fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Automate Mac Workflows with Quick Actions on Touch Bar
By: Blake Sanie
Tags: Applescript, Touch Bar, Macos, Automation, Mac

Automate Mac Workflows with Quick Actions on Touch Bar

And no, you don’t need to be a developer

Altered image from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons License

I live by a simple rule — If a task requires more than five minutes per day, spend five minutes automating it. Rarely do I ever break this rule, and for good reason.

Automation has completely reshaped how I use my mac; the personalization, time savings, simplicity, and ultimate power at my fingertips is more clear than ever before. For example, many of my machine’s automations include app and window management, batch file operations, automatic email communications, and the list keeps growing every week.

One major talking point of iOS 14 is pinning automations to the home screen. Despite the hype, this feature has been available for MacBook Pro users since the release of macOS Mojave in 2018!

Objective

I have a bad habit of keeping an unreasonably large number of Safari tabs open at once. In this tutorial, I will be building an automated workflow that simplifies my safari workspace into a few, predefined tabs.

Introduction to Automator
At Pg. 75 You Stop
By: J.D. Harms
Tags: Poetry, Moment, Reading, Memory

At Pg. 75 You Stop

A Poem

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

Everything up till

page 75 had you looking overhead

watching for things to fall

You thought you had collected

enough burdens

in white linen garbage bags

hung proper coverings over the art

so you could gesture

at silhouettes and direct the meaning

At page 75 you stop

to look down

but not down at the book

Now you’ve got the floor

for the moment

to think about and what you read there

I haven’t the faintest idea
The Hunt for Raleigh’s BEST Bakery
By: Kristyn Tuzeo
Tags: Raleigh, Food, Bakery

Yellow Dog Bread Company

Yellow Dog Bread Company was founded by a young couple who simply loved to bake. It took a lot of trial and error for them to get to their final destination — their current storefront on the intersection of Person and Franklin Street in the Mordecai district. Before Yellow Dog had even been thought up, Matt and Tanya Andrews utilized space and equipment in a bakery where they had apprenticed. The couple had exhausted their savings account and they were forced to return to their professional occupations. They nearly sacrificed their dream, but risked it all again for a second try at what they had come to love. Thus, Yellow Dog was born.

Yellow Dog Bread Co. (photos provided by Kristyn Tuzeo Photography)

Matt and Tanya recently celebrated their bakery’s two-year anniversary on September 9th, sharing their goodies with the public — free drip coffee and cookies for all! They have hearts that are deeply invested into their business, and it shows. They are truly grateful for the bread-lovers who have taken part in their success.

When we visited Yellow Dog, we chose to go in the morning when the freshest and biggest variety of items were available. We were so surprised at the ample parking provided by the shopping center. It’s so hard to get a spot in the city sometimes, but the free parking lot right outside makes it easy to visit whenever you like! When we walked in, we were in awe of the simple beauty it had to offer. From the wall decor to the mod light fixtures, Yellow Dog definitely has a welcoming atmosphere. And don’t forget the pastries! We explored a case full of sticky buns, muffins, scones, croissants, pizza-like focaccia bread, savory stuffed baguettes (yes, stuffed), and more. The back wall had about a dozen freshly-baked types of breads on display. We were in a carb-lover’s heaven.

Out of curiosity, we asked the barista what the most popular items were. Her response? “We run out of almost every item at the end of each day.” This may have made our decision harder, but after consulting each other, Tanya the owner, and the friendly server, we decided to order a fan-favorite: the classic chocolate chip scone. Needless to say, it did NOT let us down! The scone was warm and fluffy, with the perfect amount of chocolate chips. It was also a great size: just one filled both of us up! Overall, we were very pleased with Yellow Dog Bread Co. and are so excited to return and try more of their decadent breads and desserts!

We recommend going in the morning when products are fresh out of the oven, the most variety is available, coffee is hot, and natural lighting is at it’s peak. Bring your laptop so you can settle in and utilize their free wifi to get some work done. They’re open 7–7 Monday through Friday and 8–6 on Saturday.

See what other people thought about Yellow Dog!
Changing the Stereotype of Tea-Drinkers
By: Melissa Gouty
Tags: Creativity, Business, Tea, Advertising, Marketing

Three Tea-Industry Marketing Techniques to Emulate

Creative combos and unpredicted partnerships

If you thought that tea-drinking was just for old ladies in hats, think again. Tea companies are growing their audiences by forming unexpected partnerships. How about pairing tea blends with head-banging musicians, an approach that Pitch Black North is trying? The owner, Dominic Alvernaz, has formed partnerships with the Cleveland metal punk band, Midnight, and the British heavy-metal band, Cradle of Filth. Alvernaz believes that pairing a special blend of teas with musicians is an effective sales tool to

“…get people interested in tea who wouldn’t normally be interested in it…”

Isn’t that what all marketers do? They interest people who wouldn’t ordinarily be interested.

