember the taste of the cinnamon buns at that small bakery on the corner, bitter coffee early in the morning with the sea knocking at your door, cutting squares from a juicy mango, with the smell of incense lingering from the next door temple. Views from skyscrapers and mountains, chatter in all different languages, nightmares with deserts, on highways, planes crashing. By the time you hear that song again the continent will have changed and all stakes are back on.
Everybody moves on. You only move forward. The world swallowed you in exchange for a timeless reply to your “why”. You wanted to know all its secrets and so you became one. No one knows who you really are or where you are going. Your existence doesn’t belong to you or anyone, anymore. You can no longer be whole, you can only be substance. Nothing feels like it used to. The more reality throws itself at you, the more you live inside the projections of everything you touch. Your pulse is filled with flowers from dozens of fields. Your heart added hundreds of tears to monsoons and thunderstorms. Your eyes are bright with the stars of a thousand night skies. Your body shakes with laughter in a thousand middle of nowheres. Your ears heard countless hopes and dreams. You become smell, taste, ocean, love; you become all the strange things. All the strangers. Otherwise air, wind, horizon, departed. You become the ever changing world. You become the answer.
This is how freedom feels. Can happiness beat it? You can only pick one. | https://medium.com/@georgianabularca/happiness-or-freedom-cb5613e3a48 | ['Georgiana Bularca'] | 2020-07-20 00:52:54.472000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Digital Nomads', 'Thoughts And Feelings', 'Freedom', 'Alternative Lifestyle'] |
Participatory Community Calls | Participatory Community Calls
Despite the benefits, working in the open can be daunting for teams and organisations. It requires the courage to share things that aren’t quite right yet, that are works in progress, rather than presenting a finished product. It requires developing an open mindset, one that tends towards sharing early and often and inviting contribution from others. It requires effective engagement with communities:
“Liaising with and assisting those communities is critical. And community calls are my favorite method for interacting with stakeholders both inside and outside a global network of organizations.” Laura Hilliger
As part of We Are Open’s work with the Planet 4 team at Greenpeace, we are helping them with open engagement.
Why is open engagement helpful? Because many perspectives will help you build a better and more resilient product. It will connect you to the kind of people you are trying to reach, and that community can raise and help you cater for eventualities a small project team might not think of alone.
“Open organizations (or networks of organizations such as Greenpeace) explicitly invite participation from external communities, because these networks know their products and programs are world class only if they include a variety of perspectives at all phases of development.” Laura Hilliger
We are working on strategies and processes to help the Planet 4 team engage with different types of community members in a structured way. We’ve worked together to define five “tracks” for open contribution at Greenpeace:
Stakeholders
Designers
Analysts
Developers
P4 general Community
What is a community call?
As our colleague Laura explains in 11 steps to running an online community meeting:
“A community call is a meeting, held online, that invites people to gather at a specific time each week or month. They’re recurring and open to anyone who wishes to join. A community call is a tool for solving problems, breaking out of individual silos, and finding points of connection between different initiatives or people. Most importantly, a great call serves as a launchpad for communities. Community calls bring people together from all over the world. They serve as a social and cultural touchstone. It’s all about connection.”
Community calls work best when they are welcoming and interactive. They need to provide safe spaces for contribution and provide the right tools to enable people to participate in ways in which they feel comfortable. A well paced agenda will help to build from introductions through to genuine collaboration, and with careful facilitation, rich and meaningful outputs will result.
The First co-Design Community Call
We were delighted that the Planet 4 team successfully ran their first, regular design community call recently.
“We’re learning from the Community calls that if you open the door and ask people, they will respond.” William Morris Julien, Design Lead at Planet 4
Facilitated by Magali Fatome, Senior UX Designer for Planet 4, and supported by her colleagues, the Planet 4, Co-design ofengagement features call included key features that will make a community call successful.
Check out the Co-design for engagement features deck.
It started with context and scene setting before moving on to interactive activities including ones the We Are Open team regularly use to empower collective ideation and decision making:
These activities led to highlighting concerns and helping to inspire a plan for next steps surrounding new engagement features in the product. From the buzz on the call, it was clear that everyone felt involved, motivated and valued. They felt connected to the process and invested in making it work.
Based on the feedback collected during the “pre-mortem” exercise, the Design team is eager to help participants solve some global issues we, as "Greenpeacers", identified. There were three major concerns that emerged:
1. Content is King
We can build snazzy features all day long, but if content creators at Greenpeace don’t design and build content specifically for those features, the product will not be used to the best of its ability. The issue was already identified years ago, while designing the MVP of the product. We haven’t completely solved it, and it’s time to address it again. Our biggest problem is that we tend to get siloed in our work. After seeing that this was the number one concern, we chatted with the design team to see if we might come up with a solution or just proposals to bat around with our colleagues:
Council of content
We need to ensure that it isn’t just the Planet 4 team talking about this issue, but rather content creators, communication specialists, storytellers, campaigners and program strategists. Content emerges across the board, so we need to be in lockstep with the rest of the organization. Perhaps we need to have a “Content Track” in addition to our other community tracks.
Content lake
Where does the global network of organizations create content? At the moment, teams create content in various team folders. Perhaps they post documents and send things via email. But when you have thousands of people, the information overload can make it difficult to sort through things. How might we coordinate stories better? How can we help facilitate the adaptation and reuse of content?
Open Communication
The Planet 4 team has worked hard to create a structure that allows for transparency. How can the team take what it knows about openness and apply it to communications? We’re going to start to find out!
2. Insights
The Planet 4 concept theorized that showing people how their individual impact contributed to global, collective action would be one way of showing how their involvement matters. Coming back to this idea, the second major concern the community identified was a concern around the benefits of participating in Greenpeace “challenges”. People wondered, “Why would anyone get involved?” and “What are the benefits of participation?”
To visualize impact, we need to have data. Luckily there is a team at Greenpeace International called “the Insights Team” and they are working to “aggregate and warehouse data from communications, engagement, campaign programs and fundraising and modernizing Greenpeace’s reporting, analysis and data science functions.”
So next steps? Work with folks from the Insight team to figure out what kinds of impact we can show, and help coordinate with program and campaign teams so that we are consistently collecting data that matters to our potential supporters.
3. The "Challenge" Feature itself
We still have a lot of comments and concerns about the challenge feature itself. The community wondered how we create meaningful challenges that make a difference. They are thinking about how Greenpeace National and Regional offices (NROs) can long-term engage users beyond a one-time action, or how the challenges fit into existing content types such as take action & campaign pages. We talked about what collective, social challenges might look like. Will people prefer to work together or as individuals? How can we tie together engagement asks in a way that inspires people to act?
Next steps
A second series of calls based on this feedback has just been wrapped up (see the video outcomes). We will continue to hone in on both the problems and possible solutions. First the team will present the outcomes and then,
“We asked questions, broke into small groups and brainstormed. So that everyone has the chance to express themselves.“ Magali Fatome
We’re enthused that the Planet 4 Design team has kicked off their community calls with truly participatory models. We Are Open knows that “perfection is the enemy of done”, and we’re eagerly supporting this team as they experience the messy awesome that comes with early engagement and collaboration inside of global communities. | https://medium.com/planet4/participatory-community-calls-c10619ef8f5 | ['Gráinne Hamilton'] | 2020-06-16 14:36:06.694000+00:00 | ['Open Engagement', 'Improvement', 'Design', 'Community Calls', 'Community Engagement'] |
Iowa and Penn State flex their muscles heading into Quarterfinals | Photo: The COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of fans who could attend Round 2 during the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis’ Enterprise Center.
By Mike Finn
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Iowa and Penn State, the top two rated teams before the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships began today at the Enterprise Center, flexed their muscles as the two Big Ten powers will combine to set 15 wrestlers to Friday morning’s quarterfinals.
Brackets after Round 2
Similar to today’s two sessions that were broken up into two sections — which allowed officials to limit the number of wrestlers on the floor and allowed them to clean the mats — Friday’s quarterfinals will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday’s semifinals will take place at 7 p.m.
The Hawkeyes won 18 of 20 matches over Thursday’s first and second rounds and will feature eight quarterfinalists as Iowa scored bonus points in 11 of those victories. That includes a pair of technical falls by Spencer Lee (125), a pin and technical fall by Austin DeSanto (133), a pair of major decisions by Alex Marinelli (165) and two technical falls by Michael Kemerer (174)
Penn State, meanwhile, won 15 of 18 bouts on the day and scored bonus points in 11 matches as Roman Bravo-Young (133), Nick Lee (141) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) each produced one technical fall and one major decision.
But perhaps the Nittany Lions’ biggest win came at 157 pounds where PSU’s №12 seed Brady Berge upset Iowa’s №5 Kaleb Young, 3–2.
Most of the top eight seeds held at each of the ten weight classes, even though Ohio State’s #1 Sammy Sasso had to rally to beat Fresno State’s Kyle Parco at 149 pounds. Meanwhile nine wrestlers, seeded No 10 or higher, also qualified for the quarterfinals
2021 NCAA Quarterfinalists
125 pounds
#1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #8 Devin Schroder (Purdue)
#5 Brody Teske (Northern Iowa) vs. #4 Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan)
#3 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) vs. #6 Jakob Camacho (NC State)
#7 Taylor Lamont (Utah Valley) vs. #2 Sam Latona (Virginia)
133 pounds
#1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. #8 Chris Cannon (Northwestern)
#5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) vs. #4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#4 Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) vs. #6 Matt Schmitt (Missouri)
#10 Louie Hayes (Virginia) vs. #2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
141 pounds
#1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) vsa. #9 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan)
#21 Real Woods (Stanford) vs. #4 Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#3 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) vs. #6 Allan Hart (Missouri)
#10 Zach Sherman (North Carolina) vs., #2 Nick Lee (Penn State)
149 pounds
#1 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. #25 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern)
#12 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. #4 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State)
#3 Brock Mauller (Missouri) vs. #6 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)
#7 John Millner vs.m #2 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)
157 pounds
#1 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) vs. #8 Jared Franek (North Dakota State)
#12 Brady Berge (Penn State) vs. #4 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider)
#3 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. #6 Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#23 Jacob Wright (Wyoming) vs. #2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
165 pounds
#1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. #8 Shane Griffith (Stanford)
#5 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) vs. #4 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
#3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) vs. #6 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
#7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State) vs. #2 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
174 pounds
#1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #8 Daniel Bullard (NC State)
#12 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) vs. #4 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
#3 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. #6 Andrew McNally (Kent State)
#7 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) vs. #2 Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley)
184 pounds
#1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs. #8 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
#5 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) vs. #4 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#3 Lou DePrez (Binghamton) vs. #6 John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#7 Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois vs. #2 Trent Hidlay (NC State)
197 pounds
#1 Myles Amine (Michigan) vs. #8 Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming)
#5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #4 A.J. Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
#3 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) vs. #6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt)
#26 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) vs. #15 Michael Beard (Penn State)
Heavyweight
#1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. #9 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#5 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. #4 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#14 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs. #6 Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State)
#7 Ethan Laird (Rider) vs. #2 Mason Parris (Michigan)
Breakdown of Top 10 Teams
Pl. School Points Q-finalists W-L Pins TF MD 1. Iowa 33.5 8 18–2 1 5 5 2. Penn State 28 7 15–1 0 4 7 3. Missouri 23.5 4 14–6 2 1 5 4. NC State 21 5 13–5 0 4 2 5. Oklahoma State 20 3 13–6 2 1 3 6. Arizona State 19 4 12–4 0 0 6 (1 DQ) 7. Minnesota 16.5 2 9–9 3 1 1 8. Michigan 16 2 10–6 2 1 1 9. Nebraska 14.5 2 10–8 2 1 0 (1 med forf) 9. Virginia Tech 14.5 4 11–5 1 0 2 | https://medium.com/@WINMagazine/iowa-and-penn-state-flex-their-muscles-heading-into-quarterfinals-1b213504be12 | ['Win Magazine'] | 2021-04-09 17:35:07.216000+00:00 | ['Featured'] |
7 Short Moral Stories that Changed My Life | Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash
7 Short Moral Stories that Changed My Life
Stories are not only for kids! 😊
It’s easy to think that bedtime stories are for kids. It’s weird for a 15y/o to head over to their parent's room and asked for story time. 😅 After spending the summer with my 4 y/o niece, and reading many bedtime stories, I love how it teaches life lessons in such simple language.
Stories are recognizable patterns, and in those patterns we find meaning.
Here are 7 short moral stories (classics, short stories and videos) that have taught me big lessons in my life.
Habit #1: Take that Leap.
There’s an old riddle that says five frogs are sitting on a lily pad. One decides to jump off. How many are left?
Photo by Victor Rodriguez on Unsplash
If your answer is “four”, thank your maths teacher for your excellent maths skills. Unfortunately, this is not a test of your maths abilities.
It’s a life problem.
The correct answer is “five”. Yes, all five are still sitting there on the lily pad.
The one frog only decided to jump but hasn’t.
Life is not a spectator sport; it’s indeed a contact sport. and there are no practice sessions, and you’ve been in the game from day one.
As cliche as it seems ‘The journey starts with a single step’ — not by thinking about taking that step.
Moral: Be the frog who not only decides to jump off the lily pad but actually jumps.
Habit #2: Overconfidence will often be punished by embarrassing failure.
You know the old fable of the Tortoise and the Hare:
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster.
They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then, seeing he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he’d sit down and rest for a while before continuing the race. He sat down under a tree and soon fell fast asleep.
The tortoise, plodding along, soon overtook him, passed him, crossed the finish line, and won the race.
The hare woke up and realized he’d lost.
Many people will conclude that Slow and Steady win the race. When I read the story, I feel that the real lesson is not about the tortoise at all, it’s about the hare.
The hare made a huge mistake, believing in its ability but then not actually proving it. In real life, you may have that great skill, one which everyone agrees, but you must still showcase that skill to win the competition.
Moral: Success depends on using your talents, not just having them.
Habit #3: Put down the negativity.
When I first watched this video, as the professor poured the water into a glass, I expected him to ask the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to sixteen ounces.
Video by Meir Kay
He replied, “The absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”
As the class shook their heads in agreement, he continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed — incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”
This is a true analogy for many millennials including myself. I want to remind ourselves to take a chill pill. I know dozens of people in their mid-20’s who are literally working away the best decade of life because they want to be a hustler and achieve financial freedom.
While there’s nothing wrong with working hard, you shouldn’t sacrifice your quality of life for a big paycheck.
Moral: It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. Live life!
Habit #4: Believe good things will happen, and they will.
Despite it being an advertisement 😂, I really love the concept behind such Thai commercials, try watching them without crying will be hard! Try it!
Unsung Heroes ad by Thai Life Insurance
How many times have you gone out of your way to help someone in need?
This is a video where the protagonist demonstrates how small acts of kindness every day make genuine differences in the lives of others. A neglected plant gets a little extra water, an old lady gets a helping hand, and a needy child gets money for education. In return for his good deeds, he doesn’t get any materialistic rewards but the happiness is far more valuable.
Moral: Do what you can to help people in need, because there’s nothing more heartwarming than seeing their emotions.
Habit #5: Cultivate a burning desire backed by faith.
Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash
Once a young man asked the wise man, Socrates, the secret to success. Socrates patiently listened to the man’s question and told him to meet him near the river the next morning for the answer. The next morning Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river. As they went in the river the water got up to their neck. But to the young man’s surprise, Socrates ducked him into the water.
The young man struggled to get out of the water, but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled the man’s head out of the water. The young man gasps and took a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when your head was in the water?” The young man replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air while you were in the water, then you will get it. There is no other secret.”
Moral: A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.
Habit #6: Never lie… to yourself, your friends or anyone.
Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy who was bored watching his flock of sheep on the hill. To amuse himself, he shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! The sheep are being chased by the wolf!” The villagers came running to help the boy and save the sheep. They found nothing and the boy just laughed looking at their angry faces.
“Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there’s no wolf boy!”, they said angrily and left. The boy just laughed at them.
After a while, he got bored and cried ‘wolf!’ again, fooling the villagers a second time. The angry villagers warned the boy a second time and left. The boy continued watching the flock. After a while, he saw a real wolf and cried loudly, “Wolf! Please help! The wolf is chasing the sheep. Help!”
But this time, no one turned up to help. By evening, when the boy didn’t return home, the villagers wondered what happened to him and went up to the hill. The boy sat on the hill weeping. “Why didn’t you come when I called out that there was a wolf?” he asked angrily. “The flock is scattered now”, he said.
An old villager approached him and said, “People won’t believe liars even when they tell the truth. We’ll look for your sheep tomorrow morning. Let’s go home now”.
Moral: Lying breaks trust. Nobody trusts a liar, even when he is telling the truth.
Habit #7: Remember to care for those who matter.
Yet another Thai commercial, this time on the topic of family.
‘Silence of love’ shows the sacrifices a deaf-mute father makes for his daughter, despite facing numerous rejections from her teenage daughter who thinks her father doesn’t understand her. I urge all of you to treasure your family members and thank them for being there no matter what you are going through in your life.
Moral: Family — where life begins and Love never ends.
Conclusion
Learning is never finished. Some of these lessons come from experience, yet there are others that we learn watching others or reading in books or watching videos. Hope you have learnt something today! Cheers, Shuxin. 😊 | https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/7-short-moral-stories-that-changed-my-life-162d91db7260 | ['Shuxin Lim'] | 2019-07-14 08:25:47.113000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Inspiration', 'Life Lessons', 'Short Story', 'Self'] |
Joe Abrams Invests in Ponder | We’re thrilled to announce that Joe Abrams, co-founder of MySpace and one of the fathers of social media, has decided to invest in Ponder and join our Board of Directors as an observer. Joe is an extremely successful entrepreneur and an expert in emerging growth companies in areas including technology, drug discovery technology, consumer products, big data, and online job placement.
“Ponder is building a gamified referral platform on the blockchain, that will completely change the incentives for recruiting, business partnerships and personal relationships. I’m thrilled to not only be an investor but provide strategic guidance as the company grows!” said Abrams.
Joe was a co-founder of The Software Toolworks, which he sold to Pearson PLC for $462m in 1994. He later co-founded Intermix Media, the parent company of MySpace, which he sold to News Corp in 2005 for $580m. Mr. Abrams also sits on the advisory boards for several companies including Recruiter.com, an online global recruiting service offering an industry leading job market technology platform.
With his breadth of experience in technology and social networks, Joe is the perfect executive and strategic thinker to help the Ponder ecosystem grow over the coming years.
Learn more about the Ponder platform and token sale here! | https://medium.com/theponderapp/joe-abrams-invests-in-ponder-3721adc78619 | [] | 2018-09-07 19:55:32.254000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Recruiting', 'Social Network', 'Investing', 'Startup'] |
End-to-End SAP Solutions for Intelligent Enterprise of the Future | Founded in 1972, SAP is the world’s largest enterprise application software provider company. SAP is also the market leader in analytics and business intelligence. Such is the global presence of SAP that 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP system. SAP solutions and SAP services are used by more than 425,000 customers spread across 180 countries.
SAP was established with the purpose to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. The company engineers solutions to fuel innovation and diminish regional disparities across borders and cultures. SAP remains committed to its founding principles and virtues by supporting the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
SAP offers end-to-end solutions across 25 industries and 7 lines of business to help its customers transform into true intelligent enterprises. Fit for companies of all sizes, SAP solutions are localized by country and available both on premise and on the cloud.
SAP’s Key End-to-End Solutions & Services
Achieve quantifiable benefits and ROI by harnessing data more effectively with SAP solutions.
SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA is SAP’s market leading intelligent Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions’ suite that empowers large enterprises across industry verticals to reinvent their business models. SAP S/4HANA is an ERP which comes with intelligent capabilities and best practices for every industry. It is available both in the cloud and on any-premise.
The core capabilities of SAP S/4HANA include all day-to-day processes of an enterprise such as plan-to-product, and request-to-service. SAP S/4HANA provides functionalities of finance, sales, accounting, manufacturing, product lifecycle management, etc. The suite provides integration with SAP Hybris, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Fieldglass, SAP Concur, and SAP Ariba.
SAP C/4HANA
Hailed as the leader in digital commerce and digital experience platforms by industry analysts, SAP C/4HANA is a suite of CRM and Customer Experience (CX) solutions. SAP C/4HANA can help you build a connected customer journey based on trust.
It is a suite comprising of five industry leading cloud solutions for sales, marketing, service, e-commerce, customer data management and SAP C/4HANA Foundation to help your enterprise innovate, and become agile.
SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors is a suite of cloud-based SAP solutions for managing diverse HR functions. It is a complete system that covers everything in human resource management from employee engagement to payroll management. Currently, there are more than 125 million users on SucessFactors.
Based on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, SAP SuccessFactors leverages latest technologies to help win top talent, connect human capital with purpose and drive results for your business.
SAP Fiori
SAP Fiori delivers personalized, responsive and new user experience (UX) for SAP solutions. It provides solutions for simplifying daily tasks such as finance management and work approvals to drive business growth and productivity.
SAP Fiori uses modern UX design principles to deliver consumer-grade experiences that work seamlessly across devices. Personalize and simplify the user experience for your SAP solutions across all your business tasks with SAP Fiori.
SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions
SAP provides Digital Supply Chain solutions suitable for companies of all sizes across industries to manage their entire supply chains digitally, right from design, manufacturing, planning, operations, and delivery. SAP’s Digital Supply Chain solutions and suite with embedded intelligence help you anticipate demand and fulfill it from anywhere.
Get the right products to stores and customers at the right time and create transparent and customer-driven supply networks with SAP Digital Supply Chain solutions.
SAP BusinessObjects BI and SAP Analytics Cloud
In the modern digital era data is the “new currency” in an enterprise. SAP, the world’s largest enterprise software company, empowers you to take full advantage of your valuable data with its business analytics solutions.
Leverage advanced tools and embedded machine learning to get insights that you need on-the-go to outsmart competition. Achieve up to 80% efficiency improvements in key business functions by running queries without having to wait for long hours.
Why SAP?
SAP is committed to supporting enterprises and helps them become best-run businesses. A best-run business is an intelligent enterprise that breaks down silos by adopting intelligent, cross-functional, dynamic business processes to deliver optimal experiences, something that SAP solutions can help you achieve.
SAP’s customers include 92% of Forbes Global 2000 companies, 98% of the 100 most valued brands, and 97% of the greenest companies (as per Newsweek). The company’s customers distribute 78% of the world’s food and 82% of the world’s medical devices.
With a 207 million strong cloud user base, SAP Cloud Platform is the top choice across hyperscale cloud vendors including Microsoft, Amazon, Alibaba, and Google.
While looking for an SAP services company or SAP consulting services provider, you should give preference to a Certified SAP Gold Channel Partner. Be it consultation, implementation, hosting, application management or SAP data support, your SAP services provider should double up as a reliable partner to develop a future-ready best-in-class enterprise solution for your business. | https://medium.com/@kelltontech/end-to-end-sap-solutions-for-intelligent-enterprise-of-the-future-619ebb15ab93 | ['Kellton Tech'] | 2019-11-15 10:06:37.987000+00:00 | ['Startup'] |
Attitude — The Decider of Success!!! | Photo by Doran Erickson on Unsplash
Attitude plays a big role in life. Once attitude is set, you will be driven to your destination slowly even without your notice. Then the question arises — what if nobody had the desired attitude? Which factors play the role in creating an attitude? How do you identify a bad attitude and so on? Before you begin to improve your attitude, you must understand how important your life is and how your attitude influences every aspect of your life. You should also realize that a healthy attitude is vital in life to ensure the continued motivation toward your goal.
When a problem surfaces, a winning attitude sees it as a challenge to be solved and not a failure to be ignored. If you have a winning attitude, you will enjoy healthier, more vibrant days. You will have more energy to do the things you love doing the most. A positive attitude can also help you recover from illness in less time. Remember, a healthy attitude delivers a healthy body.
The greatest obstacle toward achieving success in life is the inability to believe that success is possible. Remember Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude are the three vital elements of Success, and if you improve these three elements to achieve your goal, nobody can stop you from becoming successful. | https://medium.com/@pradipndas/attitude-the-decider-of-success-6ee72c9b5806 | [] | 2020-12-26 16:56:47.505000+00:00 | ['Knowledge', 'Skills', 'Attitude', 'Positive Attitude', 'Success'] |
Onward… Looking to Being Best of Service to your Organization | Moving on from Credit Sesame
April 2020 and everything after, what is there to say? I wish I had the eloquence to summarize this interesting passage of our times.
After a +2-year run at Credit Sesame, I have moved on. As a Credit Sesame product team, we delivered consumer credit information, tools, and utilities to help bring transparency and better decision-support to our customers’ credit situation.
Leading a product team that is constantly seeking hyper-growth while simultaneously looking for new lines of business to help our customers improve can be stressful and invigorating. Honestly, it’s been nice to take a break from the stress, but I miss the invigoration of the hard-working product team that I recruited. I miss the outstanding people that deliver value and solutions to a customer in need.
Looking to help
What’s next? Well… I’ve been serving my family well and trying to be a good human during these strange and daunting times of the pandemic. As we head into 2021, I’ve started looking to where I can best be of service in my next endeavor. As this is still a very strange and daunting time in our course through human history, I realize that there are so many ways that I can be best of service.
Professional Outlook
I’d love to be of service to your product organization — product strategy, product planning, scaling product teams. Beyond leading product teams, these daunting times require that I put other product skills into service. I usually start with fingers-in-dirt to understand the customer, the data, the business. If you need some customer research or some digs through vexing data to find some customer signals, I’m happy to be of service. If you need some modeling or metric work on product revenue forecasts, product scenario planning, I’m happy to be of service. Need polish and punch on your product slide deck? I’m happy to be of service.
Being best of service as I look ahead
In the Wayback machine of my career, I’ve seen and experienced various times of turbulence. I was at E*TRADE and watched bubble burst in April 2000 where dot-com darlings’ stock prices cratered and hopes tumbled. I was in an airport on September 11, 2001. I saw hundreds of planes suddenly changing course and the sudden change in the trajectory of life and economy. In 2008, while I was delivering eCommerce and marketplace growth for CafePress, the mortgage crisis pressed the credit markets and banking system to the brink of collapse. During the prior crises, the Wayback machine of my career demonstrates that I showed resilience and strength via a “do great work; solve customer problems; do whatever it takes” skill-set and style. I’m grateful for the opportunity and trust placed in me during those times. I’m thankful for the experience and perspective that those times imparted.
So as I tap into the job market with the ascent of “third wave” COVID infections, re-shuttered businesses, coming change in national leadership, and growing distribution of vaccines, I think about how I can as can be best of service by offering my myriad skills and business wisdom.
Product management is where I’ve created value and engendered a team-ethic toward solving consumer problems, but I can give a bunch more. Going way back, my range of experience is broad and diverse — everything from P&L modeling to Little League umpire. Social Distancing subtracts Little League ump from my list, but the rest is very much in play.
Reach out to me for help
So whether you are a not-for-profit in need of some help, an SMB looking for some hands-on business support, a start-up looking to scale your product, or a bigger fintech| payments | eComm business with gaps to fill, let me know how I can be best of service to your organization.
Let me know how I can be best of service. | https://medium.com/@joeray03/onward-looking-to-be-being-best-of-service-to-your-organization-3a732899a295 | ['Joe Raymond'] | 2020-12-30 00:22:03.137000+00:00 | ['Careers', 'Hiring Manager', 'Recruiters', 'Moving On', 'Career Change'] |
No-breakout makeup: drugstore foundation | Using makeup to cover up acne can be tricky — even if you’re a pro at finding your perfect shade match. Foundation can be expensive, and choosing the one that’s right for your unique skin can be ultra confusing. If you’re acne-prone or have sensitive skin, finding a non-comedogenic drugstore foundation is the most budget-friendly way to cover up blemishes without making your breakout worse.
The best drugstore foundations, reviewed
There are plenty of non-comedogenic foundations at the drugstore. I looked at all of them (with generous research assistance from Vicky Kriv — thanks, cupcake ❤) to see what’s currently available in terms of the best cheap foundation. Then, I analyzed each to find ideal matches for common skin concerns based on the product’s formulation and finish. Without further ado, here are my picks for the best drugstore foundations of 2019.
The best full-coverage foundation
Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation
2-in-1 foundation and concealer makes this super-duper full-coverage
Semi-matte finish that softens the appearance of skin
Works well with all skin types
18 shades from Alabaster to Truffle
$8.99 via Target
The best foundation for mature skin
CoverGirl + Olay Simply Ageless Foundation
Light, buildable coverage
Natural, glowy finish
Cream formula with moisturizing ingredients like niacinamide smooths and fills in skin texture
11 shades from Ivory to Classic Tan; skews pale. For deeper skin tones, check out Black Radiance’s mousse foundation, which is non-comedogenic and creamy, too!
$13.49 via Walgreens
The best foundation for dry skin
Pixi H20 Skintint Foundation
Hydrating formula with moisturizing ingredients creates a glowy finish
Easy to apply (just use your fingers!)
Light, buildable coverage (for full coverage, check out Neutrogena Hydro Boost foundation)
6 shades from Cream to Espresso
$24.00 via Pixi Beauty
The best foundation for combination skin
e.l.f. Studio Flawless Finish Foundation
Satin finish flexes with your face to stay matte in oily parts but not cake onto dry parts
Full-coverage — a little goes a long way
Maintains skin hydration with dimethicone and glycerin
41 shades from Lily to Ebony
$6.00 via Target
The best foundation for oily skin
LA Girl Pro.Matte Foundation
Matte finish keeps your face from getting shiny
Medium, buildable coverage
Minimal blotting necessary with long-lasting wear — especially if you set your makeup!
24 shades from Ivory to Ebony
$8.99 via CVS
The best foundation for acne-prone skin
Neutrogena SkinClearing Liquid Makeup
Salicylic acid is the active ingredient, which can help fight breakouts with occasional use
Medium, buildable coverage
Satin finish suitable for all skin types
14 shades from Ivory to Chestnut
$14.59 via Neutrogena
The best foundation for large pores
Sleek Makeup Lifeproof Foundation
Medium, buildable coverage with a pore-minimizing blur finish
Moisturizing ingredients make this great for dry skin
Combine it with a talc-free setting powder to achieve a more matte, long-lasting look
24 shades from fair to deep
$10.99 via Walgreens
The best foundation cushion
Wet n’ Wild MegaCushion Foundation
Medium, buildable coverage
Liquid formula with moisturizing ingredients leaves a dewy finish
Works well with all skin types
4 shades from Buff Beige to Tawny
$8.99 via Ulta
The best powder foundation
L’Oreal Paris True Match Loose Powder Mineral Foundation
Works best for oily skin types — if you’re dry, use a moisturizing primer
Mineral powder with kaolin clay makes this gentle on sensitive skin
Light coverage with a matte finish
9 shades ranging from Natural Buff to Natural Beige
$14.99 via Walgreens
Start your free trial (plus shipping and handling)
Ingredients to avoid
One of the downfalls of using just about any cosmetic product is that a lot of common ingredients can be pore-clogging or irritating. If you have sensitive skin, here are the skincare villains most commonly found in drugstore foundations:
Chondrus Crispus (pore-clogging)
Denatured Alcohol (irritating)
Ethylhexyl Palmitate (pore-clogging)
Palmitate (pore-clogging) Glyceryl Stearate SE (pore-clogging)
Glycine Soja Oil (pore-clogging)
Isopropyl Palmitate (pore-clogging)
Isostearyl Neopentanoate (pore-clogging, irritating)
Laureth-4 (pore-clogging, irritating)
Octyl Palmitate (pore-clogging)
Polyglyceryl-3-Diisostearate (pore-clogging)
If you suspect your current foundation is breaking you out, use the CosDNA test to see if it contains pore-clogging ingredients. But if your skin tolerates a foundation that contains some of these ingredients, it’s probably fine to keep using it. Keep in mind that the lower an ingredient appears on an ingredient list, the smaller the amount contained in the product.
The trick to happy skin
Common skin woes like acne and signs of aging got you down? Sign up for a free trial of Curology (just pay $4.95 plus tax for shipping and handling), and a dermatology provider will prescribe you a custom cream to treat your unique skin needs. For no additional cost, we’ll throw in your complete non-comedogenic skin routine, with a cleanser and your choice of moisturizer. You don’t have to ride the struggle bus alone — get a free month of Curology and start getting happier, healthier skin today. | https://medium.com/curology/no-breakout-makeup-drugstore-foundation-5af6183607e9 | ['Stephanie Papanikolas'] | 2019-12-19 17:50:39.675000+00:00 | ['Year In Review', 'Beauty', 'Skincare', 'Acne', 'Makeup'] |
Transition from using D3 in React to Angular | In this article, I will go over my transition from React to Angular and point out some of the nuances I found; in case you want to simply check out the code it is available on Github.
As a User Experience/Data Visualization Engineer at Kabbage I’m tasked with helping our product teams create rapid prototypes of upcoming features to present to customers using real data to better understand our customer’s needs. For this role, I am constantly building new user interfaces and data visualizations for user experience (UX) experiments. Given my background and comfort developing in React and D3, I am able to work fastest in these technologies, but since Kabbage is an Angular front-end shop many of my prototypes are not immediately useful to the front-end engineers building the end products. At this point, some may ask why I don’t simply opt for a third-party library and sure most of the time when we need a line chart or bar chart this would work well, but to differentiate ourselves and innovate in the highly competitive FinTech space we don’t want to be constrained with only the visualizations available in a third-party library.
During the holidays, I found myself with some time to explore how to build prototypes using Angular and D3 and become a better asset to our production engineering teams. This wasn’t as easy as I initially thought given the nuances of each front-end framework, but once I got over the initial learning curve it isn’t too bad and is easy to replicate across applications.
App Creation
The first thing I noticed when creating a new project with the two frameworks is that Angular comes with all the bells and whistles, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — routing in React is not fun — but for the purpose of this example it is definitely overkill.
// React
npx create-react-app react-app // Angular
npm install -g @angular/cli
ng new angular-app
While writing the example app for this blog, I found that instead of creating new files by hand and making sure they were correctly added to app.module.ts Angular makes it easy by providing a helper CLI function for this task.
ng generate component visualization
ng generate component visualization/axes
ng generate component visualization/marker
Code Structure
I don’t know if it comes from working with React for so many years, but I’ve come to enjoy JSX and writing HTML in the same code block as my JavaScript. It came as a bit of a shock to me to be tabbing back and forth between my HTML and TypeScript while I was debugging my Angular code. With modern IDEs, it is not hard to have the two files side-by-side, but there is something I just like about having everything together in a single location.
Along the same lines, I’ve had a blast working with React Hooks over the last year or so. It’s been life changing to never have to worry about this or duplicating the same action in an update or mount block. It was, and still is, a bit of a transition to remember to always include this.variable when referring to a variable or function and working with constructor , ngOnChanges , or ngOnInit .
DOM Control
About 95% of the time I find it easier and more performant to have React or Angular control the DOM, but in two specific cases I find myself relying on D3 to control the DOM. In both of these cases, since we are using a third-party DOM library (D3), it is necessary to have a reference to the nodes we wish to change. In React, refs are the preferred way to grab the DOM element, while in Angular it is preferred to use the generic DOM API querySelector() .
Animation/transitions
Where D3 really shines and provides that WOW factor when presenting a new shiny visualization to your company is with animations or transitions. D3 provides a developer with an almost infinite array of transition possibilities: interpolating from one color to another, easing a circle from one side of the screen to the other, or even chaining transitions one after another.
One trick to using d3.transition is that you must “track” the DOM element with which you want to update and each tracker should be unique. Without proper tracking on each element, the framework will not know which element to update. A common shortcut is to use the index of the object in the array as a tracker ( data.map((d, idx) => <circle key={`marker-${idx}`}></circle>)) ), but if that array is sorted or changed in any way on future updates the elements will not transition correctly and you’ll be scratching your head.
Animating DOM Elements with tracking
After adding the correct tracking to the element array, D3 makes it easy to transition any number of styles or attributes on a DOM element. For example, in the below snippets we are starting with a radius of 7.5px on the circle and then animating the circle from its current x- and y-position to a new x- and y-position. Without specifying an easing function, D3 will linearly interpolate between the current position (0 to start) and the new position across a time period (1 second in this example).
Note that in the Angular example, the heavy lifting of the transition is coming from a TransitionDirective that does the animation behind the scenes. A big h/t to https://github.com/AlexPikalov/ngd3 for assistance with the elegant D3 transition directive.
2. Axis creation
One of my favorite features of D3 is its ability to attach a full-featured (domain, ticks, tick lines, etc.) y- and x-axis to a visualization. The caveat to this is that it was built to be used with d3.select() , so there are a few changes to make it work within React and Angular.
Conclusion
I may never be able to move as fast in Angular as I can in React when using D3, but if I build a prototype of a feature that is widely praised amongst our research participants, we will be able to get it to market much faster and have more success as a company. Plus, there are always opportunities to jump back into React when building flashy PR visualizations. | https://medium.com/kabbage-engineering/transition-from-using-d3-in-react-to-angular-b0d55d88c9f2 | ['Christopher Lanoue'] | 2020-01-07 14:39:21.835000+00:00 | ['React', 'Data Visualization', 'JavaScript', 'D3js', 'Angular'] |
Running On an Empty Road | Photo by Mark König on Unsplash
I am running on this empty road
And I am filled with numb and grey
Sunlight beaming through a stagnant
Curtain in an afternoon I can’t
Stand up to face
I am running on this empty road
And I am swallowing every pebble like
A candy trail back to sanity and
Wound up reaching for starred parts
Of hearts that don’t
Respond to beats
I am running on this empty road
And I am filled with the stare of
A dog I no longer own looking
Through the kitsch plates of youth at a
Man who had everyone’s best interest
On the press
I am running on this empty road
And filling it as my body
With the touch of hands and naked skin,
The feeling of the drugs
Pulse through my temple-altered
Drive through the
Clocktower of
Dawn
I am running on this empty road
And I am filled with the freedom of a moment
Colored sickly by the next
And turning over pebble after pebble
With the pendulum of
Fading self | https://medium.com/@bradon-matthews/running-on-an-empty-road-9493ecf1576 | ['Bradon Matthews'] | 2020-12-05 03:39:26.946000+00:00 | ['Coping', 'Melancholy', 'Metaphor', 'Free Verse', 'Poem'] |
醫院＆診所都需要的專屬線上預約 / 網路掛號 系統！ | 免費的跨平台線上預約排程系統，同時支援網頁版以及行動裝置
Oh, Instagram, the source of inspiration for countless millennials, a visual gem and the perfect “look at how cool I… | https://medium.com/simplybooktw/%E9%86%AB%E9%99%A2-%E8%A8%BA%E6%89%80%E9%83%BD%E9%9C%80%E8%A6%81%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%88%E5%B1%AC%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E9%A0%90%E7%B4%84-%E7%B6%B2%E8%B7%AF%E6%8E%9B%E8%99%9F-%E7%B3%BB%E7%B5%B1-542035888538 | ['Simplybook.Me'] | 2020-12-08 11:57:39.507000+00:00 | ['Simplybook', '五分鐘打造專屬預約系統', 'Productivity', 'Medical', 'Simplybookrecommend'] |
Day 22 | Advent of Cyber 2 | Day 22 | Advent of Cyber 2
You have found where the naughty list has been hidden online but it’s encoded. Learn how to decode the contents of this file using CyberChef. tocto Follow Dec 22, 2020 · 2 min read
the web page used in this room is too useful not to bookmark it;)
[Day 22] Forensics // Elf McEager becomes CyberElf
What is the password to the KeePass database?
it seems that the file name is something encoded in base 64, let’s decrypt it to see if it is the password:
It seems that if it allows us to log in to the password manager!
****************
What is the encoding method listed as the ‘Matching ops’?
The answer to this question appears in the image above;)
******
What is the decoded password value of the Elf Server?
move to the servers section and copy the elf’s password on the website!
********
What is the decoded password value for ElfMail?
move to the mail section and copy the elf’s password on the website!
Decode the last encoded value. What is the flag?
I see that in the recycle bin are the credentials of an elf with a very strange description, numbers separated by commas with an indication that they are charcoded!
As we see in the image, this ciphertext returns a javascript script with a couple of codes inside
let’s decipher them to see what comes out!
It seems that they lead us to a web page (github)! | https://medium.com/advent-of-cyber-2-write-up-try-hack-me/day-22-advent-of-cyber-2-e1c03910bdc1 | [] | 2020-12-22 22:50:41.374000+00:00 | ['Hackathons', 'Cybersecurity', 'Tryhackme', 'Hacking', 'Ctf Writeup'] |
Machine learning, data annotation and text analytics for designers | Artificial Intelligence has been a trending topic for the last 5+ years. It had its peek for a most searched term on Google in January, 2018. I had the chance to join the front line in April, 2018 and I have been honored to do my small part in the contemporary Machine Learning landscape.
Often when people refer to Artificial Intelligence, they mean Machine Learning. Machine Learning is a scientific study explored in detail by many an expert in the field. In simple terms, it is the process of teaching a machine to deduct information in order to complete given tasks. It may be a simple task as classifying a paragraph of text or a more complex one as named-entity recognition.
For further readings on the subject, I recommend these helpful resources: Machine Learning from The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series and the Artificial Intelligence Driven Design Series from Awwwards.
The project
In order to learn, the machine needs to be taught through training data.
For that project, the training data was written text that varied from online product reviews to survey responses to chat bot conversations and others.
The process of transforming the original data into training data involves manual annotations of the text. This is a long, painstaking and error-prone approach.
The problem
How to annotate data fast and produce high quality text annotation on a large scale?
There are existing tools that offer rapid annotations such as Brat and Prodigy but none of them provides the base of a scalable annotation process in a timely manner.
A very talented engineer and I, the product designer, took the initiative to design an internal annotation platform, which will allow :
text annotation,
curation,
correction and
review of the data.
The final goal was to design a suite of products that will allow the NLP(Natural Language Processing) team to work together in a fast and collaborative manner on the same platform. That was how Sapiens was born.
The solution
A multi-faceted platform for data annotation. | https://uxdesign.cc/artificial-intelligence-and-design-d449dfd527a4 | ['Sofiya Urumova'] | 2020-04-22 00:28:14.735000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Product Design', 'Design Systems', 'User Experience', 'AI'] |
When the Willow Breaks | Photo by Catarina Carvalho on Unsplash
She was leaning up against an oak tree, sucking on a long, slender cigarette. She flicked the ashes on the damp ground with her long, red thumbnail as she stared off into space. The memories of him trickled through her brain like a haunted stream, as tears floated down her cheeks. The breeze of the warm spring air dried the moisture on her face into dusty silhouettes, as she tried to regain her breath.
She never understood what happened to them. They were best friends who turned into complete strangers over the course of 17 hours. She trusted him and she thought he had the same decency toward her. She was wrong. One minute there was laughter and hand holding, the next….they were done.
During their date the evening before, he was acting strangely. She couldn’t put her finger on the issue, but he was distant and edgy. He could barely sit still as he sipped from his glass of beer and chewed on his rare steak. The restaurant was busy, and he continually searched over his shoulder for something, or someone. It made her uneasy. When she asked him if anything was bothering him, his response was a quick “no, all good.”
They had rushed through dinner and she was hoping he would come home with her and watch some TV and spend the night together, in a quiet, dark bedroom, surrounding each other with naked warm bodies and intimacy. She loved the way he smelled, with his expensive musky cologne and his natural scent. He was rugged with a slight beard and a tight physique. He loved to work out at the gym, and he loved the sight of his own reflection, She loved it too. Maybe it was too early for “love”, but he definitely made her feel amazing and he was kind enough to win her heart.
He paid the check and drove his Mercedes to the front entrance so she didn’t have to walk in her high heels in the rain. He opened her door for her, as always and she climbed into the shotgun leather seat. They never spoke much as he drove her to her condo, and when he pulled into her driveway he told her that he couldn’t stay. She swallowed to hide the disappointment and surprise and she felt angry at herself for making the assumption that he would stay, like he had many nights before. She didn’t ask questions and got out of his car, kissing his cheek quickly before she slammed the door.
“What the hell just happened?” she muttered to herself as she turned the knob on her condo door. Sitting on her couch, watching the spatter of a light rain hit the pane, she went over the evening in her head. They had never actually said that they were monogamous with one another, but the time they spent together suggested that they were a “couple”. They had just never made it official.
