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VCN Token features and use cases

The VCN token is the governance and utility token that powers the entire Viral network ecosystem, advertisers pay for services with it and publishers, and social media promoters get VCN token as payment. The Viral Click network is here to revolutionize Blockchain marketing campaigns, below are key features to expect in our unique offering: 👍Simplified marketing tool for Blockchain projects — we know how difficult and time consuming it takes to market blockchain products, and we have made it a few clicks away from success. 👍Gateway for publication of press releases — Blockchain developers don’t need to contact every publisher for press releases, we make all the contact according to your budget. 👍Transparent campaign reporting — user-friendly campaign reporting to track campaign impressions, click-through rate, opt-ins, and the likes. 👍Residual income for publishers and social media users — publishers and social media posters make a steady income for participating in advertising campaigns. The VCN platform is your one-stop shop for getting your blockchain projects to the right audience. Our media partners allow discounts on campaigns from our system, which will prove cost-effective for advertisers. Transparency in reporting campaign statistics build trust with publishers and advertisers. It is now much easier to publish your press releases on our partner websites with just a few clicks on our system. VCN Tokenomics have a community focused strategy where the community holds 87.5% of all token supply, the remaining 12.5% will be used to add liquidity on UNISWAP and the only way the team can acquire team tokens is to buy back from the open market through UNISWAP, we are employing this strategy to ensure investors are protected from the high volatility in the market. As soon as we successfully list and lock liquidity via unicrypt, we will be announcing our buy back plans prior to the date so the community will know in advance before others. a) Token distribution ✔Token Symbol: VCN ✔Token name: Viral Click Network ✔Total Supply: 4,000,000 ✔ Tokens for sale: 3,500,000 (87.5%) ✔Liquidity: 500,000 (12.5%) ✔Public Sale Round (1): 1,000,000 (25%) @ $0.50 per token ✔Public Sale Round (2): 1,200,000 (30%) @ $0.55 per token ✔Public Sale Round (3): 1,300,000 (32.5%) @ 0.60 per token ✔Circulating supply : 4,000,000 (100%) ✔Uniswap listing price : $1 OPERATING ALLOCATION ✔Admin & Ops: 13% ✔Legal & Advisory 7% ✔Marketing & Sales 10% ✔Business Dev 10% ✔Locked Liquidity 60% Why should you invest in Viral Click Network? ✔Viral Click Network shares 60% of all advertising revenue profits back to the community, we buy back VCN tokens with the fund and airdrop to active community members. ✔ 20% of the profits go to buy back VCN tokens on Uniswap and sent to a burn address, making VCN a deflationary token. ✔20% of the advertising revenue go to the Viral Click Network team ✔Viral Click Network is a community driven project and the VCN is the governance token for the future direction of the business — all token holders can vote for key decisions in the network.

https://medium.com/@viralclicknetwork/vcn-token-features-and-use-cases-432788c0e87a

['Viralclick Network']

2020-12-24 08:49:47.487000+00:00

['Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Cryptocurrency News', 'Viral Marketing', 'Token Sale']

Digging Deep

“Questions from the Quantum Divide” came to me in fits and starts. It didn’t receive a lot of applause and I’m pretty sure that it’s because it doesn’t make much sense unless you’ve studied a bit of quantum physics and have heard about Heisenberg’s Uncertainty principle, which basically says that a particle can either assume the properties of a particle or of a wave, but that it can’t be pinned down unless it is observed. For some bizarre reason, not yet fully understood, the act of observing the particle forces it to become one or the other. It has always struck me that the concept (so prevalent in a multitude of spiritual paths) of an “observer,” whether it is our own higher self or a sort of “Cosmic Consciousness,” altering our experience seems to mirror the uncertainty of the particle/wave dilemma in quantum physics. (Short excerpt from the poem) “This observer of the universe — would you like to call her the Goddess, or God, or Prakriti and Purusha, or Laksmi and Vishnu, or Yahweh, or Cosmic Consciousness? Does he observe in singularity, or in conjunction with another? And if there is another, are they maybe really just two facets of the one — reflecting an illusion of duality….”

https://medium.com/the-pom/digging-deep-b220430a3cb9

['Erika Burkhalter']

2020-07-01 03:21:24.989000+00:00

['Short Story', 'Poetry', 'Photography', 'Creativity', 'Spirituality']

Trump denies police violence is a systemic issue

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash This week, a round table discussion event was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was, well awkward to say the least. President Donald Trump interjected when two Black pastors were asked whether police violence is a systemic issue. The pastors were James Ward and Sharon Ward, the pastors for the mother of last week’s victim Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times in the back as he was walking away calmly from a Kenosha police officer. Protests in Kenosha have since erupted as footage of the incident went viral. And this is where it gets cringe worthy. The pastors were asked whether like other community leaders they thought that police violence was a systemic issue when suddenly they were interrupted by President Trump. “I don’t believe that. I think the police do an incredible job and I think you do have some bad apples.” And he didn’t make things any better with his follow up comment, adding that, “You do have the other situation, too, where they’re under tremendous pressure and they don’t handle it well. They call it choking and it happens.” He also suggested that his interactions with police were a basis for police violence not being an issue at all. “No, but I don’t believe that at all,” he said “I’ve met so many police. I have the endorsement of like, so many, maybe everybody.” So why the interruption? Media are reporting as though it isn’t clear if the President understood whether it was directed towards him or towards the pastors trying to heal the Blake family. Earlier in the conference the pastors told Trump they wanted to work towards unity and policing reform.The pastors tried to keep a positive narrative. “We believe that we can help to listen with empathy and compassion to the real pain that hurts Black Americans, but we want to be of service to you and to our nation to do whatever we can to bring true healing, true peace and to really seek God’s very best in our nation,” James Ward told Trump after offering a prayer. When Trump was actually asked whether he thinks systemic racism is a concern and that not all protests are violent, he kept the same narrative. Heavily implying that Black folks are scary murderers. Trump responded, “Well, you know you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence we’ve seen in Portland and here and other places.” The final blow was truly devastating. He added,

https://medium.com/the-juicer/trump-denies-police-violence-is-a-systemic-issue-c446c8318390

['The Juice Factor']

2020-09-03 09:49:20.619000+00:00

['Racism', 'Trump Administration', 'Trump', 'Police Brutality', 'Police']

Microfluidics Market Size Worth $31.6 Billion By 2027

The global microfluidics market size is expected to reach USD 31.6 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., registering an 11.3% CAGR over the forecast period. Demand for microfluidic-based devices is expected to surge owing to introduction of novel technologies such as digital microfluidics. These techniques allow on-chip biochemical analysis, thereby driving adoption. Rise in the adoption of microfluidics for point-of-care diagnostics is expected to have a significant impact on market growth. Industry players such as Abbott, Roche, and Danaher have already incorporated this technology in their existing diagnostic devices and are exploring the scope of digital microfluidics. For instance, Philips’ Minicare I-20 handheld device provides accurate and rapid results for the diagnosis of heart attacks. Large investments targeted toward the development of microfluidics and promoting their adoption are expected to create opportunities for the expansion for automated as well as miniature devices. For instance, according to an article published in 2018, there have been large-scale investments in “sample-to-answer” microfluidic automated testing in recent years. Microfluidics has not only been proven beneficial in biological bench-work but also several medical and pharmaceutical applications, including diagnosis of infectious diseases and treatment of cancer. The technology aids in the fabrication of functional living tissues and artificial organs. Companies such as Abbott, Roche, Cepheid, and Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) are integrating such technologies with in-vitro diagnostics (IVD). Samsung LABGEOPT10 and Abbott i-STAT are examples of single-step blood glucose testing assays that can work on a small sample volume (a single blood drop). Click the link below: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/microfluidics-market Further key findings from the report suggest:

https://medium.com/@marketnewsreports/microfluidics-market-d1d00ab7a49e

['Gaurav Shah']

2020-12-22 07:33:01.004000+00:00

['Medical Devices', 'Britain', 'Medical', 'Canada', 'USA']

A brief history of graphic design

Key art movements that influenced graphic design Now you have a better idea of how graphic design began with the earliest form of visual and written communication. Let’s dive into some key influential art movements that helped evolved graphic design. You may notice how these art movements influence trends and how some of them even come back into style. It’s important to have a solid background in the history of design so you can understand where these trends come from and how to use them in your designs. Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (“New Art”) flourished in western Europe and the United States from the 1880s until the First World War. It was a deliberate attempt to abandon the historical styles of the 19th century. Creators of Art Nouveau sought to revive good workmanship, raise the status of craft, and produce a genuinely modern design that reflected the utility of the items they were creating. One distinctive characteristic of the style is the use of organic, asymmetrical linework instead of solid, uniform shapes. Art Nouveau artwork by Alphonse Mucha, used to promote printing firm F. Champenois Bauhaus Bauhaus was an influential art and design movement that began in 1919 in Weimar, Germany. The Bauhaus school, founded by Walter Gropius, launched a new way of thinking. Six months after the end of World War I, the school encouraged artists and designers to use their talents to help rebuild the broken society. The Bauhaus grammar — a triangle, a square, and a circle — evoked this back-to-the-basics mentality. They challenged everything, including the usual method of schooling. They combined arts and crafts, classical and avant-garde styles, form and function. Bauhaus design incorporated minimalism, geometric shapes, and simple typography. While the Bauhaus bubble lasted for only 14 years, its influence remains in just about every aspect of modern life today. Bauhaus design poster, 1923 (source) Art Deco Art Deco began as a celebration in Paris in 1925. The same decade that gave us The Great Gatsby, the affordable car, and the first film with sound. Style, elegance, and sophistication are the epitome of Art Deco design. Art Deco uses simple shapes, stylized and geometric ornamentation, and elaborate use of expensive materials, both natural and synthetic. Spanning architecture, furniture, fashion, sculpture, and more, Art Deco encapsulates the decadent spirit of the 1930s. The Rockefeller Centre, Chrysler Building, and Empire State Building were all designed in this style. Chicago World’s Fair poster by Weimer Pursell, 1933 (source) Swiss Design (The International Typography Style) Building on the rational approach of the Bauhaus, this movement is all about function and universality. The style emerged in Russia, the Netherlands, and Germany in the 1920s and was further developed in Switzerland during the 1950s. Designers developed a cohesive, unified Modernist movement that became known as the Swiss Design or the International Typographic Style. Logical, modular grid systems provided a structured framework to align different elements, something now considered essential for UI and graphic design. Realistic photography was preferred over more expressive illustration, alongside neutral sans-serif typefaces such as Helvetica. Swiss design is minimal in nature. Minimalism has experienced a comeback in branding, UI design, and packaging. This trend is driven by influential companies such as Apple and Google who prioritize a clean, pared-back aesthetic above ornament and decoration. A vital contribution from the Swiss Design movement is their use of grids, can you imagine designing for the web without one? Poster designs by Josef Muller Brockmann Pop Art Primarily a British and American cultural phenomenon that gained traction in the late 1950s and 1960s, Pop Art was named by art critic Lawrence Alloway because of the way it glorified popular culture and elevated common and unremarkable objects to iconic statuses. The pop art movement began as a revolt against the dominant approaches to art, culture, and traditional views on what art should be. Sources of inspiration ranged from Hollywood movies, advertising, product packaging, pop music, and comic books, rejecting the pretensions of “high art” in favor of bold, graphic printmaking. Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein, 1963 (source: Tate) Postmodernism Postmodernism was a reaction against modernism. While modernism was based on idealism and reason, postmodernism was born from skepticism and suspicion of reason. Modernists valued clarity and simplicity. Postmodernists embraced complex and often contradictory layers of meaning. Young designers of the movement questioned the “form follows function” philosophy associated with Modernism derived from the Swiss Design Style (or International Typography Style). Designers created freely, breaking rules of design with the use of collage, distortion, vibrant colors, and abstract type. During the late 1970s, April Grieman became known for her postmodern experimentation with her typographic innovations and colorful collage style. Cover for WET magazine designed by April Greiman, 1979 (source) The digital age The introduction of digital tools provided a new, revolutionary way of creating graphic design. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh computer. It used a simple, user-friendly interface that said “Hello”, inviting consumers to be a creator themselves. Photoshop launched in 1990 as a graphics editing software anyone could use to manipulate images and make professional designs. Basic programs like Microsoft Paint made graphic art accessible to the masses.

https://uxdesign.cc/a-brief-history-of-graphic-design-90eb5e1b5632

['Monica Galvan']

2020-10-29 20:24:09.153000+00:00

['Art', 'Creativity', 'Design', 'Graphic Design', 'Visual Design']

Flatbuffers in Unity — a 40x gain

Problem We recently switched from downloading and parsing JSON in our Unity client to a binary format based on Flatbuffers. In this this article you are going to learn: why we did that what Flatbuffers is anyway how you can do that yourself what benefit we gained TL;DR You are looking to simplify your life integrating Flatbuffers in Unity? Look no further: gameroasters/flatbuffers-unity Context Our recent game Wheelie Royale (Appstore / Playstore) downloads a lot of replay data by other players. Replay data was transmitted in JSON format. In the most extreme cases up to 15mb of JSON for a single level. While this is already a problem just because of mobile data usage it manifests even more severly in mid- to low-end devices when deserializing the JSON data. After digging out my low-end test device (Galaxy S4) it took Newtonsoft.JSON 20 sec to deserialize the 15mb. This is bad and for some players it even went up to a minute — an absolute dealbreaker. Obviously we had to find a better method entirely. Flatbuffers FlatBuffers is an efficient cross platform serialization library (Flatbuffers website) Initially a Google internal project for game development it received some fame when Facebook announced massive performance gains by utilizing it on their mobile app (article). Using Flatbuffers gives us two main advantages: Data is stored in binary form making it easy on the bandwidth Accessing Data is very fast since it is just a lookup from contiguous memory The following graphic visualizes this: Flatbuffers store data in a contiguous chunk of memory making it also easy on the garbage collector that especially in our use case was trashed with a lot of small allocations. If you mainly read your data from a buffer and do not need to alter it (our exact use case) it escentially reduces allocations to zero (reusing a static buffer). Aside the compact memory layout Flatbuffers reduces the memory consumption by expecting both parties to know the schema. We later see how we generate code for client and backend to be able to speak the same language. Comparison Before : Deserializing 15mb of Json in 20 secs : Deserializing 15mb of Json in After: Parsing the same data but using Flatbuffers (4mb) in 0,5 sec This is a speed improvement of 40x. Disclaimer: Of course this is not a proper scientific benchmarking method but it holds true even on our modern iPhones (albeit on a much smaller scale). I leave the more scientific methods of benchmarking to people smarter than me: benchmark Flatbuffers Schema Here is a simplified version of our schema file. Keep in mind that we are dealing with playbacks (ghosts) of other players. Each ghost consists of a TON of deltas (Sample) that allow us to replay them. Here you can see why our use case was particularly tough for the garbage collector in Unity since we are dealing with a lot of small individually allocated objects. If you want to to more about the differences of table and struct you can find all details about the schema here: Flatbuffers Schema Code generation When it comes to the pipeline required to get this working I was disappointed at how little was available: no easy docker container to get flatc (the schema transpiler) working cross platform, no ready built .net library for Unity to get started. So I built this and open sourced it on our company github: gameroasters/flatbuffers-unity Using this docker container it is easy to create your serialization/deserialization code using the following snippet: docker run -it -v $(shell pwd):/fb gameroasters/flatbuffers-unity:v1.12.0 /bin/bash -c "cd /fb && \ flatc -n --gen-onefile schema.fbs && \ flatc -r --gen-onefile schema.fbs" This will mount your current working directory into the container, it is expecting to find a schema.fbs file in here and generate the necessary code for Rust and CSharp for you in two files called schema.rs and schema.cs . Shortcomings Flatbuffers is not going to make your code more readable. Here is an example how we read in our ghosts from it: Unlike some alternatives to Flatbuffers it does not create the Plain-Old-Data (POD) objects for you and deserialize into those. But that is by design. You could actually go without them when you only need to access it for reading. We only create those to keep the code compatible with the previous approach that deserialized JSON into POD objects. Alternatives Of course there are alternatives that I do not want to hide: Here is a very nice comparison matrix: https://capnproto.org/news/2014-06-17-capnproto-flatbuffers-sbe.html The main benefit for protobuf is that it does the extra step of creating POD objects for you bringing it even closer to what you are used to in regular JSON deserialization. It is a good tradeoff between speed (Flatbuffers) and convenience (JSON). Another nice thing is: protobuf also speaks JSON which simplifies debugging a lot. The other alternative — cap’n’proto — is actually made by the same guy who made protobuf and uses the same zero-allocation approach Flatbuffers uses. cap’n’proto does not support as many languages yet — thats the only reason I did not consider giving it a try (yet). Ultimately there is no best solution, everything comes at a cost. If you need raw speed there is not much more you can get compared to Flatbuffers.

https://medium.com/@extrawurst/flatbuffers-in-unity-a-40x-gain-22e97b5e8075

['Stephan Dilly']

2020-12-26 23:21:07.289000+00:00

['Gamedev', 'Unity', 'Programming', 'Rust']

How Research has got Autism all Mixed up

How Research has got Autism all Mixed up There is a saying in the Autism community, ‘If you’ve met one person with Autism, then you’ve met one person with Autism.’ Within the past decade, the general public has slowly begun to grow more accepting of the heterogeneous presentation of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) that is so often at odds with the traditional, stereotyped view of Autism. But while this saying comes from a good place, what it actually means for researchers is something quite different: we don’t understand ASC. ASC is characterised primarily by how a person interacts with others and is often described as living in a world that is ‘overwhelming’ from sensations and emotions. If you google ASC, you will likely be confronted by a giant list of potential cognitive, emotional and behavioural traits. And it’s highly likely that, if you’ve come across them, you’ve found yourself thinking, ‘That’s me!’, or ‘That’s someone I know!’ After all, some lists encompass almost every trait or behaviour under the sun, while others are more conservative, but may also be equally misleading. The problem with ASC is that it has high comorbidity rates with other traits and disorders. And while this isn’t a problem in itself, it does make it difficult to research. For decades, researchers have studied ASC by comparing groups of Autistic people to groups of neurotypicals, and while this paradigm provides us with a general overview of the various ways in which Autistic people are different, it has also muddied the waters of what it means to have Autism. For decades, ASC researchers have failed to control for the effects of common comorbidities, such as OCD, ADHD, Alexithymia, Introversion, and Social Anxiety. These traits often occur alongside ASC, but are considered separate and distinct conditions. The outcome of decades of research is that some practitioners diagnosing ASC have been testing for traits without the knowledge that the trait they are testing for isn’t even an autistic one. For example, Reading The Minds Eye is a test that examines how well someone can interpret the emotional facial expressions of others and has long been used in the assessment and diagnosis of ASC. Yet how well someone can interpret emotional expressions is actually characteristic not of Autism, but of Alexithymia. In fact, you can be autistic and read facial expressions as well as any neurotypical, but if you have Alexithymia you will likely struggle to do so. It’s not that ‘if you’ve met one person with Autism then you’ve met one person with Autism’, but probably more ‘if you’ve met one person with Autism then they’re probably different to someone with both Autism and Alexithymia.’ Testing for Alexithymia should be commonplace in all Autism assessments, as it co-occurs in approximately 50% of individuals with ASC and has its own list of potential complications (including a lack of empathy, another trait often mistaken for Autism). However, how well one can or cannot interpret facial expressions should never be used to decide whether an individual has Autism. Alexithymia is a distinct and separate condition. In addition, introversion is a trait that appears in approximately 20% of the population, but that characterises up to 75% of Autistic people. When researchers focus only on the differences between Autistic and Neurotypicals, traits of introversion, as well as other commonly occurring conditions also get thrown into the mix, such that introverted individuals will score significantly higher on the AQ test, as well as various other measures of ASC, than extroverted people. This confusion in the research has barred some individuals from getting a diagnosis who otherwise should have, and has likely also increased the rate of false-positive diagnoses of ASC. This failure to control for comorbid conditions has resulted in the heterogeneity of autistic symptoms we know today, and it’s going to take a lot of work to detangle.

https://medium.com/@ergarth/how-research-got-autism-all-mixed-up-51db3d0738f8

['Ella Garth']

2020-12-06 11:37:46.676000+00:00

['Autism', 'Aspergers Assessment', 'Asperger', 'Autism Assessment', 'Autism Spectrum Disorder']

Do I need a Website for my Small Business?

● The shift to online shopping. 2020 has experienced a transformation in the way people shop for items. From takeaway food to clothes, to gym equipment, nobody has to leave the house to go window shopping. And just like every pandemic in history has led to a new culture, online shopping is no longer a trend but a fully established culture that will continue long after Covid-19 is no longer an emergency. That said, potential and existing clients are very likely looking online to get information about your business; which brings us to the next point. ● Be Seen If your business doesn’t have a website in 2020, how sure are you that people can find you? Are you still depending on walk-in clients? Broaden your reach by having a modern interactive website that has a listing on Google -My-Business. When customers search for businesses in their local set up, your business will come up. And with S.E.O tools you will be found on online searches. The advantage of this is you acquire a competitive edge even against bigger businesses in terms of location. If a client realizes they can shop for an item closer to home, the decision to support your business becomes a matter of convenience more than brand loyalty. When a new client is gained, it will now be up to you to maintain them which is undoubtedly easier than acquiring them. ● Be Trusted. Any business that doesn’t have a website so far into the 21st Century will cause the least sceptical shopper to think you may not be all that you seem to be. Are you bankrupt? Are you simply just outdated? Many eyebrows will be raised. A website is the new Yellow Pages or the former Business Directory before that. Many clients like to have a feel of what to expect before they decide to patronize an establishment, and getting basic information is one of the most direct ways to talk about your business. They can view your catalogue and prices here without feeling coerced to buy. You also gain trust by having testimonials from existing clients on your page as well as logos of affiliated ventures. ● Be Available As the world gets smaller and smaller due to digitalization, many shoppers expect that services will be highly efficient and if possible, be delivered in an instant. Patience levels have gone down to a minus and as a business, you need to consider how customer handling can match this global village pace. A website takes care of half the problem by providing real-time access to products and customer care. Plug-ins enable live chat, instant payment and purchase at the click of a button. Instant booking for services gives clients satisfaction as they feel they have the upper hand in their time management. Having an updated calendar enables them to book for services at their own convenient time. Can’t argue with a calendar now, can you? ● Be on the radar At times, marketing campaigns based on generic data can seem like a blind dispersion of seeds on rocky ground. A business owner never knows exactly who is a potential client and so their marketing becomes broad, general and ends up costing a lot of money but bringing on negligible results. Having a website caters for that. Data collected through surveys, polls and forms can give you a clearer view of your market base, the demographics and buying trends. This will help you streamline your promotions to a specific market saving you both resources and time. Data collected on a website will also help you know if you may need to expand to other locations. Again, plug-ins added to the website play a crucial role in helping you measure results. That way, you will know if Ads placed on the website are working or not before you spend money on paid Ads. In conclusion, it is clear to see that a good website not only gives you visibility but also makes you credible and helps you handle customer care. It also gives you information to help you curate your marketing strategy accordingly. It is good to mention that, as website construction goes, not every website will cut the mark. A website needs eye-catching graphics and photos, preferably your own, a Terms and Conditions page and vibrant up to date information. That’s how we come in. At Zhen Limited our expert designers and content managers will craft a website capable of easily throwing off your competitors for design and user interface. Contact us at Accounts@zhen.co.ke and let us see how to get you on the World Wide Web in no time. Wishing all of you a joyous festive season! Let’s go to 2021 with a refreshed website.

https://medium.com/zhen-blog/do-i-need-a-website-for-my-small-businesses-af01107cfbc0

['Zhen Ltd.']

2020-12-23 07:50:07.678000+00:00

['Website', 'Small Business Marketing', 'Website Design', 'Website Development']

Top 10 investments return in Pakistan

As time is proceeding forward, Pakistan’s economy has started to flourish. Terrorism threats are no more, the political situation is stable now for more than a decade, the economy is stabilizing, and governments are making efforts to encourage people to invest. Moreover, after the ginormous volume of Foreign Direct Investment in the form of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), now more people and entities are finding Pakistan as a very good investment prospect. The growth of GDP is also the indicator that Pakistan will be a safe haven for investment purposes in the upcoming time. Here are some of the best investments in Pakistan in 2021 and for upcoming years. Real Estate Years after years, real estate always proved to be the best investment option in Pakistan, despite the volume of capital a person wants to invest in it. It is going to stay the top best investment in 2021 and in all the years to come. Real estate and its contemporary industries are the largest sector in Pakistan and a necessity for the country’s economic machinery. But as we are still a developing country, there is still an open space for development and growth. Benefitting from this open space many new good housing societies have emerged on the horizon such as Taj Residencia Islamabad. Any list that claims to have assembled the “greatest investment options in Pakistan” while omitting Real Estate is a full and total fabrication, and you should avoid it. The concept behind Real Estate Investments is simple: you acquire a piece of land, a house, or a commercial property at a cheap price and sell it back to the market at a higher price. Your net profit is determined by the difference between the selling and the cost price. Again, Taj Residencia Islamabad is a fitting example to understand. Currently, the plots are selling on the launching prices, but as soon as the development begins, prices will skyrocket considering the credibility of developers, who are also the developers of Centaurus Mall. So obviously, the people who had bought plots on launching prices will have a very good profit margin. For Real Estate Investments to succeed, there must be a dynamically active market — one that consistently produces selling opportunities in order to make way for new purchases. Such marketplaces may appear difficult to implement in principle. Pakistan, on the other hand, is already a vibrant market. There are several sub-options within real-estate investing. Yes, it is the finest investment option if you truly want a guarantee of profits. If you are a new investor, or not very aware of the real estate market and trends, it is highly recommended to take help from a credible real estate agency or seasoned real estate agents in your locality. Gold Investment in gold does not mean buying gold jewelry. Instead, it is an investment in Bullion; bars, ingots, or coins of gold/silver with the highest level of purity. This and real estate are only two investments that can withstand periods of economic uncertainty without any sharp decline in their worth. Besides that, it is also a hedge against inflation. There is hardly any evidence in history when there was a very sharp decline in the value of this commodity and leaving people with a loss of capital investment. Because gold’s price tends to rise when the cost of living rises, it has historically been a good inflation hedge. During high-inflation years during the last 50 years, gold prices have soared while the stock market has plummeted. Because gold is valued in those currency units when fiat money loses its purchasing power due to inflation, it tends to climb in tandem with everything else. Furthermore, because gold is seen as an excellent store of value, individuals may be enticed to purchase it if they perceive their local currency is losing value. Final Words Best investments in Pakistan in 2021, in the past, and in the future are real estate and gold. Mainly because all other savings options i.e. fiat money loses their value in the long term. If you want to invest in real estate and are looking for a credible real estate agency, Deal and Deals is your answer. We are authorized dealers of all prominent real estate projects of the country including Park View City, Capital Smart city, and Taj Residencia Islamabad. as well as offer free of cost consultancy services for everyone. Our expert real estate agents are just a call away from you.

https://medium.com/@aqib.dealanddeals/top-10-investments-return-in-pakistan-f05a55a0ac96

['Deal']

2021-12-25 11:01:55.974000+00:00

['Blue World City', 'Real Estate', 'Investment', 'Property']

Slowing Down For Strangers

Slowing Down For Strangers Photo by Max Nayman on Unsplash Recently, we got a bit of snow — and by a bit of snow, I mean our backyard looks something like Narnia. We are new homeowners, and while I have a fridge full of cheese cured meats, we do not have things like snowmelt for our driveway. Priorities, I suppose. My husband went to the local hardware store to get some and returned home with snowmelt and a story of an odd encounter. He was pulling out of the parking lot, and a man knocked on his car window. My husband was sitting in the driver’s seat and rolled the window down to see what he needed. The stranger asked him about our car, and if he liked it. He offered up how his father had recently purchased the same car, but a different year. He offered up a few more details and then told my husband to have a good day and walked away. At first, the New Yorker in me thought there was some angle. Did he ask you where we lived? Did he ask you for your name? Was he trying to sell you something? Get something? Give you something? No, said my husband. He just wanted to talk about the car. Odd. The thought of that stranger striking up a random conversation with my husband while he was in a car that was ready to leave the parking lot stayed with me all day. What was the story there? Later on that evening, I turned on the Christmas lights of our home and wondered if that man who wanted to chat in the parking lot had Christmas lights of his own. Or better yet, did he have someone to share them with? Was there someone to talk to as the snow fell and the lights twinkled? Someone to share a hot meal with as winter swirled outside of all of our windows? The winter holiday season can be a beautiful time full of joy and hope and love and laughter, but it can also feel incredibly lonely for some. For some, it can seem as if the whole world is buzzing with delight, and you are merely watching from afar, removed from the warmth of a fire and the hum of laughter. For far too many, it can feel as if they’re standing in the darkness while the rest of the world is bathing in the glow of the lights. Too often, we forget that not everyone can share in our joy. Too often, we forget that sometimes while someone seems alright on the surface, they’re carrying a load of hurt within their heart and a lifetime of stories within their bones. Too often, we forget that it costs absolutely nothing to be kind to another human — to stop and listen to their story, if only for a moment. The heart of humanity beats with the desire to be seen, heard, and loved. Sometimes we are blessed to get that from the people in our lives — friends and family, and the ones we break bread with regularly. Other times it comes from strangers we meet briefly — in places like coffee shops and sun-soaked diners and the parking lot of your local hardware store. Either way, I hope you don’t shy away from the people who are right in front of you. I hope you listen to their stories, and hold their hearts gently, and treat each person with the tenderness you’d hope to be met with, too.

https://medium.com/@megan-minutillo/slowing-down-for-strangers-f3f8d4128515

['Megan Minutillo']

2021-01-03 19:42:58.494000+00:00

['Kindness', 'Empathy', 'Life Lessons', 'Self-awareness', 'Mindfulness']

Rust: Ownership and Borrowing

Ownership in Rust Ownership = binding/association of value to a variable. The rules are: Only one owner at a time. If the binding is “released”, ownership is “gone” and data is “freed”. let p1 = Person::new(); //1 p2 = p1; //2 let p1 = Person::new(); do_something(p1); //out of scope On line 2, p1 will be freed. It's out of scope since it has transferred ownership to p2 . Passing p1 into another function also has the same effect. let p1 = Person::new(); p2 = p1; println!("person {#:?}", p2) println!("person {#:?}", p1) //compile error That’s the reason Rust does not allow you to use that value again. It enforces this at compile time using borrow checker. Drop It is possible to implement the drop method from the Drop trait if custom cleanup logic is required. It will be automatically called by Rust when that value goes out of scope Once a variable is out-of-scope, i.e. its ownership has been relinquished, the Rust compiler will not allow you to use it again, since it needs to be “freed”. This is also called Moving , i.e. ownership of p1 moved to p2 . Ownership is applicable to heap data only, not stack data since it (stack data) is “copied”, not “moved”. Copy The Copy trait allows a value to be copied. All the primitive types (e.g. i32 , bool , etc.) implement Copy implicitly.

https://betterprogramming.pub/rust-ownership-and-borrowing-9cf7f081ade0

['Abhishek Gupta']

2020-01-15 01:51:04.470000+00:00

['Coding', 'Programming', 'Beginner', 'Rust', 'Rustlang']

Weird But Meaningful Rituals of New Year

A few Amazing New Year’s Rituals will surprise you. Meaningful-Rituals-Of-New-Year We are already preparing to receive the New Year, which we hope will come loaded with beautiful things and many trips, but especially, we wish all of you who read us that you live each day of this year as your heart dreams, and … Happy New Year! For everyone, this should be a time to recharge energy to fulfill all the good purposes that we already have, and we want to contribute to it, pulling a smile from your mouths, with the strange traditions that exist in the world to celebrate the New Year: 1) RUSSIA: New Year’s Day in Russia is the favorite of children since it is the day that the Ice Grandfather comes or as Ded Moroz is known there, a kind of Russian Santa Claus, loaded with sweets, gifts, matryoshkas, etc. . They are achieved by being good all year long, and dancing around the Christmas tree. Ded Moroz wears a red cape adorned with swan feathers, traditional embroidery, white gloves, and a red hat and always accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka. 2) IRELAND: In Ireland, a country with a multitude of superstitions, the arrival of the New Year becomes a ritual. In the first place, that day no door of the house should be closed, for those who are no longer with us, they can freely pass to celebrate those special holidays. In addition, the first person to leave the house on New Years’ must be a man dark and tall to bring prosperity to the home, never a red-haired girl who would attract bad luck. But the most curious tradition of all is that of throwing pieces of bread against the wall to ward off bad luck and bring good humor to the family; the laughs are guaranteed! 3) SOUTH AFRICA: In the Hillsboro neighborhood of Johannesburg, it is a tradition to enter the New Year without junk in order to attract prosperity, so the inhabitants of this place, throw the furniture out the window. So you know, if you are going to walk there to be careful and avoid microwaves, armchairs, fans and all kinds of furniture that will fall from the sky. 4) GERMANY: In Germany and Austria, there is a tradition of playing Bleigießen, a kind of divinatory game. Nowadays, they sell packs of Sylvesterblei, which consists of melting several lead figures in a ladle; once this is done, the melted lead is put into cold water to harden, forming a rare silhouette, which symbolizes what it will hold in the future. No one is probably clear on what that molten piece of lead is telling you, but it’s a fun way to pass the time. 5) DENMARK: If your chosen destination to spend New Year’s Eve in Denmark, your dinner will be made with cod, as tradition dictates, and although it may seem strange, you have to jump into the New Year, so everyone jumps in his chair with the first chime of the Copenhagen City Hall clock. In addition, on New Year’s Eve, it is also a tradition to show how much you appreciate your family and friends throwing the dishes against the walls of their houses, so it is normal to find a multitude of broken dishes on the streets of Copenhagen during that day. 6) GREENLAND: The rare thing about the tradition to ring in the New Year in Greenland is dinner, for which a delicacy called kiviak is prepared, which is the meat of the Alca, an aquatic bird. The curious thing about this recipe is not only the species of bird that we are not used to, but that it is eaten raw, macerated inside the skin of a seal in which it is rolled without letting any air enter, and it takes 7 months to be ready to eat. 7) ESTONIA: The Estonian tradition to welcome the New Year is only suitable for the most eager. To ensure a table full of food for the next year and full of prosperity, you have to eat 7, 9, or 12 times during the day. Each meal is supposed to give strength to start the year, so if you visit Tallinn on these dates, you are guaranteed to enjoy the most traditional cuisine, potato salads, sausages, etc. 8) SPAIN: And if all this did not seem strange enough to you … Have you ever stopped to think about the curious tradition that Spaniards have with the 12 grapes? I assure you that many who hear this custom in Spain for the first time, of eating 12 grapes, one after another following the rhythm of the 12 chimes of Puerta del Sol, far from seeming a practice that attracts good luck, it seems something tremendously dangerous… You know you don’t have to choke! Some inveterate travel nuts take their suitcase for a walk before midnight to ensure many trips in the coming year, and for now… it works! 9) PHILIPPINES: Filipino women wear polka dots designed clothes; to celebrate the New Year and call for good luck because; the round shape of the polka dots symbolizes the coins that bring prosperity and health. They also usually carry a few coins in their pocket for the same purpose, which they ring just at midnight. In addition, in the Houses, it is common that the fruits that are brought to the table; during that day are round never mango or papaya. Children also jump twelve-times at that time of night to get taller and stronger. 10) JAPAN: In Japan, they also have the tradition of welcoming the new year with bells, but many more than in Spain, neither more nor less than 108 bells of each Buddhist temple, with which the 108 sins that humans can commit are avoided. As for the typical gastronomy of that day, Toshikoshi-soba is always present very long noodles as long as the fortune of the family that eats them will be. Isn’t it all wonderful and amazing rituals? If you know something different, I would like to know. Celebrate this New Year with lots of happiness and wealth. Wear your mask and keep sanitizer with you for your own safety. Happy New Year…

https://medium.com/@sheelaofficial24/weird-but-meaningful-rituals-of-new-year-fcd10364884e

['Event Updater']

2020-12-21 20:39:46.167000+00:00

['New Year', 'New Year Resolution', 'New Year Party', 'New Year Rituals', 'Country']

Here Is How You Can Apply Software Development Best Practices to Analytics Pipelines

Configuring the Big Query Credentials You can configure the Big Query credentials using the methods described on the dbt site. Here I am using the service account JSON key method. You need to make sure the service account has following permission — BigQuery Data Editor BigQuery Job User BigQuery User Then you need to make sure dbt profile is setup $HOME/.dbt/profile.yml and details for the service account are updated as shown below — my-bigquery-db: target: dev outputs: dev: type: bigquery method: service-account project: my-project dataset: olympics threads: 1 keyfile: /path/to/service-account.json timeout_seconds: 300 priority: interactive retries: 1 You can set up profiles for dev and prod separately without affecting any code change. This one of the features of dbt which allows us to do the sandboxing and environment management easily. Creating a Project You can create a dbt project using a simple CLI command $ dbt init [project-name] This command creates a sample dbt project with all the required files and folders. The typical structure looks like as shown below - Looking at the folder structure, you can see the sense of software development principles where you see folders for tests, logs, modules, data separately. This allows the overall manageability and readability of the code structure. This is very much version control friendly and easy to follow. You can read about the details of the folder structure and their meaning on the dbt site. In dbt_project.yml , you need to set up the profile you configured in the earlier section. Creating Models I am creating two simple models to manipulate the data and get some insights. The models/example/athletes.sql looks like this — {{ config(materialized='table') }} with athletes as ( select * from olympics.atheletesnew ) select * from athletes and model/example/players_by_country.sql looks like this — {{ config(materialized='table') }} with athletes as ( select * from {{ ref('athletes') }} ), players_by_country as ( select country, count(*) as totalcount from athletes group by country ) select * from players_by_country Here you can see the dbt feature where you can define a model in one file and refer it in other models. This helps in re-usability. Also if you need to change anything in base model, you can do it in one place. Just like in any typical software engineering language. Models have other features like — Enabling / Disabling Model with flag Using aliases Using variables Using tags etc. You can create models inside the specific folders. This allows you to achieve modularity. This is similar to creating packages/namespaces in certain programming languages. Documention dbt allows you to auto-generate documentation for the models. Making it easier for the team to understand and collaborate better You can generate docs by running a command $ dbt docs generate You will be able to look at the documentation by running a command — $dbt docs serve You can even look at the lineage information in the documentation website as shown below — Testing dbt allows you to do some testing of the models generated. By default, you can configure tests like a unique check, null check, referential integrity etc. for a model. In this example, I am running sample schema tests to validate the results of the model for null checks. I can configure these tests in schema.yml as shown below — You can run tests for this project by running a simple command like $dbt test and see output like this — You can even run some complex tests as described on the dbt site. Logs Every time you compile and run a dbt project, it will generate the detailed logs for you. In case, you face any issues, these logs are quite useful to trace back the errors. Integrating with CI/CD Pipelines All dbt commands give proper exit codes like 0, 1, 2. You can use this feature in a CI/CD pipelines so that you know if a particular step was successful or failed.

https://towardsdatascience.com/here-is-how-you-can-apply-software-development-best-practices-to-analytics-pipelines-8d65ba43bc9c

['Tanmay Deshpande']

2020-04-09 08:59:46.830000+00:00

['Tech', 'Software Development', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Data']

How I failed this year

How I failed this year I know all the negations to this argument, but I have come to the affirmative (and at this moment, irrevocable) conclusion that everyone is, in fact, better than me. Better than me at breathing, at loving, at dancing, at having skin, at drinking water, at walking, sleeping, lying down, sitting up, talking, being, writing. See, it has come to my notice, that all of these things are things that I’m failing at- so every one of you are better at it than me. This year, it changed us. Not in just the cute ways we list out – like ‘valuing people’ and ‘knowing the importance of touch’. I mean, those things happened, and let’s celebrate those- but this year, it also changed me for the worse. It made me fail at certain things more, and this is about that. Or at least the ones that top the list. I sleep worse- I nap during the day, stay up till 4am, and completely neglect all forms of sleep health. Why? I wish I could tell you. Early into the pandemic, as me and my friend stayed locked up in our homes, a woman in our building was bothered by the sound of our AC- something she didn’t tell us, but chose to tell the police directly- manifesting into dramatic night time visits from our neighbours and the police. Am I not sleeping, 9 months later, because of that fact? Who knows. It could also be because the smell and rocking motion of delhi drivers handling Ubers every day were the only things that relaxed and soothed my clearly addled brain. It could also be the fact that I have changed rooms twice this year, and while both are filled with my favourite colours and pictures- both have felt a little more like a box than they ever have. I haven’t loved well- the love I’ve given has come in like a weird puff pastry at a cheap college cafe. I’ve been flaky and crumbly and all overt the place. It might have had moments when it’s come together, when the masala, the filling, the dough- all come together in a bite. But mostly it’s been edgy and crusty, and I know it’s been lacking. It’s been missed phone calls, and apologies for plans I can’t make, picked fights and layering guilt on others, when I feel too burdened by the guilt I feel myself. My love has swerved recklessly, from angry to guilty, from exhausted to anxious, from desperate to demanding. My love has tried in moments to be present and caring and gifting and loving, but tonight all I see is how it’s been lacking, and tired. I don’t have whys, maybe it’s like lack of drunken hugs outside of clubs at 3am, maybe it’s because I’ve been horribly self indulgent and fixated on my problems only, maybe it’s because friends turned into screens and my eyes started watering and when that was done, my friends turned into exhausting practises of precautions, sanitisation and worry. Or maybe, I’m growing older and forgetting how to love. I’ve written less than ever- there have been a few moments of coherence and brightness, but writing- something I have allowed to define my entire personality- hasn’t really happened. And when it’s happened, like it’s happening over here right now, it’s happened without focus (a movie is playing in the background as I force myself to get this out), it’s sometimes happened without imagination (I wrote about cute woodland creatures last year, where in the hell did they go?) and most of all, it’s happened without magic and orgasms. I’ve often said that I write to feel that rush at the end, that beautiful moment where everything comes together. The closest thing I’ve felt to that is an orgasm, but that feeling is a million times better. This year has lacked these magical soul orgasms and writing has become like sex that satisfies an itch and keeps alive a marriage. A marriage on shaky grounds of course, because the first big fight between me and my pipe dreams came in this year. A compilation of my poetry was rejected by a bunch of publishers. And a part of me wants to be inspired by this, and egg myself on beyond this brave first step I took by sending it at all- but I think it’s time I admitted that I’ve been defeated and my words? They’re starting to feel tired. Why am I doing this? Writing down the things that I have failed at, and been bad at, in a year that’s been bad and failed us all as a whole? Am I being hard on myself, probably. But I’m not forgetting the things that I have, in fact, done- I’ve worked honestly and diligently, I’ve spent time with family, I’ve drawn boundaries and mended fences, I’ve made myself take better care of my health for no one but myself, I’ve sent and received gifts, I’ve celebrated and I’ve mourned. It’s not all lost. This isn’t a report card, but it is a confessional, it is a compilation of the many post its in my brain and it is a reminder too large to fit into my clock app. The lesson of 2020, I think, was to learn to do better. We could have done much better, much before to avoid this year being a catastrophe (including make my passport and find ways to move to New Zealand) and these are things I want to learn from, to remember, to pin up on the fridge, so when I look at 2021, I do better. There should be more here- there should be filing taxes in time, overturning governments, and delaying climate change by at least a minute. But not just right now. Maybe this is actually me being easy on myself, who knows?

https://medium.com/@achhabra93/how-i-failed-this-year-6dc624f4b30e

['Abhilasha Chhabra']

2020-12-26 21:30:26.450000+00:00

['2020', 'Failure', 'Ruminations', 'Learning', 'Writing']