Another tea company, Ivy’s Tea, owned by Shanae Jones in Laurel, Maryland, has paired her blends up with hip hop music with a nod to her British and Jamaican ancestry. She wants to promote tea for brown people.

“People that look like me are not included in tea advertisements, we’re not the market for tea parties, nothing, so I just decided I was going to change all of that.”

Creative collaborations don’t only help the tea company. They may also benefit the musicians who can sell the product on their website with their merchandise.

New product names

Teas named Lady Grey or Sweet Vanilla Cupcake aren’t the right product names for new audiences, so titles have developed that work with the targeted audience. Pitch Black North has teas named, Throat of Lucifer, Satan’s Slumber, and Dark Blood. The teas themselves are not scary to taste. They’re described as malty, classic English breakfast teas, and a delightful Vanilla Blueberry concoction, but you would never know it by the name. Ms. Jones of Ivy’s Teas offers blends called, Sister, Sister, Yella, and Red Bone that resonate with her hip-hop association.

Even the company name can target an audience. Consider Brutaliteas, with the tagline of tea time just got heavy, and aligns itself with the horror genre, an industry ripe with tea drinkers thirsty for blends like Chaiday-the-13th, and Children of the Candy Corn.

Provocative visuals

You’ve heard the adage that the definition of failure is when you do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. It’s true with visual marketing. Growing your audience may mean doing something drastically different.

Not this:

Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash

But this:

Or this:
2018 Summer Cohort Overview
By: Varun Almaula
Tags: Cybersecurity, Professional Development, Security, Education, Training

By almost any measure, our Summer 2018 Cohort was a great success. Our students were inspiring — genuinely interested, amazingly supportive of each other, cracked a lot of jokes, and, like a real industry job, occasionally worked diligently beyond 40 hours/week on open ended projects with changing requirements.

By the numbers….

Our summer 2018 cohort represented diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and 25% were women

and Over 95% completion rate , with 100% completion rate for women

, with 9 industry guest speaker seminars , each with a student medium blog recap of the event

, each with a student medium blog recap of the event 19 companies as industry partners of the program

And a leading indicator of true interest in the field:

72% of participants joined a cybersecurity networking group outside of the program and 56% already had attended a professional event by the end of the course

Team projects covered…

Amazon Web Services and S3 Bucket security auditing tool

Offensive/defensive WiFi ARP scanner running on Rasberry Pi

Updating public security oriented datasets for Machine Learning

Easy to use live USB Kali Linux images for rapid deployment WAF Red Teaming

Blockchain tools disclosing up to date vulnerability updates on various cryptocurrencies and feasibility of 51% majority attacks on various cryptocurrencies

Be sure to take a look at their team projects here — who knows, you might find a great idea to collaborate on or even a job candidate while you browse!
Have A Free Freelancer Contract Template
By: Jyssica Schwartz
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Freelancing, Contracts, Business, Writing

I get this question from new freelancers sometimes, so I want to share my actual contract with you.

It is so important to have a contract in place as a freelancer, an entrepreneur, and as a client.

Your contract should dictate payments, deadlines, deliverables, and anything else having to do with the client/freelancer relationship. Both of you should sign this and have a deposit paid before ANY work is done (if you require one).

Of course, there are many free contract templates available online. I myself found my original contract after searching a bunch of sites to find one that I thought would work for me. I ended up adding and changing things on it and had an awesome lawyer friend take a look at it to make sure it all made sense and would be binding.

Contracts are put in place to protect ALL parties, not just the freelancer. The client is getting a guarantee of the work and deliverables they can expect, as well as timelines and payment schedules. Mine also covers intellectual property rights, confidentiality, rights to terminate, liability, and a couple miscellaneous things and the entire thing is less than 5 pages. The actual part that spells everything out (before the terms and conditions) is just over one page long. I didn’t want something that was 14 pages of legal jargon!

My contract is an MS Word document which I fill in with the necessary information before sending over to clients. I offer the use of HelloSign (I have a free plan) for a digital signature if they prefer that. [I put it into a Google doc below to make it easier to share with you! I personally prefer to email it as an attachment to clients, but I’m sure sending them a Google doc would be equally as effective.]