They started out their relationship as friends. They had been working together in the same office building for the past 5 years and saw each other Monday to Friday in the lunch room. One Wednesday afternoon, there were no free seats at the long tables in the cafeteria and he asked if he could sit beside her. She patted the seat and welcomed him into her life. They sat together daily for months until they decided to try and date. She was already falling for his charms long before their first dinner out. She found it fascinating that a man of his stature, who drives an expensive car and wears Armani suits, had lunch in the work lunch room. He was appealing to her.
So, now what? She sat alone and flicked on the TV. Her phone beeped beside her and her heart skipped. As she checked her phone, she realized that she had been holding onto a navy blue and white striped tie that he had left on her couch the evening before. It smelled like him. She held it against her cheek, careful not to smear it with her makeup, as she checked the message.
“Hi Willow sorry I couldn’t stay. See u tomorrow?”
She replied with a heart, a smiley face and a wink, followed by “of course”
She hoped she didn’t sound desperate or sad, as she replied.
She poured herself a glass of Merlot and sat down at her computer, trying to find a Netflix show to watch or a movie to download. She still had his tie in her hand, wrapped around like a large cloth bracelet, snaking up her arm in a tight grasp. As she searched through endless shows, she knew they would not distract her from thinking of him. She wondered to herself, why he had never left anything in her condo before. He had spent regular nights, at least 3 a week, even work nights, but he hadn’t left so much as a toothbrush in her bathroom for overnight emergencies. Perhaps he was uncomfortable leaving his “stuff” with her. He probably didn’t know his tie was left between her couch cushions the last time he was over, and they had ravaged each other during a mindless movie. The memory gave her the flutter of butterflies. The sex with him was amazing.
After almost an hour of idly searching through shows, she knew she wouldn’t focus on, she changed over to Facebook and scrolled through her newsfeed. Even all of her friends were boring her, and she felt pains of envy seeing that her girlfriends were on dates with their guys or at clubs with their besties. She closed the computer windows and sat staring at the rain soaked darkness outside again. She missed having him near her and missed having company.
He didn’t have any social media accounts, as he thought they were childish and replete with drama and bullshit. She tended to agree, but she needed to keep in touch with her friends and family, and Facebook was her go-to for keeping up, especially since she was now in some type of relationship that she would eventually brag about.
Absentmindedly, and giggling to herself, feeling the effects of her first glass of wine, she entered his name into a Google search engine, searching for photos of him she could pine over in his absence. As soon as she clicked the enter button, multiple photos of him popped up into the Images screen on her monitor. He worked for a large real estate firm and was kind of a big deal in their city.
She sucked in her breath, a gasp followed by a bolt of lightning. He was so incredibly handsome, in company photos in his suit and tie. She could see the outline of his bulging arms under his dress shirt in one photo. As she looked at his chiseled face, she could smell a waft of cologne float through the air. He was literally taking her breath away, as she sat on her dining room chair.
Then she clicked on a photo that made her curious. It was a studio shot from a photographer who was identified as a watermark on her man’s handsome chest.
She shouldn’t have clicked. She shouldn’t have creeped him. She should have just watched a movie.
She sat staring at his perfect teeth, his strong chin, and his steel grey eyes shining back, as though he was looking through her. There on his left, was a beautiful brunette with an equally perfect face and body. She had the bluest eyes Willow had ever seen. She was petite and smiling without a care in the world, holding his hand. The little boy who sat between them had the same blue eyes as the woman and the same chiseled face as his daddy.
He was married with a son.
She sat there staring at the image. Her heart beat so hard and fast, she felt as though it was trying to escape her slender body and shatter on the tiles of her floor. She searched through the album of the photographer’s family photos and saw the happiness the couple shared; the kisses, the hugs, and the love that the man behind the camera had captured. His subjects all wore blue jeans and white shirts to advertise that they were together. They were a family.
Willow couldn’t look anymore and slammed her laptop shut. Tearing the tie off her wrist she screamed at the top of her voice, knowing her neighbors would probably hear her, and not caring.
She should have known he was too perfect. She was angrier at herself than she was at him. She wanted to smash the empty wine glass in her hand. She wanted to run, or hide. She wanted his beautiful wife to know that she was with him now. She wanted to get even, but she didn’t want to hurt an innocent child. She crumbled onto her sofa for a moment to get grip and think.
She looked around her house and tried to block out the memories of their lovemaking, the memories of their laughter and cuddles, the memories of him. The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the air around her, or at least she imagined it was there. She couldn’t cry. She was too cluttered in of a web of emotions that cancelled each other out in her heart and her brain. Anger, love, regret, hate, resentment, self-loathing, betrayal and jealousy beat her from the inside out as if she had multiple personalities kicking at her guts.
She picked up her phone to text him, and then put it down. She couldn’t stand to look at his name with its red hearts saved beside it. She remembered their first date when he gave her his number and she thought it was cute to embroider his contact info with hearts, when she thought they had a future. The memory of that night infuriated her and she threw her phone across the room, leaving a black mark on her freshly painted white walls. The cracked phone landed on the tiles glaring at her.
She stormed to her door and took her car keys off the hook. Her condo was reminding of her of him too much, and she needed to get out. If she knew where he lived she would drive by his house and stalk his ass, just to see if he was with his wife, or out with some other idiot who had fallen for his body and charm. She climbed into her Toyota and sped off down the road.
She had no idea where she was going, but she had to just GO. She needed to blare some music, open her windows, and sing at the top of her lungs to some 90’s breakup bullshit music on the radio. She settled for Spiderweb and screamed along to Gwen Stephanie as she raced down the mountain lined highway. Her broken phone lie beside her on the passenger seat and she felt as though the shattered screen was an extension of her heart.
She pulled into a bar that rested at the base of a mountain, where she had never drank before. She never came to this part of her suburb, as it had a rough reputation from the transients that frequented there. Most of them were hitch hikers who stopped in for a beer to wait out the darkness or cold. She sat at the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. She downed it without lime or salt, and put 7 dollars into the cigarette machine, pulling the lever angrily as she waited for them to drop into the metal tray. She had quit smoking for many years, but this night seemed to be a reason to start again, if only for as long as it takes to get over that asshole. As she pulled a long cigarette out of the package and placed it in her mouth, a bedraggled looking hippy offered her a light. She accepted it and sat back on her stool, ordering another shot of tequila with a beer chaser. She was in no hurry to go anywhere now.
The hippy asked her name, and she quietly responded, “It’s Willow, and I honestly need to be alone. Thank you for the light.” She looked at her beer glass and remembered their earlier dinner date. He had drank his beer much more quickly than he had on their previous date nights. As she watched the bubbles dance in her lager she wondered what had happened tonight,’that differed from other date nights. What did he tell his wife on the nights when he never came home?
She searched her bag for her broken phone and looked at the webbed screen. It was as though he was thinking of her at that moment as those fucking hearts popped up with a message.
“Hi Willow baby. I am just going to bed and missing you. Sweet dreams”
She thought long and hard about what to text in reply, and opted to not say anything…..not yet.
Her cheeks flushed with rage and the alcohol seeping through her blood. She ordered another tequila to drown the pain in her heart. Her head throbbed in time with the pounding in her chest and she lit another one of the Virginia Slims. Her body felt as though it was trembling, and she held her beer glass to see if the liquid moved with her hand. It didn’t. She appeared cool and calm, and she downed another shot.
After the bar closed down, she knew she couldn’t drive. She slid into her car, after stumbling over the dirt and gravel lot, and fumbling with her keys. Maybe, she thought, she was numb enough to sleep now. She reclined her seat and drifted off into a drunken slumber in the bar parking lot.
The sun and early morning heat woke her with a start. It took her a few moments to figure out where she was and why, and suddenly her hurting soul reminded her. She wished it was all a nightmare. As she checked her reflection in her rearview mirror for damage control from a night of boozing and emotions, she decided her driving journey wasn’t finished yet. She would find a spot somewhere to gather her thoughts before she texted him. She drove down the road to a clearing in the lower mountain range. Oak trees scattered the valley beside an emerald green lake. She parked, took her phone and her disgusting renewed habit and sat at a picnic table. She held her phone as if it were an injured kitten and stroked it lightly. At least it still worked and she could get the text out that would end her time with him.
She pulled a smoke out and relaxed, leaning back against the table top while the sun grazed her temples. She breathed in the smell of the clean mountain air and the acrid taste of tobacco and nicotine. As she flipped over her phone, the only words she could think of, that resonated in her head, let the tips of her thumbs as she texted:
“I know…”
Those were her only words to him. No emojis, no cute phrases, no lies. She waited.
As she lit another cigarette she could see the all-too-familiar, 3 dots in the bubble, pop up, scarred by the cracks. He was replying. As she sat and watched her phone, she wondered what he would say. She bet he would play innocent and ask “Know what?” or “What do you mean” or the typical “Huh?”
He didn’t. He knew her well enough to know that she actually “did know”.
“I was going to tell you”
She never responded. More dots and bubbles popped up after she let him stew for a few long moments.
“I’m sorry Willow”
She couldn’t make her brain, her heart or her fingers connect together and she sat and watched her screen with more and more messages:
“I do care for you”
“My son, he needs me”
“I don’t love her”
“ I really wanted to tell you in person”
“You’re my best friend”
“ We could talk if you want to meet me. I’ll come over”
“I need you”
“Willow, are you there?’
“Please talk to me”
“Ok, fine don’t talk to me, but please know that I didn’t want to hurt you”
“Helllooo? Willow?”
“ I want to see you. I miss you”
“I want to hug you and show you I care”
“You mean so much to me and I love being with you”
“ What do you want me to do, Willow? Please tell me”
“ Ok, clearly you don’t want to talk. Can I call you?”
As she sat at the picnic table hearing the beeps between every message, and watching the one sided conversation, she struggled with what to do. He was relentless and although her heart strings were being tugged at, she couldn’t force herself to respond. She smoked another one and watched as the dots and bubbles subsided. She inhaled a long drag of her smoke and played with the cover of her phone, trying to think of how she could handle him.
~ beep~
“Please talk to me. Tell me we can work this out. Tell me we can still see each other”
The cracks in her phone framed his words profoundly and she had an idea. She scrolled through the first pages of his messages, and she forced the broken phone to screen shot them. She continued through his persistent, begging, words taking photos of everything he had sent her. She emailed the images to her email account and sat quietly. She knew he would go too far…
“Ok Willow, be a bitch. Don’t talk to me and just ignore me. I get it.. you’re pissed”
“ Look are you going to talk to me like a mature person about this or just shun me?”
That made her laugh to herself. The man in a marriage with a child indicating his “other woman” is immature. She was almost starting to look at his messages as entertainment now. It was as though she was watching some rom-com on her phone, with a one man cast.
“Did I leave my navy and white tie at your house? I will need that back. Can I come get it?”
“Seriously, stop ignoring me!”
“You can bring my tie to the office. Lets have lunch on Monday like we always do”
“Willow”
“Willow!! Damnit!”
She finished her smoke and stood up. She snapped photos of his last and final messages and emailed herself the photos. Without hesitation, she gripped her phone, and as it made one last beep, she threw it as hard as she could, hearing a splash in the emerald lake. She leaned against an oak tree and cried her last tears for this man, enjoying one last Slim.
She slid into her driver’s seat, started the engine and drove home, throwing the rest of her cigarettes out the window, as she stepped on the gas. She was going back to her house, where she would forget about him, forget about his amazing scent and body. She would forget the steely eyes staring back at her while they made love.
And she would email his pleading text messages, along with a photo of his precious tie, to his beloved, beautiful wife.
Did you like this story ? Maybe you will enjoy this one too 😊 | https://christinahaus.medium.com/when-the-willow-breaks-79d35810fe80 | ['Kristina H'] | 2018-06-23 02:45:40.230000+00:00 | ['Storytelling', 'Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Relationships', 'Stories'] |
Detection of heart disease using Decision Tree Classifier | Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash
Decision Tree is one of the most popular and powerful classification algorithms in machine learning , that is mostly used for predicting categorical data. Entropy/Information Gain and Gini Impurity are 2 key metrics used in determining the relevance of decision making when constructing a decision tree model.
To know more about these you may want to review my other blogs on Decision Trees, Entropy/Information Gain and Gini Impurity.
In this blog, let’s build a decision tree classifier model using both Gini and Entropy to detect Heart Disease. I have used Kaggle notebook to code and used the UC Irvine Heart Disease dataset from Kaggle to find out the most important factor that impacts heart disease in a patient.
Let’s do it step by step as shown below:
Step 1:
To begin with, let’s import all the required modules as shown below:
# Importing the required packages
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
from sklearn.tree import DecisionTreeClassifier
from sklearn.metrics import accuracy_score
from sklearn import tree
import graphviz
Step 2:
To access the UCI heart dataset from Kaggle, let’s write a function that returns the required dataset.
# import Dataset
balance_data = pd.read_csv('../input/heart-disease-uci/heart.csv') balance_data
Output:
UCI Heart Disease Dataset
Step 3:
Out of 14 features in the dataset, let’s just take 3 main factors that I thought would be reason for heart disease in a person as “X” and the target column as “Y” which is nothing but heart disease is there or not. The features for “X” are:
cp — Chest Pain trestbps — resting blood pressure (Good Blood Circulation) ca — number of major vessels (0–3) colored by flourosopy (Blocked Arteries)
# Separating the target variable
X = balance_data[['cp','trestbps','ca']]
Y = balance_data.target
Step 4:
Next step is to split the dataset in to train and test sets.
# Splitting the dataset into train and test
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, Y, test_size = 0.3, random_state = 100)
Step 5:
Let’s create a decision tree classifier model and train using Gini as shown below:
# perform training with giniIndex
# Creating the classifier object
clf_gini = DecisionTreeClassifier(criterion = "gini",random_state = 100,max_depth=3, min_samples_leaf=5)
# Fit the model
clf_gini.fit(X_train, y_train)
Step 6:
Let’s create a decision tree classifier model and train using Entropy as shown below:
# perform training with entropy
# Decision tree with entropy
clf_entropy = DecisionTreeClassifier(criterion = "entropy", random_state = 100,max_depth = 3, min_samples_leaf = 5) # Fit the model
clf_entropy.fit(X_train, y_train)
Step 7:
Since, we are going to build decision trees using 2 different approaches (Gini and Entropy), let’s write a function that will take the respective models and X_test as input and return the predicted values for each approach. The function code is shown below:
# Function to make predictions
def prediction(X_test, clf_object):
# Predicton on test with giniIndex
y_pred = clf_object.predict(X_test)
print("Predicted values:")
print(y_pred)
return y_pred
Step 8:
Similarly, let’s write another function to calculate the accuracy of both the models.
# Function to calculate accuracy
def cal_accuracy(y_test, y_pred):
print ("Accuracy : ", accuracy_score(y_test,y_pred)*100)
Step 9:
Now, let’s execute the above 2 functions to get the predicted values and accuracy of each model as shown below:
# Operational Phase print("Results Using Gini Index:")
# Prediction using gini
y_pred_gini = prediction(X_test, clf_gini)
cal_accuracy(y_test, y_pred_gini) print("Results Using Entropy:")
# Prediction using entropy
y_pred_entropy = prediction(X_test, clf_entropy) cal_accuracy(y_test, y_pred_entropy)
Output:
We can see that both the models have similar accuracy. Sometimes it might be different too.
Step 10:
Now let’s try to print the tree created by both both the models and see which is the root node, which is nothing but the feature that has most impact on heart disease. Again, we will write a function that take the model as input as shown below:
#Print tree
def printTree(classifier):
feature_names = ['Chest Pain', 'Blood Circulation',
'Blocked Arteries']
target_names = ['HD-Yes', 'HD-No']
#Build the tree
dot_data = tree.export_graphviz(classifier,
out_file=None, feature_names=feature_names,
class_names=target_names, filled = True)
#Draw tree
tr = graphviz.Source(dot_data, format ="png")
return tr
Step 11:
Let’s print the tree generated by Gini model by using the printTree() function.
#Print Gini tree
tr_gini = printTree(clf_gini)
tr_gini
Output:
Gini Tree: Image by Author
Step 12:
Let’s print the tree generated by Entropy model by using the printTree() function.
#Print entropy tree
tr_entropy = printTree(clf_entropy)
tr_entropy
Output:
Entropy Tree: Image by Author
From the above predictions of both the decision tree classifier models, we can see that “Blocked Arteries” is the root node indicating that “Blocked Arteries” is the main factor that impacts heart disease in a patient.
The predictions change according to the data and also the train_test_split percentage and even the bias and variance in data would have an impact.
To increase the accuracy, we can split the dataset in to many small datasets and create models and again consolidate the results to get an optimum accuracy.
Hope this blog will give a basic idea of how to use a dataset to create a decision tree classifier models using Gini and Entropy.
For further reference on Decision Trees, Gini Impurity and Entropy please review these links:
https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/is-decision-tree-a-classification-or-regression-model-b1777d7733b1
https://gbhuvanes.medium.com/what-is-entropy-and-information-gain-how-are-they-used-to-construct-decision-trees-aadf7d0728f0
https://towardsdatascience.com/what-is-gini-impurity-how-is-it-used-to-construct-decision-trees-75d01ed78812
Happy Modeling! | https://towardsdatascience.com/detection-of-heart-disease-using-decision-tree-classifier-9bbff9763a85 | ['Bhuvaneswari Gopalan'] | 2020-12-22 13:20:01.249000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Supervised Learning', 'Heart Disease', 'Decision Tree Classifier', 'Towards Data Science'] |
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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 fULL mOVIE 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 fULL mOVIE actually.
(fULL mOVIE 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.
fULL mOVIE 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 Black Box. 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: “”””””””””””””””&f2&”””””””””””””””” movie audiences are going to be suffering from ‘Black Boxis’! (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 “Black Box” 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 “Black Box”? What does it mean. Is it just a password? I’m none the wiser.
The manic pace of fULL mOVIE 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 “Black Box”. 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 Wonder Woman 1984 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: Black Box’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 fULL mOVIE 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 (Black Box) 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 fULL mOVIE 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 Black Box. I love Christopher Nolan’s work but I have never seen a more complicated film (and I understood Memento). Wonder Woman 1984 nearly three hours, I came away from fULL mOVIE 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. fULL mOVIE 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. fULL mOVIE is overlong, overstuffed, pretentious and too exhausting to comprehend in its entirety — it makes Inception and fULL mOVIE 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, fULL mOVIE at least provides a unique cinematic experience. But to actually enjoy solving it Nolan wants you to work very very hard.
❏ STREAMING MEDIA ❏
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider. The verb to stream refers to the process of delivering or obtaining media in this manner.[clarification needed] Streaming refers to the delivery method of the medium, rather than the medium itself. Distinguishing delivery method from the media distributed applies specifically to telecommunications networks, as most of the delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g. radio, television, streaming apps) or inherently non-streaming (e.g. books, video cassettes, audio CDs). There are challenges with streaming content on the Internet. For example, users whose Internet connection lacks sufficient bandwidth may experience stops, lags, or slow buffering of the content. And users lacking compatible hardware or software systems may be unable to stream certain content.
Live streaming is the delivery of Internet content in real-time much as live television broadcasts content over the airwaves via a television signal. Live internet streaming requires a form of source media (e.g. a video camera, an audio interface, screen capture software), an encoder to digitize the content, a media publisher, and a content delivery network to distribute and deliver the content. Live streaming does not need to be recorded at the origination point, although it frequently is.
Streaming is an alternative to file downloading, a process in which the end-user obtains the entire file for the content before watching or listening to it. Through streaming, an end-user can use their media player to start playing digital video or digital audio content before the entire file has been transmitted. The term “streaming media” can apply to media other than video and audio, such as live closed captioning, ticker tape, and real-time text, which are all considered “streaming text”.
❏ COPYRIGHT CONTENT ❏
Copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work, usually for a limited time.[1][2][3][4][5] The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educational, or musical form. Copyright is intended to protect the original expression of an idea in the form of a creative work, but not the idea itself.[6][7][8] A copyright is subject to limitations based on public interest considerations, such as the fair use doctrine in the United States.
Some jurisdictions require “fixing” copyrighted works in a tangible form. It is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rights holders.[citation needed][9][10][11][12] These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and moral rights such as attribution.[13]
Copyrights can be granted by public law and are in that case considered “territorial rights”. This means that copyrights granted by the law of a certain state, do not extend beyond the territory of that specific jurisdiction. Copyrights of this type vary by country; many countries, and sometimes a large group of countries, have made agreements with other countries on procedures applicable when works “cross” national borders or national rights are inconsistent.[14]
Typically, the public law duration of a copyright expires 50 to 100 years Wonder Woman 1984 the creator dies, depending on the jurisdiction. Some countries require certain copyright formalities[5] to establishing copyright, others recognize copyright in any completed work, without a formal registration.
It is widely believed that copyrights are a must to foster cultural diversity and creativity. However, Parc argues that contrary to prevailing beliefs, imitation and copying do not restrict cultural creativity or diversity but in fact support them further. This argument has been supported by many examples such as Millet and Van Gogh, Picasso, Manet, and Monet, etc.[15]
❏ GOODS OF SERVICES ❏
Credit (from Latin credit, “(he/she/it) believes”) is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but promises either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date.[1] In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and extensible to a large group of unrelated people.
The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment.[2] Credit is extended by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower. | https://medium.com/@mendy-xaylen/watch-wonder-woman-m-o-v-i-e-s-2020-full-hd-online-64a90974a6fe | ['Mendy Xaylen'] | 2020-12-26 13:38:11.337000+00:00 | ['Movies', 'Streaming', 'Film', 'Wonder Woman', 'Box Office'] |
AGONY AUNT COLUMN | *Note. As I am trying to assemble my book together at the moment, I don’t really have much brain space for doing any new writing, but I thought I’d start an agony aunt column where I give bad advice for things I know nothing about, inspired by the people who kept sending me questions about their life problems because I asked them to. Feel free to send any questions you might have to [email protected], and I will do my worst at solving them.
I can solve all your problems. I solved most of mine by not doing anything about them until they went away.
Dear Agony Aunt Uncle Nick, I have this feeling of anxiety around the question whether or not I’m doing enough. I feel like I’ve got so much to give and yet it’s spent working for bullshit. I can see that I’m afraid of just living, ageing. Just everyday. I think it’s a matter of doubting myself, doubting that I can have a happy and long life and I wonder, why this self-defeatist attitude.
Yours sincerely,
Woke and Broke
Dear Woke and Broke,
Is anyone really doing enough? Shit no. Are most of us spending our lives working for bullshit? Fuck yeah. Are most of us afraid of living and ageing? I don’t have the statistics to back it up but probably? What does this all mean? I don’t know. I’m just a schmuck like you, struggling to find meaning in a dying world. The self-defeatist attitude is probably because your mind is trying to kill you. My solution is to try and kill your mind, then you won’t have that annoying voice in your head that is always beating yourself up. Every time you hear that voice saying ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I’m no good’ I want you to do something for yourself: kick yourself in the balls as hard as you can. Soon you will pair the feeling of severe testicle pain with psychological self-flagellation and you will learn through Pavlovian conditioning to stop giving yourself a hard time. If you are a woman/trans/non-binary etc… and you don’t have any balls to kick in, everytime you begin to beat yourself up, instead smoke about 2 kg of DMT in one hit and there will no longer be a ‘you’ to beat up. If you don’t like any of these two ideas, I will even give you a third option: instead of beating yourself up, beat yourself off. Eventually it will do the same job: distract you from the habitual self-torture of the mind.
I also highly recommend you look into the ‘Default Mode Network’ -
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network#Pathophysiology ), as it sounds like you may have an overactive DMN and there are various ways to short circuit this, namely through mindfulness meditation practices, smoking 2 kg of DMT in one hit and attempting to assassinate a prominent member of the parliament who really gets your goat while trying to be fully in the present moment as you stare at him through the crosshairs, squeezing not pulling the trigger.
Finally, try not to compare yourself to other people who are doing more than you. These people are really about 0.001% of the population and they are freaks of nature who are just naturally better than the rest of us genetically inferior scum and that’s because they have alien DNA and they need to be ostracised like the reptilian invaders that they are the fucks.
I hope this helps
Love
Some guy living in a shipping container in the jungle
Dear Agony Aunt Uncle Nick, I’m at an International women’s day event and the speakers are so boorrrrring. They are talking about a target of 50% for women in leadership roles. But as a woman, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Become a leader and everyone calls you a ball breaker. Don’t lead and you get labelled ‘meek and mild’. And on top of this I’m sick of hearing white middle-aged men talk about their ‘struggles’.
Dejected Public Servant.
Dear Dejected Public Servant, I hear you. I see you. I feel you. Sometimes I even smell you when you are asleep. I’ve never been a woman in this current lifetime, but I have tried to talk to one once to let her know how I felt about her, and she spat in my face in disgust. But hey enough about my struggles even if I’m not white and only approaching middle age. The best leaders are the ones that never want to be the leader, they are just voted in by everyone because all the other options are people who actually want to be the leader. Anyone who wants to be a leader on purpose, is clearly an arrogant, power-hungry sadist/fascist. I mean how full of alpha monkey bullshit do you have to be, to think that you have what it takes to lead a bunch of people? Fuck those assholes. So the fact that you are already in doubt about being a leader means that you have what it takes, so go be a leader and try your best to not see yourself through other people’s eyes. Be one of these ‘I don’t want to be a leader, but I have to, because the other options are far worse than me’ type of leaders. The best model for this kind of leader is Bruce Willis’s character in ‘Die Hard 4’ where after the first three ‘Die Hards’, he seems so tired of being the hero that when questioned about his motivations, he just shrugs tiredly at the camera and says something like, ‘Someone’s gotta do it.’
So be that reluctant leader and when eventually someone has to have their balls broken, because unfortunately that will be inevitable in the leader role, just say this following speech verbatim:
‘Listen Tim from finances, don’t make me break your balls, I don’t want to break your balls, but the fact is that if you don’t do what has been asked of you, I will have to, because if I don’t, they are going to fire me, and that racist homophobe ladder climbing bitch Lisa from HR will get my job and everyone will be her slave in a dystopian horror show of a workplace hell. Now is this what you want Tim from finances? To be chained to her malformed psyche and unhealed wounds like some gimp on a torture rack, 9–5, 7 days a week, 48 weeks a year, till the day your heart explodes from a buildup of unexpressed petty vindictiveness? Now I bet because I have a vagina and you have a penis and I am trying to tell you what to do, you are going to project some unresolved mother issues onto me and call me a ‘ball-breaker’ behind my back, but the truth is, I don’t want to emasculate you like this Tim from finances. Truth is, if I could breast feed you right now I would, but I can’t because I am not lactating and you are 46 years old and a not very attractive middle aged white male talking about your petty struggles again. Now please go back to your cubicle and do what you can, we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction and over 150 species are dying each day… Do you realise what that means for global biodiversity Tim from finances? Our children are going to die Tim from finances, do you hear me? Your children are going to bake to death because of us, and you are holding this petty grudge against me, just because I want the Penski file completed by the day that I asked it to be done over three months ago? Fuck you Tim from finances, fuck you. Where’s your motherfucking head at? Where’s your motherfucking head??’
(at this point you break down and slam your fist on the table while calling out the scientific names of various species of animals that have recently gone extinct — you are going to have to research this yourself though).
As for white middle aged men talking about their struggles, next time one does this around you, I urge you to heckle him. No one heckles anyone in real life enough and it’s a real shame because then these people just keep on being dicks because no one has confronted them about it. It’s our duty to inform them of this and hopefully instigate behavioural change. To get the point across I recommend throwing rotten fruit, hissing and spitting at them while heckling them about their faults, that way they are sure to get the message.
I hope this helps you become the reluctant female leader of the free world and don’t forget to spare my life if you end up exterminating the male gender, I never asked to be born a male, it was just something that happened.
I hope this helps
Love,
Some guy living in a shipping container in the jungle.
Dear Agony Aunt Uncle Nick, I hate my mother-in-law. She’s an aggressive and abusive witch with no impulse controls but I have a child and I can’t remove myself entirely from all interaction because my partner believes she has a right to be a grandmother. Every time she sees us she takes my newborn out of my sight and into another room. She’s a bigoted, unempathetic, female misogynist and Trump supporter. I find myself wishing death upon her. I look at her and visualise an asteroid crashing on her stupid head. How do I stop having these negative thoughts about my mother-in-law?
Sincerely, Zen Mummy
Dear Zen Mummy. I too have struggled with similar situation, forced to live in close proximity to a toxic person that I could not handle and you know what? You can’t stop these negative thoughts you have about them. It’s best to just let them pass by, as if watching a stream of filth without reacting to the smell. The trick is to not get attached to say an image of them with their head in a jaffle iron as they beg for mercy. Most people think they are good, nice people but I think it’s easier to accept that you are a flawed piece of shit human scumbag just like the rest of us creeps who has murderous thoughts once in a while. Shitty people are hard work. You think you are approaching enlightenment and then one comes along and next thing you know, you can’t stop visualising their violent death while you meditate. I’ve tried many different coping strategies to deal with them. Avoidance. Sending them love. Picturing white light all around them. Trying to remember all that is good in them. Realising that this is not actually them acting this way, but actually a demon that has possessed their soul that is making them behave in such a horrible way. I would then address them not by their name but as ‘Hello Demon-possessing-Beryl’s-soul.’ (thereby divorcing their higher selves from their aberrant behaviour) while constantly throwing salt and holy water at them continuously, trying to always remember that I wasn’t speaking to a human being, but a demon wearing a human skin.
You may also want to express views that are far more extreme in the same direction as hers, so much so that it actually begins to horrify her and makes her moderate. There are scientific studies to support that this is actually the best way to moderate extremist behaviour, not the other way around. So say for example when she says, ‘Those blacks are lazy.’, instead of arguing with her from your liberal standpoint, you should say something like, ‘Yes! Bring back slavery! I want three!’. If she says something like, ‘That Trump sure is a good leader.’ Say something like ‘Kill the Jews! Heil Hitler’ whilst stabbing the air with a swastika emblazoned dagger.
However, by far the most effective method I have found in dealing with toxic people is to acquire some ethically sourced, fair trade rohypnol and lacing her drink every time you have to visit her. Rohypnol got a bad name in the 90’s due to terrible men who were using it to extract non-consensual sexual favours out of unsuspecting victims, but what you never hear is that at a much lower dose, it is frankly superb for helping you deal with toxic people. The key is dosage. You will have to dose her a few times to find the effective level of dose to make her pass out but not die, so start at .5 milligram and work your way up .1 milligram at a time. They key is to make her a drooling vegetable for a few hours, but who still has a working memory, otherwise she might get suspicious every time she wakes up in the bottom of the garden covered in her own pee.
I hope this helps.
Some guys who lives in a shipping container in the jungle.
If you enjoyed reading this, you can join my Patreon account for just $2 a month and get more stuff that I can’t release due to personal and legal reasons. I’m currently living in a shipping container in remote Northern Australia, compiling a book about my self-initiatory process through the world of psychedelic medicines and my time in the field as a DIY facilitator.
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https://www.facebook.com/nick.sun.50 | https://medium.com/@nicksun/agony-aunt-column-c94c98924e54 | ['Nick Sun'] | 2019-04-11 03:35:21.299000+00:00 | ['Agony Aunt', 'Solutions', 'Psychedelics', 'Problems', 'Self Help'] |
I Have A Question… | “Dad — what’s that?”
My daughter, 4 or 5, was in her car seat as we were running errands. She grew impatient with my delay in answering her question.
“That!” she said as she pointed out her window at the curb.
“It’s called a curb,” I explained.
“What’s it made of?”
“Cement.”
“What’s cement?”
I was about to enter the zone of never-ending questions from a toddler. I find myself curious about what goes through toddlers’ minds as they are taking everything in.
Her preferred choice of input was by asking her mom and me an endless string of questions.
Questions are not just preferred by kids. For adults, questions are natural every-day occurrences to give and receive information. We create our go-to list of questions and don’t even think about it anymore. Asking questions becomes second nature.
Judge a man by his questions, rather than by his answers. — Voltaire
It is time to innovate the questions we ask.
Socrates was the master of asking questions. Socrates believed that “the disciplined practice of thoughtful questioning enables the scholar/student to examine ideas and be able to determine the validity of those ideas,”.
The same applies to today’s society. Rather than challenging ideas, we should use questions to examine ideas and determine if they are valid.
Excellent questioners (innovators) spend the time necessary to craft brilliant questions to test ideas.
👉 How much time do you spend designing exceptional questions that will give you unique insights?
For more on why questions are important, download the free PDF resource, “Why Questions Matter”, from my book, Beyond The Obvious. | https://medium.com/@philmckinney/i-have-a-question-2d0ccbbde5a4 | ['Phil Mckinney'] | 2020-12-27 15:29:04.408000+00:00 | ['Learning', 'Inspiration', 'Questions', 'Leadership', 'Ideas'] |
What Does Your Top Bun Say About You? | What Does Your Top Bun Say About You?
The psychology behind our hairstyle attempts
The Acorn
Images by author
You want what you can’t have. In this case a top bun. But in life, you perhaps reach for a goal that is beyond your skill level, getting slightly frustrated when the results you imagined don’t materialize. Though luckily you are optimistic. While trying something new you say to yourself, “I can make this work.” Keep that can-do spirit, as it will help you throughout your days as you wait for your skills and hair to grow.
The Schoolmarm
Controlling? You? Yes. Your tight top bun is so painful that it pulls up your eyebrows and almost brings tears to your eyes. Yet you don’t want to waste time keeping a loose bun from falling, so you’ve gone to the other end of the spectrum and created an impenetrable ball of hair. In life, this manifests as someone who likes to make lists, download productivity apps, and avoid activities that make them feel dumber. There is no shame in this bun or the person, but learn to let loose every so often, so you don’t bring pain to others with your rigidity.
The Leaning Bun of OH-NO-za
You are the one whose bun forever tilts to one side or the other. Nevertheless, you keep trying, fixing the hair when it gets to the point where you feel ridiculous. That’s you in a nutshell. When at first you don’t succeed you try again. Yet a shroud of melancholy consumes you. You never learn how to do it better, learn the lesson of not tying a knot right there. You simply assume you have bad luck and others are simply born with the skill. Try to avoid this mindset and make small improvements to your habits. Whether that means getting up 10 minutes earlier each day or inserting bobby pins where you have not before, doing new things will make you feel better in the long run.
The Unicorn
Somehow you’ve managed to make a very long, narrow bun. It’s certainly very eye-catching, but it isn’t what you meant to do. The reason for this is because you took the quick route and just twisted it up and called it a day. That’s so you. But heed my words, your penchant for shortcuts does not garner the results you desire. The only way you will achieve your dreams is by doing the slow, sometimes painfully boring, task of learning. Like top bun construction or art. Rome (and buns) weren’t built in a day!
The Bird’s Nest
You’re a worrier and your top bun shows it. Throughout the day you keep poking at and messing with the bun until it resembles a very messy lark’s nest. During your non-bun activities, your mind drifts to the past, replaying old hurts and humiliations, letting your anger take hold. Let it go. Seriously, let go of that strand you’re tugging at right now! But also let go of your habit of looking backward. The road to perfect buns and your beautiful future lie ahead, not behind you. Tomorrow is always another day to do better. Now let’s just undo that bun for today.
The Pancake
The pancake bun signals to the world that its wearer is not someone to mess with. You’ll flatten your enemies like you flatten your hair, and not care. You recognize that your hair will simply become a ponytail eventually, so you continue on as if it’s what you meant to happen. Confident and outspoken, you laugh at life’s little mistakes, like hair-follies. Even if you never achieve the perfect top bun, know that others are jealous of you for your ability to go with the flow and never stop hustling.
The Magic Act
Shy and accommodating, your hair hides from the world, as you do. Instead of telling the world of your accomplishments, you prefer to promote your friends and those you admire. This is not a bad thing, but it can damage you in long run. Start to find the courage to bring attention to yourself and your hair, because you deserve it as much as those you love.
The Perfect Top Bun
You’re a social media influencer who makes $100,000 a year in a passive income through your online courses teaching others to create photogenic top buns. Go you! I don’t know your personality but you don’t need one, not when you have a perfect top bun. | https://medium.com/jane-austens-wastebasket/what-does-your-top-bun-say-about-you-46eb4b51c140 | ['Kyrie Gray'] | 2020-12-27 01:19:01.211000+00:00 | ['Satire', 'Psychology', 'Beauty', 'Culture', 'Humor'] |
NodeJs Real-Time Execution Monitoring with Inspector | Have you ever desired to watch your code running, instead of just imagining it?
Hi, I’m Valerio software engineer from Italy and CTO at Inspector.
As product owner I learned on my skin how an application issue can be so hard to fix, creating a negative impact on the users experience, or block new potential customers during on-boarding.
I publish new code changes almost every day and unfortunately it’s quite impossible to anticipate all the problems that could happen after every release. Furthermore users don’t spend their time reporting bugs, if something goes wrong they just stop using our application, looking for another one that fits their needs better.
When I started to share my idea behind Inspector I realized that many developers know the problem: they spend a lot of time to investigate strange behaviors inside their application, but they didn’t know that there’s a solution to eliminate this complexity in two minutes, avoiding customer complaints or even the loss of the customer.
Inspector is an npm module to add real-time code execution monitoring to your NodeJS application, allowing you to work on continuous code changes while catching bugs and bottlenecks at a glance before users do.
In this article I’ll use Express framework to build code snippets, but you are free to use Inspector in any Nodejs script.
Read the original article: https://inspector.dev/nodejs-real-time-execution-monitoring-with-inspector/ | https://medium.com/inspector/nodejs-real-time-execution-monitoring-with-inspector-c3e3672e0a74 | ['Valerio Barbera'] | 2021-02-10 12:11:58.713000+00:00 | ['Nodejs', 'Node Js Tutorial', 'Expressjs', 'Monitoring'] |
Why We Switched from bcc-tools to libbpf-tools for BPF Performance Analysis | Wenbo Zhang
Distributed clusters might encounter performance problems or unpredictable failures, especially when they are running in the cloud. Of all the kinds of failures, kernel failures may be the most difficult to analyze and simulate.
A practical solution is Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF), a highly flexible, efficient virtual machine that runs in the Linux kernel. It allows bytecode to be safely executed in various hooks, which exist in a variety of Linux kernel subsystems. BPF is mainly used for networking, tracing, and security.
Based on BPF, there are two development modes:
The BPF Compiler Collection (BCC) toolkit offers many useful resources and examples to construct effective kernel tracing and manipulation programs. However, it has disadvantages.
libbpf + BPF CO-RE (Compile Once — Run Everywhere) is a different development and deployment mode than the BCC framework. It greatly reduces storage space and runtime overhead, which enables BPF to support more hardware environments, and it optimizes programmers’ development experience.
In this post, I’ll describe why libbpf-tools, a collection of applications based on the libbpf + BPF CO-RE mode, is a better solution than bcc-tools and how we’re using libbpf-tools at PingCAP.
Why libbpf + BPF CO-RE is better than BCC
BCC vs. libbpf + BPF CO-RE
BCC embeds LLVM or Clang to rewrite, compile, and load BPF programs. Although it does its best to simplify BPF developers’ work, it has these drawbacks:
It uses the Clang front-end to modify user-written BPF programs. When a problem occurs, it’s difficult to find the problem and figure out a solution.
You must remember naming conventions and automatically generated tracepoint structs.
Because the libbcc library contains a huge LLVM or Clang library, when you use it, you might encounter some issues:
When a tool starts, it takes many CPU and memory resources to compile the BPF program. If it runs on a server that lacks system resources, it might trigger a problem.
BCC depends on kernel header packages, which you must install on each target host. If you need unexported content in the kernel, you must manually copy and paste the type definition into the BPF code.
Because BPF programs are compiled during runtime, many simple compilation errors can only be detected at runtime. This affects your development experience.
By contrast, BPF CO-RE has these advantages:
When you implement BPF CO-RE, you can directly use the libbpf library provided by kernel developers to develop BPF programs. The development method is the same as writing ordinary C user-mode programs: one compilation generates a small binary file.
Libbpf acts like a BPF program loader and relocates, loads, and checks BPF programs. BPF developers only need to focus on the BPF programs’ correctness and performance.
This approach minimizes overhead and removes huge dependencies, which makes the overall development process smoother.
For more details, see Why libbpf and BPF CO-RE?.
Performance comparison
Performance optimization master Brendan Gregg used libbpf + BPF CO-RE to convert a BCC tool and compared their performance data. He said: “As my colleague Jason pointed out, the memory footprint of opensnoop as CO-RE is much lower than opensnoop.py. 9 Mbytes for CO-RE vs 80 Mbytes for Python.”
According to his research, compared with BCC at runtime, libbpf + BPF CO-RE reduced memory overhead by nearly nine times, which greatly benefits servers with scarce physical memory.
How we’re using libbpf-tools at PingCAP
At PingCAP, we’ve been following BPF and its community development for a long time. In the past, every time we added a new machine, we had to install a set of BCC dependencies on it, which was troublesome. After Andrii Nakryiko (the libbpf + BPF CO-RE project’s leader) added the first libbpf-tools to the BCC project, we did our research and switched from bcc-tools to libbpf-tools. Fortunately, during the switch, we got guidance from him, Brendan, and Yonghong Song (the BTF project’s leader). We’ve converted 18 BCC or bpftrace tools to libbpf + BPF CO-RE, and we’re using them in our company.
For example, when we analyzed the I/O performance of a specific workload, we used multiple performance analysis tools at the block layer:
The analysis results helped us optimize I/O performance. We’re also exploring whether the scheduler-related libbpf-tools are helpful for tuning the TiDB database.
These tools are universal: feel free to give them a try. In the future, we’ll implement more tools based on libbpf-tools. If you’d like to learn more about our experience with these tools, you can join the TiDB community on Slack. | https://medium.com/@pingcap/why-we-switched-from-bcc-tools-to-libbpf-tools-for-bpf-performance-analysis-12fa0670e012 | [] | 2020-12-16 03:08:45.596000+00:00 | ['Performance Tuning', 'Linux Kernel', 'Distributed Systems'] |
Accelerate Kaggle Challenges Using Intel AI Analytics Toolkit | Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Accelerate Kaggle Challenges Using Intel AI Analytics Toolkit
A few months ago, some of my colleagues showed how to improve machine learning performance using the optimized scikit-learn (SKL) in the Intel Distribution for Python (IDP), which is part of the Intel AI Analytics Toolkit:
Installing daal4py and changing a couple of lines of code significantly improved times for the scikit‑learn_bench benchmark. Internally, daal4py uses Intel oneAPI Data Analytics Library (oneDAL) to deliver best performance. Installation is a simple as:
$ conda install -c intel daal4py
Once installed, you can accelerate SKL applications in either of two ways. First, you can simply load the daal4py module from the Python command-line, i.e.:
$ python -m daal4py your_application.py
This is fine for testing and experimentation, but you can also patch scikit-learn inside your Python program before importing scikit-learn modules, i.e.:
import daal4py.sklearn
daal4py.sklearn.patch sklearn()
We applied this patch to the Jupyter notebooks from various Kaggle challenges to demonstrate the performance gains that are possible for real-world workloads (Table 1). The Intel-optimized SKL improves the performance of these notebooks by as much as 227x, with little or no code modification. Most of the notebooks experience double-digit speedups. Even the least impressive speedup is still twice as fast as the baseline performance.
Table 1. The Intel-optimized version of scikit-learn yields significant performance improvements for common machine learning algorithms.
kddcup99-knn-classification (KDD Cup 1999): This computer networking (CN) challenge asked competitors to build a predictive model to detect unauthorized network intrusions. This notebook used the k-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm.
p2-sklearn-svm-hyperparameter-optimization (Credit Card Default): This challenge asked competitors to predict the likelihood of credit card payment default. This notebook used the support vector clustering (SVC) algorithm.
digit-recognition-using-knn [Digit Recognizer (KNN)] and gridsearch-svc [Digit Recognizer (SVC)]: This is the familiar image classification (IC) problem of recognizing hand-drawn digits. These notebooks used the KNN, SVC, and principal component analysis (PCA) algorithms.
melanoma-svc-32x32 (Melanoma Identification): This IC challenge asked competitors to identify cancerous lesions in medical images. This notebook used the SVC algorithm.
xg-svm-tf-cooking (What’s Cooking?): Competitors were asked to predict cuisine category based on the list of ingredients in the dish. The notebook for this natural language processing (NLP) challenge used SVC and the XGBoost implementation of the gradient boosted decision trees algorithm.
transformer-svm-semantically-identical-tweets (Real or Not? Disaster Tweets): This NLP task challenges competitors to predict whether a Tweet is about a real disaster. This notebook used SVC.
random-forest-k-fold-cross-validation (Home Credit Default): This challenge asked competitors to predict whether an applicant would be able to repay a home loan. This notebook used the random forest algorithm.