Top 3 NLP Use Cases a Data Scientist Should Know

Top 3 NLP Use Cases a Data Scientist Should Know Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash This article aims to explore the most common use cases a data scientist faces when dealing with Natural Language Processing (NLP). Setting the scene, we assume you are new to NLP, but not necessarily in data science. As data scientists, we often have to work with unstructured data. If you are not familiar with the term, then think of structured data as a table in Excel or in an actual database, where each column is a feature or an attribute. So, the opposite of that (unstructured) is when we do not have this format. Usually, this means we have to deal with either images or text. NLP deals with the computation of text, and it is about making a computer understand our written language. Our overall objective or universal goal, if you like, is to create models that understand text similar to how a human would do. We are not there yet, but we can create models that are useful in different settings. Typically, as data scientists, we face three common tasks related to the text. Topic modeling Topic modeling is required when we have lots of documents, and we want to “automatically” group them into different sets (clusters), each related to a specific topic. Arguably, the most famous approach is Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). In short, LDA assumes that documents have a mixture of topics, and thus each topic can generate words according to their distribution. So, when we use LDA, it basically tells us which topics created each document. This is useful when we have no specific information about a given set of documents, and we want to create some groups that we suspect or want our documents to be grouped in. Popular image found in SHIVAM BANSAL’s blog post For more information on topic modeling, you can check out here and/or here. Name Entity Recognition Name Entity Recognition (NER) is the task of identifying entities that are referred to in a document. For example, there might be names, companies, addresses, products, etc. To achieve this at a high level of accuracy, you typically need an enormous amount of annotated training data, where a machine learning model can learn all the different entities based on the context in a given document. This means that someone has to manually go through a lot of documents and annotate them every time an entity we are interested in is present. At the heart of this system, there are usually two steps: firstly, the model needs to understand whether a word or words are an entity or not. Given that they are an entity, then categorize it correctly. Image from Christopher Marshall’s blog post A very nice blog to understand this further can be found here. Also, here is a blog focusing more on the implementation side using python and relevant libraries. Text Classification NER includes text classification, but often the most common task is just to predict something about a given text. This is similar to any data science use case where you train a machine learning model on relevant data, in this case, text and try to predict something out of a new unseen text. Oversimplifying this, as in any other machine learning supervised task, given a set of features with the corresponding labels, we can create models to predict those labels. In this case, our features are extracted from the text. Given that text can be represented in many ways, deep learning approaches are frequently used, especially given that usually there are opportunities to train on large volumes of data. Image by Rohit Agrawal’s blog post A good source to get going is the following. As we mentioned, a deep learning approach works best, especially with a large volume of data. This example classifies fake news using a deep learning approach.

https://pub.towardsai.net/top-3-nlp-use-cases-a-data-scientist-should-know-637eacc3d1d4

['Alexandros Zenonos']

2020-12-27 01:02:37.832000+00:00

['Naturallanguageprocessing', 'Data Science', 'Machine Learning', 'NLP', 'Text']

Iraq Brings Date For Oil Contracts To April 15

Asim Jihad, oil ministry spokesman, announced on Sunday that Iraq is now planning to award oil and gas exploration and development contracts in 11 new blocks on April 15. Nine exploration blocks in Central and Southern Iraq were initially offered last year and now two more have been added. The announcement took international company representatives by surprise. The date was brought forward, from June 21, so oil companies can bid on exploring and developing the about a dozen hydrocarbon-rich areas. The new blocks are located in offshore Gulf waters and in the border areas with Iran and Kuwait. Oil companies that are planning to make the offers will get the bidding documents on April 13 as told by the spokesman to Reuters. Bidding offers will have to be submitted on April 15 and the winners of the bid will also be announced on the same day. On Thursday, the oil ministry announced its measures to reduce the fees in the new contracts received by the oil companies from the government, which includes oil by-product exclusion from the company’s revenues and establishing a linkage between prevailing oil prices and their remuneration. Currently, the Iraqi government pays a fee to its oil producers which is linked to production increases including crude and oil by-products like liquefied petroleum gas and dry gas. The new contracts will also introduce a royalty element. The contract change was decided by OPEC, subsequent to a glut causing oil prices to crash in 2014 and rendered Baghdad unable to pay the fees, and would also have a time limit for companies to end gas flaring developed from oil fields. Iraq hopes to end the gas flaring by 2021.

https://medium.com/bvity/iraq-brings-date-for-oil-contracts-to-april-15-181b6fa4ac0f

[]

2018-04-08 21:00:49.088000+00:00

['Oil', 'News', 'Opec', 'Iraq']

Unconscious Bias

We, like everybody else, have our own desires and dreams. And we are all working towards those goals of ours. And it is our responsibility to equip ourselves with the necessary skills and remove the factors which are detrimental to achieving the same. This might seem like an unusual introduction seeing the heading of the article. But let me elaborate. The times are changing fast. We now live in a global society with more exchanges and interactions than ever before. Having a diverse and inclusive environment has been accepted as the key to success. Hence the decisions we take and the mindsets we keep is very much significant and have far reaching consequences than before. That is where unconscious bias and our attitude towards it plays a role. Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing. Psychologists suggest that it is due to the tendency of our brains to seek patterns. We live in a very complex world. It is impossible to process every bit of information that comes our way. Our brains try to simplify the world by creating shortcuts. Trouble erupts when it seeps into the decision-making process. To combat this, companies have developed courses to tackle unconscious bias in the workplace. The first step in rectifying this is to acknowledge one has unconscious bias as none are immune to it. Second is to treat everyone as an individual and give time to know them and understand them without looking into their race, gender, religion, caste, skin color etc. Then train yourselves to be more empathetic. Putting yourself into their shoes is the best way to change yourself innately and negate your biases. All this helps you and everyone around you to be at the maximum potential. Clear and unbiased understanding leads to success. As a friend of mine says “Everyone looks at life through a lens. The point is to be aware of the lens we have”. Sources: https://diversity.ucsf.edu/resources/unconscious-bias https://www.techquila.co.in/implicit-bias/

https://medium.com/@sujinabdulsalam/unconscious-bias-b6d2b5a23ea2

[]

2020-12-19 05:06:19.100000+00:00

['Skills', 'Stereotyping', 'Bias', 'Unconscious Bias', 'Implicit Bias']

The basic purpose of color theory in design

The basic purpose of color theory in design Colors are detrimental to our mood, the same as they might impact our user’s decisions on our websites or when looking at marketing materials. Not all people process color the same way, and your perception of materials can differ from my own. But the subconscious decisions that you or I will make based on the designer’s use of color will typically be similar. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash When Newton established the color wheel back in the 1600’s he realized that not all colors are created equal. To display this he was able to create a wheel that laid out the 3 definitive groups of color. Primary (blue, red, yellow) (blue, red, yellow) Secondary (mixing primary colors) (mixing primary colors) Tertiary (mixing primary and secondary colors) Newton also established properties that allow for different depth of color, for example, how using black or white can adjust the tone of a color. Starting with an initial hue, we can add to the chroma of the color by introducing white(tint), black(shade), or grey(tone). A couple more states to consider before diving a bit deeper into the theory aspect would be monochromatic (variants of a hue by adding white or black to create similar colors). Complimentary (opposite colors to suggest contrast) and split-complementary (colors from either side of the complementary to lessen the contrast). The theory — what your users need to see When you’re designing marketing materials such as websites, posters, business cards, and flyers, it’s important to make them eye-catching. There’s no better way to capture the attention of someone other than of a big pop of color and contrast. Photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash When we use color to attract our users, we’re initially triggering a response in their brains of curiosity. Once we’ve got their attention, it’s ideal to continue to draw them in using continuous visual cues to lead their eye toward the content that is important for them to digest. Treating your design projects with a little UX discovery session, even for brochures or flyers, you’re going to improve your users’ information retention. Making a user persona, for example, and applying color pallets to suit that specific sub-set of users could make a more meaningful impact. Color is not an option to be considered when designing. It is a key factor in your brand’s psychological impact on your users. This could define your entire project’s success or value, and is worth the effort to do it right. Emotional connections with color Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash We touched briefly on colors that resonate well with users. To do this, we might want to consider what specific colors are more prone to make us feel. We could use a strong blue, red, or purple on our posters for our upcoming concert (if you’re reading this in 2020 or 2021, you might not remember, but music was once played live in front of many people at once pre 2020). To choose the best color for our poster, perhaps we consider the audience and music genre. Some examples of colors that could make you think of specific genres could be: Black / Dark red for Rock or Metal Yellow or orange for pop music Neutral grey’s and white’s with accents of lime green or yellow for R&B Brown for country music Bright blue and purple for EDM Mellow pastel blue/green for Hip Hop It doesn’t stop there. Color could also make your brain think differently about certain products or businesses as well. Blue is always thought to be more professional, where as orange is normally associated with food and hunger. Some emotions that color might evoke could be: Red - aggression & anger. However has the power to demand attention in design for error and emphasis. - aggression & anger. However has the power to demand attention in design for error and emphasis. Yellow - friendly & warning. But yellow can also encourage an energetic feeling but has the equal chance of suggesting to pay attention. Yellow is almost instantly recognizable as a color. - friendly & warning. But yellow can also encourage an energetic feeling but has the equal chance of suggesting to pay attention. Yellow is almost instantly recognizable as a color. Blue- trustworthy & inviting. One of the most popular colors in design when related to professionalism. It’s essential to trust businesses in certain aspects, therefore many businesses use this as their primary color. The 60–30–10 rule I’m not going to touch too deep on this, however you can read a bit more about it here. Essentially, it’s important to establish a rule where the majority of the layout is a neutral color such as white or a shade of grey (60%) — incorporating a complementary or primary color of 30% followed by 10% of accent color to work with your primary color. The colors your choose here can work with your brand pallet that might already be established before your project commencement. Most importantly If not all projects, there will undoubtedly be most of them that come with branding to consider. It’s always essential to incorporate the personality and colors attributed to the brand itself. This is important for businesses and establishing brand recognition, so do your best to incorporate colors that associate well with the brand rather than ignoring the constraints you might need to work within.

https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/how-colors-can-impact-our-minds-d4bd7bd77d2

['Nick Burd']

2021-02-12 14:16:12.870000+00:00

['Psychology', 'Startup', 'UX', 'Design', 'UI']

The Muslim world’s changing dynamics: Pakistan struggles to retain its footing

By James M. Dorsey Increasing strains between Pakistan and its traditional Arab allies, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, is about more than Gulf states opportunistically targeting India’s far more lucrative market. At the heart of the tensions, that potentially complicate Pakistan’s economic recovery, is also India’s ability to enhance Gulf states’ capacity to hedge their bets amid uncertainty about the continued US commitment to regional security. India is a key member of the Quad that also includes the United States, Australia and Japan and could play a role in a future more multilateral regional security architecture in the Gulf. Designed as the backbone of an Indo-Pacific strategy intended to counter China across a swath of maritime Asia, Gulf states are unlikely to pick sides but remain keen on ensuring that they maintain close ties with both sides of the widening divide. The mounting strains with Pakistan are also the latest iteration of a global battle for Muslim religious soft power that pits Saudi Arabia and the UAE against Turkey, Iran, and Asian players like Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Islamic movement. A combination of geo- and domestic politics is complicating efforts by major Muslim-majority states in Asia to walk a middle line. Pakistan, home to the world’s largest Shiite Muslim minority, has reached out to Turkey while seeking to balance relations with its neighbour, Iran. The pressure on Pakistan is multi-fold. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan charged recently that the United States and one other unidentified country were pressing him to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Pakistani and Israeli media named Saudi Arabia as the unidentified country. Representing the world’s second most populous Muslim nation, Pakistani recognition, following in the footsteps of the UAE and Bahrain, would be significant. Pakistan twice in the last year signalled a widening rift with the kingdom. Mr. Khan had planned to participate a year ago in an Islamic summit hosted by Malaysia and attended by Saudi Arabia’s detractors, Turkey, Iran and Qatar, but not the kingdom and a majority of Muslim states. The Pakistani prime minister cancelled his participation at the last moment under Saudi pressure. More recently, Pakistan again challenged Saudi leadership of the Muslim world when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi complained about lack of support of the Saudi-dominated Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Pakistan in its conflict with India over Kashmir. The OIC groups the world’s 57 Muslim-majority nations. Mr. Qureshi suggested that his country would seek to rally support beyond the realm of the kingdom. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on a visit to Pakistan earlier this year, made a point of repeatedly reiterating his country’s support for Pakistan in the Kashmir dispute. By openly challenging the kingdom, Mr. Qureshi was hitting Saudi Arabia where it hurts most as it seeks to repair its image tarnished by allegations of abuse of human rights, manoeuvres to get off on the right foot with incoming US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, and fends off challenges to its leadership of the Muslim world. Pakistan has not helped itself by recently failing to ensure that it would be removed from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force, an international anti-money laundering and terrorism finance watchdog, despite progress in the country’s legal infrastructure and enforcement. Grey listing causes reputational damage and makes foreign investors and international banks more cautious in their dealings with countries that have not been granted a clean bill of health. Responding to Mr. Qureshi’s challenge, Saudi Arabia demanded that Pakistan repay a US$1 billion loan extended to help the South Asian nation ease its financial crisis. The kingdom has also dragged its feet on renewing a US$3.2 billion oil credit facility that expired in May. In what Pakistan will interpret as UAE support for Saudi Arabia, the Emirates last week included Pakistan on its version of US President Donald J. Trump’s Muslim travel ban. Inclusion on the list of 13 Muslim countries whose nationals will no longer be issued visas for travel to the UAE increases pressure on Pakistan, which relies heavily on exporting labour to generate remittances and alleviate unemployment. Some Pakistanis fear that a potential improvement in Saudi-Turkish relations could see their country fall through geopolitical cracks. In the first face-to-face meeting between senior Saudi and Turkish officials since the October 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, the two countries’ foreign ministers, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Mevlut Cavusoglu, held bilateral talks this weekend, on the sidelines of an OIC conference in the African state of Niger. “A strong Turkey-Saudi partnership benefits not only our countries but the whole region,” Mr. Cavusoglu tweeted after the meeting. The meeting came days after Saudi King Salman telephoned Mr. Erdogan on the eve of a virtual summit hosted by the kingdom of the Group of 20 (G20) that brings together the world’s largest economies. “The Muslim world is changing and alliances are shifting and entering new, unchartered territories,” said analyst Sahar Khan. Added Imtiaz Ali, another analyst: “In the short term, Riyadh will continue exploiting Islamabad’s economic vulnerabilities… But in the longer term, Riyadh cannot ignore the rise of India in the region, and the two countries may become close allies — something that will mostly likely increase the strain on Pakistan-Saudi relations.” A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, and Castbox. Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute

https://medium.com/the-turbulent-world-of-middle-east-soccer/the-muslim-worlds-changing-dynamics-pakistan-struggles-to-retain-its-footing-990da4da6c26

['James M. Dorsey']

2020-11-30 06:56:44.999000+00:00

['Biden', 'Pakistan', 'Middle East', 'Trump', 'Saudi Arabia']

The Importance of Data Privacy

Data protection is crucial for companies as well as consumers. Most of the regulations over the data protection and data privacy bring data companies and other companies in the ambit of the regulations. The legislation like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, Consumer Data Protection Act and the Data Care Act in the USA advocate for data protection. The GDPR puts the maximum penalty for a violation at 4% of worldwide revenues of the offending organization. Data companies have been designing and working around to develop models through which they could protect the data of the customers. The data privacy and protection is also fully depending on the customers too. They need to know their rights and privileges in regard to data protection. It is also their right to give any consent to companies to store their data or to delete the data they shared with the companies. In this digital age, consumers share their vital information on social media sites, e-commerce sites, and other apps to perform certain kind of actions. Of late, browsers and websites collect the data of the users and store their search behavior. This data could be insightful for companies to develop strategies to generate revenue and profits. For any company, data is a vital asset. With the rise of the data economy, companies have been adoption several ways to collect, share and use data. And, the regulations across the world are safeguarding the interest of the customers and their personal data. It is the fundamental right of the consumers to protect their date and companies can’t collect or use their data without their consent to it. Data privacy is depending on data protection. Why is data privacy important? Companies must follow fair business process and regulations when it comes to the consumers’ personal data. These companies must train and regulate their employees over the data collection, sharing and use of sensitive data. These companies must ensure the information privacy of their customers or users. There are many technologies available to protect data and for data privacy. Here are five data security and privacy technologies that will be useful for companies in dealing with data privacy and protection. 1. Cloud Data Protection: Could adoption is at peak; all companies including small businesses are moving to the cloud to automate their process. There are concerns like data security, compliance, and privacy are associated with it. This technology will help to encrypt sensitive data before moving to cloud with enterprise, not the cloud provider. 2. Big Data Encryption: This technology is useful in applying encrypting techniques to obscure data in relational databases and on other big data platforms where the data is stored. It will prevent the cyber attack and help in data protection. 3. Data Privacy Management Solutions: This platform is useful for data protection and privacy by initiating auditable workflows. 4. Application-level Encryption: This helps to encrypt data within the application before it committed or stored at the database level. It protects sensitive data at every stage whenever the data is copied or transmitted. 5. Data Access Governance: This platform allows companies to manage data access permission. It is also helpful in finding sensitive slate data of the users. Using this platform the companies discover and clear the data. At Learnitude Technologies, we have been taking data protection measures are priorities. The date of customers is being encrypted at the app level. It can be assessed by others. We have been developing and designing various types of applications using technologies. Our first priority is to protect the data of our clients and their customers. For any questions on data privacy, please feel free to write to us at info@learntechx.com. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

https://medium.com/@neelachary/the-importance-of-data-privacy-39c6676eeb58

['Neel Achary']

2019-06-12 09:24:43.103000+00:00

['Solutions', 'Gdpr', 'Data Privacy', 'Data Protection']

Weekly Digest: Turning point for Crypterium

Hi there, Here we go with another edition of our News Digest, and oh, what a week it has been! We are getting ready for Finovate Fall that will take place in New York, we introduced you to the easiest way to buy CRPT tokens, and the launch of our new feature is almost upon us. Read on for more details The easiest way to buy CRPT If you’ve been to our app lately, you might have noticed a new button. Yeah, that one on the upper left saying “CRPT”. Click on it and discover the easiest way to buy our tokens. The solution we offer doesn’t even require going to an exchange. You can now purchase CRPT with fiat or Bitcoin straight through the app! Enter the amount of CRPT you wish to buy and hit the “send” button. That’s all that is necessary for buying CRPT with Bitcoin. Fiat-to-crypto solution includes one more step — after you enter the number of tokens, you’ll get an invoice with the transaction details. Once it is paid, we’ll transfer CRPT to you in a second. New York, here we come The team will be at Finovate on Monday showcasing our new groundbreaking feature! It has never been presented before, but as much as we’d love to give a hint on what it’s going to be — we can’t. For now, let’s just say we are definitely staying true to our mission of bringing crypto payments into daily life. Finovate is sometimes called Christmas among crypto community members — that’s how much the event is anticipated. It has a unique blend of informal networking sessions and 7-minutes long demos. Ours is scheduled for Sep 24, 3:25 pm (local time) Come see us at the stage if you are there! Interview with CEO While you’re waiting for Finovate, you can also read Marc O’Brien’s interview with Breaking Banks, #1 fintech podcast in the world. From Crypterium live services to future use cases, to personal reasons for moving to crypto — find out what else Marc had to say. P.S. Want to witness a big announcement from Crypterium? Keep an eye on our social media channels — on Monday we are going to give you updates on a new exchange, app features and our website! About Crypterium CCrypterium is building a mobile app that will turn cryptocurrencies into money that you can spend with the same ease as cash. Shop around the world and pay with your coins and tokens at any NFC terminal, or via scanning the QR codes. Make purchases in online stores, pay your bills, or just send money across borders in seconds, reliably and for a fraction of a penny. Join our Telegram news channel or other social media to stay updated! Website ๏ Telegram ๏ Facebook ๏ Twitter ๏ BitcoinTalk ๏ Reddit ๏ YouTube ๏ LinkedIn

https://medium.com/crypterium/weekly-digest-turning-point-for-crypterium-672ed4e20979

[]

2018-11-09 15:49:24.149000+00:00

['Technology', 'Crypto', 'Bitcoin', 'Finovate', 'Digest']

How to Answer 12 of the Most Common Interview Questions

A job interview is undoubtedly the most nerve-wracking component of the job hiring process, but it doesn’t have to be! When you are prepared with common job interview questions and answers, you can approach the interview with confidence and poise. We’ve listed the questions and answers with explanations. Laying it out this way can help you decipher why each is being asked and what your answer will convey about you as a candidate. Learn how to answer these 12 interview questions like a pro and take on your next job interview without any hesitation. Interview Question 1: Will you tell me a little about yourself? While this is probably the most commonly asked interview question, so many people either fail to prepare for it or have no idea how to approach it. What most people end up doing is giving a summary of their resume and/or personal history, which is exactly what you should NOT do. Interview Answer: Instead, this is your opportunity to give a pitch demonstrating exactly why you’re right for the job. Before the interview, think of about two or three examples of your accomplishments and/or experiences which you would like your interviewer to know about. Then, wrap up the answer by discussing how your prior experience has prepared you to take on the specific role for which you are interviewing. Interview Question 2: How did you hear about this position? This seems like a pretty straightforward question, right? Wrong. You may have heard about the job through an online job board or a friend, but this answer needs to showcase more than just where or how you heard about the job. Interview Answer: Depending on the way you heard about the position, it’s important to utilize your connection and interest in the company. You want to show that, rather than just applying to random jobs without any interest in that specific company, you specifically wanted a position at that company. Utilize connections. If you heard through a friend that worked at that company, feel free to use their name. Do your due diligence and learn about the company before the interview so that you can reference the company specifically and indicate that you were searching for positions that included [reference whatever caught your eye about the posting]. Referencing specifics will show that you’re actually invested in the positions you’re applying for, rather than just submitting your resume to every job posting out there. Interview Question 3: Why should I hire you? This is an intimidating question to be asked. However, it’s a great question because it puts you in the perfect position to define your skillset. Interview Answer: The perfect answer to this question will convey several items. The first is that you possess the skill set to do the work, preferably with examples to back it up. The second is that you can, and will, deliver results (again, with examples from previous experience to back up this claim). The third is that you know you will fit in with the company’s culture and team. Ensure your reference what the company culture is to show you have awareness. For help on this, check out their mission, values and social media presence. Finally, show that you feel you’d make the best fit out of all the candidates. Demonstrate that you’re not only qualified but that you are passionate about working for the company and its mission. Interview Question 4: Why do you want this position? If you only want the job because you need a job, the interviewer will see right through that. Companies feel the right candidate for the job will demonstrate enthusiasm and dedication for the position, so the best answers will express both of those qualities. Interview Answer: Start by talking about why the particular position is a great fit for you. For example, “I love working with animals and I know working at an animal rescue organization would be a great fit for me because I get satisfaction from helping animals, working with them on a daily basis and making a difference in a cause I’m passionate about.” Then, discuss why you feel the company is a great fit for you. Why do you love the company and its culture? You could say: “I’m passionate about helping animals and their well-being. I admire what your organization does and would love to be a part of a team that does such wonderful work that makes a difference in the lives of so many animals.” Interview Question 5: Can you tell me about your experience at your last job? Translation: How does your previous job experience relate to the job I’m looking to fill? In answering this question, you want to show the interviewer that, once given the position, you’ll be able to achieve success based on your past experience. Interview Answer: When answering, focus on the tasks required for your last job that are applicable to the position you’re interviewing for now. Share how your skills apply to both positions (past and present) and how you’ll be able to hit the ground running if given the position you’re interviewing for. Interview Question 6: How would your boss and coworkers describe you? The point of this question is to determine how well you work with coworkers in a team environment. This is yet another opportunity to discuss strengths you haven’t mentioned yet — your people skills! Interview Answer: Talk about traits that involve working with others, pitching in to help with projects, your strong work ethic and anything else you think your coworkers or boss might mention. Make sure, however, that these aren’t traits you’ve already stated. You don’t want to keep repeating yourself over and over again! Interview Question 7: What’s your biggest professional accomplishment to date? Remember the skills required section in the job posting? That’s what you should be recalling when this question is asked. The goal in this question is to show that you not only have those skills but have already accomplished some of them. Interview Answer: When answering, think of concrete examples of accomplishments. Numbers and data are your friends here. For example, “My biggest professional accomplishments to date have been the new and innovative methods I came up with that resulted in traffic boosts to our company site. As our company’s social media coordinator, I utilized fresh posts, user engagement and content, which increased our site’s page views by 40% year over year in 2019.” Did you know that now you can find part-time jobs on Fastweb to boost your resume? Find your perfect opportunity today! Interview Question 8: Why are you leaving your current job? Hiring managers are naturally going to be curious about why you’re leaving a current role. While there are many good reasons to leave a job, some should be stated in an interview and most should not. Interview Answer: You should never say that you’re leaving because your current position is a bad opportunity. Rather, say that the position you’re interviewing for is just too tempting to refuse. Let’s be clear: you don’t want to come off as insincere. However, you do want to convey that you really are excited about the opportunity and desire the job. Don’t focus on how you dislike your current job or your current boss. Instead, simply focus on the positive attributes you like about the position you’re seeking. There are times where you will need to be honest about something negative, like if your department was eliminated from your company. Be candid and then refocus on the positive attributes of the new company. Interview Question 9: In your opinion, what are your greatest strengths, professionally speaking? Most people often feel uncomfortable in answering this question. However, the job interview is all about YOU. So speak up and with confidence on your positive traits. Interview Answer: Be accurate and focus on sharing your true strengths, not what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Try as best you can to choose relevant strengths that are applicable to the position you’re interviewing for. Also, be as specific and professional as possible. Instead of saying you’re a “people person,” try saying you have experience in “team relationship building.” Interview Question 10: In your opinion, what are your greatest weaknesses, professionally speaking? This is likely one of the most dreaded questions out there. The point of this question — other than to weed out any candidates lacking a major skill — is to see if you are both honest and self-aware. Many people answer this question by answering with a positive spin such as, “I work too hard.” Most interviewers will see through this immediately. Interview Answer: It’s best to be honest and straightforward by choosing something that you may struggle with but are working to improve. For example, “I’ve never been especially strong at building webpages, but I signed up to take a night course this summer to help improve my skills.” Also, naming a skill that may not be integral to the role you’re applying for will most likely not impact your chances of getting the job. Interview Question 11: How do you handle pressure or stressful situations at work? Undoubtedly, regardless of where you end up working, there will be times where stress or pressure is unavoidable. This question aims to determine how you will handle those times. Interview Answer: Your answer should demonstrate that you can — and will — be able to meet any given stressful situation by tackling it head-on with positivity and productivity. You want to show that nothing will be able to stop you from accomplishing the task. It’s also smart to discuss what you do for stress-reduction. You could say: “If I’m feeling overwhelmed, I create a to-do list and it helps me feel like I have things under control.” Alternatively, “When I’m stressed, I stop, take a moment and count to ten, taking deep breaths. It’s simple, but it always calms me down.” Follow up by sharing an example of a work situation where you found yourself stressed or under pressure where you utilized one of your example techniques, handled it successfully and came out on top. Interview Question 12: What are your salary requirements? This is a question in which you should never enter blindly. You should do pre-interview research on sites like Glassdoor and Payscale to find out what others in similar positions are being paid. Once you do this, you will have a salary range in your back pocket so you’re prepared to name a salary that’s acceptable for the position coupled with your skills, experience and education. Interview Answer: Based on your research and the salary range you’ve researched, it’s recommended that you name the high end of the salary range you came up with. However, make sure the interviewer knows you are flexible with your number. This communicates that you feel your skills are valuable but you absolutely want the position and are open to negotiations. Learn more interview best practices in our guide

https://medium.com/@emailmarketinghelp/how-to-answer-12-of-the-most-common-interview-questions-e393b1c08b9c

[]

2020-12-17 23:44:24.337000+00:00

['Employment', 'Interview', 'Job Interview', 'Job Search']

Making hackathons more inclusive, pt2.

Testing engagement using different platforms Sometimes the best way to find out what works is to try a few things. I created a number of methods across different platforms of delivery to increase engagement for hackathons in general. Podcasts A short podcast about hackathons and my personal experiences; attending, organising and judging them. Using my existing Podcast channel talking about hackathons and my own experiences with them. Note, if you’re planning to do a podcast with someone else make sure you get them to complete a concent form. Something like this one is great, Podcast guest release form template. The main purpose of this podcast is to support social media campaigns with rich media accessible to different audiences and by other means, such as smart speakers and music streaming services. Using rich media, such as Podcasts can increase engagement rates upto three times than that of text only posts (Venkatachari, 2013). You could experiment with episodic content and a live broadcast during the hackathon itself. Podcasts are also a great way to reach different audiences over the more visual platforms of Instagram, Snapchat, Pintrest and TikTok — which are based around images and short-form videos. Remember if your images have any text on them be sure to provide alt-text. For more information about alt-text and inclusivity in social media, visit https://blog.hootsuite.com/inclusive-design-social-media/ An example tweet of the Podcast to gain interest. Instagram teaser campaign Different social media channels have different audiences, as such demand alternative treatments to engage their respective audiences. According to Statista, 35% of US teens rate Instagram as their favorite social network, second only to Snapchat. In terms of gender, 43% of women use Instagram while 31% of men use it. Instagram audience demographics (https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/) Learn to automate Instagram posts, in alternative colours to test response rates. Learn to automate Instagram post — more pictorial, in alternative colours to test response rates. Twitter teaser campaign The gender breakdown for Twitter users among US adults shows that 24% of men use Twitter while 21% of women use the platform. Within the platform on an international basis, the breakdown is 66% men and 34% women. Twitter audience demographics (https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/) Hackathon Twitter posts — using different videos posts to test response rates. A social registration page to capture how the attendee found out about the hackathon and how they’d prefer to be kept informed. Post registration After registering the intention is to give the attendee as much pre-event information as possible. This includes a PDF to download with how the attendees can participate in the hackathon. Example PDF welcome pack, cover Example PDF welcome pack, introduction — outlining the expectation on participants. Example PDF welcome pack, introduction — defining the brief that participants should solve. Example PDF welcome pack, outlining the participants journey — creating output. Example PDF welcome pack, outlining the participants journey — learning pathway.

https://medium.com/@paulwilshaw/example-of-a-creator-hackathon-journey-making-hackathons-more-inclusive-4a7147cb6150

['Paul Wilshaw']

2021-03-06 14:50:54.122000+00:00

['Event Planning', 'Design', 'Hackathons', 'Marketing', 'Technology']

The Shortest Introduction To Deep Learning You Will Find On The Web

Simple Artificial Neural Network with three hidden layers. Source: https://orbograph.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DeepLearn.png The most promising development in machine learning (ML) is deep learning. In DL we build a artificial neural network (ANN), basically we use layers of linear regression, followed each by an activation function, that brings non-linearity into the ANN. Those activation functions are usually sigmoid functions like the logistic function (aka just sigmoid) or tangens hyperbolicusl (tanh). More recently the rectified linear unit ( ReLU: f(x) = max(x,0) ) has shown improved results in most cases. However it was disregarded first by mathematicians as it is not differentiable at f(0). It was shown at the beginning of the 2000s by Professor Hornik from WU university that those ANN architectures could approximate any functions, even with just one hidden layer, this is kown as universal approximation theorem (UAT). Most common activation functions. Source: https://www.kdnuggets.com/wp-content/uploads/activation.png This figure shows very nicely how after every layer of matrix multiplication an activation function is used. In this case sigmoid. Source: https://www.bogotobogo.com/python/scikit-learn/images/NeuralNetwork2-Forward-Propagation/NN-with-components-w11-etc.png One interesting point in DL is that we can have data from any shape as input and output. This means data is data. It does not have to be some kind of special data that is domain specific. We can use the same techniques we use for stock price prediction, in medical diagnosis or customer churn prediction, with only some minor practical adjustments. A vast problem in DL is optimization. Professor Hinton from the Toronto university has introduced the backpropagation algorithm in 1986. This algorithm was used to derive partial derivatives for every parameter of an ANN, regarding some cost function that is derived from a difference from the model output Y and the target output T. Often used cost functions include mean squared error for regression or the cross entropy for classification tasks. With modern libraries like pytorch or tensorflow derivation of the derivatives is handled automatically. We only have to define the forward pass, this is the ANN function. It consists of matrix multiplications (linear regression) for each layer and following activation functions that bring non-linearity to the ANN as mentioned before. In DL we had and still have a huge problem of having too much variance in the data. This means we fit too much noise, which leads too often perfect in-sample, but much worse out-of-sample models. This is also due to UAT, as our ANN can fit any function perfectly in theory this leads often to almost perfect fits in-sample, however our ANN does not care about real dependencies. It just minimizes our cost function by describing the in-sample distribution. This problem is known as variance-bias trade off, it stayed a problem for quit a time and is still not fully resolved yet. However, new concepts like simply using more training data, transfer learning, normalization (batch, weight, layer, group, etc.) and weight sharing have shown to improve the generalization ability of those ANNs. The problem with this concepts however is that they do not adjust for concept shift, the change in the relationship between input X and output Y over time. However, (deep) reinforcement learning (RL) may yield a solution to this problem. In RL an agent interacts with a virtual or real environment and tries to maximize reward. Thereby this agent creates new data it can train own. Most notable here is the development of AlphaZero by Google Deep Mind that learned to play go, chess and soghi by playing against it self. In a few hours it was better in all of those games than any human or software player before. While RL is not exploited in business cases at the moment, further development could increase its scoop and importance and may be the best shot we got for developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). If you have any remarks or questions please feel free to use the comment section. Some of my other articles that might interest you

https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/the-shortest-introduction-to-deep-learning-you-will-find-on-the-web-25a9975bbe1d

['Christoph Ostertag']

2019-10-25 22:42:40.156000+00:00

['Machine Learning', 'Algorithms', 'Data Science', 'Neural Networks', 'Deep Learning']

Back to School With Planet, Week 7 | Change the World 🌎 🛰

Did you discover some new ideas for “When I grow up, I want to be a _______”? 👩🏻‍✈️ Aeronautical engineer 👩🏿‍🚀 Astronautical engineer 👨🏼‍💻 Machine learning specialist 👩🏽‍🔬 Mars scientist 👨🏻‍🔧 Optical instrumentation engineer 👷🏼‍♀️ Satellite operator … other cool ideas? In last week’s activity, we asked you to try your hand at change observation, by taking a closer look at the environment around you. What did you learn from your experiment? 🍁 How did something in nature change? Maybe a plant from your garden, or the size of the mud puddles at a nearby park? 🏡 How did something at home change? Maybe the temperature in your room, or your your dog or cat? The next time you go on a walk around your neighborhood, pay close attention to your surroundings. Notice how the leaves are changing colors, or if the weather is getting cold enough that you have to pull jackets out of your storage boxes. Were you surprised to see how much (or how little) something changes from day to day? When you share your observations with your family, what changes did they notice? 🧐 Apple Fire in Riverside County, California © 2020, Planet Labs Inc. All Rights Reserved. Zooming out, have you noticed some of the changes happening outside of your immediate environment? 💦 For example, did this summer feel warmer than usual? 🦜 When you are outdoors, have you seen more or less birds and animals in the wild? 🔥 When you speak to other family members, do they talk about “the hurricane season”, “wildfires” or other unusual weather conditions? Sometimes, it can be difficult to understand the idea of HUGE topics like the hurricanes and climate change, the greenhouse effect, or ocean acidification. The best way to learn is to ask your science teachers or your family about these topics 🤓 At Planet, we believe that if you can see change, you can change the world 🌎Know that there are millions of people out there — from teenagers to grandparents — who are working to figure out the steps we can take to protect our planet, together! 👍🏻 You can learn about their stories from books and movies, too! Here are some ideas to get you started: 🍿 Tomorrow (Age 10+) Tomorrow: an optimistic documentary about saving the planet Tomorrow is an optimistic documentary about saving the planet, with stories about the innovative ways people have devised to counter climate change, economic inequality, and other critical issues. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV! 🍿A Beautiful Planet (Age 8+) A Beautiful Planet: a film featuring stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet A Beautiful Planet is a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space. Made in cooperation with NASA, the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet — and the effects humanity has had on it over time. You can watch it on Hulu! 🍿Ice Age: The Meltdown (Age 6+) Ice Age The Meltdown: is a comedy-drama adventure story! Manny, Sid, and Diego discover that the ice age is coming to an end, and join everybody for a journey to higher ground. On the trip, they discover that Manny, in fact, is not the last of the woolly mammoths. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Hulu!

https://medium.com/planet-stories/back-to-school-with-planet-week-7-change-the-world-5cf38ca45be7

['Lisa Huang']

2020-10-19 19:16:45.664000+00:00

['Climate Change', 'Activities For Kids', 'Sustainability', 'Education', 'Satellite Technology']

The rundown on the shutdown

The recent U.S. government shutdown has been one of the longest and possibly the most expensive in American history. What happened? From Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019, the government underwent a partial shutdown as Congress stalled over a federal spending deal that included funding for a border wall. On Dec. 19, the Senate passed a short-term funding bill, a continuing resolution (CR), in hopes of stalling a shutdown until February. It had no funding for a border wall, but Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said President Donald Trump would sign it. The next day, however, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Trump refused to sign the bill “because of his legitimate concerns for border security.” House Republicans were able to pass a spending bill that included $5.7 billion for a border wall. But the bill failed to gain traction with Senate Democrats and was voted down on Dec. 21. Federal funding ran out and with no agreement on a budget for the fiscal year by the midnight deadline, the government shut down. On Jan. 25, Trump signed a short-term spending bill into law that didn’t include funding for a border wall, ending the shutdown. The bill will buy Congress time to agree on a budget by Feb. 15. How much did it cost the economy? The estimated cost of the shutdown ranges from $6 billion from the S&P Global Ratings to $11 billion from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). On Jan. 25, S&P Global Ratings estimated the shutdown would cost $6 billion, about $3.4 billion more than the government shutdown in 2013 under President Obama and $3 million more than the amount President Trump requested for the southern border wall. Earlier in the month, Moody’s Analytics estimated the shutdown could cost about $8.7 billion if it lasted until the end of January. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the 35-day partial shutdown has cost the economy $11 billion, $3 billion of which was permanently lost. The CBO estimates that the economy will recover the other $8 billion as federal workers receive and spend their long-awaited paychecks. How long is long? Since 1976, there have been at least 21 government shutdowns due to gaps in funding. The shutdown shattered the previous record of 21 consecutive days set under former President Bill Clinton. Former President Jimmy Carter had set the highest record for the total number of days in a shutdown at 56. Although President Trump did not reached that number, he currently sits at second place with 39 days.

https://medium.com/grafiti/the-rundown-on-the-shutdown-cda376d1eb5a

['Adriana Navarro']

2019-01-31 16:22:52.221000+00:00

['Politics', 'Congress', 'Border Wall', 'Trump', 'Shutdown']

You’re Not Paranoid Buddy, You’re Just Black

Okay, so you’re riding in your car, a clean cream-colored 2011 BMW that your grandfather gifted you for college graduation. Granted, it’s a gift that says “Sorry for cat-calling at your school dean during the ceremony,” you still appreciate it because, in his defense, everyone knew she had a phatty. You’re going the speed limit with the windows down a bit. The music’s up a little loud, but you ain’t blasting that new Sauce Walka as loud as you really want to. You see that you’re in a suburban area, you don’t want to disturb nobody, you’re just trying to go pick up some food from that pizza spot your girl loves. You take your eyes off the road for a split second to ignore a text message, because you don’t text and drive, and when you look back at the rear-view mirror there’s a county cop car riding behind you. You don’t really think anything of it at first, but then five blocks go by and you realize he’s been following you for a good while now. How long was he really behind you before you noticed, anyways? Your next turn is about to come up, so you’re thinking that maybe you’ll lose him at this right. Nope. The officer is still tailing you. You look at the time on the car radio. It’s 2:13 pm. You can see this man’s face clear as day in your mirror. Dude’s got an army buzzcut and is wearing a facial expression that lets you know his wife, whose name is probably Susan, definitely belittled him before he left the house. Not a good sign for you. No man can be completely happy being married to a Susan. And people who look like him tend to walk around with scarlet-colored necks. So, to avoid trouble, you start to go about two miles under the speed limit. In an instant, your mind begins thinking about your tags and inspection sticker. Are they up to date? You look and see the inspection sticker is, in fact, up to date. Good. But what about the tags? Are the tags good? You can’t see the tags right now; you don’t know if the damn tags are good or not. Unsure if your tags are being run, you think to yourself, How long has it been since I last hit the blunt? The answer is an hour and a half ago. Lord have mercy. It was only two puffs! You can’t help but think to yourself: God, PLEASE don’t get me locked up over two puffs! That realization of yours has got you paranoid now. You just KNOW your eyes are as red as the bottom of a Cardi B shoe. You think back to that time your friend Calvin got off with a warning while actually holding a joint in front of an officer. Maybe this cop will be just as cool… WHAT?! No way. Calvin looks like Dave Franco. You do NOT look like Dave Franco. YOU look more like a different Dave; a much funnier, much darker one. So, you immediately throw that possibility out the window as you glance in the rearview mirror to see if you still look blazed. It’s bad enough you’re driving a BMW. Might be a 2011, but it’s still a BMW. And you look blazed?! And you and your grandfather don’t have the same last name! This is just a recipe for disaster right now. Now you’re in full-blown panic mode. You keep telling yourself to stay calm and be cool. You turn the music down and sit up dorkishly straight, anticipating what you know is coming in a matter of mere seconds. Just as you start practicing your best proper English accent, the sound of sirens crack through the air as red and blue lights illuminate everything around you. Damn. You take a deep breath and pull over into the gas station closest to you. Much to your relief, you look to your left and see that the officer is speeding through traffic now that you’ve moved out of his way. Close one. You look at the time again, it’s now 2:15 pm. Now, if you read this and felt that, with the information given, you’d have had nothing to worry about, you’re White, and you read it through White eyes. But, if you read this and said, “Man that shit happened to me last week, that ain’t funny.” You’re right. And you’re not paranoid, buddy. You’re just Black.

https://medium.com/slackjaw/youre-not-paranoid-buddy-you-re-just-black-835bb3b6bdcb

['Niko Sheffield']

2020-07-19 14:31:01.007000+00:00

['Politics', 'Education', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Life', 'Humor']

An Insight about Web Scrapping.

