fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Using the Internet of Energy for Long-Term Gains
By: Irene Sun
Tags: Investment, Solar Energy, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, Bitcoin

KiWi New Energy will develop smart solar grids in the world’s fastest-developing solar energy markets, such as China, India and Southeast Asia, to build an Internet of Energy (IoE) network.

The IoE network makes investing in solar energy projects easy, safe and efficient. You don’t have to deal with lengthy bureaucratic procedures or complicated investment processes. We cut the red tape!

Our contributors will not be bothered with project operation and maintenance problems either. KiWi helps our contracted project developers solve mid to long-term project development challenges, upfront capital requests and financing needs.

Using the IoE infrastructure, we’re planning to develop more than 500MW of solar power capacity over the next 5 years. These projects can deliver up to 10% returns for 20–25 years!

All power purchase agreements will be guaranteed by government feed-in tariff policies. It means your income will not be affected by fluctuations in electricity prices.

You can be a part of KiWi’s coming explosive growth and make long-term profits by investing in our solar energy projects through our KiWi Tokens. Holders of Kiwi Tokens will receive a profit that is proportional to the amount of tokens held in a fair and transparent way.

Moreover, we will conduct twice-yearly KiWi Token buybacks to ensure that its value increases over the long term, protecting our investors. That, combined with government feed-in tariff guarantees, means that investing in Kiwi New Energy is a safe and easy way to ensure up to 10% gains over a period of more than two decades.

KiWi New Energy aims to revolutionize the way people invest in green energy by making solar investment easy for everyone. Unlike conventional solar energy companies, who look for large investors, we crowdsource solar projects. The income of investors will be distributed through our brand new cryptocurrency, the KIWI Token; this helps us cross borders, as well as help participants avoid lengthy bureaucracy. Our highly lucrative solar projects are ideal for investors who want to make the world a cleaner and better place.

To learn more about us and our investment opportunities, click here. Follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.
Assumptions and failures: why Quibi didn’t make it?
By: Dolly. Y
Tags: Research, False Assumptions, UX Design, UX Research, Quibi

Back in April, I remember seeing an ad for a new TV series starring actress, Sophie Turner, on one of the social media platforms. The show is going to premiere on a new video-streaming App — Quibi, a subscription-based, short-form video streaming App that generates content for viewing on mobile.

On December 1st, 7 months after going live, Quibi shut down its streaming service. When I started my project about studying assumptions and failures in the research. This App Came up to my mind. According to media analysts and news, Quibi was wrong about a few things when they started:

People need a new way to consume short-form, premium content on their mobile devices

Quibi initially wanted to create high-quality but short content for people to watch on-the-go. It also means that content on Quibi has to break things up into chunks for people to consume. For people who like to binge-watch their favorite shows in three days, They might find content on Quibi disrupting — Why not use a “pause” button while watching a movie or TV show? The fact that people like to watch fun, short-form, user-generated videos on TikTok does not mean that they want to watch everything on mobile only. In addition, it is already difficult to create high-quality but short content within a short period of time. Pandemic also hurt the business by making people change their lifestyle and stay home most of the time. Without the need to go outside or commute, people are able to stay home for a longer time and watch those high-quality content (movies and shows)on their TV screens. Quibi’s mobile-only model failed to adapt to people’s new lifestyle.

2. People are willing to pay to watch the content on mobile

In such a competitive space where streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+…etc) and social media are generating lots of different types of content every day. You have to be exceptional and unique enough for people to pay. People are already “used to” watching those short clips and videos for free, for many years. While TikTok, Instagram, and other social media provide free access for people to view short-form video content, Quibi struggles to find a way to generate premium content and attract their audience to make them subscribe.

In conclusion, these wrong assumptions on how people consume content, how they use their primary devices, and, unfortunately, how people’s lifestyles have changed during the pandemic led to Quibi’s failure. Truly understanding your target users and audiences is always the key.
Let it Bleed
By: Michael Madill
Tags: Political, Poetry, Election 2020, Poem, Racism

Photo by aladdin hammami on Unsplash

You’ll hear it spoken, up my way,

Since we whitewashed our election day,

It’s time to break those feet of clay.

And let the chips fall where they may.

Stupid is as stupid does,

And listen closely, please, because

The worst advice there ever was

Said, “Stand up proudly. Trust the laws.”

Laws won’t help you, this time ‘round.

Listen for the awful sound,

Of righteous fury, sprung, unwound,

As we pull the temple to the ground.

See, white folks would rather blame someone

Than face up to the harm they’ve done.

Preferring darkness to an accusing sun.

You keep your head down ’til the shooting’s done.
Summery
By: Anastasia Summersault
Tags: Poetry, Self, Summer, Love, Nostalgia

our knees, bitten by honeypot ants,

we will stain with the brilliant green

splashing the table, covered with oilskin

and recently washed up plates.

I will cover your eyes with my palms,

and the sun will curl up at our feet.