Daal4py adds more accelerated scikit-learn algorithms to each release, learn what algorithms are optimized here. Don’t leave performance on the table when using SKL. Accelerate these workloads with Intel AI Analytics Toolkit to see the performance improvements for yourself.
Hardware and Software
Intel Xeon Gold 5218 @ 2.3 GHz (2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors): 2 sockets, 16 cores per socket, HT:off, Turbo:off. OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0, total memory of 193 GB (12 slots/16 GB/2933 MHz). Software: Scikit-learn 0.23.2, daal4py 2020.3, Numpy 1.18.5, and XGBoost 1.2.1. | https://medium.com/intel-analytics-software/accelerate-kaggle-challenges-using-intel-ai-analytics-toolkit-beb148f66d5a | ['Kirill Petrov'] | 2020-11-10 15:17:45.695000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Data Analytics', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Scikit Learn', 'Intel'] |
Romancing a Line | An engineer at the profession is everything but at heart. Just like most Indians, Pudi Ravi Krishna is an engineer. He later discovered his true love for art and became an artist. Being a perfectionist, he always makes sure that he is great at what he does. Coming from a family of farmers, to choose fine arts over Engineering was an unreachable grape to him. Look at the journey of Ravi Pudi on how an engineer turned into a flawless artist, by watching Romancing a Line here.
From the interaction with him, what grabbed most of our attention is when he mentioned a poem written by Robert Frost.
Two friends traveling and one of them is always worried about the path that is not chosen.
And in this context, he mentions that he is the friend who always worried about the options that he couldn’t choose.
He started his designing journey by drawing his thoughts on Inkscape as he wasn’t having an illustrator with him. But his thirst for design knowledge was never-ending. He started improvising himself by gradually adding humor to those drawings. Adding to his commitment, an Email from a famous Times-Now cartoonist made him go beyond what he was doing.
He mentioned how aimless he was until 2015 and how he has done some great acrylics. He then gave us a glimpse of his amazing work. God! These are truly amazing.
Watch the full video here to understand the beautiful perspective behind each of these paintings.
No one, but an artist himself can explain his own work. Listen to Mr. Ravi Krishna talking about his art and the beautiful perspective behind each of these paintings in his own words. He is the guy who proudly says that he has decided his palette with two cartons of stitching threads.
Then he introduced us to his masterpiece — The Brahmanda.
From one of the previous works he always wanted to create a cosmic egg, and this is how it has turned out to be initially.
“Quite a manual and strenuous work,” he says. This is his 2nd iteration of creating brahmanda.
In the 3rd iteration, which is rather huge and difficult, he has used cloth instead of paper for the thread to hold properly.
One thing that every designer relates to is the fact that whatever medium one chooses to present their art, has its own pros and cons as well. After getting into this amazing thread art, our speaker also came to know its limitations. “Drawing objects with thread is a very difficult task and meant for abstract objects like this,” he said.
Gandhian Moment
Ravi also mentioned that there were times when his art medium has consumed him so much that he felt connected to nothing except his thread which he uses to make art. He referred to those moments as his Gandhian Moments. He explained it as an intimate moment between him and thread while he cared about nothing else.
He displayed his first successful work — the cell division. He explains his efforts behind from the very first step which is color choosing. Of course, Rome is not built in a day. This work took a lot of patience and iterations. The work is not highlighted on white canvas so the black canvas which beautifully portrays it is chosen.
An artist always treats his art as a real thing and Ravi here is no different. Seeing it as an organism, he couldn’t let this art flat. He wanted it to be curved up. That’s when the idea of a concave surface bowl came up. “It can be mounted on the wall.” he thought. After researching more, Ravi felt a kadhai would a better place for his aesthetic art.
After successfully completing the “One becomes two”, Ravi started to work on “The Padmavyuham — an inescapable labyrinth” Just like Abhimanyu got stuck in the padmavyuham in the battle of Kurukshetra, humans tend to get entangled in their lives and struggle to get out. This is a visual representation of people not being able to do what they really want to do in their lives. When Ravi used this Mahabharata reference to spill this bitter truth about humans, every one of us related with it.
Ravana, the king of Asuras, has 10 heads and those are often considered as 10 qualities humans have. And Ravi has beautifully portrayed this with his art. We have closed the interaction with this brilliant display.
Finally,
Pudi Ravi’s journey was never a cakewalk. There were so many hurdles like changing his career, exploring new mediums, and dealing with the limitations of the medium. There were instances where the wind messed up the work just like that. And of course, sitting for hours to complete the work is not a small thing. Overcoming all these hardships and stress and moving forward to what he loves is what we liked the most about Ravi. After all, it’s passion and dedication that matter. We, F1atics are so lucky to learn these three things from this interaction.
1. Creative Courage: A true artist will never fear the hurdles that hurt him on the way. This is what Ravi’s journey shows us. Be it changing the career or learning a new art. If you have true passion inside you, You’ll automatically learn to handle fear. A go-getter attitude is all that matters. With this attitude, you can do whatever it takes to complete art. This is the attitude you need to be a successful artist.
2. Discipline: Art is a form of discipline. A mere procrastinator cannot complete an art. No matter hows many years he sits on it. Having a timeline and sticking to it no matter what is the first step in producing a successful art. When it comes to self-made deadlines, every person neglects the work. Being able to wake up in the morning and working on the art you started without any manager pushing you is the trait of a true artist.
3. Commitment: Being committed to the art you want to make is the biggest task you’re gonna have which working. This is a constant task. There will be many instances where you just want to give up. But sticking to the art despite all the hardships is what it takes to be a successful artist. Yes, it takes lots of time and energy but all you need to do is imagine the output and walk towards it step by step.
You can watch the whole video of Ravi Pudi here on our Youtube Channel: | https://blog.f1studioz.com/romancing-a-line-4234646f5a7a | ['Susmitha Sakhamuri'] | 2021-06-23 16:16:57.733000+00:00 | ['Painting', 'Artist', 'Design', 'Designer', 'Art'] |
Life is a Railway System | Being an Indian, train traveling is beautiful, exciting, and a bit challenging task. Indian readers may relate, but for the foreign audience, I would like to describe this journey from not a different but unique perspective. A train traveling used to be cheap for long journies. But in today’s fast life people choose convenience and time over money. Train journey could be long as a half-day or whole day as well. You might be traveling with hundreds of other people. If you are traveling with your family or friends, I would say you should take a train to go anywhere in India because it becomes your best part of the journey. It is the best time when you realize the importance of having those close people in your life. You can do everything on that journey time, but I would say you do it with some more realness.
Here How I would describe my Train Traveling.
I am a scared passenger. I bother that shall I be settled? I fight to accommodate a place for myself while having numerous human beings around me. I barely triumph that fight, but when I do it, that is just cloud nine feeling. I then try to shut off the happening scenes around me, close my eyes, and mainly try to re-energize myself. So, my tasteless soul feels salted again. After achieving a state of tranquility, I seek to do something for myself. I try to make scenes in my mind, and a painting board is the best metaphor for the human mind. | https://medium.com/@ninadmehta01/life-is-a-railway-system-6c46a7bdee53 | ['Ninad Mehta'] | 2020-12-11 06:07:02.599000+00:00 | ['Trains', 'Life', 'Creativity', 'Railways', 'Painting'] |
LeetCode problem #28 — StrStr (JavaScript) | In this LeetCode challenge, we’re asked to write a function similar to C++’s StrStr. By way of a quick refresher, StrStr is a function that takes two strings; string A (the haystack) and string B (the needle), and returns whether (and where) you can find string B in string A (the needle in the haystack).
In other words, if provided with a haystack of hello , and a needle of lo , StrStr would return 3, as that is where the needle appears in the haystack. According to the LeetCode spec, if we cannot find the needle in the haystack, we should return -1, and if the needle is empty, we should return 0.
Obviously there are a variety of functions in JavaScript to achieve this, but that’s not really in the spirit of LeetCode, so let’s look at making a solution.
Solution 1: Loop
This solution loops through the haystack until it finds the start of the needle, and then checks if the letters that follow in the haystack match that of the needle. If a full match is detected, then this position is returned, otherwise the traversal of the haystack continues. If we reach the end of the haystack without finding the needle (or more accurately, if we traverse far enough into the haystack that the needle cannot be found), we return -1. | https://medium.com/@duncan-mcardle/leetcode-problem-28-strstr-javascript-9e53909365a1 | ['Duncan Mcardle'] | 2020-12-18 20:02:48.261000+00:00 | ['Leetcode Solution', 'Leetcode Easy', 'Javascript Development', 'Leetcode', 'JavaScript'] |
Dysphoria & Memories | “old photos in brown wooden chest” by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
In recent conversations with my counselor we have started to delve into some root causes of anxiety and depression particular to myself. One thing that we have uncovered in that gender dysphoria doesn’t just have to show up in present cases, it can also manifest in anxiety when we are confronted with our past. This is a new realm for me, since coming out, and living authentically I have noted that my dysphoria in the present is much less prevalent. I am thankful for that because it allows me to live a fuller experience, and to be more present for my friends, and family. In general those who know me now can remark on me being much more silly, and happy than I was, I am loving and living my best life.
But for me when I think about how great it is to live fully now I get pain when I think of what I’ve been through. When I think of living a full childhood, high school, and college life in constant turmoil, and trauma I find myself reprimanding myself. Why didn’t I have the courage to push to be authentic when I was younger? I find it hard to think back on those memories because I feel like most of them were a crafted lie. I spent years living up to everyone else’s expectations while killing my own. I know the past is out of my control but the distress is prevalent. I know who I was, why couldn’t it have changed? So when memories are passed around I find myself avoiding my own. I’m now the person that rather not talk about it. Nostalgia is the fullness of pain. Friends now who have went silent, family that has become abusive, and ignores my existence. Some because they can’t understand, others because I won’t fit their wants. All for me because I hate reflecting on the years lost and the fight I have now to become “passable” in a world where 1 in 12 trans women are murdered for simply being visible. I also just wish I could apologize to my younger self. To let her know, I saw her, I loved her, and she was and is valid. Even when she fought so hard for acceptance to be bullied at school for trying to fit in. Even when she was hiding for safety in a faith culture that didn’t understand. I’m sorry I had to wait to break you free.
So as I deal with nostalgic dysphoria I have come to accept the following in a means of self-care. Shana is the reason I made to today. She has always resisted being silent, resisted being pushed away, and she has always persisted. Shana was breaking barriers, and she was crafting a beautiful life. Shana knocked heads with testosterone driven high school boys, and made it on a college football team. Shana fought for love and inclusion in a world that had no conception of who she was. Shana is here today still fighting the same battle. I am here. She was a source of a better tomorrow, on my worst days of despair. When I confront wishing the past was different it is a struggle we all face. We all wish we had better days on our permanent record. But for me, I can find strength that I never gave up. I fought for a day when I could breathe and be seen. And that day has come.
I ask you to bear with me. I ask you to bear with all my brothers and sisters who are trans. Our journey is better classified as a war. We have fought bias, discrimination, self-hate, fear, and alienation to live. Many of us are healing from and still fighting depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide. For many of us we carry with us that trauma, and those scars. We may wish to hide some of our past, and refuse to share all of it. That doesn’t make us closed-off, it makes us healthy. We are finding the best way to dress our wounds, and prepare for another battle. We are all finding our strength, and we are speaking that truth to a world that is still clouded in lies about our existence. So when we have to think about our past for many of us it is a walk with trauma. Help us heal. Help me heal.
Some last tangible ways I have found a way to heal, and ask you to help me heal, and others are, use the proper pronouns for the present and the past. Though I looked different 5, 10, and 15 years ago nothing about my gender identity has changed. So when I speak of my past, I say she did this. Consider helping your trans friend and relatives by making this change. Also, celebrate the battles you have won. So for me that is celebrating that I defeated suicide at 19. I celebrate that even in secret I cultivated who I was as a child. I knew Shana and she cared for me even when the world didn’t. Also, don’t push us to share about the past. Allow us to set the tone on the walks down memory lane, especially, and most importantly with family and in public conversations.
I hope this reflection has brought to life the fact that we all have struggles. As trans people we have a history that sometimes can feel conflicted, and we wish we could have done it sooner. We wish we could have lived authentically sooner. I would encourage you to not think in those terms, you are here now. That means you have fought for that authenticity, it is a won authentic identity. Embrace that victory, and find the small ways to bring healing to yourself. | https://medium.com/the-transition-transmission/dysphoria-memories-546de185eef9 | ['Shana Carroll'] | 2018-09-22 13:00:35.476000+00:00 | ['Transgender', 'LGBTQ', 'Self Improvement', 'Gender Dysphoria', 'Life'] |
Migrating Posts From Craft CMS to WordPress | In our case, we only needed to transfer over certain content pieces that fell under a particular category. This ruled out a straight migration using existing tools. (Who wants to transfer everything only to end up deleting what you don’t need?) We had a copy of the database and could have written a script that would extract what we needed from it; but we weren’t familiar with the entity relationships for Craft CMS and after an initial assessment it seemed like more work than necessary for what we wanted to do.
What We Did
The process was straight-forward:
Get a list of URLs we need to import Alter Commander Vee to be specific to our project Write a supplemental script to scrape the database for missing information Add importing featured images to the Commander Vee import script Run the import script Test the results
Get A List of URLs to Import
We ran the Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool on the existing site to get all of the site URLs. We’d need them for redirects, anyways, so this was already part of our process. For the post import, we only needed certain content pieces that fell under a particular category and, thankfully, those pieces were easy to parse out based on the URL structure. As you can see below, we needed content pieces that fell under ‘/about/features/’.
Results of a Screaming Frog Spider
Commander Vee Setup
Commander Vee is example code that shows how someone might scrape content and insert it into a WordPress database. Commander Vee is not a polished plug-and-play script but it certainly did help as a launching off point for our data migration!
We set up Commander Vee on a local web server so we could execute PHP files. We used MAMP Pro, but it doesn’t matter what you use to spin up a server. Our local URL was http://cvee.dev.
Target URL File
Copy and paste the URLs you would like to scrape into a text file in ‘commandervee-master/target-urls.txt’; one URL per line. We named our file ‘target-urls.txt’ but you can name yours anything you like. Just make sure you reference the correct file name in the next step. | https://medium.com/kick-point/migrating-posts-from-craft-cms-to-wordpress-a-post-migration-script-634d1819a827 | [] | 2017-07-05 18:01:28.060000+00:00 | ['WordPress', 'Web', 'CMS', 'Wordpress Web Development', 'Web Development'] |
Fighting Islamic Radicalism through comics in Pakistan | “Pakistan was born from a lot of pain, Afeef.” Fawzia Naqvi, a Pakistani-American working on impact investments at one of the largest Foundations in the U.S. graciously begins our few-hour discussion on the history and context of modern Pakistan.
I went to her first to get a foundation. She is a proper expert and I needed to understand the country’s plethora of complexities before I attempted to opine on anything that was going on there while I visited. How its neighbors Afghanistan and India affected its livelihood or how China’s 60 billion economic upgrade in the country made it more geographically relevant than ever before. Maybe most relevantly, how the diversity,the poverty and the current uptick in Islamism in the region operated in Pakistan. Naqvi was absolutely fascinating to learn from — she ended our long conversation by telling me that if she had a graph she could literally graph the progress of the youth and future of Pakistan. She had hope for her country. I left to Pakistan weeks later with one goal in mind: to interview an ex-jihadi whom I had gotten in touch with through a friend I had made years earlier in my Masters program at the University of St. Andrews. I wanted to understand how the old school recruitment method of Islamic extremists compared to the new school methods we are witnessing everyday. I wanted to know what being recruited was like. I wanted to start with this story and its happy ending despite the context of Pakistan still seemingly so bleak.
The truth is, my journey has to be checked through the acknowledgement of an undeniable privilege. Flying into Lahore in December meant I would be paraded into wedding parties and regular parties and underground parties. I would have the opportunity to see museums and art exhibits and mosques like the Badshahi, a 15th century mosque that’s beauty first captivated me when I attended my best friend’s wedding in 2013. Lahore gave me the chance to get acquainted with a rather green and beautiful city. One where walking around as a westerner only got me friendly confusion and smiles. There, I met and interviewed Gauher Aftab — a 30-something-year-old visionary who was fighting Pakistan’s major problems through comic books. The kicker is that Gauher was a jihadi at the age of twelve. “Back then it was so glamorous,” he explained. Gauher detailed his Islamic instructor’s charisma. “To fight the Russians in Afghanistan they would take drugs and be up for days,” Aftab regaled. He described himself as a nerdy kid who had trouble finding himself. “All I did was read — I wasn’t good at sports — my teacher preached everyday about being a ‘real’ Muslim and about Jihad.” Gauher explained that his teacher would encourage Gauher to pay rupees so he could help them secure the bullets they needed. “He explained that a rupee would help kill those that were oppressing Muslims worldwide and that I would receive blessings from Allah because of my monetary sacrifice.” Gauher was a pre-teen at the time, 12 going on 13 years old, so he remembered the entire thing looking like a video game formulating his identity. He would listen to his teacher who wore a flowing white shalwar kameez and had a red-dyed beard. He was slowly becoming brainwashed. Gauher, like many disenfranchised Muslim youth, like marginalized youth in general worldwide in fact, was an easy target for a gang, or cult, or a group that thrives on naive people to do their bidding.
Gauher was meant to give his teacher 700 rupees or roughly 7 dollars in order to catch a bus to Kashmir, write a farewell letter to his ‘sinful’ yet Muslim parents and journey into the darkness that was Islamist extremism. After months of slow and effective manipulation, Gauher was ready to be a soldier of Islam and to fight against the injustices the world was causing his devoted peers. Whether it was because of Kosovo or Palestine, the pre-teen version of Gauher was taken by the idea of wielding a weapon and having a purpose in his life. “I just didn’t trust my parents or my schoolmates to tell me what being a good Muslim looked like,” Gauher explained to me informally. As the months drew on, he became increasingly distant from those around him only to get closer to the teachings of an Islam he admits today he can’t find in the Quran. “You see,” Gauher reveals, “they simply recount the Prophet Mohammad’s war efforts and manipulate the Hadith to ingrain a sort of justification for heinous acts.” For the first time, I began to understand the process of radicalization. It wasn’t this idea that you were born into, sometimes it was a club you were told would help you survive whatever thing you were going through. Gauher felt alone and in some ways he felt existentially (a rather normal thing to feel as a pubescent teen). The people that loved him didn’t understand that his piety was turning violent. No one in his family felt similarly about Islam and revenge, but the cause was crystallizing for Gauher. It was imperative that he make meaning of his life. As he paid his teacher with whatever money he could scrounge, he prepared for a journey he didn’t intend to come back from.
An adult man, I sit across from him as he smokes countless cigarettes, seemingly carrying the weight of Pakistan’s vicious cycles of violence on his shoulders. “I was lucky, Afeef. My grandmother got sick and I basically just missed that bus. My parents had also slowly caught wind that something was up.” Gauher was literally put on lock down for months, and used the time to read and re-read the particulars of the faith only to come up short for explanations of his teacher’s beliefs. He had intended to finally get on that bus which would lead to a camp where he would be trained to fight with other boys for the great cause of Islam. His violent jihad ended, however, in order to sprout a more beautiful version of itself. Gauher is now proudly pushing comic books all over Pakistan with political messaging that directly opposes the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and, of course, ISIS. He explains that even the poorest families share cellphones with Internet access nowadays. “Teleco has over 70 percent penetration in Pakistan, there are 120 million subscribers in Pakistan and growing” he expertly instructs. Recruitment and Islamism are accessible on all streams of media. In fact, on a ride home one night I caught snippets of a preacher on the radio calling for an uprising. Gauher explains that the only way to push back is to give an alternative space for messaging.
The comics are varied, some cover domestic corruption while others hit Islamic extremism head on. “The point is to give the Muslim or Pakistani child other kids to identify with that do good.” One of the collections called Paasban, or “The Guardian” translated from Urdu, is an assertive attempt to fight the spread of terrorism in young minds by basically taking the reader through the same steps that Gauher experienced and researched himself. The protagonists go to the camps, have to make hard choices and have to reject violence. The process is emotional and real and it illuminates the darkness that children are manipulated into. The vulnerability of families to sell their children off to Islamist groups who promise a beautiful life, or for the kids themselves to be charmed into a lifestyle that eventually ruins theirs — radicalism has become a major opiate for the angry disenfranchised Muslim the world over.
Gauher was recruited and manipulated face-to-face, but he realizes that the problem is now online. He has distributed his stories in schools around the country, for free on the Internet and is attempting to take back what jihad really means: the internal struggle to be better. “My jihad is ongoing, and these comics are a way to do good in this world,” Gauher says genuinely. We left the conversation praying for blessings and peace upon each other — as Muslims often do — and let the Quran play above as we shared more cigarettes. He explained that my version of Pakistan would shift slightly as I moved on to Karachi. The danger relative to Lahore would be almost incomparable.
In Karachi, guards who held AK-47s constantly flanked me. They were ex-Taliban and were recruited to guard the homes of the financial elite in the city. My friend never let me off of her grounds without at least one guard and a family member in dark tinted cars. Although I looked Pashtun, we were traveling with Europeans who had a harder time “passing.” In Karachi, we were given illegal alcohol to drink while we danced with each other in beautiful venues for beautiful weddings. In between long family board games, we would take the guards with us wherever we were allowed to go. We even got to ride camels on the Arabian Sea; the guards on a camel with their weaponry locked and loaded. Karachi felt dark, but the good Taliban/bad Taliban distinction seemed to die in the wake following the Peshawar school shootings. The country seemed to be unifying against violent Islamism as a legitimate philosophy to battle the ills that had befallen the country. After days of lazily spoiling myself with the elite of Karachi, challenging myself to visit Korangi where a traffic jam could turn into a gun shoot out, was a move I would not regret.
Amidst some of the poorest slums in the whole world, I walked through and learned about AmanTech. The institution is modeled after Georgia Tech, a university I had grown up miles from in Atlanta. When I got there, I realized Fawzia had been right. Scores of young men were working hard with goggles on their face and machinery under their control. They were learning carpentry or plumbing or some other vocation that would ignite them and their families into a middle class; a middle class that would destroy the point of violence: survival. They were formerly lost boys who had dropped out of high school, roaming around the slums totally vulnerable to recruitment. Poor and disenfranchised, these teenagers were prime targets for ISIS or Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. They still are and so are their friends. The promise of money for loyalty or food for commitment was knocking on their fate and it traditionally seems to knock more temptingly than education knocks. Somehow, though, AmanTech was breaking through. There weren’t as many females as one would hope, but I had been vigorously encouraged that women were entering the middle class through various different outlets as well. The experience was uplifting to say the least. The intelligentsia of Pakistan had created a model to potentially turn their most at-risk youth into a prosperous middle class.
I left Pakistan with an attachment I can’t seem to put into words, but that attachment came from a very clear place. The familial closeness I experienced in the home, at the table and at a party made it obvious that the country’s resilience and faith in itself starts in the Muslim home that isn’t necessarily extremely religious but certainly nods it’s head to conservative practices and community over individualism. With the Taliban and ISIS continuing to threaten the safety and prosperity of Pakistan, the country certainly seems to be surviving and fighting for itself, and with itself, to thrive. | https://medium.com/ramel-media/fighting-islamic-radicalism-through-comics-in-pakistan-e82aba64992f | ['Afeef Nessouli'] | 2016-09-07 14:32:19.469000+00:00 | ['Islam', 'Pakistan', 'Comics', 'ISIS'] |
Basil the Graceful (6). Cats are not supposed to be this… | Cats are not supposed to be this uncoordinated, some anecdotes about Basil.
Basil being feral — photo by author
We have discussed how Basil came to be with us and his development through his first year or so, here I’m going to share some of the more ridiculous and clumsy things he has done in his life. Some of which definitely shortened my life span. Ever since we adopted Basil, he has been the most uncoordinated cat I’ve ever come across. That said, there are moments when his grace and agility are breath-taking, most of his moments are of the heart-attack-inducing kind though.
When he was a kitten, we thought he would grow out of it, then we put it down to him being a gangly teenager. Optimists we may be but even we had to give up hoping he’d become graceful and nimble after a few years. At nine years of age, he is still horribly clumsy. There are no knick-knacks or ornaments in our house. We have some pot plants that Basil can’t knock over and the few pictures are rigidly fixed to the walls. It’s not as bleak as it sounds, dusting is a breeze! Fortunately, I like the minimalist aesthetic.
On one occasion, Basil was still a teenager, I was sitting on the veranda when he came tearing around the corner of the house seemingly being chased by an invisible Cerberus. He headed straight towards the veranda which was about 45 centimetres higher than the grass level. I looked on in horror as he miscalculated the jump, his front legs both audibly hit the edge of the veranda, his body went full scorpion, and he slid over the bricks on his nose. I’m honestly not exaggerating this for comedic effect, even I couldn’t believe it and I saw it happen. Before he had come to a complete stop, I had grabbed him up and looked for injuries, his poor little nose was scraped raw, otherwise, he was fine. For my efforts at looking for injuries, he wriggled off my lap and walked away, giving me a look that said it was all my fault. He didn’t even limp.
Basil settling in for a movie — photo by author
Another comical situation involved the swimming pool. I was on the veranda (again!) enjoying an early morning cup of coffee and watching the cats. Basil and Charles were sniffing around the swimming pool. Charles decided to drink out of the pool, the water level was fairly low, but Charles was a large cat, and he had no problem reaching the water and taking a drink. Basil, being the copy-cat that he is, decided that he had to drink out of the pool too. Not realising that he was too teeny to reach the water he leaned over the side of the pool, still not being able to reach the water he leaned further into the pool and placed his paws on the decorative tile finish inside the pool. SPLASH! Lots of splashing and thrashing was happening in the pool. Before I reached the end of the veranda Basil was already out of the pool and barrelling to me. Soaked to the skin and looking like a drowned rat he jumped into my arms and we went inside to dry him off.
You would think that Basil would have an aversion to water after that early traumatic experience, but you would be wrong. He loves going out in the rain and coming back wet enough to warrant a towel drying. He yells loudly as he comes in and I’ll grab a towel from the basket near the door (yes, I have a basket of towels by the door for the cat), scoop him up and vigorously towel dry him while telling how silly he is for getting wet, why does he do these things, and that he will be the death of me. Basil simply purrs loudly and gives me head butts. When he has had enough of being fussed over, he jumps off my lap and heads straight back out the door, while I implore him not to go get wet again. The cycle repeats a few times depending on his mood, then he settles himself on the bed for a well-deserved snooze. Everybody asks me why I don’t close him inside when it rains instead, while it does seem like the logical thing to do, the situation is both more complex and delicate than that.
Basil being towel dried — photo by author
The cats come and go through the sliding door leading onto the veranda, the door needs to be open, so we get some fresh air too. Basil is not the only cat and I don’t want to close the door until all the cats are inside because I think it would break their tiny little furry hearts if they wanted to come inside and they were locked out! (According to my mom I’ve had issues with closed doors since I was a kid. One of my fears is getting locked out of my house. Weird.) Let’s not forget that if I curb Basil from going out, he might decide that the transgression is egregious enough for him to dole out the worst punishment. Peeing on my bed. No thanks, I’ll rather keep drying him off instead.
It’s a Basil thing. | https://medium.com/catness/basil-the-graceful-basil-6-2607b3a31790 | ['Lm Botha'] | 2021-02-12 03:24:26.793000+00:00 | ['Animals', 'Cats', 'Pets', 'Life Lessons', 'Humour'] |
DRONE: Catch this documentary | So this is the vimeo trailer for DRONE which is a documentary about the covert CIA drone war. The documentary is directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and produced by Flimmer Film and will be ready for release this month. I think this is pretty important because it investigates the human cost of the US drone war. This documentary has access to people on both sides of this crazy technology consequently revealing interesting secrets of the CIA’s activities in Waziristan and offers a new angle into the nature of drone warfare. | https://medium.com/ramel-media/drone-catch-this-documentary-8ebe4c25fb0a | ['Afeef Nessouli'] | 2016-08-26 20:46:52.259000+00:00 | ['Drone', 'Law', 'CIA', 'Politics', 'Documentary'] |
The New-Look Cavs and Their Playoff Hopes | Jordan Clarkson and Lebron James (VIA: lebronwire.usatoday.com)
In the NBA 2017–2018 season trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off an insane trade to help give them the boost they needed to once again be at the top. By trading away Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, and Dwayne Wade, the Cavs were able to trade away old players for younger bench scorers. Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood, and George Hill were all traded to the Cavs.
It has been seen in the last 2 games that the new Cavs are looking like a championship contender. A new-found team chemistry is there, and the players are starting to get fired up entering the All-Star weekend. In their last 2 games, the Cavs faced 2 championship contenders; the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder. They blew out the Celtics, and beat the Thunder in 8. With those 2 wins, the Cavs have yet again solidified themselves as a championship contender, but we have to see if this chemistry carries it’s momentum through the All-Star weekend, and throughout the NBA playoffs. | https://medium.com/newscuts/the-new-look-cavs-and-their-playoff-hopes-d032fc18de6f | ['Tristan Kwok'] | 2018-02-18 12:42:40.617000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'Cleveland Cavaliers', 'NBA'] |
Key Behavioral shifts that could change consumption pattern by 2030 | Traditional style of working may no longer work as there have been some significant changes in the BEHAVIOR and CULTURE of people. There has been shifts in the way we communicate, work and consume and spend our leisure time.
In this article we shall see 6 such key Behavioral and Cultural changes in this young population which is likely to impact the consumption style in the coming decade. We shall also see a few business opportunities (for entrepreneurs and investors) that can evolve around due to such shift in behavior and culture.
1. The growing culture of impatience
The demand for instant results is seeping into every corner of our lives, and not just virtually. Retailers are jumping into same-day delivery services. Smartphone apps eliminate the wait for a cab, a date, or a table at a hot restaurant. Movies and TV shows begin streaming in seconds. But I feel that instant gratification is coming at a price; it is making us impatient and as a result we are becoming short-tempered if our needs are not met on time. This behavioral shift in humans may also impact the decision making process going forward before making any purchases.
But for an entrepreneur this Behavior shift could well be a business opportunity.
Business opportunity: Firms can focus on making their goods/service available anytime anywhere as their core value proposition.
for example- Time to deliver foods/groceries/medicines can be brought down to few minutes by using hybrid business model.
IT companies into big data, AI can add a lot of value to firms by providing them with deep insights on consumer behavior by pre-empting their future purchases and thus reducing the waiting time.
2. No more ‘Status-Quo’….Change is the new mantra
In today’s fast moving world people no longer wants same things in life. Today’s generation is easily getting bored with same stuffs and as a result they look for constant changes around them. Brand loyalty is slowing becoming a thing of past. Consumers are not inclined to be loyal to brands as they once were because the underlying value of loyalty itself is no longer particularly relevant. In the old world, loyalty was good and something we aspired to give and receive across all aspects of life with friends, family, partners, employers, doctors, bankers, and even the government (many governments across the globe are getting voted out) In the world of e-retail, consumers may get even more promiscuous when it comes to their loyalty to brands. In the world of virtual retail, consumers can seamlessly flirt from one brand to another across different product categories (and indeed, different e-retail platforms), try unknown or lesser known brands at nearly no-risk to themselves on account of no-questions asked return / exchange policies of retailers such as Amazon, and in the process — severely dent the strength of current power brands across almost every product category.
Business opportunity: Umbrella branding strategy may not be the way forward in products/services where brand loyalty is low. Companies who are managing to get repeat orders, who will innovate fast, upgrade their technology /goods /services constantly shall survive.
-Huge scope for improvement for startups in sectors like FMCG, Auto, consumer goods to find innovative ways in their customer loyalty program.
3. Convenient lifestyle leading towards less fitter and lazy population
Emerging markets like India, Vietnam may have the youngest population in the world but this younger generation is getting lazier and is less fitter (as compared to our parents and grandparents were). Having realized this India’s ex sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore started an online campaign ‘#HumFitTohIndiaFit’ which got an overwhelming response but still a very large chunk of our population is miles away from being fit. Internet has brought a lot of changes in our life but with some cost. Be it food or beverages, apparel’s, groceries, electronic appliances or a cab ride, all of them are just a click away and thus making all of us LAZY. The coming generation is likely to be lazier than us.
Business opportunity:
-Huge opportunity for smart devices coupled with IoT (Internet of Things) used at home and workplace as they reduce human efforts significantly by providing convenience.
-Market for organised players to enter into services like Spa/Massage at home, Salon/parlour at home can be some upcoming services to name a few.
- Huge opportunity in the health care services as easy lifestyle will only lead to unhealthy humans.
4. Reducing gender gap at workforce
As females are getting more educated especially in Asian countries more of them are getting added in the workforce.
There has also been a cultural change in the Indian families as they are allowing their daughters, sisters, wife to work. This change in psychology is seen even in tier 3 and 4 cities and is likely to get accelerated in coming years.
Business opportunity:
-Women apparels segment will see a drastic change. Currently 75% of apparels in women category is traditional (saree /salwar) and only 5% is formals. In coming years there is a huge opportunity in women formals category and accessories.
-With more women joining the workforce and families getting nuclear time poverty will manifest in the coming years by way of more and more of relatively young households not being in a position to “cook” or have the time to “cook” meals at home for most of the 365 days in a year. Eating out or ordering food in from a typical restaurant is going to increase further, but the biggest opportunity in the next 10 years would be offer “home-style” meals, at “home-cooked” price points (or close to them) to urban Indian families. This would be a fundamentally different model than the current so-called “food-tech” businesses.
5. Increasing poverty of time
Due to multiple factors e.g. more women entering urban workforce, rise of nuclear families, the demographic hump that India is currently undergoing that has probably largest quantum of its population between 21–45 age group (and therefore highest ever number of households with young children),and more active social lifestyle.People have been steadily getting time-poorer over the last 2 decades. However, in the next 10, this time poverty will further increase as even more women enter workforce leaving lesser time available to manage household chores and as urban traffic congestion leads to increase in commuting times for work purposes. The time poverty will lead to multiple fundamental changes over next 10 years that will be primarily driven by the needs of a very large mass of urban Indians to save / optimize their time.
Business Opportunity: Huge opportunities for logistics businesses to deliver a wider range of goods and services ‘anytime/anywhere’ to hundreds of millions of Indian customers on their individual demand. E-commerce (both services and goods) will therefore see a much more rapid adoption in India than it has seen anywhere else in the world.
6. Beginning of a Sports culture in Asian countries
Asian countries like India, Bangladesh,Thailand is slowing building a sports culture across the country and with such a young population this trend is likely to accelerate in coming years. The media attention and the support its getting from the government is clearly visible from India’s performance in the recently concluded Commonwealth games and Asian games. IPL based franchisee model is seen coming up in sports like Badminton, Hockey, Football, Kabaddi. It has not only created finding raw talent from smaller towns but it has also created an environment of a sports culture in India. Also from an infrastructure view, a lot of stadiums / courts are being built in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. US and China has not just done well in sports, but the sports culture itself has contributed a lot to its economy. Sports culture in India can add a lot to our economy as well both directly and indirectly.
Business opportunity:
-Startups on sports education and training are coming up but with 1.3 billion of population, the scope is huge.
Businesses around manufacturing Sports equipment & outfits and merchandises catering the fan base of various franchisees.
These are some of the key Behavior shifts that can lead the chain of events starting from change in consumption pattern by 2030. | https://medium.com/@pratikbagadia/key-behavioral-shifts-that-could-change-consumption-pattern-by-2030-54c58b3b4e68 | ['Pratik Bagadia'] | 2020-12-15 06:30:29.998000+00:00 | ['Consumer Behavior', 'Opportunity', 'Behavior Change', 'Business', 'Insights'] |
Fashion Weekly Round-Up: 1/23–1/29 | Your weekly summary of the latest in fashion, covering a combination of industry news, tips for your daily routine, and the top trends to look out for.
Round-up brought to you by your friends at Arthur, a membership for women that helps them assemble the right wardrobe for their professional lives. Members enjoy perks like 10% back in credit on all purchases, plus free shipping & returns on all orders. | https://medium.com/joinarthur/fashion-weekly-round-up-1-23-1-29-250eef47ba5e | [] | 2017-01-25 15:39:28.281000+00:00 | ['Fashion', 'Women', 'Shopping', 'Luxury', 'Women In Tech'] |
What are the differences between MindSpore, TensorFlow, and Pytorch? | Most data scientists are at least familiar with how R and Python programming languages are used for machine learning, but the possibilities do not end there. Machine learning and AI tools are often software libraries, toolkits, or suites that aid in executing tasks. As with machine learning algorithms, there is not necessarily a “best” AI or machine learning tool. What you use will (and should) depend on the task you are trying to perform.
MindSpor, Tensorflow, Pytorch are three frameworks that are providing machine learning capabilities to applications. They are providing load and process data, training- reuse, and deploying models to devices and operating systems
MindSpore is supported by Huawei, TensorFlow is supported by Google, Pytorch is supported by Facebook. All of them are open-source and you can contribute and develop functionality for these frameworks.
Features and supported platforms are changing due to frameworks and using purposes.
MindSpore Platforms
MindSpore supported languages are Python, C++, and also Java support for the lite(mobile) model. It supports ASCEND, CUDA, and standard CPU platforms. It also gives us commands which we can use a variety of selected options.
Tensorflow Platforms
Tensorflow supported languages are Python, C++, Java for the lite model, Swift for IOS, Go, and Haskell. Their charts are showing us which platform we can load and process data, build train reuse models, and deploying process
Pytorch Platforms
Pytorch supported languages Python, C++. It is similar to Mindspore, It shows only CUDA platform, language, and commands to specified system commands.
Conclusion
There are plenty of open-source frameworks that are loading processing data, building training and reusing models, and deploying them for daily use cases. However, these are for those who want to join, use, and contribute frameworks and use them with their specific platform purposes.
Framework choice can be changed which platform and what operating system developer should use and what model should be supported to their users.
Here you can find a useful article for using MindSpore Custom model on your application:
Thank you!
References | https://medium.com/huawei-developers/what-are-the-differences-between-mindspore-tensorflow-and-pytorch-f52cd60928f | ['Anıl Arı'] | 2020-12-28 08:54:19.397000+00:00 | ['TensorFlow', 'Ml Platform', 'Mindspore', 'Machine Learning Tools', 'Pytorch'] |
A glimpse inside the palm oil industry | “NGOs often criticise us but when asked for clarification, often they refuse to give us data. If NGOs were to make the allegations, we hope they can come with the facts, talk to us and let us make a proper investigation to address the issue. We don’t always know what’s happening.” These were the words of a company executive during a heated Q&A session at the 5th Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources. As an intern at Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), I had the chance to participate in this dialogue, which discussed the future of the agricultural sector and in particular, the palm oil industry — a controversial one that has been targeted by NGOs for nearly two decades. The event turned out to be very educational for me.
As a matter of fact, during my two months at GAR in the Corporate Communications and Sustainability Relations department, I have learnt facts about palm oil that surprised me. I remember throughout my years of pre-tertiary education, we had memorised the planting of palm oil as a cash crop that exploited poor rural farmers whilst inflating the wallets of capital owners. Big corporations in the palm oil sector are portrayed as wicked, exploitative, and the ones to blame for the poverty in rural areas. However, things started to look quite different as I crossed to the other side — working for a team that responds to the incessant public criticism and tries to educate people about the little-known facts of palm oil.
The Corporate Communications & Sustainability Relations team.
The Corporate Communications & Sustainability Relations team.
Of the few things I remember from geography lessons about oil palm, is that as a cash crop with a higher profit margin, oil palm takes up space for subsistence farming and therefore undercuts the food supply of rural farmers, plunging them into a more miserable state than before. The facts from doing my research here, however, show this isn’t the case. In one of the research papers I read, results show districts that converted more of their land to oil palm plantations in the 2000s have achieved more rapid poverty reduction than districts of similar initial poverty levels and per capita incomes in the same region. This suggests that oil palm is on average a better use of rural land for poverty alleviation ( Edwards, 2016).
More significantly, oil palm expansion has shown a positive correlation with the reduction in poverty depth, which means, it isn’t just people near the poverty line being lifted above, but also the people way further down the income distribution. So, decreases in both the rate and depth of poverty confirm that benefits from oil palm expansion tend to reach the average person living below the poverty line. That is to say, the planting of oil palm, far from exploiting farmers, in fact helps many earn a much higher income than before, and with this income they can live better-quality lives. The same research suggests that at least 1.3 million people were lifted from poverty over the 2000s owing to the growth in the oil palm sector — that is almost a quarter of the population of Singapore.
Indeed, as I learnt more about GAR’s programmes and initiatives to help smallholder farmers and their communities in various aspects, I was impressed by how comprehensive and effective they were, to the point where I now have doubts as to why there is so much criticism of big palm oil companies. Perhaps companies like GAR have been misunderstood to a certain extent. I was quite amazed to find that besides providing farmers in rural areas with better-quality seeds for them to produce higher yield and giving them training to farm sustainably, GAR has also built schools for farmers’ children, employed teachers to teach them, established 24-hour clinics near plantation fields so that the sick can get timely treatment. It even opened childcare centres so that mothers of young children can have a chance to pursue work. Truth be told, with all these initiatives, GAR seems more like a charity than an exploitative corporation to me.
Another common criticism that the palm oil industry faces is how it destroys the environment and biodiversity through deforestation. However, I now know that GAR is working hard and making progress in this respect. The company has a comprehensive GAR Social and Environmental Policy (GSEP) which covers policies and principles regarding farmers and their communities, as well as environmental protection. GAR practices a zero-burning policy, focusing instead on yield improvement to increase production. As for biodiversity, GAR has collaborated with the Orangutan Foundation International to rehabilitate and release back to nature 100 wild-born ex-captive orangutans by 2017.
All that I have seen in these two short months have challenged my impression of the palm oil industry and big palm oil companies. I realized I had never made an effort to know the facts before, and I simply took whatever I heard as the reality.
Maybe many are like me — we have a vague impression from a past conversation that palm oil producers are evil, and we tell these stories to others when the topic comes up, forming stereotypes. Perhaps a better way is to always be cautious about what people tell you, and find out what the facts really are before forming an opinion on it — definitely a learning point for myself. That being said, I am also not praising big palm oil companies like GAR as saviours of poor farmers. In fact, I feel that there is no black-and-white answer. The whole industry is big and complicated, and every move has implications, good and bad. So, instead of fault-finding and trying to pin down a bad guy, a more rational approach would be to look at how the industry balances out its boon and bane.
Overall, these two months have been a wonderful learning journey for me. As I end my internship, I take with me new skills, friendship, reflections and fond memories. Now, here is me signing off, with a big grin and many happy thoughts. [Editor’s note: It was great to have you with us Chenyan, you taught us how important it is to reach out to students to share more balanced information about the industry. Good luck!] | https://medium.com/@goldenagriresourcesltd/a-glimpse-inside-the-palm-oil-industry-8882b2c5818c | ['Golden Agri-Resources', 'Gar'] | 2020-12-04 11:03:01.579000+00:00 | ['Farming', 'Life Lessons', 'Agriculture', 'Environment', 'Conservation'] |
New Year Wishes For Friends — Best Good Wishes (updated 2021) | New Year Wishes For Friends — Best Good Wishes (updated 2021)
New Year Wishes For Friends: New Year is almost here so getting your new year wishes, greetings ready is important for the big celebration.
At New Year eve, we usually share wishes with our friends and loved ones.
Happy New Year Wishes for Friends 2021
May all of your wildest dreams manifest in this coming new year. Happy New Year.
Another wonderful year has ended. Let’s decorate our life with unlimited colors of joy this year too. Happy New Year.
I wish the upcoming year for you to be an exquisite one, which is crammed with joy and pleasure.
May this new year come with glows of hopes in our mind for a fresh start. Happy New Year and all the best for new ventures to my friends.
Trying to be a better friend to you this year to deserve friendship you give me. Happy New Year.
Wishing that you simply would have many blessings within the upcoming New Year. Enjoy the holidays.
I remember saying this 365 days ago, but happy New Year.
Wishing you make the most of this new year too. Happy New Year.
