fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Medium, Not to be a Writer, but to be able to Write
By: Purna Satria Nugraha
Tags: Joy, First Post, Writing, Hope, Support

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

I’ve been using Medium for 2 years, and am only a reader here. Many people say Medium is “Youtube” for writers. It’s a good thing to have a platform for writers, and I find the posts on Medium quite interesting. I am grateful to every writer who wrote something that gave me new knowledge and encouragement. I am always amazed at these writers because in my opinion writing is something that is not easy for some people, especially for me, let alone being able to publish it. I still remember times when I tried to write my poetry and thoughts on Tumblr and left my Tumblr page anonymous, I don’t know why, but I never promoted my page to friends or people closest to me, maybe some know about my writing on Tumblr, but I never asked for feedback or suggestions about my writing, and so I feel that my writing skills are not developing either. Maybe I was shy at the time or too introverted that I also didn’t have much to write about.

Photo by Zishan khan on Unsplash

Yeah, I am an introvert, and I believe I am not a good public speaking person, therefore I want to be able to write so that I can convey my thoughts. With this first post, I hope I can start writing again. Maybe my writing will not be something that can inspire, and be useful for others. I don’t expect to be a writer, I just want to be able to write with fun and courage, and I hope that Medium can be the medium to make it happen.
My first time on Medium
By: Sundaresan Chettiyar
Tags: Technology, About Me, First Post, Introduction, Cybersecurity

“I don’t think this will work out”, I said to myself when I first thought about writing my own blog. But that’s not going to stop me from doing it.

Hi. My name is Sundaresan. I’m a college student pursuing my Bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering. I love technology in general and my particular field of interest is Cyber Security. I’m starting this blog page with the hopes of expressing my knowledge and feelings towards both these topics, to others. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with complicated cryptography or some gadget wizardry. In fact, I have just started learning them too. I’ll give simple explanations and reviews that even someone relatively new to the field can understand. I’ll document and write a blog on each and everything I learn, from beginner to expert (hopefully).

I invite you on a journey with me. I don’t know where I’m going. I can’t tell you if that place is good or bad. But I can promise you this, that the journey we’ll be taking together, it will be beautiful.

So yeah! That’s it about me. Tell me about yourself in the comments and give the posts a clap if you like them. Have a nice day!
Be First
By: Bryant Ferate
Tags: First Post, Gabby Reece, Tools Of Titans, Tim Ferriss

Back in 2017 my best friend and I were reading Tim Ferriss’ book, Tools of Titans and came across such a simple paragraph that impacted how we approach each day moving forward. It is ironic because all this time I remembered the paragraph, meaning, inspiration, impact and how my best friend and I turned it into a game over the years. However, I forgot who had written this simple, yet deep statement; Be First. It is ironic in two ways, for how much I have used it each day since 2017 and because over this past year of COVID I have consistently listened to the Gabby Reece Podcast & interviews where she shares her insight with her guests through conversation. It all comes full circle, it finally hit me at the start of 2021.

In Tools of Titans, she explained this concept of Be First. She stated that she always attempts to go first, even in the most simple ways of saying hello or smiling first when walking down the street. She summarized with this quote.

“Be first, because — not all times, but most times — it comes in your favor.”

The key is not about winning, it is about engaging. Engaging with life and being intentional with how you want to live your life is the key component on how “Be First” can be so impactful. It may not work every time but the majority of the time it puts you in a better situation. From face to face interaction at the coffee shop, to texting to catch up with a friend, or a cold call/email/DM to someone you may look up to. What do you have to lose? Nothing. My best friend and I have turned it into a game, to challenge ourselves to get to the edge and out of our comfort zone. There are even moments where we notice people first (ing) us.

Even the moment of my best friend getting “Be First” tattooed before me.

Be First. Not to say you won, but to open doors of opportunity for conversation, engagement, and experience. Then when you look back you will realize your soul is much more fulfilled and you actually are winning.
10:24 on a Tuesday. Coming soon.
By: The Writer
Tags: Comingsoon, Firstpost

Out of Context is coming soon. Like real soon. Like soon soon. Like after I finish the AP Bio summer assignment soon. Yikes.

This “publication,” as Medium calls it, is very much so still a work in progress, like many of the tasks I start and never finish. I’m working on a nice header for the page, because looks are very much so your first impression, and hopefully, you’ll want to come back. Please do.

Now you might (or might not, doesn’t matter) be wondering why you should even take to heart anything I write. And the answer is, you shouldn’t. You really shouldn’t. I’m just out here throwing some ideas and thoughts onto a Medium draft and maybe, just maybe, publishing it on the Internet. I am by no means an educated person, as in I don’t hold a B.A. in English and I don’t plan on it anytime soon. The only credential that might make me qualified to write is my ability to type English words on a keyboard. I also have terrible grammar, as you probably know having made it this far. Much of my knowledge is based off whatever I read on the Internet, from “books,” and a good deal of Wikipedia. Your English and history teachers already hate me for that.