You may not like it but a lot of information on the web is either static or dynamically generated as plain hypertext, this means you don’t always can use an API or a generally uniform way to get the data you need. Learning web scrapping is cool and all, but using a library is dead easy, what is important is to understand that the web and a lot of places where you get data, is made up of recursive structures. Yes indeed, I’m talking about trees and whatnot, you may be able to pip install that python library, but you will be clumsy and slow if you don’t understand how recursive structures work. Having a good grasp at the concept will help you implement good scrappers, and to actually get what you really want from a source and not what you can, and this is true for a lot of skills that are “easy” to learn in the sense of using ideas and algorithms that someone already made, but not so much when it comes to really getting what it is all about. SO! Do yourself a favor and don’t just make it work, because you can’t wait to be an expert to get things done, but don’t deceive yourself from your ignorance just because something works and go learn:

https://medium.com/@progn-labb/an-insight-about-web-scrapping-d90bfeb86380

['Luis Alfonso Buelvas Betancourt']

2020-12-26 02:08:45.052000+00:00

['Programming', 'Web Scraping']

Musings on San Francisco

But I loved the space more when alone. It became easy to forget I was in a city and just wander where no one else was. Often, I’d hop on the 5 bus and get off at a random stop; any of them would be right next to the park. Throughout all my explorations, I found, among other sights: a community of raccoons, remnants from the 1915 World’s Fair, and a very friendly Jeff Goldblum (while filming The World According to Jeff Goldblum). I couldn’t ask for a better location to attend college in. I was part of the dragon in the widely-attended Chinese New Year Parade, attended my first Pride with friends, got my first tattoo on Haight Street. And yet, despite there being so much to love about the city — beautiful nature walks, renowned museums, fascinating history — I’m not sure if I’d ever move back. Underneath the dragon in the Chinese New Year Parade in 2018. Photo by friend Gino Abrajano, used with his permission. It just seemed like my time was running out. The tech industry has increasingly encroached upon the city, and while that does bring prosperity for some, it has left so many behind. It’d be difficult at best to make a decent living after graduation if I didn’t want to work for a startup and/or tech company— and at least I had a home to return to. In 2019, San Francisco “counted twice as many homeless people — 17,595 people, a 30 percent jump from the previous year.” 37% of the unhoused population is Black in a city that is about 5–6% Black. Criticism can definitely be launched for some of SF’s hypocrisies in liberalism, although I’m sure that unfortunately, similar comments could be made about many cities with huge wealth disparities. It might not be livable for many. But I want so badly to return, too, if only for a few days. Especially with how much COVID-19 is emptying cities’ inhabitants and businesses, I worry I won’t recognize the place I once knew better than almost any. A couple years ago, returning to SF after being away for just a few months was jarring, making me realize how constantly San Francisco is changing. I’m more familiar with Los Angeles, and for all the discourse over both cities’ pros and cons, I will propose there is a comfort in L.A.’s relative consistency, always the same sprawling stretch of freeway and palm trees and buildings, too vast to notice most changes. Then again, San Francisco seems a little more exciting in that regard, having undergone many major transformations in its existence — Ohlone land, Spanish settlement, Gold Rush base, the “Paris of the West” in the late 19th century, center of the hippie movement, and now tech hub. In a way I don’t see in most of L.A., San Francisco’s neighborhoods have their own distinct personalities, microcosms within the peninsula. However, there are comparatively few, making it even more of a tragedy when one is gentrified. San Francisco is animated and impressive, but seems more precarious in its identity. I think I can relate; life seems more static, for better and for worse, when I’m not there, or maybe I’m being overly dramatic and that’s just what college is anywhere. I hope to return soon, or as soon as the pandemic allows, when my schedule and finances allow. I’ll be sure to get a croissant from Arsicault Bakery, visit every bookstore I can, of course walk through Golden Gate Park, and hope that I, or San Francisco, haven’t changed too much.

https://medium.com/show-your-city/musings-on-san-francisco-7b79900f0bb4

['Kayla Vokolek']

2020-12-02 07:55:48.680000+00:00

['Travel Writing', 'San Francisco', 'Culture', 'Travel', 'Cities']

7. Bring the Extra-Sharp Markup!©

I love complicated board games. I’m not talking about Monopoly (unless you want to play with the actual rules). I’m talking about the award-winning games. I’m talking Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and the plethora of really fun games out there (no affiliation). There is one similarity among all of these games. The rules are (usually) complex. You either have to play with a person who has already played the game, or a very smart person has to spend an hour reading the rules and learning the game. In either instance, that person has to explain how to play to the others at the party. FLUXX is one of my favorites. It is a very simple card game (at the beginning). There are two rules. On your turn, you draw a card and you play a card. What is really interesting about the game is that the rules change. I might play a card that says, “On your turn, draw two cards.” From here on, the new rules are that you must draw two cards. Now, someone else may play a different card that further changes the rules, or makes my rule obsolete. The point is, you gotta keep track of a lot of rules. What is my point? Web Development seems like a fun new game. Each thick manual is like a new “expansion pack” in my favorite new game. We should give my new game a name. Anybody have a recommendation? I’ll think about that for a few days. I rather like “Kittens in a Blender,” but that’s already been taken. BLEND! Today’s Lesson It feels like my learning on HTML is coming to a close and we are about to hit CSS. This chapter contains lots of odds and ends. This is important! Don’t forget to do this! I liked the discussions here, because they all whet my appetite without fully explaining themselves. I found myself racing to Google and asking it to further define things. Are “iframes” still a thing? I shivered when I hit this topic. It took me back to those first pages designed for Internet Explorer in 1997. Would you like to write a letter? No, Clippy. I would not like to write a letter. Would you like to write a letter? Dang it, Clippy! Can’t you see that I’m trying to work here? Bunny Trail: the “iframe” tag I learned “iframe” back in the old days. I did some Googling and I got the low down. iFrame was a common thing in early HTML. The tag was phased out in HTML4 and XHTML The tag is back in HTML5 Don’t use it for layout There are some very specialized, very valid reasons to use it. If you know how, go for it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, avoid it! If would like to display a very crunchy old design on your page (why would you want to?), you can use an iFrame to pop it on there. Again, why would you want to? It is better to display your pages using a programming thingie (that’s a technical term) /End Bunny Trail There were some other useful tags I came upon: Every time I want to put a special character on my pages, I do a Google search for the HTML ASCII codes. I should just bookmark it and skip a step. Done. I’m chomping at the bit to get into the CSS stuff!

https://medium.com/illumination/7-bring-the-extra-sharp-markup-d15723b95ea1

[]

2020-04-04 01:51:44.581000+00:00

['Unicorns', 'HTML', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Web Development']

Boost IT Savings with CloudReady and Incident Workflow

Companies love data. Aggregating data from multiple sources makes decision-making easier and brings a new depth of the conversation to business meetings. But all of this is at the management level. IT managers and administrators also search for data from multiple sources to ensure that the ecosystem works. Companies demand the continued maintenance and availability of mission-critical applications. Without a framework or incident workflow, revenue can suffer, and customers churn if the company does not proactively address problems that arise in its infrastructure. According to Forrester 2020 survey data 2020, 70% of companies have prioritized expanding their ability to source external data. Every year there has been an increase in industry demand for valuable data that can provide benchmarks, crowdsource analytics, regional trends, and the ability to manage risk in the future. Exoprise CloudReady exchanges data and incident workflow to streamline IT management and offers a fresh perspective beyond the traditional incident management capabilities. The solution provides deep insight into the performance of the SaaS application and business service health and pinpointing where the bottlenecks are in the service chain. By deploying synthetic and real user monitoring sensors in the cloud and at the end-user device location, CloudReady immediately starts capturing thousands of advanced metric data in real-time. When a failure or problem is detected, either due to bandwidth constraints or change management, a full detail alert is generated in the CloudReady dashboard. If you already have an ITSM or Service Desk tool such as ServiceNow, SolarWinds, Remedy, Zendesk, PagerDuty, Freshdesk, etc., Exoprise automatically sends notifications directly to the tool of your choice. A simple API configuration in CloudReady via Web Hook allows third-party tools to access a wide range of notifications and expand their incident management and customer success strategy. IT benefits from this better incident workflow that increases employee productivity, reduces MTTR, and minimizes risks. 1) Deliver Great End-User Experiences ServiceNow helps organizations with IT service management, ticketing, and helpdesk functionality as well as creating digital workflows. Likewise, CloudReady can use the web or email hooks to send a message that ServiceNow can interpret, respond, and act on. The action could be to create a ticket or forward a message to a ServiceNow service based on the conditions that are met in the incoming email. By integrating with CloudReady, ServiceNow can receive real-time notifications so that IT can respond immediately to critical tickets that affect the end-user experience and the overall business. ServiceNow supports both inbound (provider) and outbound (consumer) web services. Inbound web services such as the REST API enable access, modification, and interaction with ServiceNow instance data via a client application such as CloudReady. REST APIs enable the rapid creation and execution of requests and ultimately display of all incidents in the ServiceNow browser. Configuration on the ServiceNow end would justify the role of rest_api_explorer and the web_service_admin admin roles. A new ticket is opened in the Service Desk when alarms are detected. If CloudReady detects that a problem has been resolved, the corresponding ticket is automatically closed in the Service Desk. This is closed-loop incident management. The link below provides more information on the steps involved. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/geneva-servicenow-platform/page/integrate/inbound_rest/concept/c_GettingStartedWithREST.html 2) Improve Visibility and Agility PagerDuty is an operations performance and incident management platform that enables email integration with CloudReady through custom services. CloudReady sends events and notifications to an email address specified in the email hook. PagerDuty triggers an incident when an email is sent to the integration address. Direct integration with a PagerDuty service is beneficial when notifications do not need to be forwarded from one built-in tool to another. Before configuring an email configuration, make sure that PagerDuty admin access is available. Under Add a Service, add a new name for the service and select “Integrate via email”. Enter different settings for the incident, including behavior, urgency, and escalation policy. Configure the generated integration email address in the CloudReady email hook. The link below provides more information on the steps involved. https://www.pagerduty.com/docs/guides/email-integration-guide/ 3) Facilitate Business Communication Slack is a popular tool for IT teams to communicate and share critical information. By sending email or Web Hook callbacks to Slack, you can selectively send status information to different teams that need to diagnose a problem or notify others of impending problems. Slack is extremely easy to configure to receive emails. Simply select the appropriate channel to which you want to send the email messages and you will receive an email that will be forwarded directly to that channel. For example, route incidents and service requests from a website to the appropriate support engineers. After creating the Slack application, enable incoming Web Hooks. Selecting a specific channel to which the app will send and authorizing the app will generate a new Web Hook URL. This URL is specific to a single user and a single channel. Configure the URL in CloudReady Web Hook with the JSON payload and use it to make an HTTP POST request to Slack. The link below provides more information on the steps involved. https://api.slack.com/incoming-webhooks 4) Streamline Incident Workflow Moogsoft is an AIOps and observability platform to assist ITOps and DevOps teams in resolving incidents and fulfilling SLAs. Web Hook integration sends events from CloudReady to Moogsoft. The integration allows you to send JSON payload to a specific Moogsoft instance via HTTP/HTTPS and basic authorization. After configuring the integration within AIOps, enter all the details for the Webhook (URL, basic authentication, etc.) in CloudReady and you are ready to test the connection. The link below provides more information on the steps involved. https://docs.moogsoft.com/Enterprise.8.0.0/webhook.html There’s More These are just a few examples of the ability of CloudReady to share its data and incidents with other leading ITSM tools that are leveraged. We are adding new capabillities, integrations and workflows every day. Learn more about Exoprise and sign up for a FREE 15-day trial here.

https://medium.com/exoprise/boost-it-savings-with-cloudready-and-incident-workflow-3985ac4193e4

['Sidharth Kumar']

2020-12-22 15:10:28.043000+00:00

['Servicenow', 'Incident Management', 'Pagerduty', 'SaaS', 'Slack']

Superhero TV Show Power Rankings — SEPT & OCT 2018

FLASH (CW) Season: 5 Episodes Reviewed: 1–4 RENEWAL STATUS: TBD THE GOOD: (1) I’m pleasantly surprised at how well Ralph fits onto the team. He is able to sub for The Flash when he’s busy and provides a sounding board for Caitlin and her familial issues. (2) Love how Nora casually drops major revelations about the future. “The League”? “Lightning Lad”? The future of the Arrowverse looks bright! (3) While his costume leaves something to be desired, Cicada’s lightning bolt weapon is super cool. With the revelation that meta-tech, now exists, a whole new world of possibilities has opened up. THE BAD: (1) Ugh. Sherloque Wells? Time to let the Tom Cavanagh joke go. (2) Too many cooks in the Star Labs! There’s now Barry, Iris, Cisco, Caitlin, Ralph, Sherloque, Nora, and sometimes Cecile and Joe. Thats NINE people that have to have meaningful contributions week in and week out. The solution? Give Joe and Cecile a vacation from the team. They have an infant for goodness sake! (Since writing this, it looks like Joe will indeed take a break for the actor to recover from an injury.) (3) Enough with Cecile’s ridiculous telepathy. Why do we need that??? How to Make It Better: In episode 3, both Joe and Cisco looked death in the face. But like Joe said, I wasn’t scared. I felt that both characters were totally safe. But can you imagine if one of them was killed — or at least seriously injured? Would you then take Cicada as a serious threat? I would. So far, I don’t think he’s that dangerous. Bold Prediction: Wells has hinted that Nora has more secrets. I believe one of those secrets is the impending death of a team member. Score: 7/10 Old Prediction Realized: Season 5 will finally address the newspaper article in the secret room. [Correct] Homage to the classic Iron Fist costume. IRON FIST (NETFLIX) Season: 2 Episodes Reviewed: 1–10 (all) RENEWAL STATUS: Cancelled! THE GOOD: (1) Joy’s complete character overhaul: The least-interesting character from Season 1 became one of the best in Season 2. Where we last saw her conflicted and confused, she now becomes fixated on shutting herself off from her brother and friend. Her grudge-holding feels childish at times, but it’s a definite improvement. The fact that she quickly realizes her mistakes and fights for redemption makes for a believable and worthwhile story arc. (2) Alice Eve as Mary Walker. “Anti-hero” is something that the Marvel Netflix series do quiet well. Mary is at once highly-qualified and extremely untrustworthy. (3) The final scenes from Season 2! Danny and Colleen have made kick-ass advancements in how they are able to use their power. Also, the traveling duo of Ward and Danny is something of which I would have really liked to see more. THE BAD: (1) Davos. While I liked that his motive was a deluded belief that killing criminals was his duty, I never quite understood why he felt the need to kill innocents on that journey. (2) The lack of usage of Ward. My favorite character from Season 1 was criminally underused this year. While his addiction storyline was not unimportant, the Anonymous meetings seem to be a recurring theme throughout the Marvel Netflix shows. (Do all 5 shows have this?) He wasn’t really important to the main plot until the final episode. (3) Colleen and Danny’s chemistry. I honestly don’t know why they live together. They’re extremely unaffectionate toward each other and I don’t buy them as a couple. How to Make It Better: I think Season 2 ended in a good place for a future season to take off. I want to see Ward and Danny: Traveling Buddies! Bold Prediction: Yes, Iron Fist is cancelled. Because in it’s place we will get Heroes for Hire and/or Daughters of the Dragon. Score: 7/10 Oh no! Seg is stuck in a love triangle! KRYPTON (SYFY) Season: 1 Episodes Reviewed: 1–10 RENEWAL STATUS: Renewed for Season 2! THE GOOD: (1) A superhero show is only as good as its villains and villainy is Krypton’s strongest suit. There are quite a few bad guys who show up, but none is as terrifying as Brainiac. This version is not the goofy robot we know from the nineties Superman cartoon, but a soulless alien being with a creepy voice, slithering metal tentacles and a fondness for taking over Kryptonian bodies like a parasite. (2) This show could have easily been done a reverse-Gotham and shown the ancestors of everyone in our Superman rogues gallery. However, while the show does incorporate some familiar faces, their introductions feel plausible, and you get the sense that the writers really had a plan for this show. (3) Colin Salmon (who you may recognize as Walter Steele from the early seasons of Arrow) is easily the most electric actor of the bunch. He plays General Zod with such passion that it makes me wish it was him Henry Cavill was fighting in Man of Steel. In fact, he could be the best Superman villain in live action media. THE BAD: (1) The character of Seg has the depth of a sheet of tracing paper. He is the first draft of every cinematic hero — noble, brave, a rulebreaker, a troublemaker and a permanent scowl etched upon his attractive features. He’s been given the impossible task of saving his world and the world of the future. And yet, he remains the least interesting character on the show. (2) Much like the Netflix shows, this story would be much better told at twice the speed and in half the episodes. The real fun begins in Episode 6, where the villains come out to play. (Consequently, you have to spend the first five hours meeting the characters and learning about the world.) How to Make It Better: As the final moments of the episode teased, the show will begin playing around with messing up the Superman timeline. More of that will make for an interesting second season. Bold Prediction: I have to believe that Mongol or Darkseid will rear their heads next season. Score: Episodes 1–5 (4/10). Episodes 6–10 (8/10). The Legends find a unicorn at Woodstock. Just another day at work. LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (CW) Season: 4 Episodes Reviewed: 1–2 RENEWAL STATUS: TBD THE GOOD: (1) The team was getting a bit too big, and with the departures of Amaya and Wally, along with the deaths of Martin Stein and Rip Hunter, we’re down to only 5 Legends. This allows for LOT to showcase some of its lesser-developed characters, specifically Steel and Zari, who were both featured in the first two episodes. (2) Legends wisely mixes up its pairings, which keeps the show interesting and fresh. Episode 2 saw Nate pair up with Sharpe, while Constantine invaded Mick’s personal space. (3) Speaking of Nate, could he be giving up the hero life for a desk job? Unlikely the show will do that, but it would make more sense — he’s always been a better historian than bad-guy-fighter. Plus, it would save the special effects team a lot of work. THE BAD: (1) Just when you thought this show couldn’t get any more bizarre. Unicorns who bleed glitter and singing fairy godmothers? Matt Ryan’s Constantine does the best to treat them seriously, but it’s hard to take the show seriously too. I do give the writers credit for revealing that both of those creatures are ruthless killers. (2) This show was never meant to be a comedy. While it’s okay to have some humor, LOT suffers from too many puns and Gary jokes. (3) I am trying to stay hopeful that Constantine will be able to inject new life into the series. I am beginning to worry that his character won’t work in the world of Legends, though. How to Make It Better: This is way too big an ask, but I’d like to see the Legends explore less-popular time periods. Maybe even teach the audience something about history, instead of embracing the stereotypical SparkNotes versions of historical stories. Bold Prediction: The show will be unable to resist revisiting one of the team’s old members (not including Amaya, who is confirmed to return). My odds are on Rip or Jefferson. Also: If Beebo shows up on Arrow, I’m DONE. Score: 6/10 SUPERGIRL Season: 4 Episodes Reviewed: 1–3 RENEWAL STATUS: TBD THE GOOD: (1) One of Arrow’s strong suits is its willingness to change up “Team Arrow” each season. Finally, Supergirl moves its characters around — Brainy is the new Winn, Alex is the new J’onn, and Kara is the new Cat. Great! New challenges for everyone! (2) While I know that it’s only a matter of time until the Supergirl clone (teased in the Season 3 finale) shows up, I’m enjoying having non-powered humans serve as the primary antagonists. Just like Arrow tired of evil archers and The Flash tired of villainous speedsters, Supergirl should focus on a different kind of bad guy, that can’t be defeated by strength alone. After all, Superman’s greatest foe was just a simple guy with a brilliant brain. (3) Despite the gaps in logic and the signature Supergirl cheese factor, Episode 3 provided the best villain origin story on this show yet. You can see how a good man was impacted by a series of unfortunate events to become the villain Agent Liberty. THE BAD: (1) The undertones of racism — social commentary is fine — but can they be undertones if they’re blatantly obvious? (2) There continues to be important logic issues. Do we really believe Jensen, who worked his whole life to join the DEO, would be so easily turned? Would the Lockwood family, who live in an expensive-looking house with art on the walls, need to fill up a tub because they can’t afford running water? If Supergirl is falling out of the sky, is there enough time for [a] the DEO to find out her status, [b] call J’onn [c] have him get to her in time? And if no one’s there to catch her, does she make a sound? According to a Google search, the average raindrop takes 2 minutes to fall from a cloud… How to Make It Better: More super-villains! How I miss the days of Metallo, Red Tornado and Livewire! Stray Thought: There is absolutely no reason to include the bit about Superman’s origin in the intro to this show. He only appears once a season, if that. Bold Prediction: Is this show slow-building Lena to turn into an evil Luthor? I can only hope. Score: 7/10 Hawk and Dove — making wings cool again. TITANS Season: 1 Episodes Reviewed: 1–3 RENEWAL STATUS: TBD THE GOOD: (1) No network guidelines. The first fight sequence with Robin is literally jaw-dropping. Not only is it well-choreographed, but it’s wonderfully inventive and deliciously violent. You’ve never seen Batman this gritty. (2) It’s a unique story with good dialogue and impressive acting, especially Tegan Croft’s Rachel. (3) Not showing Alfred and Bruce Wayne is a smart move, as they would immediately take away from Robin’s story. THE BAD: (1) Starfire’s costume is so garish and unrealistic, it looks like she robbed a Spirit Halloween. (2) Entering Episode 4, we’ve had no interactions with Beast Boy? (3) How to Make It Better: Can we get a less flashy outfit for Starfire? Bold Prediction: A major surprise addition to the team. It probably can’t be Cyborg, but perhaps Aqualad, Superboy or Blue Beetle? Score: 8/10

https://medium.com/cinenation-show/superhero-tv-show-power-rankings-sept-oct-2018-d1d85d37b63f

['Daniel L']

2018-11-14 23:04:18.048000+00:00

['Marvel', 'Television', 'DC Comics', 'Comics', 'TV Series']

The Importance of Restoration

I have not felt this rested in years. I recently returned from a ten-day trip to Europe with sixteen fellow classmates where we hopped across the Mediterranean coast of France and Spain. The odd thing is that I do not think I have ever been more sleep deprived in my life — but somehow I still feel more rejuvenated than I can remember. On the flight back I pondered what made this trip different. I finally realized that the trip was more than a vacation; it was a restoration. We all know that life gets crazy. It does not matter how hard you work, there is always one more deadline to meet or one more errand to run. Even when there is “down time,” there are a multitude of distracting outlets like social media and Netflix. There is such a thing as “good stress,” which pushes us to meet life head on even when we are dealing with setbacks. But the reality is that the grind of chasing success — whatever the definition is for each of us personally — takes an emotional toll. Over time, the stress saps our drive and resolve, whittling us down into versions of ourselves that are ill-equipped to meet life’s challenges. There are ways to buffer the impact: weekend trips, short vacations, daily meditation, and so on. I tend to default to a three-day weekend in order to “stay above water.” Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I take a Friday off to catch up personally or professionally. However, it feels more like the short break during an interval run than recovery. That is not to say that smaller, strategic breaks are not useful — I find them critical to my success throughout the year. But I have focused more on the small breaks at the expense of true restoration. I have been missing the ability to put all responsibilities on hold and extricate myself from reality. While I may enjoy a day off, I will often check emails and social media outlets. The long weekends never replenish the energy that life depletes. Maybe you have already unlocked this insight and have made it a habit to take at least one restorative trip per year. If not, I urge you to do it as soon as possible and see if you find similar calmness and rejuvenation in the process. It is critical to plan a trip that is long enough to allow you transition away from your reality. Personally, it takes me about three days of vacation before my urges to check email, Instagram, and reddit have subsided. These habits distract me from the vacation and eat into the precious time that I have available for rejuvenation. I find it too difficult to go cold turkey so I give myself some time to slowly transition. Planning a trip that is long enough for this process is key to successful restoration. While it may seem obvious, be sure to take a trip that you want spend a week or more enjoying. Be self-aware when planning your restoration. If you become a better version of yourself when you are in the outdoors, do not city-hop through Europe. The goal is to plan activities that enhance your ability to fully live in the present. I personally enjoy beaches and cities, which is why my trip was perfect for me: we spent the vast majority of our time chilling at the beach, dancing in nightclubs, and eating at great restaurants in cities like Barcelona and Nice. It is exactly what I needed to recharge ahead of what will be a crazy year of MBA classes and career recruiting.

https://medium.com/tommycestare/the-importance-of-restoration-8fcd966deeb3

['Josh Smith']

2016-09-03 13:41:21.711000+00:00

['Restoration', 'Work', 'Work Life Balance', 'Life Lessons', 'Vacation']

Just Get Over Me

If I fight to keep my soul, and the ashes of war keep smoldering under a pile of fallen friends and foes, of dreams forsaken and lives abandoned, of a kneeling generation fooled into submission by throwing unending candy onto the floor — petty prizes to be bought dreams refurbished and resold cheating them away from a priceless view of holding heads up high and see the world is all around and not beneath their feet — not every buyable dope’s a treat; like an old dog’s tail, what good would it be to stand when all the body juice goes bland and the eyes go blind — can’t catch the smell of a friend no more. If I fight to keep my soul, fight with me or just get over me. If I fight to keep my soul, when the world drowns in smithereens of our own making — commodities like a giant black hole we thought we could swallow; no reach no aim for tomorrow just the instant joy of buying a dream after a dream and slaying the dream that can only be built — the false ecstasy of bought love dries too soon for there is no love, and all the people say to me I have to stop the madness blend in and mix and lose my color to the masses — like a giant lollipop so bright and colorful yet nothing’s real and not artificial; forgive my recoiling from a world so steep I may fall at any moment the abyss is too deep the temptation’s a mountain turned all the way upside down — forgive my being on guard at all times; too much is at stake, I can’t lose all. If I fight to keep my soul, please fight with me or just get over me.

https://medium.com/poets-unlimited/just-get-over-me-c49a0c09a138

['Danny Ballan']

2017-03-21 15:29:56.775000+00:00

['Freedom', 'Chains', 'Poetry']

Putting The United Back Into The United States: Rev. Edwin D. Leahy of ‘St. Benedict’s Prep’ On The 5 Things That Each Of Us Can Do To Help Unite Our Polarized Society

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory? I was raised twice. First, by a white family, with my parents and three siblings in a Catholic neighborhood in Woodbridge, N.J. As a young Benedictine monk living in the middle of Newark, I was raised a second time, by the Black and later, Latino community. Benedictine monks take a vow of stability. We remain rooted to one place, even when circumstances deteriorate, as they did in Newark during the 1960s. Through it all, it was the people of Newark who taught me and my fellow monks how we could be of service and sustain our mission. What or who inspired you to pursue your vocation? We’d love to hear the story. Well, that is an interesting story. I might not have become a Benedictine monk had someone not interceded on my behalf. I applied to St. Benedict’s Prep back in 1959 and didn’t get in. My pastor made a call to the headmaster and said, “If you take him, you just may be fostering a vocation.” A few weeks later, I got an acceptance letter and was thrilled. And from the moment I stepped on the Property of St. Benedict’s, it felt like home to me. I went on to study philosophy at Seton Hall University, graduated and entered the Novitiate at Newark Abbey in 1967 just as Newark erupted in violence and unrest. None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by my monastic brothers, incredible faculty and supportive alumni and friends who buy into what we do and want to see every kid who comes to St. Benedict’s get a fair shot at a better life. I learned a long time ago that I don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to get an 11-month school year off the ground, or devote our entire spring term to experiential learning, or figure out how to do our daily Convocation virtually in a pandemic. I just have to surround myself with the smartest, most committed people who consider accompanying our kids a vocation. The number of people who make the place work is proof that God is present. Can you share the most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that? There was an early mistake I made that turned out to be pretty momentous. After St. Benedict’s Prep closed in 1972, the monks who stayed at Newark Abbey immediately began planning a new educational venture for the city. We envisioned something small, with a non-traditional approach, and I as the newly appointed Headmaster, kept emphasizing that the school was not St. Benedict’s Prep. We had letterhead and everything that called it, St. Benedict’s School. So, the School opens and it’s not St. Benedict’s Prep. There was a parent meeting with the Black fathers who’d enrolled their sons, and Carl Lamb Sr. asked me, “Why was it good enough to be St. Benedict’s Prep when it was all of you?” he said, pointing to me, a white Benedictine monk and alumnus of the School. “But now that it’s all of us, it can’t be St. Benedict’s Prep?” I had no answer, except to tell Mr. Lamb, “St. Benedict’s Prep will re-open tomorrow.” That was a defining moment for me. I realized our purpose was not to impose our world view onto the Black community, but to serve the brothers and sisters of our city by walking with them. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work? If you know St. Benedict’s, then you know we have a lot of mottos that guide the kids as well as adults in our community. As Headmaster, the one that’s probably been the most influential is, “Never do for students what they can do for themselves.” We built the whole school around that in order to help young people of color discover and amplify their voices. It’s why our students earn the authority and responsibility to run the School and make real decisions on day-to-day operations. If you think about it, “Never do for students what they can do for themselves,” actually makes life harder for teachers and staff. Sometimes it’s easier to do something yourself than let another person figure out stuff for themselves. When our freshmen do the Backpacking Project — which involves hiking 55 miles on the Appalachian Trail, a rite of passage and requirement to graduate — it would be way easier to tell kids they’re hiking in the wrong direction. But we don’t do that. The job of the adults or student commanders on The Trail is to ask questions, like, “Hey, have you noticed which direction the sun is traveling?” to get them to stop, look at the map, recognize they’re going the wrong way and figure out as a team how to get back on track. Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The polarization in our country has become so extreme that families have been torn apart. Erstwhile close friends have not spoken to each other because of strong partisan differences. This is likely a huge topic, but briefly, can you share your view on how this evolved to the boiling point that it’s at now? The divisions in our country have always been there. I just turned 75 and believe me I’m not one of these, “Things were so much better in the old days,” kind of guys. There has always been racism, injustice and hatred. But for a long list of reasons, people are cut off from each other today. We’ve gotten away from community and the principles that impel us to be responsible for each other and accountable to one another. We’re all better off when we follow that. That’s why community is the most important thing we do at St. Benedict’s. Too often in schools or even society, achievement is at the expense of someone else. We don’t buy into that. At St. Benedict’s, if you’re earning straight As, but the guy next to you is struggling, you haven’t quite cut it. You have an obligation to help your brother and cross the finish line together. I know it’s possible because kids from all kinds of backgrounds, who’ve experienced all kinds of suffering, are capable of this kind of generosity. In your opinion what can be done to bridge the divide that has occurred in families? Can you please share a story or example? There is a quick story I like to tell about two friends, Irving and Moishe. One day Irv turns to Moishe, and asks, “Moishe do you love me?” And Moishe responds, “Of course I love you; you are my oldest friend.” Irv asks a second question, “Do you know my suffering?” And Moishe responds, “No, I don’t know your suffering.” “Then how can you love me?” Irv asks. The reason I share this story, is because we do not understand the suffering or realities of other people. That happens in our own families, with friends, communities and even within our Church and houses of worship. So, if we want to start bridging any divide, we have to one, understand the suffering and realities of others. The second step is admitting or acknowledging that we’ve added to the suffering of the other. Much ink has been spilled about how social media companies and partisan media companies continue to make money off creating a split in our society. Sadly, the cat is out of the bag and at least in the near term there is no turning back. Social media and partisan media have a vested interest in maintaining the divide, but as individuals none of us benefit by continuing this conflict. What can we do moving forward to not let social media divide us? People have agency and free will over their choices. If you don’t like the divisiveness on social media, you can choose to unfollow or ignore parties fanning the flames of division. You can think before you re-tweet or post items of questionable veracity. Social media is not all bad. We’ve used YouTube since Day 1 of the pandemic to keep the Benedict’s community connected and it’s been overwhelmingly positive. We have alumni getting up at 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast to be with our kids for 8:00 a.m. Convo. It’s forged this incredible connection between generations, so there is a lot of good that social media can do in bringing people together. It just depends on how you use it. Ok wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share your “5 Steps That Each Of Us Can Take To Proactively Help Heal Our Country?” Kindly share a story or example for each. I’ve always said that the example of our kids is a sign to the world that people can live in communion and in love. If we want to proactively heal divisions in the country, follow the principles our kids buy into and practice at St. Benedicts. 1. Give up what you want for what we need — the basis for living in community. First year students learn this right off the bat. During the Freshman Overnight, a boot camp of sorts held the first week of our Summer Phase, kids learn they have to give up what they want in order for their group to get through all the challenges and hurdles they have to overcome. If more people would give up what they want in the short term for the betterment of community, our country would be much better off in the long run. 2. Whatever HURTS my brother/sister HURTS me — sympathy isn’t enough to heal divisions in our country. We have to show one another true empathy. That’s the essence of “whatever hurts my brother, hurts me.” When someone is in a hole, the sympathetic person might say, “That’s a shame.” The empathetic person will get in the hole with you and accompanies you through the mess. 3. Whatever HELPS my brother/sister HELPS me — the second part of the motto is how we move forward. I see it all the time. When kids come into St. Benedict’s they have no reason to trust the adults or student group leaders who are telling them what to do. But they start to trust and buy into the idea of belonging to something bigger than themselves when they see the consistent acts of empathy and help. 4. Welcome difference — Benedictines take hospitality seriously. St. Benedict himself placed a porter at the entrance to the monastery so visitors would be noticed and recognized. Since Newark Abbey was established in 1857, we’ve welcomed and tried to be of service to whoever was in the area — first the Germans, then the Irish, Italians, African Americans and Latinos. We also welcome the opportunity to engage with people who will challenge our world view. This is happening now in an interfaith seminar involving students from St. Benedict’s and Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston, N.J. If you’re looking for an example of how people with different viewpoints and perspectives can listen to one another, engage in respectful dialogue, and come to an understanding of one another even if they don’t agree, look no further than these kids. 5. The only easy day was yesterday — my final piece of advice because none of the above is easy to do on a consistent basis. Freshman year is the hardest year at St. Benedict’s and when kids hit a wall they tend to prevail because of “Benedict’s Hates a Quitter,” a motto coined by our legendary football and baseball Coach Joe Kasberger that applies to everything in life. We give up too easily in this country. People quit relationships. Political leaders would rather quit than compromise. It’s really hard to quit or get thrown out of St. Benedict’s. Why? Adults refuse to give up on the kids. Student-leaders refuse to give up on kids. That builds trust, and trust builds healing. So yeah, if we want to unite the divisions in this country, don’t give up on people you disagree with so easily. We are going through a rough period now. Are you optimistic that this issue can eventually be resolved? Can you explain? I am optimistic because as I stated, Benedict’s kids set the example for the world to follow. Americans are starving for community. I know this because people go nuts when they learn how St. Benedict’s Prep operates. I am constantly asked, “Why can’t the world be more like St. Benedict’s? It can. We just have to work at it.” Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. Tiger Woods because I feel he’s a good man with an incredible work ethic who continues to work on redeeming himself from past transgressions. I was very saddened to learn of the extent of his injuries resulting from his car crash. The monks and students are praying for his recovery. How can our readers follow you online? @FrEdwinLeahy on Twitter This was very meaningful and thank you so much for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/putting-the-united-back-into-the-united-states-rev-edwin-d-leahy-of-st-benedicts-prep-on-the-be1ccef49bd3

['Tyler Gallagher']

2021-03-08 00:02:40.571000+00:00

['Social Impact']

NutGain’s Ecosystem Gives a Platform to Surging Crypto Adoption

NutGain’s Ecosystem Gives a Platform to Surging Crypto Adoption Introduction: Developing advancements in the motorized space have opened huge freedoms for shoppers. Accoutrements from digital currencies to smart perusing operations, to online retail stages, have opened colossal freedoms for the customer and made these capacities available and harmonious. While simply these accoutrements offer exceptional influence and comfort, consolidating them in one brought together frame could exponentialize these advantages. What’s NutGain? NutGain is a worldwide decentralized natural system offering guests strong innovative accoutrements and remarkable benefits in the internet business space. At the core of NutGain’s advancements is the uniting of strong nascent inventions in the motorized space, to shape a coordinated frame. Vision of Nutgain: The vision for the program was to make a broad and profitable instrument that empowers the two guests and masterminds to extend the utility of the web. - NutGain Ecosystem - NutGain Browser - NutGain program, accoutred with a set-up of state of the art operations to ameliorate web customer experience and security, for illustration, a custom VPN, firewall and web assault insurance, voice-and- videotape call, and an elite talk stage. Notwithstanding the former accoutrements, the program likewise includes NutGain’s dApps program that permits contrivers to make a wide compass of uses in colorful fields, associate web grounded gaming, and module other diversion operations. NutGain’s program flauntssuper-quick poring pets, offers an announcement free web- grounded sapience, and has been bettered for effectiveness. The program likewise accompanies a many customized highlights, for illustration, altered news channels and a sidebar to effectively pierce and control foundation handling operations. Capacity of Nutgain Browser: The essential capacity of the program is to fill in as the base subcaste of the terrain’s integrative utility. This part of the terrain will permit it to interminably develop and ameliorate, as individualities fabricate and offer redundant upgraded highlights. The focal element of the program is the capacity it gives guests to control the progressions of their poring information. This incorporates the overseeing of treats and the swell of data in respects to the destinations they visit. NutGain program returns guests' veritably own information to their own hands. Assuming a customer chose to uncover their poring information, the data is gathered with complete facelessness stamped distinctly with an advanced recognizable evidence number. The information will not ever contain individual identifying craft, for illustration, telephone figures, dispatch or factual addresses, or customer IDs. Either, guests can decide to quit participating their poring information whenever. D-Hyperactive web grounded business NutGain’s D-HyperactiveE-business stage works grounded on NutGain’s Stoner Data Program, which empowers guests to gain by the worth of their veritably own poring information. At the point when guests decided to join the NutGain people group, they recover the worth of their information for entrance to the terrain and every one of its prizes. D-Hyper was intended to permit guests and contrivers to liberate topmost advantage from their internet grounded exercises. Grounded on NutGain’s picky program, D-Hyperactive opens a full compass of retail choices to purchasers just as satisfying business sectors for online merchandisers. NutGain highlights customer unequivocal advertising bias fueled by the frame’s information base of individual information and poring patterns. give a full compass of administrations to business operations, including the capacity to admit cryptographic forms of plutocrat and put together showcasing advancement of business systems. At the point when guests decide to assume responsibility for their information with NutGain, they’re compensated with entrance to the D-Hyperactive web grounded business stage. With the wide range of dealers uniting with D-Hyper, guests will actually want to recover the worth of their information for copping drive and get exceptional limits on deals they make. The motorized marketable center will likewise have prize and responsibility programs empowered to profit the two purchasers and dealers. NutGain Token: The plutocrat that controls the frame, the NutGain Token, is a fully working digital currency that can be employed to either make deals in the natural system or be recovered for other advanced financial norms. The Token is an advanced plutocrat dependent on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) BEP20 standard employed for Etherum and other notable digital currencies. Mileage All administrations in the NutGain natural system are paid exercising NutGain Token. Token at the same time works as a system of compensating guests and joining the NutGain people group. The operation to store Tokens is incorporated into the program as a Defi Wallet, a decentralized crypto portmanteau that makes guests the sole overseer of their NutGain cash. The Wallet also takes into account guests to trade their NutGain Tokens for other cryptographic forms of plutocrat, further opening the compass of motorized business to the terrain’s individualities. Tokonomics: Token Name: Nutgain Token Ticker: NUTG Network: Binance Smart Chain Complete Supply. Conclusion: NutGain is authentically the first of its kind. Riding the main patterns in the advanced space, from crypto event to flooding on the web business, the frame is the main one to offer a fully coordinated web- grounded stage, helping the two closures of the present web requests. The fresh advantage of NutGain, taking everything into account is the extension it offers to redundant motorized purchasing choices. The cash that controls the frame, the NutGain Token, is a fully working cryptographic plutocrat that can be employed to either make deals in the natural system or be recovered for other motorized financial norms. Get Further Information: Twitter: https//twitter.com/NutGainOfficial Telegram: https//t.me/ nutgainofficial Medium: https//medium.com/@NutGain ________________AUTHOR___________ Bitcointalk username: Uzairmoti11 Bitcointalk Profile Link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2856508 BSC wallet address: 0x03f6BeA720b87e4E59968e52b9deEABbDD42df4E

https://medium.com/@uzairnasir859/nutgains-ecosystem-gives-a-platform-to-surging-crypto-adoption-56f4b29f8ee

['Earning Master']

2021-12-26 11:22:39.422000+00:00

['Bsc', 'Crypto']

The Past Year(s)— 🎢

Losing my job was the best thing that ever happened to me. It didn’t seem like that at the time, but now, with the clarity of hindsight, I can see that it finally gave me the freedom to make the changes that I’d been pondering for years but was also too nervous (apathetic?) to actually go and do — to make the leap into User Experience Design (UX). For 7 years, I worked in education as an EFL teacher and school coordinator in Barcelona. For the last 3 of these 7 years I also turned, like many teachers had, to teaching for an online English teaching company based in China in addition to my normal teaching job. This was really an ideal situation as I could block teaching hours throughout the day and have experience working with learners of different ages across the world. When I first came across online teaching, the thought of it seemed crazy — What about the classroom dynamic! What about the games! But the lure of a competitive hourly wage from the comfort of my own home on top of my normal teaching salary was too enticing to pass up. After a long interview process the required levels of smiling and positivity that, admittedly, don’t come naturally to me, I was in. For 3 years I diligently logged-in every morning and taught Chinese students as they arrived home from school. It was an interesting insight into Chinese culture and also into the pressure put on children there to succeed academically. When that job finished for the day, I would head off to my school to teach students there — for a long time, this routine was so easy and comfortable that thought I never wanted it to change. Working for a number of years with your feet in two different countries is rewarding and exciting but also provides an interesting opportunity for comparison. I began to realise that there is a delicate arrangement with online teaching companies in China that hire predominantly North American staff. A balance that requires taking into account the workplace expectations and conditions of one place with the cultural and political requirements of another. At first glance on the the teachers’ side, everything is kept very glossy and positive — but it soon became clear to me what my role within the company was. About two years into my contract, during a class with a younger student, the topic of certain Chinese territories came up. In the conversation with the student, I referred, perhaps contentiously, to said place as being a separate country and didn’t really think any more about the interaction — until my phone started ringing the next day. I received a phone call from the school’s head office. Apparently a “complaint had been made’’ regarding my ideas of geography. I use scare quotes here because I didn’t really believe that a student had complained about this — there were murmurs that the EdTech giant had begun to employ AI to flag inappropriate topics of conversations. It was starting to all feel a bit dystopian, so much so that I even posted about it on an online forum and was later asked to do an interview for the Wall Street Journal (paywall) about censorship in online education in China. I chose not to be named in the article of course because who knows what other calls I would get from head office. This experience was enough to remind me that I’d better just keep my head down and leave any sort of potentially contentious cultural and political topics at the door, which I did. As the pandemic steamed along leaving economic ruin in its wake, my normal ‘brick and mortar’ school couldn’t bear the brunt any longer. They were forced to close their doors and all I had left to hold on to (thankfully at the time) was teaching online. Hanging on from one week to the next to see if I would get booked for enough classes had me in a constant state of financial anxiety. I no longer had the backup of my position at a ‘real school’ to supply the social safety net — suddenly what had been an ‘easy’ life was anything but. I continued to work any hours that I could, trying to remain positive, while at the same time being sure not to have any slips of the tongue that might lead to more “corrective actions.’’ Unfortunately, my effort were in vain — I received an email that my contract was being terminated due to changing company needs. Unceremoniously, the last of my teaching career slipped away. After the initial shock and depression of really being at a professional rock-bottom, I slowly began to see a glimmer of the silver lining. It took some time to pull myself out of the slump, but as I did I realised I finally had the space, the time and the impetus to follow the career dreams that had been swirling in my head of years but which I hadn’t properly pursued. For years I had considered changing to a career in UX (User Experience Design), and I knew it was the time to finally pull the trigger. I signed myself up for my first ever online coding course, and ate up every article I could find about UX design and development. But I knew I had to go one level deeper and look in to more formal education – a daunting thought but one that I knew was right. I set up ‘digital coffees’ with every friend of a friend that worked in design that I could get my hands on. I wanted to make sure 100% that this career move was the right one for me. After all these chats, I was convinced — I signed up for an intense UX/UI course at Ironhack, Barcelona. After a gruelling 3 months, I came out the other end exhausted but with a sense of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt in a long time. As I began applying for jobs, in a totally different field for the first time in 7 years, I felt like I was at the foot of a mountain but following my gut, doing the research and doing the work all paid off. Two weeks after the course, I was hired to my first position as a UX/UI designer for an agency and six months after that I began a dream position as a UX Researcher at Glovo. After a year of uncertainty and hard work the future suddenly feels more secure.

https://medium.com/@bradleymacd/the-past-year-13a5c8e9c708

['Brad Macdonald']

2021-08-18 14:15:32.937000+00:00

['Gig Economy', 'Career Change', 'UX Design']