I might wish to many thanks for everything that you simply did to me within the last year. Wish you a happy new year.
My Dear friend, I wish you all the best for this year, and may this a year be full of love and happiness. Happy New Year Friend.
Let’s make this year unforgettable in the most incredible way. Have a blessed Happy New Year.
I even have seen you improving throughout the past year. Keep it up within the next year also. Happy New Year. | https://medium.com/@theengineeringgeek/new-year-wishes-for-friends-best-good-wishes-updated-2021-ba38d3a2681d | ['Teg Official'] | 2020-12-22 10:04:58.386000+00:00 | ['New Year', 'Wishes', 'Friends', 'Happy New Year', 'Friendship'] |
USDZ共有:尾振りアンキロサウルス | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/bs3-3dmodel/usdz%E5%85%B1%E6%9C%89-%E5%B0%BE%E6%8C%AF%E3%82%8A%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AD%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9-b5892d6e66cb | [] | 2020-12-07 09:07:53.800000+00:00 | ['Augmented Reality', '3d Modeling', 'AR'] |
What is the Mobile Accessories Market size? | The global mobile accessories market size is expected to reach USD 110.6 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 7.1% in the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing smartphone usage among the millennials and frequent technological modification are among the prominent factors propelling the market growth.
On the basis of product type, protective cases dominated the market with a share of 31.3% in 2018. The fact that the young consumer group is conscious of safety and security of their mobile phones is among the leading factors for the segment growth. Increasing popularity of the protective screen glasses and trendy covers in anticipated to drive the segment in the near future. Apart from protective cases, headphone is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 7.6% in the forecast period. Increasing innovation in the product such as introduction of wireless headsets, coupled with fitness conscious consumer group, is driving the segment.
Based on distribution channel, the offline segment dominated the mobile accessories market and accounted for 69.9% share of the total revenue in 2018. Increasing demand for high-end products such as smartwatch and camera lens, coupled with failure in online deliveries of fragile items, is among the prominent factors driving the segment. The online segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 7.9% in the forecast period. Integration of artificial intelligence in the online retail sites has led to increase in frequent notifications of mobile accessories. Apart from this, discounts on the product is fuelling the market growth in the recent times.
Asia Pacific is the largest region for the product and it accounted for 45.0% share of the overall revenue in 2018. China is one of the leading markets for smartphones and accessories and it accounted for 55.0% share of the Asia Pacific market. The fact that China is capable of changing technologies of the smartphones, they are coming up with accessories that are adaptable with the changing technologies. These factors are driving the market in the region.
Curious to know more? (Request a Free Sample) Click the link below:
www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-accessories-market
Further key findings from the study suggest:
By product type, the protective case segment held the largest share of 31.3% in 2018
Countries such as UAE and Saudi Arabia are projected to witness significant growth due to increasing demand for smartphones
By distribution channel, the online segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 7.9% in the forecast period.
Grand View Research has segmented the global mobile accessories market on the basis of product type, distribution channel, and region:
Mobile Accessories Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015–2025)
Earphones/Headphones
Charger
Power Bank
Protective Cases
Others
Mobile Accessories Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015–2025) | https://medium.com/cmfe-market-research-reports/what-is-the-mobile-accessories-market-size-c3501d831342 | ['Rajesh Varma'] | 2020-03-20 12:26:15.672000+00:00 | ['Business', 'Mobile', 'Mobile Accessories', 'Mobile Marketing'] |
Why I’m Giving My Ex a Christmas Gift | OK! I can almost hear what you’re going to say:
NOTHING!
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?
YOU HAVE MAJOR “ISSUES”!
DON’T BE SUCH A FOOL!
And probably a lot worse. I know. I’ve said those things to myself. Three years ago, my first Christmas alone, I couldn’t even look at him. There were no decorations, no tree, no anticipation, no magic.
Two years ago, when I had gained some distance, I bought a tree the size of my hand that fell over with the first ornament. I was Scrooge, entertaining myself with “Grinchy” gift possibilities, although I had no intention of giving him anything but heartburn. I thought a snake would make a nice statement. I considered a beautifully wrapped box of air. There was always the lump of coal.
You can really get going with this if you have the anger and the time.
Things change
But the reality is that this year, my separated husband and I will be giving each other a gift on Christmas. We may even share a meal.
I struggle with how weird that is. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it to anyone. Our 43-year marriage came apart following his infidelity and cohabitation with “the bitch,” the original name I like to call her.
The bond that remained intact was with our grown daughter, whom we both adore. She was extremely wounded by what happened. (When we talk about the impact of divorce on children, we usually neglect adult children whose worlds are rocked by what they perceived as their parents stable marriages).
The thing is, as a psychotherapist, I enjoyed years of a ring side seat, not only to the ways marriages dissolve, but often, the ways they eventually resolve.
There’s the marriage and there’s the relationship. They aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Sometimes the relationship ends long before it’s actually pronounced dead with the formal end of a marriage. Sometimes the marriage collapses, but the relationship continues on.
What happened?
When I learned of my husband’s infidelity, I labeled myself as the clear “victim.” Despite the fact that we had been together since I was 15 and he had never treated me badly, he was instantly the villain. 100%. And I was also the “fool,” for not seeing it clearly. In the midst of my hurt, my rage and the huge blow to my self-confidence, I worked with a therapist to regain solid footing in my life.
What became clear is that, while she was the “other woman,” there was another interloper in our marriage, long before she came on the scene.
What we don’t see coming
From my late twenties on, I suffered on and off from serious, debilitating depressions. They came with little warning and required everything from psychotherapy, to medicines, to electroconvulsive therapy, to several hospitalizations.
The depressions lasted many months at a time, and combined with vicious agitation, constituted a very serious illness and a threat to my well being and my life. Our house was a tomb.
As therapists, my husband and I knew the facts. We knew how to get good help. But we weren’t prepared at all for the tsunamis that hit. He jumped into caretaker mode, for me and my daughter.
Losing
He suffered the loss of a wife and the addition of a patient who was far sicker than anyone in his practice. He was, as many people observed, a “saint.” But a saint is not what you want to be when you’re trying to keep a boat from tipping into mean currents. Over time, you are likely to fall in, and possibly drown yourself.
But he never gave up — through episodes in my 30’s then my 40’s and 50’s. When each new episode hit, it had two names on it — his and mine. He did what we cautioned the spouses of our own patients not to do. Don’t put your lives on hold when you help them through another siege.
The good times
In between, we loved our life as a family. Possibly because we knew how fragile our lives were, we cherished the smooth, happy time. When I was well, I was loving, successful and funny. But we lived under a constant cloud. When would it happen again? What would it take to get it under control? I never really noticed the way it had flattened my husband over time. He was instrumental in saving my life again and again. And my illness was instrumental in cheating him of his. Until he caved.
Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash
Marriage is fragile
Marriages are often the casualties of hardship and loss. When one member of a couple suffers a major depression, the marriage is twice as likely to end in divorce than when neither party is affected. In the case of other assaults, for example, the divorce rate increases for couples who have lost a child.
Sometimes the pain, and the exhaustion from coping with it, leads people who love each other down roads they could never have imagined. When we make our young, innocent vows to sustain through everything, it is typically at a time when we are the least vulnerable to the lousy things that happen in life.
It’s not that there was too little love, it was that there was too much suffering.
Couples work out that imbalance in all kind of ways. We had to come apart to keep ourselves together.
What now?
Am I angry about the affair? Rabidly. The person I trusted most in my life betrayed me. It’s hard to get past that. But we were in danger for years before that. The bottom line is that this man, whom I loved since he was 17, is the best friend I’ve ever had. We have been through the “best of times and the worst of times.”
Right now I am where I need to be. I am getting better at being alone. It’s not where I want to be, or ever thought I’d be. But compared to where I’ve been, it’s enough. I am healthy, and for that I am profoundly grateful.
This morning, my “ex” and I loaded a large box with gifts from him, from me, and from us together, to our daughter who is 4000 miles away. We laughed at some of the silly, stupid things we got. We lapsed into moments of silent sorrow. And then we packed some more. The three of us will be apart on Christmas. But the bottom line is that we’re all essentially OK. We have found a new way back to each other. Not like the “good old days.” Different days.
Another way
In the Christmas story, there is a narrative that has something for everyone, even when you don’t “believe.” The three wise men journeyed to visit the infant Jesus, relying on a star as their GPS. They were unknowingly encouraged in their travels by King Herod who wanted to locate the child and kill him. But before giving Herod their location, the wise men were warned of his treachery in a dream. They had to their throw their plans out the window and work to find a new direction. Like many of us, in the lyrics of an old James Taylor song, they had to “go home by another way.”
In my small family, we are still trying to find a way home “by another way.” We probably always will.
The gift
So, yes, I will be giving the man who was my husband a Christmas gift. I’ve even already chosen it — Selected Poems, by Irish poet, Derek Mahon.
I love the line,
“The sun will rise in spite of everything…”
Followed by the deeply reassuring and seasonally hopeful affirmation I need to hear this Christmas, and all the ones to come:
I lie here in a riot of sunlight
watching the day break and the clouds flying.
Everything is going to be all right. | https://psiloveyou.xyz/why-im-giving-my-ex-a-christmas-gift-478c6a24e3c0 | ['Martha Manning'] | 2020-12-16 16:30:28.802000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Mental Illness', 'Divorce', 'Christmas', 'Depression'] |
Rape is Rape | If a person is unable to say yes to sex then it is rape.
It was not till 2016 when they considered having sex with someone, who is unconscious as rape. They did not consider raping an unconscious girl as rape before as rape because it did not use force. Rape was previously defined as non-consensual sex using the threat of physical force, so when someone is unable to give consent they can receive a lesser sentence based on a judge’s discretion. This is the reason why when Brock Turner, a Stanford athlete, raped an unconscious girl back in 2015, he only received six months of jail time and three years of probation. It took California five months before it expanded its definition of rape and added a new mandatory minimum sentence after the Turner case caused national outrage.
Turner’s father claimed his son should not be punished for getting a “couple minutes of action”. He completely disregarded the fact that his son was getting some “action” with an unconscious girl and ran away when he got caught. The judge of the case seemed to think that jail is too harsh of a sentence for him and ruin his future career. Why is the judge more concern over Turner’s career than the victim? The judge was more concern about how this would affect Brock and was less concerned about what he did. People are outraged that the judge gave him such a short sentence. The judge should not be a judge if he gives special treatment to certain people because they are a good athlete. Where is the justice for the victim? She gets treated like it’s her fault that she drank too much and that she asked to be raped. When will everyone be treated equally for their crimes?
It should have been obvious that having sex with someone who is unconscious is rape. If they are unconscious then they are unable to give consent. Sex is rape without consent yet, there are so little consequences for having sex with an unconscious woman. There are harsher consequences for drug abuse then there are for rape. It is ridiculous that rape would not have a harsher punishment. Rape will always be with the victim they will have to live with fear, anxiety and trust issues with men for the rest of their lives. They carry the burden and will be changed by this act. Men do not rape because they want sex they rape because they want to feel powerful. Rapist use rape as a way to dominate another human being. Even if a person is passed out or too intoxicated to function properly they are not asking to be raped.
It is crazy that rape is not just rape no matter the case. Rape is rape even if no force was used. If a person did not consent and is unable to give consent then it should have been considered rape. Not only does our society try to prevent labeling things as rape we also tend to victim blame. In our society, we tend to make women feel guilty about being raped especially if they were raped at a party or party type scene. They will ask the victim what they were wearing, what they were doing, were they drinking and tries to put the blame on the victim. In Sharon Marcus’ Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics of Rape Prevention, she talks about how she proposes to treat rape like a language. In rape laws, it always all about language. If force was used or questioning the victim. Clothes do not cause rape. Alcohol does not cause rape. Flirting does not cause rape. No one asks to be raped. It is frustrating when people say “she was asked to be raped” due to what she was wearing or doing. A rapist should be the one to blame for rape, not the victim.
Marcus would agree that in order to change how rape is viewed in our society we need to change the way we view rape. Rape is not only a horrible act but it is a language. Just like how we are quick to doubt the victim and defend the rapist. People will try to justify the rapist’s action as he would do what any other guy would do or say that the women were asking for it. Then they will try to blame the fact that the girl led them on or that they consented at first. If a women consents at firsts then changes her mind that does not give somebody permission to continue. We need harsher sentences for rapist and we need to stop victim blaming. Girls should not have to be in the constant fear of being raped and feel like they are never safe. | https://medium.com/gendered-violence/rape-is-rape-6b975ffdb496 | ['Yeeun Yoon'] | 2018-03-28 00:29:34.478000+00:00 | ['Rape', 'Rape Culture', 'Consent', 'Victim Blaming', 'Law'] |
AYS Weekend Digest 5–6/12/2020 Greek (new) Democracy? | It is well documented that fascist and Nazi ideology is widespread among the Greek police. High ranking members of the police were actively involved in the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, and on Sunday a policeman in Athens was spotted wearing a helmet with a symbol of XXXI Army Corps of the Wermacht. Among the arrestees were two lawyers who were working in the civil court case against Golden Dawn, arrested while trying to reach their client; Petros Konstantinou, head of anti-racist organisation KEERFA and member of Athens city council; members of the Rosa Luxemburg foundation; plus scores of anti-fascists.
According to observers, the very deployment of thousands of police in these last few weeks has already caused a spike in positive COVID-19 cases among the security forces and their families, and risks becoming a super-spreader in a country with a health system already under extreme pressure.
Press Freedom
Furthermore, videos show riot police charging journalists in the Exarchia neighbourhood in Athens. This is a highly symbolic ‘picture’ of the freedom of Greek press under this new government. The public press agency and public television have been brought under direct control of the Prime Minister office. Coverage of the pandemic is kept under close control, with health workers prevented from speaking to the media without official authorisation. During the pandemic, many media outlets “have become fully dependent on large grants that the Ministry of Information (Orwell lives!) dispenses at the minister’s whim.” As we have reported previously, this has lead to repercussions for those journalists covering the situation of refugees in the country. As Franziska Grillmeier stated on twitter:
After the fire in #Moria, we have been intermittently restricted from reporting (for over 5 days starting on 9 September 2020), especially inside the area where over 10.000 people had been stranded on the roadside without accommodation or sanitation.
In October, a German crew was detained and strip-searched without charges on the island of Samos. They were making a documentary on climate-induced migration. On the 17th of November, journalists were arrested in Athens while covering the demonstrations, and on Lesvos, “while trying to report on the landing asylum seekers & possible illegal “pushbacks” by Greek authorities.”
Right now, press is not allowed to report inside the Aegean camps without a special permission, that is very hard to obtain (including the new site of #Moria2). In order to avoid their contacts with #refugeesgr, police has limited the movement of journalists on Lesbos.
Over the weekend, one of the few twitter accounts held by a resident of Moria 2.0, on which they had been posting photos and videos regarding the situation inside the facility, was suspended.
Government Propaganda
The government carries on with its policies, unperturbed by the accusations of violence within the country and at its borders. Documentation on pushbacks piles up on a daily basis, involving — in a number of cases — the EU agency Frontex. On Saturday, 29 people were reportedly rescued by the Turkish coast guard on a life raft off the coast of Izmir, after being pushed back by Greek authorities.
In less than two years, the right-wing government have pursued the criminalisation of solidarity organisations and NGOs, have tightened the laws on asylum, have further militarised the borders, have provided de facto impunity for crimes committed in the Aegean and in the Evros region, have restricted access to camps and hotspots, and are now turning reception centres in unofficial detention sites. Officials have so far denied all such accusations, labelling them Turkish propaganda, and trying to shift the blame on to the NGOs and grassroots groups documenting these crimes. Greek authorities have pressured Frontex and the EU to include “hybrid threats” within the realm of the latest internal investigating sub-group on Frontex complicity in pushbacks.
While Greece descends into authoritarianism, EU institutions watch and applaud the country’s role in defending the Union’s external borders. Liberal values come in handy only when needed. Criticisms against Hungary and Poland, who now are vetoing the new EU budget, are rarely heard about Greece, a modern Cerberus at the EU’s gates. | https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-weekend-digest-5-6-12-2020-greek-new-democracy-eeeea849fc9e | ['Are You Syrious'] | 2020-12-07 16:52:22.152000+00:00 | ['Refugees', 'Digest', 'Alexis', 'Illiberalism', 'Jamaica50'] |
How To Scrape Hotel Reviews Data From Travel Portals? | Scraping Hotel Reviews from Different Travel Portals as well as Review Sites
Extracting hotel reviews from different travel websites has become a normal practice amongst hospitality businesses that want to level up the game using advanced analytics.
No matter if this is a domestic traveling portal or a well-known review website, you could monitor or track customers’ success stories very easily. Hotel reviews given by the guests on traveling websites are a wonderful source for neutral customer experiences that could be analyzed to have actionable insights. For instance, if you are any luxury hotel chain and want to understand the customers better, then you can easily scrape hotel reviews from traveling websites to go about that. This is also a very good idea to scrape hotels’ competitor reviews as it will assist you in identifying their strengths and weaknesses that might boost your marketing strategy. Whereas there’s no shortage of hotel reviews on different online traveling sites, the majority of businesses lack infrastructure, expertise, as well as resources for crawling and scraping hotel reviews from different travel websites in an automated and efficient manner.
At Reviewgators, we have specialized in big-scale web data scraping solutions as well as have been dealing with use cases where customers wanted to scrape hotel reviews from travel websites. As a client, you don’t need to get involved in technically complex characteristics of data extraction and web crawling. It helps you concentrate on the applications for hotel review data as well as other key business functions.
Hotel Review Scraping Applications
Through carefully analyzing hotel reviews, the businesses can get important insights into the customers as well as their priorities and demands. The neutral nature of these reviews makes them even more valued to you like a welcome business owner. Let’s go through the most well-known applications for hotel review scraping.
1. Know Your Consumers’ Preferences
Staying updated with customers’ preferences is an important requirement to run any successful business. In case, the hotel isn’t addressing customers’ demands, your money is of no use as well as you are creating customer dissatisfaction. For addressing this, it is important to understand your customers’ requirements. Scraping hotel reviews could help you recognize a host of problems, which are bothering the potential customers. Then, you can go ahead as well as tweak customer services to improve them.
2. Brand Monitoring
For getting a positive brand image, the business needs to understand customers’ complaints. Brand monitoring could help you stay updated and find unaddressed problems before escalating to the PR nightmare. Extracting and scraping hotel reviews from a travel website is the easiest way of staying in.
3. Competitor’s Analysis
It is very important to observe your brand as well as monitor your competitors in today’s cut-throat competition. At times, reviews given by competitors’ clients about services can assist you to recognize your real position in the market. For instance, if reviews of competitors’ hotel pages indicate the demands for a definite service, you can start offering that service. It can easily assist you in driving extra sales without investing in research.
4. NLP (Natural Language Processing)
Natural language processing witnesses solutions offered by Machine Learning that are concentrated on helping machines to know the context available behind the human languages. These NLP systems have a role to play while using different voice assistant systems like Cortana, Google Now, and Siri. An enormous amount of user-generated content is needed to work the NLP system work well.
How Do Will Extract Hotel Reviews Work?
Using our well-managed services, you don’t need to bother about complexities related to scraping hotel reviews.
The project begins with the requirements collecting phase where you need to share particulars of your requirements like the websites you require to scrape, frequency of crawling as well as data fields to get scraped.
When we’ve recognized the feasibility project, our team would set up crawlers as well as start delivering data in the preferred frequency and format.
At ReviewGators, we back data delivery in XML, CSV, and JSON formats through FTP, API, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Box, and more. We have end-to-end ownership of scraping aspects and provide the required data as per your requirements. Just submit all your requirements here to get started or ask ReviewGators for a free quote! | https://medium.com/@reviewgators/how-to-scrape-hotel-reviews-data-from-travel-portals-afe88fd76c22 | [] | 2021-12-30 07:18:00.032000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Data Extraction', 'Web Scraping', 'Review', 'Travel Data'] |
Seven things you might be shocked to discover about human trafficking | If you don’t know these, you could be part of the problem
“You may not see the problem, but it’s there. The US State Department estimates there are 24.9 million human trafficking victims worldwide. This is not something that occurs only in dark alleys in the far corners of the Earth, though. It’s happening around the world every day. Human trafficking is considered modern-day slavery, and there are more slaves today than at any time in history.” CRS.org
So starts a page from the Catholic Relief Services website — the seven things you may not know about human trafficking, and three ways to help. Even those who think they understand trafficking in humans, might find this enlightening.
As the article states, the problem is getting larger. It happens everywhere, including possibly in your hometown. Nice suburbs are often the site of hidden trafficking.
Learn more by watching this quick video
and then read the article to see what you can do. | https://medium.com/human-trafficking/seven-things-you-might-be-shocked-to-discover-about-human-trafficking-85148afe6ada | ['Doug Bardwell'] | 2020-12-16 11:56:09.147000+00:00 | ['Human Trafficking', 'Womens Rights', 'Catholic Relief Services', 'Child Abuse', 'Child Abuse Prevention'] |
How to install multiple Postgresql versions on macOS? | This article was originally published on ogirginc.github.io. If you prefer, it can be read on Roam Research too.
So, you have decided to have multiple Postgresql versions on your Mac. Lucky for you, I have tried all options I was able to find and decided Peter Eisentraut’s Postgresql Common package, which is a Postgresql database cluster manager for Postgresql.
What is a database cluster?
A database cluster is a bit of an ambiguous term. Its definition varies depending on the context. In this article, I am not going to explain what it means in production. On local machines, it is a collection of databases that are managed by a single database server. Clusters allow us to install multiple versions of Postgresql on our macOS. To manage these clusters, we will be using a package called Postgresql Common.
Postgresql Common with Homebrew
First, we will install the Postgresql Common formulae:
brew install petere/postgresql/postgresql-common
With these formulae installed, we can have multiple versions of PostgreSQL in parallel. We should be able to install any version of Postgresql starting with version 8.3. If you do want to check the available versions, use the Homebrew’s search :
brew search petere/postgresql
Or you check the Github repo too see the availble version on your browser: https://github.com/petere/homebrew-postgresql. If I wanted to install the version 12, this is how I would do it:
brew install petere/postgresql/postgresql@12
This command will fetch the latest minor version of the provided major version. For example, if there are 4 minor versions available, we would have version 12.4 installed automatically. Depending on your internet speed, it should not take more than a couple of minutes to download. Same goes for installing it with the make command, which depends on how fast the computer is.
Creating a cluster for the first time
To create a cluster, we will be using the pg_createcluster wrapper scripts. These scripts are just a wrappers around pg_ctl and initdb to make managing easier. Now, lets create our first cluster. We will name this one as the main but you can choose whatever name you like.
pg_createcluster 12 main
We have created a new cluster named main which is version 12.4. If you like, we can check the status of the cluster with the pg_lsclusters wrapper script.
pg_lsclusters
This should list all the clusters, with some additional information, we have created in our machine.
Ver Cluster Port Status Owner Data directory Log file
12 main 5432 down ogirginc /usr/local/var/lib/postgresql/12/main /usr/local/var/log/postgresql/postgresql-12-main.log
Lets start our newly created cluster, we will be using pg_ctlcluster .
pg_ctlcluster 12 main start
Just to be sure, check the Status with pg_lsclusters . You should see the the word down being replaced with online . Also, the output color change might change depending on your theme. In my case, it was red turned to green.
Ver Cluster Port Status Owner Data directory Log file
12 main 5432 online ogirginc /usr/local/var/lib/postgresql/12/main /usr/local/var/log/postgresql/postgresql-12-main.log
After starting your cluster, rest is the same with the any Postgresql installation. Create a database with created command and list those with psql -c '\l' command to check if all is good. You should something similar to this:
List of databases
Name | Owner | Encoding | Collate | Ctype | Access privileges
-----------+----------+----------+-------------+-------+-----------------------
ogirginc | ogirginc | UTF8 | en_US.UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
postgres | ogirginc | UTF8 | en_US.UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
template0 | ogirginc | UTF8 | en_US.UTF-8 | UTF-8 | =c/ogirginc +
| | | | | ogirginc=CTc/ogirginc
template1 | ogirginc | UTF8 | en_US.UTF-8 | UTF-8 | =c/ogirginc +
| | | | | ogirginc=CTc/ogirginc
(4 rows)
That’s it! Now just repeat the process for each version you want to install and it should work with a problem. If you do encounter any problems, check the Troubleshooting section below. If the problem still continues, feel free to open an issue and I would try my best to help! | https://medium.com/ogirginc/how-to-install-multiple-postgresql-versions-on-macos-7e06ae55c251 | ['Oğulcan Girginç'] | 2021-01-05 07:46:18.894000+00:00 | ['Macos', 'Postgresql', 'Cluster'] |
LockTrip Integrates Firo as a Payment Method for its Travel Marketplace | As part of our recently announced partnership with Firo, we have now completed the integration of Firo as a payment method on the LockTrip.com travel marketplace.
Holders can now use their Firo coins to book more than 2.1 million hotels & properties, as well as flights from 1,000 different airlines on the marketplace. Paying with Firo allows customers to save an additional 2% in cost, which would otherwise go to your bank and payment processors.
This is in addition to the amazing savings of up to 60% available on the marketplace, thanks to its unique reverse-auctioning model.
Firo Landing Page
Firo now has its own landing page, integrated into the LockTrip marketplace. It offers a brief description of what LockTrip is and how FIRO holders can unlock amazing savings via their holdings.
It also sheds light on the benefits of using FIRO instead of paying with a credit card. The landing page will help capture and convert traffic coming from the Firo project and various social media campaigns.
About Firo
Firo is the new brand name of Zcoin. The digital currency has a strong focus on developing new privacy features and has been the gold standard of trustless, on-chain privacy since 2016.
Firo have just released their next generation privacy protocol Lelantus, which introduces a burn-and-redeem model that allows users to burn (or destroy) coins of arbitrary amounts — even partial ones — and redeem brand new coins that do not appear to have previous transaction histories associated with them.
Join our Telegram Community 👇🏼
LockTrip is a blockchain-based travel marketplace that allows users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out middlemen. Every booking burns LOC proportionally to its booking value, continuously reducing its total supply. | https://medium.com/locktrip/locktrip-integrates-firo-as-a-payment-method-for-its-travel-marketplace-e21187e5d7de | ['Locktrip.Com', 'Loc Token', 'Official Blog'] | 2020-12-16 14:48:24.504000+00:00 | ['Locktrip', 'Hotel', 'Crypto', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin'] |
Debunking the Absurd Arguments Against Gun Control | Debunking the Absurd Arguments Against Gun Control
Editor and coauthor: Katrina Stone
Gun Control Demonstrators (Photo by Heather Mount on Unsplash)
I grew up with guns. My dad returned from tramping all over Europe as a foot soldier carrying a rifle during WWII. Like so many veterans, he came home with a love of shooting. Sometimes he took us kids with him to a local hillside called Lead Hill where he would plink at cans and shoot at targets.
Soon, I had guns of my own. I had a BB air rifle at age 9, a .22 rifle at age 12, a shotgun, and later on rifles and pistols. I loved shooting. Still do, actually.
If you have ever shot an air rifle at a carnival shooting gallery, you know shooting can be fun. Some people believe having a gun protects them from danger. And others who are more serious about gun ownership believe their guns protect them from the government.
In an age of mass shootings, street shootings, and even too many police shootings, are there really any rational arguments against changing and limiting our gun culture? Let's think through the arguments together. | https://aninjusticemag.com/debunking-the-absurd-arguments-against-gun-control-a2bb96692563 | ['Chuck Petch'] | 2021-07-16 18:12:57.245000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Gun Control', 'Social Justice', 'Politics', 'Non Fiction'] |
POLKAMINE NETWORK — A new era arises — First multi-chain standard hash rate token protocol | Polkamine network will standardize the mining performance of different mining pools for different mining projects and then issue different standard hashrate tokens (pTokens), such as:
pBTCM for the Bitcoin standard hashrate token
pETHM for the Ethereum-standard hashrate token
pFILM for the Filecoin-standard hashrate token
pLTCM for the Litecoin-standard hashrate token
(more chains to follow as well)
Each standard Hashrate token is a synthetic token that represents the basic standard mining performance of a unique mining blockchain and is also backed by standard mining performance.
The pTokens could be integrated into cross-chain DeFi protocols (such as DEX, lending protocols on Polkadot, Ethereum, HECO, Binance Smart chain, etc.), which will increase the liquidity of pTokens.
To fully address the liquidity issue, Polkamine Network will issue another synthetic token, called mToken, for miners who deposit the issued pTokens into Polkamine’s contract to receive mining rewards.
The mTokens can be used in various DeFi protocols for trading or issuing collateral.
Any mining pools outside the Polkamine Network can freely join in or exit the standardized mining pools on the Polkamine Network after mining power standardization.
Polkamine Network will also use Substrate’s OCW (off-chain oracle workers) to monitor the on-chain revenue data of various mining projects in real time and upload the revenue information to ensure the information is open and transparent to miners.
In addition to pTokens, there is another type of asset called Wrapped Output Tokens (wTokens). wTokens are tokens issued on the Polkamine chain that are anchored at a 1:1 ratio to tokens produced by the Polkamine standard mining pool. You can consider wTokens as an income certificate in the mining products of the Polkamine standard mining pool.
wTokens include wBTCO, wETHO, wLTCO, wFILO, etc., each anchoring BTC on the Bitcoin chain, ETH on the Ethereum chain, LTC on the Litcoin chain, and FIL on the Filecoin chain in a 1:1 ratio.
Since different mining projects use different chains, only by issuing 1:1 mapping assets wTokens can Polkamine write all mining revenues of mini-miners to the chain and achieve automation.
Introducing Mini Miners
Mini Miners are the miners of Polkamine Standardization Mining Pools.
They need to purchase standardized Hash Tokens, which represent a certain HashRate. Meanwhile, they can claim the output income of the mining pool by their possessions.
Introducing MINE Token
MINE Token fulfills the role of core utility in the Polkamine Network ecosystem. Its functionality includes, but is not limited to: | https://medium.com/@mineblockchain/polkamine-network-a-new-era-arises-first-multi-chain-standard-hash-rate-token-protocol-2338bdf95fa4 | ['Mine Network'] | 2021-06-26 02:52:53.777000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Polkadot', 'Polkamine', 'Blockchain', 'Mining'] |
DeFi Projects KingSwap and RioDeFi Partner to Boost Rewards | KingSwap adds RioDeFi’s RFUEL token and farming pool to its platform, while adding new rewards for DEX participants
DeFi projects KingSwap (www.kingswap.io) and RioDeFi today announced a partnership to boost rewards for users, aimed at increasing participation in staking and farming pools. Through this partnership , KingSwap will list RioDeFi’s RFUEL tokens on its decentralized exchange (DEX). RioDeFi will also provide a farming pool on KingSwap for all users who want to generate yield from RFUEL.
KingSwap will reward both traders and liquidity providers for using the DEX. Any user who provides liquidity for the RFUEL-USDT pair on KingSwap’s DEX will be given RFUEL-USDT KLP (King Liquidity Provider) tokens. KingSwap users who trade in the RFUEL-USDT pool will be awarded with KST (KingSwap Slippage Tokens) for every trade executed. Both KLP tokens and KST tokens can be staked in the RFUEL farming pool. All APY estimates are based on the number of users staking in each farming pool, as well as the relative price of RFUEL to USDT.
“KingSwap and RioDeFi share a mission to drive DeFi adoption through easy-to-use, high-reward features,” said Malcolm Tan, Chief Advisor at KingSwap. “The opportunity to collaborate gives both our users new perks, while boosting DEX activity on the KingSwap platform.”
KingSwap is a high-yield liquidity platform that offers extensive staking rewards, digital collectibles, and fiat conversions. An evolution of Uniswap, KingSwap provides user-friendly features that provide real-time benefits in terms of price curves and contributor rewards. Last month, KingSwap achieved $4 million USD in transaction volume in its first three days on Uniswap. KingSwap’s DEX features are available directly through its website https://www.kingswap.exchange.
KingSwap was founded by a team of experienced leaders in banking, finance, and crypto, including Dr. Anish Mohammed, who has advised and worked for companies including HSBC, Lloyds, and Zurich, and was an early advisor to Ripple and Ocean Protocol; Dunstan Teo, Chief Architect of the Fido Protocol and President of Sanctum Pte Ltd.
KingSwap’s advisors include Venture Capitalist Dr. Giampaolo Parigi (PhD); Professor Alex Nascimento (MBA), Faculty and Co-Founder, Blockchain at UCLA; Michael Terpin, Founder and CEO of Transform Group and Co-Founder of BitAngels; Lionel Iruk, Esq.(J.D), Dr. Robert Choi (PhD), and Frank D.(MBA).
To learn more about KingSwap, join the KingSwap Telegram group or follow the project on Twitter.
ABOUT KINGSWAP
KingSwap (https://www.kingswap.io/) is a DeFi project based out of Singapore that is introducing a liquidity pool platform with fiat conversions. KingSwap’s high-yield liquidity platform offers extensive staking rewards, digital collectibles, and fiat conversions. An evolution of Uniswap, KingSwap provides user-friendly features that provide real-time benefits in terms of price curves and contributor rewards.
ABOUT RIODEFI
RioDeFi accelerates the mass adoption of digital assets by bridging traditional and decentralized finance. RioDeFi’s vision is a world in which everyone has access to decentralized financial (DeFi) services. RioDeFi develops solutions that connect banking institutions with blockchain systems. RioDeFi applications enable lower transaction fees, faster confirmations, more efficiency, better returns for savings account holders, and global reach.
Website | Telegram Community | Twitter | DEX | Info | Card Program | https://medium.com/@defi-kingswap/defi-projects-kingswap-and-riodefi-partner-to-boost-rewards-4896b0f1c135 | [] | 2021-01-28 03:28:35.953000+00:00 | ['Partnerships', 'Defi', 'Farming', 'Rewards', 'Dex'] |
Tinder Data Adventures: What Happens If You Ask Tinder About the Data They Store on You? | Tinder Data Adventures: What Happens If You Ask Tinder About the Data They Store on You? Dora Szucs Follow Dec 5 · 4 min read
Online-dating is still blooming in these days with millennials spending up to 10 hours a week on dating apps. While searching for their true love (or let’s be honest: their next hookup), they generate a huge amount of data by opening the app, uploading images, filling out bios, swiping on other users and chatting with their matches. As you suspect, this data does not disappear during the process but gets stored by Tinder instead.
Since released in September 2012, Tinder became one of the most successful dating apps (source).
As a registered user on Tinder, you have the right to know what data is gathered and stored about you - and Tinder shares this information with you on request. While most users haven’t heard of this feature, requesting the full history of your data from Tinder is fairly easy despite the small obstacles Tinder sets up in the process.
How do you request your data from Tinder?
Tinder’s help page gives you guidance in process of requesting your data and directs you to the web interface, where you can manage your account. The process is quite easy, you log in the same way you would normally do in the app (via phone number, Facebook or Google account) and input an email address where you want to receive your download link.
If you need some further help, you can use this step-by-step tutorial or watch the following tutorial video:
Receiving the data takes around 2–3 days and comes in a zip file containing a file of literally everything you’ve ever entered or done on in the app. You might be very excited now, but note that there is no way of getting your data immediately, so you must be a little patient before you can explore your Tinder history.
What does the file you receive from Tinder contain?
After receiving your download link and returning to Tinder’s website, you’ll end up downloading a zip file called (myData.zip), which contains
a folder with media files (images and videos) of your current profile
index.html, a poorly constructed HTML page that helps you read your raw data as is
data.json, the file that contains all your little Tinder secrets.
Data.json is the file in the center of our attention. It contains information that you entered on Tinder or allowed access to: your gender, name, sexual orientation, bio, city, IP address etc. (It does not contain your password, as apps and websites never store passwords as plain text!) It also marks the day of your registration and for each day since that special date, the file contains how many times you swiped per day into any direction, how many matches you had, how many times you opened the app etc. While your old matches often disappear (or unmatch you), this file holds these matches forever. The longest portion of your data is the part, where your chat messages appear. Note that Tinder only gives you your personal information and no information from other users, thus your matches are only identified by numbers and the data only contains your messages of every chat and none of the messages that other users sent you.
Ok, I got my data... But what do I do with it?
The file you receive might look intimidating at first glance, especially if you have no background in statistics or computer science and are not used to encountering large unreadable datasets. While the html-file (index.html) contained in the zipped data folder provides some help formatting the raw data, it does not provide any analysis on your dating behaviour.
Your raw data (data.json, left) compared to the formatted data (index.html, right) sent to you by Tinder on request.
To analyse your dating habits based on your historical data, find out how picky, attractive and active you are, you can use the data visualisation site called Tinder Insights. Tinder Insights takes care of the analysis of your data and generates beautiful infographics personalised to your gender and dating history. Besides summarising your data, Tinder Insights also tells you, which opening messages lead to your longest conversations, when are you the most active and how you compare to other Tinder users in terms of being picky and attractive.
A male user’s activity on Tinder since registration generated with Tinder Insights.
Before uploading your raw data on any less known data analysis platforms, take a second to review their privacy policy, as you might end up sharing sensible information about your dating life and sexual orientation with untrusted sources alongside with your personal data. Tinder Insights has a transparent privacy policy, which guarantees that all personal data is immediately deleted from your upload, thus no personal information, photo, chat message or similar data ever reaches Tinder Insights’ servers. Furthermore, by using Tinder Insights, you anonymously contribute to a database of behavioural data (swipe counts, match counts, app opens etc.) that will help future single people learn more about online dating.
How many of your right swipes end up being matches? Tinder Insights lets you compare your success on dating apps with other male and female users.
Still the deep dark secrets of online dating will further reside on Tinder’s (or the owner of nearly all existing dating apps, Match Group’s) hands. But the option to request your data and tools like Tinder Insights help us learn more about ourselves in the dating world and hopefully make us more conscious in the future while searching for love. Or whatever we are searching for. | https://medium.com/swlh/tinder-data-adventures-what-happens-if-you-ask-tinder-about-the-data-they-store-on-you-f66404b90943 | ['Dora Szucs'] | 2020-12-17 22:15:48.714000+00:00 | ['Online Dating', 'Tinder', 'Data Science', 'Privacy', 'Data Visualization'] |
Luckless- | Luckless-
Mrs Pam was hitting the duster on the white board, signaling the students to pay attention.
Everyone was talking and gossiping with each other, but a girl in particular was sitting in the back bench with a black hoodie on. It seemed like, she was intentionally trying to ignore everyone and be invisible. Just then, the lunch break bell rang and everyone left except her!
I went towards her, and sat next to her and greeted her with a “Hello!” She shyly replied back with a “Hi!”
I asked her “You are Lucy right? I heard when your name was called by the teacher for the attendance!”
“Ya, I am Lucy Adams! What about you?” Lucy replied.
“Oh, I am Jamie! I am new in this school, and I noticed the Mrs Pam was the most boring!” I said while giggling!
“I know right! She is and always says,
“ALWAYS MAINTAIN PINDROP SILENCE!” we both said at the same time and snickered.
“By the way, I noticed something else!” I said
“And what would that be?” Lucy replied
“You seem to be quiet and not interact with other fellow mates!”
“Ya, I don’t like to talk to people much!” Lucy said shyly with a smile.
“It’s ok I understand! By the way, as I am new here, so would love some company for the entire year of torture!” I said with a chuckle.
Then we chatted for a minute or two, before the bell of the next period rang, and I returned to my seat. After school, I walked her to her home and proceeded towards mine.
The next day, Lucy walked in the class with a long face. As soon as she saw me, she came and sat next to me.
"Why the long face?" I asked
"Long story, will tell you at lunch!" Lucy sighed and said..
Lunch bell rang! Most of the students left the class!
I immediately went towards her and asked,
I said "So, what’s up?”
"Not much, the usual parents fight, they both tell me i am useless, i am not capable of anything. With these results i won’t be able to do anything in life and stuff!" she sighed as she fixed her hair.
"What? How? Why would they say this stuff? This is so weird, what does they want from you? They are your parents!! So that’s why you were crying in your room last night!” I said with an angry voice.
“Wait, how did you know if I cried?” Lucy asked with a brow raised
My facial expression changed and I blurted out “I-I mean you seem like you cried and yo-you must have cried right after going through this!”
“Oh, yah, I did, this is just too much you know, it’s just messing with my mind, I really don’t know what to do!!” Lucy sighed
“Don’t worry, time will heal everything and I do not even know how on earth does they call themselves your guardian! Like everyone is different and special!”
"I know, I know as i have also told you over text yesterday that she really doesn't care! I am just a thing that she gave birth to use! It hurts more when i hear these words from my own parents! I do not want small things from my life, i have plans and want to do something different, but the situation is demotivating me! I don't know what to do anymore and also in just a day or two you have become such a nice friend of mine, I know you will suggest me the right thing!" Lucy said as she started tearing up.
"Broo, I understand completely, don't listen to your parents they just blurt out things, for a moment see them as normal humans and not parents! Everyone makes mistakes! So you don't sweat! Take it easy! See where life leads you! I said with a huge smile on my face which made her smirk as she wiped the tears from her face.
Then suddenly the bell rang!
That night, Lucy did not text me as she usually does. I was concerned. I was seeing her sitting on her bed, lost somewhere! Downstairs her parents were fighting! As she got up from her bed, she immediately sat down in pain, my heart skipped a beat as I saw her in pain, it seemed like she sprained her ankle!
The next day, she was limping, and sat on the opposite end of the classroom, far away from me. She neglected me that whole day. I tried to approach her, but she didn't even want to listen to me!
That night I saw her, sitting on her bed with a book opened in front of her, but she was just staring at it, drowned in her own thoughts.
I saw her mother entering her room!
She hastily pulled her sleeves down as soon as she saw her!
Her mother noticed this, and asked her what she was hiding; Lucy rose from the bed and walked towards the window.
"Please leave!" Lucy said with a weak voice .
But her mother insisted, and forcefully lifted her colorful long sleeves to reveal the scars. Her mother was shocked and took some steps back.
I saw Lucy weeping like a small child, on the group with her legs folded. I wanted to go and give her a hug but I cannot do anything, at the end of the day i am also a part of her, I am in her mind all I can do is stand with her and all her decisions! | https://medium.com/@yumiahmed/luckless-39681e14902c | ['Yumi Ahmed'] | 2020-12-14 15:15:48.132000+00:00 | ['Mystery', 'Life', 'Pain', 'Hurt', 'Lessons Learned'] |
The Two Types of Data Engineering | There are two different types of data engineering. There are two different types of job types with the title data engineer. This is especially confusing to organizations and individuals who are starting out learning about data engineering. This confusion leads to the failure of many teams’ Big Data projects.
Types of Data Engineering
The first type of data engineering is SQL-focused. The work and primary storage of the data is in relational databases. All of the data processing is done with SQL or a SQL-based language. Sometimes, this data processing is done with an ETL tool.
The second type of data engineering is Big Data-focused. The work and primary storage of the data is in Big Data technologies like Hadoop, Cassandra, and HBase. All of the data processing is done Big Data frameworks like MapReduce, Spark, and Flink. While SQL is used, the primary processing is done with programming languages like Java, Scala, and Python.
Types of Data Engineers
The two types of data engineers closely match the types of data engineering teams.
The first type of data engineer does their data processing with SQL. They may use an ETL tool. Sometimes, their titles are DBA, SQL Developer, or ETL Developer. These engineers have little to no programming experience.
The second type of data engineer is a software engineer who has specialized in Big Data. They have extensive programming skills and can write SQL queries too. The major difference is that data engineers have the programming and SQL skills to choose between the two.
Why These Differences Matter To You
It’s crucial that managers know the differences between these two types of teams. Sometimes organizations will have their SQL-focused data engineering team attempt a Big Data project. These sorts of efforts are rarely successful. For Big Data projects, you will need the second type of data engineer and a data engineering team that is Big Data-focused.
For individuals, it’s important to understand the required starting skills for Big Data. While there are SQL interfaces for Big Data, you will need programming skills to get the data into a state that’s queryable. For people who have never programmed before, this is a more difficult learning curve. I strongly recommend SQL-focused people understand the amount of time it takes to learn how to program and the difficulty involved.
Only by knowing and understanding these two definitions can you be successful with Big Data projects. You absolutely have to have the right people for the job.