The tea will be nice. Yesterday’s tea,

And you will call me your little one.

it’s not at all worth being worried about,

and those ants — there’s no pain after all.

if only you and I could get out and forever be gone,

oh if only.
Weekly News Roundup (10/22/19)
By: Parul Gujral
Tags: Cryptocurrency News, Cryptocurrency, Crypto, Bitcoin

Welcome to our Snowball cryptocurrency media digest. Here we will provide you with regular updates on trending news from the blockchain and crypto space.

This week in crypto:

One to watch - The UNICEF Crypto Fund: The United Nations Children’s Fund recently launched a new fund called the Cryptocurrency Fund. The purpose of the fund is to allow the non-profit to accept donations of Bitcoin and Ether, hold those donations in crypto, and then empower the organization to send Bitcoin and Ether to those in need. Read more.

Fed balance sheet approaches $4T: The Fed Just Printed More Money Than Bitcoin’s Entire Market Cap.

QE refers to the buying up of government bonds in order to provide economic stimulus. The Fed’s balance sheet, jumped from $3.77 trillion last month to $3.97 trillion. Read more.

Trump’s Former Fed Pick Stephen Moore Announces Cryptocurrency to Compete With Central Banks: Earlier this year, President Trump nominated Stephen Moore, an outspoken economist, and former campaign adviser, to join the Federal Reserve and help manage the nation’s currency. The nomination fell short, however, and now Moore has decided to manage a different sort of currency: A digital “stablecoin” called Frax. On Tuesday, Moore and his partners will formally announce plans for the coin, which will be pegged to the U.S. dollar so that its value will be more stable — hence its stablecoin moniker — than other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Read more.

Facebook’s Libra Is ‘Neat Idea That’ll Never Happen,’ Dimon Says: Count the chief of the biggest U.S. bank among doubters of Facebook’s effort to create a cryptocurrency. “It was a neat idea that’ll never happen,” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said on a panel at a conference hosted by the Institute of International Finance in Washington. Dimon said the idea wasn’t particularly unique and pointed to his own firm’s stablecoin, JPM Coin. Read more.

CFTC Chair Says Ether Futures ‘Likely’ in 2020: Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Heath Tarbert believes the crypto world will see ethereum futures contracts sometime in 2020. Speaking at Georgetown University in a fireside chat during the first day of DC Fintech Week, Tarbert told moderator Chris Brummer that he “absolutely” believes ether futures could trade in the next six to 12 months. “I’d say it is likely that you would see a futures contrast in the next six months to a year,” he told Brummer, though he cautioned that simply launching a futures contract isn’t the be-all and end-all. Read more.
10.11 Presidential Social Intelligence Battleground Tracker — Aggregate Support Gained/Lost
By: Adam Meldrum
Tags: Social Listening, Joe Biden, 2020 Presidential Race, Donald Trump

10.11 Presidential Social Intelligence Battleground Tracker — Aggregate Support Gained/Lost

A pulse of how potential voters in battleground states are discussing the Presidential candidates

Please read the background post on this project if it is your first time reading.

Past posts:

— Our initial dataset from the week of 7.3 was detailed here.

— Data from the week of 7.11 was detailed here

— Data from the week of 7.19 was detailed here.

— Aggregate data to date through 8.14 was detailed here

— Language data from the weeks of 8.07 & 8.14 was detailed here

— Aggregate data through 8.25 was detailed here.

— Language data from 8.21–8.28 was detailed here

— Language data from 8.28–9.04 was detailed here

— Aggregate data through 9.5 was detailed here

— Language data from 9.04–9.11 was detailed here

— Aggregate daily support gained/lost data through 9.17 was detailed here

— A first look at Supreme Court Data was detailed here

— A deeper dive into Supreme Court Data was detailed here

— A language comparison between voters in NC and FL was detailed here

— An overview of the pre-debate top issues was detailed here

— Aggregate daily support gained/lost data through 9.30 was detailed here

— Post debate issues and sentiment were detailed here

— Trump’s COVID diagnosis and recent campaign issues flow was detailed here

— A language analysis of data from 9.25–10.2 was detailed here

Battleground States in our Analysis: AZ, CO, FL, IA, ME, MI, MN, NV, NH, NC, PA, TX, WI

Date Source: All data is publicly available and anonymized for our analysis from Twitter, Facebook, Online Blogs, & Message Boards.

Technology Partners: Eyesover & Relative Insight
How to Mitigate the Stress of Flying While Trans
By: National Center For Transgender Equality
Tags: Security, Travel, LGBTQ, Airports, Transgender

The airport security process brings scrutiny onto the bodies, belongings, and identity documents of all passengers. Such an intense focus on how people look, what they are carrying, and how their appearance compares to their documentation can be stressful for many people.

This invasive process has a particular impact on trans people — especially trans people who also belong to other groups that commonly come under suspicion in the airport security process, such as some Middle Eastern or South Asian trans people.

Source: 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey

Discrepancies between how trans people look and what shows up on their identity documents or on the results of a body scanner can lead to harassment and discrimination.

Simply preparing for the possibility of such mistreatment is a stressful process that many transgender people go through before getting to the airport; that said, most of the time, transgender people can proceed through security without incident.