I personally ask for a 25% deposit on all projects (not monthly retainer clients). There are many reasons to ask for a deposit. Here are a few:

You weed out people who don’t want to pay!

Clients are more invested in the work and in your relationship because they have some skin in the game and are literally investing!

It is a smart business move!

I make sure to list out and specify exactly what I will be responsible for, what the client will actually receive, and all timelines and deadlines. I also let the client know they should read it over and let me know if they need any changes, as I would need to see them before signing it myself.

After the client signs it, I countersign it, send them a copy, and then file it on my computer.

Here is my full contract as a Google doc. You are welcome to take it and adapt it for your own use. Reach out to me if you have any questions, I am happy to help!

*Edited to add: Please do not request editing access to my document. Just copy and paste the text into your own new document to make changes.*

YouTube video that goes along with this post!

Is this helpful? Do you have any other questions I could answer about clients and business like this one? Please let me know — I want to provide you will valuable information!
Remembrance
By: Jay Squires
Tags: Flash Fiction, Fiction, Dark, Rape

Prison was not as unpleasant as I’d have thought. Some there didn’t like me. Some did. Fortunately, those who did were greater in number and body mass. I was left pretty much alone with my writing. The guards loved me. They gave me a notebook three days a week to write on, returning it and the pen at each hour’s end. I invented intricately plotted scenarios concerning the torturing of a man I named Herman. Each session was more graphic than the previous. I never revealed that Herman was the one I was doing time for.

I didn’t dare write about Jamie. Had there been a more divine distancing, I might’ve carved with words the meaning behind her engraving eyes — how those eyes, in their helpless vacancy, possessed my solitary nights .… Why I strangely embraced them.

Without the focus on paper of thought-wedded-to-word, my imagination tethered itself to a flotilla of vagabond images: the image of her firm, white thighs, the torn panties, hanging from her bare foot like the flag of a vanquished country. Those same eyes that possessed me now justifiably convicted me. No, not me, but the maleness of me! At the trial, her mother called me an animal and spat. Animals, we, yes! The image of the bewildered attacker floated by. “There, but for the grace of God go I ….”

In my heart, I was as guilty of the crime as he. Jesus affirmed it! A strange peace blanketed me. I smiled. I had the advantage he denied himself. I was able to physically atone for it. Oh, sweet penance!

But something was happening in the other’s life I wouldn’t learn about until later. Seven years into my sojourn (and oddly traceable to the day of my epiphany) … on the dirt floor of an enormous tent in a small town, Roger Reynard lay on his face, in the presence of 900 believers, and he bawled. Crucified by memories, he wailed, “Jesus, I’ve sinned and am not worthy of your love. A man’s in prison for the rape I committed.” Then, falling into a profound silence, it was there, he later confessed that Jesus told him what he must do.

Still, no one believed him. Painfully, he discovered when the judicial system speaks, it resists mightily any retraction. Roger was not a poor man, but it exhausted all his considerable assets to enlist the best legal minds to work with the only focus being to bring the scales of justice to right the balance.
The Future Of Skateboarding Is Female And These Three Skaters Are Killing It
By: Neve Akridge
Tags: Women, Sports, Feminism, Skateboarding, Gender Equality

The future of skateboarding is female

Well, guess what? Skateboarding has evolved and so many women are killing it out there. We have seen many movies and documentaries in the past three years offering more space to female amateur and pro skaters and better representation all around the world in competition and press. Elissa Steamer, who was the first woman to become a professional skater initiated this long journey towards inclusivity and recognition. In August 2018, the critically important “Skate Kitchen” was released and generated a massive amount of press and exposure for female skaters all around the world. We have also seen so many exceptional initiatives rising like Vans’ campaign “Girl Skate India”, the program “Skate Like A Girl” active for now a decade promoting female skateboarding or the “Skate Girls Tribe” group.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Jonah Hill exposed the constant discrimination and attacks women faced in the 90s as skaters in his recent movie “Mid90s” where on the other hand two other movies also presented positive and inclusive women skaters images. First, Jamie Babbitt’s “The Itty Bitty Titty Committee” with Lauren Mollica in the role of trans man Aggie, an avid skater within a group of LGBT skater girls and boys in California. Then, more recently, in Olivia Wilde’s miraculous “Booksmart”, Victoria Ruesga plays Ryan, a stylish high school student who is extremely gifted on a board.

Beyond press and media representation, major skateboard brands are also now signing and sponsoring more and more female skaters and offering a better athletic and inclusive representation at competitions and shows. Mike Vallely, the legendary pro skater who has now his own brand also defends respect, inclusion and unity in the skateboard community through his social media platforms.