Originally published at jesse-anderson.com. | https://medium.com/97-things/the-two-types-of-data-engineering-2a3f9004dec2 | ['Jesse Anderson'] | 2019-05-16 19:47:35.906000+00:00 | ['Data Engineer', 'Data', '97 Things'] |
How to Heal a Broken Heart? | How to Heal a Broken Heart?
Photo Source
Heartbreak is a pain like any other. It is an emotional pain so bottomless that it can feel like a physical blow. When you have a pain like this one, all you want is for the deep ache to go away. As much as I’d like to advise differently, there is no band-aid for a broken heart.
Though it sounds cliché, time is the remedy needed for you to truly heal from such deep, wrenching pain. In time, this pain will go away. Between now and then, however, following a few basic tips might be able to make a difference in how you are feeling.
Cry.
Do not apologize for crying.
Without this emotion we are only robots.
— Elizabeth Gilbert
You are going to feel like rubbish for the first few weeks. Depending on how emotional of a person you are, you may feel like crying for days. Go ahead. A significant change has occurred in your life; a painful change. There is no way to expect that you will feel a little sadness and be able to shut it off with a switch. It’s just not that simple.
Allow yourself to grieve for your loss. But not too long! Staying in the past for too long can only hurt you. See rule number 4.
2. Talk to Someone Close
Use the shoulder of someone who cares about you to get out your feelings. This is a way to purify your soul by letting someone in to share your pain. Let them listen, comfort you, and offer advice. You don’t necessarily have to take that advice, but sharing this comfort can make you feel better. Make sure you only allow yourself to grieve and lean on someone for a time because you need to move forward.
3. Distract Yourself
Bring friends you care about back into your life. Maybe having the relationship was keeping you from spending time with your parents, or siblings. Maybe you hadn’t talked to your best friend in weeks. Surround yourself with this support network. Getting things that need to be done around the house done is a great way to get lost in a project. Go to the gym. Organize your closet. Get out and take a walk. Distracting yourself is a great stepping stone to moving on with your life. This brings us to rule number 4.
4. Look toward the Future
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Forget the Past. Once you have allowed yourself the indulgence of grieving for a part of your life that is now past, look forward! There is a definite need to be able to start a new chapter in the book of your life. Now that you are past the sadness and anger, it is time for hope and renewal that will help you to move on.
Take time out for yourself; get to know yourself as a single individual instead of as part of a couple. Replenish your soul by becoming you again.
Following these sometimes difficult, but necessary steps, you can begin to heal the broken pieces of your heart. You can not only become whole again, you can become whatever you wish to become. This is a chance to start fresh, and once the pain starts to ease, you will see it as such an opportunity. | https://medium.com/@heybest/how-to-heal-a-broken-heart-73ade7bacffb | ['Hey Best'] | 2021-07-06 07:53:46.358000+00:00 | ['Émotion', 'Breaking Up', 'Relationship Advice', 'Love', 'Break Up Problem Solution'] |
My First Encounter with Deep Learning(The PyTorch Story). | SLB, Noack, AMR, 2015 Duriez, SLB, Noack, Springer, 2015
It began in the winter of 2019 when I came across the journal in Annual Reviews of Fluid Mechanics —Machine Learning for Fluid Mechanics. As a Physics enthusiast and hailing from a mechanical engineering background, fluid mechanics has always titillated me. My professional job elevated if not demanded the thirst for being prolific in the field of fluids. Hence, it was not capricious that I came across the above journal by Steven Brunton. However, the journal was recondite to my amateur mind. Terms like NN, CNN, RNN, LSTM, etc. were not greek to me but due to a lack of basic and clear understanding, their usage in the journal was not efficacious for me. I guess, it was at this moment I decided to take a walk to the yard which some describe as the Magnum Opus of modern technology — Artificial intelligence.
The copious resources on AI confounded the dawn of my journey. As an ardent book reader and after some browsing, I chose Artificial Intelligence-A Modern Approach. Undoubtedly, the book is laudable, but again my amateur brain was being pejorative to the concepts. After trying a few other texts based on Google's suggestions, I realized that I need a more pragmatic approach. At this moment, Coursera became my inn and it provided a great lodging for the basic understanding and difference of the terms AI, ML, DL, Data Science, Data Analysis, etc. I took a couple of professional courses offered by IBM- Professional Certificate in Data Science and Professional Certificate in AI Engineering. The former was a didactic course. I developed a lot of new skills and polished my previous skills in Python. There were moments of depression, little glory, excitement, lots of learning. Statistical Learning was in the air. I took another course on Coursera for Statistics with R. In fact, I read a couple of intermediate and advanced texts of Springer Texts in Statistics. It was all so beautiful until the realization of the clouds still hovering over that journal came into being. A dilatory feeling started to seep in. With lots of viscosity, I completed the Professional Course in AI engineering. That boosted me a little. It had 3 different courses on DL with Keras, TensorFlow, and PyTorch. But somehow PyTorch attracted me. For some reason feature of AutoGrad tallied with my love of mathematics. Also, a Capstone Project(with PyTorch)which I did understand and completed successfully after little turbulence. All over they were good courses and provided me lots of learning but there was still something not right. It was as if I was becoming more like a dilettante. Of course, it was not the courses but my choice. They were professional courses. They were not meant for a deeper dive and the same was conveyed in them. However, I needed something else, something which I got through an advertisement link. It was JovianML.
By now, I had a discrete knowledge of the concepts of DL. But the cohesive forces required to make it solid were missing due to a lack of clear understanding. In search of the cohesive forces, I have reached the inn of JovianML owned by Aakash NS. I did some digging and decided to take his course. As part of his course, there are weekly assignments and also an optional article writing on Medium for the same. So, I will try to post my current learnings and previous learnings every week. The stories will be of a mechanical engineer, physics enthusiast, non-programmer(please provide suggestions for an improved code), avid fluid mechanics guy, and a learner above all who went from Zero to GANs. And in doing so, maybe I will attain enlightenment and espouse Machine Learning for Fluid Mechanics. So, I guess now I can consider this moment as My First Encounter with Deep Learning.
In conclusion, AI is fascinating. It’s mesmerizing. It’s like those Patronus originating from the magic wands in Harry Potter. But it’s tantamount to know your requirements for the same. I learned it the hard way, maybe the reader can utilize it.
Your feedback will help an avid learner. | https://medium.com/@himanshushandilya29/my-first-encounter-with-deep-learning-the-pytorch-story-7ab1144b09ef | ['Himanshu Shandilya'] | 2020-12-03 08:11:02.940000+00:00 | ['Fluid Mechanics', 'Deep Learning', 'Pytorch', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Jovian Ml'] |
Man Who Pretended To Be Missing Child is sentenced to Prison. | Stacey Wescott / Tribune News Service via Getty Images
A man from Ohio had pretended to be missing Timmothy Pitzen, a child who has gone missing in the year 2011. He was sentenced to two years in prison for identity theft.
Brian Rini, the twenty-four-year-old man who will be in Prison for two years, was sentenced by a federal judge, after pleading guilty.
Brian told some investigators from Kentucky in 2019 that he was Timmothy Pitzen. He stated that he was running away from two kidnappers and that he has been abused. He said he was having abdominal pain, too.
After taking a DNA test, the authorities told him his DNA didn’t match any of the Pitzen family members. They had access to Brian’s DNA since he has been to jail before.
Timmothy Pitzen was last seen at a water park in Aurora, Illinois. Later after being sentenced, Brian later apologized to the Pitzen family. He said, “ I’m sorry to the family.” | https://medium.com/@amantaban2/man-who-pretended-to-be-missing-child-is-sentenced-to-prison-f02874af1ded | ['Taban Aman'] | 2020-12-17 01:36:32.214000+00:00 | ['Prison', 'Identity Theft'] |
Data Visualization in Pandas | Data Visualization in Pandas
Quick data visualization using only Pandas
Photo by Max Duzij on Unsplash
Introduction
In this article, I will demonstrate how to visualize data using only Pandas. It is not as flexible as Matplotlib or Seaborn, but it is very convenient for quick data exploration.
First, let’s import pandas and load Iris dataset as an example.
import pandas as pd import seaborn
df=seaborn.load_dataset('iris')
and check the dataframe
It contains 4 numerical columns and one categorical column.
line plot
Let’s start with the simple line plot.
It plots the numerical columns in different colors. The x-axis here is the index. You can also customize the plot, for example, if you only want to see sepal_length and sepal_width, you can do this:
You can also change the axis. For example, plot sepal_length against petal_length (does not make sense here to use line plot though)
scatter plot
The proper plot to show the relationship between sepal_length and petal_length should be a scatter plot.
You can plot for different columns by replacing x and y.
One trick to check the correlations for all the numerical columns is to plot the scatter plot matrix. You can do it by:
It shows a matrix of scatter plots of different columns against others and histograms of the columns.
histogram
The histogram is a useful plot to see the distribution of data, in Pandas you can quickly plot it using hist()
It shows the histograms of the numerical variables. You can also plot the columns you want.
box plot
Another useful plot the see the data distribution is the box plot. You can simply plot it by using df.plot.box()
bar chart
You might also want to compare different species, you can do this by combining pandas groupby() and plot.bar()
It shows the mean value of the columns against species.
pie chart
It is also possible to plot a bar chart. Simply call plot.pie() .
Please be noted that the plot() function in Pandas is built on top of Matplotlib, so you can always use matplotlib to modify the plot.
For example, you can change the location of legend and hide the ylabel.
That’s it. These plotting techniques in Pandas might not be as flexible and report-ready as matplotlib or seaborn, but they are still quite convenient in the early stage data exploration.
Thanks for reading. | https://towardsdatascience.com/data-visualization-in-pandas-2a7898e65114 | ['C Kuan'] | 2020-10-12 12:32:37.507000+00:00 | ['Pandas', 'Data Visualization', 'Data Science', 'Data Analysis', 'Programming'] |
June is for Journaling | Back at it again with the monthly challenges. When the previous month knocks you down, it doesn’t mean you give up. It just means you move on and try again this month. So May was tough for us in terms of hitting our goals, but we are getting back on the horse and trying to achieve our goals this month.
This month’s theme is Journaling which means writing down our feelings and thoughts in a journal daily in order to map everything out and understand why we feel the way we do. It’s also a month to set goals that we can achieve and not get overwhelmed by.
As a reminder, we will pick a book to read throughout the month and for every challenge we fall short on, we will have to add a dollar to the Fancy Fund and add $2 for each repeat offense.
Let me break down the rules for this month:
For our book choice this month, we’re reading a book my mom sent me because she also wanted to read it, so she bought two copies. We are reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle. The purpose of this book is to get us out of our heads and stop having us strive for perfection but rather take in each day for what it is and what it can offer us.
Daily Challenges:
Journal everyday.
Weekly Challenges:
Go over goals every week and workout five times a week (we just got a new gym membership, so we have to take advantage of that!)
Monthly Challenges:
— Have someone over for dinner
— For me: finish six books, For Casey: read 400 pages
— Draw an activity from the pot at least once a week
We have gotten into our groove, so now it’s time to start moving. I’m excited to see what this month holds for us. It may be good and it may not go so well, but it’s all about the journey to get there. | https://medium.com/@jennaruthmiller/june-is-for-journaling-5667cd8a0f13 | ['Jenna Miller'] | 2021-06-04 18:20:29.612000+00:00 | ['Challenge', 'June', 'Journaling', 'Journal', 'Year In Review'] |
Simply Install: PostgreSQL | Installing PostgreSQL
I use a m5a.large instance in AWS with Ubuntu 18.04 AMI with 20G of disk space. We can directly install PostgreSQL using apt-get .
ubuntu@ip-10-0-0-13:$ sudo apt update
ubuntu@ip-10-0-0-13:$ sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
PostgreSQL is installed as a service, configured at /etc/init.d . It can be accessed using the service command.
ubuntu@ip-10-0-0-13:$ sudo service postgresql [start|stop|restart|status]
When you install this you automatically setup a superuser postgres and a database postgres associated with that user. Currently, PostgreSQL is set up as a peer authentication, which means it uses client OS’s user profile to authenticate the user. In order to access the database, we need to log in as that user. By default, the installation creates a new OS user postgres inside the Ubuntu OS.
First step, we log into postgres user.
ubuntu@ip-10-0-0-13:$ sudo -u postgres -i
PostgreSQL provides a command line interface psql to access the tables in the database.
postgres@ip-10-0-0-13:$ psql
psql (10.6 (Ubuntu 10.6-0ubuntu0.18.04.1))
Type "help" for help. postgres=#
Here is a detailed list of psql command options. The most common options are listed below.
-U username (default = postgres)
-W access with password (default = none)
-h hostname (default = localhost)
-p port (default = 5432)
-d databases name (default = postgres)
Here is a visual representation of what happened here.
We have a running database that allows connections from a user postgres .
Configuration files: Setup as a service
All configuration files are stored at the following location:
/etc/postgresql/10/main
postgresql.conf and pg_hba.conf are most relevant to us for configuring the database. Have a rough estimate of the number of parallel connections that you need to create.
#postgresql.conf
#listen_addresses = 'localhost' # what IP address(es) to listen on;
# comma-separated list of addresses;
# defaults to 'localhost';
# use '*' for all
# (change requires restart)
port = 5432 # (change requires restart)
max_connections = 100 # (change requires restart)
...
Best practice: Change the default port number.
Changes to port and max_connections require a restart (using the service command).
In order to expose it as a service, “uncomment” the line listen_address and set the value to * . Any changes to listen_address also requires a restart.
listen_addresses = '*'
If you are setting it in a production setup, you can have additional security by specifying a comma-separated list of IP-addresses instead of allowing all connections using ‘*’.
pg_hba.conf contains control over which hosts are allowed to connect, how clients are authenticated, which PostgreSQL user names they can use, and which databases they can access. Records take one of these forms:
# local DATABASE USER METHOD [OPTIONS]
# host DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD [OPTIONS]
# hostssl DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD [OPTIONS]
# hostnossl DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD [OPTIONS]
By default, the superuser postgres can be used only by peer authentication. To expose it as an external service and allow client connections to authenticate using a password, add the following line to pg_hba.conf . Refer to the documentation for more details and info on authentication methods that postgres offers to each client.
host <database> <user> 0.0.0.0/0 md5
Best practice: To ensure secure setup, specify a database, user and a source IP.
Recommended next steps
Create a new user with a password for application access
To let an external application like a web-app access postgres, we need to create a user (with appropriate permissions).
Users are also called as Roles in Postgres
postgres=# CREATE USER db_select WITH PASSWORD '<setpassword>';
Grant permissions using the GRANT command. Permissions can be granted only at a schema level or at a relation level. | https://blog.insightdatascience.com/simply-install-postgresql-58c1e4ebf252 | ['Sriram Baskaran'] | 2019-06-19 01:30:48.192000+00:00 | ['Insight Data Engineering', 'Database', 'Postgres', 'Installation', 'Ubuntu'] |
Its quite chaotic and somehow ironic on how the President make people believed this and that… | Its quite chaotic and somehow ironic on how the President make people believed this and that despite him being equivocal on his statements.
He's a man who create loopholes on loopholes, experienced lawyer, and politicians. Grounded on his guts, a strong-willed stateman with various positive and negative labels Filipinos and international standpoints generated towards him. Theres a sense of wonder why he's not shattered or even terrified of the threats against him?
Thats maybe because, he knows POLITICS very well.
With the lens of realistic perspective and sense of objectivity, breaking down his statement can somehow tell us reasons why he can always scape and his words wont be used against him.
First:
"I will protect you. I will not allow one policeman or one military go to jail."
(2016 public address to uniform personnel involved in "war on drugs")
This statement is equivocal and is doubled-edged. He can always say whatever he wants, and based on Machiavelian realist perspective, such kind of strategy and emphasis of authority is necessary in order to enforce order. Nonetheless, in our justice system; mere statement is baseless without 'proof of the act' or shall we say 'if a person has been an accessory to the crime' or an proven accomplice. Though, we can somehow interpret his statement as a way to 'encourage', but, it is not sufficient. He can always find ways to justify his intention or even evade allegations that will make his name involved.
Second:
"My orders are sa police pati sa military, pati mga barangay pagka ginulo at nagkaroon ng okasyon na lumaban at buhay niyo ay nalagay sa alanganin, shoot them dead. Naintindihan niyo? Patay!"
(2020 address in the onslaught of covid-19 hike, and implementation of quarantine protocols)
His statement, at first view, is hostile and serious. But, there is discretion that requires some caution on its, again, 'equivocal' orientation.
The statement 'pagka ginulo at nagkaroon ng okasyon na lumaban at buhay niyo ay nalagay sa alanganin' implicitly imply the need for 'assessment' on the situation of the attendant at field upon experiencing conflict. In here, his words, again can be baseless as he could always find loopholes. For example, let us as assume that there really is a 'killing' that had happened on sight of
quarantine checkpoints. When eople condemn the act, he can always go back to his 'cautions' i cited on the first line of the second sentence above and use it for his own hand-cleansing. Thus, making him safe and evasive from any accountability.
He might sound 'encouraging' but his statement is not 'A proclamation' nor 'Law’, thus, it will not necessarily take away the observance of legal and ethical measures in handling conflict, as there still exist 'maximum tolerance' and 'due process' to be abided, hence, it lies upon the attendants, whether he or she will follow the words, but, neither the two will legally make the President involved on any course of action, hence, there is still a need to follow moral obligations on the side of those authorities executing their duties.
Third:
"Look, it can never be a crime to say 'I will kill you if you Destroy my Country."
(2016 statement as defense on killing criminals)
This is a tricky statement. Well, he's got a point. He knew it by fact that a 'mere statement' can never be a crime, the implication of democracy applies to all citizens despite their political and social positions, though in some point, the essence of democracy can somehow be gate-kept or even shunned, but, naturally, like how constitution says it, he's entitled with 'freedom of expression', and by law 'his statements can be used against him'. Nonetheless, before a statement be treated as valid, he still need to be caught-on-the act, doing or organizing killings, and without proof, he will still remain safe. Though, not in most times the same protection applies to all levels, but, its what it should be ( all citizen should enjoy impartiality and same level of protection by law, void of this, is a different story).
But then again, his mere statement can somehow be encouraging, however, he's in a 'playsafe' position. The discretion is on the people who will create meaning and interpretation of what he said, but, he's got a point to lay claim that SAYING "I will kill you." can never be a crime. Furthermore, even if there really exist killings, he can easily evade accountability to that occurences, because, he can always reason out that "he never killed anybody" (if he really did not) and he "never do the action". His words does not terminate the effects of laws that encourages moral obligation and provisions to uphold legalities in any means.
Therefore, the bottomline of this, our dear public servants, peace-keepers, and uniform personnels:
The President really knows the rules of the game. He have as more reasons and ways of escape as there exist number of impending charges against him. In the eyes of people, he might be a fascist, dictator, a killer, an enabler, intolerant but in law he's not yet proven of any guilt. So the bottomline of this is: the most affected ones are those who listen on his words, the confidence that were fueled by the President statements himself mislead and make way to the executioner's own sufferings.
Hence, my plead to those law enforcers who still wear pride and integrity on their uniforms, the discretion lies upon your conscience and personal judgements. Yes, it is your civic obligation as citizen to follow the order of the state, but, that does not vanish the fact that it is your moral obligation as 'human' to respect human, life, justice, and liberty.
SOMETIMES, NOT EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU A 'GOOD CITIZEN' THROUGH YOUR LOYALTY AND ALLEGIANCE OF THE STATE WILL ALSO MAKE YOU A 'GOOD HUMAN' BEING.
You have an independent mindset, faculty, principle, faith, and standpoint. You are just part of the system, hence, dont think that you are the system.
When time comes that things to get out of hand, you always have the choice to go out of it.
At the end of the day, if human justice wont reprimand and sanction or reward you of your good and bad deeds on land. The fair trial of God's court will sanction you with the cost and incentive that you deserve.
#BeAGoodHuman | https://medium.com/@albertcoles7/its-quite-chaotic-and-somehow-ironic-on-how-the-president-make-people-believed-this-and-that-78c59e05e1b4 | ['Gene Albert Coles'] | 2020-12-26 16:44:16.697000+00:00 | ['Philippine Killings', 'Human Rights', 'Presidentduterte', 'Beagoodhuman', 'Justice System'] |
3 things you should immediately do if you made a mistake at work | 3 things you should immediately do if you made a mistake at work Raveena Ranjith Jun 8·2 min read
It’s okay if you made a mistake at work. Everyone makes mistakes, that’s how we learn and grow. Whether you made a temporary glitch or a huge mistake, it’s always important to focus on solving the problem at hand, rather than overthinking a hypothetical situation. It’s really important how you react to the situation more than what you did.
Here are 3 easy steps to do that with an easy action item that will help you handle the situation like a pro!
You can run but never hide!
Understand you trying to hide your mistake will only make it worse. If you are honest about it, you will gain trust from your colleagues and boss. Even if you might have caused some discomfort, they’ll come around, just give it some time.
Running away from your problems or just ignoring them is not going to help you, my friend. Taking ownership of your mistakes shows the grit in your character and people will respect you for that.
Action item: Tell your boss immediately
Pro tip: Be proactive, not reactive.
Absolutely no blame games!
Even though this sounds obvious most people try to defend themselves rather than accepting the mistake. Even if there is someone else involved in the issue, don’t bring it up until they ask it or just explain it after addressing your own mistake first.
It’s easy to point your fingers at people rather than accepting your own mistakes. Just think who wants to be friends with a colleague who throws you under the bus when a problem arises.
Action item: Apologize, but don’t overdo it
Pro tip: No Emails! Set a meeting with your boss.
Come up with a solution
Based on the situation, come up with a solution. Let’s say you have a deadline issue, just give them a specific time on when you can finish it or ask for help if you can’t. Even if you don’t have a solution, just inform them that you are working on the problem rather than depending on them to give you guidance.
It’s always a win-win situation if you do the thinking. Don’t look at it as a band-aid for the issue you created rather an opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills.
Action item: Keep up with your word and stay consistent
Pro Tip: Never repeat it (Obviously).
Effective people are not problem-minded, they are opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems. ~ Stephen Covey
Conclusion
Don’t think too much about this, just follow those three steps, it might be a setback in the Understand that people are usually thinking about their own goals, projects, and issues, they’ve probably forgotten all about whatever you did wrong in a while. | https://medium.com/@raveenakk/3-things-you-should-immediately-do-if-you-made-a-mistake-at-work-9b169aa417f4 | ['Raveena Ranjith'] | 2021-06-08 12:25:25.101000+00:00 | ['Problem Solving', 'Career Advice', 'Mistakes', 'Work'] |
Exploratory Data Analysis of IPL Matches-Part I | The dataset consist of data about IPL matches played from the year 2008 to 2019. IPL is a professional Twenty20 cricket league founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2008. The league has 8 teams representing 8 different Indian cities or states. It enjoys tremendous popularity and the brand value of the IPL in 2019 was estimated to be ₹475 billion (US$6.7 billion). So let’s analyze IPL through stats.
Objectives:
To find the team that won the most number of matches in a season.
To find the team that lost the most number of matches in a season.
Does winning toss increases the chances of victory.
To find the player with the most player of the match awards.
To find the city that hosted the maximum number of IPL matches.
To find the most winning team for each season.
To find the on-field umpire with the maximum number of IPL matches.
To find the biggest victories in IPL while defending a total and while chasing a total.
To have a detailed understanding of Exploratory Data Analysis(EDA), I recommend you to visit my blog:
Data Preparation and Cleaning
Let’s start by reading the csv file to Pandas DataFrame.
import pandas as pd
ipl_matches_df = pd.read_csv('matches.csv')
So there are 756 rows and 18 columns. 756 rows imply that there were 756 IPL matches held between 2008 and 2019.
Observations:
The following inferences can be made from the describe() method:
The .csv file has data of IPL matches starting from the season 2008 to 2019.
The biggest margin of victory for the team batting first(win_by_runs) is 146 runs .
. The biggest victory of the team batting second(win_by_wickets) is by 10 wickets .
. 75% of the victorious teams that bat first won by a margin of 19 runs .
. 75% of the victorious teams that bat second won by a margin of 6 wickets .
. There were 756 IPL matches hosted from 2008 to 2019.
Let’s view the unique values of each column to help us understand the dataset better.
The dataset has 18 columns. Let’s get acquainted with the columns.
id : The IPL match id.
: The IPL match id. season : The IPL season
: The IPL season city : The city where the IPL match was held.
: The city where the IPL match was held. date : The date on which the match was held.
: The date on which the match was held. team1 : One of the teams of the IPL match
: One of the teams of the IPL match team2 : The other team of the IPL match
: The other team of the IPL match toss_winner : The team that won the toss
: The team that won the toss toss_decision : The decision taken by the team that won the toss to ‘bat’ or ‘field’
: The decision taken by the team that won the toss to ‘bat’ or ‘field’ result : The result(‘normal’, ‘tie’, ‘no result’) of the match.
: The result(‘normal’, ‘tie’, ‘no result’) of the match. dl_applied : (1 or 0)indicates whether the Duckworth-Lewis rule was applied or not.
: (1 or 0)indicates whether the Duckworth-Lewis rule was applied or not. winner : The winner of the match.
: The winner of the match. win_by_runs : Provides the runs by which the team batting first won
: Provides the runs by which the team batting first won win_by_runs : Provides the number of wickets by which the team batting second won.
: Provides the number of wickets by which the team batting second won. player_of_match : The outstanding player of the match.
: The outstanding player of the match. venue : The venue where the match was hosted.
: The venue where the match was hosted. umpire1 : One of the two on-field umpires who officiate the match.
: One of the two on-field umpires who officiate the match. umpire2 : One of the two on-field umpires who officiate the match.
: One of the two on-field umpires who officiate the match. umpire3: The off-field umpire who officiates the match
A mere glance of the DataFrame through its columns indicates the presence of NaN values in the ‘umpire3’ column. Let’s see the count of NaN values in the column.
It’s imperative to know the count of NaN values for each column before we proceed further.
The column ‘umpire3’ has a significant number of NaN values. As the off-field umpire parameter is insignificant, we can drop this column. The other columns that have Nan values are of type object(Pandas equivalent of Python String data type) and are very few in number(<=7).
ipl_matches_df = ipl_matches_df.drop(columns=['umpire3'], axis=1)
Exploratory Analysis and Visualization
Now that our data set has been cleaned up, it’s time to do the in-depth analysis and visualization.
Let’s begin by importing matplotlib.pyplot and seaborn .
import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
%matplotlib inline sns.color_palette("Paired")
matplotlib.rcParams['font.size'] = 14
matplotlib.rcParams['figure.figsize'] = (12, 8)
matplotlib.rcParams['figure.facecolor'] = '#00000000'
To know more about matplotlib.rcParams, kindly visit my blog:
The team with the most number of wins per season.
Each IPL season has a fair share of excitement and adulation. No team other than Chennai Super Kings(in 2010 and 2011) was able to win the IPL trophy in succession. That is a testimony to the unpredictability of IPL.
Let’s analyze the team with the most wins in each season.
The number of wins is a discrete value. Hence, we will plot a bar chart(barplot in Seaborn).
From the barplot, we can easily make inferences regarding the year in which a particular team has scored the maximum wins(and also the number of wins).
Observations:
Mumbai Indians has secured the most wins in four seasons(2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019).
The venue that hosted the maximum number of matches
Observations:
Eden Gardens has hosted the maximum number of IPL matches followed by Wankhede Stadium and M Chinnaswamy Stadium .
. Till 2019, IPL matches were hosted by 40 venues.
The most successful IPL team
In a game of sports, every team competes for victory. Hence, the team that has registered the most number of victories is the most successful.
Observations:
Mumbai Indians is the most successful team(as they have won the maximum number of IPL matches -109) followed by Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Most Valuable Player
Winning matters the most in a competitive league match. If a player makes the most significant contribution to his team’s victory, then he’s chosen as the player_of_match. The player who has won the player_of_match title on most occasions is the most valuable player.
Observations:
Cris Gayle is the player who won the most player of the match awards and hence is the most valuable player .
. Six Indian players have figured in the top ten IPL players list.
The team that won the most number of toss
Observations:
Mumbai Indians has won the most toss(till 2019) in IPL history .
. All the top teams in IPL are successful in winning the toss as well.
Asking and Answering Questions
Let’s try to find answers to the questions that will linger in an IPL fan’s mind. In Part I, we are dealing with some very basic questions. In Part II, we will delve deeper.
Q1: Does the presence of the most valuable players in a team ensures the IPL trophy?
We have figured out the top ten players of IPL using the ‘Player of the Match’ title as the yardstick. It is interesting to note that the top two players — Chris Gayle and AB de Villers have never won an IPL. Of the top ten players, 6 players(RG Sharma, MS Dhoni, DA Warner, SR Watson, SK Raina, and G Gambhir) have won the IPL. It exemplifies the importance of the presence of the most valuable player(s) in a team.
Q2: Which umpire has officiated the most number of IPL matches on-field?
S. Ravi(Sundaram Ravi) has officiated the most number of IPL matches on-field, followed by former Sri Lankan international cricketer HDPK Dharmasena.
Q3: Which team is the most successful team in IPL?
Nothing succeeds like success. In a game of cricket, winning is everything. We have narrowed down on the list of teams that made the most number of wins in each season. The DataFrame win_per_season_df gives the required information. Mumbai Indians has secured the most wins in four seasons(2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019). Mumbai Indians won the IPL trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Mumbai Indians secured the most number of wins(109) in IPL, followed by Chennai Super Kings.
Of all the IPL matches played till 2019, Mumbai Indians has emerged victorious in the most number of games. They have secured most wins in four seasons and have won four IPL trophies so far. Hence Mumbai Indians is the most successful team in IPL.
Q4: Which city has hosted the maximum number of IPL matches?
The city of Mumbai has hosted the maximum number of IPL matches.
Q5: Does winning the toss has any advantage?
The probability of winning when the team had won the toss is 52%. So winning toss gives a slight edge over the opponent. However, it would be naive to term winning the toss as a greater advantage as there were 363 instances when the team losing the toss has won the game.
Q6: What are the major victories in IPL? Is it better to defend or chase in IPL?
Of the 756 IPL matches played from 2008 to 2019, 419 matches were won chasing the target . Hence, more victories were registered by teams chasing a total(batting second) than defending the total.
. When defending a total, the biggest victory was by 146 runs. Let’s find out that particular match.
The greatest victory in IPL on defending a total is for Mumbai Indians when they defeated Delhi Daredevils by 146 runs on 06 May 2017 at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi.
Of the 756 IPL matches played from 2008 to 2019, 350 matches were won defending the total .
. When chasing a target, the biggest victory was by 10 wickets(without losing any wickets). There were 11 such instances and we can find the details about those matches by the following code snippet:
Inferences and Conclusion
Let’s summarize the important observations we made during Exploratory Data Analysis: | https://towardsdatascience.com/exploratory-data-analysis-of-ipl-matches-part-1-c3555b15edbb | ['Bipin P.'] | 2020-10-16 13:03:48.309000+00:00 | ['Data Analysis', 'Indian Premier League', 'Exploratory Data Analysis', 'Data Science', 'Ipl'] |
10 Steps Towards Balancing Purpose and Profit | Is your organisation looking to join the global movement towards balancing purpose and profit?
If so, you wouldn’t be alone. Companies across the world are realising the business opportunity that comes with creating a more resilient and sustainable social environment in which to operate. Earlier this year, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink described purpose and profit as being inextricably linked; for just this reason. His advocation for this thinking has only advanced the push for creating shared value as the new norm.
Shared value is a business strategy where companies create measurable economic benefit by identifying and addressing the social problems that intersect with their business. Whilst a company’s purpose guides its decision-making, shared value is the business model upon which it exists, offering the ‘how’ to deliver on an organisation’s ‘why’.
Earlier this year, the Shared Value Project and A.T. Kearney released the 2019 State of Shared Value in Australia and New Zealand Report, which included a 10-point action plan for companies to embed a shared value strategy, and effectively deliver on their purpose.
With practical insights about what it takes to move up the shared value maturity curve, based on a survey of 40 executives from 34 companies and in-depth c-suite interviews, the report inspires and empowers businesses to become more sustainable by looking beyond the balance sheet to the social areas intrinsically linked to their operations. Here are its key pointers:
1. Distinguish shared value from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
Shared value complements CSR and corporate philanthropy but is distinguished by the tangible business value and competitive advantage created.
2. Define a bold purpose which inspires and embraces shared value thinking
Having a compelling purpose is important as it allows an organisation to frame its relevance within the community and consider the social issues that intersect with the business.
3. Identify business opportunities inspired by the organisational purpose
When identifying opportunities, it is important to look up and down the value chain and across stakeholder groups.
4. Use the purpose as a touch-stone for corporate decision making
Using the purpose statement to validate and shape key business decisions embeds shared value thinking into the organisation’s DNA.
5. Explicitly align investments to purpose and opportunity
Investments from innovation to supply chain optimisation to digital can be leveraged for shared value creation.
6. Recognise the need to adjust mindsets and create a language that works
Recognising mindset and language barriers head on is essential.
7. Measure impact in terms of the organisation’s bottom line
It is essential to bring on board shareholders and investors when it comes to measuring the impact to the organisation’s bottom line.
8. Illustrate success to inspire more success
At early stages on the journey regular “audits” of initiatives and innovations are needed within companies to identify and celebrate.
9. Partner intensively and expansively
Partnerships are a shared value cornerstone. Like any capability, partner management is one that needs to be nurtured in companies leading to unlock shared value.
10. Work closely with the board
Boards have a longer tenure than many C-suite executives. Given the mid to long-term nature of shared value, efforts that have the board not only supporting but advocating for shared value are seen as central.
If your organisation is helping to pave the way in balancing purpose and profit, the 2019 Shared Value Awards are a fantastic platform to showcase your work to the Australian business community. Now in its fourth year, the Awards also recognise individuals driving change and influencing better outcomes for business and society.
Delivered by the Shared Value Project, the Awards are judged by an independent Selection Committee of Australian business leaders, with previous winners including Arup, NAB, PwC, Suncorp Group, Yarra Valley Water, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, and AIA Australia CEO Damien Mu.
This year, the Awards categories include:
Apply today and put the spotlight on your organisation’s purpose. Submissions for the 2019 Shared Value Awards close Friday 30 August at 5pm. Contact [email protected] for more information. | https://medium.com/@socialchangecentral/10-steps-towards-balancing-purpose-and-profit-d5b0acf1ed7c | ['Social Change Central'] | 2019-08-12 09:30:38.643000+00:00 | ['Measurement', 'Arup', 'Blackrock', 'Impact', 'Awards'] |
The Ouroboros | The Ouroboros, one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world [1], is an ancient symbol of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. With no beginning nor end, it represents the cyclical nature of reality, self-sustaining, making it immortal and infinite, continual renewal symbolized by the sloughing of its skin.
Figure 1: Ouroboros via MystiChakra
Plato invoked the image of the Ouroboros as the first living creature in existence. From Plato’s Timaeus:
For the Creator conceived that a being which was self-sufficient would be far more excellent than one which lacked anything; […] and he was made to move in the same manner and on the same spot, within his own limits revolving in a circle[.] Such was the whole plan of the eternal God about the god that was […] in every direction equidistant from the centre, a body entire and perfect, and formed out of perfect bodies. And in the centre he put the soul, which he diffused throughout the body, making it also to be the exterior environment of it; and he made the universe a circle moving in a circle, one and solitary[.]
The Mayans too had Mixcoatl, the “cloud serpent”, Father of Quetzalcóatl, the creator of the world and mankind, whose shape was manifest in the Milky Way, with the inner mass of stars resembling the snake’s head consuming its tail. Captured therein is also the womb of the Great Mother, the cauldron of Creation. Thus symbolizing both creation and destruction, the Great Mother and Serpent, suspended in the galaxy above [2].
Figure 2: Milky Way va NASA
The earliest representations of Ouroboros are Egyptian and represent the union of Ra and Osiris the Egyptian Gods of the Sun and Underworld respectively. From The Duality of Ra and Osiris:
The perpetual cycle of existence — the cycle of life and death — is symbolized by Ra (Re) and Ausar (Osiris). Ra is the living neter who descends into death to become Ausar, the neter of the dead. Ausar ascends and comes to life again as Ra. The creation is continuous: it is a flow of life progressing towards death. But out of death, a new Ra is to be born, sprouting new life. Ra is the cosmic principle of energy that moves toward death, and Ausar represents the process of rebirth. Thus, the terms of life and death become interchangeable: life means slow dying, and death means resurrection to new life.
Throughout the mythologies, the Ouroboros acts as a unifying force across multiple dualisms. Those of male or female, birth or death, light or darkness all manifest within the symbol or mythologies of the Ouroboros. Each extreme yielding to the other, anchoring the cyclic processes embodied in the Myth itself. Each cycle a new layer of skin to be shed, or burned with a purifying fire, yielding not ash, but a rising Phoenix.
The Yin Yang symbol may be the most distilled version of the Ouroboros. Here too, the symbol unifies an interplay of opposites, with black and white representing each dualistic extreme, each yielding to the other via a ‘seed’ of the other planted at its most dominant portion of the cycle. Here, it is darkest before the dawn, and within this darkness, the faintest glimmer of light cracks, broadening until the noonday sun radiates the world, just before fading into obscured darkness once again.
Figure 3: Yin Yang Symbol via Wikipedia
There are a lot of similarities, regardless of the cultures, eras, or forms that the ouroboros manifest. It embodies the eternal, consuming only itself, requiring no other sustenance.
Its various manifestations balance multiple dichotomies. These dichotomies, wether they represent the extremes of masculine and feminine, or of light and dark, are projections from this underlying Myth onto the material plane.
Finally, its circular shape implies the infinite, cyclical, unbroken chain of causation [3], making it a symbol which gives rise to not just the universe itself and its dichotomies, but also the very forces of transmutation between them.
Time and space have always been intertwined. Whether in the form of recent scientific discoveries, or the mythical Ouroboros, it is, like the myth itself, a concept humanity returns to over and over again.
[1] https://mythology.net/others/concepts/ouroboros/
[2] Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 p271
[3] See Dali’s interpretation to see the Ouroboros’ immortality interrupted. | https://medium.com/@outoftime/the-ouroboros-680692e66e70 | ['Misc Debris'] | 2020-12-24 02:26:28.471000+00:00 | ['Mythology', 'Time', 'Ouroboros'] |
Why You Should Switch to Date Honey | Why You Should Switch to Date Honey
There are few drawbacks to this sugar substitute
All photos by Gado Images
It seems like every day there’s a new sweetener vying for space on our pantry shelves and making the rounds online. Stevia! Monk fruit extract! Agave nectar! Many of the new sweeteners promise magical properties — they’re all-natural, calorie-free, sustainable, or check off some other essential health food box. Old-fashioned saccharin — or, perish the thought, sugar — don’t stand a chance against this new crop of sweetening hopefuls.
Many of these sweeteners have major drawbacks: Stevia is hard to cook with and can leave a bitter aftertaste. Monk fruit extract is expensive. And xylitol could poison your dog.
Enter date honey, made from pureed and filtered fruits of the date palm. It’s a dark, thick sweetener with the consistency of honey — hence the name. In theory, it’s a healthier choice than other sweeteners. And unlike honey, it’s vegan and paleo-friendly — no bees were harmed in the making of your jar! While it’s rare in the United States, date honey is a big deal in the Middle East, where it goes by the names silan, dvash, or rub.
I first tried date honey on a trip to Israel. Our tour bus broke down, and we stopped at a shopping mall. They had a smoothie stand, and I got a smoothie made with coconut milk, date honey, and bananas, and it was amazing. It was also one of the only unscripted moments on a trip that was otherwise a whirlwind tour of ancient ruins and cultural sites. I remember drinking my smoothie and thinking how nice it was to see how real people in the country lived and ate.
A biblical past
The origins of date honey go back to biblical times. Dates are one of the seven species of plants mentioned in the Old Testament, and date honey appears frequently in the Bible. Leviticus 2:11, for example, discusses when it can or cannot be used as an offering, and various other passages reference making and using the sweet syrup.
And the famous “land of milk and honey” that appears in Numbers and Exodus? Scholars believe that it doesn’t refer to bee’s honey, as most people assume. Nope, the “honey” in that classic phrase is none other than date honey. (As an aside, the “milk” probably isn’t cow’s milk, but rather goat’s milk or white wine.)
Date honey today
So date honey has ancient origins — possibly even enough to counter its present-day hype. But does it taste good?
To me, date honey tastes like a mashup between molasses and a fig newton. It has the sticky consistency and deep, slightly bitter sweetness of molasses, but also the distinctly fruity, floral taste of the aforementioned children’s cookie. It’s definitely not as sweet as bee honey — for many, especially younger kids, date honey will be an acquired taste. But like molasses, it also has a depth of flavor and ability to complement other foods that honey often lacks.
Date honey might not be available in most supermarkets, but it’s not hard to find. If you don’t mind paying a premium, Jeff Bezos has you covered. Several companies now sell date honey on Amazon, usually for around $7 to $10 per bottle. I like the D’vash brand.
If you don’t mind hunting around, you can probably find it in stores for a lot less. Middle Eastern markets often carry it, and you can get it in some well-stocked gourmet food shops.
Failing that, though, you can always make your own. The recipe couldn’t be simpler: Take a bunch of dates (Medjool work best) and cut them up. Boil them for about 30 minutes, and let them cool. Strain them through some cheesecloth, and the resulting liquid is date honey. Most people like to boil it down — just as you would when making maple syrup — until it’s their preferred level of thickness.
Once you’ve got a jar in your kitchen, it’s easy to incorporate it into cooking.
For starters, you can substitute it for sugar in your recipes and otherwise bake them as normal. Either use two-thirds of a cup of date honey for each cup of sugar replaced, or go 1:1 for a stronger date-y flavor.
Another great option is to duplicate my Israeli smoothie. Add date honey, a banana, milk, coconut milk, and ice to a blender and whiz until ready. You’ll be glad you did. And finally, date honey makes a great dip or sauce. I like it on Greek yogurt, with challah, or drizzled on a banana with some coconut milk.
Healthy? Maybe…
So is date honey really healthier than other alternatives? I’m always dubious about health claims, especially when so many sites act like they’ve “rediscovered” an ancient material with supposedly magical properties. Google “date honey health" and you’ll surface some pretty iffy claims.
It turns out, though, that there’s some truth to the idea that date honey is healthier than other sweeteners. According to Bon Appetit, it has a glycemic index of 47, compared with around 70 for table sugar. A lower glycemic index suggests that a food will cause fewer spikes in blood sugar. And because date honey is made with whole fruit, there’s some evidence it contains magnesium, potassium, and other minerals.
So is it a tasty panacea you should put on everything? Not exactly. In the end, date honey is still sugar. It has a lower glycemic index than table sugar, but so does basically everything else. And while it has minerals, so do many far healthier items, like fruits and vegetables. It’s still fairly caloric, too, with 62 calories per tablespoon. So as with all sugars, use it in moderation.
While the health benefits of date honey seem modest at best, it has lots of other things going for it (beyond just being tasty). Because it’s derived from fruit, date honey is vegan. And because it’s been around since before agriculture, it’s paleo, too.
But even if you’re a regular old omnivore, you should still try date honey. It’s a corporation-defying natural sweetener you can make at home. It’s a cultural staple of a major part of the world. It’s a connection to an ancient, biblical time. Oh, and it goes great on vanilla ice cream. | https://tomsmith585.medium.com/exploring-the-ancient-origins-of-an-of-the-moment-sweetener-b305b790c228 | ['Thomas Smith'] | 2019-11-08 18:05:08.444000+00:00 | ['Paleo', 'Vegan', 'History', 'Food', 'Dates Fruits'] |
Activation Functions in Artificial Neural Networks | This article assumes a decent understanding of neural networks and backpropagation— for background, check this out.
In all neural networks, the core architecture consists of neurons within several layers; input, hidden, and output. As data is propagated throughout the network, weights adjust their values and help the net make a final prediction of some kind.
An example of a feedforward neural network
Weights and biases are commonly known for nets, but less popular is the concept of activation functions.
In this article, I’ll discuss what these functions do, different types of them, and their use cases. Let’s go!
Firstly… what are activation functions?
Activation functions are functions we apply to the input of our node — our ‘input’ being the weighted sum of all of the neurons’ inputs with the bias.
That may sound a little confusing, so let’s visually break it down.
Each input node, x, have respective weights that’re multiplied to their values. They’re all summed together along with the bias (b) value. Then, our activation function, f, is applied to that value.