Rich Dad Poor Dad Summary

Lesson №1: The Rich Don’t Work For Money At the age of 9, Robert Kiyosaki and his best friend Mike asked Mike’s father (Rich Dad) to teach them how to make money. After 3 weeks spent cleaning one of Mike’s Dad’s many stores for a poverty wage (10 cents a week!), Kiyosaki couldn’t take it anymore and increasingly began to think about quitting. This is the moment that Rich Dad chose to give him his first lesson about money: some people leave their job because they are not being paid enough. Others see it as the opportunity to learn something new. Rich Dad went on to ask the two young boys to work for him for free. By acting this way, he wanted to force them to imagine a way to create their own source of income that was independent of their work for him. The inspiration came to them when they noticed that some comics were left lying around the shop. That’s all it took: they recovered them and opened a library for their classmates, making them pay an entrance fee: 10 cents for 2 hours of reading. They paid Mike’s sister 1 dollar a week to deal with managing their little business. Soon, they were making $9.50 per week, without having to worry about managing their library. Their first company had come into existence! Lesson №2: Why Teach Financial Literacy? The gap which is currently widening between the richest and the poorest is not due to the chance. The educational system, such as it is built today. It does not allow this gap to be reduced. Its primary objective is to teach you to enter the working world as it already exists, and therefore, to allow you to become a very good employee. Not a very good employer. And that makes all the difference. Neither does the current educational system teach about the basics of managing personal finances that have allowed the rich to build their wealth. It is up to you to take responsibility to train yourself and to use this knowledge to acquire the assets that will allow you to generate income. The problem is not how to know how much you are earning, but how much you can put aside. The first step towards getting out of the rat race is to: UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ASSET AND A LIABILITY An asset is a title or contract that allows its owner to generate income. A liability, on the other hand, is to generate expenditure. Here is why your principal residence is NOT an asset: You will work your whole life to pay back the mortgage you took out. Your maintenance costs represent a significant amount. You must pay a property tax. Your principal residence may depreciate if the real estate market drops or if you buy at the top of the cycle. Rather than investing in an asset that earns you money regularly, you repay your monthly credit to the bank. In other words, the real owner of your home is the bank! Here are a few examples of real assets: An apartment that you rent out and whose rent as paid for by the tenant allows you to repay the monthly loan repayment contracted to acquire the property, A business that does not require you to be present but of which you are the main shareholder. Lesson №3: Mind Your Own Business! Kiyosaki began his professional career by selling photocopiers for Xerox. Using his revenue, he invested in real estate. In the space of just 3 years, the revenue generated by his investments in real estate exceeded his salary. He then decided to leave the company and to take care of his own business full-time. He knew that it was the only solution to get out of the rat race. Do not spend all your income. Build yourself a diversified portfolio of assets and you will spend later when these assets make you enough. Lesson №4: The History of Taxes and the Power of Corporations Income tax first came into being in England in 1874. In the United States, it was introduced in 1913. What was originally a plan to have the rich contribute to the growth and development of the Nation was later extended to the middle classes and the poor. The rich have a secret weapon to protect themselves from, particularly heavy taxes. It is quite simply their company. It offers them several advantages in terms of taxation. The mechanism by which the rich minimize their taxes is the following: Company-owned company employees 1. Earn money 2. Spend their money 3. Pay their taxes 4.Spend their money In other words: PAY YOURSELF FIRST! Lesson №5: The Rich Invent Money Self-confidence associated with a high Financial IQ will no doubt be your safest allies when it comes to achieving financial freedom. Of course, you will need to save each month before investing. But this alone will not suffice. Use your time wisely and find the best opportunities. Identify an opportunity that no-one else has spotted. Learn how to identify what REALLY gives a business added value. Do you honestly think that hamburgers are at the heart of the McDonald’s business? In reality, the heart of the Business of the fast-food chain is the real estate and the search for strategic locations in the most fashionable neighborhoods in every city in the world. There is one last thing that you will absolutely have to master to succeed in your investments: acceptance of risk. You must learn to control your emotions and not care about the possible failures that you will endure. Your ability to bounce back is what will bring you success, not your desire to succeed immediately. Lesson №6: Work to Learn — Don’t Work for Money BECOME AN EXPERT IN MARKETING, MANAGEMENT, AND COMMUNICATION. Schools train professionals who become so specialized in a particular field. That they no longer know how to cope in any other and they then need to unionize to protect their work. Specialization is not necessarily the optic that we are interested in; it is more important to retain the essential lessons in every field to master the 20% that provides 80% of the added value of your future business! This is this kind of teaching that Rich Dad passed on to Robert and Mike. Mike went on to take over the empire that his father left him. While at the same time Robert created his own empire through real estate, launching new products and educational programs. 10 Steps to awaken your financial genie

https://medium.com/@iliyanhirani/rich-dad-poor-dad-summary-443e0607e900

['Iliyan Hirani']

2020-12-22 17:32:23.943000+00:00

['Book Recommendations', 'Money Management', 'Rich Dad Poor Dad', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Motivation']

Best Debugging Techniques for Developer to Speed up Web Development

All folks write code that breaks at some point. that’s a part of the event process. Once you run into a mistake, you’ll feel that you simply don’t know what to try to. However, even the most seasoned developers introduce errors and bugs that break their code. We are humans in any case. The important thing as suggested by website design services is to find out from these mistakes and avoid repeating them by developing techniques to enhance your programming and debugging skills. Here are a number of the mistakes that developers make Failure to Log Messages One of the foremost unhelpful scenarios you’ll run into is when your program crashes and there are not any error messages to point what went wrong. the primary step is to spot if the program is crashing on start or during runtime. you’ll accomplish this by printing an easy log message to the terminal at the start of your code. If you don’t see your log message, your program is presumably crashing while loading and it’s possibly a dependency or builds related issue. If you see your message, you would like to narrow right down to the overall vicinity of the crash. the simplest way is to strategically place some log messages throughout your program depending upon what proportion information you’ve got about the execution path by the time it crashes. Then, all you’ve got to try to is see which messages are printed. Failing to Read Error Messages Exception messages on the front-end are usually displayed on the UI or developer console. Sometimes these messages are visible within the backend through the terminal or via log files. no matter where these errors occur, new developers are intimidated by them and fail to require the time to read them. This is the amount one reason why debugging takes longer for several developers. the primary thing you ought to do is take the time to read the error message ahead of you, let it sink in, and process it thoroughly. Failing to Read System Log Files Some programs generate log files or write to the system event log. there’s often useful information in these logs. albeit it doesn’t tell you exactly what’s wrong, there could be a warning or error message or maybe a hit message providing a touch about what happened before the error occurred. Failing to write down Trace Logs Tracing is following your program flow and data. Writing trace messages throughout your program helps simplify the debugging process. Trace Logs are a simple thanks to keeping track of program execution throughout the runtime of your application. Failing to form Incremental Changes, Build Them, and Test Them Many developers write big chunks of code before building and testing it. The time to seek out bugs increases proportionally to the quantity of code that was changed. you ought to strive to form incremental changes, build them, and test them as frequently as possible. this may make sure that you don’t find yourself during a situation where tons of code was written before you discover your program doesn’t work. Failing to write down Test Automation Unit-tests and end-to-end test automation allow you to catch potential errors as they happen. one among The explanations why existing code breaks is that developers refactor their code once they have low test coverage, which suggests all changes aren’t tested automatically. Failing to Use the tactic of Elimination If you’re unable to spot the basis explanation for your issue, you would like to use the tactic of elimination. you’ll comment out new blocks of code to ascertain if the errors stop. Eliminating blocks of code will assist you to meet up with to diagnosing the difficulty. You can form a particular hypothesis and check out to prove or disprove it. repeatedly an easy assumption can prevent you from finding bugs. Failing to find out the Debugger Finally, the only best investment you’ll make in yourself is to find out to use a debugger. All IDE’s accompany powerful debuggers. They follow an equivalent basic concept. they permit you to programmatically stop the execution of your application, either on start or during a specific a part of the program flow.

https://medium.com/@impressicodigitalindia/best-debugging-techniques-for-developer-to-speed-up-web-development-99eb05c73dd2

['Web Development India']

2020-08-20 09:18:19.343000+00:00

['Debugging', 'Web Development', 'Web Design', 'Developer Stories', 'Website Development']

How To Develop A Healthy Relationship With Fear

For the majority of people, fear is the master that dictates how they act within the world. This is normal and natural but it comes from a weak perspective. The question that we should ask ourselves is, “Are we in the drivers seat of fear or is fear in the drivers seat of us?” This will determine whether we develop a healthy relationship with fear. Why do we feel fear? Obviously, a major component of fear is physiological and we feel it because it serves an evolutionary adaptation. Fear is a signal for us to either fight, freeze, or run and this has served us well in our ability to survive as a species. At the most fundamental level, we feel fear because we are programmed to feel it although we don’t have to let it control us in our modern environment. What are the most common fears? Here are some common fears that are ever present in our modern environment: Social Fear Social fear is a major fear because we evolved to be a part of the group for our very own survival. Past & Future Fear Fear in regards to time is a major source of suffering for most people. Many people fear the repetition of the past as well as the countless possibilities of the future. Health Fear Many people fear the state of their health and what possibilities might arise within that context. Financial Fear Fears about money and finances is a major fear that manifests within our society today. These are just a few of the major fears that the majority of people succumb to. It is definitely not a comprehensive list so be on the lookout for more of these widespread fears. Below, we’ll discuss how fear holds the majority of people back from moving into higher level of personal growth and achievement.

https://zaiderrr.medium.com/how-to-develop-a-healthy-relationship-with-fear-2a0cd94109a7

['Zaid K. Dahhaj']

2018-08-08 21:47:48.683000+00:00

['Mental Health', 'Creativity', 'Self Improvement', 'Fear', 'Self-awareness']

Newt Higman of Sharp Electronics: 5 Things You Need To Know To Optimize Your Company’s Approach to Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up? I grew up in a typical middle-class home in Alabama. My father was a pharmacist and my mom served as the cashier for our family-owned pharmacy. In fact, the entire family served in some capacity in the family business. Most days consisted of school, some type of sport in the afternoon and then helping at the family pharmacy until 7 PM every day. After graduating from high school, I transitioned to college at Auburn University and started my career in 1990. Without question, a lot of my attributes were formed during the early years of learning how to balance daily obligations and the importance of serving the people in my community. Of course, the community I serve today stretches from coast-to-coast and is much larger; however, the core principles and approach are the same as the lessons I learned from my parents in our family business. Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in cybersecurity? We’d love to hear it. I don’t believe there is one story that inspired me to pursue this career. I would say it was multiple stories that occurred in the early days of starting my own IT Services business in 2010. Like many MSPs, my business focused on small and midsize clients. Our offering concentrated primarily on the typical set of services for supporting the daily IT needs of our clients. We quickly discovered many of our new customers were failing in the area of basic IT security best practices, so I quickly shifted our focus to this area of opportunity and revamped our value proposition to concentrate on cybersecurity. Our team was able to convert the technical details into a simple business conversation with our clients. This has been the approach I continue to practice today, even as technology continues to evolve and new solutions come to market. The inspiration comes from hearing how we have helped protect a customer by making complex challenges more understandable and making scalable solutions available. None of us can achieve success without help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that? I’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of very talented people along the way, it’s very hard to select one person. I’m grateful for every person and feel all them have played a role in shaping my career along the way, mainly because I’ve always tried to surround myself with teammates that are more talented than me. I believe this is an area I’ve always excelled, aligning myself with a diverse group of talented teammates. As for my career in general, clearly my wife has been the one person that has helped me the most over the past 26 years. I would not have been able to achieve any of the career accomplishments without her help in managing our family of four kids and eight relocations across the country. It’s been an amazing journey that we’ve shared together. Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people? Our most exciting project is the effort to support our customers in a work from anywhere environment. The pandemic has posed a new challenge for businesses to maintain productivity and collaboration in a more distributed, remote workforce environment. Our team at Sharp has been actively involved in delivering new collaboration tools for supporting hybrid work strategies and delivering business-grade technology solutions to the home office. Our cloud-based cybersecurity services will keep workflow moving wherever the customer may be working and will help all our clients navigate this unique and challenging period securely. What advice would you give to your colleagues to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? My advice is simple, keep a healthy balance between work and family. Make sure your work calendar includes the time commitments to your loved ones — e.g. school meetings, athletic events for your children, dates with your spouse and time with parents. The career becomes far more rewarding when the balance exists between work and home. Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The Cybersecurity industry, as it is today, is such an exciting arena. What are the 3 things that most excite you about the Cybersecurity industry? Can you explain? I’m most excited about a number of things, including the evolution of endpoint protection over the last 12-months and an increased emphasis on properly training end-users of today’s risk factors, such as sophisticated phishing and social engineering threats. We’ve come a long way and improved public awareness in general as it pertains to cybersecurity. Also, the collaboration between the FBI and other federal agencies to combat the threat from foreign and domestic bad actors has been fantastic. Looking ahead to the near future, are there critical threats on the horizon that you think companies need to start preparing for? Clearly, the most recent critical threat involves foreign states exploiting vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bad actors have increased their efforts in targeting research institutions, universities and healthcare facilities over the past year. What are the main cybersecurity tools that you use on a frequent basis? For the benefit of our readers can you briefly explain what they do? Sure. We use a combination of remote monitoring, virus and malware protection, backup and disaster recovery and security awareness training. Remote Monitoring — Patching and system updates are detected before they become major problems Virus & Malware Protection — Advanced detection for malware, ransomware, phishing, and more Backup and Disaster Recovery — ensures business continuity by backing up and protecting emails, documents, and systems Security Awareness Training — Simulate phishing attacks and enroll employees in comprehensive training How does someone who doesn’t have a large team deal with this? How would you articulate when a company can suffice with “over the counter” software, and when they need to move to a contract with a cybersecurity agency, or hire their own Chief Information Security Officer? Many businesses with limited resources and increasing complexity are leveraging managed service providers or MSPs to help. Sharp recently conducted a survey that found 90% of small and medium sized businesses use or plan to use an MSP today, as most believe that they could be a better job at juggling cybersecurity protection. As you know, breaches or hacks can occur even for those who are best prepared, and no one will be aware of it for a while. Are there 3 or 4 signs that a lay person can see or look for that might indicate that something might be “amiss”? Once a bad actor has access to your network, you may never even notice that anything is amiss. They often sit dormant, watch your behaviors and then use what they have learned to craft the best way to attack. This is why proactive strategies are the most effective. After a company is made aware of a data or security breach, what are the most important things they should do to protect themselves further, as well as protect their customers? Align with a partner that follows the NIST cybersecurity framework to prevent, detect, and respond to attacks. The framework provides a high-level model of cybersecurity outcomes and the methodology to assess and manage each outcome. What are the most common data security and cybersecurity mistakes you have seen companies make? Our research found that the top three most commonly reported factors contributing to security incidents were human error by end-users, the inability of IT resources to keep up with their workloads, and a lack of organizational understanding of cybersecurity risk. Since the COVID19 Pandemic began and companies have become more dispersed, have you seen an uptick in cybersecurity or privacy errors? Can you explain? Absolutely. As more employees work from home due to the pandemic, cybercriminals are taking advantage of lax security practices. Companies must increase security measures to protect the individual and the enterprise. They must make sure that employees are patching and updating machines, using secured networks or a VPN and make sure that if they have to access private company data, it is done so on a company device. Ok, thank you. Here is the main question of our interview. What are the “5 Things Every Company Needs To Know To Tighten Up Its Approach to Data Privacy and Cybersecurity” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.) Ensure you have multi-layered protection to secure all aspects of your business. A network risk assessment can help you uncover gaps in your cybersecurity. Train, train, train your employees. Hackers rely on using tactics such as phishing to trick your employees into giving them access to your network — and they are only getting better at it. Have an incident response plan. Just like you would have an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency, you need an incident response plan that details every step your business must take in the event of a breach. Know that EVERYONE is a target. Large, enterprises are an obvious target due to the payout possibilities, however small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are uniquely susceptible to cybersecurity threats. This is because they often lack the resources of larger enterprises to invest in more sophisticated and comprehensive solutions. COVID-19 has only made it worse, leading to a spike in global cyberattacks since the start of the pandemic. Know that you are not on your own. If your IT department is strapped for resources, enlist a Managed Service Provider (MSP). Actually, Sharp recently conducted a survey that found 90% of small and medium sized businesses use or plan to use an MSP today. Partnering with MSP is more affordable than you may think, especially when compared to cost of cyberattack. This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview!

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/newt-higman-of-sharp-electronics-5-things-you-need-to-know-to-optimize-your-companys-approach-to-888831a1372

['Jason Remillard']

2020-11-03 16:12:04.315000+00:00

['Tech Feature']

A Medical Rep’s How-to Guide: Making the Most of Your Time

In the world of medical sales, no two days ever look the same. One day you could be talking with a surgeon who just left the operating room and the next day you find yourself sitting down with HR staff. The variety of clients and relationships you develop as a medical sales representative are extremely diverse. Finding ways to create a message that resonates with each of these people and adapting your presentation for the point of contact you are talking with is key to being successful in the world of medical sales. Throughout a single workday, a medical sales rep could be talking with up to ten different people who have purchasing power. Every individual customer will be responsive to different types of messaging and different aspects of the presentation will resonate more so than others. With so many different variables, how do you make the most of your time in front of each type of medical professional? It’s the Scout Motto: Be Prepared Before even stepping foot in front of the customer, you MUST be an expert on every aspect of the product AND an expert on the different job roles you are presenting to. Knowing what features of the product that each position finds important will help you better navigate the conversation. Once it is clear who you are presenting to and where they find value in the product, it becomes easier to shape the presentation strategy. However, what happens when the surgeon you were supposed to meet with gets pulled into an emergency surgery? You’re already there and there’s no time to reschedule. Having the ability to turn on a dime and still be successful in front of whoever you are presenting to is what can set you apart from all other competition. Understanding and preparing for the potential challenges a medical sales rep may face helps to avoid running into unfavorable outcomes. Here’s a list of potential challenges and ways to work through them before you even step foot in front of the customer. Timeliness: Time is of the essence when it comes to interacting with a medical professional. There is a lot of information that needs to resonate in a very small window of time. You can’t get caught digging through files and folders of information to locate the answer to very specific questions. Doctors and nurses need the information on the spot. Having an organized and intuitive presentation strategy will best prepare reps to face the challenges of time constraints. Time is of the essence when it comes to interacting with a medical professional. There is a lot of information that needs to resonate in a very small window of time. You can’t get caught digging through files and folders of information to locate the answer to very specific questions. Doctors and nurses need the information on the spot. Having an organized and intuitive presentation strategy will best prepare reps to face the challenges of time constraints. Evolution in Technology: The pharmaceutical industry is always evolving, therefore the reps need to be able to keep up with constantly changing product information. The ability to update and change presentation materials whenever necessary is an imperative aspect of staying relevant in this field. Change is inevitable, so developing a plan early on with how to deal with the ebb and flow of information keeps reps from struggling when it comes time to make adjustments. The pharmaceutical industry is always evolving, therefore the reps need to be able to keep up with constantly changing product information. The ability to update and change presentation materials whenever necessary is an imperative aspect of staying relevant in this field. Change is inevitable, so developing a plan early on with how to deal with the ebb and flow of information keeps reps from struggling when it comes time to make adjustments. Competition: Knowing your value proposition and where you stand out amongst your competitors can help you capitalize on those aspects when in front of the customer. Being able to make comparisons between your product and the competitor’s and also give examples of why you are superior instills confidence in the product. Presenting data to back up these claims is a very impactful way to capture the customer’s attention. Knowing your value proposition and where you stand out amongst your competitors can help you capitalize on those aspects when in front of the customer. Being able to make comparisons between your product and the competitor’s and also give examples of why you are superior instills confidence in the product. Presenting data to back up these claims is a very impactful way to capture the customer’s attention. Depth of Information: Having the ability to hit all touchpoints throughout your presentation will best prepare you to address any questions, concerns, or aspirations from the customer. Medical professionals want to know every detail about the product before they use it on patients, so being able to answer any question builds confidence in the product and reassures the customer of its value. Having the ability to hit all touchpoints throughout your presentation will best prepare you to address any questions, concerns, or aspirations from the customer. Medical professionals want to know every detail about the product before they use it on patients, so being able to answer any question builds confidence in the product and reassures the customer of its value. Confidence: No medical professional will believe in your product if you don’t believe in your product first. Walking into the presentation with the utmost confidence in what your product can deliver is extremely reassuring to the customer. Especially in medical sales, when the product can be a matter of life and death, having persistence and confidence in what your product can deliver is an important aspect to remember. Taking time NOW to work through ways to avoid these dilemmas will set you up for long-term success. So, you may be wondering…once you have a plan in place, what can you do to maximize your time in front of your customers? Use technology to help you achieve your goals, namely a mobile app platform that works on the device you currently use. With tested strategies and an easy-to-use, interactive presentation platform, everything you need to be successful in front of a customer can be at your fingertips. Choosing to onboard a platform to organize your presentation materials can increase your effectiveness and help you to close more deals. Your number one priority should be demonstrating to the customer how your product can fulfill their needs. There is no reason to waste any more time trying to work through presentation glitches or find the answers to tough questions. Instead, work harder on generating more leads or meeting with more clients. As a medical sales rep, you hold a lot of responsibility and there are a lot of people who trust your judgment. Properly communicating your level of expertise on your products can ease the minds of medical professionals. The way you present your materials is just as important as the material itself. The number one thing to remember about making the most of your time in front of medical professionals is to be able to tailor your presentation directly to their specific needs and do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Utilizing a mobile app platform gives you the flexibility and the assets to do just that. Command.App is a customer engagement platform designed for situational selling. No matter who you are meeting with, the presentation can be catered to what each individual customer is looking for. Have confidence in uncertain situations knowing everything you need to answer any questions that can be found on one localized platform. Click HERE to learn more about situational navigation and how Command.App prepares you for any interaction.

https://medium.com/@commandapp/a-medical-reps-how-to-guide-making-the-most-of-your-time-dbe64567302d

['Command.App']

2021-07-22 17:25:51.070000+00:00

['Technology', 'Medical', 'Medical Devices', 'Customer Experience', 'Digital']

What I find Beautiful

It is high noon, yet the sky is dark, clouded and the atmosphere is flooded with an eery energy. The ground, and everything that kept still overnight, is once again buried deep underneath a soft, delicate, and powdery blanket of white, pure snow. How Mother Nature has no difficulty decorating the earth’s absolute surface with a blanket so perfectly placed that it feels like a sin to disturb it. The pure whiteness covering the ground and trees seems to illuminate the grey day with its vibrancy. I stare at it, lost in awe at how peaceful it looks. But I painfully come to discover that my human eyes are too weak for it’s radiancy and I have to look away. I continue the task at hand: shoveling the snow from the driveway. I am coated and covered from head to toe because the coldness is absolutely impossible to combat unprotected for a simple being. Suddenly, I feel coldness begin to creep through my body from the bottom of my feet. My sock is progressively becoming heavier, colder and wetter. I look down. I have turned the delicate white powder into a muddy, filthy, and condensed ice. It’s undeniably my doing, for the imprint of the soles of my own boots are exposed atop the, now unrecognizable, snow. Then, a rustling whistle in the distance is heard. My family and I turn east for a split second, but then it stops and they continue to shovel away. I proceed to stare, trying to maneuver my sight to see what lies beyond the great wall of fog that Mother Nature had created. The whistle is heard again, but at a lower octave. It sounds as if the wind is also trying to maneuver its way through the dense forest, but in comparison to my vision, its force is penetrating flawlessly. Suddenly, the sky darkens to a deeper shade of grey and the fog marches through the forest towards us. The deep whistling, whirring sound is no longer in the distance: it’s engulfing us. I hear my family yelling, shocked by the force of the wind that has thrown them off balance. I try to see what is happening but I can no longer hear them, I can no longer see anything, I can no longer move, and I can no longer find it within myself to fight back, so I stand still. At that moment, pure whiteness covers me. I find myself warming up to the idea that I am worthy as a human being to be utterly in harmony with a force that extends beyond any man made technology. That for once I feel at peace in the middle of all chaos simply because I refused to resist. My eyes no longer felt the need to look away and the striking coldness I once felt, dissolved. I am honored to be in the presence of such raw purity, such pronounced power, and such delicate gracefulness, but, what seemed like decades later, it was gone. The only evidence of such an event was found on our perplexed faces and flakes of snow delicately embedded into our hair. Since that day, however, I have never been caught in the middle of such an event ever again, but my relationship with the beauty of snow and the power of Mother Nature has only grown immensely. Whenever I am in contact with snow, I understand that I am able to admire it as I displace it from where nature chose because in a few effortless minutes, the entire ground can be covered once again. Additionally, I came to realize that after nature creates multiple replicas of the delicate blanket of snow in the area, it must travel to bring the phenomenon to another place in the world. At this time, I begin to reflect on the force Mother Nature carries within herself and how it is absolutely prepossessing. We, as humans, are not able to see the force unless it comes in contact with a physical object: only then do we become aware of the beautiful craftsmanship and awe striking events nature creates. Unfortunately, such a force is commonly labeled as a “natural disaster” and an “unsafe condition”, causing fear and hatred to become emotions humans immediately associate it with. Only when a person is able to stop and embrace the fact that they can not win in a fight against the force of nature, can they come to see the beauty within it. Now the beauty a person finds as a result of halting resistance can be found within the immediate event caused by force itself or the impassioned humanity that rises after hundreds have suffered. When I recall the event I experienced that day, I feel like I relive it every time. Of course it is not merely as intense as it was the first time, but the perspective I gained from it will never cease to exist, only expand. Nor will I ever forget that when all chaos and destruction seems to become overpowering, only a human has the ability to stop, embrace and experience the beauty that was initially disguised.

https://medium.com/@agtorres/what-i-find-beautiful-3447447e3b80

['Ariana Torres']

2020-02-20 01:10:47.047000+00:00

['Reflections', 'Snow', 'Beauty', 'Nature']

Emergency Talks on Maxwell Are Held By Andrew’s Lawyers

Prince Andrew’s US lawyers have reportedly held emergency talks after Ghislaine Maxwell’s convictions for child sex trafficking, and experts told a newspaper outlet that the guilty verdicts were not good news for the Duke of York whose future as a frontline royal is now looking increasingly gloomy. Lawyers in the US think the ninth in line to the British throne should now be quaking in his boots, as his old friend faces spending the rest of her life behind bars unless she flips and names names. Experts also think that the Duke of York’s odds of beating the legal action brought against him by Virginia Roberts Guiffre will not be even more difficult after Maxwell was found guilty by a New York jury. The 60-year-old British socialite was labelled a dangerous predator as she was convicted of helping to entice vulnerable teenagers to Jeffrey Epstein’s homes for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. Miss Maxwell, a friend of Andrew’s for numerous years who chose not to give evidence at her trial, could now try to cut a deal to lessen a verdict that would see her die in jail. A newspaper outlet has declared, and described them as emergency talks, and that Andrew’s lawyers spoke after yesterday’s rulings to examine the fallout, but also think the decision not to call Mrs Giuffre as a witness was catastrophic for her credibility. Royal experts have said the Duke of York’s reputation was now a busted flush because of his friendship with billionaire paedophile Epstein and now convicted sex trafficker Maxwell, and the Queen’s constant and tireless support for her son, including reportedly spending millions of pounds personally financing the Duke of York’s defence case against allegations of sexual abuse, risks bringing the Royal Family into disrepute, critics have argued. Robert Jobson, the author of Prince Philip’s Century, told a newspaper outlet that whatever way you look at the Maxwell verdict, it’s not good news for the Duke of York. Not only has he confessed to judgement failure regarding his friendship with the dead convict paedophile Epstein, but it’s known that he also enjoyed a long friendship with convicted sex trafficker Maxwell. Prince Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and isn’t facing criminal prosecution in the United States, but was named twice in proceedings including one by a pilot as one of the passengers flying on sex offender Epstein’s private jet — the so-called ‘Lolita Express’ because it was used to transport the billionaire paedophile’s victims around the world. Epstein and Maxwell were also photographed relaxing on the bench at the Queen’s secluded log cabin in Glen Beg, Balmoral after Andrew personally invited them to stay. Sadly Andrew has been on a downward path for a while, driven by his own lack of judgement, selfishness, egotism, sense of entitlement and lack of any intelligence, and it will continue to be this way from now on — he’s the author of his own misfortunes, but as long as the Queen is around to protect this somewhat unsavoury character he will be protected by the Royal Family, but what will happen when Charles gets on the throne? If Andrew is guiltless of any wrongdoing like he says that he is, then he should help in order to clear his name, but instead, he’s dragging the Royal Family down with him. Although he’s under no obligation to clear his name and I believe that would be a slippery slope for him and we’re seemingly innocent until proven guilty. Published by Angela Lloyd My vision on life is pretty broad, therefore I like to address specific subjects that intrigue me. Therefore I really appreciate the world of politics, though I have no actual views on who I will vote for, that I will not tell you, so please do not ask! I am like an observation station when it comes to writing, and I simply take the news and make it my own. I have no expectations, I simply love to write, and I know this seems really odd, but I don’t get paid for it, I really like what I do and since I am never under any pressure, I constantly find that I write much better, rather than being blanketed under masses of paperwork and articles that I am on a deadline to complete. The chances are, that whilst all other journalists are out there, ripping their hair out, attempting to get their articles completed, I’m simply rambling along at my convenience creating my perfect piece. I guess it must look pretty unpleasant to some of you that I work for nothing, perhaps even brutal. Perhaps I have an obvious disregard for authority, I have no idea, but I would sooner be working for myself, than under somebody else, excuse the pun! Small I maybe, but substantial I will become, eventually. My desk is the most chaotic mess, though surprisingly I know where everything is, and I think that I would be quite unsuited for a desk job. My views on matters vary and I am extremely open-minded to the stuff that I write about, but what I write about is the truth and getting it out there, because the people must be acquainted. Though I am quite entertained by what goes on in the world. My spotlight is mostly to do with politics, though I do write other material as well, but it’s essentially politics that I am involved in, and I tend to concentrate my attention on that, however, information is essential. If you have information the possibilities are endless because you are only limited by your own imagination… View more posts

https://medium.com/@satire62/emergency-talks-on-maxwell-are-held-by-andrews-lawyers-d07d5e61114f

['Angela Lloyd']

2021-12-30 18:36:15.488000+00:00

['Lawyers', 'Robert Jobson', 'Prince Andrew', 'Royal Experts', 'Duke Of York']

An exploratory statistical analysis of the 2014 World Cup Final

As a fan of both data and soccer — from here on out referred to as football — I find the football fan’s attitude toward statistics and data analysis perplexing, although understandable due to years and years of simple stats being the only thing that the media focuses on. Football is a complex team sport with deep interactions, therefore counting events (goals, assists, tackles, etc.) isn’t enough. This post shows how you can use play-by-play data to analyse a football match, showing custom measures and visualizations to better understand the sport. Disclaimer: I’m a fan, not an expert. Germany’s National Team and Manchester City have whole teams dedicated to data analysis, and the state of the art is quite above what is being shown here. However, rarely does that analysis is made public, so I hope this is useful (or at least entertaining). I hope to keep playing with the data and share useful insights in the future. Feel free to star the GitHub repository, or drop me at email at [email protected] A note on the data used This play-by-play data was gathered from a public website, and I have no guarantee that it is consistent or correct (the process used to gather is the theme of its own post). On the other hand, all calculations based on the raw data are available on Github, and should be questioned. I would love to get some feedback. The first half Let’s get a quick profile of the first half. The chart below shows where in the field most events took place (positive numbers correspond to Germany’s offensive half, negative numbers to its defensive half), with each team’s shots pointed out. The first 45' of the final were incredibly interesting. Germany dominated possession and pressured high, forcing Argentina to play in its own half. That is obvious once we look at Argentina’s passes during the first half: Only 28% of Argentina’s passes were made on its offensive half, versus 61% for Germany. Despite playing in the offensive half, Germany managed to get a much higher passing accuracy (84% vs. 69%), a testament to its amazing midfield. However, that superiority didn’t manifest itself in chances and shots. In fact, Germany had quite a difficult time trying to get inside Argentina’s penalty box. Shots (red) and passes to the box (black) by Argentina (left half) and Germany (right half) Out of 16 German atempts to get in the box, only one resulted in a shot: a late corner, with Howedes hitting the post. The curious case of Christoph Kramer Kramer suffered an injury on the 19th minute, but was only subsituted 12 minutes later. This included Germany’s worst period in the first half, as the first half profile chart above shows. Reports say that he acted confused, and data shows that Kramer was largely “absent” in the period between the injury and the subsitutions: his only actions were one succesful reception and pass, and one loss of possesion. Actions by Kramer per minute The Second Half The second half was much more balanced. We reproduce the same charts as the first half, which confirm this perception. Shots (red) and passes to the box (black) by Argentina (left half) and Germany (right half) Even though Germany had much more success getting inside the box on the second half, only only pass resulted in a German shot from inside the box. The Extra Time Up until the goal, Germany’s dominance continued. After that, Germany completely gave up trying to score another goal, with only one attempt at a pass to the box. However, its defensive strategy was successful, with Argentina barely entering Germany’s penalty box. Its only 2 shots came from outside the box, both by Messi, who at this point was probably feeling somewhat desperate. The goal What’s missing? Football is a game of space. That’s why parking the bus can actually allow to win a match. The dataset used only includes positions for players active offensive and defensive actions. Defensive positioning is therefore completely ignored, and even attacking play lacks important information: a player’s run without the ball can be much more important than a pass to score a goal.

https://medium.com/football-crunching/an-exploratory-statistical-analysis-of-the-2014-world-cup-final-1e9a110d6e4d

['Ricardo Tavares']

2016-10-15 12:23:51.797000+00:00

['Sports', 'Soccer', 'Data Visualization']

Give Them RUBYs! Ruby Play Network Partners with Blockchain Wallet Provider Venly to Bring RUBY Tokens to the Market

Give Them RUBYs! Ruby Play Network Partners with Blockchain Wallet Provider Venly to Bring RUBY Tokens to the Market Rob Carroll Aug 10·3 min read Christchurch, NZ. August 9, 2021 — the digital games wizards of Ruby Play Network engage premium blockchain wallet service provider Venly to offer their loyalty rewards program partners and millions of customers a seamless platform to securely store RUBY Tokens. Ruby Play Network, part of the Gaming Rewards Group, is expanding the company’s gaming verticals with their new loyalty rewards platform and token. (Their verticals already include well-loved Charchingo.com and Wild Ruby Casino as well as other online gaming products.) Ruby Play Network is proud to announce that Venly’s innovative wallet services will provide secure storage for their Ruby Tokens. Yan Ketelers, Venly CMO, said: “We’re excited to service Ruby Play Network as we share the same vision on the future of loyalty rewarding. With their years of expertise in digital games combined with our tech solutions they now have all the building blocks to grow their innovative products.” Ruby Play Network leverages 15 years of combined experience in building successful world-class mobile, social and casino gaming products to create a next-generation solution for businesses to fluidly engage and grow vast customer pools. Providing a fast and secure decentralized loyalty platform that can be plugged into any organization means that network partners can now easily reward and retain their customers with RUBYs. The agile Venly products let Ruby Play and their network partners make it possible for customers to store their RUBY Token along with popular non-fungible tokens (NFT’s). “We’re very happy with the integration of the Venly wallet,” announced Ruby Play Network CGO Rob Carroll. “It has allowed us to seamlessly provide our community with both secure storage of their RUBYs and the option of adding NFTs to our network.” Built on the Binance Smart Chain architecture, RUBY Tokens give customers ownership and control over the rewards they earn. RUBYs have an immediate, tangible utility for customers in a way that other reward points cannot. Customers know the value of RUBYs, and they can save, use, or spend the tokens across the network straightaway. Customers hold RUBYs in their own secure wallet and have many choices in how to use their rewards, on the Ruby Play Platform, within the Binance ecosystem or other partners in the network. With Venly in place, players can cache their RUBYs with their other digital assets and access new value streams Ruby Play Network brings. About the Ruby Play Network Ruby Play Network is a team of experienced developers brought together by the minds behind CerebralFix, one of the largest outsource partners for digital gaming products to the Walt Disney Group, and LootWinner, an innovative real money gaming company. Part of the Gaming Rewards Group launched in 2018 in Christchurch, New Zealand, Ruby Play Network harnesses honed content creation superpowers and serious customer engagement know-how to forge the next generation of customer loyalty and retention rewards. The Ruby Token and Ruby Play Platform provide a new kind of reward that grows in value with the expanding network. Contact: Ruby Play Network at info@rubyplaynetwork.com Learn more about RUBY: https://www.rubyplaynet.com/ Hear the tweets: https://twitter.com/RubyPlayNetwork Join the Telegram community: https://t.me/joinchat/axBVv4-VeiQ0MzBh About Venly Venly offers users of blockchain projects digital wallets to store assets with a native solution that also works on mobile devices. Venly also recently launched the Venly Market, positioning itself as a holistic user-friendly solution to help blockchain projects scale faster and more securely. The Venly Market is the first-ever peer-to-peer NFT marketplace on Polygon. Now also supporting Avalanche and soon Binance Smart Chain and Hedera. On the Venly market, users can then trade these NFTs in a fully compliant environment. Thanks to the Venly Wallet, Market and NFT-tools, blockchain games, projects, and decentralized applications can tap into an entirely new revenue stream without having experience in blockchain engineering or a complex regulatory framework. Learn more about Venly here.

https://medium.com/@Ruby_Play/give-them-rubys-806a0dff7989

['Rob Carroll']

2021-08-10 04:15:47.016000+00:00

['Venly', 'Cryptocurrency News', 'Blockchain', 'Nft', 'Ruby Play Network']

this guard of magnificent Christmas trees

this guard of magnificent Christmas trees Poem Image by @maxlarochelle on Unsplash this path through life is like a long and magical doodle bright and sharp with sweeping bends and sometimes, the pen runs out and you’ve got to adapt - and start out again using chalk or beetroot. you are not alone on this path you are carried by the rolling streams the spiders and the concern of this guard of magnificent Christmas trees - who have seen it all and survived the chop year after year after year. basic logic tells us, that if we keep walking upwards, and the wind is on our back — we can make it to the top. but it is the path — and everything in it, on it and around it — that is the real story. it is good sometimes to walk back down the way you came, with crossed eyes, and notice the things you missed — Rambo sorrel with stems like marines fig rolls wooden owls, and that lad that waved at you — with family and dog, the one who was pulling from a bottle of Moretti on top of Beacon Fell at 11 O’clock in the morning, because it was Christmas Day, and that meant fuck it — today, tomorrow, as long as I can open my eyes and breathe — I am here, and I can do anything.

https://medium.com/scrittura/this-guard-of-magnificent-christmas-trees-f97df62f5815

['Mohan Boone']

2020-12-27 02:57:13.727000+00:00

['Scrittura', 'Self Reliance', 'Poetry']

Dear Future L,

Dear Future L, Hey there, I haven’t been in the best of moods this week. I’ve been struggling with the hurt of heartbreak. Last night I had a nightmare about X. I hope it gets better with time. I’ve been reading a lot about heartbreaks and I’ve learned that it takes approximately 3.5months to get over someone and I’m only in the second-week post break up. I can’t wait to stop hurting and feeling this way. It would be nice to put all these behind me. Luckily, I’ve been brave enough to tell some of my friends about it and they have been kind enough to check-in. Daily, I’m seeing how incompatible X and I were. I guess it’s probably for the best. Although I honestly think I deserved a better breakup, but I guess it is what it is. Now, I’m scared of love again. I pray the Holy Spirit helps me overcome this fear because I really want to grow old in love with someone who would love me till their last breath and want to build a life with me. X once said I should promise him that we’d always stay together regardless of how tough life gets and I held on to that promise. Lol. I doubt he’d remember. I’m still really upset with him but what can I really do about it but soldier on. I’ve deleted his contact but we’re still in some groups together. I really want to leave those groups but I’m trying not to let my emotions decide. I know it’s hard now but I’m optimistic that it would get better with time. So far, 2021 has been an emotionally tough year for me. I’ve been through so much already in over 2decades of my life and I know I can get through this. The tears are still hot and painful but I’m glad they are getting less by the day. It’s funny that this is now my diary. I can’t wait to read all these in a year. Hopefully, I am completely over this heartbreak and focusing on what’s mine. Till then, I love you L. Love, Past L❤️

https://medium.com/@lancet-anon/dear-future-l-5b7353a86830

[]

2021-07-06 13:59:14.885000+00:00

['Love', 'Heartbreak', 'Optimism', 'Hurt']

Having fun with HTML5 — Range type input

Besides the much talked about video tag, HTML5 also introduced a couple of new input types, one of which is a rather interesting range input type which basically translates to a slider bar control: The range input type is currently supported by the latest versions of Safari, Chrome and Opera while other browsers such as Firefox simply treat the field as a textbox. There are four available attributes — min, max, step and value. min and max should be self explanatory, step determines the size of each increment/decrement and value is the current value of the slider and also determines the placement of the slider when the element is loaded (if not specified, the slider will appear at the centre of the control when it’s first loaded): [code lang=”javascript” light=”true”] <input type=”range” min=”0" max=”200" step=”5"></input> [/code] [code lang=”javascript” light=”true”] <input type=”range” min=”0" max=”200" value=”0" step=”5"></input> [/code] I talked about the new border radius property being introduced in CSS3 in my previous blog post, and with a little JQuery I’ve put together a quick demo here of how a 400px by 400px square looks as the border radius changes. If you look at the source of the page you will see that I added a changeBorder javascript function to handle the onchange event fired by the slider, which dynamically updates the HTML content of an internal CSS class called mySliderBarStyles using the current value of the slider control: [code lang=”javascript”] <input id=”mySliderBar” type=”range” min=”0" max=”200" value=”0" step=”5" onchange=”changeBorder(this.value)”></input> … <script type=”text/javascript”> function changeBorder(newValue) { var newRadius = newValue + “px”; // set the html content of the label showing the current radius value $(“#rangeValue”).html(newRadius); // set the style with the new radius value $(“#mySliderBarStyles”).html( “#myDiv { -webkit-border-radius: “ + newRadius + “; }” ); } </script> … <style type=”text/css” id=”mySliderBarStyles”></style> [/code] References: Dive Into HTML5

https://medium.com/theburningmonk-com/having-fun-with-html5-range-type-input-cf0fe6124a10

['Yan Cui']

2017-07-03 20:57:17.999000+00:00

['Html5', 'Programming']