So, I beg you, please take everything I write with a grain of salt, unless I instruct you otherwise. I’m just as dumb as you, just saying. Take it as you will.

Now, I shall thank you for your time, all the precious time you wasted reading this wall of text. My AP Bio summer assignment isn’t going to do itself, unfortunately, so here I bid you farewell. Stay tuned for the first official wall of thoughts, coming soon on Out of Context.

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A Confusing Time
By: Yessy Marie Realita
Tags: First Post, Storyofmylife, Life Lessons, Confused, Mining

A lot of things can happen in 4 years. I used to be taken by the idea of becoming a field worker where you could be months in the middle of nowhere, then at the end of the day you took that million money and spend it as you like. That was totally me when people asked me what department in university i wanted to choose, and proudly i said “I want to work in mining industry”. I wanted to be part of that industry because i saw what my cousin do, and how much money he made. I studied diligently to achieve that in a particular university that famous for its engineering department.

I got in, not in the main mining industry, but as one of the support department in mining industry. Actually my department can also work in other area that related to data and how to visualize it. Me, a stupid one who felt too proud forget that although it was hard to got into this university, it was totally harder to survive. I played all day in my first semester, and in the end i got a quiet bad score for all of my subject. My parents, a kind of old-school parents, scolded me nonstop while i got home and it continued during the holiday.

The next semester i learnt diligently to get a better mark, and i continuous did that until my last semester. But, during this time i realized i don’t want to work in mining industry. I joined the radio club cause i LOVE to talk. I just love to talk too much until i learn to listen. Then, i learnt designing because i love to learn new things. Then i learnt photography and videography because i interested. And after all of the experience, i can’t say to my parents that i don’t want to work in this industry.

Yup, being the first child in an Asian Family is quiet hard. My parents is becoming too proud as i graduated from that university. Keep pushing me to work in mining industry so i can help them to earn money, while i am still thinking what i want to be. I feel confused right now as i graduated. I don’t know what i want, but i can’t keep thinking without doing anything.

In my free time (like i have a busy one *EVIL LAUGH*), i keep reading Quora on how every person lived in their 20s like me. But in the end, those answer works because that people did it in their on way. Because they know themselves. Probably that’s what i need to know. What kind of person that I want to be. Probably as I can answer that question, I know where will i go.
Wendy’s: Taking beef to the next level?
By: Wafa Amir
Tags: First Post, Social Media, Digisoc1

How Wendy’s established a legendary social media presence and loyal following using a witty online personality

Wendy’s is an American fast-food restaurant founded in 1969 and is currently the third largest burger chain after McDonalds and Burger King. In 2017, the company saw a 49.7% increase in profit from $129.6 million to $194 million in a year and this success can be attributed to their unique ways of social media engagement.

Twitter — How it all began

Wendy’s started displaying a new public attitude on Twitter after a user replied to their tweet referring to the company’s slogan.

This started an entertaining movement of engaging with customers and taking funny jabs at not only McDonalds but Burger King, Wingstop and plenty of others too, leaving no one safe. Most attacks revolved around the topic of frozen beef as Wendy’s claimed to be the only “fresh, never fozen” chain.

Other’s were just hilarious responses.

Keeping up to date with memes, jokes and trends as well as engaging with customers and other restaurants has kept Wendy’s relevant on Twitter.

Twitter — #NuggsforCarter

The Twitter attention and popularity did not stop there. In April, teen Carter Wilkerson started #NuggsforCarter when he tweeted Wendy’s asking for free nuggets which went viral.

His tweet was retweeted over 3.5 million times making it the most retweeted tweet of all time. Through this one small example of audience engagement Wendy’s was able to show a little can go a long way.

Facebook and Instagram

The brand’s Facebook and Instagram accounts tend to be more traditional and focus solely on their actual products, with colourful posts advertising meals and offers. This is a contrast from the laid back playful Twitter persona that initially grabbed everyone’s attention. Carl Loredo, the Vice President of Wendy’s brand and advertising, highlights the difference in their use of these platforms.

“Twitter might be the way you talk to your brother…Facebook might be the way you talk to your mom … so there’s aspects of how far you go. We have to be mindful of the platform. Our voice on Twitter would not work in the world of Instagram.” - Carl Lordeo

Spotify

But wait, there’s more. On March 2018 Wendy’s released a five-track hip hop mixtape titled “We Beefin?”, a reference to their slogan from 1984 “Where’s the beef?”. This was a continuation of their rap battle tweets with restaurant Wingstop and contain’s humorous lyrics again attacking McDonald’s and other restaurants. Wendy’s combined their established diss humour with popular music creating a guaranteed recipe for success. It was popular to the point one of the songs, “Rest in Grease” topped Spotify’s global viral 50 chart.