Our weighted sum and bias our considered the neuron’s input, and are passed into our node where it undergoes the activation function. This produced value is considered the output of our neuron.
Ok, makes sense … why do we need them?
The main benefit and core reason for activation function usage is that it introduces non-linearity to our neuron’s output, allowing us to work with complex and large data. This means we can learn and make sense of complicated data.
Without activation functions, our outputs would entirely be linear — and linear equations significantly limit what our neural network is capable of.
By enabling non-linearities, we’re able to map and work with non-linear functions. Through being able to map inputs to outputs non-linearly, we can learn more complex things from our data.
The sigmoid activation function — clearly nonlinear
Activation functions make our neural networks more powerful!
Let’s now dive into the different types of activation functions!
There are several different kinds of activation functions, some applied in different areas or layers than others. Let’s unpack a few!
Sigmoid
When a sigmoid function is used, a value between 0 and 1 inclusive is outputted. The input, x, is passed through this equation to produce the output.
Here, x is the negative exponent for base e, representing Euler’s number (2.718…). This value is then added to 1 and becomes the denominator of the fraction, with 1 as the numerator.
Because this equation is a fraction, we receive our decimal output.
When our input is really big, e^-x becomes 0 due to how small 1/e^x would be. For example, if x was 20000, e^-x is equivalent to 1/e²⁰⁰⁰⁰. This solves to a number so small, a calculator will say zero. But remember, our denominator adds one to this variable. This means that we have 1/(1 + 0), aka 1/1, aka 1.
That’s why large inputs (x) produce one!
For super low negative values, like -20000, e^-x becomes e²⁰⁰⁰⁰. This value is the denominator, so the fraction would look like 1/(1 + e²⁰⁰⁰⁰). This extremely small number resolves to 0 on a calculator.
That’s why very low inputs (x) produce zero!
There is, however, a downside to this function that’s largely responsible for its low usage. Because the Sigmoid function outputs a number between 0 and 1, it isn’t zero-centered — it’s 0.5 centered. This makes optimization of a neural network harder than necessary. Additionally, it falls victim to the vanishing gradient problem, more of which will be discussed later.
Tanh (Hyperbolic tangent)
As you can see, this function and the sigmoid are very visually similar. However, differently, tanh goes from -1 to 1 inclusive.
As implied by the name, we use trigonometry with this function. The math is more complex, so just remember that using tanh we get a number between -1 and 1.
With the hyperbolic tangent function, we avoid the issue of not being zero-centered through having an output within the range of -1 and 1. Now, we are zero-centered, so we avoid issues with optimization. However, tanh’s exponential operations make it computationally expensive, and it still doesn’t overcome the vanishing gradient problem. This is why we now rarely use this function.
An issue with both of these functions as well is their saturation — high numbers are automatically snapped to 1.0 and very low numbers are snapped to 0.0. This means we can’t learn as much from our data when high inputs of different values all become the same thing — 1.0. And vice versa. These functions are only sensitive to changes around their midpoint.
Instead, we use ReLU, which avoids these issues!
ReLU (Rectified Linearity Units)
Visually, it’s easy to understand what’s happening here. Any input values under 0 are activated and become zeroes, whereas nothing is changed for input values over 0.
In a sense, it’s “half linear” — positive values remain the same whereas negative ones are snapped to zero.
How does this work mathematically? Here’s the formula for the function.
If x is our input and is negative, the output will be 0. This is because 0 is more than any negative value, and our max function looks for the highest value and outputs it. Therefore if x is negative, ReLU will output 0 as it’s the maximum value. If x is positive, this will be the output.
The issues with tanh and sigmoid are avoided with the ReLU function, which is why it’s so commonly used today. For instance, the vanishing gradient problem. This is when gradients shrink as the network backpropagates to values so small that weights are barely updated in the initial layers. As an example, sigmoids have a maximum slope of 0.25, so gradients get smaller as they’re multiplied with these values. However, with ReLU, the slope is always 1 if above 0, so gradients don’t get smaller. This means ReLU avoids the problem of vanishing gradients!
Additionally, because the function simply looks for a maximum number between the input and 0, it’s very computationally inexpensive.
However, the limitation with this activation function is that it should only be used in the hidden layers of neural networks. And, they’re often ineffective in RNNs.
For our output layers, we often use a sigmoid or softmax function for classification problems. Softmax functions produce a probability distribution of the input belonging to each class, whereas sigmoids are used more with binary classification. This is for when we have two classes, like Cat or Dog. Say we represented our classes numerically — with ‘cat’ as 0 and ‘dog’ as 1. Because sigmoid returns a value between 0 and 1 inclusive, we know whichever number the output is closer to is what the network predicts. For example, if the sigmoid in the output layer of this net outputted a 0.4, it predicted the image was a cat. Whereas if it outputted 0.79, it thinks the image is a dog. I go more into how this network would be technically built here.
For regression applications, we’d stick with linear functions.
While there are tons of different activation functions, today we covered the three most common. I encourage you to do more reading into the vanishing gradient problem, and other activation functions! Thanks for reading! | https://medium.com/swlh/activation-functions-in-artificial-neural-networks-8aa6a5ddf832 | ['Joshua Payne'] | 2020-01-07 12:06:16.519000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Activation Functions', 'Neural Networks', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
The future is going to happen a lot faster than the past did. | In 1965, a young engineer named Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every two years.
In layperson’s terms, this means that the power of computers would double every two years.
Moore made the prediction in a paper speculating about what the next ten years would hold for the nascent field of computers. In 1975, his prediction turned out to be shockingly accurate and a new law was born: Moore’s law. However, the law was even more profound than Moore’s original prediction.
In addition to computing power doubling every two years, the cost of that computing power would be cut in half every two years.
And it turns out that Moore’s law has held true ever since then. Computers have doubled their computing power every two years, while the cost of all this incredible new computing power has continued to tumble. That is what has enabled all the technological marvels we’ve seen over the past few decades. Computers have gone from clunky arithmetic machines, to spreadsheets, to graphical interfaces, to video editing, to smartphones, to sequencing the human genome because of Moore’s law. All those things have required more and more computing power, and Moore’s law has delivered. | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/the-future-is-going-to-happen-a-lot-faster-than-the-past-did-8bc7295f63ef | ['Matthew Boutte'] | 2020-09-01 02:17:36.860000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Future', 'Technology', 'Deep Learning'] |
Editor’s Note | Great Learning, crafts industry-relevant learning programs that help aspiring candidates learn, apply and demonstrate skills that are driving the future. Great Learning was conceived by Mohan Lakhamraju and Hari Krishnan Nair in 2013, with a goal to deliver high-quality learning outcomes in Analytics, Data Science, AI, Deep Learning, Cloud Computing, and Machine Learning. Today, we have grown to offer even more courses on marketing, design learning, cybersecurity and more that equip professionals with real problem-solving capacities. Our programs are taken by thousands of professionals globally to build competencies in the emerging areas of business and product development to secure and grow their careers.
Industry-Relevant Programs
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
· PGP — Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (PGP- AIML)
· PGP — Machine Learning (PGP- ML)
· Deep Learning Certificate Program (DLCP)
Business Analytics and Data Science
· PGP — Business Analytics and Business Intelligence (PGP- BABI)
· PGP — Business Analytics (PGP — BA)
· PGP — Data Science and Engineering (PGP — DSE)
· PGP — Data Science and Business Analytics (PGP — DSBA)
· Business Analytics Certificate Program (BACP)
· Data Analytics for Managers (DAM)
· Data Analytics using Excel (DAE)
Cloud and DevOps
· PGP — Cloud Computing (PGP — CC)
· DevOps Engineer Certificate Program (DECP)
Cyber Security and Software Development
· Stanford Advanced Computer Security Program (SACSP)
· Career Accelerator Program in Full Stack Development (CAPFSD)
Business
· Design Thinking — From Insight to Viability (SDT)
· PGP — Strategic Digital Marketing (PGP — SDM)
· PGP — Digital Business (PGP — DM)
International collaborations for global skills
Great Learning endeavors to upskill professionals with global skills so that they are prepared for real-world problems and complexities. Our collaborations with international universities help us realize that goal. We’ve collaborated with:
Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Center for Professional Development, the University of Texas at Austin and more to bring our students the best faculty and mentors.
Dedicated career support
We don’t stop until our students successfully transition to the career of their dreams. Through GL-Excelerate, our learners get access to: | https://medium.com/my-great-learning/great-learning-about-3a2d986efbbd | ['Great Learning'] | 2019-09-17 10:19:46.179000+00:00 | ['Editor'] |
I Hate My Body, and I’m Ready to Talk About It | Eating disorders, sex, shame, and liberation
Left: 2007 / Right: May 2021
Left: 2008 / Right: May 2021
Don’t talk about these things. Don’t share these pictures. Don’t talk about these things. Don’t share these pictures. They won’t accept you. Don’t talk about these things.
My twisted logic goes something like this: bipolar and anxiety disorders “happened” to me. But my eating disorder has always felt like a lifestyle choice. Having a troubled relationship with food is a sign of weakness; a lack of discipline.
It has taken decades to unpack that my issue with weight was never a matter of “letting myself go.” It was a desperate wrestling with the pain of never “having” myself in the first place.
Hating my body is not merely an inconvenience or nagging voice in my head. My distorted body image has often made me feel less than human. Shame runs through my capillaries, imprinted on each cell, written in my genetic code. Shame — cunning, hungry, consumptive, thieving, and opportunistic. It metastasizes so brilliantly, I can’t possibly outpace it.
My body — this mortal, temporary vessel— is the source of more humiliation than the sum of all of my flaws, defects, unflattering truths, and stains on my record. This 5'2" home of flesh and bones is constantly tuned to a frequency of inadequacy. But shame is a prison for which I am the sole gatekeeper — and I want out. | https://byrslf.co/i-hate-my-body-and-im-ready-to-talk-about-it-23631f415af | ['Lauren Hess'] | 2021-07-02 04:35:26.868000+00:00 | ['Beyourself', 'Binge Eating', 'Recovery', 'Eating Disorders', 'Sex'] |
The Mystics | The Mystics
From first glance
I knew that the sky
touched you too.
Ancient wisdom,
shrouded in secrecy,
comes alive in you.
I see moonlight
in your gaze.
your speech is music.
You see the unseen
Blessed with the soul
of a mystic. | https://medium.com/woowoo-wonders/the-mystics-63ddacc3f0a1 | ['Tosin Sanusi'] | 2020-12-27 14:02:36.198000+00:00 | ['Paranormal', 'Spirituality', 'Mysticism', 'Poetry', 'Astrology'] |
Hear How I Talk and You’ll See I Am Not Just a Rock | A blazing desert scorches my toes.
Lost as the wind blows,
I walk without clothes.
Searching for a way out,
I scout.
“Hey you.”
I hear a whisper.
I look around,
cactus and sand in the background.
To the blue sky, I turn.
Only the wind feels my heartburn.
“Hey you, down here.”
Another whisper, I hear.
I look down,
a rock I see around.
“Do you know what I am?”
A rock? My eyebrows cram.
“No.”
“Look at my surface,
look at my pores,
my angles, my color.
Hear how I talk
and you’ll see I am not just a rock.”
“I’m so much more like your core.”
Me?
A lost soul searching for a key
in this dead sea?
I’m just trying to flee.
“You maybe be lost
with your heart frost.
But the place you seek
is not for the weak.”
“First, to the sacred palace you must coerce!”
Where is this sacred palace I must go with my affair?
“You have two eyes, yet you don’t see.
You have a skin, yet you don’t sense.
The sacred palace is immense!”
“Search within yourself,
find all the answers you seek,
and realize — you are unique.
Like myself!”
“Not only you’ll conquer the desert,
but so the world, you’ll assert.” | https://medium.com/flicker-and-flight/hear-how-i-talk-and-youll-see-i-am-not-just-a-rock-d93cc74675e7 | ['Jacobo The First'] | 2020-11-08 17:43:29.591000+00:00 | ['Storytelling', 'Poetry', 'Nature', 'Desert', 'Philosophy'] |
Why Social Media Could Be A Useful Tool Against The Pandemic | Insights of Complex Networks
One of the factors that make complex networks useful for spotting potential COVID-19 cases is the fact that not only does it allow you to keep track of interactions between individuals, but it can also tell you who the most “central” individuals are.
What do I mean by that? The centrality of a node — in this case representing an individual — refers to how connected they are to the rest of the network in question. By extension, it also refers to how much they can affect the network, as they’re a hub that connects many parts that would otherwise be further apart.
What does that mean in our context? It means that the spread of the virus depends, among other factors, on who becomes infected. This is because people with a higher centrality have a much wider reach and can therefore contribute much more to the spread of the disease than a normal person could.
To demonstrate this, let’s run a small simulation. In the two figures below, the node in orange is the first victim of the network. For interaction, we’ll be assuming a 50% chance of catching COVID-19. After running the simulation in the same network and for the same amount of cycles while only changing the first victim, this is the result.
Choosing Node 30 (Low Centrality) as the First Victim (2 cycles)
Choosing Node 9 (High Centrality) as the First Victim (2 cycles)
One of the goals of Social Network Analysis, one of the main fields in Complex Network Analysis (CNA) is to identify those central nodes. One of the premises of CNA is that the importance of a node depends on structural elements of the network, meaning it can be measured — I go into a little more detail on this subject in the notebook.
So, unlike contact tracing, where you only know you’re at risk after a person you’ve directly interacted with has tested positive. By using social media to form complex networks and understanding how they portray social relations, it’s possible to affirm the possibility of infection without the need for someone you’re in direct contact with to have taken the test. | https://towardsdatascience.com/why-social-media-could-be-a-useful-tool-against-the-pandemic-1dfa6205e97b | ['Thiago Rodrigues'] | 2020-12-19 22:38:34.445000+00:00 | ['Visualization', 'Python', 'Covid 19', 'Complex Networks', 'Data Science'] |
Smart Developers Don’t Code | Or, stop re-inventing things!
Something has stuck in my head from a long time ago, when I was a young junior developer. I was working on a part of an application trying to speed up the access to data in a web app. The first iteration of code called out to a database every time a user paged through the data. Looking to optimise I decided to cache the original returned data so as not to keep on round tripping back to the database. A sensible thing to do.
So head down I spent days coming up with something that would be the best caching Java code anyone had ever seen! I came up with complex algorithms to call, store, page and evict data for this one use case.
After 5 days and nights of coding toil, I proudly met my lead developer and walked him through my code. I bamboozled him with the brilliance of the algorithms.
Confusingly, I was met with, not the congratulatory realisation of seeing revolutionary data paging techniques, but instead with a large sigh and a promise to review.
The next day, the lead dev called me over and said. “I don’t know what you have done, but I have removed all of your code and just stored the data in a list which gets refreshed on each new search”
He first told me that my code was massively over engineered, and secondly was just doing something that there were patterns and tools to solve the same problem.
Tail between my legs, I accepted this and took one of my biggest lessons as a junior developer, with a metaphoric thwack to the back of the head!
One of my earliest lessons in software engineering — Don’t immediately code your way out of a problem!
This brings me to a recent conversation I had with a young developer who presented me with a problem with his use of code in Red Hat OpenShift (Disclaimer: I work at Red Hat). On getting the full details, he explained that he had written lots of microservices to sit in front of a bunch of APIs that read data from various sources and manipulated the data depending on the source before sending out to various endpoints. He was very proud of the set of microservices that he’d built to solve this problem. There were aggregators, translators and other patterns.
I listened and sighed.
I told him that the solution was really complex and seemed a little overengineered! In a polite way, I told him that folks had solved all of these problems and more, many times over. In this instance I pointed him towards Apache Camel and told him that just because you are building microservices it does not mean that you need to build microservices!
Just because you are building microservices it does not mean that you need to build microservices!
In IT we seem to think that we need to re-invent everything, always. I’m all for exciting new paradigms that change the way we use technology, but not at the expense of throwing things away.
Apache Camel is one of many great examples of not re-inventing things!
I am a huge Apache Camel fan, from both an integrators viewpoint and also a great open source community success. The story goes that Camel was based on a conversation between Gregor Hophe and James Strachan. Gregor wrote the integration bible Enterprise Integration Patterns, a book that gives you the designs for common integration tasks as a set of patterns…you know, so you don’t need to reinvent the same architecture patterns.
James, an open source developer and the founder of Groovy (the language) and Gregor were talking at a conference and James thought it would be a cracking idea to build reusable Java implementations of these patterns… you know, so that you don’t have to keep on writing the same code when you need to do stuff! Apache Camel was born from this conversation as a set of libraries that implement integration patterns.
Back to my recent conversation!
So, we took a look at Red Hat Integration, which is Apache Camel plus a bunch of other stuff to deploy and run integration services. I told him that not only can he do everything that he needed, but it also fitted in with his microservices architecture and looking at some of the shiny new pieces like Camel K he can also have his microservices served…err, serverless!
Serverless Integration Microservices!!
Camel K is the most exciting thing in integration right now. Some of the biggest challenges facing integration specialists were always around how to achieve scale and availability with integration solution architectures. Tools like CamelK and OpenShift are taking care of the whole deploy, run & scale aspects of that problem.
Apache Camel provides the implementations of patterns and hundreds of adapters. The things that needed expertise was in figuring out which connectors and patterns to use and importantly in how the components are deployed in a scalable and available architecture to support requirements.
Projects like CamelK are a new breed of “kubernetes native” tools that look to use the power of Kubernetes to take advantage of the huge scale and availability capabilities of the Kubernetes platform. Some of the difficult things in defining and designing scale and availability have already been done by using the power of the Kubernetes platform…you know, so that I don’t need to re-invent scaling and availability!
What is Apache Camel?
Ok just a quick one, if you have not looked at Apache Camel before then it’s an awesome thing of beauty that makes it really simple to connect and integrate hundreds of different things.
Here’s a very quick look at Apache Camel.
It provides implementations of over 60 integration patterns It has over 350 connectors It’s awesome
Here’s the basic premise of all camel integrations. Data or invocation comes FROM a source somewhere which flows into a PROCESSOR to do something and then flows TO a destination.
The FROM and TO are Camel components or adapters to connect technologies from AWS native services through to CSV files to SAP to reactive streams to Kafka connectors… there are over 350 of these!
It is as simple as that!
A story I tell is that Camel components are a brilliant way of showing the power of open source software communities and projects. I’ve been a huge fan of Camel for many years and have seen the number of components grow with every release.
That is the power of Open Source!
What happens is that a developer uses Camel, but the component that the developer needs doesn’t yet exist in Camel. So, the developer builds the component to solve their needs. Being a good Open Source citizen, the developer delights the Camel community by contributing that component back into the Camel source and it’s included into the next Camel release. Now, when you need that component, you don’t have to build it, because it’s already been done… awesome!
There are tons of resources around to help you out with Camel, one of the best ones is Claus Ibson and Jonathan Anstey’s book, Camel in Action which has to be the bible of Camel. James Strachan has often said that he invented Camel but Claus made it work! Also take a look at Tom Donohue’s brilliant articles on Camel
But what about Camel K!
Ok, I’m going to quickly show you something awesome (ok to an old integration hack like me it’s awesome!).
I’m going to do a fairly simple integration task in just a few lines of code.
I am going to create a Telegram bot to deliver a complement into a telegram channel. Now Telegram has a load of API’s that I can use to call and send messages to channels which I could use.
There’s also a compliment service that Grant Codes has made available at https://complimentr.com/ which returns compliments to make you feel good :)
Wow, amazing colour schemes Grant!
Now I want to integrate these two services together to deliver nice compliments to my Telegram friends.
So, am I going to dive into code?
Hell no. A quick look at the Apache Camel connectors shows me that amongst the 350 or so different components I can connect to I find Camel Telegram, someone who wanted to talk to Telegram has already written something to connect so that I DON’T HAVE TO!
Some usual Camel components will help with the plain HTTP call to the compliment service, I say usual in a flippant way as actually there’s an HTTP component that handles all of the things that I might have coded but I DON’T NEED TO!
So, I am going to use the Camel Telegram component, to receive messages from the bot, calling out to an external service to get a compliment and then sending it back to the Telegram bot. OK, not the most exciting thing but a bit of fun
Here’s what I want the bot to do, send a name and receive back a compliment.
I have a kubernetes cluster available to me so I am going to do this with CamelK. I’m using Red Hat OpenShift and the CamelK operator to set things up.
Here’s what I need to do.
1 — Download the CamelK CLI.
2 — Install the CamelK Operator
3 — Run my code
Download the CamelK CLI
So, there’s a good deal of articles and docs out there explaining this so I won’t go into a heap of detail but the CamelK CLI (or kamel) is essentially how you interact with your Kubernetes platform (or more accurately, the Camel K custom resources on the platform) to deploy integrations (there’s also IDE plugins for VSCode).
The CLI enables you to do things like install the Camel K operators, run integrations in interactive dev mode (live updates of running integration code) etc.
Install the CamelK Operator
CamelK has a number of Kubernetes Operators to build, deploy and run integrations. The whole point of Kubernetes Operators is to abstract the complexities of things running on the platform and CamelK does this superbly! So just go ahead and install the operator either from the CLI
command line using :
Or if you are running in Openshift then you can use the Operators tab to install.
Run my code
Once installed I can now push integration code to my running OpenShift platform from an IDE or CLI.
So, let’s look at the code. Remember, I am using the Telegram component. Looking at the component I just need to grab the Telegram authorisation token and pass that into the component, which will read messages from the bot.
from(“telegram:bots?authorizationToken=[YOUR TOKEN]”)
If I add a simple log to see the route working
from(“telegram:bots?authorizationToken=[YOUR TOKEN]”) .to(“log:bots”)
I have two lines of code. If I save these in a file called hello.groovy then I have a groovy script that can be used as a CamelK integration that will connect to my telegram bot and will log whatever I type!
Running hello.groovy
This is the awesome bit. I want my two line groovy script to deploy and run as a scalable integration component. This is what Camel K is! From my command line I simply run:
With the run command I have turned my two line groovy script into a container deployed and running as an Apache Camel route on my OpenShift cluster.
What is the — dev flag?
Adding the — dev flag, I have entered a weird world where I can make changes to my hello.groovy file which will automatically be reflected in the OpenShift cluster! Making my dev experience much easier.
The full bot
You have seen how awesome CamelK is, then here’s the rest of my “avoiding code” groovy script.
from(“telegram:bots?authorizationToken=[YOUR TOKEN]”) .setHeader(“USER”, body()) .to(“https://complimentr.com/api?asGET=true “) .transform().jsonpath(“\$.compliment”) .setBody(simple("\${body} \${in.header.USER}”)) .to(“telegram:bots?authorizationToken=[YOUR TOKEN]”)
I use the Camel Telegram component to receive the message from the Telegram channel
Stash the name as a header sent through in the telegram message body
Call out to the compliment api
Add the original name to the compliment
Push the compliment back to the Telegram channel.
There you go six lines of code to do an integration by re-using components to do the job.
There’s some really brilliant Camel integration patterns like aggregators, brokering, dynamic routing and even more awesome CamelK things like serverless, scale to zero on demand capabilities that will all help you not code!
Smart developers not coding is not new, it’s been around for a long time. The reasons why we build frameworks and tools is to abstract the mundane and be more productive. Sometimes it’s a case of understanding what frameworks and tools are available to help you with not coding. Hopefully I have shown you another one of these!
Take a look at what other Red Hat folks are talking about in the UK and Ireland community site | https://itnext.io/smart-developers-dont-code-2bf882568c37 | ['Graeme Colman'] | 2021-01-07 22:20:01.703000+00:00 | ['Apache Camel', 'Redhat Openshift', 'Integration', 'Developer Stories', 'Kubernetes'] |
Vision 2020: The Well | Vision 2020: The Well
Recordings, talk notes and application questions
Each week, we produce notes, discussion points and application questions for the Sunday talks — helping you go deeper into everything we’re looking at together and resourcing our Small Groups during the week. Use the embedded player to listen to the talk, or click here to visit Soundcloud and download it on a PC. You can also subscribe to Oasis podcasts on Spotify, iTunes or Podbean for listening on the go, and you can find the accompanying Powerpoint presentation for this week’s talk here.
Key Passages
John 4: 6–42
John 7:37–39
Notes
Are we just running, caught up in a crowd, or are we running centred on the one who brings life?
“There is an old tradition on large Australian ranches located on often-dry land that there are two ways of keeping cattle on the ranch. One is to build a fence; the other is to dig a well. What a gift it might be to a world that has become increasingly polarised and politicised if the church would be utterly committed to Jesus as our centre. No fences to keep others out, just the life-giving water of Jesus, drawing people ever closer to his presence.” John Ortberg
Jesus invites all to come to him and receive life-bringing water (The Spirit). All who are thirsty may come to him and receive this life-giving water (John 7:37–39)…. It is an overflow of His unlimited grace. (John 1:16). Christ has opened up the way for us to come to the Father and share in His Sonship, through the Spirit. This life-giving love is to be a well within that empowers everything.
Not a one-off stop. Rather a continuous looking to Jesus and adopting the posture of receiving Him in all His sufficiency for us (that is what faith is), resting and rejoicing in Him.
Like a fire that needs to be white hot at the centre in order to keep giving out light and heat, our need is continuously to turn to Jesus and live with Him at the centre, sustaining us.
This is to fuel and motivate the good works and spoken words that reveal Christ to those around us. It is a well to enjoy and a well to share.
Application Questions | https://medium.com/oasis-church-birmingham/vision-2020-the-well-deb0a1b2840f | ['Oasis Church Birmingham'] | 2020-01-15 16:43:42.847000+00:00 | ['Christianity', 'Spirituality', 'Life', 'Faith', 'Resources'] |
Explicando aprendizaje supervisado a un niño (o tu jefe) | Head of Decision Intelligence, Google. Hello (multilingual) world! This account is for translated versions of my English language articles. twitter.com/quaesita
Follow | https://medium.com/datos-y-ciencia/explicando-aprendizaje-supervisado-a-un-ni%C3%B1o-o-tu-jefe-167293e17d4c | ['Cassie Kozyrkov'] | 2020-04-06 03:29:36.707000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Data Science', 'Technology', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Ciencia Y Datos'] |
How to create a product your customer loves 1/3: Jobs-to-be-Done | Do you want to impress the world with a brand-new innovation? Then you have to make sure you provide a solution to a task that your customer is trying to get done.
Jobs-to-be-Done is a method to set out the path your customer is trying to do. Outcome Driven Innovation uses that path to get quantitative data. This data allows you to understand your customers. These two frameworks make sure that people want your product.
Quite a few people have already written about the theory behind those two. Reading about it is easy. Doing it is quite a bit harder. My colleague Wouter Lachat has already written about our main learnings from doing it ourselves.
In three separate blogposts, I will present a practical guide for Jobs-to-be-Done. We have templates to guide you through this methodology. These templates are available on our site: www.0smosis.com/templates
My first blogpost will focus on the Jobs-to-be-Done framework.
THE JOBS-TO-BE-DONE FRAMEWORK
The first step is to define your Jobs-to-be-Done. Using our template, it becomes quite easy to see the whole picture. If you fill in the complete template, you will have everything you need to go to the next step. I have filled in the template with the example of Helder Lenen to guide you through. Helder Lenen is a digital mortgage loan aggregator for the Belgian market. So the template focuses on “Financing my house when buying a new one”. To make sure the text remains readable, I filled in only a couple jobs per step. Excuse my awful handwriting.
Filled in Jobs-to-be-Done template of 0smosis
Some important points for each of the topics.
The Main Job needs to be well defined, not too broad and not too narrow. It is the basis for the rest of the framework so getting this wrong will lead to some trouble.
“Live in my home” is a bad Job because it is too broad and doesn’t include an action. We narrow it down to “Finance my house when buying a new one”.
needs to be well defined, not too broad and not too narrow. It is the basis for the rest of the framework so getting this wrong will lead to some trouble. “Live in my home” is a bad Job because it is too broad and doesn’t include an action. We narrow it down to “Finance my house when buying a new one”. The Job Map gives a goal-oriented view on the customer journey. Don’t describe what the customer is doing but what she is trying to do.
Don’t say “Check the balance on my bank account” but go for “Assess my financial situation”.
gives a goal-oriented view on the customer journey. Don’t describe what the customer is doing but what she is trying to do. Don’t say “Check the balance on my bank account” but go for “Assess my financial situation”. Emotional Jobs are very important in sectors that rely on trust such as Financial Services. Don’t forget them while building your framework.
“Feel in control of the situation” was mentioned often in the interviews. (The interviewees weren’t very happy about that job).
are very important in sectors that rely on trust such as Financial Services. Don’t forget them while building your framework. “Feel in control of the situation” was mentioned often in the interviews. (The interviewees weren’t very happy about that job). Social Jobs are very important for any product that people show to others. Obvious examples are cars and clothes but other are phones and travel bags.
“Show that I received a good deal” came up quite a few times during interviews. Even for boring products as mortgages, people like to show off.
are very important for any product that people show to others. Obvious examples are cars and clothes but other are phones and travel bags. “Show that I received a good deal” came up quite a few times during interviews. Even for boring products as mortgages, people like to show off. Related Jobs provide you with options to expand your product. Especially for mature products, they can help you define new features.
For Helder, some related jobs to consider later are: finding the house, renovating it etc.
provide you with options to expand your product. Especially for mature products, they can help you define new features. For Helder, some related jobs to consider later are: finding the house, renovating it etc. Financial Jobs go further than the initial price. Think of subscription price, repair price, price to change etc.
The intrest rate is not the only relevant metric. There are also additional fees such as notary costs.
go further than the initial price. Think of subscription price, repair price, price to change etc. The intrest rate is not the only relevant metric. There are also additional fees such as notary costs. Consumption Chain Jobs are jobs around User Experience. Not all steps apply to every product, but these help you stand out from the crowd.
We make sure that Helder is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use application.
That’s it for the first part on our practical guide to Jobs-to-be-Done, on the framework. To really learn Jobs-to-be-Done, I advise you to just do it. Reading about it only gets you that far.
What do you think are the hardest parts of the Jobs-to-be-Done framework? | https://medium.com/0smosis/how-to-create-a-product-your-customer-loves-1-3-jobs-to-be-done-1644adf8491 | ['Anton De Meester'] | 2018-02-26 12:29:12.559000+00:00 | ['Jobs To Be Done'] |
2019 — Top 3 Trends For Robotics. Ok, it’s been quite some time since we… | Ok, it’s been quite some time since we last posted here. It’s due to quite a long period of spare time people in Poland have during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Also, Turtle Rover’s community manager (who happens to be me) got sick during Christmas and was unable to do stuff in the last few days. Nevertheless, blog posts need to be written. Before we move to the main topic of the post, I’d like to wish you, on behalf of Turtle Rover’s Team, all the best in 2019 — we hope you’ll be healthy, that you’ll earn a lot of money and that, this one’s most likely most important, you’ll simply be happy and have as little worries as possible. If you also happen to be a roboticist, we wish you get yourself a Turtle Rover, if you’d like to make your work easier and quicker. There’s also a ton of things we’d wish ourselves, both as individuals and as a company, but we’ll most likely share some sort of 2018’s report and 2019’s strategies and objectives in the upcoming posts. Since we’re done with wishes, let’s move to what you really came here for. Here are our top 3 predictions for robotics as a whole in the upcoming year.
Image by Team Fox Boston
Companies will keep on failing
We miss you, Rethink Robotics. Credit to them for the image.
Consumer robotics is still an emerging market. While supply is there and it’s getting bigger and bigger, demand doesn’t really meet it. It’s there, but people keep on expecting too much from nowadays’ robots. You either have “mobile companionship Alexas”, cobot-like devices and general purpose robots, which need specialized knowledge to be used effectively. It’s still a far way from, say, C3POs or even Wall-Es that people actually expect. Because of that, companies which will be unable to sell enough and to create the right type of robot, will cease to exist. As we’ve seen last year, pretty much nobody’s safe in this market. This also applies to us, so we can only hope that 2019 will be the year for us, because you know, skyrocketing would be sweet. There have been some marketing projects we’ve been working on for quite some time and we hope they will propel us in the right direction. But, as stated earlier, it’s almost certain — some companies will fall. That’s just how the market works, especially an emerging one.
ROS2 will be gaining momentum, but it won’t surpass it’s predecessor
Image by Udemy
ROS has really been a blessing for robotics. We like to think that it kind of serves the same purpose as Turtle Rover, being a versatile platform for building robotic projects, but exclusively as a software. Heck, we’ve even uploaded a ROS installation tutorial on our forum lately and we think it’s quite important. However, ROS2 has been released last year. Supposedly, it’s quite similar to the previous version, but while the changes are noticeable, they aren’t really game-changing, as of now. We wish the devs all the best and we hope ROS2’s capabilities will be worked upon and furthered. ROS2 will most certainly surpass ROS in the future, but it’s going to take quite a while. Don’t forget that ROS is still actively being used (by us, too) and new stuff is being developed for it. Because of that, ROS will be more relevant for roboticists in 2019, and most likely later on for quite some time.
People will keep on lowering their expectations of robots
GIF showing Simone Giertz. We hope you’re doing well, queen.
We’ve mentioned it earlier, but people still think of robots as of highly sophisticated future cyborgs being able to speak fluent Mandarin, breakdance and pilot a jet fighter if asked to. Yeah, that’s not the case. Most of robots, including Turtle Rover as of now, can’t even open a door. Don’t get us wrong, we’d love to see robots do all the stuff mentioned a few lines above at once, but we doubt if it’s going to happen before 2050. People tend to notice that and they will, hopefully, gradually lower their expectations, because that’s what they should do, unless they simply wish to be disappointed all the time. The other thing is that people will have to realize they have to have some special skills and knowledge to use robots effectively. MiniHellhound of Skynet wasn’t dancing last year simply after telling him “abomination, twitch rhythmically” (they are impressive, but they also happen to be nightmare fuel in our opinion), there was most likely a tremendous amount of work behind it doing so.
While this post isn’t really as optimistic as New Year expectations tend to be, we simply felt that it would be nice to keep emotions toned down. Robotics are hard, leading businesses is difficult and results are underwhelming for the public. But that’s ok. We need to work steadily and do our thing to prevail. The ultimate wish we’d like to make is for the 2019 to be way better than we expect it to be. Thanks for reading! | https://medium.com/@jakub_8356/2019-top-3-trends-for-robotics-2936e9fb45df | ['Jakub Mamulski'] | 2019-01-02 09:12:25.623000+00:00 | ['Business', 'Robotics', '2019', 'Blog', 'Robots'] |
If You Give a Professor a Stimulus Check . . . | Photo by Chris Blonk on Unsplash
If you give a professor a 600 dollar stimulus check,
He’s going to question use of the word “stimulus” and take issue with its psycho-sexual Freudian connotations that in the twenty-first century are considered misogynistic and stupidly binary.
When you give him the platform to question the terminology, he’ll probably ask you for a committee and a course release in order to conduct his study.
When he’s finished his study, he’ll ask for 15 minutes in front of Faculty Senate to present his findings.
If you give him the floor, he’ll probably use his time to completely hijack the meeting and whip everyone up into circular arguments about whether language reflects or constructs reality.
When he’s finished, no one will remember what the meeting was supposed to accomplish and several faculty members will cry because they feel oppressed in some vague and micro-aggressive way.
If you clap at the end of his speech, he’s probably going to ask for institutional support to write a conference paper on the paradox and socio-linguistic implications of tying attempts at economic progress to an archaic term that simplifies the complexity of human sexuality by framing it in a linear cause-and-effect construct.
When he gets into the conference, he’s going to ask you for departmental funding to register for it, which will probably be around 600 dollars. | https://medium.com/the-monocle-of-higher-ed/if-you-give-a-professor-a-stimulus-check-b77cec178843 | ['Gary Jenson'] | 2020-12-23 13:32:39.302000+00:00 | ['Philosophy', 'Satire', 'Finance', 'Higher Education', 'Humor'] |
Seize the moment, cease the markets! | Shut down illegal, unregulated and high-risk wildlife markets - and protect nature to protect ourselves.
By Margaret Kinnaird, Wildlife Practice Leader, WWF International
Some three decades ago, I had my first exposure to a ‘wet market’. I was in the North Sulawesi town of Tomohon in Indonesia. Today, the market is known as the ‘Extreme Market’, an apropos moniker given what I experienced walking through the myriad aisles and stalls with salespeople announcing their wares. There were plucked ducks and chickens dangling from tied feet and piles of fresh, glistening fish. But mixed in were haunches of babisura (an endangered ‘pig-deer’ endemic to the island of Sulawesi), live crested black macaques squeezed into small cages (another endemic, highly endangered Sulawesi species), forest rats, an eerie assortment of flying foxes (large fruit-eating bats) clinging to the slats of their cages, and a motley collection of domestic dogs and cats barking and meowing from their confinement. One salesman taunted me with a cat as he blow-torched the hair off the carcass, another cleavered the leg of a Sulawesi pig, splattering blood across my chest. The scene was disturbing on so many levels but at that juncture in my life, I was relatively naive to the potential human health risks posed by this market and the multitudes of other similar markets across the region.
Then, a decade later, while living in northern Kenya and conducting research on dromedary camels, my much-beloved herd — along with others in the county — tested positive for MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) yet another coronavirus-related illness believed to be transmitted from bats to camels. We had no idea how our camels were exposed to MERS — they were not highly mobile or nomadic and had no immigration of individuals from the outside for several years. My research team concluded that it was highly likely that MERS and other coronoviruses have been circulating in camel populations across the Horn of Africa for many years but any spillover from animals to humans may have remained undetected.
I feel like I’ve barely escaped the microscopic ‘claws’ of coronoviruses for a number of years. When SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) broke out I was living in Indonesia. I remember seeing masks being worn outside hospitals for the first time in my life, and although few in my personal home range were affected by the virus, it spread to over 8,000 people worldwide and tragically stole some 800 lives before it was contained.
While my own personal experiences are insignificant to what was felt worldwide, I continue to marvel at how, when these outbreaks sent alarm bells around the world, people listened briefly then quickly forgot. Few continued to worry. And we should be worried.
Today we are confronted with a pandemic that is thought to have originated from a similar setting: a market selling the usual fare (fish, chickens, rabbits, pigs, a slab of beef) along with wild-caught species — maybe a badger, a few hedgehogs, or a snake — all thrown together, sometimes in unhygienic conditions. Although we are not 100 per cent certain, the conditions prevailing in this market may have created the perfect petri dish for a pathogen to spill over from animals to humans, creating what we know now as COVID-19, the respiratory illness that has swept the globe and deeply altered everything we consider normal in our daily lives.
COVID-19 is showing us how desperately we need to rethink our relationship with nature. While it is absolutely crucial that we focus our efforts now on the health and safety of the most vulnerable of us who have been or may be exposed to COVID-19, we also need to look forward and reassess how we prevent or reduce, the risk of corona-like viruses and other diseases passing from animals to humans.
There is a growing and much-needed debate around the relationship between the increased risk of disease transmission and deforestation, loss of biodiversity, urbanization, climate change, agribusiness, our diets and how we grow and acquire our food, and wildlife trade (legal and illegal). To date, clarity on the roles of these various drivers in disease transmission is far from crystal clear. Perhaps the one thing we do know for certain, is that it’s complicated.
But let’s examine wildlife trade. Wildlife trade, by definition, brings live and dead wild animals or their parts in close proximity with those hunting, those engaged in commerce and those eating or using these products in some way (e.g. pets and medicine). And it means that lots of different species from different regions — wild, captive or domesticated — are being mixed and transported together. All this serves to increase the risk of pathogens being spread to new hosts.
While the temporary closure of wildlife markets or bans on eating of meat of wild species as enacted by China in February are sensible and, I believe necessary precautions, they will not completely address the underlying problem over the long-run. We need to do lots — and I mean lots — more.
My organization, WWF, is advocating for governments worldwide to take action to eliminate illegal and unregulated markets, as well as other high-risk markets that have transport or people linkages to population centers, particularly where high numbers of animals, domestic and wild, dead and alive, are sold in close proximity — and especially those that sell animals like bats and civets which are known to carry coronaviruses.
We have data that show — at least in Asia — citizens are ready to support strong governmental actions to close these markets once and for all. WWF commissioned a public opinion survey in early March that focused on the link between COVID-19 and wildlife trade and found that 82 per cent of respondents from Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam are extremely or very worried about the COVID-19 outbreak. Even more revealing, is that the vast majority of respondents (93 per cent) from communities in South East Asia and Hong Kong supported their governments eliminating illegal and unregulated markets. With such widespread support, now — right now — is the time for governments to heed the voices of their citizens and act in the interests of their people and global health. These markets no longer have a place in our uber-connected, global society.
Unfortunately, a segment of so-called diehard consumers from the survey stated that they would continue to buy wildlife from illegal markets in spite of any governmental bans. The animals of choice they specified having recently bought included birds, snakes, bats, civets, pangolins and turtles; one would assume these are the species diehard consumers will continue to seek out. Their determination in the face of the potential risks goes to show the steep road that lies ahead in terms of changing attitudes and reducing demand for these species.
Only last week as the world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysian authorities intercepted over six tonnes of African pangolin scales — the largest such seizure to date in Malaysia’s busiest port, Port Klang. This seizure not only underscores the magnitude of the illicit wildlife trade, it also demonstrates the brazen contempt for rule of law by these bold and savvy traffickers at a time when the world is under a major lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Wildlife markets (legal and illegal) are not unique to Asia and are found throughout the tropics, in both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, where people have a diversity of options for protein, wild meat tends to be more expensive and is generally purchased as a luxury meal or to show status. Where they exist, these wildlife industries need to be rigorously regulated to ensure high sanitary standards and sustainability (e.g. kudu and reindeer farming in S. Africa and the Arctic, respectively). However, for many Indigenous Peoples and those living in rural and remote communities, wildlife provides a vital protein source where other options are few, if nonexistent. While the right to maintain traditional diets should be upheld, I believe we need to acknowledge that these people may also be at risk from eating wild meat. These are critical food security issues that should be confronted by governments and development agencies and must include education and awareness on animal handling, sanitation and disease transmission as well as sustainable wildlife management, and support to develop village-level alternative food sources.
I acknowledge that shutting down illegal, unregulated and high-risk markets is only part of the solution. Regulation of trade, stronger surveillance for illness and rigorous testing of traded animals for pathogens is another key step. Poor hygiene practices in many legal markets selling common livestock, poultry and seafood are also major causes for concern. And perhaps it is time to re-examine our food production systems, including the industrial scale rearing of livestock and poultry, especially breeds with low genetic diversity, that also pose a significant risk of transfer of pathogens from animals to humans when safety standards are breached. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to prevent future pandemics, what is needed is a more holistic — One Health approach which views human, animal and environmental health as inextricably interconnected. Such an integrated approach will help provide the much-needed science to understand high-risk species, high-risk areas and high-risk behaviors. It will also improve our understanding of where regulatory frameworks are in place and functioning, where they are missing or underperforming, and the crucial roles of enforcement and corruption.
As the world takes stock of the impact of COVID-19, we have an opportunity to redefine our relationship with wildlife and nature with a renewed sense of purpose. Our interaction with nature should come with a deep-seated understanding of the bounty that nature provides us, but we need to protect nature to protect ourselves. | https://medium.com/@wwf/seize-the-moment-cease-the-markets-8a498ff0c0eb | [] | 2020-04-06 16:01:00.855000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Wildlife', 'Coronavirus', 'Illegal Wildlife Trade'] |
Will Bernie choose relevancy or irrelevancy? | Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr
Who would’ve thought that treating your own political party like it’s the enemy would result in a rejection by the voting members of said party?
Apparently, Bernie Sanders didn’t. His strategy of attacking the “establishment” of the Democratic Party was a disastrous failure. Instead of coming off as attacking billionaires and corporations, it came off as an attack on the Democrats’ base, composed of African Americans, suburban women and moderate working class people. Sanders never seemed to get it and it got him in the end.
After Tuesday, March 10, (aka “Mini Tuesday”), Sanders is (for the most part) finished. Unless he decides to “Bern it all down” again, like he did in the 2016 primary election, Sanders should be conceding the election to Joe Biden, give his endorsement and work on uniting the Democratic Party. If Sanders chooses to drag this fight until June, he’ll hurt his own legacy more than he will Democrats’ chance to beat Trump.
As of now, it’s obvious that Biden will win not only a plurality, but the majority of Democratic delegates going into the convention in July. Sanders, unlike last time, painted himself into a corner here, in his own words saying that the Democrat who gets a plurality of delegates should win.