Regardless, it never hurts to know how to mitigate any potential issues and to be prepared to respond to problems at the airport.
#TrollTracker: Criminal Complaint Filed Against Russian Troll Farm
Tags: Troll Tracker, Politics, Media, Government, Social Media

On October 19, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint against the Russian woman accused of acting as chief accountant of a number of entities including the Internet Research Agency, also known as the “troll farm” in St. Petersburg.

The troll farm carried out a covert influence campaign targeting the U.S. from 2014 to 2018, including the 2016 presidential election. It worked across social media to promote divisive, inflammatory, and politically charged content, widening America’s social and political divides.

Much has been reported on the troll farm, and credit is due to researchers and journalists, especially investigative journalists in Russia.

The criminal complaint against Elena Khusyaynova, based on an affidavit by FBI Special Agent David Holt, provides startling new granularity on the troll farm’s operation and funding. The complaint also provides new examples of the troll farm’s editorial policy, which included extremely nuanced and intimate understanding of American society, politics, and the vulnerable divisions within.

Catering Connections

The criminal complaint contends that Khusyaynova served as the chief accountant for an effort called “Project Lakhta”.

The complaint explained her role in detail.

She managed the budgeting and payment of expenses associated with social media operations, web content, advertising campaigns, infrastructure, salaries, travel, office rent, furniture, and supplies, and the registration of legal entities used to further Project Lakhta activities.

Project Lakhta was an umbrella organization that incorporated a number of separate legal entities, including the Internet Research Agency and other companies. The main companies that Project Lakhta billed to were Concord Management and Consulting, LLC and Concord Catering. While it may seem strange for a catering company to be in the media and influence business, it is owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin was indicted in a case entitled United States of America v. Internet Research Agency brought forward on February 16, 2018 by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In fact, on the same day that her colleagues were originally indicted, Khusyaynova billed an additional amount to Concord of approximately 15 million Russian rubles ($250,000 USD) for Project Lakhta.
Why You Should Make This Version of French Onion Soup
By: Mark Bittman
Tags: Food, Recipe, French Onion Soup

A few things: 1) It’s officially wintry enough in my world that I want to start talking about hot soup. Sorry, Phoenix. 2) Despite the headline, I have nothing against French onion soup, at least in theory.

What I am against is that the majority of restaurants that serve this dish, or used to, when we could go to restaurants, would have you believe that its most important component is a piece of toast blanketed in gooey cheese. If that were the case it should be called “open-face bread nacho with onion sauce” or something equally backward.

There’s nothing wrong with a crisp crouton and melty Gruyère (nothing at all!), but more often than not, the actual soup part of onion soup is kind of an afterthought (too sweet, not flavorful enough, basically a letdown, especially after you’ve dispatched of the cheesy bread part).

So, here’s my version, which prioritizes pulling as much flavor as possible out of the title character: onions. Maybe the reason that meh French onion soup remains viable is that making a good version yourself is a process that can’t be rushed. Properly caramelizing onions takes easily an hour; kind of no way around it. And homemade stock, if you’re going that route, takes time too. Beef stock is classic for this soup, but I often prefer a rich vegetable stock with a few dried mushrooms added to the mix.

Whichever you choose, if your onions are deeply browned and your stock is full of flavor, your soup will be really good. Good enough that you can even get away with skipping the bread and cheese, even if that would be un-American.
Get a result-oriented SEO plan from the top consultant
By: Sajiv Kumar
Tags: Synapseinteractive, Seo Consultant, Seo Consulting Services, Hire Seo Consultant, Seo Experts

Do you want to see your business at the top of the Google search results but lack an effective search engine optimization strategy? SEO consulting services offered by SynapseInteractive give your business an assured competitive advantage in the Google search results. We analyze your website for improvement areas and create a customized plan that helps you to outclass your competitors and earn high ROI in just a few months. Our experienced SEO consultants are well-versed with the latest updates of Google and they use ethical methodologies to deliver the desirable results. Contact us to avail a tailored SEO package for your website.

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Learn more: SEO Consulting Services PPT or SEO Consulting Services Video
The Ultimate Guide on the Data Science MicroMasters Programs on edX 2020 / 2021
By: Isabelle Flückiger
Tags: Machine Learning, Data Science Courses, Edx, Online Courses, Data Science

The Ultimate Guide on the Data Science MicroMasters Programs on edX 2020 / 2021

Which of the 6 programs should you choose?

Photo by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are today a valuable alternative for learning data science.

Not only beginners but also data science veterans are doing MOOCs — like myself.

I am a part-time lecturer on master’s level programs and familiar with many lectures worldwide, and I regularly assess online courses.

Not a few students do in parallel MOOCs in the data science field. These are mostly students from other disciplines that are moving into that area, and for them, it is a fast and flexible way to fill the gap in basics while attending lectures on the master’s level.

So, they often ask me for advice which MOOCs would be best suited for their individual situation.