There’s a lot to learn from Wendy’s about how to create and maintain a successful public online presence. Consistency, interactivity and overall fun are all key factors that play into this effective presence. Not only this but also the use of diverse social media platforms for different purposes and knowing what is appropriate where and when has worked in their favour.
“What unites us is bigger than what divides us”
By: Amjad Jorrz
Tags: Ramadan, First Post, Marketing Campaign, Coca Cola, Campaign

Ramadan is a very special month of introspection for millions of Muslims around the world. It begins with the arrival of the crescent moon in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

In this month, the main peculiarity is that they fast from sunrise to sunset; nobody eats anything, nobody smokes, and sexual intercourse is forbidden. According to their beliefs, this process helps to be aware of the spirituality and needs of the poor.

According to the Quran, the main reason for Ramadan’s fast is to achieve “taqwa” — fear of God. The purpose of fasting is to train Muslims to be humble, patient and spiritual.

For Muslims, Ramadan is a time of great solidarity. It is an extended time of the year when the “ummah” (community) completes to share sacrifices and celebration, they get together, families, friends, and neighbors to share the “Iftar” how its call the dinner to break the fast. Despite the difficulties of the past, it is a time of joy for most Muslims. For many, it is an opportunity to renew their faith, reunite with their families and renovate the devotion to God.

Nowadays content creators are known to skip almost every major holiday, but Ramadan has traditionally been an exception, probably because, as a month dedicated to fasting and self-denial, it represents the exact opposite of most marketing messages.

There is a campaign that I loved since the very first moment that appeared as an ad when I was watching some videos on YouTube; in 2018 Coca-Cola Company launched a very special campaign, a video standing by Muslim consumers during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The video, shows a young Muslim woman in what looks like her daily routine, in a sunny morning, she is running trying to catch a bus, but she missed it, not having more options she decides to walk. Enduring a challenging day at the end she prepares to break the fast with two dates, with the discomfort of fasting, and having to put up with harsh gazes and outright mockery from other people on the street, she awaits the sunset, but suddenly behind her it appears another young lady in sport clothes buying a Coca-Cola, she orders one and when she sees the Muslim girl, she ordered two, she approached and offered the beverage, she seems upset when the Muslim girl accepted but doesn’t drink, until she realizes that she is fasting and decided to wait with her until the sunset, they smile to each other and share the drinks and the dates. The video ends with the message “What unites us is bigger than what divides us.”

This campaign shows racism, inner struggles, and devotion but in the end, it shows kindness and humanity, it also shows us how these unexpected moments have the power to enrich one’s everyday life.

Since it’s posting on Facebook, the video has garnered over 224k views, 4.7k shares, 3.8k reactions and 289 comments at the time of writing.

Check out the video ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqw-ODqbGRo
My first post.
By: Omogbare R. Sikpojie
Tags: First Post, Movies, JavaScript, Software Development

Finally! I have been toying with the idea of opening a medium account for so long but procrastination had always gotten the best of me. Well, not today!

First, a brief intro. I’m a self taught software developer who started coding coding in 2019. Apart from coding (which is really all I do these days), I love music. I will never get tired of listening to Coldplay and Amy Winehouse. I also enjoy watching movies. I think Pulp Fiction is one of the greatest movies ever made.

Okay, so let’s talk briefly about coding. I’m a web developer and I code in Javascript, React, and Node Js. I don’t have a degree in Computer Science so, I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d become a software developer. However, learning how to code has been one of the most exciting things I have done all my life. I love and enjoy doing it, and I hope to make a wonderful career out of coding. My journey into software development will be a story for another day.

What to expect from my subsequent posts? A lot of writing on everything JavaScript and software development in general and other things that I may be interested in. I look forward to sharing with anyone who might be interested, everything I have learnt so far, in the hopes they may find something useful from any of my posts.

That’s all for now…look out for my next post. Stay well!
Here I am
By: Atharva Sune
Tags: I Am New Here, First Post

Well, here I am. I still have no clue what I am going to write about, I am not a really good writer, and I like to read and talk about a lot of topics , so I am still trying to figure out what I am going to write about. Well I’ll start with a introduction, and by the end, hopefully I’ll have it figured out.

Who Am I ?

I am a final year computer science undergrad, currently interning at Amazon. I feel I am a tech / engineering nerd — cars, computers, consumer electronics, AI, quantum computing, planes — I read about them, follow the news related to them, find it fun.

So what do I do ??? Well I am a software developer with interest in app / web development, artificial intelligence and somewhat competitive coding, just starting into it. I do most of my work in JavaScript, Python and Java (for my internship). I am also a beginner photographer, mostly landscapes from my vacations, and trying my hands in other domains as well.

I am interested in a couple other things as well, I read books, fiction non-fiction, watch documentaries, play badminton, and I am also a nerd about watches (a very big nerd), business, startups,

What Will I write about ?