Designing Experiences for Learning: Racial Microaggressions

This entry is Part 2 of my process journal for Designing Learner Experiences. I have narrowed my focus to look at designing a teaching/learning experience around microaggressions on college campuses. This work combines two current projects for me: As part of a research project in the Human Computer Interaction Institute, I have been facilitating Participatory Design workshops dealing with microaggressions. I am a student in Stacie Rohrbach’s course on learning + design. She is guiding us through learning theories and design approaches with the goal of constructing an engaging learning experience in May. My Transition Design Ph.D. Inquiry Overall my dissertation work is focused on shifting how white people understand racism. At this point, in my first year, I am still shifting what the focus may be. This project will help me explore ways of engaging people in learning experiences around racism. Microaggression is one aspects of racism that white people tend to be ignorant to. Key elements of understanding the present day impact of racism: Microaggressions and othering (based on Derald Wing Sue’s 2010 textbook) Antiracist practices (from Ibram X. Kendi’s book, 2019) Structural racism and racist policy still has impact → Poverty [wealth, jobs, neighborhoods, schools] → Policing [police violence, justice system, prisons for profit] → Implicit bias [schooling, hiring, policing, promoting] Approaching the problem Professors, and others who are in positions of power with students, may unknowingly commit racial microaggressions that do harm to people of color: alienating them within their learning environment. Professor Derald Wing Sue has literally written the book on Microaggressions (Microaggressions in Everyday Life : Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, 2010), and countless other textbooks and papers. I am relying heavily on his paper, Racial Microaggressions and Difficult Dialogues on Race in the Classroom (2009) for reference. The facets of this learning experience I am most interested in are: Connecting people to research findings in a more tangible, interactive format Experimenting with how to talk with white people about race Demonstrating how people can learn about race in an accessible and engaging way that is immediately useful (hopefully!). 10 hypotheses about a learning experience Hearing about microaggressions from the perspective of students could help professors understand the harm experienced, better than when addressed in academic articles or training workshops. Finding a creative way for professors to interact with stories from research sessions will engage them in the findings in a different, more emotional way than merely reading the findings. If professors are more aware of racial microaggressions, they will build stronger relationships with students of different racial identities. When professors do not understand that a microaggression has occurred, dismissal of the incident can amplify the offense of it. College campuses today include very diverse student bodies, including white, non-white, American, and non-American students. This diversity increases the chances of microaggressions happening in classrooms. Learning that racial microaggressions extend beyond African Americans to other racial identities will help comprehension. When students experience microaggressions from professors or TAs, they are unlikely to speak out about it because of the power difference. Instead, the student will feel distanced from the professor, experience ongoing harm from the offense, and the professor will remain unaware. Students of color will most often have predominantly white professors who do not understand the “othering” they face daily. “Because 86% of teachers are White (U.S. Department of Education, 2007), they often do not understand the worldview of racial and ethnic minorities and may be unaware of how racial microaggressions may trigger difficult dialogues in the classroom.” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 184) Many professors are not prepared for conversations about race. “Unfortunately, teachers and human relations specialists seem ill prepared to deal with the potential, explosive nature of racial interactions; they do not recognize racial microaggressions when they occur, feel uncomfortable with race-related topics, and lack the skills needed to facilitate difficult dialogues on race (Young, 2003).” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 183) Microaggressions are another piece of the larger white supremacy problem. “Lack of awareness allows many Whites to live in a world of false deception about the nature and operation of racism.” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 183) Teaching University Professors about Microaggressions What “Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group” (Sue, Capodilupo, et al., 2007, p. 273). Why “These interactions have often polarized students and teachers rather than clarified and increased mutual respect and understanding about race and race relations.”(Sue et al. 2009, p. 184) “From the perspective of people of color, microaggressions are tinged with explicit and implicit racial snubs, put-downs, or a pattern of disrespect.” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 183) “People of color report that their lives are filled with incidents of racial microaggressions and that their well-intentioned White brothers and sisters are generally unaware that they have committed an offensive racial act” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 183) “The invisible nature of racial microaggressions to Whites, for example, lowers empathic ability, dims perceptual awareness, maintains false illusions, and lessens compassion for others (Spanierman, Armstrong, Poteat, & Beer, 2006).” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 183) Who “Although any group can potentially be guilty of delivering racial microaggressions, the most painful and harmful ones are likely to occur between those who hold power and those who are most disempowered.” (Sue, Capodilupo, Nadal, & Torino, 2008) How “Educators and social scientists believe that successful racial dialogues are necessary to reduce prejudice, increase compassion, dispel stereotypes, and promote mutual understanding and goodwill (Willow, 2008; Young, 2003)” (Sue et al. 2009, p. 184) Week 9: Framing Learner Engagement Restating the challenge: Racial microaggressions harm people of color — especially in environments with a power imbalance — and where relationships across authority are being built: like a college classroom. 1.Motivating learners to engage Challenges: The terms, “racism” and “microaggressions” are challenging terms for professors, they may not want to engage that way. Microaggressions are something many Professors and Teaching Assistants do not know is a problem. So they lack motivation to fix it until they understand it. Experienced professors are likely to be more focused on the content that they teach, rather than learning new ways to behave in the classroom. If professors see themselves as mainly responsible for academic content, rather than social context, they may not see themselves as the people to intervene or disrupt low-level racial interactions. Opportunities T.A.’s and Grad-student-teachers may be more open to learning “soft skills” than experienced professors. Understanding microaggressions is a way to be great in the classroom. This is a way to build relationships with diverse students. They are often invisible to white people, so it’s a sort of superpower to be able to see them. Position this as a way to protect students from harm (from others) 2. Holding their attention The Magic Circle concept: A safe, anonymous space to make mistakes Like the first-person, immersive narrative game SPENT Illustration by Stacie Rohrbach 3. Aiding memory of the knowledge and skills they acquire Hear personal stories from diverse students on campus Try it out and get feedback Brainstorm ways to intervene for students Harmful/not harmful. Quiz-format to assess which statements are hurtful and why. Try to intervene. Role-playing through the game, what is the best way to intervene? What might happen? Illustration by Stacie Rohrbach Week 10: Form-giving Brainstorming — Formats for the learner experience Stacie and Ema help me brainstorm (back in February when we were allowed to work in classrooms) How to engage TAs in an understanding of racial microaggressions? First-person interactive game (like SPENT= Image + text + choice) Game embedded in a larger online learning module Game embedded in an in-person learning experience to reflect as a group First-person as the Student of Color in classroom From POV of Student of color, experiencing multiple microaggressions over time The game could play-up the uncertainty for the Student of Color — to build empathy for how difficult that aspect is. Was that really racist? Is that person ignorant or intentionally hurtful? First-person as the professor, how do you navigate the conversations and connect with students without offending First-person as a bystander to the microaggression, should you/would you speak up? What are the options? How will the professor respond? The game can embed fanciful tools to intervene in the racist incident The game can allow you to play out different ways of intervening to see what might happen. You can adjust how defensive the perpetrator is going to be, or maybe it should be unpredictable. Role-playing game for groups to enact scenarios A card game like Pokemon where you have racial interactions, interventions, and reactions — try to play the right combination to not make the situation worse for the person of color. Level-up your character, getting through easy tasks first and then the hardest task of navigating a very complex discussion. Become the ultimate inclusive TA! Room-based adventure — each room has a different challenge or puzzle about microaggressions Point-and-click adventure games, and interactive drawing where you click on the students to see how each is responding to what was said. Point-and-click game to build a contraption that comforts a student who experienced a microaggression. Work with Duolingo to imagine racial fluency as a language — how would you build up competency? Cards Against Humanity-style group card game. A racial situation is chosen and then players compete for the best, funniest, and worst response to the situation. Gallery exhibit of fanciful interventions from Alexandra To’s research, illustrated as real tools for classrooms. Could be displayed at the Eberly Center’s TA orientation. Install provocative artifacts in classrooms: A racism-listener on the wall of every classroom will alert if racist phrases are used or a microaggression button under every desk — students can press it without being seen to alter the professor… or the Center for Diversity and Inclusion response team, that something offensive has occurred A (fictional) catalog of teaching tools for inclusive classrooms, featuring illustrations of the concepts from the PD sessions on microaggressions, featuring interviews with the “inventors” sharing their personal stories with being othered. Coloring book/activity book to meditate and reflect on racial identities in the classroom RCA-style Video lesson (marker sketches) Participatory Design sessions with TAs — engage them in imagining solutions to the problem Participatory Making sessions with students of color and professors — how to create more inclusive classrooms Ask questions at the beginning and end of the game to collect data/feedback. Week 12 | Form-giving: Sketches and classmate feedback I sketched out some of the detail of how a game about racial microaggressions might work. Then I shared three different concepts with my classmates. Option 1: What if it were a social card game like Cards Against Humanity? A sketch of a very awkward card game about microaggressions I didn’t really expect this idea to be taken seriously, I just wanted to push my thinking outside of the choose-your-own-adventure game I kept thinking about. Surprisingly, it did bring up some points to think about in the feedback sessions. Classmates suggested that it’s a good way to have a discussion about a difficult topic. Or that it could be a powerful way for people of color to talk with their white friends about racism. Option 2: A serious first-person narrative game I am inspired by the simple but powerful game SPENT. So this style of a first-person, choose-your-own-adventure game is very appealing. Sketching out the screens gave me a lot to think about: who do you role play, the recipient of the microaggression, a professor, or a bystander? how to introduce the context? how complicated to make the options? how to provide feedback when someone makes the “wrong” choice? A sketch of scene where a bystander-classmate witnesses a microaggression This choice seemed to work well. Classmates took the choices seriously. Questions came up around how to keep people engaged and building empathy, not just learning what the expected answer is? how to grow in challenge and experience over time? How can it help anyone (bystander, recipient, or perpetrator) help spot microaggressions but also learn to deal with them as well? Option 3: Build your skills to become a racial justice super hero! This option was a build on the one before. I was hesitant at first to be playful with this subject, but after testing I became more confident that this makes the serious subject more engaging, and no less serious. Sketch of an introductory screen inviting players into the game Sketch of the feedback module guiding players toward an understanding of microaggressions At this point we start to get into more detailed feedback. A cohesive story where we get to know the characters and follow them through the full game will be more compelling. Visuals and emotions can help the game to feel more immersive, and therefore people will likely take it more seriously. Questions arise about what the point systems will do, and can players share their scores? Do they HAVE to share their scores, if this is part of a training program? Week 12 | Next steps: Exploring multiple paths At this point in my PhD research journey, I am more interested in exploring the value of how different interventions might shape the way people think about racism. So at this point in my process, I am not going to narrow down to one idea and develop that in-depth. I am going to keep playing with different options and learn from the process of comparing different ideas against each other. For microaggressions in the classroom, here I am examining different learner needs and how that could inform different types of learning experiences Week 13: Transformative Games Framework In a rich conversation with professor Jessica Hammer from ETC & HCI, she recommended looking at the Transformational Games Framework authored by Sabrina Culyba in the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon. The framework is a structured set of interconnected questions that outline the objectives for a game that seeks to transform the players beyond the context of the game. From Culyba’s book: “Each piece of the Framework connects back to the common challenges experienced when developing Transformational games (2018, p. 44).”

https://medium.com/@hillarywinnow/designing-experiences-for-learning-racial-microaggressions-14c24abb0f71

['Hillary Carey']

2020-04-21 16:28:24.069000+00:00

['Teaching And Learning', 'Design Thinking', 'Social Justice', 'Racism', 'Social Justice Education']

Combining ML Models to Detect Email Attacks

This article is a follow-up to one I wrote a year ago — Lessons from building AI to Stop Cyberattacks — in which I discussed the overall problem of detecting social engineering attacks using ML techniques and our general solution at Abnormal. This post aims to walk through the process we use at Abnormal to model various aspects of a given email and ultimately detect and block attacks. As discussed in the previous post, sophisticated social engineering email attacks are on the rise and getting more advanced every day. They prey on the trust we put in our business tools and social networks, especially when a message appears to be from someone on our contact list (but is not) or even more insidiously when the attack is actually from a contact whose account has been compromised. The FBI estimates that over the past few years over 75% of cyberattacks start with social engineering, usually through email. Why is this a hard ML problem? A needle in a haystack — The first challenge is that the base rate is very low. Advanced attacks are rare in comparison to the overall volume of legitimate email: 1 in 100,000 emails is advanced spear-phishing less than 1 in 10,000,000 emails is advanced BEC (like invoice fraud) or lateral spear phishing (a compromised account phishing another employee) When compared to spam, which accounts for 65 in every 100 emails, we have an extremely biased classification problem which raises all sorts of difficulties Enormous amounts of data — At the same time, the data we have is large (many terabytes), messy, multi-modal, and difficult to collect and serve at low latency for a real-time system. For example, features that an ML system would want to evaluate include: Text of the email Metadata and headers History of communication for parties involved, geo locations, IPs, etc Account sign-ins, mail filters, browsers used Content of all attachments Content of all links and the landing pages those links lead to …and so much more Turning all this data into useful features for a detection system is a huge challenge from a data engineering as well as ML point of view. Adversarial attackers — To make matters worse, attackers actively manipulate the data to make it hard on ML models, constantly improving their techniques and developing entirely new strategies. The precision must be very high — to build a product to prevent email attacks we must avoid false positives and disruption of legitimate business communications, but at the same time catch every attack. The false-positive rate needs to be as low as one in a million! For more examples of the challenges that go into building ML to stop email attacks, see the discussion Lessons from building AI to Stop Cyberattacks. To effectively solve this problem we must be diligent and extremely thoughtful about how we break down the overall detection problem into components that are solved carefully. Example: Let’s start with this hypothetical email attack and imagine how we could model various dimensions and how those models come together. Subject: Reset your password From: Microsoft Support <admin@fakemicrosoft.com> Content: “Please click _here_ to reset the password to your account.” This is a simple and prototypical phishing attack. As with any well-crafted social engineering attack, it appears nearly identical to a legitimate message, in this case, a legitimate password reset message from Microsoft. Because of this, modeling any single dimension of this message will be fruitless for classification purposes. Instead, we need break up the problem into component sub-problems Thinking like the attacker Our first step is always to put ourselves in the mind of the attacker. To do so we break an attack down into what we call “attack facets”. Attack Facets: Attack Goal — What is the attacker trying to accomplish? Steal money? Steal credentials? Etc. Impersonation Strategy — How is the attacker building credibility with the recipient? Are they impersonating someone? Are they sending from a compromised account? Impersonated Party — Who is being impersonated? A trusted brand? A known vendor? The CEO of a company? Payload Vector — How is the actual attack delivered? A link? An Attachment? If we break down the Microsoft password reset example, we have: Attack goal: Steal a user's credentials Impersonation strategy: Impersonate a brand through a lookalike display name (Microsoft) Impersonated party: The official Microsoft brand Payload vector: A link to a fake login page. Modeling the problem Building ML models to solve a problem with such a low base rate and precisions requirements forces a high degree of diligence when modeling sub-problems and feature engineering. We cannot rely just on the magic of ML. In the last section, we described a way to break an attack into components. We can use that same breakdown to help inspire the type of information we would like to model about an email in order to determine if it is an attack. All these models rely on similar underlying techniques — specifically Behavior modeling: identifying abnormal behavior by modeling normal communication patterns and finding outliers from that identifying abnormal behavior by modeling normal communication patterns and finding outliers from that Content modeling: understanding the content of an email understanding the content of an email Identify resolution: matching the identity of individuals and organizations referenced in an email (perhaps in an obfuscated way) to a database of these entities Attack Goal and Payload Identifying an attack goal requires modeling the content of a message. We must understand what is being said. Is the email asking the recipient to do anything? Is it an urgent tone? and so forth. This model may not only identify malicious content but safe content as well in order to differentiate the two. Impersonated Party What does an impersonation look like? First of all the email must appear to the recipient to look like someone they trust. We build identity models to match various parts of an email against known entities inside and outside an organization. For example, we may identify an employee impersonation by matching against the active directory. We may identify a brand impersonation by matching against the known patterns of brand-originating emails. We might identify a vendor impersonation by matching against our vendor database. Impersonation Strategy An impersonation happens when an email is not from the entity it is claiming to be from. To do so we identify normal behavior patterns to spot these abnormal ones. This may be abnormal behavior between the recipient and the sender. It may be unusual sending patterns from the sender. In the simplest case, like the example above, we can simply note that Microsoft never sends from “fakemicrosoft.com”. In more difficult cases, like account takeover and vendor compromise, we must look at more subtle clues like unusual geo-location and IP address of the sender or incorrect authentication (for spoofs). Attack Payload For the payload, we must understand the content of attachments and links. Modeling these requires a combination of NLP models, computer vision models to identify logos, URL models to identify suspicious links, and so forth. Modeling each of these dimensions gives our system an understanding of emails particularly along dimensions that might be used by attackers to conduct social engineering attacks. The next step is actually detecting attacks Combining Models to Detect Attacks Ultimately we need to combine these sub-models to produce a classification result (for example P(Attack)). Just like any ML problem, the features given to a classifier are crucial for good performance. The careful modeling described above gives us very high bandwidth features. We can combine these models in a few possible ways. (1) One humongous classification model: Train a single classifier with all the inputs available to each sub-model. All the input features could be chosen based on the features that worked well within each sub-problem, but this final model combines everything and learns unique combinations and relationships. (2) Extract features from sub-models and combine to predict target — there are 3 ways we can go about this: (2.a) Ensemble of Models-as-Features: Each sub-model is a feature. Its output is dependent on the type of model. For example, a content model might predict a vector of binary topic features (2.b) Ensemble of Classifiers: Build sub-classifiers that each predict some target and combine them using some kind of ensemble model or set of rules. For example, a content classifier would predict the probability of attack given the content alone. (2.c) Embeddings: Each sub-model is trained to predict P(attack) like above or some other supervised or unsupervised target, but rather than combining their predictions, we extract embeddings, for example, by taking the penultimate layer of a neural net. Each of the above approaches has advantages and disadvantages. Training one humongous model has the advantage of getting to learn all complex cross dependencies, but it is harder to understand and harder to debug, and more prone to overfitting. It also requires all the data available in one shot, unlike building sub-models that could potentially operate on disparate datasets. The various methods of extracting features from sub-models also have tradeoffs. Training sub-classifiers is useful because they are very interpretable (for example we could have a signal that represents the suspiciousness of text content alone), but in some cases, it is difficult to predict the attack target directly from a sub-domain of data. For example, purely a rare communication pattern is not sufficient to slice the space meaningfully to predict an attack. Similarly as discussed above, a pure content model cannot predict an attack without context regarding the communication pattern. The embeddings approach is good, but also finicky, it is important to vet your embeddings and not just trust they will work. Also, the embedding approach is more prone to overfitting or accidental label leakage. Most importantly with all these approaches, it is crucial to think deeply about all the data going into models and also the actual distribution of outputs. Blindly trusting in the black box of ML is rarely a good idea. Careful modeling and feature engineering are necessary, especially when it comes to the inputs to each of the sub-models. Our solution at Abnormal As a fast-growing startup, we originally had a very small ML team which has been growing quickly over the past year. With the growth of the team, we also have adapted our approach to modeling, feature engineering, and training our classifiers. At first, it was easiest to just focus on one large model that combined features carefully engineered to solve subproblems. However, as we’ve added more team members it has become important to split the problem up into various components that can be developed simultaneously. Our current solution is a combination of all the above approaches depending on the particular sub-model. We still use a large monolithic model as one signal, but our best models use a combination of inputs including embeddings representing an aspect of an email and prediction values from sub-classifiers (for example a suspicious URL score). Combining models and managing feature dependencies and versioning is also difficult. Takeaways for solving other ML problems Deeply understand your domain Carefully engineer features and sub-models, don’t trust black box ML Solving many sub-problems and combining them for a classifier works well, but don’t be dogmatic. Sure, embeddings may be the purest solution, but if it’s simpler to just create a sub-classifier or good set of features, start with that. Breaking up a problem also allows scaling a team. If multiple ML engineers are working on a single problem, they must necessarily focus on separate components. Modeling a problem as a combination of subproblems also helps with explainability. It’s easier to debug a text model than a giant multi-modal neural net. But, there’s a ton more to do! We need to figure out a more general pattern for developing good embeddings and better ways of modeling sub-parts of the problem, better data platforms, and feature engineering tools, and so much more. Attacks are constantly evolving and our client base is ever-growing leading to tons of new challenges every day. If these problems interest you, yes, we’re hiring!

https://medium.com/abnormal-security-engineering-blog/combining-ml-models-to-detect-email-attacks-e1b4d1f2d14e

['Jeshua Bratman']

2020-11-18 00:21:27.244000+00:00

['Machine Learning', 'Email Security', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Cybersecurity', 'Data Science']

How Examining My Website Stats Helped Me Overcome My Project Procrastination

How Examining My Website Stats Helped Me Overcome My Project Procrastination “I’ll Do It Later” is no longer acceptable — here’s the mindset I’m using to get the project done Stop Punting the Problem To The Future | Photo: Malvestida Magazine/Unsplash In 2018 I decided to enter into the world of formal leadership by levelling up my qualifications. Over the course of year, I engaged with a variety of diverse, life changing, professional development. At the end of the formal courses, there was one more task to complete: the leadership inquiry practicum. No problem, except the fact that the timeline is flexible to accommodate the different projects. Flexible Deadlines = My Achilles Heel. As a theatre artist, there is always an opening night, a curtain that has to go up, and a grant deadline that is due. Flexibility is in my vocabulary for the creative process, not usually for deadlines. At the time of writing, it’s May 2020. The practicum project was completed in June 2019. There is a three year window to complete the write-up, which means that I have until July 2021 to complete the final report. And, it’s not like I don’t have the material. In fact, it’s all in a folder, ready to go. Reflections, done. Research, analyzed. Data, collected. Action plan, complete. It’s just the report, flexible deadline, and my tendency to procrastinate that is standing in my way. I have decided that I need to apply my theatre training to complete the practicum report and combat my procrastination. Here’s how I’m going to do it in five steps: Step One: External Motivation Over the past week, I noticed a trend with the traffic statistics on my website. There have been consistent visitors to the practicum page over the past month, pushing the practicum material to be number two in visited content on the website.

https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/how-examining-my-website-stats-helped-me-overcome-my-project-procrastination-3f2dd5edd791

['Cathy Clarke']

2020-05-28 15:01:30.981000+00:00

['Work', 'Life Lessons', 'Productivity', 'Education', 'Leadership']

Multistreaming with Switchboard Cloud and Zoom Meeting: The Ultimate Video Conferencing Experience

Switchboard Live + Zoom = Awesome Combination Have you ever wondered what would happen if you merged the collaborative power of video conferencing with the influential power of multistreaming on social media? No? Well, we’re here to tell you that video conferencing tools and simultaneously live streaming on social can be used together to create a powerhouse of online reach and brand awareness. Imagine that you decide to host a weekly live show on Facebook and YouTube and want to invite colleagues and other thought leaders to the conversation, but the only way they can make it is through video chat. The first step you’ll need to take to bring this idea to life is obtaining equipment for both the live video and conferencing aspects of the show. Using a video conferencing tool like Zoom will enable you to bring multiple people into the conversation. Now, we know what you might be wondering… can you live stream Zoom? And the answer is, yes! The great thing about Zoom is that with a Pro account, or higher, you have the ability to use it as a live streaming service. So, you could stream a Zoom Meeting to Facebook Live, or YouTube. However, if you want to send the live stream to both Facebook and YouTube at the same time, you’ll need a multistreaming tool. That’s where a live video distribution platform like Switchboard Cloud comes into play. With Switchboard Cloud you can take a single live stream and send it to multiple destinations at the same time. Without it, you would only be able to send your Zoom Meeting to one destination, or spend more money and time on trying to figure out a work-around to send the stream to various channels i.e. setting up two laptops, re-uploading the completed live stream, etc. By using Switchboard Cloud, you can get bigger reach and higher engagement for your live streamed Zoom Meetings, and won’t spend a fortune or too much time doing so! You can use Switchboard Cloud to send the live stream to your guest’s channels as well, so your single feed is being distributed to the masses all from one place. As long as you have a Zoom Pro account and a Switchboard Cloud account, connecting the two is easy to do. You can see how it’s done in this article here! The Switchboard Live team is more than excited to see where this integration will take live video conferencing as social live video becomes increasingly more popular. Explore the Switchboard Cloud Platform — It’s Free for 7 Days!

https://news.switchboard.live/multistreaming-with-switchboard-cloud-and-zoom-meeting-the-ultimate-video-conferencing-experience-e1019818b487

['Marketing Staff']

2019-09-19 21:31:59.225000+00:00

['Multistreaming', 'Multistream', 'Zoom', 'Live Streaming']

I’ve Made More Authentic Friends During The Pandemic Than Ever Before

By Anna Meyers PHOTOGRAPHED BY POPPY THORPE I have a confession: I haven’t been a very good friend this year. In spring, while everyone I know was having Zoom parties to combat the loneliness of lockdown, I buried myself in work and ignored the growing feeling that something just wasn’t right. The pandemic had shone a spotlight on an uncomfortable truth: friendships have never been easy but had they ever been this hard? Between mental health troubles taking their toll, conflicting coping mechanisms and disagreements over social distancing straining relationships, it’s been a hard year for friendships. Not only has your contact with your best friends been reduced to a square on Zoom but casual acquaintances have fallen entirely by the wayside (RIP your clubbing mates with whom you had nothing much in common beyond an appreciation of G&Ts and kebabs). 2020 has shaken the foundations of our social fabric in ways no one could have predicted and we’ve found ourselves having to reshape everything we know about sustaining our relationships. As a natural introvert with a penchant for catastrophising, this wasn’t exactly my time to shine. I never got around to downloading Houseparty (remember Houseparty?) and while I found a grounding exercise in phoning friends during my daily government-allowed walks, I’ll admit I spent the first half of the year wondering if I’d ever say anything to another person besides, “Honestly, I’m not coping that well.” The pandemic might be new this year but it has exacerbated an already dire situation: loneliness has been a growing public health crisis for years (experiencing it can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day) and leads to higher rates of depression. In 2018, it even got its own minister. Young adults in particular are more likely to be affected than older age groups, possibly due to factors such as precarious work and living circumstances, social isolation in the digital world, and living in big cities with fewer ties to local communities (in Time Out’s survey of 18 global cities, London came out as the loneliest, with 55% of Londoners agreeing it is a lonely place to live). It’s also just really hard to make friends as an adult. Friendship often stems from shared experiences, found in abundance in our younger years through school and university but tapering off as we grow up and move areas, switch jobs and change living situations. Schedules tighten, responsibilities grow and so we tend to retreat to our existing bubbles and stop investing in new connections. It took me until the second lockdown to realise that while I’d spent my year worrying about my existing friendships, I’d actually managed to make more new friends during the past nine months than I had in a long time. Years, even. I didn’t set out to do so but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I’d taken several steps to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people with whom I’d be able to be open and honest. I took part in a positive psychology course which met every week; I joined a Twitter call for virtual support groups, as well as a Slack channel for freelancers. I sent slightly unhinged, enthusiastic emails and Instagram DMs to people I hadn’t talked to before. I attended more industry calls, webinars and roundtable discussions than anyone should be allowed to. I started writing a weekly newsletter about radical joy and the small but incredibly supportive community I’ve built around it has proved to be a safe haven at a time when that’s what we miss the most. Of course, not everyone I’ve interacted with has become a fast friend. But the successes make up for the failures. I now have regular email exchanges with writers I admire and an ongoing WhatsApp voice message chain with friends halfway across the world. The first time I FaceTimed another friend, I was so nervous you’d think it was a first date. I even got back in touch with someone I’d known years earlier and picked up right where we left off, albeit with an added edge of pandemic-related catching up to do. I have plans to meet up with many of these people when this is all over which feel far more concrete than the “We must get a coffee soon!” plans I’d make with my pre-pandemic acquaintances. To be honest, even if we never get to meet up IRL and our connection lives on through our phones, that’s okay, too. I’ve learned that friendship is not defined by how many Sunday brunches we share but by affection and mutual support. It gives us something to hold onto in a year where every bit of joy we can squeeze out of life counts, and serves as a reminder that we’re all looking for connection and belonging exactly as much as the next person. Spending our days on social media, taking part in Zoom pub quizzes and watching the same shows as everyone else (is it just me, or does feel like a million years ago?) are different ways of combating the same kind of grief that was making us miserable pre-pandemic. Judging by the number of online communities that have proliferated in the space left empty by face-to-face hangouts, we might have hit the nail on the head as to what friendship will look like going forward. This year has shone a spotlight on what we really look for when things get tough and I hope we don’t lose sight of that. That’s my advice to anyone looking to shake up their social life, in 2020 and beyond: reflect on what it means to you, which interactions you find draining and which recharge you, and use that knowledge to try as many approaches as you can. If you work for yourself, Leapers is a community aimed at supporting the mental health of the self employed; if you’re in media, Tim Herrera’s events were some of the most interesting I’ve attended, and his Twitter feed is always helpful and full of like-minded users; Tallia Deljou, whose positive psychology group I joined this past spring, hosts regular and wonderful free workshops; I’ve attended webinars by searching for “Zoom” + industry keywords on Twitter, and while I’ve never had much luck with Facebook groups or MeetUp listings, those are a great option too. Even the silliest approach could lead to authentic connection, which we’ve never needed more. And if you get my DM saying I think you’re really cool, please be nice. I’m just trying to make a friend, the only way I know how.

https://medium.com/refinery29/ive-made-more-authentic-friends-during-the-pandemic-than-ever-before-41b3586de649

[]

2020-12-18 16:58:15.994000+00:00

['Friendship', 'Lockdown', 'Friends', 'Loneliness', 'Pandemic']

Trump Let the Genie Out of the Bottle

I’m a genie in a bottle, baby Gotta rub me the right way, honey I’m a genie in a bottle, baby Come come, come on and let me out I’m a genie in a bottle, baby Gotta rub me the right way, honey (If you wanna be with me) I’m a genie in a bottle, baby Come come, come on and let me out (Christina Aguilera) You’re probably wondering what happened to all these Republicans and their affliction of following Trump. Obviously, some of them are terribly racist. Some love how he makes their wallets look in the Trump-o-clock-light. Some enjoy screwing over poor people. Some want the Dexamethasone, remdesivir, and Regeneron when they get sick. Some are related to him. But some have a different tale altogether and I’m going to share it with you Anyone who’s been paying attention can see that Trump found a Genie in a bottle. Nobody gets that many chances. When Trump met his Genie, he said “I wish people would follow me no matter what I do!” Poof. He tried to find that Genie again when he met the people who were blindly following him. He tracked her down and said, “Not those people.” She answered, “Only one wish, asshole.” By this time, Trump was really powerful and he had eyes all over Vegas. He had something really bad on the Genie that happened one magical night at the Venetian. He had something that made the Genie shake in her quirky leather boots, so she gave him a caveat. Apparently what happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. “You can choose some of your followers,” she said. “Republican Senators,” he said. “Fine,” said the Genie and then, she went into witness protection. Screw being a Genie. People’s wishes sucked. So out Trump went, back into the world, followed by Republican Senators, who had lost their free will, all because of a shady genie. They blindly followed a man who was going to give them COVID and screw up their legacies in history books. “Why are you following him?” Their partners asked when they returned home after failing at another COVID relief bill. “He is a macho underdog,” they answered, robotically. Their partners looked at them, realizing this was some Manchurian Candidate level shit. And contagious to boot. Everything in 2020 was contagious, apparently. Suddenly, their partners thought Trump was a macho underdog too. You’re probably wondering how I found out about Trump’s Genie. How connected I must be, to have all these first-person accounts from the President of the United States and a magical creature. Well, to start, the news isn’t what it once was. Feelings trump the actual news now. And, I feel this happened, so it must be true. And that’s what the Trump administration taught me. Well, that, and I’m the Genie, well-hidden, and blogging until better humans come along and make better wishes.

https://medium.com/the-bad-influence/trump-let-the-genie-out-of-the-bottle-f49a73921fc4

['Amy Culberg']

2020-12-12 21:01:21.283000+00:00

['The Bad Influence', 'Trump', 'Humor', 'Satire', 'Self']

Super easy Python stock price forecast (using keras / dnn) Deep learning

Super easy Python stock price forecast (using keras / dnn) Deep learning Super easy deep learning (using dnn) to predict up and down stock prices the next day using keras in Python 10mohi6 ·Nov 26, 2020 1. tool installation $ pip install scikit-learn keras pandas_datareader 2. file creation 3. execution $ python pred.py That’s super easy! 4. result As a result of calculation with the same data and features, DNN, LogisticRegression, BernoulliNB are the best among XGBoost, DNN, LSTM, GRU, RNN, LogisticRegression, k-nearest neighbor, RandomForest, BernoulliNB, SVM. XGBoost 0.5119047619047619 DNN 0.5496031746031746 LSTM 0.5178571428571429 GRU 0.5138888888888888 RNN 0.5376984126984127 LogisticRegression 0.5496031746031746 k-nearest neighbor 0.5198412698412699 RandomForest 0.49603174603174605 BernoulliNB 0.5496031746031746 SVM 0.5396825396825397 5. reference

https://medium.com/@10mohi6/super-easy-python-stock-price-forecast-using-keras-dnn-deep-learning-e925125d1922

[]

2020-12-06 11:32:08.524000+00:00

['Dnn', 'Keras', 'Python', 'Stock Price Forecast', 'Deep Learning']

AYS Daily Digest 13/09/2021: British Border Forces train to push back people

The practice of driving close to a dinghy and forcing it to change direction (and putting the people on board at extreme risk through high waves!) is a common pushback practice in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. The drill was documented only days after British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that pushbacks to France are now an official state tactic, and introduced plans to conduct training for Border Forces and develop skills for executing these pushbacks. According to The Guardian, “Training, which is weather dependent, is due to conclude this month, with use of the tactics ready to deploy as soon as practical and safe.” The French government, as well as human rights groups, are sure that there is no such a thing as a “safe” pushback. French Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin rejected Patel’s plans, stating that: “safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority over considerations of nationality, status and migratory policy”. Beside putting people at extreme risk, pushbacks are also illegal. In a statement from January concerning the increasing numbers of pushbacks from Europe, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, said “Respecting human lives and refugee rights is not a choice, it’s a legal and moral obligation.” According to UNHCR, “The 1951 Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and EU law require states to protect the right of people to seek asylum and protection from refoulement, even if they enter irregularly. Authorities cannot automatically deny entry to or return people without undertaking an individual assessment of those in need of protection.” In 2021, 14,100 people have so far crossed the channel by boat. There are basically no legal options for people to reach the UK, forcing them to take the risky boat journey. With late summer weather, crossings are very high these days, with a record of 828 people crossing on one day in late August. In the past few days French authorities rescued 126 people from the Channel. According to media, French authorities let boats pass into British waters and do not intercept them, unless they are in distress.

https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-13-09-2021-british-border-forces-train-how-to-push-back-people-c527d6471469

['Are You Syrious']

2021-09-14 14:30:44.302000+00:00

['Digest', 'United Kingdom', 'Poland', 'Refugees', 'Europe']

A First Step Into Writing Recursive Functions

A First Step Into Writing Recursive Functions Learn to write functions that call themselves Photo by vision webagency on Unsplash Recursion is one of those topics that causes blinking, head-scratching, and overall confusion. The idea of a function calling itself feels like you’re going down a rabbit hole, and the truth is, that’s a pretty accurate feeling for what your function is actually doing. Even after understanding recursion for years, whenever a problem is solved recursively, I have to stop and take an extra minute to make sure I understand what I’m looking at. But worry not, as we’re going to break down recursion and go through a real-world example. I’ll be writing examples in both Python and JavaScript and by the end of this article, you’ll hopefully understand that the article’s title is actually a pun.

https://medium.com/better-programming/a-first-step-into-writing-recursive-functions-aeb823b4636d

['Jonathan Hsu']

2020-02-13 23:32:10.765000+00:00

['JavaScript', 'Programming', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'Recursion']

Cocaine / Aprazolam

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. For thousands of years, people in South America have chewed and ingested coca leaves (Erythroxylon coca), the source of cocaine, for their stimulant effects.1,2 The purified chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, was isolated from the plant more than 100 years ago. In the early 1900s, purified cocaine was the main active ingredient in many tonics and elixirs developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses and was even an ingredient in the early formulations of Coca-Cola®. Before the development of synthetic local anesthetic, surgeons used cocaine to block pain.1 However, research has since shown that cocaine is a powerfully addictive substance that can alter brain structure and function if used repeatedly. we available aprazolam alpha apvp 4mmc ketamine fentanyl heroin Website:https://researchchemicalstore.net/ Email:sales@researchchemicalstore.net Wickr:docsking Skype: Research Chemicals

https://medium.com/@zsdwaqcvdfe/cocaine-aprazolam-44f696b04fc0

[]

2020-12-26 12:10:26.379000+00:00

['Marketing', 'Drugs', 'Google', 'Sales', 'Bitcoin']

Just another day

These are days when people in the free world are enjoying or looking forward to the holidays — whether it be Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa. Even a pandemic can’t totally take that away; it has just reshaped it a little. And then there is the new year, one that promises such a fresh start, with a COVID vaccine coming and the departure of Trump (finally!) But for us in prison? Holidays are just another day. That’s especially true for the holiday this year, with COVID-induced lockdowns meaning we pretty much get nothing to eat but cold bologna and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. We aren’t allowed to receive holiday cards and even pictures are copied before we receive them, in drab black and white. (That’s why the Flikshop postcards some of you have been sending me are so very, very special. Thank you!) I anxiously wait for the mailman to slide letters under my cell door, because we’re locked down and I can’t call to receive the simple comfort of a voice from the outside. And for most of us, 2021 will hold more of the same: What’s a New Year’s Day to the lifer, except the start of another year added to the tally of years he’s spent in prison? And then it’s another Easter, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, merging with all the other days into a sort of numb nothingness. Just another day! Birthdays are the same. What’s a birthday to a man who has been incarcerated practically his whole life, besides a stark reminder that although he has survived another year, he also has just lost another year of his life that he’ll never get back? The heart must harden There are two types of people in prison: There are those at the beginning of their bids (sentences) who still look forward to and celebrate their birthdays and holidays. We consider them still “emotionally pure.” The denial and longing are still fresh and as a result, they particularly suffer from loneliness during the holidays. And then there are people like me, whose hearts have become calloused by the realities of prison and whose emotions have dulled. Now, does this mean we ignore holidays? No! I still call my family members when I can and if not, try to send word to them in other ways to send them good wishes. But that is more for them than for me. And sure, the blandness and poor quality of prison food are broken up by a couple of spoonfuls of something special like cranberry sauce. Until it’s not — like this year. And that’s the thing; we know that in a blink of an eye, it can all be gone. Doing time has taught me that in to survive mentally, physically and emotionally, I must guard my heart from expectations. How do I do this? By turning my emotions off to worldly comforts, thoughts and cares. I take everything in stride as “just another day.” This year, though, I slipped. They caught me with my pants down. I was really looking forward to Thanksgiving. After two years in the DC jail, where we were treated as humans and allowed to participate in stimulating interactions with the outside world, I took my armor off. And even when I was moved to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia (on my way back to my penitentiary “home” in Florida) we were allowed 20-minute video visits and I was so very much anticipating joining virtually while my mother and girlfriend ate Thanksgiving dinner. Wow! What a joy that would have been for me to be able to spend a Thanksgiving at the table with my family after 25 years. Can you imagine how happy that would have made my mother? But once again, the Grinch (prison) smacked me in the face and reminded me that in prison…each day is just another day. (I was moved to a penitentiary in West Virginia just before Thanksgiving and immediately placed into a three-week quarantine. As soon as that ended, I exited into…“the usual” lockdown, where I remain.) The meaning of time In prison, time is not marked as free people do, although I do associate certain prisons on my journey with what was big in the news at the time. For example, the Lakers won the championship in 1999 when I was in Lorton (the now-closed DC prison). And Obama was elected in ’08 when I was in Oklahoma, transiting to a penitentiary in Atwater, CA. But I often don’t even know the date, because it doesn’t matter and the sameness of each day makes them all feel the same. So, how do I recognize the passage of time? Sometimes, I’ll be reminiscing with a friend and he’ll say, “Sherrie, she looks good as hell.” I’ll say, “but she’s a little girl!” And then I’m reminded that she isn’t. She’s 30 now; I just remember her as a little girl. Things that happened 10 years ago seem like yesterday. My collaborator and editor Pam sent me an article about how time has been “warped” during the coronavirus pandemic that applies very much to us in prison. It opened this way: “Think about your first day in quarantine. Does it feel like a lifetime ago? Or does it feel like yesterday? For those staying at home during the pandemic, it has a lot to do with our worlds shrinking to the bare minimum — staying at home for the vast majority of the day, with trips outside only for exercise or a visit to the grocery store. ‘For the most part, we are not taking part in particularly memorable activities, says Marc Wittmann, author and research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany. Now, there are fewer signals differentiating a Sunday from a Monday. And if you’re doing the same thing every day — the new normal for many in quarantine — there’s no need to remember each day specifically. Even if time passes slowly in the moment, it’s likely that nothing will stand out upon looking back, causing you to perceive time has passed by quickly in the long run.” Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist in New York City and faculty at Columbia University, adds this in an article on a website called Very Well Mind: “When your days start looking the same, and you aren’t leaving the house to go to work, school or even grocery shopping or the gym, you can begin to feel trapped in your own circumstances.” Trapped That is how I feel here. And those in prison with life sentences don’t have a vaccine that will free us to which to look forward. (I have to give a shout out here to the DC City Council for passing the Second Look Act for District residents who were incarcerated below the age of 25 and have been locked up for 15 or more years. It’s estimated that about 300 of my brothers will be considered for early release under this act! I was denied this opportunity due to a disciplinary infraction four years ago, but I hope many others will walk free in the next year.) My wish for the future for all of my brothers and sisters So, what still makes life meaningful here? What motivates people to care when you have a life sentence? Well, there is always hope that criminal justice reform will finally recognize that life sentences don’t rehabilitate and are a waste of human potential. More than anything, I want to make it home to my mother while she is still alive. Those of us with kids also want to see them grow up. And if we can get some kind of prison job, we can earn some money to send to our families, rather than constantly being a burden. That makes us feel viable, worthy, manly. My brother Pete Petty and I talked a lot about a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. We always have a choice about how we respond, even in the bleakest of situations. There is some satisfaction to be found in refusing to be broken, to become an animal or non-entity. Violence is something that comes easily in prison. Walking away is one of the hardest things to do. That’s why I exercise my brain constantly, to learn. That’s why I publish this blog with Pam. She sends me every comment you make on these posts, so if you read, please respond in some way. You are helping me stay human.

https://medium.com/@morethanourcrimes/just-another-day-2cf8871f916

['More Than Our Crimes']

2021-01-26 01:35:44.459000+00:00

['Psychology', 'Resilience', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Justice', 'Holidays']

The Pre-ICO Checklist, with William Mougayar and Ty Danco

I sat down last week for a video call with Ty Danco, a fintech angel investor in Boston, and William Mougayar, the Toronto-based early advisor to Ethereum and co-author with Vitalik Buterin of The Business Blockchain. This was before three issuers pushed back their token generation events (TGE) citing security concerns, and before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s long-delayed thunder over The DAO. William, Ty and I covered a handful of topics over three quarters of an hour. We didn’t solve all of crypto’s problems, but we did get into a discussion about a topic that’s of great interest to me and to Token Report: How can a token issuer signal to token holders that it is legitimate and worth their time to investigate? (Tomorrow, I’ll publish a second excerpt from our conversation: A post-ICO checklist for startups.) Many are falling short on what we see as requirements. For example, of nine TGEs that originally planned to go out this week, we found zero that planned to publish a smart contract address in advance. On Token Tracker, it can take extra legwork on our part to obtain critical information, like a hard cap valued in USD, ETH or BTC. Some questions are trickier. For example: Does a token need to be a protocol in order to be credible? “This whole thing started as a funding of protocols, but now it’s becoming applications,” Mougayar said. “It’s becoming anything, really.” We talked about tokenized assets, which unabashedly resemble securities. Mougayar was bullish, but drew an implicit line between, say, tokenized real estate, and projects that are bolting on a token without good reason. As for a checklist, Mougayar said best practices are still emerging. “First and foremost is real transparency: Transparency and being very open about what you will be doing with those tokens,” he said, citing two data points in particular: Who will get the tokens (and how much of them) Lockup period for the company and insiders Mougayar has launched a project called Token Filings, aiming to keep track of equivalent transparency data in projects, post-TGE. “When we were building it, it was very obvious that the information was very difficult to find,” Mougayar said. “It was everywhere, and it was not just on the website.” Token Report sees the tokenized world in the same way.

https://medium.com/tokenreport/the-pre-ico-checklist-with-william-mougayar-and-ty-danco-2329927f474c

['Galen Moore']

2017-07-26 11:12:27.064000+00:00

['Investing', 'ICO', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Ethereum']