There are pros and cons to each MOOC. The fact is that with MOOCs alone, you cannot become a data scientist. You need practical experience and exchange with and mentorship from veterans. But it is a convenient way to get access to high-quality education and a fast path to fill gaps.

My observation is that the MOOCs’ quality is increasing steadily, and you have a growing choice of online programs. So, it becomes essential to find the individually right program.

Another question is if you should get a certificate or not. My personal opinion is that when you anyway will get a degree on a graduate level, and it only serves as a possibility to fill gaps, it is not necessary to take a certificate. If it shows additional knowledge that you would otherwise not have, go for a certificate. Benjamin Obi Tayo, Ph.D. has an excellent summary of the consideration for certifications.

Comparing the many different platforms is not a simple task; even the comparison of the many various programs on one platform is tricky for a data science beginner.

Our university is part of the edX platform, so it is the choice of many of our students. For that reason, I am most familiar with the course offered there.

In this guide, I focus on the so-called MicroMasters programs on the edX platform.

A MicroMasters program consists of a series of graduate-level courses, including corresponding assignments, exams, and practical projects. The average length is about one year, with an effort of about 10 hours per week. It corresponds to around 25% of a full master’s program, and the earned credits can be transferred to designated online or on-campus master’s programs.

So, MicroMasters programs are not only a convenient way of gaining relevant and high-quality education but also a way of testing your delight in full graduate education.
Storiqa Vendors: Who They Are
Tags: Unique, Ecommerce, Cryptocurrency, Stqmarket, Storiqa

We got used to people buying STQ for trading on exchanges or purchasing some stuff but it’s time to meet some special people who are interested in selling their goods on Storiqa! They are definitely looking forward to our crypto marketplace.

Make yourself comfortable and prepare STQ — you will wish all those goods, we are sure.

To start: Storiqa benefits

Selling globally. Without extra fees.

Since the launch, Storiqa provides the sellers who want to reach a global market with a 60-day free trial. In this period they can carry out test placements of their products and ascertain the efficiency of the system.

We offer for sellers:

✅Low fee

✅Integrated marketing tools

✅Payments in cryptocurrency

✅Storiqa fulfillment center

✅24/7 customer support

Our goal is to guarantee the quality of experience and goods, for both buyers and sellers. And we are happy to introduce the first vendors on Storiqa to you!

Big sea love

Do you want to feel the sea air? Meet Olino more.

Olya is a driftwood artist from Krasnodar region, Russia. She creates interior compositions made of wood that drifted in the sea: there are mini-houses, lighthouses, and balloons. Each composition is unique and will bring a little sea freshness and love in your house.

Beauty in details

The basic concept of Les Méduses bags and accessories is the combination of unique design and quality. All their models are limited and made only of natural materials. It suits Storiqa, doesn’t it? There are suede handbags, waist bags, leather covers. and so on. Les Méduses will become the best choice if you want to make your loved one happy.

Kinky accessories

Blackstore style is monochrome colors, minimalism, asymmetrical cut, futurism, a practicality & avant-garde combination. They are gathering street clothes and accessories by several Russian brands, such a TENEBRA, NOEL CONCEPT, MAGNETIC WEAR, etc.

TENEBRA is a brand of designer self-made belts and accessories made of leather. Do you want something exclusive?

To be continued…

Storiqa offers sellers from Singapore, Thailand, Malasia, Indonesia, and Russia create their shop on Storiqa now and start selling their goods to the APAC countries. For the first step, Storiqa will support Singapore only and every month we will add more and more countries. It means that you will enjoy goods from more and more vendors — so buy STQ and let’s start!

Buy first goods for STQ: https://beta.storiqa.com/
YouTube’s Big Crisis. Clickbait is content whose main goal is…
By: Justin Lyle
Tags: Assignment, YouTube

YouTube is facing one of its most difficult challenges (Credit: REUTERS)

There is one issue that has riddled YouTube with terrible, low-quality, and sometimes unethical content. This is an issue that has caused outrage from a variety of viewers calling for a change in the way content creators present their material. The issue destroying the integrity of YouTube as a whole: Clickbait.

Clickbait is content whose main goal is to attract attention in order to make potential viewers want to click a link to a specific video. A recent study released in 2019 suggests that in order for content creators to get more views, they must have more people click on the video. However, it was also found that these viewers do not have to actually watch most of the video, simply clicking the link to the video will get a creator the views that they are looking for.

An example of a thumbnail for a clickbait video

What makes clickbait work? Clickbait works because it intrigues a potential viewer to find out more about the video. Typically, a clickbait video will include some type of vague thumbnail with a shocked or scared reaction to gain the potential viewer’s attention to their video. Then, the title of the video will also contain a vague name that typically involves a shocking element. These videos include titles along the lines of “I almost died!” or “How could YouTube do this?”