Well, I believe I have a couple topics to choose from, consumer tech, programming stuff, photography, books, watches, a lot of things to write about, not sure now, but will. Why am I doing this, main reason, I am bored, second, writing and sharing my knowledge, will mean I do more research to be correct, and I will have to read more about the topic, so a bonus point 😁.

That’s quite a lot for my first post, given that I maintain very little internet presence.

Let's see where I end up doing this,if I do continue writing.
Nice to Meet You: Who Am I
By: Angie Kawanishi
Tags: First Post, Culture, Japan, Journalism, Software Engineering

It’s good to see you here, my name is Angie Kawanishi. I’m new to this platform, so allow me to introduce myself before I start putting out articles about various subjects:)

In one sentence, I’m a trilingual writer, composer/pianist, and programmer who currently lives in NYC. But there’s so much more to me (as the lyrics to my new musical say).

__________

Let’s talk about why I’m here.

As a former student-journalist and just someone who’s been keeping a journal for more than 10 years, it has become part of my nature to constantly observe and record the culture and people around me. My background of living in 3 countries(Japan, China, US) and being deeply involved in vastly different fields(performing arts, science, journalism) has allowed me to gain some pretty interesting and unique perspectives. While I’m lucky enough to have some of my articles published, the topics were limited to the specific publication that I worked for, which is about scientific research.

My article featured on the cover of FURJ (2019)

A lot of things happened for me this past few months. I composed and musical-directed a brand new musical, I landed a dream internship in software engineering, and I found out I will be moving to Tokyo next year for 5 months. I experienced so many new things in such a short period of time that I lose sleep just thinking about what I saw and what I learned. I write all of my ideas down but I thought: why keep this all to myself and my small circle of friends? I want to share more of my stories with more people, and that’s why I’m here.

So many things in life fascinate me, one of which is culture. I especially have a strange and rather love-hate relationship with the Japanese culture. Since I will be spending some time there soon, I will most likely start with a couple of articles about that. But I will write about anything that I find interesting, including cultural differences between the US and East Asian countries, my experience as a theatre composer vs programmer, or just moving to a new city and learning new languages.

Shot in Kurashiki, Japan (2018)

Now you know me, Let’s stay in touch and I can’t wait to share my stories:)

__________

*If you’re interested in my music, check out my YouTube channel. It has my concert recordings, and the new musical I made!
An Impassioned Rant on Garlic Burn
By: Sharon Monteiro
Tags: Flash Nonfiction, First Post, Writer, Storyofmylife

Okay, so I have figured out this really stupid formula about how I can get myself to write seriously. It requires something traumatic to happen to me so that I can find the inspiration I desire. See, here is my reasoning: I am a naïve, young woman and I have never been known to be passionate about anything. I don’t know what I want and am annoyingly indecisive. None of these qualities sound like those of a hustler. And everything I have known about existence is that if one wants to thrive, they must know how to hustle. Since the notion is too far-fetched for my simple mind, I have decided to capitalize on trauma. But I really just want to talk about my fingers because they are searing.

You can’t see the fingerprints on the tips of my fingers. The skin over there is scaly, the lines on it look like cracks across a fault. I nibble on the skin that peels off. Sometimes they pluck right off, on other times, out of eagerness, I snag the skin a bit too far. And you can see these spots — they are fresh skin and have not felt the kind of pain the frontal defense has dealt with. Clots & cracks cover the tips of my fingers. I look at them as if I admire the work done on them. Skin burnt from peeling garlic and cutting chilies. Burning for hours, dunking in milk, lathering with coconut oil, and submerging in cold water to give my racing heart some relief.

The fingers that assault every eruption on my face and body are now scarred. My scarred fingers still continue to scar my body and garlic continues to scar my fingers. Betrayed by a (vegetable?). Now I will color my markings with ink. Fingers covered with ink are known to be the markings of a prolific writer. So, I guess that makes me a writer who is unfortunately tormented by garlic burn. That’s it, there’s my trauma.

I should probably find some lavender hand cream.
The Unparalleled Experience of Writing My First Book…
By: Nishant Kotai
Tags: First Book, Self Publishing, First Post, Authors, Novela

As the saying goes, there is a first time for everything. To be candid, I never had planned out to venture into writing though I am and was an avid reader. My venturing in the world of storytelling began when I decided to start a YouTube Channel and write short sketches but couldn’t give it enough time and consistency to stick with it. To top that off, the ideas that struck in my mind required a lot of production value i.e. Money! To every aspiring artist, the inability to mold their stories in a tangible form often leads to frustration and their brainchild remains locked in the corners of their minds and then eventually vanishes if not channel towards an outcome.