This year, three female skaters have been redefining the skateboard game and are killing it on their boards. Here is a chance to get to know them and get a feel of what skateboarding’s future is going to encompass.
Why Is Finding Our Purpose Such a Struggle?
By: Dayton Parks
Tags: Life Lessons, Self Improvement, Personal Development, Life

Finding our purpose in life is a struggle for many people. We often spend years agonizing over it, questioning if we’ve made the right life choices, and wondering if we’d done something else would our life be better.

When we grow old, we will look back over the years of our lives, and we’ll ask ourselves, “What if I’d done this instead of that? Would my life have been different? Would I have been happier?”

“If only” and “What if” becomes our life statements.

Why do we struggle with finding our purpose?

“Finding our purpose” is huge. It answers the question of why are we here. It defines what our lives are supposed to be about. It’s a philosophical question that gets tossed around at a dinner party or discussed on a campus quad. We laugh and joke with friends and family about what we would be if we had it to do over again.

But it’s a question that haunts our thoughts when we are alone.

When we are children, our concern is playing and having fun. We don’t dig deep into our person. We don’t worry about adult issues. Eat, drink, and be merry is a child's world.

Eventually, children grow up, and this is the question that we ask ourselves when we finally reach adulthood:

“Why am I here?”

This isn’t a question reserved for any generation. Thousands of years ago, people were asking it. In response, Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
Ghidul Antreprenorului pentru Facebook: Cum poți folosi social media marketing pentru afacerea ta
By: Toma Grozăvescu
Tags: Cum Functioneaza Facebook, Campanii Platite Facebook, Socialmedia Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Founder & Growth Hacker @SMARTERS Romania, my purpose is to show people that it can be done.

Follow
On the Plane, Snow is Glistening …
By: Faa Safety Briefing
Tags: General Aviation, Faasteam, Aviation, Safety, Snow

Among the many challenges that winter weather presents for aviators, snowfall is likely the most multifaceted foe. It can severely restrict visibility, make airport surfaces slippery, render signage and lights difficult to discern, significantly increase rollout distances and, for those hangar-less aircraft exposed to the elements, wreak havoc on delicate aircraft parts and surfaces, particularly after a heavy snow. But as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) points out in a recent Aviation Safety Alert (SA), there is yet another critical danger to consider with these falling frozen flakes: wet snow.

Yes, those large clumpy flakes might be fan favorites for snowball makers, but for pilots, they pose a serious threat to safety. Issued last September, SA-082 (Flight in Snow) advises pilots to carefully assess the risk of flight in wet snow conditions. The SA stresses that while snow is typically thought to consist of all-frozen water, snowfall can also contain liquid particles either on the flakes or in liquid particles falling amongst the snowflakes. This wet snow can freeze on contact with aircraft surfaces and pose a hazard for structural, engine, and windshield ice accumulation.

The SA also mentions an investigation that revealed some common incorrect assumptions pilots have about snow. For example, many believe that flight in snow is generally safe as long as minimum ceiling and visibility requirements are met, or that snow conditions are too dry or cold to pose an icing hazard. The NTSB also recorded in its findings that some pilots believe flying in snow is safe as long as you can see through it. The Alert notes that these assumptions can lead to an inadequate review of icing-related forecasts or tools.
Weekly Prompt: Evolution
By: Zane Dickens
Tags: Flash Fiction, Writing Prompts, Evolution, Fiction, Short Story

Weekly Prompt: Evolution

Sometimes changes come on slowly, over time until suddenly the chickenosaurus takes flight.

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

In Kafka’s Metamorphasis, poor Gregor’s transformation happens overnight.

But perhaps the changes were building up inside until they overflowed into a what appeared like a sudden change.

Overnight success is often the result of years of hard work.

It takes ten thousand hours to become a master, but you change with every hour and every step.

Making progress all the time.

Write a story, in less than 200 words, that captures slow evolutionary change.

Deceptive subtle changes. Change that happens before our eyes but still find a way to surprises us. Society shifting and turning on itself. Children growing before our eyes. A pick any change and push it through a thousand iterations.
Nova edição da Revista Bodisatva
By: Plataforma Bodisatva
Tags: Darma, Budismo, Cebb, Bodisatva 29, Revista Bodisatva

in Both Sides of the Table
Yerzmyey Proves the Raspberry Pi as a Chiptunes Production Platform
By: Cameron Coward
Tags: Music, Chiptunes, Raspberry Pi, Technology, Makers

If you’re not familiar with the term, chiptune is a genre of music that is created with programmable sound chips—usually the ones found in vintage personal computers and video game consoles. Chips from the era were only capable of creating a limited range of sounds, which give modern chiptunes a distinctly retro sound. But, as musician Yerzmyey demonstrates on his new album RPI Zwei, the Raspberry Pi can also produce some pretty great chiptunes.