Clickbait works through having some sort of shock factor in the title. (Source: Venngage)

Clickbait has become such a widespread issue not only on Youtube, but it has permeated into different platforms on the internet. Clickbait can be found on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Clickbait has become so prevalent on the internet as a way to generate ad revenue. The more clicks that a video can get, the more people that will view the advertisement that comes before the video. The only way YouTube can combat this technique is by changing the way ad revenue is generated and how views are calculated. However, it seems that this is not something that the YouTube community will see any time soon.
Data Science Essential week 7: Recommendation system(อธิบาย code)
By: Krirk Arunoprayote
Tags: Machine Learning, Recommendation System, Botnoi Classroom

This publication consists of articles related to Data science and AI written from Botnoi’s data scientists and students.

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Jesus and Religion
By: Chris Coppenbarger
Tags: Religion, Humor, Jesus

Mark Driscoll offers a humorous (but sad and serious look at how Jesus treats the religious in this week’s sermon from Luke. This is really good.

http://www.marshillchurch.org/v/zz2aevn5z7fl
Functional Programming: Currying vs. Partial Application
Tags: Coding, Programming, JavaScript, Functional Programming, Web Development

What Is Currying?

Well, mostly, if people get confused about this, then probably it would be because of the term curry which is the same as the food name from India.

However, in computer science, currying is a terminology of a technique. It has originated from a mathematical function.

Imagine there is a JavaScript function, add .

const add = (x, y) => x + y;

So, add takes two arguments — x and y , and returns a summed value. This function, add , can be represented in a mathematical way as follows:

f(x,y) = x + y

Then, the function f(x,y) can be represented like this:

f(x,y) = h(x)(y) = x + y

h is a translated function that takes a single argument and outputs a function that takes a single argument. With x = 2 , then the function f will be like this, below:

f(2,y) = 2 + y

f(2,y) still needs to get y to return a summed value. Then, it can be represented as another function that takes y and this is equal to this.

f(2,y) = h(2)(y) = 2 + y

h(2)(y) also refers to a function that waits for y since it already knows what x refers to.

Let’s get back to our add function in JavaScript.

If add is f(x,y) which takes two parameters, then how could h(x)(y) be represented, using add ? Like h(2)(y) ended up returning another function that takes y , add also should return a function, like so:

// Arrow function

const add = x => y => x + y; // Normal function

function add(x) {

return function(y) {

return x + y;

}

}

Then, we can implement this function like this:

const addFive = add(5); addFive(7); // 12
CGI Movies Starring Electric Video Game Rodents
By: Mitchell F Wolfe
Tags: Gaming, Pokemon, Podcast, Super Jump Podcast, Movies

CGI Movies Starring Electric Video Game Rodents

Super Jump Podcast: Season 3, Episode 19

Two movies are coming out this year about electric rodents from video games. Why is Sonic electric in the movie? Wass Detective Pikachu everything Mitchell has ever wanted? Will James force Mitchell to stand in line for four hours to play Final Fantasy VII Remake at E3 for the good of the magazine? Is Valve’s new VR hardware maybe a bit too expensive?

The answer to all of those questions is “Yes!” but you can go ahead and listen to the episode anyway. There’s more information on this week’s Super Jump Podcast!

If you only want to hear this episode without dealing with a pesky podcatcher, that can be done here:

If you’re like me, however, and you LOVE pesky podcatchers, you’re in luck! The Super Jump Podcast is now available on iTunes and any podcatcher that picks up iTunes podcasts. Just search for “Super Jump” or follow this link to our iTunes feed. If you use another kind of podcatcher and we aren’t yet on its directory, you can still use it to listen to us. All you have to do is manually enter in the following URL:

Our theme and transition music is by Jamatar, who can be found here at his Bandcamp page.

Finally, if you’d like to write in to an episode of the Super Jump Podcast, you can do so at podcast@superjumpmagazine.com. You may be read on the show!

In our third season, we’ve been exploring a wide variety of gaming topics on the Super Jump Podcast, with the fun, enthusiasm, and positivity that we apply to the magazine itself. We really hope you enjoy the show as we continue into our third season — please take the opportunity to rate us on iTunes too, as it will really give us a boost.

Thanks for listening, and stay super!
Tonight’s comic is really comfortable talking about pooping.
Tags: Life, Poop, Comic, Friendship

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I make cartoons and t-shirts at www.dieselsweeties.com & @rstevens. Send me coffee beans.
Rough Road this Season
By: Rev Dr Sparky
Tags: Poetry, Spirituality, Christianity, Life Lessons, Inspiration

Rough Road this Season

reluctant poetry approaching holy week

The master said, this path is poorly marked

and leads to no place you will recognize.

He said, you’ll stumble often, and you’re not

the hiker I’ve become, by half.

You’re packing way too much upon your back

and in your greedy hands, although I’ve said

I’d share the weight.

The master said, I’ve given you a compass

and a light. And you can find my north

by stars or songs or simply by your soul —

if ever you will see what’s plain to see.

The master said, I call, and call, and wait

for you to make a start, get off the dime,

and take at least one tiny, timid step;

But then the master said, you usually don’t.

So I break death and skew the axis of the earth,

each resurrection season, just to show you one more time

the way to walk this path ahead:

I mark the road again for you

(and better souls than you)

and hope you mark it in your turn

for someone else, beloved child,

when you get up and grow and dare to

go where I have promised.