Such was the case with me that due to some or the other petty hurdles my wish to see my stories in action used to take a backseat and all I was left with were some diaries full of concepts, ideas and stories that I was itching to share. Unaware of the fact that I was in some way shape or form becoming a writer (not bragging) and had written short stories. Gradually I began to expand my horizon of thinking and began to shed down the mental limitations of budget, time and place for my stories to be converted in a form of video and asked myself ‘What if I had all the money in the world to make a movie? What stories would I like to share?’. That blasted open some unknown floodgates in the depths of my brain and then within a span of 2 months I wrote my first Novella ‘The Cohesion’ which is available on Amazon.

The only thing I wish to genuinely convey to the people reading this is that please do act on your most dearest and most important project which you have been conscious about. There is absolutely no reason to be your creations stay in a closet of obscurity and there are people out there looking for content to absorb. I say this only because I had a plethora of self doubts about taking this initiative and my inhibitions got the best of me majority of the times delaying the inevitable release of my urge to put my creation forward for the world to see.

There will be criticism along the way and for a long while there won’t be any direct feedback but I firmly believe whatever one creates is better than just an after thought to be kept hidden. Hope that this helps anyone who is reading this to follow through on your shelved projects and put your insecurities to rest, once and for all!
I Didn’t do it as a teen, but as 2020 has reignited my goth phase, I’ve started a blog.
By: Sam Rhodes
Tags: First Post, Tour, Comedian, Comedy

I Didn’t do it as a teen, but as 2020 has reignited my goth phase, I’ve started a blog. Sam Rhodes Sep 21, 2020·2 min read

In darkness I sit, consumed by rage and sadness….. Not really, I’m sitting in my PJs in a lovely apartment in Russia, eating biscuits and waiting for my puppet I left in the back if a cab to be returned. I have decided to start writing things down, in the dream that one day these diaries will be as popular as Peeps or Palin, but I think we both know it’s much more likely that they’ll be lost in time, or I will simply forget them like so many of my other weird fanciful projects. I’m gonna finish that Opera one day, I swear….

I am on tour. words I feared I’d never say again. 2020 has been damn hard for comedians, and when the offer of some slots abroad came in I jumped at the chance. My thinking on getting infected with covid went from ‘We all must stay inside and stay safe’ to ‘I must perform or else I will EXPLODE’ in about 3 months. So, I packed my bags, put on my mask, and out I came.

The Russian response to the virus is largely ‘Lets just all pretend it isn’t real’ and at the moment it seems much better than the UK. people are OUT. People are drunk, and people want to have fun, see friends and party. My initial reservation was very quickly forgotten after a few pints and personable friendly live interaction became as easy as it used to be in very short order. The first show was like magic, a full venue and the loud roar of the crowd as I took the stage gave me an adrenaline boost that kicked me straight out of the depression I’d been dealing with in the last few months. I am a massive attention whore. I don’t need therapy, or even acceptance. I just want people to look at me while I dick about, sometimes with a puppet, then I’m happy.

What I love most about shows and travelling is the way it connects you to new people. The best part of any new friendship is the ‘Getting to know you’ phase, and I love the chance to do that again and again with people from all over the world. Connection is what drives me, either through music, art, or conversation, there’s nothing I love more than meeting someone I have something in common with, having a laugh, having a beer, and seeing where the conversation takes us. The time locked in my flat alone over the past 6 months took that experience away from me, and without this, I’m not ever truly myself.

I thought it was the performance I missed, but as it turns out, it was the people.
3 weird things about my first job after college!
Tags: First Post, Jobs, Life Lessons, Weird, Girls

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

It has been 3 months since I started my first job and I have a plethora of thoughts about this situation. I can’t believe that eighteen years of conventional education has come to an end. It feels so overwhelming, happy and sad at the same time.

Though I am adapting to this big change, there are some things that feel more alien to me than others,

Income

For the past 21 years of my life, I have been the most dependent daughter on earth. Not to mention, lazy, rebel and annoying daughter too. Shout out to my parents for putting up with me till date!

Having a regular income is great and all. But, it becomes frustrating when you don’t know how to manage it. No prizes for guessing that I drained every last rupee of my first month’s salary. The second month was not that bad. At the end of the third month, my account was almost left untouched. The trick here is not about spending less. But, saving more! I am still learning about saving, investing and spending. I would love to hear any tips you guys might have!

Commuting

I used to go by college bus to college for the past 4 years. Though it’s not a very luxurious bus journey, I almost always had a seat reserved for me. The one and half hour long journey to my college was the ideal sleeping time for me. I don’t understand why I used to complain so much about this wonderful commuting set up.

Because the present is way bitter. I go by local train. Getting space to stand is difficult, leave alone getting seats to sit. Don’t get me started on catching the train on time. Public transports are not easy. But, on the flip side, I think it’s a whole new experience. The other day at the train, I saw a very old couple playing Ludo in their smartphone for the entire journey. They were laughing and teasing each other the whole time. It was adorable. Every commute like this one has something interesting.