Why Forex Trading is Ever-Growing in Popularity Forex

Why do so many new traders continually become infatuated with the foreign exchange market? The forex market operates swiftly, creating a multitude of benefits for new investors and skilled traders alike. The forex market can also be deceptively simple. While it’s vital that traders approach the market with respect and knowledge, it’s also fully possible to get started with a small amount of solid knowledge and have a simple yet effective forex trading strategy. A Dozen Major Currency Pairs In the forex market, traders really only need to pay attention to a dozen major currency pairs, if that — this is compared to other financial markets, that can have hundreds if not thousands of fluctuating instruments you can invest in. Many traders even focus on just two or three currency pairs, allowing them to really narrow down and concentrate on their technical analysis. This is of course much simpler for new traders that are looking to get a form of financial trading and are learning from scratch. A 24/7 Global Market The foreign exchange market works 24/7. This gives forex traders constant opportunities to make money while still affording them some opportunity to rest and brush up on their forex trading strategy. A forex trader can jump on the market at any time and make a profit — including those who may be traveling abroad or in a different time zone entirely. Other markets have to be traded during business hours, which can be problematic for investors who have day jobs or who have other types of investment that demand their attention. Although it is a 24/7 marketplace, it is vital to know when the most fluctuating trading times are, and when the trading centers are open: New York — 8:00am to 5:00pm EST Tokyo: 7:00 pm to 4:00am EST Sydney: 5:00 pm to 2:00am EST London: 3:00 am to 12:00pm EST Depending on the currencies you are trading you can hugely benefit off trading at more volatile trading hours, or if you prefer a more relaxed and predictable trading session, to trade in the quieter hours. Low Barrier to Entry Beginner investors can find it challenging to locate investment strategies that don’t require thousands in starter capital. The foreign exchange market, on the other hand, you can get started with just as little as $25-$50 depending on the broker. A trader can start off with very little capital investment and still generate a reasonable return off their trades, thanks to the miracle of leverage and the small unit sizes. This creates a spectacularly low barrier to entry. In addition to being able to trade in small quantities, traders can also learn first off with practice accounts. Practice accounts operate just as a real account would, but they do not actually affect any cash. Traders can practice on specific currency pairs until they understand the technical aspects of FX trading. The Help of Forex Trading Signals How can a trader improve their performance? In many investments, traders simply need to jump in and hope that they do their best. But the forex market comes with its own type of “training wheels” that can be incredibly effective. The foreign exchange market can be deceptively complex, but traders don’t need to learn everything to start trading on the forex market. Traders actually only need to know the basics. There are forex signaling services that give traders all the information that they need to start initiating more intelligent trades. There is nothing similar for the stock market or any of the other financial markets as they include too many moving financial instruments, making it far less predictable. A Rapidly Moving Market The currency markets move very quickly. Currencies are affected by a significant number of economic aspects, and that means that the value of each currency pair is constantly changing. This affords far greater opportunities for investors who want to make money quickly. While a stock may be purchased and held indefinitely or for months, a currency pair can be traded successfully within minutes. This also means that traders don’t have to constantly worry about their open trades; as you can close trades at the end of every day to capture their profits — or more frequently if you wish. The increased volatility does mean however that you need to be more observant with any open trades you have. To counter that, the sophistication of forex trading platforms today, such as the MetaTrader 4, allow you to set Stop Losses and Take Profits so you can safeguard your trading activity, automatically closing the trade for you when certain levels are hit. Better, More Competitive Brokers Brokers in the forex market have extremely low fees. It’s a competitive market and forex trades need to be fast; brokers understand that they want to encourage fast trading. This also leads to better customer service, as the brokers have to be able to distinguish themselves from the competition. Forex brokers provide a variety of tools and analytical information. The Ability to Leverage Forex accounts allow traders to leverage their money. With $50 a trader can actually trade $500 worth of currency. They can then capture the profits of the currency based on the actual amount traded, not just the amount that they deposited. This creates a significant advantage to those who want to invest without a lot of funds. The ability to leverage is uniquely useful throughout foreign exchange trading. However, in a beginner’s hands, it can also be fairly risky. You can win as quickly as you can lose basically. This is why there are various trading tools such as forex signals which can make it much easier for traders, as they don’t have to rely upon just their own knowledge and intuition. Less Trading Though the forex market is growing fast, trading is still not able, for the most part, to actually affect the market. Thus, there’s more market stability. You’ll be able to create trading strategies that will work consistently, which is the key to success. In other financial markets, it’s harder to make predictions, even with key indicators involved. By trading on the currency of an entire country, it’s far easier to make decisions based on broader strokes. News traders often take advantage of this fact by trading specifically based on the country’s economic status at the time. Extensive Tutorials and Tips Beginners can turn anywhere for information on the forex market. Because of the rapid growth of the market, there’s a substantial amount of help available. And because traders are not in competition with each other or attempting to hide their strategies, they are more than willing to share their knowledge. More traders does not affect the profit of each individual trader; the currency and economies involved are simply too large. Foreign exchange trading is also simpler in this way as there aren’t issues such as insider trading that need to be worried about. The FX community as a whole is extremely supportive. Flexibility and Opportunity Traders in the forex market have a certain level of flexibility that other markets do not. Anyone will be able to jump into the market for a few hours in the middle of the night and still make a profit. Trading on the stock market requires more time and investment, which can be prohibitively challenging for newer investors. There are many people who want to slowly break into trading as a hobby rather than jumping into it as a full-time job. Forex makes this possible. So… what are you waiting for? Though the foreign exchange market has some risk to new investors, it also contains tremendous amounts of reward. New traders may want to start a practice account, and even a service such as that of forex signals rather than attempting to craft and initiate trades themselves. Doing so will allow any new investor the opportunity to benefit from the market without having to carry out technical analysis on their own. The forex market is swiftly growing and there’s an incredible amount of information available for those who want to get started today.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

https://medium.com/telgram-forex-signals/why-forex-trading-is-ever-growing-in-popularity-forex-5828cdf733f5

['Forex Signals Fxpremiere.Com']

2019-06-24 07:23:49.182000+00:00

['Trading', 'Forex', 'Forex Trading']

Kali’s Dance

Watercolor by Radha Chetna Laxhmi The ocean rises to cushion Kali’s feet The war-dancer Savage Divine The creator of all that eye can see The goddess of death The keeper of time Bathed in blood Clothed in victory Killer of planets Mother of the Multiverse She lets the sickled waves of Varuni wash away her fury Varuni delights Colored by the seven rivers Ganga’s sage foam Yamuna’s alexandrite blue Godavari’s sap swells in her valleys Saraswati’s diamond music rings true Narmada’s crushed sapphire Sindhu’s emerald hue Add Kaveri’s lapis to the mix Richly, the primordial sea Ksheer is imbued Kali dances her dance Accompanied by her handmaidens The music of thunderclaps rhymes in the black sky The war-dancer rests Just for a moment ~ Radha In response to the prompt Evolution of Goddess by Vaishali Paliwal P.S. Happy Navratri!

https://medium.com/soul-sea/kalis-dance-5fd48c65f1c3

['Radhika Tara Kali']

2019-10-03 15:51:08.102000+00:00

['Religion', 'Spirituality', 'Poetry', 'Kali', 'Watercolor']

Yieldly creates a cross-chain NFT Esports marketplace with help from Polygon Studios

Yieldly.Finance has announced that their new NFT esports marketplace will be making its way to Polygon. Thanks to the Polygon Studios builder’s grant, Yieldly can now have this NFT platform go cross-chain. The Yieldly esport NFT marketplace, known as “Yesports”, provides a selection of exclusive NFTs and content for fans of competitive video games. Expect to see well-known teams that compete in popular games, such as League of Legends (LoL), release one-of-a-kind NFT collectibles. Opening a marketplace for esports pros to launch NFTs on has enabled competitive gamers to establish another revenue stream through non-fungible tokens. Fans also have an opportunity to collect and hold NFTs that unlock benefits such as exclusive content, merch, and community initiatives. Esports has seen rapid growth throughout the past few years, similar to the growth of NFTs. This proposed a unique opportunity to combine esports with NFTs and Yieldly spearheaded it. With the backing of Polygon Studios, they now can provide their collectors with a streamlined process to buy NFTs along with lower gas fees. Polygon Studios looks forward to working further with Yieldly and seeing them bring NFTs to the esports scene. About Yieldly Yieldly is forging a seamless, borderless, and interconnected DeFi ecosystem on the Algorand protocol. Its mission is to empower users to exchange digital value without the friction, cost, or security risks that other blockchains expose users to. Yieldly is backed by some of the top investors in the blockchain space because they believe Yieldly’s product suite, which includes no-loss prizes, staking, and bridge products, will all open the door to a broader multi-chain universe through our cross-chain compatibility. Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram About Polygon Studios Polygon Studios is the Gaming and NFT arm of Polygon focused on growing the global Blockchain Gaming and NFT Industry and bridging the gap between Web 2 and Web 3 gaming through investment, marketing and developer support. The Polygon Studios ecosystem comprises highly loved games and NFT projects like OpenSea, Upshot, Aavegotchi, Zed Run, Skyweaver by Horizon Games, Decentraland, Megacryptopolis, Neon District, Cometh, and Decentral Games. If you’re a game developer, builder or NFT creator looking to join the Polygon Studios ecosystem, get started here. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Telegram | Tiktok | LinkedIn About Polygon Polygon is the leading platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its growing suite of products offers developers easy access to all major scaling and infrastructure solutions: L2 solutions (ZK Rollups and Optimistic Rollups), sidechains, hybrid solutions, stand-alone and enterprise chains, data availability solutions, and more. Polygon’s scaling solutions have seen widespread adoption with 1000+ applications hosted, ~600M total transactions processed, ~60M unique user addresses, and $5B+ in assets secured. If you’re an Ethereum Developer, you’re already a Polygon developer! Leverage Polygon’s fast and secure txns for your Dapp. Get started here. Website | Twitter | Ecosystem Twitter | Studios Twitter | Reddit | Discord | Telegram | Instagram

https://medium.com/@_polygonstudios/yieldly-creates-a-cross-chain-nft-esports-marketplace-with-help-from-polygon-studios-3ca9ded11708

['Polygon Studios']

2021-12-13 13:23:37.274000+00:00

['Polygon', 'Nft Collectibles', 'Esports Market', 'Nfts In Gaming', 'Esports']

Secure The Bag: 5 Fashion & Style Tips To Seal The Deal

Are you a social entrepreneur about to close the deal of a century and expand your brand? Are you going into your third interview with a company and need to raise the bar and seal the deal? Are you closing on some prime real estate and need to ensure that you get the best possible deal? If you’re in the throes of negotiation and you need to “get to the yes”, this style blog is for you! Here are five great tips to ensure your new nickname is “the closer”: Wear red. Some colors project power. One of those colors is red. The key to wearing red with intention is not too much red. I have a powerful red dress I got at bebe. I got it the weekend after valentine’s day on sale, but it’s one of the most epic finds for my wardrobe. A red dress can be overkill alone, but throw on a black blazer and it will mute the overt sexy. Be smart about your room and dial it back to a shoe, bowtie, or a similar accessory. Wear super-hot lingerie. I’m going to let you in on a little secret… Victoria’s Secret. (Get it?) If I wear a beautiful lingerie set under my suit I feel more powerful. It’s a secret, no one knows but me. Of course, it would be inappropriate to share you’re wearing the goods under your power suit. Think of it as wearing your superhero costume under your Clark Kent identity. Trust me, it works. Get a manicure. Most people talk with their hands. If you’re going into a negotiation it’s likely your hands will get someone’s attention at the table. You don’t have to go all out, but people notice well maintained hands. If you’re a regular make sure you schedule the appointment immediately prior to your meeting or presentation. Choose material wisely. Wear fabric you trust. I find that silk isn’t a good choice for me. Also make sure the fit is appropriate, so you are as comfortable as possible. Be agile, adapt to your audience and industry. Understanding the culture of the industry you are engaging is so important. Showing up in a suit might be a poor choice for one deal, but not showing up in a suit would put you at risk of not being taken seriously. I’m more interested in style than attire as a professional, but there are few settings where casual attire is appropriate. Study the industry before you show up blind. Pay attention to the way they communicate leading up to the meeting. In all settings learn to be agile and adapt without losing your identity. No matter what, make sure your style exudes your confidence. Show up knowing you have what they need and the deal is sealed.

https://medium.com/@lashawndravernon/secure-the-bag-5-fashion-style-tips-to-seal-the-deal-222e86dd194a

['Lashawndra Vernon']

2020-12-25 21:10:26.607000+00:00

['Power', 'Confidence', 'Fashion', 'Style']

Laptop diagnostic tools to improve your laptop health

What is computer diagnostic tool ? In order to effectively diagnose Computer Problems you can run PC and Laptop diagnostics software. Laptop diagnostic tool One of the differences between PC and Laptop Diagnostics is that often laptop manufacturers provide pre-installed diagnostic tools. What is the function of Laptop diagnostic tool. All laptops slow down over time so we’ve put together a list of tools that will help you find out what exactly is causing the problem.Laptop diagnostics tools are pieces of software that give you the knowledge you need to be able to potentially repair your own laptop.these tools are developed by some third party developers and also by a laptop brand. A good laptop diagnostic program can performs lays out a few tests on different hardware segments of your laptops. Analytic devices test parts, for example, CPU, Memory, Hard Drive, Optical Drive and Graphics Cards among others. After these tests are finished, the symptomatic instrument will create a report with the aftereffects of the tests. This report will give you whether the parts tried are alright or on the off chance that they have an issue that should be taken a gander at. Five best laptop diagnostic tools today. There are 1000 of diagnostic software’s are available in the market today here we only watch best of them now available in market . Windows performance monitor Windows resource monitor Open hardware monitor Speccy Hd tune Benefits of laptop diagnostic program On the off chance that something turns out badly with your laptop, you might be slanted to promptly send the laptop to the retailer where it was acquired or even to the producer. Demonstrative devices can help recognize the issue, and if the goals is straightforward and moderate, it might be valuable to utilize a Computer Professional to determine the issue inside a day or two, rather than hanging tight a little while for Warranty Repairs to be completed by the retailer or producer (Check your laptop is secured by Warranty). It feels like your laptop just stops in the most significant assignments, isn’t that right? On the off chance that your PC has eased back to a close creep — or become freezing completely — here’s the means by which to recoup from the issue, and keep it from later on. and after that you should reboot your laptop if the problem is not get fixed visit our blogs and follow the instruction laptop service center Chennai that will help you more to solve your problem. Otherwise if you looking for a laptop service center Chennai .I will suggest Raminfotech for best laptop service at affordable price and by a well knowledge technicians helps you for solving problem on short period of time . One of the best laptop service center in Chennai since 2000 with 8 branches around the Chennai and India provide best laptop service and data recovery service in Chennai.

https://medium.com/@raminfotechambattur6/laptop-diagnostic-tools-to-improve-your-laptop-health-60f2d244665a

['Axz Z']

2019-12-17 10:04:18.177000+00:00

['Computer', 'Diagnostic Testing', 'Laptop']

How To Find Your Niche or Not

How To Find Your Niche or Not Defining Your Niche On Your Own Terms Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash For years my creative direction was stifled, I felt in some areas I couldn’t get started because I didn’t have a crystal clear direction or genre. Most entrepreneur gurus will preach the need to find your niche before you do anything and not just find it but niche down. While this is not wrong, it is not absolute. Yes, before you can establish a business, you need to figure out what exactly it is that you are wanting to do. Your niche is going to be the focus of your business, no matter what kind of business you plan on going into. To find your niche, you will need to do a bit of soul-searching and then bring this together with a business idea. Some people choose their niche off a random brilliant idea, some have known their entire life and others are looking to find fulfillment through a hobby. It is largely a personal decision that will ultimately require you to look within and determine what will bring you happiness while also paying the bills. Yet, this isn’t the end-all, be-all to start on your journey. What Are You Good At? Many people love the idea of turning their hobbies into a niche, but that isn’t always the best course of action. When it comes to exploring a niche, take some time to explore the efforts of others. Compare that to what you can provide or uniquely bring to the market. Though you can always grow in a field, you might want to put in more practice before you fully invest in a hobby or idea as a career. Niches come with different options. You might want to write about baking or be an actual baker. Consider what sounds fulfilling to you! Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash What Makes Your Heart Happy? A great place to begin when it comes to choosing a niche is simply considering what makes you happy. What passions do you have? What interests do you want to pursue? It is always easier to commit to a niche when it is something that you really enjoy. Many people choose a niche that is based on their own interests, which gives them the power to feel constantly energized and happy about their pursuits. It is a great way to skip out on working a job that your heart isn’t in and replace it with something that you love. Or maybe you’re like me and a jack of many trades and a master of a few. You may have several interests, some of which blend into one another and some that are in the complete opposite direction. One thing I want you to not discount is trying a few niches that are complementary to one another to start out. You can then use the data and feedback you received to make an informed decision on which direction you truly want to continue in. The most important and often hardest part of starting a business or anything really is actually getting started. Do not allow not being able to pinpoint an exact niche deter you from starting. Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash What Is Relevant? Though you can certainly enter any niche that you want, not all of them are ideal depending on what your specific goals are. Niches change a lot in popularity depending on societal interests. Something that doesn’t sell much today might be highly coveted tomorrow. Before you enter a niche, it is important to look at it from a business perspective, and research like crazy. Is it likely to make you money? Is it an over saturated field? Niches that aren’t popular can be easy to enter but difficult on sales. Niches that are too popular can be incredibly difficult to enter yet have amazing financial benefits if executed right and unique from the competition. Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash What Is Everyone In The Niche Doing? As you begin to settle on potential ideas, it is important to focus on what people are already doing. Some of the most popular niches are personal finance, beauty, marketing, weight loss, business, tech, and pets. Before you enter a niche, you should know it. Make sure you take a close look at other brands in the space. How are they operating? Does it seem like they are successful with how they marketing themselves to potential customers? Doing your homework in advance can make it easy for you to craft a solid plan to enter a niche in a strong and competitive way. “The most important and often hardest part of starting a business or anything really is actually getting started. Do not allow not being able to pinpoint an exact niche deter you from starting.” There are times when you will find yourself looking at niches and utterly unable to decide. That is completely okay. There are a great many niches and you are a complex person. As you begin to pursue your options, take some time to really research, and evaluate each one or try out a plethora of a few. Choosing a niche will always have a better outcome when you put in the effort to find your perfect match or matches. Now get out there, be fearless.

https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-find-your-niche-or-not-8e51a213595b

['Katevious Love']

2020-06-18 23:16:41.378000+00:00

['Niche', 'Branding', 'Startup', 'Business Development', 'Marketing']

How Blockchain Can Disrupt The Card Payments Industry — And Why It Hasn’t Already

Photo by Iker Urteaga on Unsplash Blockchain is a buzzword that is starting to lose its buzz. The word is thrown around constantly, and often people have little idea what it means. But the technology does have value, and it doesn’t just have to be an esoteric term. Instead, the blockchain has the capability disrupt and change a number of industries. The card payments industry is one of them. While card payments may be convenient for shoppers, the merchants have been footing the bill for this convenience with the high processing fees charged by the card processing intermediaries. Since blockchain technology is based on the core principle of “decentralization,” it provides an opportunity to breakthrough the multiple “middlemen fees” with an alternative low-fee digital payments network. And, besides convenience, merchants can share these savings in processing fees with their shoppers to elevate their experience to a whole new level. Let’s look at how blockchain can help improve the card payments industry, and, if it’s so great, why it hasn’t already. Problems the industry currently faces The card payments industry has a lot of issues right now. It’s huge industry dominated by a handful of companies that see billions of transactions a month. One of the biggest payment card companies, Visa, handles around 150 million transactions every day. But although things seem to be working in order, there is a lot that can be improved for the average merchant. For example, merchants currently face high transaction fees. A card transaction requires the buyer to effectively authorize the seller to ‘pull’ a payment from their account, passing through several financial intermediaries in the process. A typical card transaction, besides the merchant and the cardholder, involves at least four parties (commonly referred to as merchant services providers). These include the acquirer (the financial institution that enables payments to the merchant), the payment gateway, the interchange (e.g., Visa, MasterCard or Amex), and the issuer (the card holder’s bank). With the card payment system currently in place, all fees go to these intermediaries. If a shopper is to buy a good worth $100 using a debit card as opposed to cash, these intermediaries will take between 1.5 to 3.5 percent, which means the merchant receives as little as $96.50. The problem is not just with the card payments, either. Many companies who now offer “mobile payments” as an alternative to card payments still charge almost the same in processing fees. Again, this can prove costly over the year — especially in a world that’s becoming less dependent on cash. Despite the relative efficiency of these existing systems, users are still vulnerable to manipulations and risks. Also, these services are not offered for free by the processors, as maintenance fees and other service charges do exist. These fees add up over the course of the financial year. This brings us on to the next point: chargeback fees. Chargeback fees occur when a customer disputes a transaction with a merchant. If the customer is right in his dispute, the card company takes the money from the merchant’s bank, rightly puts in back in the customer’s account and a fee is incurred. Problems include unauthorized transactions, goods never delivered or delivered late. Card companies can charge over $20 per dispute, which adds up over time, costing merchants potentially thousands over the year. What solutions can blockchain bring to the table? So let’s look at how blockchain can make the merchant’s life easier and potentially disrupt the card payments industry. Firstly, blockchain, as you are probably aware, is a decentralized technology. Therefore, if we were to introduce blockchain to the table of the card payments industry, many middlemen could be cut out of the picture. And with these middlemen out of the picture, transactions fees would be, too. This would effectively slice the transaction overhead and even facilitate what is known as “micro-transactions” — small transactions conducted with near-zero charges and instant verification. Likewise with chargeback fees. Payments in a blockchain system allow the customer to decide on how much money is given, and merchants are unable to take more. There is no central authority. Rather, everything is held in a ledger. The middleman who wants to take a cut is eliminated and this benefits not just the customer but merchants as well, and makes chargeback a thing of the past. International payments could also be made easier, as many banks charge fees for using their services abroad. A blockchain payment system would allow shoppers to buy things with ease, whenever or wherever they are in the world. And smaller merchants, who previously wouldn’t be keen on international sales due to cross-border fees, would be given the chance to flourish. If blockchain solutions are so great, why haven’t they been taken up already? Photo by William White on Unsplash Well, for starters, using a blockchain system for payments would likely entail cryptocurrencies. And both retailers and shoppers are confused by such a system. As mentioned before, although it’s slowly gaining traction in the mainstream, blockchain is still esoteric, and retailers are keen to stick to what they are familiar with. Volatility is the main problem that is putting off shoppers and retailers. The price of cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and frequently experiences a rise or fall of over 10 percent in just one day. For this reason, the use of cryptocurrencies usually involves a lot of guesswork as well as trend research — something neither shoppers nor merchants want to risk. Complexity is another problem. The current blockchain and cryptocurrencies payment solutions are designed for the early enthusiasts, with little emphasis on user friendliness. A mass adoption would call for a system as seamless as a card payment, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Shoppers — and even merchants — often aren’t too familiar with what is going on in the background. They wouldn’t have to understand the technology; it would just have to be much more accessible. This is another reason why it hasn’t quite disrupted the industry just yet. Availability (or Accessibility) is yet another hurdle. Currently, cryptocurrencies aren’t used widely. And places to spend them are even more scarce. If someone has money which can be spent through the blockchain, they are often unable to spend it for everyday purchases. Scalability is a final problem. The early blockchain protocols (like Bitcoin and Ethereum) are quite constrained by the number of transactions they can process concurrently, and the cost for committing a transaction on the blockchain network is too high. But this limitation is quickly fading away with the emergence of next-gen blockchain infrastructure technologies like Stellar, Ripple and IOTA which were designed with the requirements of a highly scalable and cost-efficient payment system in mind. There is room for it. It will just take a while to be taken on board Blockchain technology has enormous potential as a way to securely and transparently process transactions and effectively manage data. A scalable blockchain digital payment solution can offer merchants an alternative way to accept payments without the heavy fees charged by the banks and payment processing companies on transactions and chargebacks, allowing them to provide a better value and experience to their customers.

https://medium.com/hackernoon/blockchain-for-disrupting-card-payments-dff87840313c

['Sarthak Moghe']

2018-06-25 07:21:01.272000+00:00

['Tillbilly', 'Blockchain', 'Payments', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Retail Technology']

How to Re-Render Large Lists Optimally When States Change in React

Recoil documentation for atom states below. An atom represents state in Recoil. The atom() function returns a writeable RecoilState object. Note: all atom values are frozen. Selectors represent a function, or derived state in Recoil. You can think of them as a “pure function” without side-effects that always returns the same value for a given set of dependency values. As per Recoil, we need to wrap our application into RecoilRoot tag so that we can use Recoil state. Components that use recoil state need RecoilRoot to appear somewhere in the parent tree Screenshot by author. Our data contains four record where two employees are managers and two are not. If the isManager field is true then the employee is manager. Screenshot by author. Now we will create our application state using atom . The data object contains data from above screen shot. Screenshot by author. We will be using selector to derive the data from the employeeDataState . Also, selector has get and set methods. The get method will help us derive a piece of data from the application state. Here we will be deriving the complete state. In the set method we will be getting the updated record for an employee as parameter. We will be updating the employee list with this updatedEmployee record. If only a get function is provided, the selector is read-only and returns a RecoilValueReadOnly object. If a set is also provided, it returns a writeable RecoilState object. Screenshot by author. Now in our EmployeeList we just need to glue this selector data so that when the state is updated the list is also updated. For this we will be using the hook, useRecoilState , from the Recoil library. useRecoilState returns a tuple where the first element is the value of state and the second element is a setter function that will update the value of the given state when called. When the setEmployee is called it will make a call to the set method of the selector that will update the employeeDataState data. It will in return trigger the employeeState selector. And as this selector is being used in EmployeeList the list will be updated. EmployeeList(setEmployee) -> employeeState(set method) -> employeeDataState -> employeeState(get method) -> EmployeeList Screenshot by author. Our Employee component is a memoized component which receives employee and setEmployee function as parameter. In our Employee component we will be displaying a table with employee firstName , lastName and if employee is a manager or not. The last column will contain radio items which we can toggle. When the radio items are clicked, a call is made to the setEmployee method which will trigger the update in our application state. Screenshot by author. We also have a component ManagerCount that will just display the count of managers in the list. First we will create a selector which will return the manager count from the application state. In the managerSelector below, we just have a get a method which filter’s and returns the employees that are managers. Screenshot by author. Now in our ManagerCount component we just want to read the value from the selector so we will use the hook useRecoilValue . useRecoilValue returns the value of the given Recoil state. This hook will implicitly subscribe the component to the given state.

https://medium.com/better-programming/react-recoil-atom-selector-hooks-re-render-large-list-optimally-when-state-changes-534196e9f760

['Nikhil Ahir']

2020-07-24 16:35:25.757000+00:00

['JavaScript', 'Recoil', 'Programming', 'React', 'React Hook']

Black Friday Comes Early: Tales of Working at a Grocery Store the Week Before Thanksgiving

Originally published at https://www.splicetoday.com. Working at a grocery store during Thanksgiving week is like working in retail on Black Friday, except that it lasts from Sunday to Wednesday. No matter how many stockers and cashiers are there, it’s never enough to satisfy customer demands. As a “Quality Assurance Assistant” (QA for short), it’s my job to both be the janitor and stock milk, eggs, and water simultaneously. I’m mostly able to balance both roles, but some days, when no one’s working in dairy and the milk section is bare, I spend the entire time stocking and restocking milk, frequently interrupted by customers asking for items we don’t have and managers informing me of another spill to clean up. By the time my shift ends, the outside trash cans overflow, and all the milk I’ve stocked throughout the day is gone. Monday was one of those days. Stress-induced dissociation made it one big blackout with only the tiniest fragments of memory intact, like I’d been drinking all day. Customers outraged over us being out of eggs and not getting a new delivery until tomorrow. A clogged-up urinal overflowing with piss. Squeezing a floor cleaner the size of a John Deere tractor down a tiny aisle packed with customers while trying to clean up the third spill of the day. Dried-up specks of shit on the floor trailing out of the men’s room. The endless cacophony of cashiers asking each other for help on our walkie talkies and bad pop music blaring at full volume on the PA blending to create a non-stop screech in my ears. The only clear memory I have is rage. It starts in the arms; muscles slowly stiffen while energy starts to flow through the veins. Objects slip from my grip as the energy tries to escape. Chest muscles tighten around my lungs, pushing out more air than I can breathe in. Legs begin to wobble. The energy builds up inside and moves from my arms to the rest of my body, ready to be unleashed. It slowly leaks out at first-pushing a float full of milk crates a little too fast, throwing a box of paper towels on the ground because I keep pulling too many towels out of it-but finally the levee breaks and rage gushes out, destroying everything in its way. The day before, an entire pallet of milk crates fell to the floor. The damaged gallons were thrown away while the ones still intact stayed. Yet even the surviving gallons weren’t completely unscathed; some leaked from the tops, while others were only a quarter full. The protocol for disposing damaged goods is to pour out everything in the leaky container into the mop sink-which is on the floor of the QA room and kind of looks like this but much bigger-and then put the empty container into the reclaim pile. I threw the gallons into the mop sink and stomped on them. Milk splattered all over the walls and onto my pants. After the rage explosion comes the zone out. I stood in a catatonic state staring at the crushed milk gallons lying in the mop sink. My body had no energy to make even a single muscle twitch. I wasn’t sure if I had a body anymore; all physical matter faded into a haze. Finally, I realized I was breathing, and slowly floated back into my body again to clean up the mess.

https://medium.com/@tmamone/black-friday-comes-early-tales-of-working-at-a-grocery-store-the-week-before-thanksgiving-fba2eeeb75f3

['Tris Mamone']

2020-11-26 20:10:27.125000+00:00

['Essential Worker', 'Mental Health', 'Personal Essay', 'Thanksgiving']

Is Your Family Story Fact or Fiction?

The year is unknown, but I believe it to be sometime in the mid-18th century, amidst the French and Indian war. With no concrete date to start with, I may have to work my way backwards. I’m interested to find out how much truth is in this story — how much of this story is my history. Am I really a descendant of French royalty, or is that only a story told down from my grandmother and her grandmother before? Was it based in fact, or simply a bedtime story? On one hand, I know that with a lot of work, nothing is impossible. But on the other hand, how does one verify such details — how do you prove a child was taken and raised as someone she wasn’t? It’s very doubtful any records were kept of such things — after the ship came to port. But could there be a record of the voyage? The passengers — those who lived, and those who died? …but then, what possible reason would a royal family have to travel from France to America; if they did, was it aboard a cargo ship? Or was it a sailing vessel? So many unanswered questions, and so many silky threads to follow, many of them long broken. Although every path might lead to a dead-end or maybe more unanswered questions, some stories must be read. Some stories are meant to be picked apart and put back together, even if for nothing more than our own personal gratification. We all come from somewhere, and this big spinning ball we live on actually isn’t as big as we believe it to be. In a world of broken promises, forgotten roots, diluted bloodlines, and lost identities, I think we owe ourselves a little truth. I owe myself a little truth. So I’m going to follow the sticky and silky strands until the web has been woven. Until I know who I am.

https://medium.com/imperfect-words/an-orphaned-french-princess-dfd384f69220

['Edie Tuck']

2020-02-03 19:54:22.841000+00:00

['Heritage', 'Family', 'Dna', 'Ancestry', 'History']

Diners, Drive-ins, And Dives: Witchcraft Edition

[GUY closes the door of his candy-apple red ’67 Camaro] GUY: Now, we got room for all kinds of funky joints here on Triple D, but man, we’re taking it to a whole ‘nother level today. See, we’re here in Salem, Massachusetts — right down the street is the Salem Witch Museum. And from what I’ve been told, there’s a particular Wiccan joint that serves up all sorts of wacky stuff, and believe it or not — children! So I gotta check this place out! This (pointing to sign) is Wiccan Pissah! [Cut Scene: Owner (MARIAH) and chef (LEAH) preparing and delivering meals to various apathetic customers. One of them remarks, “I love the food because it reminds me of the inevitability of death.”] GUY (voiceover): The ladies who run this joint are Leah Proctor and Mariah Hale. And they know their stuff — they’ve been practicing Wiccans for twenty years now. GUY: How’d you meet? MARIAH: During her initiation — at the beach. LEAH: She branded me. GUY (unbelieving): Come on! [MARIAH hikes up LEAH’s Wiccan robes to briefly reveal the mark of the devil on her left butt-cheek] GUY: Whoa! Alright. So this is real-deal occult worship you’re doing here? MARIAH: Yep, entirely authentic. GUY (voiceover): Leah and Mariah are walking the walk when it comes to their menu, too. They’ve fused classic medieval Wiccan recipes with modern techniques and ingredients. GUY: So what are we making today? LEAH: Our best-seller. It’s a burger called The Child Sacrifice. [Cue record needle scratch; GUY looks dramatically to camera.] GUY (to LEAH): What?!? Children meat? Like Children-Children meat? [LEAH bites her lip sheepishly and shrugs. Then, she produces a stainless steel mixing bowl containing exotic ground meat.] GUY (voiceover): Oh man, your boy loves some Picante flavors — but cannibalism? Is that a stop on the way to flavor town? GUY: Alright, I get it — secret ingredient. So, whatever this is, what are we combining it with? LEAH: One pound of (air-quotes) ‘baby’ meat, five pounds veal, ten pounds chuck. GUY (oddly unconcerned at the prospect of eating human flesh): Seasoning? LEAH: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, valerian, and sage. GUY: We form up the patties now? LEAH: We marinate it first — water, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, rue, eye of newt, and some sriracha. GUY: How long’s that gonna sit? LEAH: Overnight — preferably with a full moon. GUY: Ok, they’re done marinating, now we shape these into patties? LEAH: Yep, 8 ounces per patty. GUY: That’s a lot of meat. LEAH: It’s still a ‘baby’ burger though… GUY (aside to camera): She knows how to play up a name, huh? GUY: Alright, patties are cooking. What are we topping these ‘babies’ with? LEAH: Blood aioli. GUY: Let’s see it. LEAH (adding ingredients to a stockpot): Mayo, kosher salt, black pepper, cilantro, lime juice, cayenne pepper, three ancho chiles, and goat blood. GUY: That’s a lot of goat blood… LEAH (ignoring GUY): Combine. GUY: Ok, hitting it with the immersion blender. [LEAH finishes, GUY dips his pinky into the mixture and paints the tip of his tongue with the aioli. GUY gives LEAH a ‘you gotta be kidding’ look. Without saying a word, he picks up the stockpot, puts it under his arm, and takes a few steps towards the exit.] GUY (still walking): It’s no good; I’m just gonna take this with me — GUY (now back in frame and eating the blood aioli with a soup spoon): I’ve had some great aiolis on Triple D, but that is outstanding. I was a little worried when you added so much goat blood, because that can really overpower the chilies and the cilantro. But, well done, I could eat that off a witch’s hat. LEAH: Thank you! Alright, burgers are done. GUY: Ok, time to plate? LEAH: Yep. We use a brioche bun, add our blood aioli, some frisée, and hand-cut fries. [GUY takes an imposing stance over the plate. His elbows swing out as if he’s about to cluck like a chicken. He loosens his neck and assumes the ‘hunch’ position. Then, GUY lifts the burger to his face and shoves in three bites. Seconds later, still chewing, an impressed look comes over his face.] GUY (loudly): Shut the front door! GUY: This is crazy good! A nice, tender bun, it’s soft, it’s moist. The meat is unctuous; it’s got good chew. Where have these been all my life? LEAH: Thank you! GUY: You get the fat from the chuck, the veal comes through, and whatever that ‘baby’ meat is, it really gives you something — LEAH (smiling): Soulful? GUY (giving LEAH a smirk): I’ll just let you do the show, ok? GUY: Seriously though, what makes it for me is that blood aioli — it’s got heat, some freshness from the cilantro, the earthiness of the goat blood — a home run — well done! LEAH (fist-bumping with Guy): Thanks! GUY (voiceover): But I’m not the only one singing the praises of The Child Sacrifice. [Cut to GUY sitting at a two-top with Stevie Nicks.] GUY: Look who I ran into here — Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Stevie Nicks! So tell me, what is it about this place? STEVIE: I love that it reminds me of sadness and children and the longing of a life not lived. Also, the onion rings are fantastic. GUY (voiceover): And those are the sorts of ‘Rumors’ that the ladies of Wiccan Pissah love to hear!

https://medium.com/slackjaw/diners-drive-ins-and-dives-witchcraft-edition-ba6d6022f4ce

['Jl Matthews']

2020-12-19 14:47:34.148000+00:00

['Humor', 'Television', 'Culture', 'Food', 'Satire']

Steps to Proficiency in Any Programming Language

Steps to Proficiency in Any Programming Language Seven steps to proficiency, from being an active learner to solving real problems In the past, I have made the mistake of stopping at “Hello World”. I wish I could go into the history of Hello World but honestly, I am not interested. Every programming language you learn will get you to print “Hello world” but, in the actual sense, that is not the beginning. I consider the real beginning to be when you are able to use every bit of the building blocks to build something meaningful. Let’s jump right into the steps you will require to become proficient.

https://medium.com/better-programming/steps-to-proficiency-in-any-programming-language-8931ed4fe766

['Daniel Along']

2019-08-27 23:50:48.838000+00:00

['JavaScript', 'Python', 'Programming', 'React']

Three Writers to Revisit (or Discover) as Black History Month Ends

Three Writers to Revisit (or Discover) as Black History Month Ends Only one is famous, but all three broke new ground Three very different writers . . . Poet, playwright, activist, and educator Amiri Baraka (1934–2014) was famously controversial, under more than one name. Teacher, mentor, poet, and novelist Margaret Walker (1915–1998) broke new ground for women of color and changed the way black families were depicted in fiction. Attorney, poet, and storyteller Samuel Alfred Beadle (1857–1932) captured vignettes of black life in the south at the turn of the twentieth century. Very different. But all three made significant contributions to modern American literature — and together, they represent a span of time that runs from the Civil War to the election of Barack Obama. I have the privilege of knowing something about both Walker and Beadle because for a long time I wrote biographies of poets for Chadwyck-Healey’s reference series Literature Online. And LION strives to include in its database not only the most famous figures from every era, but also those who may be almost invisible to history. One project involved profiling writers chosen for the Yale Younger Poets Series, which began in 1918. On that list was Margaret Walker—the first black woman ever to win a national literary prize in America. In fact, she was the first person of color to be included in the Yale Younger Poets Series, which selects for publication only one outstanding poet under the age of thirty each year. In 1942, Walker’s impassioned collection For My People was chosen by the Series editor Stephen Vincent Benét (then one of America’s most popular poets). Walker went on to become a respected educator and a successful writer, whose epic novel Jubilee was among the first works of fiction to present a realistic picture of black life in the time of slavery. Written over a period of nearly three decades, Jubilee was finally published in 1966, just after Walker earned a doctoral degree from the University of Iowa. And over the next twenty years, her pathbreaking novel was translated into seven languages, and sold more than a million copies. Jubilee tells the story of Vyry, a character closely based on Walker’s maternal great-grandmother. The first part focuses on Vyry’s life as a slave and her complicated marriage to a free black man. The second depicts the destruction and violence of the Civil War, while the third follows Vyry’s struggles to establish a home for her family after their emancipation. The book’s fifty-eight chapters are rich with details of daily life, stories drawn from folklore, and scenes from history. Through all her trials, Vyry emerges as a resilient, even heroic woman who manages to maintain a strong spirit, but refuses to limit her freedom of mind with the burden of hate. Throughout her life, Margaret Walker was an advocate for women of color and an outspoken commentator on issues of race and gender equality. After graduating from Northwestern University when she was just twenty, Walker worked for the Federal Writers Program (a project of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration), and became part of a politically engaged Chicago writing group led by controversial novelist Richard Wright. These experiences — in conjunction with a deep Christian faith — shaped not only her poetry, but her career as a teacher and mentor. In 1949 Walker moved to Mississippi, where she taught for more than twenty years at Jackson State University, raised a family, and founded the Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People. By the time Walker arrived, Mississippi was very different from the state where Samuel Alfred Beadle lived for most of his life. He was among a number of young black men who studied law and became attorneys in the late nineteenth century, hoping to improve a justice system still severely biased by racism. He was also one of eight black writers in Mississippi whose works were published in the early twentieth century, and gained some recognition outside the state. Despite the fact that he lived in such a politically charged time, Beadle focused most of his first volume — Sketches from Life in Dixie — on traditional themes such as love and courtship, spiritual reflection, and the follies of youth. It contained seven short stories and more than fifty poems, including a long heroic fantasy reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelites. But there were also commentaries on the problems faced by black citizens, portrayed most notably in the poem “LINES. Suggested by the Assaults made on the Negro Soldiers as they passed through the south on their way to and from our war with Spain.” “LINES” describes the experience of black soldiers who endured sometimes violent racial discrimination from their own countrymen. But with the poem’s refrain, Beadle returns always to patriotism and love of country. For three decades, Beadle maintained a successful legal practice, but only by confronting many difficult challenges — and in the preface to his second poetry collection, Lyrics of the Underworld (1912), he expressed frustration with social conditions in the south. Featured in the book were sixteen striking photographs by Beadle’s son, who went on to become one of Mississippi’s best known black photographers. In 1930, Beadle moved to Chicago — reversing the path taken by Margaret Walker — but lived there for only a short time before his death. By contrast to those two writers, and their journeys between the deep south and the midwest, Amiri Baraka lived for most of eighty years in or near New York City. Born in 1934 as Leroy Jones, he grew up in Newark, New Jersey in a middle-class family, and earned a scholarship to Rutgers University. But within a year, as he began what would be a long-running quest for self-realization, Jones transferred to historically black Howard University. By the time he graduated, Jones was disillusioned with what he saw as an emphasis on upward mobility at Howard, and decided to enlist in the Air Force rather than immediately pursuing a career. Along the way, he had changed the spelling of his name from Leroy to LeRoi. While stationed in Puerto Rico, Jones began an ambitious self-directed reading program, focusing on literature (especially poetry), politics, and economics. These studies were conspicuously outside the Air Force mainstream, however, and raised suspicions that Jones might be a communist sympathizer — leading eventually to his dishonorable discharge. But by then, LeRoi Jones had found his direction. In the years between 1958 and 1965, he became the only black writer to carve out a place in Manhattan’s frenetic, Beat-inspired literary scene. In addition to co-founding two small but influential publications, he attracted increasing attention as both a poet and a playwright. By 1964, when his controversial, racially charged play Dutchman won a prestigious Obie Award, Jones was one of the most talked-about writers in New York. But a year later, outraged by the assassination of Malcolm X, he rejected the mostly-white Manhattan milieu, moved to Harlem, and started a short-lived black arts program. After that he returned to his home town of Newark, converted to Islam, and changed his name several times — ending up as Amiri Baraka. For a while he was involved with the Black Nationalist movement, but following a trip to revolutionary Cuba, he became an outspoken proponent of Third World Marxism. These years of political activism and realignment were reflected in perhaps his most important poetry collection, Hard Facts, 1973–1975. And by the end of the 1970s, Baraka had established himself as both an important writer and an impassioned advocate for black identity. In 1980, Baraka’s complex life took yet another turn. He joined the faculty of African Studies at SUNY-Stony Brook, where he would teach for the next two decades, and soon began a period of sustained literary accomplishment. His work garnered a Poetry Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (1981); a New Jersey Council for the Arts award (1982); an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation (1984); a PEN-Faulkner Award (1989); the Langston Hughes Medal for outstanding contributions to literature (1989); a Foreign Poet Award from the Ferroni Foundation (1993); and the Playwright’s Award, Winston-Salem Black Drama Festival (1997). After retiring from Stony Brook at the end of the century, Amiri Baraka once again became a controversial figure —expressing and later recanting anti-Semitic views about the World Trade Center bombing, then refusing public pressure to relinquish his appointment as poet laureate of New Jersey. But eventually the uproar died down, and although his literary work received much less attention in later years, Baraka was revered as a public figure. He continued writing until his death in 2014, and among his late works was an impassioned appreciation of Margaret Walker, who had passed away in 1998. Looking back at these three figures, we see a continuing pattern of courage and determination. Samuel Alfred Beadle had the courage not only to pursue justice but to write poetry in a time and place still grappling with the very issues that had led to civil war. Margaret Walker had the courage to break through racial barriers in the American literary establishment, and the determination to transform her family’s experiences into a unique work of historical fiction. Amiri Baraka had the courage to express controversial ideas, and the creative persistence to reinvent himself several times over. Through their work, each of these writers shed light on the experience of being black in America, and for that they deserve to be not only remembered but greatly appreciated. Especially now.

https://medium.com/literally-literary/three-writers-to-revisit-or-discover-as-black-history-month-ends-33a77817fbfe

['Cynthia Giles']

2020-02-27 02:26:51.676000+00:00

['Writing', 'Literature', 'History', 'Women', 'Essay']