I showed you how to get there.

You start out on the X.
Friends Is Empirically Funny
By: Jessica Lynn
Tags: Politics, Television, Pop Culture, Comedy, Culture

The character Joey makes derogatory comments about women throughout the series. He has no interest in being in a relationship and talks about sex at inappropriate times and ogles women. I’ve known a few guys like Joey in my lifetime.

Ross and Chandler fat-shame Monica. They joke about her weight when the character is both in and out of her fat suit. We’ve all heard fat jokes IRL, rarely do we stop the person from telling them or educate the person with bad taste why those jokes are hurtful to others. Should we, yes we should. Would we want to watch a show where someone lectures Chandler about making fun of his trans father? I doubt it.

Yes, Rachel was shallow at times and spoiled. She hadn’t had many hard days in her life, and I don’t think you can count being a waitress — where she hung out with her friends all day — a hardship. Her love of fashion doesn’t make her unlovable. In high school, Rachel Green makes fun of a boy, Will, played by her then-husband, Brad Pitt for being overweight and unpopular. But she is a sitcom character; even sitcom characters make mistakes.

Yes, there is no way they would have been able to afford that large apartment in NYC and the fabulous clothes.

I believe Phoebe and Monica were the only two characters who were politically correct by 2019 standards, although I’m sure if one digs deeper and long enough, you will find something they said which offends.

However, the show was hands down empirically funny.

The Thanksgiving episode in which the six characters play a game of touch football to win the “Gellar Cup.” Funny as fuck.

The episode where Phoebe can’t stop her fire alarm from beeping and tries everything, including smashing it with a hammer. Funny AF.

Another Thanksgiving episode which ranks as hilarious is the one where Brad Pitt guest stars as the character Will who was made fun of by Rachel in high school, and the “I hate Rachel Green” fan club is exposed, in which Ross was one of the founding members. Funny, funny, funny.

The “you feel asleep” episode when Rachel and Ross are yet again struggling to define their relationship — funny. She writes him a six-page letter, “FRONT AND BACK!” that he can’t get through. It’s too long and too dull to read, and, stay awake at the same time. It put him right to sleep much to Rachel’s ire. Funny.

The Pivot episode when Ross, Chandler, and Rachel are trying to move a couch up a narrow staircase to Ross’s new apartment. I watched it again recently, and I still laugh when he screams, “pivot.”

The episode in which Rachel and Monica switch identities so that Rachel can use Monica’s health insurance to go to the ER after she sprains her ankle. The two have to keep up the ruse during a double date with two doctors from the hospital played by guest stars Noah Wyle and George Clooney. Monica and Rachel fight like siblings and best friends. Funny AF.

There are many more that are just as funny.
‘Do What You Love!’
By: Rozali Telbis
Tags: The Bad Influence, Self Improvement, Life Lessons, Personal Development, Careers

Teenagers Have High Hopes, But Low Success

A study conducted by C+R Research found that only a small percentage of teenagers plan to go into the 25 most common jobs in the United States. By contrast, it showed teens often have ambitious career goals with low success rates. Just 1% of the teens surveyed said they want a job in office, sales, or support despite these jobs making up 25% of today’s workforce, whereas 20% said they want a job in arts, design, entertainment, sports or media — those careers represent a meagre 2% of the American workforce.

This study suggests that teens are unrealistic about their career paths — which is not the least surprising. Early on, we are led to have a false sense of hope: that we can achieve whatever we want if we just will it. Of course, we shouldn’t dissuade teens to follow their dreams, but we should also encourage them to explore all options, and to add the caveat that if they do end up attaining that coveted Dream Job — it is not without its own drawbacks, too. The drawbacks aren’t publicized nearly enough though, because it would ruin the façade (and it doesn’t sound very inspirational in self-improvement books). Unfortunately, these ideas are built up so much in people’s heads that they end up suffering greatly when their goals aren’t met, and most goals aren’t.

So few people actually do nab the job of their dreams — this fact is well-documented, but it doesn’t stop us from feeling like utter failures when we don’t achieve them. It’s important to communicate early on that not attaining that Dream Job is more than OK too. This leads me to my next point.

When we get older, if we haven’t already found our passion, we internalize this sense of urgency, and we start wondering if something is wrong with us. We look at our peers, many of whom appear confident in their career choices and we wonder where we went wrong. Many feel entitled in their thinking — asking themselves: Why did x get that job? Why am I stuck here? Don’t I deserve better? What do they have that I don’t?
Statement from President-Elect Donald J. Trump on the Attack in Berlin
By: The Transition Team
Tags: Releases

(New York, NY) — “Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today’s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.”

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All media requests should be directed to Media@ptt.gov
The 1957 Penrose Annual — a graphic design time capsule
Tags: Linotype, 1950s, Graphic Design, Typography, Penguin

I know it’s been a long time since I posted, but hey, quite a lot has been going on over the last few months ;)

I picked up a few editions of U&lc (which I’ll post about soon) from Matt Lamont and he also had this 1957 Penrose Annual — Volume 51. It may be a little dog eared but I could not resist it. The cover was enough but then Matt shared some of the inside and I had to get it.