Lots of free time

This is definitely a good thing. I was very preoccupied during my college as well as school days. I had lab calculations to do, assignments to submit, exams to study and results to fear. There was always so much work to do that I didn’t bother allocating some me-time for myself. I don’t remember having a hobby at all.

Now, it has all changed, for good. 80% of the days I complete my work at the office itself. Weekends are off. So, that leaves me with plenty of time. I have started reading books again. I am trying gym, learning to drive and oh, started writing too!
A Long-Delayed First Post, By Me
By: Ljubica Simonova
Tags: First Post

A self-explanatory title at its finest.

You would think that by now, someone like me who’s claiming to be in love with writing and even made some sort of career out of it would be all over Medium, right?

Well, you’re wrong. But, better late than never.

This expression is, I assume, mostly used by people who perhaps, did something important later in life. Or find out about something or tried something for the first time later in life.

I’m one of those people. This expression has become one of my favorite ones for multiple reasons which I won’t discuss right now.

Right now, this is the only thing I’ll share.

The birth of this post has happened after I decided I need some break from every job ad, every open call, LinkedIn, Jobrack, Guru, Upwork, Glassdoor or every other network for job seekers.

I was just sitting in front of my laptop, feeling sorry for myself and my eyesight. It was one of those days when you wish you can throw your computer through the window and never look back.

I’m not going to do that, of course — I have few gorgeous cats under my window outside and I don’t want to hurt them.

Right now, the rational me decided not to throw this one. Reality check, there’s no other way for me to make money so I can afford my skincare products. Among other things, like food and paying the bills.

I decided that it might be good to take a break from everything and just write. Just pause from whatever I was going to do and just write, like the writer I am or trying to be.

And here I am.

Welcome to my first post on Medium.

You will learn absolutely nothing in this post. I don’t have any lesson to share, any life-changing experience to talk about, nothing valuable to read.

Not for now.

Until then, thanks to everyone who spent 2 minutes of their precious time to read this and not regret it.

I know that at least my sister won’t regret it, so thanks, sis. The rest of you, we’ll meet again, here.

Take care.

P.S. Here’s a picture of me walking in my favorite city, Ohrid, for no apparent reason.
It’s scary to start, but here I am. ⁣EN/ES
By: Sima Shine
Tags: First Post, Coach, Self Development, Personal Growth, Spanish

My name is Sima, I want to teach you what I learned in the past couple of years.

Three years ago, I left the comforts and the security of my house in Uruguay to embark in an adventure in the world. Today I live in Barcelona — after going through 15 countries and more than 50 cities — working online, living every day as I want and being true to myself. In this time, I grew exponentially, changing my mentality and vision and reaching a potential I had not imagined before.

I realized that I am passionate about inspiring and helping others understand their goals and follow them. With the support of my tools and coaching techniques, I would love to see how you reach your potential and you become the person you want to be while following your dreams.

Every day is an opportunity to become better, to grow and give back. This is your chance to shine brighter.⁣

⁣

🇪🇸 Da miedo empezar, pero acá estoy.

Mi nombre es Sima y quiero enseñarte lo que aprendí el último par de años.

Tres años atras deje las comodidades y seguridad de mi casa en Uruguay para embarcarme en una aventura en el mundo. Hoy vivo en Barcelona -después de pasar por 15 países y más de 50 ciudades- trabajando online, viviendo cada día como quiero y siendo fiel a mi misma. En este tiempo pude crecer exponencialmente cambiando mi mindset y visión y asi alcancé un potencial que no hubiera imaginado antes.

Me dí cuenta que me apasiona inspirar y ayudar a otros a entender sus metas y seguirlas. Con el apoyo de mis herramientas y técnicas de coaching me encantaría ver cómo alcanzas tu potencial y te convertís en la persona que queres ser siguiendo tus sueños.

Cada día es una nueva oportunidad para mejorar, crecer y dar. Esta es tu chance de shine brighter!

¿Te unís al cambio?

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ABDUL SATTAR EDHI- a true inspiration
Tags: First Post, Edhi

ABDUL SATTAR EDHI- a true inspiration

From where i should start writing for this man , whose whole life cant be summarize in even a book , whose whole life idol for the all the humans. the man is actually the role model for all of us, that how he served his whole life people selflessly. the phrase ‘ make your head down and working high’ is the perfect line to describe the Edhi Sb whole life circle.the way he started his life career as a street hawker, as cloth merchant and various low bussiness we cant even image , the lively hoods that can barely help to fill someones own belly , but this man while doing these journeys did nt stop in helping the poor.

WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY is the key that helped him in achieving his goals. starting from the dispensery for the medical aid for the people and then buying an ambulance for the medical assistance , he at last build the worlds largest private medical assistance platform.