Yerzmyey is no stranger to more traditional chiptune production, and he first dipped his toes into the genre way back in 1989 on a ZX Spectrum. Throughout his career, Yerzmyey has also used an Amiga 500, an Atari ST, an Amiga 1200, and an Atari Falcon 030. For his new album, however, he decided to prove the worth of a Raspberry Pi 2 for making great chiptune music.

The Raspberry Pi 2 doesn’t have a DAC (digital-to-analog converter), so up to 26 channels had to be recorded from the processor itself. That’s a Broadcom BCM2836, which keeps the audio constrained to 11-bit and 40 MHz. Luckily, limitations are the key to the unique sound of chiptunes, and if you give RPI Zwei a listen, you’ll hear just how well it works.
What is Style in Coding and Programming Languages?
By: Kevin Ann
Tags: Style, Software Development, Coding, Programming, Aesthetics

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

1. To help write code from nothing and to focus at a higher level of abstraction

If a language provides too much freedom, then it actually forces you to pick a style and stick with it just so you can relegate the mechanics to a lower level autonomous process and can then focus on thinking at the algorithm or problem level. This is much like practicing mouse clicks and keypresses in video games like Starcraft until they’re rote and freed from conscious thought, so then your conscious mind can turn to higher level strategy.

For example, Python does not enforce types in function signatures, so you can pass a Boolean, int, or gigantic object through. In this case, maybe you might simply pick a style like largest variable first (like an object), or smallest variable first (boolean), or optional variable last. So to preempt maintainability or readability, you must just pick a convention.

Java does enforce in contrast, so you have to explicitly define the type. And so here, style is built right into the language, with some freedom as in the placement of the variables in the function signature.

In general, if a language enforces style in a heavy-handed way, then style is built-in. If it permits for too much freedom, then you must impose your own style for consistency so you do not have to think about it. When creating your own style, the best style appears to be what requires the least effort.

2. For collaboration

Here, style might mean what the team believes is the most useful, either in speed of development (debugging and testing), readability (lines of code), maintainability (organization of functions), etc. Here, the best style may be what serves the organization’s purposes the best.

3. Speed and functioning of algorithms

It’s possible to write very hard to read and horribly styled code to make expressions very compact at the language level (we hear of the term “Pythonic”), or at the algorithm level (ugly and compact code that runs efficiently), or somewhere in between (minifying Javascript). Style here is to serve the computational efficiency of the code, dependent on the language.

4. Aesthetics

Lastly, we can consider style as an artistic issue. Of course, it’s hard or even impossible to define precisely, and the least tied to real issues of software engineering, but it still matters greatly.

I define aesthetics as whatever in the code itself or the process of writing that code that makes you feel good about what you’re creating in order to express yourself, or simply to lose yourself in the act.

Even the simple act of washing the dishes, cleaning a room, or in more formalized settings, tending to a rock garden or making tea, has a pure aesthetic component to it, so why not coding?

These aesthetics could be the static nature of the code, as in its visual organization. It could be the logical flow of the program. Or it could be the computational or algorithmic efficiency.
Monitoring Stock Performance made easy with R and Shiny
By: Peer Christensen
Tags: Stock Market, R, Stocks, Shiny

The User Interface

The code specifying the user interface will be wrapped in the fluidPage function and saved in a variable that we call ui . This is demonstrated at the bottom of the article where we will put it all together.

Our app will have three main UI components:

A title panel A sidebar where users can select and filter the data A main panel for visualizing the data

The Title Panel

This one is easy. We simple write the following:

titlePanel("My Tech Stock Portfolio")

The Sidebar

This part requires a bit more work, since this is where we specify what the user can do. In our app, we will need some input components that allow the user to pick and choose between stocks, the desired time range and whether or not to include a benchmark. Please have a look at the bottom of the article to see how we put the individual components together in our sidebar.

First, a pickerInput lets the user pick between stocks and select/deselect all. All are selected by default using the selected argument. Importantly, we specify the inputId in order to reference the selected stocks in our server logic.

pickerInput(

inputId = "stocks",

label = h4("Stocks"),

choices = c(

"Gravity" = tickers[1],

"Sea Limited" = tickers[2],

"Palantir" = tickers[3],

"Unity" = tickers[4],

"Cloudflare" = tickers[5],

"Snowflake" = tickers[6],

"MongoDB" = tickers[7]),

selected = tickers,

options = list(`actions-box` = TRUE),

multiple = T

)

Then, radioButtons() provides different time ranges to choose from, as well as whether to include a benchmark index in the visualization.