It’s over for Sanders. Now, he can either support Biden or he can go back to the Senate and become the independent socialist from Vermont again.
If Sanders’ goal is to beat Donald Trump, then he should begin dowsing the fires he set after his Super Tuesday losses. When he and his subordinates went extra-negative on Biden, it was a blessing for Trump. Trump essentially turned the Sanders campaign into a wing of the Trump 2020 election campaign by taking their claims and making them his own. Now, Trump is using Sanders’ supporters to spread his message of Biden’s alleged senility and pervertedness, not to mention absurd claims that he wants to cut Social Security. A self-described Democratic Socialist should not want their legacy to be getting Trump re-elected.
Sanders, if he goes on, risks marching the movement he led into irrelevancy and dragging his most ardent supporters along with him.
Although the votes of Sanders’ hard left supporters would be a nice cushion for Democrats to have, they might not even be needed if the overwhelming victory of moderate candidates in the Blue Wave of 2018 is a sign of what’s to come in 2020. In 2018, when Democrats took over the House, the Sanders-inspired Justice Democrats and Our Revolution lost almost all of their primaries. Those few that made it, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for example, would be elected in overwhelmingly safe Democratic Districts.
In that same election, moderate and Blue Dog Democrats not only pummeled their primary opposition, but would go on to replace Republicans in districts that supported Trump in 2016. That should have been a signal to the Sanders’ left, that they were in danger of being left behind by the Democrats. The moderates were able to expand the Democrats’ map when Sanders couldn’t.
Sanders has not grown his base since 2016. Worse for him yet, his base has been eclipsed by the new and returning Democratic voters who ushered in 2018’s Blue Wave. As it stands, the Democrats may not even need the 10 percent of Sanders supporters who voted against Clinton in 2016.
Look at is this way: Are the young, angry Sanders supporters who couldn’t even bother to turn out for the primary really key to victory when Democrats have shown they are able to take chunks out of Trump’s 2016 base?
It’s all up to Sanders. He can be a team player and think about the long game, starting the slow integration of his supporters into the Democratic fold, which will probably not be complete until he is long out of politics.
Or, he can be the purist revolutionary, always fighting the establishment and finding himself and his supporters shut out of the political process.
In the end, it’s up to Sanders himself. He can guide his supporters into the current political reality or keep condemning the system until he burns out and fades away. | https://zoombubba.medium.com/will-bernie-choose-relevancy-or-irrelevancy-20db3404fc07 | ['Joseph R. Price'] | 2020-03-11 04:01:00.993000+00:00 | ['Joe Biden', 'Democratic Party', 'Politics', '2020 Presidential Race', 'Bernie Sanders'] |
5 Tips To Help You Master Digital Photography | Have you already mastered the art of taking photos without red-eye syndrome? Are there some pictures that you know you should have turned out a lot better than they did? It happens to all of us even the expert photographers.
Here are five tips to help you move from beginner to master of digital photography, whether youre using your cell phone or a point-and-shoot camera to snap shots.
Compose Carefully
One of the most basic digital photography tips is to pay attention to whats in the frame of the viewfinder. Fill the frame. Nothing but blue sky, for instance, behind a single subject throws off the proportions of the photo and decreases interest. You can also turn the camera sideways to see if a vertical photo might have more impact than a horizontal shot of the same subject.
You can also try positioning your subject off to the side, rather than in the center of the photograph.
Take Great Close up Photos
Your digital camera has a macro mode think of it as a super magnifying glass. An extreme close up of something like flower petals can bring out textures that you never knew existed, and will add excitement to your photos. Play with this feature, you will find dozens of ways to use it to enhance your pictures.
Buy a Tripod
Digital cameras are prone to blurry photographs if your hands shake even a little bit. Several companies manufacture light, portable, inexpensive versions. Digital photography tips like this can save you hours of frustration and preserve otherwise perfect shots.
Get Active
Take your shot from the top of a teeter-totter, off the side of the boat, or standing on your head. Thinking outside the box can really pay off in unexpected ways. You will truly get once in a lifetime shots by adding a bit of creativity to your thinking.
Take a Class
Are you still hungry for digital photography tips? Theres nothing like practice to improve your photography except practice plus experience gained by learning from a pro. You can find photography classes online, at your local recreation centers, and community colleges.
Becoming an expert at digital photography takes time; you wont become a professional photographer in your first week. Just keep trying new methods each time you use your camera, and before long, your friends and family will be admiring your newfound skills. | https://medium.com/@sanjivksinha2019/5-tips-to-help-you-master-digital-photography-7a3f2410cc3a | ['Sanjiv Sinha'] | 2021-01-21 16:20:21.269000+00:00 | ['Photos', 'Cameras', 'Photographer', 'Photography', 'Camera Lens'] |
Japan Has Become a Cryptocurrency Haven, Multi Billion Dollar Firms Launch Exchanges | Japan is quickly becoming a global center for blockchain ventures and cryptocurrency firms. Despite the region’s colorful history–involving Mt. Gox, for example–the local authorities see merit in these new technologies in the global cryptocurrency industry. Major local conglomerates have begun to enter the sector, with some of them operating cryptocurrency exchanges.
Japan’s Checked History With Bitcoin
When people discuss Bitcoin, the topic of Mt. Gox will come up at some point. This now defunct trading platform made the world’s leading cryptocurrency very appealing years ago. Unfortunately, the platform suffered from alleged hacks and other oddities. While many people see Mt. Gox as a black page in the history books, it also created a vibrant crypto ecosystem in Japan.
Ever since the exchange disappeared, the demand for regulation has grown. Investors lost a lot of money through this exchange, yet the interest in Bitcoin never waned. Local officials took a proactive approach to cryptocurrencies rather than banning it. Even the recent Coincheck hack has not diminished the positive attitude toward Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Japan stands out when it comes to the regulatory aspect. Various other governments — including China, India, and some US states — make it nearly impossible for crypto firms to exist, let alone thrive. The firm support for this nascent industry makes Japan a haven for this type of activity. Even major domestic firms are now entering this booming industry through various means.
Japanese Companies Embrace Cryptocurrency
A fair few technology and financial giants are based in Japan. Among those companies are Rakuten, Line, SBI, DMM, and GMO Internet. Every single one of these firms if currently active in the cryptocurrency world. Ranging from accepting Bitcoin payments to launching or operating a trading platform, the opportunities are virtually limitless.
GMO Internet is perhaps the most intriguing entity of them all. The company, valued at $2bn according to Bloomberg, is active in the mining and exchange industry. Additionally, they also announced a Bitcoin payroll service for its employees. In Japan, it will be possible to receive part of your paycheck in Bitcoin. A novel approach to dealing with recurring payments.
All of this further confirms Japan will continue to quest to become a global cryptocurrency hub. With troubled exchange Coincheck recently being acquired by Monex, another interesting development takes place. The country continues to show the rest of the world how a positive approach to cryptocurrency regulation can open a lot of new doors.
LetKnow.News on Facebook and Twitter | https://medium.com/letknownews/japan-has-become-a-cryptocurrency-haven-multi-billion-dollar-firms-launch-exchanges-288b86bca3b4 | [] | 2018-04-22 12:17:55.818000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'ICO', 'Japan', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Desus says race wars are coming. So who’s starting them? | This dude is cool, but Desus says Asians have already sided with Whites in impending race wars
Second generation Jamaican kid from the Bronx Daniel Baker, known as Desus of Desus and Mero, said on a recent episode that a race war is starting, painting a picture of a war in which Asians — except for “pen Asians” — have already sided with Whites. This is incredibly good news for early and contemporary U.S. white supremacists who would totally agree with Desus, and in fact engineered the very anti-Asian, racist ideologies this kid is promoting. In a city where Asians are now poorer that Latinx New Yorkers and largely underreported hate crimes are on the rise, whose side is Desus on?
Why is Desus spewing hate?
On another recent episode, Desus and Mero made sexist and racist (YAAAAAAAWWW-WWWWWWNNNNNNN) massage parlor jokes. These jokes, at least for people who pass as “woke” these days, are a product of a series of wars where White imperialism (as implemented by Black, Latinx, and Asian American military personnel) resulted in the most recent example of mass slavery by race — the so-called comfort women enslaved by Japan and then inherited by the U.S.
“Me so horny” comes from a movie where White and Black men share the bodies of Asian women whose countries are being bombed in a war of racist aggression, and where 80 million unexploded U.S. bombs — again, planted by U.S. soldiers of all races and allies — continue to terrorize Asians. So, other than the neck-tattoo bid-serving “pen Asians” that Desus deems down enough — who are facing deportations btw — what Asians exactly are we talking about?
Interestingly, VICE was cofounded by a white supremacist, and seems to be the main narrator on non-Crazy Rich Asian America right now, through the perspective of White and now Black dude-bros celebrated as racially woke. Meanwhile, there is not a single show or spokespeople in the United States about/for/by Asian America comparable to Desus and Mero.
If Desus got in touch with his own roots, maybe he would learn about the over 100,000 Chinese and Indian Asian coolies trafficked around the West Indies — Asian Jamaicans included — enslaved Asian people replacing enslaved Black people. Hence, the popular “chinee’ cake” I’ve been offered by West Indian folks at various points throughout my life. | https://medium.com/urbanitymag/desus-says-race-wars-are-coming-so-whos-starting-them-8f4e3bc67646 | ['Alison Roh Park'] | 2019-03-21 14:23:41.343000+00:00 | ['Racism', 'Race', 'Asian American', 'Black Asian Relations', 'Desus And Mero'] |
My 2020 Spotify Unwrapped | My 2020 Spotify Unwrapped
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
An intro into my music taste
I’m a big rock and metal fan, but I dip into many different genres including; pop, dubstep, rap, hip hop, EDM and so much more. Music helps me concentrate, it helps me get through my anxiety and depression, and I listen to it every single day.
My Spotify Unwrapped
Since 2017, I started using Spotify for my music listening, and every year I enjoy their unwrapped feature. Spotify’s 2020 unwrapped was very surprising. The song I most listened to was not one I expected at all, and the list of genres was also surprising to me.
Discovered artists
This year, I have discovered a total of 888 new artists. How on earth have I managed to discover that many artists? I couldn’t even name 100, let alone 888 of them. There were some fantastic artists which I found through YouTube such as Halocene, Lauren Babic, Violet Orlandi and First To Eleven. They’re all incredibly amazing artists, and you should 💯 check them out.
Top 5 genres
My top 5 genres weren’t too surprising… Alternative metal, metalcore, modern rock, pop-punk and EDM were my top. EDM is definitely a big surprise to me because I thought it would be rap. However, it seems like I wasn’t listening to enough rap, and it never got into my top 5.
Top Song
Another surprise, because I knew I listen to this song a lot, but I never expected it to be my most listened to of the year. That song is “Absolute Zero” by Stone Sour. They are an all-time favourite band alongside Slipknot.
Top songs
Absolute Zero — Stone Sour Catastrophist — Trivium Born for Greatness — Papa Roach Unsainted — Slipknot Help — Papa Roach
As you can see, I really like Papa Roach. Two of their songs are in my list, and they are great songs. Born for Greatness are a huge motivational song and one that I would recommend during workouts. Catastrophist by Trivium, while it’s a hard song to spell, it’s amazing. I have always loved Trivium since I saw them live around 2008. They were the first band I ever saw live, and have a special place in my heart. Unsainted by Slipknot, again, this is just a great song that I always enjoy listening to. Slipknot’s latest album has helped me through some tough moments this year, and I’m not surprised it was in my top 5.
Top Artist
Surprise surprise, it’s Linkin Park. 😱
Linkin Park released an album this year. However, it’s not a newly recorded album; it’s a remaster of many of their previous songs including songs that were never released publicly before. It was a great album to see, and it got me listening to their older albums again. However, I didn’t realise how much the release of the new album affected my listening habits, and I would have never thought they were a top artist. Something else that is really cool for me is the fact I’m in their top 2% of listeners on Spotify, which is really cool.
Top Artists
Most of these artists being in my top 5 aren’t a surprise to me. However, I thought Mike Shinoda would be my number 1 or 2, and Linkin Park would be further down. I guess it shows how much I pay attention to what I’m actually listening to.
Conclusion
If you want to see my podcast list and a few extras that I didn’t post here, then you can check out the list of Tweets I posted on Twitter. This will give you a better picture of my listening habits, and you may find something you haven’t heard before.
Enjoy reading this blog? Please consider following. | https://medium.com/@mbrooksuk/my-2020-spotify-unwrapped-36252f5c4e9 | ['Michael Brooks'] | 2020-12-17 08:55:11.012000+00:00 | ['Spotify', 'Life', 'Music', 'Soul', 'Unwrapped'] |
How use Ledger in ZilPay wallet. | This article presents to you on how to connect your very own Ledger Nano S hardware wallet to ZilPay. I hope this article will be useful as a guide to you!
Step 1: Installing the Ledger Nano S app
Download Ledger Live on your computer using the link below: https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-live;
on your computer using the link below: https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-live; Navigate to the Manager tab, search Zilliqa in the application.
Install Zilliqa application.
When the application is installed you will see on your device.
Step 2: Accessing your wallet via Ledger Nano S
After successfully installing the Ledger Nano S app, you need to install the ZilPay wallet in your browser. ZilPay is supported: FireFox, Chrome and Opera:
Move to account manager.
To connect ZilPay with you Ledger, let us “Import” the account via “Hardware” and choose “Ledger” as the preferred option.
Import page.
Key in an account index (starting from Zero) and click on the “CONNECT” button. You will then be prompted to confirm the generation of the public key on your Ledger Nano S device.
Confirm by pressing the right button and you shall see your imported wallet address on ZilPay!
Step 3: Sending a transaction on ZilPay via Ledger Nano S.
Let’s got to dApp, you can move to zilpay.xyz:
fungibletoken maker.
nonfungibletoken maker.
scilla-editor for deploy your smart contracts.
Roll this game for rolling your zill.
I just play to the roll. | https://medium.com/coinmonks/how-use-ledger-in-zilpay-wallet-9c91e3c2c8d2 | ['Rinat Khasanshin'] | 2020-09-20 20:18:07.197000+00:00 | ['Nodejs', 'Blockchain', 'Ledger', 'Zilliqa', 'Zilpay'] |
How to Present Data Meaningfully | How to Present Data Meaningfully
Three tips on data presentation for management reporting and analytics dashboards
Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash
With analytics getting more prevalent these days and the digitalization of businesses, more data becomes available. Inevitably, management would want to leverage and utilize these data to strategize and make data-driven decisions to move the chess pieces.
The standard way is to present the data in a table format. However, data in a table wouldn’t be able to showcase relationships and patterns. I’ll be sharing some of the ways I’ve adopted to provide more clarity and meaning to the data.
#1: Consider the function of the data
It’s important first to understand the function of the data, whether it’s to compare sales figures, highlight a trend, or demonstrate information flow, etc. With the proper understanding of the context, it gives you a better idea of the audience’s intent, e.g. to assess the health of a sales pipeline and allows you to tailor the presentation of your data, i.e. selecting a relevant chart for the intended outcome.
To understand the function of the data, you must first understand the profile of the audience and the context. Considering senior management as the audience, you’ll be able to get a sense of their priorities and intent, e.g. have better oversight in certain areas to facilitate strategic decisions. Sometimes, it may be useful to frame the purpose as a question, i.e. “How do I know if I have to take pre-emptive action to address red flags in my pipeline just by looking at this set of data?”
#2: Choose an appropriate chart
After understanding the function of the data and the context, the next step is to select an appropriate chart. Using a chart allows your audience to visualize relationships and identify patterns quickly, e.g. identifying potential “red flags”.
For example, the use of a funnel chart in representing sales pipeline data (shown below) allows you to assess the health of your pipeline at a glance quickly.
From the above image, the second and third funnel shapes (from left) indicate a “red flag”, i.e. there are not enough new leads. While it does not explain the reasons behind, it’s an excellent indicator to prompt further analysis and discussion. Nevertheless, you can see how shapes tell the story quickly from the example.
A picture is worth a thousand words. — Fred R. Barnard
You can refer to the visualization below to assess which charts might work best for your situation.
#3: Provide context via a summary
As mentioned earlier in tip #1, the context is crucial. While we allow visualizations to tell most of the story, it’s still essential to include some words to answer the key question and drive home the point.
To put things together, given the:
Question from #1 — How do I know if I have to take pre-emptive action to address red flags in my pipeline just by looking at this set of data? Funnel chart from #2 — The Blockage
The summary could be: “Your pipeline is unhealthy — there is a blockage. Sales leads are drying up, and there isn’t sufficient growth.”
By including the summary, you provide the context by stringing the chart and the question together. | https://medium.com/the-internal-startup/how-to-present-data-meaningfully-267b6217caa7 | ['Jimmy Soh'] | 2020-07-08 14:02:09.927000+00:00 | ['Management', 'Presentations', 'Business Strategy', 'Data Visualization', 'Reporting'] |
Conformity bias: How to use effectively in your marketing campaign? | As humans, we naturally tend to work collectively. We like to be a part of a group. To be feel belonged. After reading this article you will be able to understand how to use that natural tendency to your advantage.
What is conformity bias?
Simply put, Conformity bias is the tendency of humans to act like the people around them instead of using their own personal judgment.
Remember the last time you met your friends. Didn’t you decide to change your mind to follow along with your friends? For instance, you might have decided to went to a movie with your friends even though you are not really interested in it.
It was not the content or the quality of the movie that inspired you to take that decision. It was the excitement of your friends about the movie. Automatically you decided to conform. This is a social phenomenon happening every time and we all have to conform to some extent.
Why do we tend to conform?
We are extremely social creatures. The biggest advantage of us is our ability to work collectively. That ability is the exact same reason for human kind’s superior-rise over every other living form on earth.
So there is a copious amount of programs in our brain to help us do collectively. Conformity bias is one of them. Yet a crucial one. Especially in marketing.
How to implement conformity bias to advertising.
Down here you can see two ad copies. These are “"just for fun” ad copies created by me for a fictional training firm.
This is the first one. Now take a look at the second one.
Can you see what I have added in the second ad? By adding that value 9,567, I have brought conformity to play. This is social proof. There is a higher chance of hooking a customer by this because the customer will tend to conform.
The advertisement only says to join those 9,567 businesses. That is nothing to be scared of. Actually, it is what the brain wants in default. To become a part of a group. So let it be.
So do try to implement conformity in your ads by social proof whenever possible. It will obviously give you tons of benefits in the near future. Also, remember when using social proof always use only the correct details. That is important because trust is the most crucial part of marketing anything.
However, using numbers is not the only way to use conformity bias. Think of you as the owner of a business consultant firm. So when you are advertising you could address the primary need of your target customers. Which is the growth of their business. You could say something like ‘Want to grow your business?’ in your ad copies. So how do you use conformity bias to further develop this ad?
You could say something like ‘Want to grow your business?’ in your ad copies. So how do you use conformity bias to further develop this ad?
Well, you can use numbers like in the previous example. But what happens if the number is not that big. In such a case except using the exact number, you can say something like in the fictional ad down here. The ad is missing a call to action and the graphics are really primitive. But I didn’t want to further spend my time for this since this was not a real one:-).
The magic word in here is ‘too’. By using the word ‘too’ in the copy I have generated the same conformity effect in the reader’s mind.
So be creative and try to implement conformity bias to advertising whenever it is possible.
Hashtag challenges and Influencer marketing: use of conformity bias in social media
In nowadays, Social media platforms have become a vital part of marketing anything or anyone. So let’s look at the role of conformity in social media.
Yeehaw challenge
Yeehaw challenge is a TikTok challenge that recently went viral. In the yee-haw challenge a user stands ahead of the camera for the first part of “ Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and suddenly converted into top to bottom cowboy outfit. This simple hashtag challenge skyrocketed the artist’s popularity.
Conformity bias played a crucial role in here once again. Once you have seen a few people around you doing that trendy thing it is natural for you to do the same. To join the trend.
There were also a few awful challenges reported. Like the one called “tide pod challenge” in which teenagers tried to eat detergent pods. However, this is a strong proof that shows how powerful conformity bias can be.
Also, we have seen how big the companies use social influencers for marketing purposes. Though this was not a new strategy, today social media has transformed this into a whole new profession.
You don’t have to be an actor or a singer to build a fan base. You could be a social influencer. and earn a handsome income.
Conclusion
In summary, Conformity bias is both a natural tendency and a social phenomenon in human society. Technically you could use conformity bias for marketing until the very last day of human civilization.
When used creatively and correctly you could use it for a bigger advantage. Modern hashtag challenges are a good example of present-day conformity.
So What is your opinion about this? | https://medium.com/@akalankapathirage/conformity-bias-how-to-use-effectively-in-your-marketing-campaign-78186b9c53b1 | ['Akalanka Pathirage'] | 2021-01-09 11:29:50.143000+00:00 | ['Marketing Strategies', 'Conformity', 'Advertising', 'Marketing'] |
Understanding Concepts | Network Graphs
For many of the readers here a graph is something with axis and precise plots to show the correlation of one variable with another. However, graphing in the sense we need is much simpler to understand, yet infinitely harder to master.
To begin any study of any kind of communication network we must first understand the basics of mathematical representations of real world interactions. These interactions can by physical infrastructure, order of interaction, or even social in nature. We classify different structures in graph theory by the properties that the resulting graph has. Throughout this series we will cover a number of different graph structures and measurements, to ensure that everyone understands what they are looking at when these topics come up we briefly go over the topic here.
In essence a network graph shows how nodes are connected to one another, which nodes in the network have a direct connection to other nodes. In these kinds of graphs there is no concept of time, they allow for a thorough analysis of the state of the network each point at a discrete point in time.
A network graph showing a collection of metrics commonly used to measure and describe the network in question.
Scale Free networks are ones where the number of connections (degree) each node controls flows the power law, that is, at least asymptotically. This means that some nodes are have many more connections than the majority of others. We shall get more into this concept towards the end of the series.
Transaction graphs
Transaction dependencies
To read time ordered (topological) charts, read left to right following each arrow (transaction) until it comes to a node (account/address) that does not have an arrow exiting. This node is the last state of the account. Each action occurs in order of reading. You obviously cannot go back in time. Illustrated to the left via an arrow pointing from the left to the right.
A Hash
A hash is an asymmetric (one way) mathematical function that will produce the same output for the same input. If even a small change is made to the input data, the output changes in a seemingly random fashion. To the left is a graphical representation of what a hash of two pieces of data would traditionally be depicted as.
Transactions
Every action on the bitcoin network involves transactions. Their structure can be complex but their form is standardised. When thinking about the information needed to perform any kind of transaction we must know what we are to send and where we are to send it. So the first step in building a transaction is to first provide these pieces of information. This input information is then hashed together, the private key of the owner is then used to sign this hash, this provides proof of ownership of the asset that is to be transferred to a new owner. Every node then verifies that the ownership proof is correct and checks that transaction does not break any consensus rules. If these boundaries are adhered to the transaction is accepted. This was not a new concept and was a standard way to create digital ownership tokens before bitcoin.
A simplistic view of the key components in a Bitcoin transaction
Tree nomenclature
A depiction of a binary hash tree
A tree is simply a data structure that organises the data it consists of. There are many different types of trees and tries which due to the way they are constructed have different attributes and properties. To correctly describe these features we must first be familiar with the common nomenclature of these data structures.
A leaf: End of the path or branch.
A branch: A path of hashes between either two hashes or the root to leaf.
Root: The tip of the tree, also known as the root hash in the diagram below.
A bitcoin block
The anatomy of a Bitcoin is one that is extremely important and is extensively covered with within the original whitepaper Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, Satoshi Nakamoto. The paper also perfectly illustrates the block structure. Thus I will simply point to the diagram in Section 7, Reclaiming Disk Space.
A bitcoin block is secured by Proof of Work, this is simply a Hash with a minimum target result. This is adjusted (read: guessed) by changing the nonce (arbitrary random number) within the block header. This is much like attempting simple algebraic math problem without knowing how to do algebra, simply guessing numbers until the equation balances. The two other variables in the block header that is used for the input of the Proof of Work hash is the root hash from the tree of transactions and the hash result of the previous block.
Now the basics of the technical jargon have been covered we can delve into the first chapter of the Satoshi series, The Red Queen. | https://medium.com/two-hop-ventures/understanding-concepts-8f68c0740698 | ['Alex Fauvel'] | 2018-11-24 20:16:44.861000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin', 'Networks', 'Blockchain'] |
Comparing Historical and Modern Descriptions of Bisexuality and Pansexuality | “Attraction to Men and Women”
Whether you call a person who is able to have sex with a male or female bisexual, AC-DC, a switch-hitter, ambisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, or, in Freud’s words, “polymorphous perverse,” his or her sexual persuasion is certainly nothing new.
Since I came out in the late 90s, I haven’t seen one bi activist organisation define bisexuality as attraction solely to men and women… When I use ‘bi’ to refer to two types of attraction, I mean attraction to people of my gender and attraction to people of other genders.
Pansexual: A person who is romantically and/or sexually attracted to both men and women.
Because they discarded the dichotomous understanding of gender, participants rejected the ideas that they were attracted to ‘both’ men and women, arguing that they did not perceive gender as the defining feature in their attraction.
Some discuss the difference between the two [sexualities] as focused on gender, such as this statement: “[Pansexuality is] different from bisexuality. Bisexuality refers to people attracted to men and women. With more people identifying across the gender spectrum between men and women, pansexuality has emerged as a catch-all that includes everyone else.”
Hardly anyone in the bisexual community defines bisexuality as attraction to just men and women.
“Attraction Regardless of Race or Age”
I don’t care if I fall in love with a black or a white or a man or a woman or an old or young person. I just care that they have a good heart…
…the very wealth and humanity of bisexuality itself: for to exclude from one’s love any entire group of human beings because of class, age, or race or religion, or sex, is surely to be poorer — deeply and systematically poorer.
“Attraction to (or Inclusion of) Trans People”
[P]ansexuals may be attracted to… those who are transsexual or transgender. This differentiates pansexuality from bisexuality, which denotes attraction to people of just two different sexes — male and female.
John Wojtowicz, a former bank teller [and self-identified bisexual], was sentenced today to [a] 20‐year prison term for the armed robbery of a Brooklyn bank — a holdup that he said he had committed to obtain money for a sex‐change operation for his [transsexual] “wife.”
A newer term, pansexual, has been adopted to include transsexuals…
The first wave of people who started the [San Francisco] Bi Center [opened in 1976] were political radicals and highly motivated people. The group was based on inclusivity… for example, in the women’s groups, anybody who identified as a woman had the right to be there, so a lot of transgender people started coming to the Bi Center.
Pansexual means an attraction to individuals of any of the five sexes (male, female, intersexed, transsexed); additionally, it is a term which goes beyond the self orientation identity of bisexual to include the orientation of transensual [i.e., attraction to transgender people].
I have talked to the bisexual practicers of pre-op transsexuals who feel they have the best of both worlds because their lover embodies woman and man together. […] With respect to our integrity as bisexuals, it is our responsibility to include transgendered people in our language, in our communities, in our politics, and in our lives.
Just like bisexuality, pansexuals are sexually attracted to men and women. But the key difference is that pansexual people tend to consider themselves as more ‘gender fluid.’ They may also be drawn to those who identify as intersex, third-gender, androgynous or transgender.
In the last two years, transgendered people have begun to catch my attention (before they didn’t). I am excited by the masculine (in men, women, and trans) and the feminine (also in men, women, and trans).
Bisexual is attracted to both sexes by both men and women — Attractiveness is related to gender… Pansexual is attracted to all, including transsexuals — Sex does not play any role.
My fellow bisexuals… I stand before you as an unapologetic, outspoken, bisexual activist who has intimately loved women, men and transgender persons throughout my life span of 72 years… I have the capacity and the desire to love men as well as women as well as transgender persons.
It never felt right for me to identify as bisexual. I know so many people who are asexual or two-spirited, and I’m open to being with someone who is trans.
I have a very inclusive definition of bisexuality that isn’t restricted to traditional binary gender roles and doesn’t exclude trans people (I believe that a ftm trans man is a man, not a separate category).
“Attraction to Androgyny”
Pansexuals love people of all genders, male and female, but unlike bisexuals, pansexuals love transgendered, androgynous and gender fluid people, people who don’t fit into the categories of male or female.
The Bisexual Center is united in struggling for the rights of all women and men to develop as whole, androgynous beings.
A pansexual person can love not only the traditional male and female genders, but also transgendered, transsexual, cross-dressing, androgynous and gender-fluid people.
Others are attracted to masculinity and/or femininity, regardless of a person’s sex. Some of us who identify as bisexual are in fact “gender-blind.” For others — in fact for me — it’s androgyny or the blending of genders that compels.
“Attraction to Intersex People/All Sexes”
The term pansexual attractions is a liberating and newly coined reference to individuals who are primarily attracted to all individuals and all sexes.
…bisexual usually also implies that relations with gender minorities [defined here as “not male or female” and described as intersex people] are possible.
Pansexual means an attraction to individuals of any of the five sexes (male, female, intersexed, transsexed)…
And there are some bisexuals who do prefer hermaphrodites, or would if we could find them…
Pansexuality encompasses attraction to members of all sexes and gender identities. It is broader than bisexuality, which implies that one can only be attracted to biological males and females.
Even if they do not identify as bisexual, [transgender people] may feel more comfortable in a bi community in which attraction to all sexes and genders is accepted.
“Attraction Regardless of Genitalia”
Pansexual/omnisexual: Attracted to “people, not parts”.
Many bisexuals, myself included, feel we are attracted to people for qualities other than biological equipment.
Others extend even this broad definition by delineating pansexuality as being not about the sexual equipment of the individual…
“Gender indifferent” bisexuals often annoy others by claiming to “love people, not genitals” — implying that gays, lesbians, and hets care only about whether someone has a cock or a cunt.
Pansexuality basically means it’s about hearts, not parts.
My bi identity is not about who I am having sex with; it is not about the genitals of my past, current, or future lovers; it is not about choosing potential partners or excluding partners based on what is between their legs.
As a pansexual person, as well as fancying males, females, and other genders, I feel I experience sexual attraction differently to the average person. I never look at someone and think, ‘I wonder what it’d be like to fuck them? I wonder what their genitals look like.’ That thought doesn’t enter my head.
The professor of that class, bisexual herself, perfectly captured the essence of bisexuality: “It’s not a set of genitals walking up to me, it’s a person.”
“Rejecting the Sex/Gender Binary”
[A]ll my friends had been what I would call pansexual, avoiding the older term bi-sexual, which is meaningless when you can count more than two sexes.
As one who views herself as a feminist bisexual woman… I must challenge yet a third aspect of sexism which has not yet been challenged, at least not on a large scale. I call this aspect two-genderism, a rather clumsy term upon which I hope someone will improve. […] Literature which insists that there are only women and men is conspiring unconsciously with sexist forces to crush those in between.
I don’t identify as bisexual for a few reasons… I firmly believe there are not two genders. So identifying as bisexual is counterproductive to my gender politics. So when people ask me, “Are you bisexual? gay?” I’m like, “I’m equal opportunity. I sleep with people of all genders.”… I identify with pansexual.
Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature… don’t assume that there are only two genders.
Though many might describe [Mary] Gonzalez’s orientation as bisexual, pansexuals don’t believe in a “gender binary,” and hence can be attracted to all gender identities.
I myself recently received a party invitation that read “for men, women, and others.” What your mother probably never told you is that not everyone is 100% female or 100% male. Many of us may have two or more personas or parts of our personalities that transcend traditional gender constraints and roles — not phony ones to please our parents and bosses — but roles of self-expression, self-exploration, and fun.
[P]ansexual means that you are capable of being attracted to any and all genders. What makes it different to bisexuality is the acceptance that people exist outside the gender binary.
…there is a distinct subset of the bi community which experiences bisexuality as a lived protest against gender categories, whose members appreciate cross-gendered and genderbending partners not only for fine gender-neutral qualities but precisely because with them we can have “maleness” and “femaleness” in the same person… The gender players tend to see gender roles and identities as fluid vs. immutable, transgressable through sexual play even if oppressive in daily life.
[Pansexual] has since been adopted by some people as a more inclusive term than bisexual, a term that implies that there are only two genders (male and female).
As bisexuals, we are necessarily prompted to come up with non-binary ways of thinking about sexual orientation. For many of us, this has also prompted a move toward non-binary ways of thinking about sex and gender.
“Attraction Beyond the Gender Binary”
Since, however, there are more than two genders, some people do not self-identify as bisexual, finding themselves attracted to people across a spectrum of genders. These people have adopted different terms, including pansexual…
Herself a bisexual woman, [Nan Goldin] found that drag queens, to her a third gender, were perfect companions. By transgressing the bounds of the binary, they had created identities that were infinitely more meaningful.
Pansexuals describe their attraction as different from bisexuality, which only considers the gender binary — if you are bisexual, by definition you are attracted to either men or women.
And all the while, busy bisexuals are having sex: with women, with men, with partners whose gender is unclear, fluid, or mixed…
[Pansexuals can] love all people and don’t look at gender as being the most important aspect. [They] can be sexually and/or romantically attracted to someone who is transgender, non-binary, or gender fluid.
“Hello, my name is Jaqueline Applebee… if you want to see me later, or just want a kiss, let me know as I’m bisexual, and you’re all gorgeous!” […] I have loved men, women, and those who don’t identify with any gender.
“Attraction to All Genders”
Pansexuals love people of all genders, male and female, but unlike bisexuals, pansexuals love transgendered, androgynous and gender fluid people, people who don’t fit into the categories of male or female.
Who is this group for exactly? Anyone who identifies as bisexual or thinks they are attracted to or interested in all genders… This newly formed [support] group is to create a supportive, safe environment for people who are questioning their sexual orientation and think they may be bisexual.
Pansexual or Pan: is used to describe anyone romantically and sexually attracted to people of all genders.
Similarly, the modern bisexual movement has dissolved the strict dichotomy between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ (without invalidating our homosexual or heterosexual friends and lovers.) We have insisted on our desire and freedom to love people of all genders.
Thus, someone who is omnisexual or pansexual can be attracted to all genders, or a variety of gender identities.
Bisexual — being emotionally and physically attracted to all genders.
[T]hough many might describe [Mary] Gonzalez’s orientation as bisexual, pansexuals [like Gonzalez] don’t believe in a ‘gender binary,’ and hence can be attracted to all gender identities.
The bisexual community seems to be disappearing. Not that there won’t always be people around who like to have sex with people of all genders, the community, as I’ve discussed in this book, is a different matter altogether.
It is often confused with or included within the definition of bisexuality, but it is a more fluid and much broader form of sexual orientation in which the pansexual individual experiences sexual attraction towards members of all genders.
I call myself bisexual because it includes attraction to all genders (same as mine; different from mine).
“Attraction Regardless of Gender”
The term pansexual refers to individuals that feel sexual attraction to an array of individuals regardless of sex, gender or gender identity.
Being bisexual does not mean they have sexual relations with both sexes but that they are capable of meaningful and intimate involvement with a person regardless of gender.
Pansexuality- Is the sexual attraction towards people regardless of gender[,] also known as omnisexuality[.]
In the midst of whatever hardships we [bisexuals] had encountered, this day we worked with each other to preserve our gift of loving people for who they are regardless of gender.
Pansexual: Sometimes referred to as omnisexual, pansexual describes an attraction to a person regardless of sex or gender.
To be bisexual is to have the potential to be open emotionally and sexually to people as people, regardless of their gender.
If you are pansexual you are attracted to people of all genders, not just male and female, and your attraction occurs regardless of gender identity.
Bisexual: A person who is attracted to people regardless of gender (a person does not have to have a relationship to be bisexual!)
“Attraction Without a Gender Preference”
Pan-sexual — Lacking highly specific sexual orientations or preferences; open to a range of sexual activities.
I’m a 31-year-old, non-monogamous (though not into group sex), bisexual (no gender preference for partner) female living in Asheville, NC.
“Attraction Where Gender Is Not a Factor”
“I consider Little Richard to be the most famous pansexual,” said Leon. “He was not about genders. He was about beautiful and not beautiful. If there was a cute boy and a homely girl, he’d talk to the boy. If the girl was pretty, he’d talk to her.
My main feeling is that I want to love human beings; sex and gender should not be determining factors.
Pansexual is basically a more liberal version of bisexual. It means you don’t care about someone’s gender or identity or sexuality, you just like them for them.
Some women who call themselves ‘bisexual’ insist that the gender of their lover is irrelevant to them, that they do not choose lovers on the basis of gender.
Often confused with bisexuality, pansexuality is where gender isn’t factored into attraction at all. In contrast, those who identify as bisexual are attracted to both genders.
Respondent #495 recalled that “the best definition I’ve ever heard [for bisexuality] is someone who is attracted to people & gender/sex is not an issue or factor in that attraction.”
While bisexuality’s definitions vary, the common thread is that a bi person’s attraction is influenced by gender. In a positive way, gender is still a factor that informs their attraction. Pansexuality, on the other hand, doesn’t hinge on gender, and our attraction to others has nothing to do with our own gender identity.
But there are also many bis, such as myself, for whom gender has no place in the list of things that attract them to a person. For instance, I like people who are good listeners, who understand me and have interests similar to mine… “Male” or “female” are not anywhere to be found in the list of qualities I find attractive.
“Attraction to People, Not Genders”
They are gathering… with an open-ended attitude of genuinely caring for each other but I-don’t-care-what-you-call-me, polymorphous perverse, any thing-that-feels-good-goes pansexuality. This is the Third Sex. Whether physically girlish boys or boyish girls, the members of the third sex are attracted to people, their auras, vibrancies, minds and good looks, not to genders. Fuck genders. Make love to people.
*If the author believes the “third sex” has an independent sexual orientation, it would likely be “pansexual,” but he never clearly says this. Including this quote as a definition of pansexuality — which isn’t directly defined on its own in this text and also used to describe “attitudes” about sexuality— was very tentative.
It’s easier, I believe, for exclusive heterosexuals to tolerate (and that’s the word) exclusive homosexuals than [bisexuals] who, rejecting exclusivity, sleep with people not genders…
[S]ome pansexuals refer to themselves as gender blind as to them gender is insignificant in determining whether they will be sexually attracted to others.
[S]ome bisexuals say they are blind to the gender of their potential lovers and that they love people as people… For the first group, a dichotomy of genders between which to choose doesn’t seem to exist[.]
People who use this label [“pansexual”] may describe themselves as ‘gender blind’…
The probability is that your relationship is based on, or has nestled itself into something based more on the relationship between two identities than on the relationship between two people. That’s what we’re taught: man/man, woman/woman, woman/man, top/bottom, butch/femme, man/woman/man, etc. We’re never taught person/person. That’s what the bisexual movement has been trying to teach us.
Aside from who pansexuals are attracted to, they also see gender and sexuality differently [from bisexuals]. More specifically, they do not see it…
I see a person, not a gender… I demand to be free to legally marry anyone without regard to their gender.
For example, a bisexual cis woman might be attracted to a cis man or woman, whereas a pansexual would be attracted to a cis person. That’s why some people use the term ‘gender blind’ to explain pansexuality.
Loving a person rather than a man or a woman: this is Runa Wehrli’s philosophy… ‘I fall in love with a person and not a gender,’ she says.
“Attraction to Personality”
People who [identify as pansexual] may describe themselves… as being attracted to a person’s personality rather than his or her sex.
[W]riters, artists, and musicians especially ‘cultivated bisexuality out of a delight with personality, regardless of race or class or sex.
Thorne described her sexuality as favoring someone’s personality more than their body. “You like beings,” she said. “You like what you like. Doesn’t have to be a girl or a guy or a he or she or they or this or that. It’s literally you like personality. You just like a being.”
Results supported the hypothesis that gender is not a critical variable in sexual attraction in bisexual individuals. Personality or physical dimensions not related to gender and interaction style were the salient characteristics on which preferred sexual partners were chosen.
Pansexual: …Sexual orientation associated with desiring/loving a person’s personality primarily, and specific bodily features secondarily.
We [bisexuals] like people based on personality[,] not gender.
”Potential Attraction to Anyone”
In 1963 [Rita Mae Brown] was kicked out after agitating for greater racial integration, but what the school authorities actually nailed her for was her “pansexuality,” as she puts it. “I was open to loving anybody.”
[B]eing bisexual means I could potentially find myself sexually attracted to anybody.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, trans male, trans female, nonbinary — everyone’s hot to me.”
For me bisexuality means I don’t stop attraction, caring or relationship potential based on gender; I can have sex, flirtation or warm ongoing love with anyone (not everyone, okay? That part’s a myth).
“All Forms of Human Sexuality”
Pansexuality includes all kinds of sexuality that can exist in a human
being, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, transgender, heterosexual,
tendencies that may prevail either permanently or occasionally. | https://aninjusticemag.com/comparing-historical-and-modern-descriptions-of-bisexuality-and-pansexuality-ede1ebdb9e61 | ['Kravitz M.'] | 2020-12-07 02:57:46.198000+00:00 | ['Queer', 'Sexuality', 'LGBTQ', 'Kravitz M', 'History'] |
The Unseen Reality | “When you possess great treasures within you and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.” — The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho.
I LOVE the practice of Qigong. From the outside, it may appear like nothing is happening, but on the inside, it’s a whole different universe!
The same happens when manifesting. It might seem like there’s no proof or evidence of what I know to be true in my heart and therefore people don’t take me seriously when I try to explain my predictions. It doesn’t matter. In the end, it was never between me and them anyway.
I can get lost in the silence of the universe. If I could, I would stay in meditation forever. It’s probably the time where I feel the most alive because I go beyond the walls, beyond the boundaries of my mind. The entry-point into that vast space is my breath. My breath leads me into the depths of my subconscious.
Changing my breath changes my thoughts. Changing my thoughts changes my perception. Accessing the power to change my perception gives me access to change my reality. Accessing the silence beyond my thoughts allows me to enter into the field of infinite possibilities where I find all the answers to my questions. Everything I need to know emerges from this realm. I have everything I need to transform my life right here, right now. I’m simply waiting for the right moment. Timing is everything.
In the meantime, preparation is of utmost importance. Slowing down my breath, slows down my time. When my life goes into slow-motion, I can zoom in and correct the details. Krishnamurti said that one does not meditate in order to get one’s house in order, but that one has to get one’s house in order first before one can meditate. He means that life force energy cannot flow where things are a mess. I need to align my behavior, my thoughts, my habits, meaning that they need to be congruent first before the meditation can have full effect. As above, so below. As within, so without. I cannot say one thing and do another. My thoughts, words, and actions need to tell the same story.
I wrote down a little list of what my priorities should be. And to be honest, I wrote this list down exactly two years ago: on 31 December 2018. It is now more relevant than ever:
Worry less, eat less, talk less. Breathe more, dream more, sing more. Listen more, write more, dance more. Think less, feel more, do less, sleep more. Frown less, smile more, move more.
I am keeping my life simple, but making the simple things count. Less is always more.
Where do you go in search of the answers to the questions to your heart? | https://medium.com/@mysticalwildchild/the-unseen-reality-9af2338a3aad | ['Kirstin Van As'] | 2020-12-24 04:15:07.030000+00:00 | ['Space', 'Time', 'Breathing', 'The Alchemist', 'Surrender'] |
The 4 master artists who used nature-inspired color palettes | The 4 master artists who used nature-inspired color palettes
Many artists in history were obsessed with colors in nature. When viewing their masterpieces, we could discover their intense passions, unconcealable emotions, and their staunch belief in the power of colors.
As a product designer, I also constantly think about what natural color patterns can be used to better connect with users. To get inspired, I want to take a whirlwind journey through modern art history, drill insights into what colors meant to some of the most creative geniuses, and discuss what can be leveraged to our design practices. 😉
Claude Monet: the harmonious, analogous colors
Claude Monet is among one of the most well-known Impressionism artists. Around the 1860s, he and a group of young artists decided to paint what they saw, thought, and felt in a simple and intuitive way.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” (1915). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
It was a huge break away from their Realist predecessors. Claude Monet and his peer artists were much more interested in painting landscape and contemporary life, rather than depicting historical and mythological scenes.