Do you want to achieve more? Focus on important but not urgent tasks

Do you want to achieve more? Focus on important but not urgent tasks David Cui Follow May 20 · 5 min read Three steps to achieve extroordinary productivity, based on learning from The 5 Choices Photo by Ryland Dean on Unsplash Introduction It has been a long day, busy busy and busy. You had several meetings, replied hundreds of emails/messages, and tried your best to get some work done. However, by the end of the day, you do not feel accomplished. You have always wished that you can spend more time on an innovative project proposal. It has been a few months since the last workout in the gym. You would like to catch up with people you care about but just never get the time to do so. Also, you have heard about some new technology in your field and am worried that you are not being up to date about it. How would a dream workday look like to you? You wake up and clear your mind. After breakfast and a good workout, you start to work on the innovative project proposal. You make good progress on it. Then you attend a few meetings and reply a few important emails. Lunch time. You catch up with someone you care about and it feels great. In the afternoon, you go through unanswered emails and handle them accordingly. In the end, you find some time to look into this new technology. Before leaving the office, you make your plan for tomorrow. Looking forward to it! Sounds great! But how can I have a workday like that? I will walk you through three steps to turn your busy while not-fulfilling workday into a day with extroordinary productivity. The content is mostly from The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity in case you would like to learn more. Step 1: Identify your Q2 projects As a starting point, make a list of projects/tasks/things you spent time on. You can use your calendar to help you track how you spent your day. For anything that took you more than 10 mins, it worths to log it in your calendar. Next, add thing you wish you have spent time on but did not to the list. Now, review each item on your list, and ask yourself two questions: How much attention did this item draw from me? If the item drew a lot of attention from you, it is urgent. Otherwise, it is not urgent. Looking back, how important is this item for me, in terms of career growth/relationship/health/happiness? If the item means a lot to you, it is important. Otherwise, it is not important. Based on the above two questions, you tasks (what you did and what you wished you did) belong to the following categories: Q1: Urgent and Important. Those are items that you are probably hired for. Urgent escalations, deliverable with close deadlines, important meetings. Q2: Important but not urgent. This is the category of your dream workday. Creative projects, relationship building, learning and development, recharge yourself. Q3: Urgent but not important. This category is interesting. When you get to them, you feel that they are urgent. But looking back, they are really not important. For example, someone sends you a message for a quick question, an email with some FYI info. Q4: Neither urgent nor important. This category includes items that you should not spend time on. Where do the projects that you wish you spent more time on lie? Many people find they are mostly in Q2: important but not urgent. Q2 is your focus to achive extraordinary productivity. Step 2: Schedule your Q2 projects So far, you have identified your Q2 projects. The next question is, how can you spend more time on those tasks? The biggest challenge that blocks us to spend more time on Q2 tasks is that they are not urgent. They do not draw our attentions. Instead, Q3 tasks, the urgent but not important ones, can easily get our attention and steal our time from Q2 tasks. As an example, imagine that you just start your workday with the plan to work on an important proposal (the Q2 task). Before you start working on the proposal, you receive a few emails that draw your attention (for example, a email update for a project that you only need to be informed, someone asking you for information, or even a survey questionairre). Those emails can definitely wait (Q3 tasks), but the unread status of those emails in your inbox create a feeling of urgency so that you click into the email, read through them one by one, and before you realize it, your next meeting comes up. To overcome this tendency to spend time on Q3 tasks before you work on Q2 tasks, you can schedule those Q2 tasks on your calendar and treat them as meetings. Instead of “planning to spend some time writing the proposal today”, schedule an one-hour meeting “write proposal X” on your calendar in your high efficiency time (for example, morning before meetings). By scheduling this meeting, you create a feeling of urgency when the “meeting” pops up, and it also prevents other items to distract you. Now, how do you make sure that you do schedule those “Q2 meetings”? You can schedule a weekly Q2 planning session (30 mins) on your calendar to list your Q2 tasks for a week and schedule them accordingly. Sunday night, Monday morning, or Friday afternoon are potential timeslots for you to do the planning. You will also need to adjust your calendar daily for urgent meetings/tasks (Q1 tasks) by spending 10 mins per day to review progress in Q2 tasks and make adjustment accordingly Step 3: Manage your emails (and other incoming distractions) All plannings look great until they are destroyed by unexpected interruptions. To protect your precious Q2 time, you need a system to manage distractions. Below I use email management as an example. The best way to manage distractions is to automate your processing process. This saves your willpower. For emails, you can leverage automatic rules to process most of your emails without being distracted when they come. Here is how it works. Firstly, create three folders under your inbox: one for emails with you in the to line (emails directly addressed to you), one for emails with you in the cc line, and one for other emails (you are not in to or cc). Secondly, set up email auto rules, where emails with you in the to line directly go to the “to”folder, similarly for cc and other folders. Apply these rules to both existing and incoming emails. Now, your inbox is empty. More than that, you won’t see the unread icon pop up to distract you when new emails come. You will still check your emails regularly. The difference is that, this auto rule system lets you control when you want to check your emails (proactively) instead of letting incoming emails dominate your attention (reactively). You can set up your own schedule to check emails. For example, I check emails in the “to” folder every hour to make sure that I do not miss important emails. For “cc” folder, every two hours is sufficient (you are only cc’ed anyway). For “other” folder, I do not check them in the morning. When I am less productive in the afternoon, I will review them. In fact, most of emails in the “other” folder can be deleted with no actions required. Summary Try the above three steps to focus your energy on Q2 tasks: the important but not urgent ones, the ones that really make you successful.

https://medium.com/an-idea/do-you-want-to-achieve-more-focus-on-important-but-not-urgent-tasks-2633c409bb64

['David Cui']

2021-05-20 08:20:23.553000+00:00

['Reading', 'Focus', 'Books', 'Productivity', 'Careers']

Sketchnoting Manifesto

Held at the beautiful Autodesk Gallery overlooking San Francisco’s Ferry Building and Bay Bridge, Manifesto was an exciting Thursday afternoon for 250 product thinkers, designers, and makers in design and technology to come together to share, learn, and collaborate. With 4 keynotes and 3 panels on a spread of topics including product design, behavior design, customer retention, and disruption, the conference was the perfect opportunity for me and others from Salesforce UX to meet some inspiring folks in our field. Between all the talks and mingling, it can sometimes be tricky to capture the content of these cool live events. Photographs don’t really say much, and videos can be too long to watch. Meanwhile, hand-scrawled notes scribbled on a page are often too cryptic or personal, and forgotten about after the fact. In light of this, I’ve actually always thought of visual note-taking as a fantastic medium for capturing live events. It’s essentially cartoon journalism: easily consumed, easily shared. To test out my hunch, I decided to take my visual note-taking skills out for a spin during Manifesto last week. Here are my sketchnotes from some of the keynote presentations. Chris Anderson: Product Design Author of “The Long Tail”, Former editor-in-chief of WIRED, Founder of Geekdad, Co-founder of 3DRobotics Chris shared with us the story of how he started his company 3DRobotics 6–8 years ago, and how different getting to V1 is today. A natural storyteller, Chris emphasized “peace dividends of the smartphone wars” and how much of where we are now harkens back to 2007 with the rise of hardware.

https://medium.com/salesforce-ux/sketchnoting-manifesto-447c2e71d4a5

['Cindy Chang']

2015-12-18 18:27:13.363000+00:00

['Sketches', 'Design', 'Events']

The Roadmap for Aspiring Programmers

Technology in today’s world is predominantly based on computers, automation, and cybersecurity. Professions like hackers, software developers, artificial intelligence researchers, web developers, android developers, game developers, etc. have become very common and desired by thousands of people. If you are one of those people who want to be part of this amazing world of tech and contribute to it as a programmer, as you are very well aware, you will need to learn to code. Learning to code has become a necessity in today’s world anyway, but if you find yourself interested in it and want to really learn to code and don’t know where to start or where to move, this article is a must-read for you. Every year, thousands and thousands of people start learning to code. They start for different reasons but there is a significant number of those who are not able to productively learn to code and get stuck in a loop and end up seeing that they haven’t received anything much productive. Hence, it is important that you keep the foundations strong from the start. When one thinks of coding, the first question that comes to mind is the variety of languages that we need to choose from. And it is a justified dilemma as everyone comes with different expectations and if you end up learning the “wrong” language, you might waste weeks of hard work. Right? No. You need to understand that all coding languages are basically just tools that are used to manipulate or create data that can be used further for different reasons. It doesn’t matter which language learn first and which you learn second but remembers that you cannot live your entire life with just one single language which you learned today. That being said, also remember that if you pick any language at the start of your journey, complete it to the end. Many beginners do the mistake that they learn one language to some point and then leave it alone just because they think that the language they learned doesn’t have enough value or isn’t useful enough. Or many times they get a false perception that they have finished learning that language because the tutorial they were following has ended. So, first, let’s define the principle that a beginner-friendly language must have: The language should be easy to start with. The learning curve must not be too steep It should be useful in the future. It should be a language that supports object-oriented programming It should be good for competitive programming as well. It should be widely used in open source It should be easy to shift later It should not be objectively created for a specific purpose only Now, coming back to the question, which language should you start with. So basically, if you have no idea what you would want to do ahead in computer science or your professional life in general, I would recommend you to go for C++. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, if you learn C++, you create a temperament for coding. You learn a lot of interesting things which you wouldn’t if you were to start with any other language like Java or Python. Secondly, C++ is an object-oriented language that can be used very comfortably for Data Structures and algorithms. I personally don’t use C++ for a lot of things but when it comes to competitive programming or learning a data structure, I would definitely use C++. Generally, if you can accomplish something like learning C++, the rest of the languages will become way easier. But, you need to remember the cost of all this. C++ can be, comparatively, a hard language to start with. Also, at some point in time, you will feel like the language is useless and cannot be applied in many places, which isn’t true, but it’s a general feeling most beginners have. So, if you want your journey to start with a nice and easy pace, I would strongly recommend Python. It is the easiest language you can probably learn. The only thing is that there is a lot of things that you cannot do with python as you move forward. But the good point here is that after learning Python, you have gateways into learning the artificial intelligence stuff like Machine Learning, Deep Learning, etc. And also, Python has many amazing libraries. Basically, they have a library for everything. Whatever recommendations I gave until now were for people who don’t have any idea about what they want to do moving forward with the coding journey. Next to this, let us talk about the people who do have an idea. Firstly, if you are interested in web development, there is no doubt at all that Javascript is the best choice. But remember, JavaScript may seem like a simple language, but it is in this simplicity that things start getting notorious. But overall, the journey of a JS developer is fun-filled and amazing. You will never be bored, I can guarantee you that. There is a lot to learn in this domain and the sky is the limit for learning about JS. For those of you who want to get into mobile development, remember, there are many options here, but the one way I like to recommend a beginner is, divide the complete mobile development world into two parts, one for iOS, and the other for Android, obviously. If you are interested in the vast world of Android Development, learn Java. This may seem like a piece of unusual advice, given that the official language of Android development is Kotlin now, but the reason I say so is that Java can be used for several other things and you will be able to learn Kotlin in very little time after that. Java as a language can be really amazing for DSA and is still used extensively. Also, Android still does support Java Development so you don’t need to learn Kotlin at all. But Kotlin is a beautiful language, and I would definitely recommend all the Mobile Development enthusiasts to learn it before moving directly to Android. On the other hand, if you are interested in iOS, there are two options again, Objective-C or Swift, and I would surely recommend Swift. Swift is an extremely amazing language if you want to move towards developing for Apple devices. But wait, that means that if you want to go for Mobile Development, you will have to learn three to four programming languages. Is there an easier way where you can learn one language which does good for both iOS and Android? Yes. Dart is a language developed by Google that can be used to create mobile applications for both android and iOS by learning the Flutter framework. It is not yet the best choice for any programmer but it is an amazing start which is a great option, but… it’s not for beginners yet. Hence, I would recommend you to first learn JavaScript or C++ or Python first and then learn Dart and Flutter later. You can learn more about the cross-platform mobile application development in JS using the ReactNative framework as well. For game development, I would say it really depends on the engine you use. If you are going to use Unity, you must go for C++, while for Unreal Engine, you must learn C#. This is quite clear. Another thing I wanted to highlight is that C# is actually a language which can be comfortably used for an endless number of thing just like Python. You can use C# for Game Development, Competitive Programming, Mobile Development, Web Development, and many more thing. C# is really an amazing language to start with. Also, it is non-conventional in many ways. So, if you want to learn a language that does it all while being good for beginners, C# is a nice language to start with. There are many more streams that I could not complete here cause it will basically confuse you more and I don’t want that. In short, if you have to choose a language to start with, here are the final recommendations from my side: Python — Easy, Intuitive, Simple, and extremely useful. JavaScript — One of the most widely used languages in the world and something which will get you into the world of Web Development very quickly. C++ — The language which teaches you how to learn to code. Something which I would very highly recommend if you want to learn to code and want to get deeply into the world of programming in general. That is it. Chose one of these and I have ranked the languages above on the basis of difficulty to learn and usability in the real world. Other than the above, of course, C# is an amazing option anyway but I am not going to rank it. Let’s just give it a consolation prize. Next, after choosing a language, the biggest confusion is about what to do after choosing a language. From where to learn? What to learn? In short, I cannot answer this question for you directly because the question of where to learn is very subjective. If you want good resources, I can recommend that video tutorials are the best source of learning to code and remember to code while you watch it. You need to actively work while you are learning. Merely watch the tutorial will never be enough. ANd some very nice places to begin your search would be YouTube. If you have some money to spend, I would surely recommend you to go for either Udemy or Coursera, not because they sponsored me or anything, I took the above names only since I have actually experienced it. The most important aspect of learning to code is that you need to continuously make some projects based on what you have learned up to that point in time. For eg. if you learned about the different types of variables in javascript today and how you can take input from the user, you must make a project which can take in the data from the user about their names and create a project where you can store the names of several people and print it to the console. Or, if you learned about operators today, make a project of a basic calculator and as you move forward, you can make the calculator better. On a closing note, I would like to highlight that learning to code is majorly a game of consistency and hard work and you cannot ignore the role practice plays in it. It is more than just the languages you choose and the projects you make. It is about logic, creativity, and learning continuously. Even as you make a simple calculator for the hundredth time, you would learn something new. You need to remember that the basics that you learned at the start may be boring but itis this boring part that actually makes you the programmer you would become one day. Every big hacker, software developer, data scientist, and web and game developer started at the point you are at right now and had to bear the pain of doing the boring parts. You need to feel the pain of thinking about what you are typing on your text editor and not just go with the flow of tutorials. You need to question every single keyword that you write on your keyword. Be curious about everything you do and the language and the frameworks that you choose will not even matter.

https://medium.com/@utkarshluthra/the-roadmap-for-aspiring-programmers-a3e65223b759

['Utkarsh Luthra']

2020-12-14 09:20:58.213000+00:00

['Programming Tips', 'Learning To Code', 'Programming Languages', 'Programming', 'Coding']

Abuse at TN hospital rises from unjust judge Fleenor OK’ing CV-19 fraud — Tulis Report

Erik and Allison Ulfeng of Chattanooga are being abused in their liberties by state and local officials, with approval of chancery court judge Pamela Fleenor. (Photo Allison Ulfeng) Chancery court judge Pamela Fleenor and local notable J.B. Bennett. (Photo Fleenor page on FB) Allison Ulfeng tells how her husband is at Erlanger children’s hospital to have a son’s cast removed. By David Tulis / NoogaRadio 92.7 FM “They chased my husband down the hall and called security when he walked past the check in table,” she says. “So, Erik did the temperature check and was going to wear a mask. Then they refused to see my son Zach unless we put a mask on him. My husband refused and so they left. Mrs. Ulfeng has always been anxious about hospitals, which are known for enabling the theft of children by state and county officials. “We can take the cast off ourselves, I suppose, but I really was praying for no issues with the hospital. I just don’t want a visit from CPS or the police.” The harassment of the family is enabled by the most important person in Tennessee today, and that is chancery court judge Pamela Fleenor, who has refused to act lawfully to issue a writ that will end the fraud of Gov. Bill Lee’s state of emergency, launched March 12, or 285 days ago. 81 days of irreparable damage to public For 81 days Judge Fleenor, a Republican whose eight-year term expires in 2022, has had a petition for writ of mandamus before her. It is a peremptory petition, an emergency petition that must be acted upon within days, as it alleges continuing irreparable harm by Gov. Lee and health boss Becky Barnes, who are in brazen violation of the key statute regulating epidemics and contagious outbreaks. That law, Tenn. Code Ann. § Title 68–5–104, requires a determination be made of the causal agent, the agent of contagion, of any outbreak, as well as a diagnosis and the finding of a first case in each county to establish an epidemic. Health bureaucrats and the governor reject these duties. The officials are operating fraudulently, with continuing use of the PCR technique, dubbed a test, that does not make any diagnosis of any individual’s condition. Misuse of the test creates the numbers climb and the media-promoted sense of fear, dread and panic — all needed to create buy-in by the gullible. Judge Fleenor refuses to act, refuses to explain foundation or rationale for any of her orders against me, despite repeated demands by me, the relator (I represent the state of Tennessee in the complaint and all the pleadings). She has set a hearing 20 days out for Jan. 11 on motions, including Gov. Lee’s motion to dismiss on technical grounds. Gov. Lee and Mrs. Barnes, in taking the procedural route in their defense, essentially demur on — or admit — the facts I allege in my complaint. That being fraud and violation of state law. Originally published at https://tntrafficticket.us on December 22, 2020.

https://medium.com/@davidtulis/abuse-at-tn-hospital-rises-from-unjust-judge-fleenor-oking-cv-19-fraud-tulis-report-2c7b5b1f396b

['David Tulis']

2020-12-22 15:13:37.177000+00:00

['Tennessee', 'Judicial Reform', 'Mandamus', 'Covid 19 Crisis', 'Coronavirus']

The Land: Alliances (Chaos Seeds #3)

The THIRD vivacious installment of Aleron Kong’s, Chaos Seeds series. Everything is not well in The Land! Eaters, Bugbears, Evil Counts, Vicious Thieves and Carnies! (You know, circus folk… small hands.) Yup! Richter and Sion have their work cut out for them! Come back and see how they kick’s some butt and takes some names! Come back, to THE LAND!!!!! https://amzn.to/3o10RR3

https://medium.com/litrpg/the-land-alliances-chaos-seeds-3-48109869c035

['Alex Itsios']

2020-12-24 21:33:11.118000+00:00

['VR', 'Litrpg', 'Aleron Kong', 'Chaos Seeds', 'Gamelit']

Create 24-hour Countdown Timer using SwiftUI

The countdown timer using Swift UI Create 24-hour Countdown Timer using SwiftUI 24-hour Timer format In this blog, we will see how to create a simple 24-hour Countdown Timer in the format → hh:mm:ss using SwiftUI. However, this project can be used to create a 12-hour Timer or for any other time as well. Create a SwiftUI project Create a SwiftUI project “CountdownTimer”. For this tutorial, I used XCode 12.2 Make sure you select “SwiftUI” as an interface, Lifecycle as “SwiftUI App. Create a project You will get a boilerplate code once you click Next and Create. Now, create a new SwiftUI file “TimerView”, which will be a separate timer view and a complete functionality in itself that can be embedded in any View. Create a TimerView.swift Prepare the UI In the TimerView.swift, first, implement the UI for the Timer inside the body. struct TimerView: View { //MARK: - PROPERTIES @State var timeRemaining = 24*60*60 //MARK: - BODY var body: some View { Text("\(timeString(time: timeRemaining))") .font(.system(size: 60)) .frame(height: 80.0) .frame(minWidth: 0, maxWidth: .infinity) .foregroundColor(.white) .background(Color.black) } //Convert the time into 24hr (24:00:00) format func timeString(time: Int) -> String { let hours = Int(time) / 3600 let minutes = Int(time) / 60 % 60 let seconds = Int(time) % 60 return String(format:"%02i:%02i:%02i", hours, minutes, seconds) } } We are using ＠State property wrapper for “timeRemaining”. So, whenever the value of timeRemaining changes it will update the Text. The rest of the code is self-explanatory. Quite a simple 🙂 Timer logic Create a Timer that will fire every 1 second. Using this timer, we will notify our view and refresh the remaining time. let timer = Timer.publish(every: 1, on: .main, in: .common).autoconnect() Integrate Timer and View (Text) Add onReceive to the Text, which will receive the timer notification every 1 second. Whenever Text receives a timer Notification, timeRemaining updates itself and hence the view(Text). .onReceive(timer){ _ in if self.timeRemaining > 0 { self.timeRemaining -= 1 }else{ self.timer.upstream.connect().cancel() } } Note: Invalidate the timer once the remaining time reaches 0. Complete Code Click the Live Preview and check the running Countdown Timer. Voila !! Countdown Timer — Live Preview Bonus: Embed the TimerView to the Content View. struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { VStack{ Text("Countdown Timer") .font(.largeTitle) .fontWeight(.semibold) .padding(.vertical, 20.0) TimerView() } .background(Color.orange) .edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) } } Embed Countdown Timer in ContentView Source Code: You can find the complete source code of the project at https://github.com/apoorv487/SwiftUI/tree/main/CountdownTimer Make sure you give this post 50 claps 👏 and follow if you enjoyed this post and want to see more. Thank you for reading. ❤️ Connect with me: LinkedIn

https://medium.com/@apoorv487/create-24-hour-countdown-timer-using-swiftui-fd84a66764e7

['Apoorv Garg']

2020-12-04 14:40:01.145000+00:00

['Swiftui', 'Countdown Timer', 'Swift', '24 Hours Timer']

Introducing Individual NuGet Packages for Syncfusion Blazor UI Components

We at Syncfusion are happy to inform you that new individual NuGet packages for our Syncfusion Blazor UI components are now available from the 2020 Volume 4 release (v18.4.0.30). The Syncfusion.Blazor NuGet source has been segregated based on the component and namespace. Each NuGet package uses the same namespace as in the NuGet Syncfusion.Blazor source. So, the new migration will not break your applications. Pros of using individual NuGet packages The individual NuGet packages are extremely valuable in reducing the size of the application by avoiding the loading of unwanted assemblies. They will reduce the initial loading time when compared to the whole Syncfusion.Blazor package. You can install the required Syncfusion Blazor components alone in your application and ignore the rest of the components’ source code. You can utilize the Blazor WebAssembly lazy-loading functionality. You can use these individual NuGet packages in Blazor server-side applications to reduce the application’s deployment size in the production phase. Note: You can’t use both the Syncfusion.Blazor and individual NuGet packages in the same application. It will lead to ambiguous compilation errors at build time. Available NuGet packages The following NuGet packages are now available in nuget.org. Performance metrics The following screenshot shows the assembly loading time of the complete Syncfusion.Blazor NuGet package and its dependency in the web browser. The following screenshot shows the assembly loading time of the Syncfusion.Blazor.Buttons package by itself and its dependency in the web browser. When compared to loading the complete Syncfusion.Blazor NuGet package to use Buttons, loading the Syncfusion.Blazor.Buttons NuGet package is more efficient. The following screenshot shows the assembly loading time of the Syncfusion.Blazor.Grid package and its dependency in the web browser. Note: The previous metrics were taken in a Blazor WebAssembly application with .NET 5.0 in localhost release mode. Summary In this blog, we have talked about the availability of the new individual NuGet packages for the Syncfusion Blazor UI components in the 2020 Volume 4 release. We have also looked at the NuGet package segregation, performance metrics, and advantages. Syncfusion Blazor components offer over 65 high-performance, lightweight, and responsive UI components for the web, including file-format libraries. Make use of these well-matured components and save time developing complex applications. You can contact us through our support forum, Direct-Trac, or feedback portal. We are always happy to assist you!

https://medium.com/syncfusion/introducing-individual-nuget-packages-for-syncfusion-blazor-ui-components-3f01aa7b5907

['Rajeshwari Pandinagarajan']

2020-12-21 12:02:18.602000+00:00

['Productivity', 'Csharp', 'Blazor', 'Web Development']

Geode

Geode Photo by Grant Durr on Unsplash Someone’s strung death from wall to wall, little skeleton men lit up against a variation on Mountain Dew. Even warmth burns blue tonight. Your hands sign offerings to the stove, its crown of sapphire. You tell me you’re selling handbags. Only 3,412 more until you can move somewhere safe — where women walk dogs in slow motion, where couples still spend all afternoon sleeping in the kind of yellow that pools in curtains and falls onto skin. According to your sources, if you strike life with the radical when it cracks the inside’s going to glow with the translucence of red wine. Below us, people in dark coats stream home, their faces unavailable for comment.

https://psiloveyou.xyz/geode-4239850aab90

['Lori Lamothe']

2020-12-13 13:02:52.188000+00:00

['Poetry', 'Pandemic', 'Poetry Sunday', 'Love', 'Life']

⚡ The Lightning Network, Part #1: The Basics Of The Technology

⚡ The Lightning Network, Part #1: The Basics Of The Technology via Lightning Network Explorer Many in the Bitcoin community eventually want to see Bitcoin being used as a global currency, used for everyday transactions. However, as of now, this is unfeasible due to potential network congestion, high transaction fees, along with the need to wait at least ten minutes to make sure that a transaction is confirmed. Note: You can check out one of my previous articles for an introduction to Bitcoin: Bitcoin Has Significant Barriers To Global Implementation Three key problems need to be solved before we can start using Bitcoin for everyday payments. The first is that the way Bitcoin is structured right now, every node in the Bitcoin network knows about every single transaction occurring on the network. While this is what makes Bitcoin decentralized, it has proven to be a challenge when it comes to scalability. If we perform all of our small transactions with Bitcoin, it will quickly congest the network, since, as of now, one block is mined every 10 minutes, and there is a block size limit of 1 megabyte. According to The Bitcoin Lightning Network: Scalable Off-Chain Instant Payments (the paper introducing the concept of a lightning network written by Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryja), this means that Bitcoin confirms a mere 7 transactions per second. The paper goes on to note that if we started making continuous small transactions the Bitcoin network would either crash or make it very expensive to run a Bitcoin node or miner. This would defeat the purpose of Bitcoin as a decentralized currency that everyone can afford. Secondly, even in the current state of Bitcoin, it takes far too long to confirm a transaction. Not only do you have to wait around 10 minutes for a transaction to be added to a blockchain by a miner, but it is recommended to wait for 3–6 confirmations(number of blocks mined on top of the block containing your transaction) to confirm that a transaction is not being double-spent. Another issue is that transaction fees can be high as a result of network congestion. This is because if a large number of people have unconfirmed transactions in the mempool, the miner has to choose which of those transactions to include in the block it will try to mine(because of the block size limit). The miner will choose the transactions with the highest fees in order to maximize profits. Eliminating these problems will help us reduce the friction involved with using Bitcoin for everyday activities. Introducing… The Lightning Network The Lightning Network is a network of decentralized off-chain micropayment channels that can be layered on top of any blockchain-based cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, which is why it’s called a layer 2 technology. With the Lightning Network, transactions are instantaneous and transaction fees are insignificant. The only time you have to pay a full transaction fee is when opening and closing a micropayment channel. Even though the Lightning Network is off-chain, meaning that its transactions don’t occur on the blockchain, it is still secured by the blockchain, allowing for fast, cheap, and secure transactions. Micropayment Channels The lightning network is comprised of numerous micropayment channels. A micropayment channel is a channel in which two parties open to exchange funds by consistently updating the balances of both parties. Unlike using traditional methods of transacting Bitcoin, or other cryptocurrencies for that matter, here whenever the balance is updated, it’s not immediately broadcast to the nodes in the Bitcoin network. While at first, it seems like both parties are required to trust each other, this is far from the truth as the lightning network doesn’t clash with one of the original principles of Bitcoin, that you shouldn’t need to trust a third party or each other to safely transact your funds. Opening A Payment Channel & Committing Funds A payment channel is opened by both parties committing funds to a multi-signature address. A multi-signature address is an address containing multiple valid signatories along, with a certain number of those signatories required to sign a transaction to validate it. With a micropayment channel on the lightning network, the parties commit funds to a 2-of-2 multi-signature address. “2-of-2” means that there are two valid signatories, and both of those signatories are required to validate a transaction. Either party can get a refund of their funds whenever they wish. So far, the only thing that has been broadcast to the network is the deposit of funds into the multi-signature address. Because anyone can create a payment channel, we need a set of standards in order to make sure that our micropayment channels can work together. These standards are called the BOLT(Basis Of Lightning Technology) standards. Transacting Funds Using A Private Micropayment Channel A transaction on the Lightning Network is just a matter of updating the amount of money the two parties can redeem. A transaction can be made by both parties creating a new spend from the multi-signature address. There is only ever going to be one correct state of balances in the micropayment channel, the most recent one. To ensure that one of the parties doesn’t redeem funds from a previous spend(one which has been followed by a new spend), all old transactions are invalidated and only the new transaction is valid. In addition, the party which tried to broadcast the invalid state is forced to give all of their funds to the other party involved. This makes it so that the lightning network is secured by the blockchain even though the transactions which take place on the lightning network aren’t broadcast to the blockchain. It’s the best of both worlds since by having transactions take place on the lightning network, transactions are instant and transaction fees are greatly minimized. Closing Payment Channels & The Settlement Transaction The last transaction in a micropayment is the settlement transaction, which is broadcast to all Bitcoin nodes. Either party can make a settlement transaction. Note that the two parties never actually need to settle, in fact the original lightning network paper notes that “it is possible to create a near-infinite amount of transactions inside this network.” Routing Payments Through The Lightning Network With Public Micropayment Channels So far, we’ve only been talking about payments between two parties that have opened a micropayment channel, but if you have to open a payment channel every time you need to make a transaction to a new person, that defeats the purpose of the lightning network because we’re trying to minimize the number of transactions we need to broadcast to the network. With the lightning network, you can also route payments to someone with whom you haven’t opened a channel through someone you have opened one with. It will be easiest to explain this using an example, so let’s say that Alice wants to send some Bitcoin to Carol, but doesn’t want to open a micropayment channel with her. Alice, however, has a channel open with Bob, who in turn has one open with Carol. First, Carol randomly generates a secret(R) which only she knows. She generates the hash of this secret and sends it to Alice. Alice then constructs a payment that can only be redeemed using the secret R. Alice then sends the payment she just constructed to Bob who is incentivized to give it to carol because Alice will give Bob a certain amount of Bitcoin once he knows the secret. Bob sends this over to Carol, who does have the secret R, so Carol redeems her funds and back-propagates the secret to Bob, who gives it to Alice so that Alice sends him the Bitcoin she owes him. A Future With Lightning Networks Once the lightning network becomes mainstream, it will be easier to make instant transactions built on top of a secure, decentralized bitcoin blockchain with ease. We’re off to a strong start, with there currently being around 12,400 nodes in the network, and as lightning network expansion continues, we are getting closer and closer to such a reality.

https://medium.com/coinmonks/the-lightning-network-part-1-the-basics-of-the-technology-96b2d5fa7262

['Ishaana Misra']

2021-08-19 17:57:07.185000+00:00

['Blockchain', 'Decentralization', 'Bitcoin', 'Lightning Network']

Why I moved our automation framework from JavaScript to TypeScript

Javascript is an awesome programming language, it’s lightweight, it’s fast, there is a lot of resources to handle almost every question that comes to mind and it can handle backend side like a pro by using Node.js. Nevertheless, when you encounter a bug in your javascript code, it can be frustrating and exhausting to debug, and sometimes some of those bugs are very silly and can be easily prevented. TypeScript takes all of javascript and NodeJS benefits and amplifies them, it will help you to write better and easier to maintain code with static typing, classes, interfaces, types, decorators and real-time IDE support like Visual Studio Code. Types enable JavaScript developers to use highly-productive development tools and practices like static checking and code refactoring when developing JavaScript applications. Types are optional, and type inference allows a few type annotations to make a big difference to the static verification of your code. Types let you define interfaces between software components and gain insights into the behavior of existing JavaScript libraries. -official website So, what exactly is TypeScript? TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript — official website TypeScript is a strongly-typed superset of JavaScript, means, it adds some syntactic sugar benefits to the language while still letting you write regular JavaScript if you wish to. It encourages a more declarative and object-oriented style of programming, by using interfaces and static typing, offers modules and classes, and most importantly, integrates relatively pretty well with popular JavaScript libraries and code. You could think about TypeScript as a strongly static layer over current JavaScript that has a few features to make life (and debugging especially) a bit more bearable. TypeScript gained a lot of attention a few years ago when it was selected for full support by Angular 2 and following (which is also written in TypeScript itself!). It’s also developed by Microsoft, which means it has the backing of two major tech companies (not a bad place for any language). Since that, it gains more and more maintainers and support, the TypeScript community is growing rapidly. Code snippet, demonstrating the use of Classes, Interface, and types: class Student { fullName: string; constructor(public firstName: string, public middleInitial: string, public lastName: string) { this.fullName = firstName + " " + middleInitial + " " + lastName; } } interface Person { firstName: string; lastName: string; } function greeter(person: Person) { return "Hello, " + person.firstName + " " + person.lastName; } let user = new Student("Jane", "M.", "User"); document.body.innerHTML = greeter(user); Here are some bullet points of what I think makes TypeScript powerful Code scalability with Interface oriented development. Ever growing community and Tooling supports (Visual Studio Code have great support and Intellisense). ES-next compliance. Types have a proven ability to enhance code quality and understandability. Large teams such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have continually arrived at this conclusion. Types increase our agility when doing refactoring and coding in general. It’s better for the compiler to catch those errors than to have things fail during runtime. Types are one of the best forms of documentation you can have. The function signature is a theorem and the function body is the proof. VS Code has a great extension for generating comments automatically when using TypeScript. Testability. With Dependency Injection coding pattern, testing becomes easy. You can mock test services with the same interfaces as the real ones. Your code won’t know the difference, and you can perform a full suite of scenarios to get full coverage. Commonly known as Stubs. Using Stubs enable automation developers to start programming before the development process is finished, this requires the software developers to prepare API schemes and detailed documentation before starting to develop. Helps us implement SOLID design patterns into a language that doesn’t really support it. Types make our code more readable. It helps developers remember faster what each piece of code is supposed to do. Hence, the developer can add and modify the current code faster. TypeScript has the ability to compile down to a version of JavaScript that runs on all browsers. One of the biggest advantages of TypeScript is its code completion and IntelliSense. Intellisense provides active hints as new code is added. Let us write clean code. Static typing is a feature that detects bugs as developers write the scripts. This allows developers to write more robust code and maintain it, resulting in better, cleaner code. You can very easily write pure object-oriented code in Typescript without extensive knowledge. Refactoring with TypeScript tools is easier and faster. Typings for most libraries are available from the DefinitelyTyped project and, since the release of TypeScript 2.0, can be installed via npm. For example: npm install @types/lodash Decorators introduce programmers to write the metadata annotation which will help you to introspect your code. Best use-case you find for using decorators will be the cross cutting concerns — Aspect Oriented Programming. So why did we refactor our framework from pure Javascript to TypeScript? In automation developing the developers, the lifecycle is around 1–2 years, when the product we are testing has many components it takes longer for each new developer to understand what section does what and when. Have Types and well-commented code saves a lot of time when going over the code. Using Types saves us time locating errors during compilation time. TypeScript enables us to use stub and have a more agile approach for automation developing, we are no longer depended on the development cycle to be ready. Thanks to great tools, IntelliSense support, and IDE support, we are saving time developing. Refactoring is not a bad word anymore, we are able to refactor much faster. Our code is more structured and easy to read and maintain. Our general running time is faster thanks to Dependency Injection. Using TSLint enable all of the developers to follow the same guidelines with ease. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Boilerplate examples for using Typescript in automation framework: UI tests API tests Automation frameworks/tools that support TypeScript Jest — it is still not 100% smooth and you might need to make some alteration based on your framework needs WebdriverIO Selenium Mocha Protractor Cucumber Puppeteer And many more who keep adding support! I recommend checking out TypeScript playground, which allows you to see the compilation as you type. Happy Coding!

https://medium.com/@saritvakrat/why-i-moved-our-automation-framework-from-javascript-to-typescript-eca73290ba07

['Sarit Vakrat']

2019-06-17 14:58:46.405000+00:00

['Testing', 'Automation', 'JavaScript', 'Quality Assurance', 'Typescript']

“The price of bitcoin is close to zero” Kenneth Rogoff / former chief IMF economist

Professor at Harvard University predicts the collapse of cryptocurrency trading. For some, the cryptocurrencies have a reputation as obscure as a black hole. For others, on the other hand, it is the intangible gold of our times. Nevertheless, there will always be analysts blind to its glitter. One of them is Kenneth Rogoff (New York, 1953), professor at Harvard University and former chief economist at IMF (2001–2003). His voice anticipates the collapse of the bitcoin price — the star amongst the cybercurrencies that currently trades at over USD 8,000 per unit. Question: Is bitcoin the greatest financial bubble on Earth? Reply: The price of anonymous cryptocurrencies such as the bitcoin is probably close to zero in the long term. There exists, however, a real potential for those currencies that are traceable and intend to compete with debit and credit cards. But the state regulation will have a considerable impact on the process of identifying winners and losers. Q. So will the governments create their own digital currencies? R. In the next 20 years most of the governments will probably offer their citizens digital currencies. The physical money will continue to exist, but only in small denominations. Think $20 notes or smaller. Besides, the tangible money will continue to play its role because it is more suitable for some transactions and provides for privacy. Q. What does the future hold for the cryptocurrencies? R. If one analyses the long history of currencies, the usual dynamics is that the private sector is the first to innovate, but at some point, the governmental regulation comes into play They cannot allow anonymous cryptocurrencies on big scale, since it will greatly obstruct the tax collection and abiding by laws and regulations. It is impossible for administrations to stop the people from trading with them completely, but they can indeed make it virtually impossible to use them with merchants, in commerce or bank transactions. If it is not easy to use for acquisition of some common things, its value is very limited. Besides, different governments need to control their own currencies in order to confront financial crises, wars and pandemics. Q. Can these currencies destabilize the western economies? R. Absolutely not. The governments have sufficient mechanisms to deal with it. Currently they lag behind in the technological race. Mind you, although the cryptocurrencies face a modest future, the blockchain technology does offer the possibilities of better security and will probably be adopted by a wide variety of platforms. Q. Some countries seem to welcome the new currencies. Japan, for example has opened its doors to bitcoin. What are the consequences? R. What Japan did is untenable. They think that by transforming the bitcoin into a legally trading currency, they can turn into the fintech [enterprises that use technology to offer financial services] centre and avoid its slow decline in competition with China. But they will most likely turn into the world leader in money laundering. Switzerland of fintechs. I think that other nations will force Japan to abandon this idea. The original interview appeared in the Spanish press “El Pais” on 26/11/2017

https://medium.com/isbi/the-price-of-bitcoin-is-close-to-zero-kenneth-rogoff-former-chief-imf-economist-2627c765e348

['Isbi', 'Strathmore Business School']

2017-12-04 10:30:42.568000+00:00

['Business Training', 'Finance', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Article', 'Bitcoin']

I.M.J. — A Story of Hope. You Are my Reason to Be

You Are my Reason to Be When everything feels dark, you put your little hand in mine I see your chest rising and falling in sleep and the sound of your breath comforts me in my darkest moments Your little voice when you play by yourself fills the room You are talking to your dolls I wonder what magic is going through that head of yours You still believe in fairies and mystical creatures How wonderful that age is You dress up in your princess costumes and dance around the room You light up my life There were times that is the only light guiding me When I’ve almost lost hope, overwhelmed by others’ cruelty I want to thank you for your innocence, your unconditional love, and your simple yet real dependence on me You help me keep going day-in and day-out Sometimes I think it wouldn’t matter if I ceased to be The world would continue just fine Some would miss me and some might be relieved But not you You are my everything still and will be for a few more years to come I need to be there for you and you alone You don’t judge me nor demand too much You don’t suck up my soul nor try to drown me You are simply you Everything is straightforward Our little routines, your primary needs, your loves It is all pure At night, I whisper to you And I see how you derive joy from my presence There is no malice nor judgment You are the only one I owe you so much Thank you, my little one

https://medium.com/@kmollion/i-m-j-a-story-of-hope-c0c35ed796c6

['Krista Mollion']

2020-12-27 16:47:35.377000+00:00

['Motherhood', 'Love', 'Gratitude', 'Children', 'Life Lessons']

Tech is for everyone: Willie Sanders Jr.

As the executive director and founder of Pass It On, Willie Sanders Jr. works to make sure people are not left behind when it comes to tech literacy, knowledge, and access. The feeling of being left out is personal to him. Even though Willie’s mom bought him a home computer as a teen he still felt behind his peers when it came to technical knowledge. “In college, I took my first computer classes and the instructor was teaching at a level above my knowledge,” he said. “The kids in the class had taken programming classes already and my school didn’t have that so I was left behind and it discouraged me so much that I dropped out of college.” After leaving school, Willie started working with Byte Back DC. The non-profit provides inclusive tech training to adults. WIllie not only gained the skills he needed by he eventually began teaching tech through the program. The confidence he got through working with Byte Back inspire him to go back to school. Now he’s a professor at University of Maryland Global Campus and Towson University, the very school he once dropped out of. Willie teaches classes in the school’s cybersecurity departments with a focus on cybersecurity and systems administration and networking. Teaching at two universities wasn’t enough for Willie. He wanted to bring his skillset to more people and help those who didn’t have the opportunity to enroll in college. “I wanted to start a program to help students who didn’t have the opportunity to get exposed to tech for various reasons,” he said. “In 2015 I was able to create Pass It On and we reach out to youth and adults. I’ve taught kids as young as 6 and the oldest student was in their early 80’s. Tech touches everything we do and everyone needs some exposure so they can develop and thrive in our world.” His students range from people who are looking to begin a career in IT to people who take the courses as a form of enrichment. They are learning basic digital literacy skills so they can email with their grandchildren or use their mobile devices. Pass It On has three focuses: Youth outreach, workforce development, and an IT internship and residency. The youth outreach initiative involves partnering with other nonprofits to provide STEAM-related training. The classes Willie runs combines the arts with technology to appeal to more students. Programming includes graphic design classes and audio engineering workshops to teach kids to use software to create their own music. Workforce development programming focuses on Comp TIA work, with Pass It On offering training in the 3 most popular programs for Comp TIA partner academies and have added an IT fundamentals course for students. “The same programs I’m teaching at the university-level, I’ve brought to Pass It On so that’s a benefit my students get,” Willie said. “They get access to a university professor and that level of training as they go through our program.” The crown jewel of Pass It On is the IT internship program. The non-profit does managed IT services for other nonprofits and small organizations who can’t afford full-scale IT services with interns shadowing employees. Willie says it’s an opportunity for participants to get real-life experience for the things they learned about in books. Graduates of the internship program now hold positions at the Pentagon, various law firms in Washington DC and at an auditing firm. By helping others, Willie says he gets as much, if not more, out of Pass It On’s programs as the students he helps. “Being able to pass on this knowledge makes me a better IT professional because if I have all of this knowledge but can’t communicate it effectively what good am I?” Fearless is working to highlight technologists of color in our community to inspire the next generation. We know how hard it can be to see yourself in an industry if you don’t see anyone who is like you. We want to shine a light on the incredible people who can and should be role models for our future, more diverse tech workforce. Is there someone you think we should feature? Get in touch!

https://medium.com/@fearlessbmore/tech-is-for-everyone-willie-sanders-jr-13b2036d59e9

[]

2020-12-04 00:22:58.991000+00:00

['News', 'Tech', 'Diversity In Tech', 'Technology', 'Education']

INDICATOR DOES NOT REPAINT

Characteristics of Forex Grail Indicator 1. Platform — Metatrader4 2. Asset -Any Currency Pair. 3. Candle Timeframe — M30 and H4 4. Expiry Time — M30 for 1–2h and 4H for 5–8H. 5. Trading Time — Around the clock. 6. Be Alert Don’t trade on Medium Impact and High Impact news release time. Scalping makes it easy: Many traders who love scalping are part-time traders. These are the people who are doing a full-time day job. And their trading is a sort of multi-tasking process. So a trader is actually doing a lot of things together. and yet this method lets him make small portions of money. And when done a lot of times, it is easier for him to take home big profits. Now since these trades are done on shorter timeframes, 30M seems apt. visit more info https://bit.ly/3hnCQkv

https://medium.com/@theforex111/indicator-does-not-repaint-7b14500daa44

['Forex Guru']

2020-12-27 17:09:25.150000+00:00

['Bitcoin', 'Forex', 'Forex Trad', 'Forex Market', 'Stock Market']

Heal the World with Love: A Channeled Message from Jeshua

Maria: Choosing trust and love in infinite source feels like truth and freedom but doubt seems to be the unrequited lover that won’t leave. The soul self knows it’s time to let it go but the smaller self doesn’t seem to want to let it go. Jeshua: She doesn’t have to — love will do that for her. She need do nothing. Allow the love in and all else will dissolve and fade. Love, love, love — that is all there is. Love the resistance. Love the hate. Love the doubt. Love the fear. Love the love. Love the small. Love the big. Love the too big and the too small. Love the pain until pain no longer feels necessary. Love it all. There is no greater truth or medicine than this. When you love the hate, you do so with the love of the infinite, not the ego mind. Love the ego mind, too, but know it has limitations. Love from a place far more expansive than the human mind can presently comprehend. Love from the mind of God, with the ears, eyes, mouth, and hands of God. Love from this place and you will know the truth of love that “heals all things, embraces all things, trusts all things, transcends and transforms all things.” I come to share again with you the greatest prophecy and teaching of all: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you do not love your neighbor/coworker/fellow human, let this be a sign where you are not loving yourself. “This is hard” you say, “of course I love myself. It is him that has the problem and doesn’t know how to be kind and considerate.” But, dear one, how can you be more compassionate of the suffering that causes him to act in such a manner? Can’t you think of a time when you have not been considerate of others? Even in those moments, you are worthy of love and forgiveness. So, why not your neighbor as well? When you love your neighbor as yourself AND yourself as much as your neighbor, you create massive ripples your human eyes cannot yet see. You create a world that no longer needs fences and encryption measures. Does this sound far-fetched to you? Man once thought the notion of flying was laughable yet here you are flying from one place to the next as if it has always been this way. You cannot begin to imagine how glorious life will be when love without expectations or borders is fully manifest in the world you see. In truth, and it has been said many times over, the world you see is a reflection of the world within. Begin to love yourself without limit or judgment. Practice every day, for this is the most worthy practice of all. Practice loving others without the limitation of judgment and soon your world will no longer feel the need for walls, fences, boundaries, or firewalls. Set your intention to love with the heart of All That Is pure and divine and your world will, in fact, change. Trust this. Practice this. Believe this will every fiber of your being and you, yourself, will be transformed. You, dear one, are love. You have always been love and will always be love. And so it is.

https://medium.com/@mariapax/heal-the-world-with-love-a-channeled-message-from-jeshua-3c3fdef5681c

['Maria Pax']

2021-04-07 20:59:37.401000+00:00

['Love Yourself', 'Metaphysics', 'Esoteric', 'Consciousness', 'Channeling']

Stock Ticker Confusion: What are Words?