Meanwhile in the whole journey he was so confident in his faith he would make difference in the peoples life . he would make a change in the life of the downtrodden people. All the way he has faith that his journey would some how will become a glory for the other people and would urge other people in this phase to help those who it badly. ‘KHUDI’ that edhi was confide helped him to fulfill his journey.

From his whole life journey one can extract the idea of the self confidence and khudi. Like if someone is actually willing to do something , and he thinks that would make a difference he just have to take step , work hard on it and then stick to your path , then Allah will help you out make your ways easy and help you to achieve something great in life.
What is a Product and why UX is important?
By: Harshwardhan Parmar
Tags: User Experience, Product Management, First Post, Product

Product Experience largely consists of the customer's journey right from the start i.e. from the vendor, the unique product packaging, and of course the product itself, product experience can be in two different ways it can be Micro UX or Macro UX, now the difference between these two is that one focuses on the product as a whole and the other focuses on the small, minute details which would improve the user experience.

There are many big FMCG, and retail sector companies doing business before the internet era, though some of them must have failed to continue and the main reason for this to happen is them not adapting and improvising according to what the customers want. Let’s take an example of Heinz company established in the year 1869, still doing business, reason? The company is giving the consumer what they need, whereas experience is giving them the product they want with some additional tweaks as per the consumer needs giving a unique way for the customer to use that product now this doesn’t seem much but could be a lot to the customer. Experience can also be described as the minimum steps taken by the customer to achieve the goal or the amount of stress reduced in the process.
Regarding experiencie in pedagogy, a short review from Larrosa
By: Juan Montoya
Tags: The Matl Upb Chronicles, First Post, Matlupbchronicles, Matlupb, Doctor Berry

When one decides to define the concept of experience, the first thing one might think about is the ability to do whatever labor properly, using the knowledge adquired through making that over and over. However, this commentary seeks to approach to the concept from a pedagogyc perspective. For this, Jorge Larrosa fits perfectly in this requirement.

He points out in “The experience of reading” (2003), that current pedagogy is actually a pseudo-pedagogy, a term that he uses to refer to the pedagogical model of ‘logic and memory’, which is directly associated with the characteristics imposed on all areas of knowledge through the scientific method; consequently, the usual objectivity of these sciences directly affects the way in which the humanities are conceived in the school. The fact that this is how the formation process develops, produces a gap of other aspects that form the knowledge and subjectivity of the students. The experience, which is lived through reading or speech; forces teachers to have the ability to be careful and accurate when interacting with students; thus, one teacher have to educate for critical thinking and show coherence between their words and actions. Discursive elements are generators of experience, because they allow the subject to form and transform their subjectivity through the interpretation that each subject gives to the different learning periods. Due to this, the experience cannot count on the objectivity and homogeneity that science possesses, on the contrary, it is and will always be formatively different for each subject.

As it has been discussed previously, experience is needed not only for learning but also for formative purposes. We all are made of experiences, and as teachers we are pontential producers of them in our students’ subjectivity.
Barak Berkowitz on Inside Ideas
By: Marc Buckley
Tags: Mit Media Lab, Technology, Global Goals, Sdgs, Future

Barak Berkowitz on Inside Ideas

Today’s guest on Inside Ideas is Barak Berkowitz. Barak is the Director of Operation and Strategy at MIT Media Lab as well as the founder of MarketCentrix, a consumer strategy consultancy for tech companies.

Barak started his tech career at Macy’s, running the world’s first large-scale consumer computer store chain. He now consults to start-ups, VCs and large companies. Past clients have included, Digital Garage, Apple, Sony, Fujifilm, Polycom and many others. Barak also serves as an investor and advisor to many start-ups including LittleBits, New Context, Improbable and Quixey.

Over the last 25-plus years Barak has served in a number of consumer technology leadership roles. Most recently he was CEO of Evi, the virtual personal assistant that was acquired by Amazon.Com and is the intelligence in Alexa. Prior to Evi, Barak was the Managing Director of Wolfram Alpha, the revolutionary answer engine. He also was Chairman and CEO of Six Apart, the global leader in blogging, Cofounder and President of OmniSky, the wireless internet innovator that went public in 2000, EVP and General manager of the Go Network, the Disney owned web portal and EVP and General Manager of Logitech. Prior to Logitech Barak spent over 9 years at Apple USA and Apple Japan in a number of roles leading consumer-marketing programs.

Article from INNOVATORS MAGAZINE

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Dave Borlace on Inside Ideas
By: Marc Buckley
Tags: Plastic Recycling, Renewables, Sdgs, Future, Just Have A Think

Dave Borlace on Inside Ideas

Dave Borlace is my guest on Inside Ideas. Born just four months before man first landed on the moon back in 1969, Dave Borlace has been conscious of environmental issues since studying for a Technology Degree with the Open University in the late 1990s.