Being a Graphic Arts trade annual it’s an incredible blend of writing from the time, trade ads and technique examples. Best of all that means, stock variations, inserts, overlays, print variation and some wonderful ads.

Some here are some of the things that caught my eye. Also at the bottom I’ve added the contents pages for reference, incase there’s something someone is looking for.

First up here are a few spreads:
Mystic lover
By: Jasmine Soumana
Tags: Love Letters, Spirituality, Spiritual Secrets, Mysticism, Meditation

How to recover from an experience like that?

How to understand?

Though my soul knew all along.

In my mind, there is a huge struggle!

That night when I lost myself in your arms.

That night when I surrendered to a love so wild, so untamable —

it shook me to my core!

Just for a moment. Only to try.

Surrounded by utter Stillness.

Laying on your bed, covered by thick blankets.

Deeply absorbed in this tight embrace. Intoxicated by your vibrant energy.

Just the two of us, closely intertwined. Breathing.

This love is like a wildfire, unapologetically consuming all obstacles.

It didn’t ask for permission, it just was there.

Provocative. Dominant.

A connection so obvious — so out there — trying to hide it seems ridiculous!

I get scared. This is too intense. Everything starts spinning.

My heart starts racing too. So many thoughts — so much that I want to say.

My mind is racing. My heart is hammering against my rips.

Violently it demands my chest to open up and make space.

I become dizzy.

Is this a panic attack? What am I doing here? I need to calm down.

I close my eyes. I start listening to the rhythm of your breath.

It’s fast. Way faster than mine. You give me a tight squeeze.

And I am too exhausted to think right now. Too hypnotized to react.

I drop. Burst into a million pieces.

There is nothing to think right now, nothing to say.

And if there are any words to describe this intensity, right now is not the time to waste energy on finding them.

Nobody is watching and it’s okay to be in love.

Dusk will come and tear us apart — reveal the consequences.

But right now none of that matters.

Right now, it’s just the two of us and this moment — eternity!

I see my boundaries melt away.

I shudder as they ripple down one after another.

Tiny shocks shake my body.

Weight is taken off. I feel light.

My whole being starts merging into yours — vibrating with you.

Vibrating strong. And then the abyss appears underneath us.

It absorbs the whole scene.

The ground crumbles away and I am flying. Nothing left.

Except for this love. This all-consuming feeling of never-ending comfort.

And it is clear — no question is left to be asked.

Watching in dynamic stillness.

Everywhere and nowhere. Formless. Weightless.

Hovering over those stunning landscapes as the sky herself.

I hear your soft voice, and I am back in your room — back in your arms.

‘Welcome back dear. How was meditation?’
The Morning After Your Trauma Resurfaces
By: Carrie Wynn
Tags: Relationships, This Happened To Me, Self, Healing, Women

For a moment, last night was absolutely lovely. The fire was roaring in the backyard of the house my partner and I recently moved into. I was amongst great company and you would think that everything would have been fine.

However, the last few weeks have been mentally and physically exhausting. Combine the stress of moving and juggling work with some family drama and the suicide of my ex-boyfriend plus a random song that triggered me, and I was toast.

Out of nowhere, I found myself crying on my bathroom floor barely able to breathe with the pain so horrendous it felt like it was consuming me. Even several hours later when my partner came to bed I was still sobbing.

I never managed to fall asleep. There is no worse feeling in my opinion than starting your day just wishing you were waking up tomorrow and could push the fast forward button.

I have an old coffee cup that I bought as a joke that reads “It is what it is” which seems fitting for this morning.
5 Traits of People with Impostor Syndrome
By: Dipak Anand
Tags: Self Improvement, Education Reform, Happiness, Mindfulness, Life

5 Traits of People with Impostor Syndrome

We have mastered the art of living in denial.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Basically, impostor syndrome is when people constantly doubt their skills, talents, or even accomplishments. They have this fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

Ever felt like you don’t fit in? Or maybe you need to change yourself just to blend in?

I think it’s fair to say that we have all questioned ourselves at some point in our lives, I know I have. Some of us dwell on the past and hate ourselves for the choices we made. While some learn to take it on the chin and try to put their learnings to good use while making constant efforts to make their present and future better.

“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future. Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding your solutions.” — Robin Sharma

I too, find peace in the fact that we are better off thinking of our “mistakes” as our “lessons” and use them to shape our future.

Now, in our journey to make things better for us and for those around us, we often portray ourselves to be a lesser-known version of ourselves.

Does that sound like you?

Well, you’re definitely not alone. We live in a time where the internet and social media define who we are as a person. The constant pressure of having more followers, or likes, just to show others how “happy” we are.

It’s so deeply rooted in our society that we don’t even look at it as a cause for concern. Research shows that Impostor Syndrome is not uncommon, 70% of people experience signs and symptoms at least once in their life.