If you’d invested $100 into Zoom Technologies Inc. (ZOOM) stock on March 21, 2019, you’d now, roughly one month later, be around $45,000 richer. Which sounds too good to be true, is, while very true, a great example of one of my favorite stock market phenomena. Chances are that you have heard about the recent IPO of Zoom, the California-based video conferencing platform, which went public on April 18 and currently has a market cap of roughly $16 billion. The thing is: Zoom Video Communications Inc., the video conferencing platform, does not trade under the ticker ZOOM but under ZM. Zoom Technologies Inc. (ZOOM) and Zoom Video Communications Inc. (ZM) are not one and the same company. Zoom Technologies Inc. is a Beijing-based producer of smartphone spare parts and traded at $0.005 over the counter last month and did not post revenues since 2011. The other Zoom just listed last week and thus didn’t trade at all last month. Obviously, people were misled by the similar names of the two companies (and the misleading stock symbols). However, while you should never underestimate what people are capable of (including attempting to buy public shares of private companies), this is most likely due to news-scanning trading algorithms and possibly a handful of smart human investors betting on exactly this inefficiency. The hilarious thing about this is — if you had actually bought a bunch of ZOOM shares last month, believing it to be ZM, you would have made a great return, given you closed your position on time. Nevertheless, this is by far not the first time this is happening. The phenomenon of the co-movement of stocks with similar tickers was already analyzed by Michael S. Rashes’ in his 2002 publication in the Journal of Finance with the great title: “Massively Confused Investors Making Conspicuously Ignorant Choices”. Here, Rashes looked at the price movements of MCI Communications (MCIC), once one of the largest telecommunications firms, and MassMutual Corporate Investors (MCI), a closed-end mutual fund. Rashes: “In spite of the fact that MCI and MCIC have little to do with each other, there has been an unusual amount of comovement between their stock prices, particularly within the period during which MCIC was engaged in merger negotiations. In addition to return correlation, the stocks have experienced an extreme degree of correlation with respect to their volume patterns and volatility levels”. A similar thing happened in 2013 when Twitter went public and people mistook its stock with that of Tweeter, a Boston-based electronics company that had filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated five years prior. Another time this occurred was when Snap Inc., the parent of social media platform Snapchat, filed its prospectus for its upcoming IPO in 2017, thus its shares were not trading at the time. This, however, did not stop investors from sending up the stock of Snap Interactive, a totally unrelated company up by 122%. However, investor confusion does not always send stock prices up. In 1997, Castle Convertible Fund, another closed-end mutual fund, that trades under the ticker CVF had to learn this the hard way. To the fund management’s surprise, CVF’s stock suddenly went down by 32 percent without any proper reason. Apparently, a few confused investors had caused a selloff, as they mistook the company for the Czech Value Fund, which was abbreviated as CVF in a Financial Times article published that day and faced tremendous losses. A question that remains is what to do in this situation as a regulator or as a company. This is not always clear. When his stock surged, Alex Harrington, CEO of Snap Interactive commented: “An investor who does even the slightest bit of due diligence should recognize we are a different company. I have no obligation to set the record straight”. When Tweeters stock shot up, regulators halted the trading of its shares — also because the company was de facto bankrupt, which made this move justifiable. This is an important fact, because what if investors genuinely loved Snap Interactive and the stock move was uncorrelated to Snap Inc’s upcoming IPO. Halting trading in that scenario would’ve been a strong interference with market mechanisms. Nevertheless, usually, it’s pretty clear what’s driving such a stock move, as in the ZM/ZOOM case. And usually, companies would realize that and swiftly issue a press release letting people know that their company might not be the one investors expect it to be. Now, is this is a serious issue? Not really. First of all, most people and/or algorithms are smart enough to buy the right stock. Also, the actual trading volumes are not as big as that they would have an impact. Yet, it shows that even in very automated environments, a margin of error still exists. All in all, its a minor inefficient irregularity — yet still an interesting one.

https://medium.com/@bpgargerle/stock-ticker-confusion-what-are-words-61dacc0385bd

[]

2019-04-28 00:02:54.504000+00:00

['Nasdaq', 'Zoom', 'Stock Market', 'IPO']

Racism in Retail, Story 1

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash It was a busy Sunday afternoon working as a Customer Service Advisor at a babycare store. Having worked hard in approximately the year I had been there I was confident in my ability because I was knowledgeable about the products in my departments. For me I can’t feign much at all, and if I do it shows therefore I generally know something well or I hardly know it at all. I’m taken by the flow of customers to a department that is not mine — Fashion. Essentially, an easy role where I am serving at the till to customers who have bought baby clothes. I’d never heard a soul ask about the material of the clothes or any other difficult questions pertaining to the department. Difficult and rude customers yes but ordinarily it was just checking that we had a certain size in store. I finished serving a small flurry of customers and was shortly idle when a middle-aged white woman in an electric wheelchair asked me, “Can I get help with car seats?” I noticed that she didn’t have the courtesy to say please. I overlooked it and kindly agreed; still to no thanks. I entered the area that was a part of my department so I was in my element. She had her son and mother with her. Unlike with any other customer I had gone through every single seat based on the requirements of the child where I had put the child car seats on a tester seat there in store. I had asked relevant questions to ascertain their needs and as I was pushing to better myself all the time made the best effort to be kind to everyone particularly to the shy child who I befriended. In no way I was trying too hard, I was being myself and taking my level of customer service to the next feasible level. After trying all the seats and taking my time with them when there were other customers waiting and wanting to use the tester I felt an impasse. The woman took absolutely no initiative to say what she liked other than wanting me to show her every seat. Therefore, I kindly stated objectively, “You could put him in a booster seat.” This was a range of seats that met the requirements of the child that were in a separate section of that car seat department. (All booster seats we sold had a back on them known as high back boosters.) The woman switched on her emotions to pure anger, stating that them particular car seats were ‘crap!’ twice repeating her sentence. She said that they were the worst. Her anger was out of place given my service and approach. By the way all seats that we sold had been tested by stringent safety measures and, verified and approved by statutory regulations (as with all retailers). At that point I felt attacked for her shutting me down in such an immoral way. I hadn’t spoken suggestively and was providing her with the additional choice she wanted. I in response assertively said, “I’m just saying you could put him in one.” Italics don’t do the level of expression on just and could; it was so evident that I was merely being diligent at my job. Again, she restarted her aggression but this time even more incoherent. Her choice word used again then… She walked… I mean wheeled… electrically away swearing seemingly under her breath — I doubt she’d restrict her anger in any way — at me. It was more likely incoherence as I didn’t catch a single curse. Normally you’d hear an f word or something but this woman made the crazy cat lady in The Simpson’s seem like she had been to elocution lessons all her life. Being someone who analysis my own behaviour more so than other’s respective behaviour I ran through this scenario in my head many times. Was it the most effort I made and the best service I had ever given to a customer (and associated group)? Yes — definitely at the time, and probably one of the best I’d ever give in general. Did I say something wrong? No, but not absolutely not. I stated a booster seat, not a high back booster. However this was the general term that almost everyone used for HBBs. The use of booster seats that were solely backless were not sold in the store and if you did a Google search on Child Booster Seats you’d find more on HBB’s than backless boosters (solely; as you can get adaptable ones). Also backless boosters were kind of unfashionable that people who asked for them also knew this. So there. I have got myself on small technicality… I plead GUILTY… NOT! If everything had gone as planned for the woman, would she have thanked me? Most definitely not. Now here’s the big question. Why was I treated like this? The answer is racism. It always is.

https://medium.com/@shypar/racism-in-retail-story-1-9e6898dac2b1

['S. Parmar']

2020-12-11 17:51:37.560000+00:00

['Retail', 'White Privilege', 'Retail Racism', 'Racism', 'White Supremacy']

Zenlink: Innovative Cross-chain DEX on Polkadot

Zenlink Polkadot has been around the blockchain space for a while now, itself being a blockchain of its own. Since its launch in early 2020, Polkadot has continued to develop, seeing a lot of projects developing on the blockchain plus its current successes in Parachain auctions. One of such top projects developing on Polkadot is Zenlink Protocol. What is Zenlink Protocol? Zenlink is a nextgen decentralized exchange built on Polkadot, that allows users to trade their Polkadot assets with ease. As with modern DEX platforms, Zenlink allows users to buy & sell their assets on Polkadot without having to interact with any intermediary or keeping their funds with any custodian. Building on the powerful potential of Polkadot, Zenlink allows for open, transparent & speedy transactions. zenlink.pro As a protocol, Zenlink acts as a DEX hub for Polkadot parachains and allows for cross-chain trading & liquidity sharing among parachains. Basically, Zenlink Protocol enables Polkadot parachains to easily & quickly set up DEX for trading. Also, with Zenlink DEX Aggregator, all DEX Dapps on Polkadot can connect to the Zenlink DEX network with full liquidity access. This reduces slippage & provides a better trading experience for users. Framework Zenlink has four (4) frameworks, namely: Zenlink DEX Protocol: This is the underlying unified & universal cross-chain DEX protocol. Zenlink DEX Module: This is a plug-and-play Polkadot network module based on the Zenlink DEX Protocol Standard. Zenlink DEX Aggregator: This connects DEX on the Polkadot network in a single click & provides full liquidity access from all connected DEX for easy & smart trading. Zenlink Composable DEX Hub: Each parachain is able to build its DEX with its own characteristics by connecting to the Zenlink DEX Module, and becoming a powerful Polkadot Composable DEX Hub. With these, Zenlink is helping boost composability on Polkadot & bring innovative solutions to building DEXs. The Benefits of using Zenlink Zenlink is setting up well for developers and users on Polkadot. Developers Zenlink DEX protocol provides easy & one-time access for parachains to deploy a DEX overcoming the delay of development & research. Zenlink DEX aggregator brings connection to all DEX Dapps on Polkadot network for developers to access. Users The power of Zenlink is unleashed in providing users access to low slippage, low fees & a fast trading experience. Since Polkadot has parachains, interacting with different chains can be hard & uninteresting. Zenlink bridges the gap & allows for easy, efficient cross-chain transactions without ever feeling the hassles of different chains. Zenlink is enhancing composability for Polkadots as each parachain can build its custom DEX with Zenlink according to the taste of their users, so users have a new experience instead of repeated boring UI. Enter a new world with Zenlink!!! Website: https://zenlink.pro/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZenlinkPro Discord: https://discord.gg/v32WcymvXn Medium: https://medium.com/zenlinkpro Telegram: https://t.me/ZenlinkPro_EN Github: https://github.com/zenlinkpro

https://medium.com/@forendalkufresunday/zenlink-innovative-cross-chain-dex-on-polkadot-674769580ab6

[]

2021-12-23 21:56:44.431000+00:00

['Dex', 'Polkadot', 'Blockchain', 'Swap', 'Defi']

Trusting Yourself

Trusting Yourself Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash We live in an age where we make a gazillion decisions on the fly each day. Some more important to the betterment of ourselves, others more trivial; some are to do with friends and family, others are just plain old broken record type decisions. But at some point, we all question our ability to make the right decision, not the popular decision, not the decision with the best financial outcome but the decision that we intrinsically feel is the right one for the situation we find ourselves in. At some point, we question the trust in ourselves. To overcome this lack of trust, when left untouched for extended periods, is the real challenge. When it sinks so far into our mind that we begin to believe we don’t have the fitting capacity. Every action we take, every move we make is filled with a subtext of lacking trust. To be stuck in a crossroads, based on the assumption that we are not good enough, can drive even the sharpest minds to insanity. We perceive a lack of trust as unfavourable, yet it is a manifestation of the mind. A seed we alone have created, planted and now are realising it’s poisoned fruits. To say this is a state of indecision is false, for it would cause fragmentation leading to confusion and conflict, despair and disintegration. We have to be confident of who we are and the risks we are willing to undertake. At a fundamental level, we take a moment to recognise the trust in ourselves, the infinite reservoir of trust, the one we use every waking second of our existence. How can we say “I don’t trust myself”? From the moment we are conceived, we are trusting ourselves, trusting the inner intelligence of the human body to develop the fetus into a living, breathing human. From the moment we take our first breath, we trust ourselves to maintain the physiological functions of the body for the rest of our lifetime. An intrinsic trust woven into the fabric that is our body and mind is always present. Some call it nature; others call it instinct, sometimes it’s referred to as intuition. Ultimately, they are all describing elaborately, an ever-present confidence in oneself to act accordingly. We can never be 100% certain of the actions we take; there’s the element of risk in everything. A piece of us that thinks better of what we have done or will do. In reality, it’s an adventure; the secret to a good life has to be in the ability to take chances knowing that we have trust in ourselves. Who wants to live in boredom, for eternity executing the easy option. Where’s the growth, the fun. Where’s the trust?

https://medium.com/illumination/trusting-yourself-9457c0b7e9a7

['Viraj Acharya']

2020-12-22 14:39:40.441000+00:00

['Self Improvement', 'Instinct', 'Self', 'Trust', 'Self-awareness']

The Joke’s On Me

So far, every punch line I’ve ever read about aging is true. (You know you’re getting old when you bend over to pick something up off the floor and you ask yourself if there’s anything else you might need to do while you’re down there.) The creaking and aching body parts, the forgetfulness, and the crotchety-ness are all real. For many women, there’s the added bonus of menopause, making aging an even more exciting adventure. The jokes about hot flashes, mood swings, and vaginal changes are a lot less funny when you are the one looking for a snow drift to dive into at three in the morning to cool off your inner volcano. (When I asked for a smoking hot body, menopause was not what I had in mind.) A well-known sign of aging, my eyesight is getting worse. I went from 20/20 vision to trifocals in one optometrist appointment. Now even my trifocals need bifocals. I’m not wearing the giant yellow plastics shades yet, but I’m not making fun of the ads for them anymore either. (I meant to download a calendar app for my phone, by my eyesight is so bad I downloaded a colander app… now my battery just keeps draining.) Of course, there are some things no one joked about, or told me about, or even hinted at during family reunions. Nobody told me that my digestive system would go from being an ‘iron constitution’ to a complicated tissue-paper plumbing assembly. I now have to be concerned with my fiber intake (or lack thereof) because the consequences are anything from uncomfortable to ass-ripping pain. Now I understand why prunes are equated with old age! Supposedly they are a wonderful source of fiber. I’ll never know however, because I can’t choke them down. (What’s the definition of a surprise? A fart with a lump in it.) Also, I can no longer enjoy caffeine without paying dearly in stomach acid and sleeplessness. I have to make sure I eat dinner early enough that I can go to bed at night and not have to worry about acid reflux. That time frame used to be an hour, maybe two. Now, I’m one of the 5 PM supper crowd. Here’s one I didn’t know. I knew my hearing would suffer from all those years of grunge metal music just as surely as my father’s hearing was destroyed by years of working around farming machinery. But I never knew the ringing in my ears would become so distracting. It’s like a never-ending metallic high F-sharp constantly humming in my ears. You know that feedback sound when a microphone is set too close to the speaker? That’s what I hear all day, every day. When the ENT was explaining to me that this is part of aging with a wry smile on his face, I kind of wanted to throat punch him. I knew hearing loss was part of aging (asshole!). I just had no idea hearing loss would be so damned loud. I’ve started to notice that I don’t look like the people in the advertisements seen at my local stores, anymore. The pictures in the produce aisle advertising the wholesomeness of their fruits and vegetables are typically of fresh-looking women in their late twenties or early thirties, often with adorable young children and handsome husbands. Don’t get me wrong. My husband is handsome. But he’s not in his 30s anymore either. The cosmetics department is filled with racks of beauty products promising to make me look much young, thinner and prettier. Gray-haired models in clothing ads usually look like the only thing that has aged is their hair. Their faces are wrinkle-free and their bodies aren’t the lumpy, softening physique common in old age. That’s not to say people my age don’t have ads made exclusively for them. There are all kinds of targeted advertisements for my demographic: walk-in showers, home medical equipment, hearing aids, Lasik surgery and over the counter arthritis remedies. People my age are no longer parents, or first-time home-owners, or new car buyers. Now we are grandparents, retirees, senior citizens. Instead of “Ladies night” deals at the local dance club, I get offers for discounts at every buffet-style restaurant ever opened. Ads for life insurance, funeral plans and Medicare plans are popping up on almost every webpage I open. Oh! And let’s not forget the many, many offers for cheap cat litter or cat food. Apparently “crazy cat lady” isn’t just a euphemism for spinsterhood anymore. There’s a lot of challenges that come with growing old. But there’s also some humor, too. For example, did you hear the one about the 83-year-old woman who talked her way out of a speeding ticket by telling the nice officer she had to get there before she forgot where she was going? Or there’s the old guy talking to his neighbor, bragging about his new hearing aid, “It cost a fortune but it was well worth it.” His neighbor asked, “Really? What kind is it?” The old man answered, “Ten-thirty”. Finally, one important thing to know about aging: You won’t have to worry about avoiding temptation when you get old because it will pretty much avoid you.

https://medium.com/@allnewsue/the-jokes-on-me-a94d1d33ec33

['Sue Kiker']

2020-12-27 23:03:21.007000+00:00

['Growing Old', 'Humor', 'Old Age', 'Aging']

Living At Home During Grad School

Living At Home During Grad School Photo by Flaunter on Unsplash I am 23 and I live at home. Although those words may not come across as striking as they may have years ago when moving out at 18 was the universal standard, they still carry some negative notion to many. I live with my mother and father, my 15-year-old brother, and our 2 dogs. I have 2 younger sisters who go to college far away, one of whom is a communications major who lives on her own in Florida. Despite the horror stories I’ve heard from others, I have had no tangible issue living at home. My parents don’t have any crazy rules, I have a wonderful relationship with them, and before the pandemic, I spent 90% of all days out of the house on the campus where I attend graduate school. The house I live in is large and beautiful, its many walls filled with memories of many people’s joy, stress, despair, and love. The house has stood for over 100 years. It has seen decades of joyous holiday celebrations. Out the window, you can watch the seasons change as the in-ground pool my dad and his friends built themselves turns into an ice rink when winter hits. In the summer I can look out the window and see my childhood. My siblings, cousins, and friends, all pretending to take our driver’s tests as we rode our bikes around our dead-end street. We didn’t yet know screens. We spent our days outside doing cartwheels and pretending any chunk of wood on the playground was a balance beam. Our childhood was magnificent and to this day, I am profoundly grateful for the roof I have over my head, having all my family and friends close by, and my serene room where the desk my parents bought me houses thousands of hours of neuroscience and orthopedic study material and my cranberry chutney candle. Somehow many years have passed, but I am still here. I stayed here to save money in undergrad since I went to school just down the street. My plans shifted when I did not get accepted to the affordable graduate program at the university I attended during my undergraduate studies. I did however get accepted into one of the nation's top 10 programs, but the price was significantly higher. Eventually, I decided it was too good an opportunity to give up.

https://medium.com/illumination/living-at-home-during-grad-school-951a46a35768

[]

2020-12-17 01:18:50.304000+00:00

['Life Lessons', 'Self Improvement', 'Education Reform', 'Higher Education', 'Graduate School']

Securing Web-REST-APIs with JWT

The right way to balance out security and convenience on the web source: the Independent: the US to call for a worldwide tightening of airport security measures over fears of ‘new generation’ of Syrian terror attacks JSON Web Token (JWT) is an open standard that defines a compact and self-contained way for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. This information can be verified and trusted because it is digitally signed. JWTs can be signed using a secret(with the HMAC algorithm) or a public/private key pair using RSA or ECDSA. JWT is robust and can carry a lot of information but it's still simple to use even though its size is relatively small. Link any other token, JWT can be used to pass the identity of authenticated users between an identity provider and a service provider (which are not necessarily the same system). It can also carry all the user’s claim, such as authorization data, so the service provider does not need to go into the database or external system to verify user’s roles and permissions for each request; ~ that data is extracted from the token. JWT Authentication Flow source: toptal blog: Spring Security Clients logs in by sending their credentials to the identity provider. The identity provider verifies the credentials; if all is OK, it retrieves the user data, generates a JWT containing user details and permissions that will be used to access the services, and it also sets the expiration of the JWT (which might be unlimited). The client stores the JWT for a limited or unlimited amount of time, depending on the expiration set by the identity provider. The client sends the stored JWT in an Authorization header for every request to the service provider. For each request, the service provider takes the JWT from the Authorization header ad decrypts it, if needed, validates the signature and if everything is OK, extracts the user data and permissions. Based on this data solely, and again without looking up further details in the database or contracting the identity provider, it can accept or deny the client request. The only requirements are that the identity and service providers have an agreement on encryption so that the service can verify the signature or even decrypt which identity was encrypted. The main difference between JWT and other arbitrary tokens is the standardization of the token’s content. Another recommended approach is to send the JWT token in the Authorization header using the Bearer scheme. The content of the header should look like this; :Authorization: Bearer <token> When should you use JSON Web Tokens? Authorization: This is the most common scenario for using JWT. Once the user is logged in, each subsequent request will include the JWT, allowing the user to access routes, services, and resources that are permitted with that token. Single sign-on is a feature that widely uses JWT nowadays, because of its small overhead and its ability to easily be used across different domains. Information Exchange: JSON Web Tokens are a good way of securely transmitting information between parties. Because JWTs can be a signed-for example, using public/private key pairs- you can be sure the senders are who they say they are. Additionally, as the signature is calculated using the header and the payload, you can also verify that the content hasn’t been tampered with. What is the JSON Web Token Structure? In its compacted form, JSON Web Tokens consist of three parts by dots (.) which are: 1. Header 2. Payload 3. Signature Therefore a jwt looks like the following: xxxx.yyyyyy.zzzzz Let's break down the different parts. a. Header The header typically consists of two parts: the type of the token, which is JWT, and the signing algorithm being used, such as HMAC SHA256 or RSA. For example: { “alg”: “HS256”, “typ”: “JWT” } Then this JSON is Base64Url encoded to form the first of the JWT. b. Payload The second part of the token is the payload, which contains the claims. Claims are statements about an entity (typically, the user) and additional data. These three types of claims, public, registered and private claims. c. Signature To create the signature part you have to take the encoded header, the encoded payload, a secret, the algorithm specified in the header and sign that. The result is three BASE64-URL strings separated by dots that can be easily passed in HTML and HTTP environments while being more compact when compared to XML-based standards such as SAML. How do JSON Web Tokens work? — Client-Side In authentication, when the user successfully logs in using their credentials, a JSON Web Token will be returned. Since tokens are credentials, great care must be taken to prevent security issues. In general, you should not keep tokens longer than required. Whenever the user wants to access a protected route or resource, the user agent should send the JWT, typically in the Authorization header using the Bearer schema. The content of the header should look like the following: Authorization: Bearer <token> The server’s protected routes will check for a valid JWT in the Authorization header, and if its present, the user will be allowed to access the protected resource. If the token is sent in the Authorization header, Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) won’t be an issue as it doesn’t use cookies. Why use JSON Web Tokens? JWT is more compact that SAML (Security Markup Language Tokens) which are based on XML. SWT (Simple Web Tokens) can only be symmetrically signed by a shared secret using the HMAC algorithm. JWT and SAML can use public/private key pairs. JWT’s main strength is handling user authentication in a stateless, and therefore scalable way while keeping everything secure with up-to-date cryptography standards.

https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/securing-web-rest-apis-with-jwt-787c75229cee

['Samuel Owino']

2020-02-26 06:39:46.514000+00:00

['Software Engineering', 'Security', 'Rest Api', 'Software Architecture', 'Json Web Token']

Cooperative multiple-inheritance paradigm in python

Let’s start with a simplified bug: >> python3 cooperative.py Traceback (most recent call last): File "cooperative.py", line 20, in <module> Tractor("yellow") File "cooperative.py", line 17, in __init__ ConstructionMachine.__init__(self) File "cooperative.py", line 8, in __init__ super().__init__() TypeError: __init__() missing 1 required positional argument: 'color' What?! One should wonder why is a “color” argument expected when we’re constructing ConstructionMachine that has nothing to do with Vehicle (or color). The answer lies in line 8: the call for super().__init__() from a ConstructionMachine class which has no parent. What really happened? Python determines “method resolution order” (MRO) for every class by C3 linearization algorithm. Basically, the algorithm takes the inheritance graph and applies topological sorting on it while maintaining local precedence order (by the inheritance declaration order from left to right) and direct parenthood. This is used when you call a method of some instance — at first the method is looked in the instance’s class, but if not found then python looks up the inheritance graph (by that determined order). This order is determined during runtime, and you can access it. The C3 linearization algorithm promises a monotonic MRO. The MRO for Tractor is: >> Tractor.mro() Out[2]: [__main__.Tractor, __main__.ConstructionMachine, __main__.Vehicle, object] And the MRO for ConstructionMachine is: >> ConstructionMachine.mro() Out[3]: [__main__.ConstructionMachine, object] The key issue here is that super() finds the parent according to the current MRO. So if we were looking for method rumble() in class Tractor (which doesn’t have it directly but it inherits it from ConstructionMachine), python will go over the MRO and find it. But then notice line 11, inside rumble() : a call for super() is used, and although the MRO for ConstructionMachine has no farther parent, the MRO that will be used is the current one (from Tractor !), which has Vehicle class afterwards. So ConstructionMachine’s rumble() will in fact call Vehicle.__str__ when called from a Tractor instance. In our bug, __init__ is the method which is called with Tractor’s MRO and accordingly when we reach the ConstructionMachine.__init__ the super() call then triggers Vehicle.__init__ , that expects a “color” argument. But why call super from __init__ if you have no parent? Let’s assume no one uses super at all. Then in all of the __init__ functions every class should explicitly call ParentClass.__init__(self) to make sure the parent is constructed, as did our Tractor in lines 16–17. Now, python supports multiple-inheritance and as such it is also allows the “diamond-problem”. This is partially solved with the MRO mechanism because there is a deterministic way to decide which function to use, but if every class is calling __init__ explicitly, the class at the top of the diamond will be constructed twice! Diamond Problem For example, if Vehicle and ConstructionMachine will inherit Machine (as illustrated in the UML graph), then when Tractor is constructed it will explicitly call for Vehicle.__init__ and also for ConstructionMachine.__init__ , where both of these functions will explicitly call for Machine.__init__ since they should explicitly construct their own parent (which is Machine for both) hence Machine is constructed twice. Clearly this is only one example out of many under this domain, and that’s why super() had been introduced. Since super() goes over the MRO and the MRO doesn’t contain duplicates, it solves the problem. However, for this solution to happen all classes must support the cooperative multi-inheritance paradigm. In a nutshell, all classes must call super().__init__() (once) from their __init__s instead of explicitly calling the __init__s of their parents, and additionally forward the constructor’s params by **kwargs. Not only for init, but for every function that is used via multiple-inheritance. This is not the whole idea but we’ll deal with that later. It can be thought of as taking a parcel of all the arguments for all the classes-constructors along the inheritance graph, where each class takes what it needs from that parcel and forwards it to the following class according to the MRO. Ugly, but necessary — and thus not very adequate to python’s zen. To summarize, in our bug example ConstructionMachine is aiming to be a cooperative class and that’s why it has the super() call in it’s __init__ although it doesn’t have a parent, which finally causes the bug. Could this happen in real life? Yes! I encountered it while working with PyQt. PyQt is a famous binding for QT framework, that enables GUI capabilities in python. Apparently, PyQt package complies with the cooperative multiple inheritance paradigm (see statement), but if one is not aware to this paradigm (e.g. doesn’t have super() calls in every __init__ of its own classes) and still uses PyQt — such bugs could raise. When having both cooperative classes and non-cooperative classes work together collisions as this are occurring and such bugs are hard to identify if you’re not aware to these issues, as the program crashes and the trace-back is surprisingly pointing to an almost non-related code section. Not only PyQt uses this. Every python package that follows this paradigm must declare it in its documentation. How to follow the paradigm? In this section I’d like to be very practical with the simplest guiding thumb-rules. There are other ways to accomplish the same results, but I wanted to provide the most straight-forward advice. All classes that has some kind of inheritance relationship with one another should follow the cooperative paradigm. Let’s focus on the constructors of cooperative classes: Every __init__ should accept **kwargs in addition to its arguments. E.g. def __init__(self, arg_a: int, arg_b: int, **kwargs). Every call to a cooperative class constructor must be done with non-positional keyword-ed arguments. E.g. a=A(arg_a=14, arg_b=0) . Every __init__ should call to the super’s init, and exactly once. When doing so, it must pass the **kwargs onward, but also add the variables it used back into the **kwargs parcel. E.g. self._a=arg_a; kwargs[arg_a] = arg_a; super().__init__(**kwargs). Now constructors are covered, and if there is a common argument name in multiple constructors it isn’t wrapped away. The keyworded call assures no positional conflicts and the single call for super guarantees that all classes along the MRO will be initialized. The same rules can be used for all other overridden methods, even custom ones, but for that one might need to inherit from a custom “Root” class that wraps it around. I strongly urge the reader to learn from the following article: super considered super — by Raymond Hettinger, which covers more edge cases such as how to wrap 3rd party libraries that are not cooperative to align with your cooperative classes, and more. Note that this article does not deal with common argument names, but the solution for this problem was described above. Should this paradigm be embraced? It may surprise you but the answer, in my opinion, is no. First, although this paradigm is important for multiple inheritance and is probably the only viable solution, it is not widely used. I gave an example of PyQt but I was having a hard time to find more famous python packages that follow it. Second, this makes the code a bit cumbersome in readability terms as every overriding function (especially every constructor) must have the **kwargs peeled and composed back, and every call to it cannot be done with positional arguments. Third, the whole idea of having to transfer all of the arguments for all the constructors that might be called later on the MRO (some of them without any real connection to the original call) is problematic in encapsulation terms and error prone. With that, I find it utterly important to be aware of this paradigm. One can still use packages that follow the cooperative multiple inheritance paradigm with others that don’t, while avoiding the diamond-problem by designing the code that way, and just solve this potential problem as it’s being encountered. Or, at least suspect it when something weird happens, and then play with the inheritance declaration order (the tuple of a class’s __bases__) to see if a different MRO will solve such issues.

https://medium.com/swlh/cooperative-multiple-inheritance-paradigm-in-python-f048b7ecdb29

['Ron Urbach']

2020-06-26 07:40:02.733000+00:00

['Pyqt', 'Object Oriented', 'Bugs', 'Python', 'Software Development']

ARTIS on the Bituniverse app

Steps to tracking your ARTIS portfolio Step 1 — Navigate to the Portfolio Tracker Tab by clicking on “Portfolio” on the bottom left of the screen. Step 2 — After clicking on “Get Started”, select “Auto import from wallet” Step 3 — insert your public address where your ARTIS is stored. For those who are concerned about the safety of their wallets should note that this is only a balance query API system which means that the API only reads the balances of the Cryptocurrencies and Tokens of an address and can in no way interact with your wallet at all! enter your wallet address here Step 4 — When visiting your portfolio page it should look something like the image below. You can adjust settings in the “Me” tab to adjust the APP according to your personal preferences, such as currency, look and feel etc. ARTIS Portfolio example Forward Together!

https://medium.com/artisturba/artis-on-the-bituniverse-app-949a1853fb80

['Artis Turba']

2018-04-04 09:17:04.277000+00:00

['Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Altcoins', 'Ethereum', 'Ethereum Wallet']

Dashboards in Your Browser: Lessons From Working With d3.js

When learning a new data tool, I like to work with football data, since I know and understand it reasonably well. This example uses data from the 2017–2018 Premier League season provided by Football Reference. Lesson 1: Pass only the data that you require to the web page. This example uses Flask as a back-end. Flask is a micro web framework written in python. I won’t go into detail about Flask in this post; in this case it renders, and passes data to, the web page. Why am I using Flask? Your data takes up memory. The more memory your webpage requires, the longer it will take to render and to function. And yes, I learnt this by trying to dump my entire data file into my d3 viz and waiting forever to see the goods. Using Flask, I’m able to utilize forms in my web page to request only the parts of the dataset that I require. In our example, we’re only ever comparing two Premier League football teams at a time. Hence, I only need to pass data for those two teams to the web page: Example d3 visuals https://github.com/JuniorSen/D3-filters-update-cycle I value versatility. If you’ve spent more than a few hours angrily trying to learn how to use d3 (it’s the only way), then you will too. Lesson 2: Buttons are your friend Using buttons, one chart can become many. You’ll have noticed in the gif that by clicking on the ‘Goals’ or ‘Assists’ buttons, the variables presented on the scatter plot are changed and the axes updated. Here’s how they work: d3.select(“#goalscoringBtn”) // Find the button in our HTML code .on(“click”, function() { // When button is clicked, run function xVal = ‘Goals’ // Change axis value variables yVal = ‘xG’ updateChart(xVal,yVal) //Call update function with new values }); d3.select(“#creatingBtn”) .on(“click”, function() { xVal = ‘Ast’ yVal = ‘xA’ updateChart(xVal,yVal) }); Simple! Lesson 3 (a lesson in life): Don’t try to reinvent the wheel I had an idea. I wanted to be able to see data from different periods in the season. Standard date range filters bore me. More importantly, I can’t see what was going on over the period I select if all I have is a date range. I’d seen some examples of people using d3.brush to zoom in visuals. I liked the idea of being able to see the results over the course of the season and just being able to click and drag over those I wished to include. You can see where this is going: Brush filters! Here is how the brush filter works: var extent = [0, 10000] // This sets the default range to include // all dates in our dataset svgForm.append(“g”).attr(“class”, “brush”) .call( d3.brushX() // Add the brush feature using the d3.brush // function on the x axis only .extent([[0,0], [formWidth,formHeight]]) // initialise brush area .on(“end”, updateAll) // Each time the brush selection changes, // trigger the ‘updateChart’ function ).lower(); // pushes the brush down a level (behind the dots) function updateAll() { updateChart(xVal,yVal); // Call the update function with current // axis vars updateChart(xVal,yVal); } You have a question. Why am I calling updateChart twice? Frankly, it’s a bit of a workaround. When I use the brush filter, updateChart is called and all proceeds as one might expect. Except if there are dots to be added. The second call appends these fresh dots from the enter selection. Implementing the brush filter means that we need date-level granularity in our dataset. We want to present this data as an aggregate through our final visual. Lesson 4: Grouping data — d3.nest Grouping is actually quite straightforward using d3. You’ll use the following functions regularly. Save yourself a copy so that you can slot them straight into future projects. Anyway, specify a key to group the data by and rollup any fields you’d like to include: //nest main dataset by player var nested = d3.nest() .key(function(d) {return d.Player}) .rollup(function(player) { return player.map(function(c) { return {“Gls”: +c.Gls,’Min’:+c.Min, “xG”: +c.xG,’Ast’: +c.Ast,’xA’:+c.xA, ‘DateParse’: c.DateParse, “Squad”: c.Squad,”P_color”: c.P_color, “S_color”:c.S_color } }); }).entries(records) //input dataset Next, you’ll need to sum the data in each group. Another handy function: //Sum up stats in the nested data function sumStatsScatter(node) { if (node.value) { node.values = node.value; delete node.value; } node.Goals = node.values.reduce(function(r,v){ return r + (v.value? sumStats(v) : v.Gls); },0); node.xG = node.values.reduce(function(r,v){ return r + (v.value? sumStats(v) : v.xG); },0); node.xA = node.values.reduce(function(r,v){ return r + (v.value? sumStats(v) : v.xA); },0); node.Ast = node.values.reduce(function(r,v){ return r + (v.value? sumStats(v) : v.Ast); },0); node.Min = node.values.reduce(function(r,v){ return r + (v.value? sumStats(v) : v.Min); },0); return node.Goals, node.xG,node.Ast, node.xA,node.Min } //Call function on nested data nested.forEach(function(node) { sumStatsScatter(node) }) There’s something missing here — we’re pressing buttons and applying filters and re-grouping data. Where are we doing that? Lesson 5: Try to understand, or at least learn to use, the d3 update cycle The process for updating a d3 viz when applying filters can be confusing at first. It’s worth taking the time to work through some examples and gain some understanding of what’s going on before you sink countless hours of frustration into winging it (à la this guy). Update functions allow us to filter, transition and even redraw components of our visual. That’s powerful. Let’s go through the update cycle of our example step-by-step: //Update function function updateChart(xVal,yVal) { extent = d3.event.selection //used to find selected date range if(!extent){ extent = [0, 10000] //if no date range selected, take all // available } //Filter the dataset on the range selected by the brush filter: var dataFilter = records.filter(function(d) {return d.DateParse >= x.invert(extent[0]) & d.DateParse <= x.invert(extent[1])}) So, our update function has been called. First things first. Get your data in order. Using x.invert(extent…) we can convert our brushed range into a min and max date. Filter your data on these dates and re-group with a fresh call of d3.nest. Next, get those axes in order: find your new data range, redefine your scales and redraw your labels. Here’s a snippet of the x axis update: // Find the new max x/y value. I want both axes to have the same // range, so I find the max of the two axes. var scatterDomMax = d3.max(nestedFilter,function(d){return (d[xVal] / (d.Min/90))})*1.1 > d3.max(nestedFilter,function(d){return (d[yVal]/(d.Min/90))})*1.1 ? d3.max(nestedFilter,function(d) {return (d[xVal] / (d.Min/90))})*1.1 : d3.max(nestedFilter ,function(d){return (d[yVal]/(d.Min/90))})*1.1 // Redefine define x scale var xScale = d3.scaleLinear() .domain([0,scatterDomMax]) .range([margin.left, 400]); // Call your new axis with a transition var xAxis = svgScatter.selectAll(“g.x-axis”) .transition().duration(500) .call(d3.axisBottom(xScale)) // Remove old axis label svgScatter.selectAll(“.scatterLabels”).remove(); // Add new axis label svgScatter.append(“text”) .attr(“class”,”scatterLabels”) .style(“text-anchor”, “end”) .attr(“x”, 405) .attr(“y”, 395) .style(“font-size”,”24px”) .style(“fill”,generalTextColor) .text(xVal + ‘/90’).lower(); // pushes text back so that we can // still hover over dots Finally, let’s talk about the enter-exit-remove update cycle of d3: // Select all of the circles currently on our scatter plot and // update the data source var updatedDots = d3.select(“#scatter-chart”).select(“#svg-”).selectAll(“circle”).data(nestedFilter); // Enter our new data and append any new circles required. updatedDots.enter().append(“circle”); // Remove any circles which no longer have data bound updatedDots.exit().remove(); // We will need to redraw our tooltip with updated data var tooltip = d3.select(“#tooltip”).style(“opacity”,0); // Add a transition to move the dots to their new positions, add // or remove dots as necessary updatedDots .transition() .duration(1000) .attr(“cx”, function (d) { return xScale(d[xVal]/(d.Min/90)); }) .attr(“cy”, function (d) { return yScale(d[yVal]/(d.Min/90)); }) // etc... There’s quite a lot going on there. Let’s break it down step-by-step, as I understand it:

https://medium.com/swlh/dashboards-in-your-browser-lessons-from-working-with-d3-js-c52ec6bffea7

[]

2020-10-10 14:32:17.191000+00:00

['Flask', 'D3js', 'SVG', 'D3', 'Data Visualization']

Best Practices for Data Visualization

Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash Data visualization can seem daunting to a beginner, and the best way to learn is through iteration and practice. However, there are some helpful rules and standards that you can follow to help you create effective data visualizations at work. First, you must create a consistent brand. A consistent personal brand is essential for your team or office. If your team’s data visualizations have a strong brand, your stakeholders can instantly recognize your team’s work. Creating a strong brand over time will help build your team’s credibility and establish your work in the larger organization. Here are some key points you should consider when creating your team’s brand: · Establish Consistent Formatting — You must establish consistent formatting across all reports and dashboards your team produces. To start, many companies have a brand book — these packets give guidelines on specific color schemes, fonts, and logos for you to use. This brand book can be really helpful with first establishing guidelines for your team. · Create a Cohesive Title — Another formatting piece to standardize is the title of your visualization. At my company, we put the logo to the left and the company name, title of the visualization, date, and data source to the right. We also often put a larger title and small description in the top of the visualization as well. This format is just one example and many designs could work great –the most important takeaway is just to keep the design cohesive across your team. Next, decide on which tool you will use to visualize the data. With endless tools out there nowadays, it can be difficult to know which type of software to use for your visualization. Luckily, there are some simple criteria you can follow to help guide you on that decision. · Use Excel for Static Reports — Excel is a great and powerful tool for analyzing your initial data source, but it can also be used for data visualizations. If you need to create a static visualization that will never change, Excel is a great option. Excel is also the best option to use for creating a visually appealing list of data points. For example, if I needed to send a list of customers that signed up from a marketing campaign, I would use Excel. · Create Interactive Dashboards in Power BI and Tableau — A dashboard is the right tool to use if your end user needs to be able to manipulate or analyze the data. Software such as Power BI and Tableau allows users to create interactive dashboards that can tell a great story. You can technically use Tableau and Power BI for static reports if you want a fancier visualization, but the true power lies in the interactivity of these products. If you are a novice to data visualization, I would recommend Power BI over Tableau — Power BI is a Microsoft product, so it will look and feel similar to products you are already used to. It is simpler to use and has a smaller learning curve than Tableau. · Showcase End Results in PowerPoint — Once you have finished analyzing your data, use PowerPoint if you need to tell your stakeholder a narrative. Slides will give you the flexibility to tell a cohesive and interesting story. Lastly, choose your type of data visualization. There is unfortunately no perfect formula for data visualizations, and a lot of your effectiveness will come from practice and learning what works well and what falls flat. However, there are some best practices that will help you choose a specific data visualization tool. · Use line charts for trending data over time · Use bar charts for comparing variables · Use pie/donut charts for showing parts of a whole. I would recommend no more than four slices per pie · Use maps for visualizing physical locations. Heatmaps can show high concentrations of customers or competitors quickly. Bubble maps can show how many particular variables are within a starting point (for example, how many competitors are in the radius of a potential new expansion site?) ·Use tables for showing data lists. Tables are important to use when your stakeholder needs to see clear and detailed data points. ·Finally, make data visualizations as clear and simple as possible. At the end of the day, no one wants to have to take a tutorial on how to use a dashboard or a report.

https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/best-practices-for-data-visualization-d305c8340974

['Avery Somers']

2020-12-11 16:44:28.499000+00:00

['Data Visualization', 'Excel', 'Tableau', 'Power Bi', 'Data']