In early 2017 Dave read a seminal book called ‘A Farewell to Ice’, written by the arctic research scientist Professor Peter Wadhams. That book was an epiphany that set Dave off on a quest to create climate communication videos that aim to decode the sometimes overwhelmingly complicated and confusing scientific information around climate change, with the objective of explaining the concepts in the sort of plain English that everyday folks can understand.

His YouTube channel, Just Have a Think, now has over 100,000 subscribers. And through his weekly videos, Dave seeks to understand the issues that face our civilisation in the 21st Century and focuses on the potential solutions that will save as many lives as possible and hopefully bring about a greater level of equality in the world.

Article from INNOVATORS MAGAZINE

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The Future of Coworking is Sustainable
By: Cathy Xiao Chen
Tags: Business, Sdgs, Innovation, Sustainability

In the wake of the pandemic, consumers are now demanding more sustainable products and services. But what does that mean for your brand?

Consumers have long displayed a frustrating paradox – a report from 2019 revealed that sixty-five percent said that they would buy from purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, while only twenty-six percent actually did so. Eco-friendly products are often viewed as luxury items due to the higher price tag and corporations that throw around terms like organic and green, purely from a marketing standpoint, have succeeded in watering down the meaning behind those terms to an extent where consumers may now view sustainability claims as being deceptive.

One of the side-effects of the pandemic, is that consumers are becoming more “woke” and displaying stronger convictions when it comes to buying from companies that align with their values. According to the 2020 Consumer Culture Report published by 5WPR, eighty-three percent of Millennials say it’s important for the companies they buy from to align with their beliefs and values while two-thirds have actively boycotted a company they have previously purchased from due to their stance on an issue. Younger generations are also increasingly influenced by external sources such as social media, role models, and celebrity endorsements.

But it’s not only the strategic decisions of your company that affect how your brand is viewed. When you’re operating a sustainable business that drives positive social or environmental change, it’s important to remember that the choices you make as a business professional also reflect directly on the values that you communicate through your brand.

So what does this mean for your brand as demand for sustainable products and services continues to grow? In order to remain competitive, companies will need to become more transparent about their supply chains and partners. And for the working environment, this means that the future of coworking is sustainable as companies transition towards the new economy. Brands that share office space will need to align themselves with coworking spaces that support their values for creating positive environmental impact. Authenticity here is key, and intentional choices with full transparency will drive home that message to your customers.

Impact Hub Stockholm has made a commitment to become certified Climate Neutral in 2021. Climate action has always been high on our agenda, and despite the financial challenges handed to us over the last year, we have made the decision to continue investing in reaching the goal of becoming the first Climate Neutral coworking space in Sweden.

Together with German company CO2-positiv! we will undertake an assessment of our impact from scope 1 – 3 based on data from 2020 to discover what our emissions were and to identify the areas that can continue to be improved upon. Our long-term goal is to reach Net Zero, meaning we aim to become Climate Positive, and like everything else we do, we hope to create a better world for the generations to come.
Corruption in health services is damaging development
By: Transparency Int L
Tags: Corruption, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Healthcare

Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all is vital for the development of individuals and societies. Corruption can undermine health services and make this very difficult to achieve.

Improving health is key to achieving almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nation’s targets for ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring peace for all by 2030. Without good health, children can’t access education and adults can’t work. Climbing out of poverty becomes more difficult, as does reducing inequalities.

Embezzlement in Honduras

Honduras is among the poorest and most violent countries in the world, plagued with widespread corruption that affects almost every area of peoples’ lives. This includes their ability to access quality health services.

Marixa Ramírez ran Honduras’ central medication warehouse — the national medicine and healthcare supplies distributor — for 26 years until 2013.

That’s when the Asociación por una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ), Transparency International’s Honduran chapter, received allegations of widespread corruption in the warehouse through its Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre.

A week after ASJ presented its report and a formal complaint to the government, the Minister of Health ordered a thorough investigation.

In 2017, Ramírez was convicted of seven counts of embezzlement by the Sentencing Tribunal of Tegucigalpa, while other staff were also implicated. Not only did their fraud cost the state millions of dollars; it denied citizens access to the medication they needed.

ASJ acted as an official observer during the judicial process to make sure it was fair. It also influenced a systemic change: an independent trust has been appointed to manage the distribution of medication in Honduras. Alongside two other civil society organisations, ASJ has been tasked with monitoring the trust’s work.

Tackling corruption through the Sustainable Development Goals

Corruption in health services, like this case in Honduras, costs lives and undermines Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health. We need institutions that uphold good governance, rule of law and democracy, as they reduce opportunities for corruption and hold the corrupt to account.

To achieve this, governments should support peace, justice and strong institutions in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 — which addresses corruption — and should annually review Goal 16’s progress at the Sustainable Development Goals High Level Political Forum.

Transparency International’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres provide free legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption. Find out more at www.transparency.org/reportcorruption. ASJ’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre is partly funded by Global Affairs Canada under the IMPACT Grant.