Unfortunately, this stat doesn't surprise me. Maybe because we are all too busy looking for the holy grail of happiness and satisfaction.

Here are the 5 most common traits of people with Impostor Syndrome.
by Martino Pietropoli
By: Martino Pietropoli
Tags: Emoji, Humor, Cartoon, Comics, Saturday

First thing in the morning: a glass of water and a cartoon by The Fluxus.

Follow
Get started on your #finfreedom with our Investing 101 guide
By: Clover Editors
Tags: Etfs, Adulting, Exchange Traded Funds, Finance, Compound Interest

Investing is one of the best things you can do for your money, but taking the plunge can be a daunting one, especially if you’re new. That’s why we created a beginner’s guide — to help you along, step-by-step, to become a savvy investor equipped with the basics to make an informed decision about how investing can help you reach your financial goals.

Taking control of your financial future today starts with understanding your financial goes and what you’re doing to achieve them.

We created this investing guide for the average young Australian who has little to no investing knowledge. We’ll look under the hood of the investing world and provide you with the basics you’ll need to become an informed investor and make your money work hard for you.

So get ready to dive into the investing world. We promise, you’ll never think about your finances the same way again.
Ta dose crypto du lundi 26 mars — Yahoo Japon pourrait lancer son propre exchange
Tags: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum, Binance, Yahoo

21 Percent of College Students use Their Loans to Invest in Cryptocurrencies | BTCMANAGER

Bitcoin and crippling student loans, the two things which are defining the financial futures of most college students…
Allcoinwiki founder, Anders Larsson becomes part of the idap.io family as new ICO advisor
By: Anupam Agarwal
Tags: Cryptocurrency Investment, Blockchain, ICO, Crowdfunding, Announcements

Hello everyone!

We are pleased to announce that idap.io’s vision for a better trading ecosystem has found support amongst top members of the crypto community, with Anders Larsson now joining us in our endeavor. The latest addition to our list of esteemed advisors is the co-founder of the awesome allcoinWiki, the powerful tool to analyze the crypto market. We are extremely happy to have Anders as our ICO Advisor and look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow under his guidance.

Anders is one of the top 10 experts in crypto community and has played pivotal role as advisor and consultant in numerous ICOs. He is a respected crypto investor, who has worked for two decades in 10 countries with Ericsson, creating the ecosystems of 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, IoT with 7.9 billion mobile subscriptions today.

“As an investor, the prospect of a derivatives exchange is really fascinating for me. I was convinced to join idap.io once I talked to Awanish Rajan (CEO, idap.io) about the project in-depth. I am excited to be working with this team and on this project,” said Anders.

Our CEO, Awanish Rajan said, “ We are very happy to have Anders on board. It is great to see a tech veteran of his stature supporting idap.io.”
Medium Partner Program Earnings Breakdown (How I Earned $1,000+ in July of 2020)
By: Medium Formatting
Tags: Medium Partner Program, Médium, Hacks, Writing Tips, Earnings

Many writers spend little time analyzing what did or did not work in their past blogging efforts. Many simply press publish and hope for the best. And even if they do take the time to reflect, they usually draw very limited conclusions.

For example, a writer may try to recreate a top earning article which they published in the previous month.

There are many limitations to this approach:

The article that had the highest earnings in previous months could reflect a passing trend on Medium. A good example of this would be articles on a health emergency or predictions leading up to a major event. The article that had the highest earnings in previous months may not be replicable. If you write an article explaining a very intimate moment in your life (i.e. How My Parents Reacted When I Came Out or That Time I Made Out with My Celebrity Crush), you typically cannot write about this one experience over and over (although some writers do try very hard to circumvent this limitation 😉). The article that had the highest earnings in previous months may have taken disproportionately longer to write. Writing stories on Medium is like any other creative venture, as much as you enjoy it, you have to balance the time it requires vs. the amount of free time you have available. If an article takes 2 months to write, while it may be fantastic in quality, you may not have allocated your Medium writing time correctly.

There are many other limitations to basing your writing solely off of the performance of your top article from previous months. And yet, I see many writers following this exact strategy.

Taking the three limitations mentioned above together, you can define a broad limitation:

Basing your future articles off of the sole performance of your past top earning article ignores the fundamental realities of digital publishing and long tail earnings.

In The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More (2006), Chris Anderson puts forth several unique ideas. The first is that merchandise assortments are growing because when goods don’t have to be displayed on store shelves, physical and cost constraints on selection disappear. Search and recommendation tools can keep a selection’s vastness from overwhelming customers.

When applied to writing on Medium, the theory of long tail earnings can be rephrased as:

Due to the rise of digital publishing platforms (like Medium), readers can find and afford articles more closely tailored to their individual tastes, leading them away from homogenized viral articles.

Source: Forbes

This article will examine the possibility of earning money through the Medium Partner Program, by focusing on articles that:

Do not go viral on the Medium platform;

Earn some form of income in the months after their initial publication;

And they fit into a larger back catalogue of consistently earnings articles as opposed to one-off hits.

For this case study I will use my July 2020 Medium Partner Program earnings.