# Time range

radioButtons(

inputId = "period",

label = h4("Period"),

choices = list("1 month" = 1, "3 months" = 2, "6 months" = 3, "12 months" = 4, "YTD" = 5),

selected = 4

) # Benchmark

radioButtons(

inputId = "benchmark",

label = h4("Benchmark"),

choices = list("SP500" = 1, "Nasdaq100" = 2,"None" = 3),

selected = 3)

The Main panel

This is where the plot goes. In our case, this is pretty straightforward.
A Credential-Safe Way to Connect and Access Azure Synapse Analytics in Azure Databricks
By: Dhyanendra Singh Rathore
Tags: Azure Databricks, Databricks Utilities, Azure Synapse Analytics, Secret Scope, Pyspark

You should be on Firewall and virtual networks page now, click on + Add client IP to automatically add our client’s public IP as a firewall rule. Next, locate and set Allow Azure services and resources to access this server as Yes, this will ensure that our Databricks could access the server without having us to add Databricks’ IP manually. Proceed by Saving the changes.

Azure SQL Server: Add client IP and allow Azure resources (Image by author)

Connect to Azure Synapse Analytics data warehouse by using SSMS

You can skip this section if you’re here only to see how to connect and access your Azure Synapse Analytics data warehouse from Databricks without storing your credentials.

Once we’ve set up the Azure SQL Server's firewall to allow connections from our client, connecting to our data warehouse is relatively straightforward. Open SSMS on your computer and input the details, as shown.

You can find the Server name on the Overview page of your Synapse Analytics.

SSMS: Connect to SQL server (Image by author)

We’re going to create a new schema and a table that we will use later in our journey to visualize covid19 data. Locate your data warehouse in Object Explorer and create a new table.

If you’re following our series on turning CSV data into Power BI visuals, we will need this table to advance our journey.

SSMS: Create a new table query (Image by author)

Use the following SQL to create a schema and the table:

CREATE SCHEMA csvData;

GO CREATE TABLE csvData.covidcsvdata

(

provincestate VARCHAR(255) NULL

,countryregion VARCHAR(255) NULL

,lastupdate DATETIME NULL

,confirmed INT NULL

,deaths INT NULL

,recovered INT NULL

,active INT NULL

,latitude DECIMAL(12,9) NULL

,longitude DECIMAL(12,9) NULL

,sourcefile VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL

)

WITH

(

DISTRIBUTION = ROUND_ROBIN,

CLUSTERED COLUMNSTORE INDEX

);

GO

Execute the statements and refresh the Object Explorer to see our new table; take your time to explore the various options available with your new table in the Object Explorer. You can quit the SSMS; the rest of the actions will happen in Databricks.

SSMS: Create and locate the new table (Image by author)

Store SQL Server credentials in the Azure Key Vault

Go to the Azure portal home and open your key vault. Click Secrets to add a new secret; select + Generate/Import. On Create a secret page; give a Name, enter your Azure SQL Server admin name as Value, and a Content type for easier readability. Repeat the creation process for the password. Your vault should have two SQL Server secrets now.
My Dog is running for the Office!!
By: Rakesh Gambhir
Tags: Presidential Debates, Dogs, Humor, Election, Dog Humor

“I will drain the swamp,” Brewski was chewing on my sneaker now.

“Those politicians, they are all the same.” I continued. “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.”

“I will throw them a bone,” Brewski had his face inside the shoe. “Everybody can be leashed.”

“And the Economy? What are you going to do about it?”

“I will print money and give it to everyone in America.”

“Isn’t that what the government just did?”

“But they gave it all to the rich.” Brewski sniffed around the bushes. “The not-so-rich are still working like dogs.”

“It’s the poor’s turn to get something,” Brewski said, getting in position to relieve himself on the grass.

“Every dog has his day.” I mused.
Making P2P Great Again
Tags: Smart Contracts, Bitcoin, Byteball, Peer To Peer, Blockchain

This is how it all began:

Bitcoin whitepaper described a peer-to-peer currency

However, all cryptocurrencies so far, Bitcoin included, failed to win a significant share of everyday payments.

We need to fix this and make P2P great again.

Every cryptocurrency has irreversible payments built-in. But that is not enough for making safe P2P deals with untrusted counterparties. Without any guarantees that the other party keeps one’s part of the bargain, such payment is just an irreversible donation in exchange for soft promises.