If we take a close look at Monet’s paintings, we can observe his focus on picturing nature and capturing the fleeting effects of natural light. The color palettes on his works were often soft and glowing, which convey a more intimate feel to the viewers.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge” (1897–99). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
Meanwhile, he often used analogous colors to draw natural sceneries. The “Water Lillies” series is one of the stunning examples. In the following “Water Lillies” painting created in 1908, we can sense the beauty of nature through the softly fluid blues and greens, with cream and a bit of pink. The smooth transitions between analogous colors create a sense of gentleness and calm.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” (1908). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
💡 Designer takeaway
Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Claude Monet’s works can be a great place to find inspiration from if we want to convey a calm, gentle feel in the interface we’re designing. | https://uxplanet.org/the-4-master-artists-who-used-nature-inspired-color-palettes-c10441c1c7d2 | ['Mandy Ding'] | 2021-01-08 00:58:30.553000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Color Palette', 'UI Design', 'Colors', 'Product Design'] |
The Blackwood Tree | Shimmering grain, golden copper strands
with fibres of chocolate, both milk and dark.
A stunning timber, with which to create form,
a fine jewellery box for my wife, my beloved.
A casket for her treasures, a token of my gratitude
for all that she does selflessly, a memento
of me to remember the good times
for when the day comes, that I’m not there.
Australian Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon.
Sharing kinship with our prized pycnantha wattle.
Speckled with matte gold pom-poms of its own.
A subdued, understated flower, by comparison,
allowing its brighter, bolder cousin to be
centre stage as our nation’s prime bloom,
showcasing its earthy green and vibrant gold.
An elegant tree, from a proud heritage.
Timbers, now held in unworthy hands.
Attempting to do some good, so that I may
become worthy and give its death meaning.
Allowing its spirit to become one with nature,
knowing it had fulfilled its purpose.
Neither living nor dying in vain.
Never asking for much, this Blackwood tree.
Wanting only a space to live in the East
of a country with much space to spare.
Needing water, which it waited for, patiently,
in a hot, dry land, expecting none to provide.
Requiring the sun, of whose generous abundance
it fed, alike all its kin, and life everywhere.
The Blackwood tree, silently providing our air,
so we could breathe remaining ignorant of it.
Taking leavings, without complaint, and thriving.
In the harshness, under Australian skies,
providing shade beneath its mighty canopy.
Sheltering the many insects that
burrow within its bark for refuge.
Until, despite its living beauty in truth,
its body, brought down by the children she fed.
Felled with a crash, and shower of golden teardrops.
Falling and filling the air with a cloud of sadness.
Lamenting the loss of a giving and selfless soul
such as this one, the Blackwood tree.
No more. No more shelter anymore. No more.
No more air to provide, nor blooms or leaves.
The Blackwood tree, on its side, it now lay amidst
broken branches and bark. Beetles, beyond believing
this act of intrusion that only we could perpetrate.
Hurriedly, its limbs removed with cold steel.
Bark, stripped without care for its nakedness,
by people filling a day with work to get paid.
Its backbone clutched callously in metal claws
and laid side by side with its brothers on a flatbed.
Its hearse, its carriage for its final journey,
without the dignity of wreaths or grief.
For none requires closure for the loss of a tree.
At the mill, the last of the Blackwood is lost.
All identity as a tree is gone. Forever.
A tree becomes lumber. A being becomes wood.
A home to be furnished with chocolate and gold.
For even in death, the Blackwood’s beauty remains.
Alone in the workshop and pondering upon
this life of the beautiful Blackwood tree.
Disappointment that we fail to see
beauty exists without our intervention.
We see only beauty if it’s beautiful to us.
So, I choose to gift to this life that was lost;
this Black Wattle, this Blackwood tree,
whose life embodied what it is to give,
and from whose timbers, a gift I will make.
It will have a second life of giving.
An ornament of chocolate and gold.
A lifetime of function and memories,
to be treasured again in the years to come.
Tell me, will you see this Blackwood tree? | https://medium.com/beingwriters/the-blackwood-tree-e15f9001023 | ['Victor Sarkin'] | 2020-09-23 05:07:01.804000+00:00 | ['Nature', 'Poetry', 'Australia', 'Environment', 'Outdoors'] |
THE 8 WEEK BOOTY GUIDE REVIEW | This review is on “The 8 Week Booty“, a 60 day pdf (ebook/video) program designed to help get the butt you’ve always wanted. But does it really do what it says it does? Let’s find out.
Discovering How to Build a Bigger, Rounder, Fuller, And Stronger Backside
in No Time with This 8 Week Booty Training Programme!
That’s the short and sweet promise of this inexpensive $12.95 program! So right there it is one of the cheapest programs I’ve reviewed so far. The great part is you can definitely get some great results fairly fast with the program. I suggest reading on below and get some additional info before making a choice.
What makes it different, besides the very cheap price point?
Simplicity in the workout program
You get all the exercises you need to get the perfect booty
You also get all the workouts on video, making sure you do it 100% right.
You also get the nutrition plan needed to get fit. This is NOT just for building a bigger, sexier butt.
You will also see fat loss alongside your new found booty.
I found the information in this program to be well thought out. You’ll be working out all areas of the gluteus maximus with high intense workouts that leave your sweating and wanting more. That’s also FUN, which makes the program perfect for all ages. It is designed to be a “fast butt program”, meaning you see fast results. I always test the programs for 4 weeks before giving a review.
I saw visible results with the 8 week booty program within about 3 weeks. I already had a very tight and lifted butt, but it helped me get that extra edge.
What is “The 8 Week Booty”?
It’s a simple program designed to get you a bigger, rounder and firmer butt. The focus of the exercises is on the glutes. It’s a very easy to follow program that is intelligently designed to WORK.
The creator, Paul Burgess is a well known for training MMA fighters. Paul has various interesting certifications: Paul Burgess SAC Dip (PFT) SAC Dip (AnAg) SAC Dip (CN). Basically he is a certified nutritionist, personal fitness trainer and probably “self-proclaimed” booty expert.
How Will The 8 Week Booty Help Me Get a Bigger Butt?
The idea, is obviously to train your butt with proven methods. The program is not far from the 30 day butt challenge, which has been seen over 15 million times on YouTube, however it will go into a lot more detail. The idea is to do twice the work and get twice the results, fairly logical. The diet guide and exercise videos are show to you in a systematic manner.
You’ll learn a few specific things about training:
The best glute exercises and the science behind them.
This is where you’ll learn why just doing squats is not the best way. You should be adding a “secret sauce” to your squats in order to increase your results dramatically. This means the system is designed to have you work in multiple planes, not just up and down. *hint*
The smartest way to follow the 8 week workout plan
In order to obain the fastest results possible you’ll need to follow the program in the right order. Step-by-step. This is laid out in the program.
The most efficient way to eat in order to build muscle and lose fat
Slow results are to be expected with just training alone, that’s always been the case. So during your 60 days of working out you’ll need to apply some nutritional tips laid out by Paul. You get detailed plans for eating at any time during the day, be it before the workout, right when you wake up or before going to bed. You will need to hit certain mineral and vitamin intakes, which will be described in further detail in the butt program.
Does the 8 Week Butt Program Work?
Above are some of the testimonals from the program of people who have used it and gotten good results to say the least. I didn’t get that dramatic results as the first girl, but more like the last one. I lost a bit of weigt and firmed up my butt. You can find more testimonals on the official website.
Choices of Where To Buy…
The interesting thing is that you can get the 8 week booty from 2 official websites. the8weekbooty.com and 8weekbooty.com, both work fine. I just prefer the8weekbooty.com as it’s simpler to order from, and gives you a guarantee from ClickBank. They have always 60 days, so you never have to worry about testing a product out and being scammed.
For $12.95 (current price with discount), it’s simply a no brainer to test out and see what it can do for you. If you are not happy for any reason just refund the $13 or so bucks and be done with it. But you won’t get a great butt by sitting on it, that’s for sure
The Good And The Bad:
The 8 week booty program is very easy to follow
Created by professional trainer and MMA coach
Although more popular, 30 day butt challenge, is harder and more expensive
100% money back guarantee
Everything is presented in video as well
Great results and many happy customers
The bad:
Only for females
Is quite “short”, only 8 weeks. So not so durable long-term.
Conclusion:
Without a little bit of effort you are not going to get a miracle. But with hard effort you can come a long way. If you work hard and follow the system you’ll surely see great benefits in the butt region. It’s not a “quick butt scheme” if you will. It does require actual effort with exercises and nutrition wise as well.
It will teach you discipline and focus to get what you want out of many areas of life, not just fitness. | https://medium.com/@wazimrev/the-8-week-booty-guide-review-69094bfc4fd4 | ['Wazim Rev'] | 2020-12-14 10:09:58.748000+00:00 | ['Womens Health', 'Booty', 'Review', 'Sexy', 'Women'] |
Off the Dusty Bookshelf: Gilbert Highet’s Poets in a Landscape | I’m sure it was magical when Highet traveled Italy with his poets in his pockets, just as it’s magical now. Who wouldn’t want to visit Sirmio, Verona, and Rome with Catullus, even if only on the page? Who isn’t affected by the merest suggestion that Romeo, in his passion for Juliet and murderous rage at Tybalt, might possess a similar emotional register with Catullus? Highet himself says nothing, but merely concludes his Catullus essay in Verona, and the man’s need for Rome to truly live, with the lines
Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
And to go to Assisi with Propertius, and Sulmona with Ovid; to know that Highet made his pilgrimage to Vergil’s tomb, and Horace’s Villa, and the Fons Bandusiae — to read descriptions of these places, to feel that another human being loved them as we do — it is just wonderful.
Highet is also a writer. A real writer. He has a gift for explaining things, as with Vergil’s relationship to farming, which is far more nuanced than the dismissive “city poet idealizes country life” one sometimes hears; and yet Highet does most of the necessary work in a single paragraph:
He showed how complex it was, how much will-power and application it demanded, how many threats from natural disasters and from diseases confronted it. He made it honourable, but not noble [how much of Vergil is in those seven words!]. He did not attempt to disguise or glorify the primitive and often sordid life of the farmer. He used words and images that were kept strangers to elevated poetry: dung, spittle, slime, sweat, weeds, pigs, tar. But he emphasized that, for all their difficulty and poverty, the farmers still lived a life of natural wealth, unlike the factitious wealth of city people, and of natural peace of mind. Their chief fault, he said, was that they scarcely realized their own happiness. And at the end of the second book of the Georgics he broke out into a splendid paean of praise for the two lives he most admired: the life of philosophy and science, which understands the secrets of the cosmos, and which can rise above the terrors of false religion, and the life of the lover of nature, who can live far from the crowded cities, among the hills and woods and rivers where men are less important than the indwelling spirits that outlive many human generations, but where men are closer to the real secrets of earth, their patient and expectant mother. (65)
Here is how Highet introduces Catullus:
He came from the north. He lived a brief, passionate, unhappy life. He wrote magnificent poetry. And he introduced a new word for ‘kiss’ into the European languages. Although he was a superb poet, only one solitary copy of his poems survived the Dark Ages — a single battered manuscript, preserved in his home, Verona. Yet, even if that lovely copy had perished and all his poems had been lost, one of his creations would have remained. Whenever a Frenchman says baiser, whenever an Italian speaks of un bacio, when a Spaniard says besar or a Portuguese beijar, they are using the word which this poet picked up and made into Latin to amuse his sweetheart. The woman was unworthy. The poet died. The word lives. (17)
I had never heard the contention that Catullus coined the term basium after a Celtic word from Cisalpine Gaul. I don’t believe it myself: all I think we can say is that the word is absent from Roman literature before Catullus, notably from Roman Comedy where it should be at home. But whether you believe it or not, Highet’s paragraph is dynamic and accessible. There’s passion, unhappiness, death, the Dark Ages, sweethearts, kissing. This is a Classics professor who cares about making you care. And he actually cut a figure in the American cultural scene in the 1950s. He chose books for the “Book of the Month Club,” which had an Oprah-esque circulation. He wrote popular paperbacks. He had his own NPR show (where you can hear how multiple rereads got him to love Vergil, an author he “hated”).
And there is much we Classicists can learn from Highet, not only as a popularizer, but as an insightful exponent and critic. He deals with Horace’s poems in chronological order: I really had never considered how the Odes should be read in context of the Satires, or the Epistles in context of the Odes. These are the virtues of taking an overview of the subject, which we modern Classicists so often fail to do. Indeed to have essays on all of Latin’s greatest poets in a single volume is necessarily an overview, but when done well it is time very well spent. Highet’s Horace essay is a marvel of deep appreciation for a poet who is, I think, more respected than loved, and more unknown than respected. And his Ovid essay is a deeply critical and ultimately morally censorious in a way that really illumines how different the postwar era is from our own.
There is a natural human tendency to idealize what is gone, which should put us on alert whenever we are tempted to rhapsodize about the past. In general, for a person such as me, born poor, I feel that there is no time better than the present. I can see how the opportunities given me have far transcended anything offered my grandparents, none of whom even attended high school. But it is hard not to admire and rhapsodize a bit about the American universities in the time immediately after the Second World War. Horrifying conflict with highly educated Fascists and Communists forced the American universities to come up with educational ideals which transcended vague cliches like “scholarship” or “critical thinking.” Everyone knew that university chemistry, economics, biology, psychology, and urban planning expertise contributed to such atrocities as concentration camps and gulags. The challenge was to make a world that never had to see such things again, and “scholarship” or “critical thinking” were obviously insufficient for such a task. Meanwhile, Fascist and Communist persecutions had driven exceptional talent to American institutions. Government-financed tuition supplied by the G.I. Bill democratized university education as never before. But scholars like Highet were not content to find the doors of Columbia University swung open a bit wider than before. They took to the radio and the press, to find students outside their institutions. They believed high school students — one of the target markets for Poets in a Landscape — could be making critical judgements about Propertius and Tibullus. They were setting the stage for the coeducation and desegregation that would come in my parents’ generation and continue to the present. In their popularizing tendencies, pedagogical skill, and personal passion, we still have much to learn from them. | https://medium.com/in-medias-res/off-the-dusty-bookshelf-gilbert-highets-poets-in-a-landscape-9836c471acf5 | ['John Byron Kuhner'] | 2020-12-07 15:38:01.636000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Italy', 'Reviews', 'Gilbert Highet', 'Classics'] |
Credit Where Credit is Due | In 1979, my father boarded an airplane alone with approximately $1,500 in his pocket to leave the only place he had ever known, and the place he had called home, in order to escape the violent and chaotic overthrow of the government in Iran. To hear him tell the story of what took place in the streets between the moment that the Iranian Revolution began and the moment that he escaped is jarring. I have no way of doing the entire story any justice but I know some readers have heard him tell this tale firsthand and I have witnessed their shock as he relays his experience.
There is one aspect of the story that I can share which can serve as an illustration for the events on the ground as they unfolded. While he was a student at the University of Tehran, my father’s roommate was an outspoken opponent of the Islamic radicals that would soon take over the country. One evening, the roommate told him that he was going to attend an anti-revolutionary rally. My father watched from the window as his roommate got in his vehicle and drove away, being trailed by another car as he drove off into the distance. That day was the last time he saw, heard from, or learned anything about the whereabouts of his roommate.
The Revolution lasted just over a year, involved the Hostage Crisis that was the central plot of the movie Argo, and left the country in ruin. Once the deposed government fled the nation, the leader of the Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, installed himself as the Supreme Leader and Ayatollah of Iran. Thereafter, he consolidated power and established what is now known as the Islamic Republic of Iran. All told, approximately 8,000 political dissidents or holdovers from the prior government were executed by the newly established Islamic Courts and the estimates for total casualties range as high as 60,000.
The current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is organized as a theocracy, governed by Sharia Law, and ultimately led by the Ayatollah. There are “elections” for president, but each candidate for president is vetted and approved by the Ayatollah prior to the campaign and everyone in the “civilian government” serves at the pleasure of the Ayatollah. There is a Legislature but the High Chamber (known as the Guardian Council) essentially serves as the primary lawmaking body and virtually all of its members are appointed by the Ayatollah.
As the country is governed by Sharia Law, women are viewed with secondary status. The Ayatollah is on record stating that gender equality is “unacceptable to the Islamic Republic.” As a result, women’s rights in Iran are non-existent and those women brave enough to advocate openly for women’s rights are often jailed. Few women hold any positions of authority in society, and in the home, their husbands retain primary control over domestic affairs, often resulting in patterns of coercion, physical violence, and marital rape (a crime currently unrecognized in Iranian law).
The Islamic Government maintains a warped stream of propaganda as part of its effort to maintain control over the citizenry. Iran continually ranks near the bottom in the world for press freedom and the government regularly imprisons and tortures any journalists that are perceived to publish any anti-government reports, criticisms, or opinions. The government is notorious for concealing any scandal that might cast doubt as to the legitimacy of any power exercised by the Ayatollah. Nowhere is this made more apparent than its secret digging of mass graves throughout the country to bury the dead as it mismanages the Covid crisis while asserting that there is no crisis at all.
Since taking power, the Iranian government maintains two primary foreign policy ends: (1) tension with America (usually tied to the periodic “Death to America” rallies); and (2) the Iran-Israel Cold War, in which Iran seeks to dissolve the State of Israel. In pursuit of these ends, since 1984, Iran has sought to develop a nuclear bomb, both as a means of deterring American intervention in the country and as a means to achieve its stated goal of destroying Israel.
The primary security force of Iran is known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. (“IRGC”), which was recently given its appropriate designation as a terrorist organization by the American government. Through the IRGC, Iran funds and otherwise offers logistical assistance to Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a variety of other terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East. The IRGC has a storied history of vicious and violent human rights abuses, largely focused on the torture, imprisonment, and summary execution of political dissidents.
The government, through the IRGC, violently suppresses any civilian demonstration of any type that might challenge the government’s absolute authority. Following the presidential elections in 2009, violent protests sprung up throughout the country as there was doubt as to the legitimacy of the results. At the time, it was the largest uprising since the Revolution and resulted in open conflict between the IRGC and the civilian population, leaving 108 dead and 4,000 arrested and imprisoned.
More recently, the 2019–2020 protests, dubbed Bloody November, were in reaction to hyperinflation of fuel prices. In response to the uprising, the IRGC shot at the citizenry from rooftops, imprisoned and tortured children, and killed no less than 1,500 Iranians. To end the uprisings, the Ayatollah expressly instructed the IRGC to “do whatever it takes to end it.” Some of those arrested during or after the protests have been sentenced to death.
In fact, in 2019, Amnesty International said the following about Iran:
The authorities heavily suppressed the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Security forces used lethal force unlawfully to crush protests, killing hundreds, and arbitrarily detaining thousands of protesters. The authorities arbitrarily detained over 200 human rights defenders and imposed sentences of imprisonment and flogging against many of them. A new law allowed Iranian women married to men with foreign nationality to pass on Iranian citizenship to their children, but women continued to face discrimination and the authorities intensified their crackdown against women’s rights defenders campaigning against forced veiling laws. Ethnic and religious minorities faced entrenched discrimination. Torture and other ill-treatment, including through the denial of medical care, remained widespread and systematic; they were committed with impunity. Cruel, inhuman and degrading judicial punishments were carried out. Scores of people were executed, sometimes in public; several were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. There were systematic violations of fair trial rights. The authorities committed the ongoing crime against humanity of enforced disappearance by systematically concealing the fate and whereabouts of several thousand political dissidents extrajudicially executed in secret in the 1980s.
These are the murderous thugs that took over and currently govern Iran. So afraid of this tyranny is my father that since his departure in 1979, he has never returned for fear that the government will not let him leave the country again. The consequences of that decision are that he has not seen his baby sister since 1979 and he has had to miss both of his parents funerals.
It is for these reasons that when the political discourse concerns our foreign policy with respect to Iran, it is deeply personal to me. For decades, this country has hemmed and hawed as it attempted to appease, negotiate, and renegotiate with this criminal cartel to arrive at some bogus “peace agreement” to which Iran has continually reneged. See for yourself the perpetual slog of attempts at a deal that have ultimately proven to be worthless.
Each time this country has attempted to make a “deal” with Iran, the story plays out the same way. Iran reneges on its promises, continues to fund terror groups throughout the region, furthers its pursuit and development of a ballistic missile program specifically geared toward delivering a nuclear weapon, and receives economic relief from sanctions which enriches the Ayatollah and his associates. The latest iteration of these efforts was the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) brought on by the Barack Obama administration.
The JCPOA sought to limit Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions and unfreezing of Iranian assets worth $100 billion. Under the terms of the JCPOA, Iran was: (1) limited in the number and types of centrifuges it could operate until 2026; (2) precluded from enriching uranium until 2031; (3) precluded from building additional heavy water reactors until 2031; and (4) required to permit International Atomic Energy Agency (“IAEA”) inspectors into the country to access any sites deemed suspicious.
It did not take long for Iran to slip back into its old habits. By May of 2016, Iran had already begun blatantly violating the terms of the JCPOA. Like its predecessors, the only winner in this “deal” was Iran, as it was able to syphon millions of dollars from sanction relief into the coffers of the Ayatollah and the mullahs in exchange for nothing. The strategy of attempting to negotiate with this Mafia of liars, crooks, and terrorists has been both an exercise in futility and abject failure.
Credit where credit is due: on the singular issue of foreign policy with respect to Iran, Donald Trump and his administration got it right.
The first decision was to terminate our involvement with the JCPOA. When Trump pulled out of the JCPOA, the political and media establishment went absolutely bonkers. Some said that this would inevitably lead to war with Iran. Others, including Obama, said that America terminating its involvement in the deal would encourage and quicken the pace with which Iran could pursue its nuclear ambitions. Finally, the move was condemned as abandoning our allies, chiefly in Europe, and viewed as an abdication of American leadership in the region. All of these takes were demonstrably wrong.
It is no longer reasonably in dispute that the JCPOA is and was of no value. But this revelation does not come from American think-tanks or policymakers. Rather, it comes from our friends in Germany, who now state unequivocally that the 2015 deal is “no longer enough” and that a new “nuclear agreement plus” is needed to curb Iran’s ballistic missiles program.
Said another way: the Iranian government was pursuing enriching uranium and developing its ballistic missile program in contravention of the JCPOA the whole time. It never had any intention of honoring the agreement. The only motivation that it had was to feign cooperation so that it could continue to obtain relief from economic sanctions and prop up its economy long enough to obtain the bomb. As it turns out, Trump was vindicated in his decision and the tightening of sanctions has crippled Iran’s economy, frozen $1.75 billion in Iranian assets, left the country isolated, and its influence in the region weakened.
The next major decision was the targeted assassination of Qasem Soleimani, widely regarded as the second most powerful figure in Iran and a major general in the IRGC. Again, the reaction from our supposed political and media betters was absurd. John Kerry, the former Secretary of State of the Obama administration and the chief architect of the JCPOA, foreshadowed that this strike could lead to a reckless and needless war. The Atlantic, a publication that once contained thoughtful debate but now deals only in peddling paranoia, could not shed enough tears for the loss of this scum:
Again, each of these takes completely missed the mark.
To start, in 2007, the George W. Bush administration designated the Quds Force (the special forces of the IRGC which Solemani ran) a terrorist organization. Furthermore, since at least as early as 2013, Iranian proxies coordinated by Soleimani killed at least 600 Americans in Iraq. Known as a “shadow commander,” Soleimani wielded enormous influence in the region and was directly responsible for training and deploying proxy fighters supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria (who, by the way, deployed chemical weapons attacks on his own citizens during the ongoing civil war which has cost the lives of over 500,000 Syrians), Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq.
To put it bluntly: Soleimani was the terrorist leader of a terrorist special forces subset of a state-sponsored terrorist organization seeking to maintain a proxy war with American troops and was attempting to do so in an American war zone. Unsurprisingly, Soleimani was in Iraq attempting to mastermind additional attacks on American troops when he was assassinated. His killing severely weakened Iran’s influence in the region as it lost its grand strategist and the man singularly responsible for a sprawling web of violence and mayhem throughout the Middle East.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take the word of General David Patraeus, who says:
“It’s impossible to overstate the significance of the attack that takes out Qasem Soleimani and the number two militia leader in Iraq as well, who also never dared to set foot in Iraq during the surge after we’ve missed him and he escaped […] So this is bigger than [Osama] bin Laden. It’s bigger than [Abu Bakr al-] Baghdadi.”
Finally, through intelligence sharing with Israel, we recently learned that Iran was harboring the second in command of Al-Qaeda and the mastermind of the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. After this was discovered, at the request of our government, Israeli operatives assassinated him in the streets of Tehran. Moreover, in further efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in the absence of a worthless nuclear deal, the Israeli security forces assassinated Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head scientist of Iran’s nuclear program, generally viewed as their Robert Oppenheimer.
Even on these developments, the reactions have framed the issues incorrectly. John Brennan, the former CIA Director of the Obama administration, slammed this killing of an “eminent Iranian scientist.” Nevermind that as CIA Director, Brennan saw fit to drone strike half of the Middle East back into the 1400s with impunity, he also materially omits a fact which he knows or should know: that Dr. Fakhrizadeh was a chief commander/brigadier general in the IRGC, as opposed to some guy in a lab coat playing with his Bunsen Burners.
All of this was achieved without sending a single American troop half way around the world to participate in a new war in a new foreign land (and, in fact, Trump is bringing more troops home). The end result of these decisions is what decades of lazy attempts at dealmaking failed to bring about: a regionally weakened Iran, unable to exert its will or influence events outside of its borders, with severely diminished nuclear development capabilities, and a government facing a crisis of legitimacy with its people. An unintended result of these policies has also been the historic peace deals between Israel and many Arab states, much to the chagrin of Kerry, who said such a result will never happen.
I take no great joy in crediting Trump, much less for these achievements, but as I have previously written, sometimes our opponents are right. It is entirely possible that he bungled his way into these results rather than carefully deliberated and executed a coherent plan. However, in the end, the results, facts, and evidence of the success of Trump’s foreign policy in this area are not reasonably in dispute and I invite anyone who reads this to substantively challenge any of the points raised above to demonstrate that anything that I have presented is inaccurate.
To be clear: there is much in Trump’s four years of foreign policy strategy to complain about. However, him being wrong about other areas does not make him wrong in this instance, and him being right in this instance does not absolve him of his errors in other areas. Nevertheless, we should applaud when American interests abroad are positively defended and advanced, even if we politically disagree with the people doing the defending and advancing.
Going forward, I think that it would be a mistake for Joe Biden and his incoming administration to attempt to rejoin the JCPOA or to attempt to negotiate a new deal, as he has signaled some willingness to do. It was no mystery that Iran was rooting for Biden to prevail in November and their government is already on record stating that it looks forward to a change in American foreign policy. The world is not the same place that it was five years ago and governing as such by regressing to a demonstrably failed deal accomplishes nothing of value.
Dealmaking only works when the parties to the deal are prepared to negotiate in good faith, make sacrifices, and walk away from the table slightly upset with the results. Iran, as its government is presently constituted, has repeatedly demonstrated that it is not and has never negotiated from a position of good faith. As such, they are not deserving of a seat at the table, much less an opportunity to write or modify the terms of any deal.
It is my hope that the incoming Biden administration maintains a firm policy of economically isolating Iran. As the furor of the Revolution fades further into history and coalesces with the self-inflicted, economically fraught realities of present-day brought on by the government’s belligerence, it is my belief that the day of reckoning will soon come for the Ayatollah and his criminal friends. It does not benefit our country, the broader Middle East, or the world to stall their inevitable fate.
Their tickets to hell were punched a long time ago. Let them board the train. | https://medium.com/@andrewtalebi/credit-where-credit-is-due-58ec17769163 | ['Andrew Talebi'] | 2020-12-09 17:10:59.792000+00:00 | ['USA', 'Biden', 'Trump', 'America', 'Foreign Policy'] |
Problems I have faced in Bug Bounty | I am very passionate about hacking from my childhood and I have started learn hacking 2 years ago but for my study pressure in school I kept my hacking journey postpone.But recently I started again about 3 month ago I have learn lots of things and I come across this term #BugBounty where you have permission to hack a company’s website and they will also pay you a good money. I was like WOW!!😎. This is for me. So,I started learning about bug bounty and and write a blog with all resources I come across.
Best way to learn anything is teach others
So write this blog . And write everything I come across
What Problems I Faced In This Two Month?
I faced some problem to growing myself and taught myself hacking. This blog will don’t need every bug bounty hunter.Because not everyone faced the same problem like me.
Problem No: 1 — Listen Everybody
I was new on this journey so I consume as much as I can from everyone who said, learn this learn that. Do this then do that.I have to specific learning path to take. I was following everybody. Trying to learn from everybody. Wanted to be like every other successful bug bounty hunter.So my mind was puzzled and I was not really learning something that can help me to find a good bug.
Problem No: 2 — Not Enough Focus
To be successful in everything one must thing is focus. You can’t do anything without it. So focus on one thing and finish that don’t jump form one thing to another thing. I was doing this mistake. I was leaning about XSS then I bored so I start learning python then binary exploitation then I started learning about SSRF then BASH then steganography everything was unorganized. I was just jumping like monkey on thing to another thing. So I had lack of focus. I was learning so small then switch.
So , Don’t make mistake like this. Try to focus on one thing. And try to be pretty good in one thing, then learn other.
Problem No : 3 — Not have any Persistency
How passionate you are if you don’t have persistence then you never finish things that you started learning.
PERSISTENCE IS ONLY KEY TO SUCCESS
So, you need persistency to complete what you have started. I was making this mistake so I don’t understand why I don’t feel that I am growing. Why I don’t feel that I am learning something? Now I know the answer I was not persistent enough to end what I have started.
Problem No : 4 — Don’t have a clean goal
I had no any clean goal where I want to see myself after 1 year, after 1 month and also after 1 week. I was doing and leave things I don’t have organised.
Dreams Without Goals are just Dreams
Make goals to achieve your dreams. One thing I will suggest you : If you set goals ,then set on that, what you will never lose.
Example: If your dream is to buy a lambo then don’t set goals like, I need to earn $100,000 in a year so ,How can I get $100,000?. Then The answers will be I need to start business, freelancing, youtube channel, you will find easiest way to earn money and forget your passion because leaning skill that you are passionate about is though.
Set goals that you never lose*, like I need to find 1000 XSS so I can to get 1000 x 100$ = $100,000 in a year to buy a lambo. So I need to achieve mastery in all type of XSS So, to achieve mastery I need to lean this, this and that in one year, to learn that I need to lean this, this and that every month, then break it in every day then into every hour.
NOTE: What did I mean never lose ? Set goals to developing yourself directly or indirectly. Because someone easily can take everything from you or you can lost everything in a minute, But you will never lose your skill or no one can take it from you.
Problem No: 5 — Don’t track my progress
I was not tracking my goals so I easily lose and forget what is my goal. And I am not able to improve my goals. So it is so important to track your progress every day.
Problem No: 6 — Don’t have any daily routine
I had no daily routine so I was easily forget was I was leaning tomorrow. Because I need to do my college’s work. So I was not able to give my 100% focus on hacking. So now I have developed a daily routine to follow. And this daily routine will help me to achieve my goal.
How I solved my all problem ?
Track My Progress : I start to track my every minute with Engross App Clean Goal : I have now a clean goal and I know where I want to see myself in One year, the Best way to grow is to start comparing yourself with 1 week ago you. I suggest you to use Habitica to make habits and complete goals and task. Journaling Every Day : Write down everything that you have done in this 1 week. And What goals you should achieve in this week, everything you can write down in a dairy or EverNote. Make Your Own Path : Learn from everyone but follow on one. I have made my own path. I have now my own technique to win and achieving my goals. Make Habits: Morning is so important I have a fixed morning habit. Yes, I am not that guy in the film who hack in the night. I like to do that in the morning because I feel so energetic and also I have no distraction in the morning. Taking Care of My Health: Yes, health is your biggest asset. So you need to take care, you need to sharpen your mind every day. I started meditation and also exercising in the morning.
Note: I don’t telling you to do what I am doing Because I have previously said “Learn from everyone but follow no one ”. Do what you like to do, think Google as your brother and youtube as your sister. LOL
Questions You Need To Ask Every Week To Track Your Progress.
What things have changed in me? What is my thinking NOW? (about your future or you present moment) What things happen good this week? Which goals I did not achieve? And Why? What is the most important task this week? And How I will achieve them? How can I make things faster, easier? How can I optimize…….? (goal, habit or any task etc) What am I not doing even though I know I should?
Why I have written this blog?
I write this blog because everyone shares how cool they are. How much bounty they get by doing that by doing this. But no one tells how much hard work and discipline they need to put to achieve that level. You have created a false image of hacking by seeing films. No one tells what they have faced being that level they are currently now.
I want you to know, who I am and what I am facing to achieving my dream. I don’t want you to think that I am also a super HAcker, Who has leaned hacking overnight. I am also a beginner So, I write this blog to tell my condition.
I will be very happy to connect with you in twitter @Unknownuser1806 | https://medium.com/@unknownuser1806/problems-i-have-faced-in-bug-bounty-3c9d0a679d8b | [] | 2019-09-20 16:03:42.784000+00:00 | ['Self Development', 'Bug Bounty', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacking', 'Success'] |
Exeedme is raising on Polkastarter and listing on Uniswap on the 30th December | Polkastarter IDO: 30th December, 12pm UTC
Uniswap listing: 30th December, 2 pm UTC
We are extremely excited to announce that we will be launching not one, but two $XED Polkastarter funding pools on the 30th of December. On that same day, and after the Polkastarter pools close, we will be making $XED available to everyone on Uniswap.
After receiving incredible demand for our private rounds — over 7,000 allocation requests with total interest reaching over $25m — we wanted to get even more people involved in the spirit of decentralization. We believe that Exeedme will exceed by building a vast network of users from all over the gaming and crypto universes.
Please note that this article will be continuously updated as the launching date approaches. Check here for the latest updates!
Funding Pools on Polkastarter
We strongly believe that Polkastarter is the right platform to conduct the launch in a fair and easy manner without manipulation from bots.
After completion of the Polkastarter $XED Pools, the $XED token will be immediately listed on Uniswap and accessible to anyone.
The $XED token will be sold on Polkastarter:
Fixed-price of $0.05 per $XED
Two pools with 750,000 $XED tokens, each.
We are creating two different pools:
one for our Early Adopters that have previously submitted their interest;
that have previously submitted their interest; one for POLS holders to make sure the Polkastarter community can still have a chance.
Pool for Early Adopters
This round will be exclusively for our Early Adopters that have shown interest since the early days of our project. For the 7,000+ people who are part of this group, we wanted to make sure they get an equal and unbiased opportunity to buy $XED. That’s why we are doing a draw to whitelist 200 addresses that will get access to the Early Adopter Pool:
We will send an email with the Polkastater details to all Early Adopters
We will draw 200 Early Adopters and will whitelist their addresses
and will whitelist their addresses Only these whitelisted addresses can buy $XED when the Early Adopter pool opens.
Maximum of 6,000 $XEDs per wallet so even if you are chosen you still have to be fast because if everyone bids the max amount there won’t be room for everyone
Important note: Contributions will only be accepted in ETH.
The Early Adopter pool will have a total of 750,000 $XED tokens for sale.
2. Pool for POLS holders
This round will be open the ones that didn’t make it in the Early Adopters pool can still get a chance to purchase $XED. The goal is also to give the $POLS community the opportunity to hold $XED and join our mission to revolutionize Gaming and Esports with the power of NFTs and DeFi.
To ensure you can be part you will have to hold at least 1000 POLS and submit a simple form for you to whitelist your address. This shall prevent bots from entering into the sale, and provide a fair sale environment to the community.
It’s necessary for each and every person interested to fill this form
In the form, you will only have to share with us:
Your email address
Your ERC20 address (DO NOT USE AN EXCHANGE ADDRESS)
A Tweet link (A simple tweet to acknowledge that you are not a bot)
We will then run a draw of 200 addresses. Maximum of 6,000 $XEDs per wallet so even if you are chosen you still have to be fast because if everyone bids the max amount there won´t be room for everyone
Important note: Contributions will also only be accepted in ETH.
The Pool for POLS holders will have a total of 750,000 $XED tokens for sale.
Uniswap
After the Polkastarter $XED Pools close, we will immediately list on Uniswap and the $XED token will be accessible to everyone.
Exeedme will be providing $200,000 USD of liquidity to Uniswap to ensure a healthy secondary market.
$XED is a low initial cap token with a long-term vesting mechanism for all private investors
For full clarity we are doing a recap of our Token Metrics below, and invite you to take a look in more detail in this article.
Total Circulating Supply: 100,000,000 $XED tokens
Initial Market Cap: $875,000 USD
Seed/Private/Pre-Public Sale Fundraising: $900,000 USD
Initial Liquidity to be made available: $200,000 USD (Uniswap)
Initial Circulating Supply: 17,500,000 $XED tokens (17.5%)
Vesting Mechanism
Seed: 20% on TGE, then 10% monthly over 8 months
Private and Pre-Public: 25% on TGE, then 25% monthly over 3 months
Liquidity Fund: 20% on TGE, 10% per month over 8months
Ecosystem: 20% on TGE, 10% per month over 8 months
Foundational Reserve: 1 year fully locked, then 25% quarterly
Team: 1 year fully locked, then 25% quarterly
Initial Uniswap Liquidity: $200,000 USD
We are eager for you to be a part of this new adventure, so please stay tuned for any additional information.
About Polkastarter
Polkastarter is a permissionless DEX built for cross-chain token pools and auctions, enabling projects to raise capital on a decentralized and interoperable environment based on Polkadot.
With Polkastarter, decentralized projects will be able to raise and exchange capital cheap and fast. Users will be able to participate in a secure and compliant environment and to use assets that go way beyond the current ERC20 standard.
About Exeedme
Exeedme is a trusted and fair Play2Earn ecosystem that allows gamers at all skill levels, developers and gaming communities to monetize their skills and efforts with the power of innovations like DeFi and NFT’s. With Exeedme, gamers can play their favorite games, challenge an opponent, bet on their own victory and earn rewards for participating and progressing, ultimately enabling ALL players to make money off their skills.
Let’s Exeed together!
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Linkedin | https://medium.com/@exeedme/exeedme-is-raising-on-polkastarter-and-listing-on-uniswap-on-the-30th-december-6c2ec28fa9ab | [] | 2020-12-27 20:14:30.088000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Defi', 'Nft', 'Gaming', 'Esport'] |
About EtherSport Platform | The uniqueness of the project lies in the fact that the ETHERSPORT lottery (www.ethersport.io) includes the determination of the results of sporting events, which cannot be influenced. Including the organizers. The main difference from traditional lotteries and bookmaking is that EtherSport is a decentralized system in which the processes of relations between users-forecasters and organizers are regulated exclusively by miners who confirm the integrity of information and transactions of smart contracts occurring in the blockchain.
The work of the platform is based on the Ethereum blockchain technology and smart contracts, which makes it possible to bring the Ethersport lottery as close as possible to bookmaking, as in bookmaking, providing users with an unlimited number of tickets with sports events taking place in the world every day. At the same time, there is no influence of the organizers on the payments of winnings, prize money and Jackpot. Ethersport solves the problem of trust between network participants. Smart contracts (smart contracts) in the Ethersport protocol eliminate the shortcomings of classic lotteries and betting organizations in relation to forecasters-users, such as:
1. MANDATORY DEPOSIT TO THE COMPANY’S ACCOUNT TO START THE GAME. WHICH IN THE FACT IS А LENDING OF THE ORGANIZERS.
2. PROHIBITED ACCESS TO THE ORGANIZERS TO THE ACCUMULATED AMOUNTS OF PRIZE, PAYMENT OF WINNINGS AND JACKPOT.
3. SMART CONTRACTS OPERATE IN AUTOMATIC MODE ACCORDING TO THE «CODE IS A LOW» PRINCIPLE. They are essentially an escrow-element inside the network. All betting information is stored on the Ethereum blockchain, which makes the reward system 100% clear.
Thanks to the latest technologies on which the platform is developed and operates, users-players do not depend on the subjective rules and desires, prescribed by the organizers and arising in the course of the work of traditional lotteries and bookmaker companies, quite often with the aim of delaying or not paying out winnings at all. Namely —
Not payment of winnings, prize money, jackpot, using often fictitious reasons, by the organizers. (thisisgambling.com) Payment of winnings in installments, with deferred payments that occur for a long time. Requirements from the organizers, the provision of all kinds of documents by the players, without which the payment of winnings is not carried out, despite the registration already passed and the provision of the same documents by the users-forecasters earlier. Players-users of the EtherSport platform have complete information on the accumulation of prize money, payout of winnings and jackpot, which they can check and calculate at any time, unlike traditional platforms, where information about winnings, jackpot is provided to players only in the form of amounts published by the organizers lotteries. The player-user cannot actually verify the reliability of these amounts.
Of course, for such openness, honesty and complete independence from manipulation and arbitrariness of the organizers, user-players have to pay some commission to the blockchain and miners. Since miners practically work for user-players. And often this commission is significant, relative to the cost of the ticket itself and in the future rates. Often, even more than the price that EtherSport charges for a ticket and the amounts that come from the ticket price for the prize pool of the raffles. But we repeat, THIS IS THE PRICE OF GAME HONESTY FOR THE PLAYERS, THE FULL TRANSPARENCY OF WINNINGS, AND THE MAIN THING IS THE FULL INDEPENDENCE OF PLAYERS FROM THE ORGANIZERS. We are sure that players will quickly appreciate these advantages of new technologies and understand that playing on the blockchain and on smart contracts is much more profitable for them, even despite the high commission.
We also pay your attention to the fact that the EtherSport platform is practically Ethereum mining, and not just a game. Where users, due to their knowledge, analytical thinking, have the opportunity to win-receive ethereum and without the cost of energy for mining. | https://medium.com/@ethersport/about-ethersport-platform-1dbae1668784 | [] | 2021-12-21 17:24:05.311000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'Smart Contracts', 'Blockchain', 'Sports Betting', 'Ethereum'] |
Nutrition Nugget: The Three-Bite Rule | Bite-Size Reads for Your Health and Your Waistline
Congrats, you made it through all of the Thanksgiving meals (and leftovers, and then maybe some more again in the morning). Now begins the torture of trying to un-do those holiday indulgences before the next one rolls around, and we do it all over again! Perhaps it even comes with a side of guilt to “help” with the motivation to stay “on track” til the next event?
It’s no secret that holidays are surrounded by less healthful choices, especially with food. As we move on from the Thanksgiving mood and into the winter holidays…including the stress…it’s more important now than ever to learn how to keep splurges in perspective. If you’re in need of reassurance and one of the simplest tools to employ, keep reading for some of the best holiday advice I give my clients and podcast listeners — the three bite rule.
So what is the three-bite rule? This stems from neuroscience which shows us that the only bites we actually taste are the first, the second and the last. I think this is because we’re fully aware of and engaged with our food on that first decadent bite and then second we’re still there, thinking ooohh this is so good. Then we kind of zone out and come back to paying attention, reminding ourselves to savor it when it’s the last bit.
You may be asking the same question I asked when I learned about this: what’s the point of all the bites in the middle? Eureka! That’s the secret! All those bites in the middle are habit, brainless eating, going through the motions, empty calories. So what if we just focus on having three bites of our indulgences?
Use this with your next dessert, each decadent side dish or your next holiday meal. Any time a food choice might stick with us, where we keep thinking about it long after the meal ended, is a perfect moment for this trick. The three-bite rule helps us maintain perspective. With three bites, we enjoy the treats and take these moments in stride, continuing with our health goals. Our progress is not limited by the bumps on the road, but when that bump turns the wheel and we go off the cliff, losing sight of our goals. This is the true challenge for our health.
To take it one step further, ask yourself “How much do I have to have, to feel like I had it?” Meaning, to feel like I had pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, do I have to eat the whole pie? Half the pie? A slice? A sliver? Perhaps, three bites are all you really need to feel like you had pumpkin pie.
As always, feeling confident in our choices is important. If it’s your grandmother’s recipe, you see it once a year and simply must lick your plate clean, do your thing! Just plan on it. And plan what’s next so you keep moving forward. Feeling deprived is a recipe for disaster down the road.
Ultimately, make sure you remain consistent with your goals, pay attention to your choices and recognize that this one holiday meal makes not a lifetime of unhealthy choices…unless we let it. So enjoy that pie, ice cream, or those leftover mashed potatoes and remember to keep moving forward, because the truth is, the future of our wellness goals are not diminished by these occasional indulgences. | https://medium.com/@jenntrepeck/nutrition-nugget-the-three-bite-rule-e4880bb4d1f4 | ['Jennifer Trepeck'] | 2020-12-07 21:18:07.212000+00:00 | ['Nutrition', 'Weight Loss', 'Health', 'Tips And Tricks', 'Holidays'] |
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