Today we are releasing version 1.5 of Byteball wallet, which includes bound payments.

Bound payments allow you to set a condition when the payee receives the money:

If the payee doesn’t keep one’s part of the bargain, you safely take your money back after a waiting period that you set.

All this happens in completely peer-to-peer manner, no intermediaries, no escrows. Both parts of the deal are secured by math underlying the operation of Byteball platform.

Under the hood, this is a smart contract between the two parties. But unlike other crypto platforms that support smart contracts, you don’t have to trust the developer that the smart contract will operate as expected, the contract is so simple that you can read it yourself:

This is a P2P interaction, only two parties are directly involved and there are no central entities such as DAOs.

Already now, bound payments allow you to P2P exchange bytes (the native currency of Byteball) against blackbytes (a private untraceable currency on Byteball platform) or any other asset issued on Byteball.

In the future releases, we’ll enable you to bind payments to other events happening in the real world. Oracles will serve as connectors between the real world and the cryptographically secured unalterable storage of Byteball database, and oracles will bring the events from the real world to Byteball.

That will allow you to send P2P payments conditional on the other party’s delivery on one’s promises, thus making your payments safe while making P2P great again!
Of Regimental Uniform
By: Sneha Mankar
Tags: Literary Impulse, Writing Prompts, Memories, Poetry, Hiraeth

being a fighter, one against a hundred

I’m a man, a man in uniform,

being a gem of action and valor

standing still, for the call of duty

in the storm of a barren and desolate world

I’m a man, a man in uniform,

dressed-up in a battlefield,

wearing the colorful signifiers of ornamented pride

with the glory of safety and security,

of freedom and liberty,

having a badge of victory & honor

from reverence & nostalgic tears

to an abode of lasting serenity

now, I’m a man, a man

holding the uniform

as a weapon of pride-legacy

preserving the bells of freedom,

with the yearning to be yours forever

but it can’t be our forever,

for it was our ephemeral, made of the sacrifices

for it was destined, to be transient

yet, I’ll always be a man, a man in uniform

fighting for the saffron white and green

and although you can’t be, you’ll always feel like a home to me.
How To Benefit From Reading About Writing
By: Rasheed Hooda
Tags: Life Lessons, Self, Writing, Writing Tips, Life

Here are three stories about writing that I have collected over a period that I found to be entertaining, educating, and empowering, as well as exciting and enlightening.

We can all use more inspiration, entertainment, and education.

The first one is Linda Caroll, a top writer in books, creativity, and writing, plus more, who’s made a career out of marketing and writing. She has a collection of stories on these topics that are exceptionally well-written.

I love this story by Remington Write, a writer and editor in The Partnered Pen, and a top writer in reading; about the difference between finding your niche and starting with one. The gurus will tell you to start with a niche that you want to write in, and you’ll have hoards of people reading your stories. Right! I’ll let her explain it.

And finally, the new kid on the block, who isn’t really new. Holly Jahangiri is new to Medium, but she has been blogging for more than a decade. She is intelligent — very intelligent, and don’t even try to find out, just take my word for it, I’ve known her for a long time; and oh, she has a wicked sense of humor. She can teach you about grammar while you’re laughing uncontrollably.

That’s all I got for now. Do yourself a favor and read these. It’ll make you a better writer, and don’t forget to show some appreciation by interacting with these exceptional writers. Leave them a note or a response. Remember how it feels when readers appreciate your work? Yeah, they would too.

As always, thank you for reading and responding.
Changes to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Tags: Company, Privacy, Cryptocurrency, Gdpr, Data

Effective 24th May 2018, we updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. These changes are in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which came into full effect today, 25th May 2018.

What’s changed?

We’ve made amendments to each document, to include:

Making clear what data is collected by us and how we use it.

Explaining what your rights are in respect of the personal data that we hold.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with our customer support team!

Originally published on May 25, 2018.
Пираты, время пришло! Голосование началось!…
By: Komodo Platform Rus
Tags: Pirates, International, Ecommerce, Cryptocurrency, Piratechain

pirate

Our commitment is to the KMD Ecosystem and Pirate (ARRR) therefore almost all the reward will support that For ALL…
Schedule Your Auto-Investments at This Time for Best Results
By: Ibillionaire Capital
Tags: Money, Investing

Schedule Your Auto-Investments at This Time for Best Results

You’ve done your research but one key question remains: when is the best time to schedule your auto-investment?

So you’ve done your research and you’re tempted to open up an automatic investing account. But a key question remains: when is the best time to schedule your auto-investing?

In today’s modern world it can be so confusing to decide what to do with your finances. Notifications are flashing at you left, right and center, and it seems like everyone wants your attention, pretty much all the time! So it’s no wonder that many people tend to leave sorting out their finances until later. A great option for the busy professional is to set up an automatic investing schedule, to help unburden yourself from financial decisions and get your investing under a controlled schedule. But when is the best time to set up your automatic savings account transfers?

For most, the answer to this question is: right after you are paid. And the sooner that you set up your auto-investing account, the better. Here’s a look at some of the reasons why:

First, on getting started ASAP: have you ever heard the phrase that what’s important in investing is “time in the market, not timing in the market”? Many of us have a fear of investing, particularly because we are afraid of losing our money because of unpredictable market crashes or booms. Yet if you’re looking to time the markets you could be setting yourself up for a slippery slope, which ends up with you sitting on your cash for a very long period of time and not doing anything with it at all. When it comes to saving, over time, a dollar invested today is worth more than a dollar invested tomorrow; compounding is an investor’s best friend!

Secondly, let’s talk about your schedule: most of us have a pretty solid budget that we would like to stick to. We have set amounts for our rent, utilities, phone bills, subscriptions and other life necessities. Anything left over after the essential payments have come out is divided between savings and fun. But unless you have a willpower of steel, it’s incredibly hard to resist spending extra cash lying around in your checking account which has been earmarked for savings on something that has the potential to provide immediate gratification. That new suit would make everyone at work so jealous… But if you were to take money for your savings right after you are paid, and send them off to be immediately auto-invested, you won’t even think twice about the money dedicated to savings! It’s like your monthly 401(k) contribution — you don’t notice the money taken out of your salary because you never even see it in your bank account. Yet you still get the satisfaction of watching your retirement savings grow!

So scheduling your auto-investing as soon as you can, with a payment on a regular basis right after you get paid, could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Don’t delay, auto-invest today!
Set up some cool Jupyter-themes(Jupyter-Notebook)
Tags: Jupyter Notebook, Programming, Python, Data Science, Jupyter

The Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text. Uses include data cleaning and transformation, numerical simulation, statistical modeling, data visualization, machine learning, and much more.

The custom themes we are about to see are only for jupyter notebook and not jupyterlab. We hope for the custom themes for jupyterlab to be released soon.

Let’s see some cool themes; firstly, we will need a command prompt. If you use JupyterNotebook using command prompt, then use the command prompt for the commands that we are going to use soon, or if use anaconda, then use anaconda prompt. I’ll be using anaconda prompt. Let’s go!

First, open your command prompt, and enter this command: pip install jupyterthemes, and press enter. Then to see the available themes in this package, enter: jt -l , and then hit enter.

Now to apply one of these themes, enter this command: jt -t [name of theme]

For example

Now, let’s see how our notebook looks like

Bam! it looks cool, right?, If you want to revert to the default jupyter notebook (without any custom theme applied), just enter the command: jt and hit enter, you will be reverted back to the default notebook theme.

Let how the theme that I use, you’ll definitely like that. The theme that i use is monokai. I like it the most because it’s damn cool.

Monokai theme

I have also made a video of the same. If you have any problem understanding the article, see this video on youtube, you will get it.

You can apply any one of the available themes. Try using them one by one, and stick with the one you like the most. Signing off. Enjoy!

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2020 at Gapstars: A Year of Resilience and Unprecedented Growth
By: Jonathan Francis
Tags: Startup, Scaleup, Software Development

2020 at Gapstars: A Year of Resilience and Unprecedented Growth

Our top stories from the last 12 months.

Gapstars Support Team at our Remote Tech Centre

As we come to the close of 2020, we got together to review the progress we’ve made over the last 12 months and talk about our plans for 2021.

Among the many topics discussed were partner success, the quality of service delivered, the shift to being fully remote by not being able to travel between The Netherlands and Sri Lanka and the importance of employee care.

Partner Stories

During the last 12 months like every business, in every sector and every geography, our partners faced immense new challenges, having to transform their businesses and adapt to the new normal.

What this means is that Gapstars role as a trusted partner for remote software development has never been more critical. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners to help them respond to a period of unprecedented change.

Here are our top partner stories during 2020.

HOW GAPSTARS CONTRIBUTES TO FIXICO’S CAR REPAIR MANAGEMENT PLATFORM REMOTELY

Here’s a snippet from our interview with Mujib Azizi, CTO at Fixico, about their innovative technology and the team that’s redefining the car repair industry. Read more
Building An Angular App With Azure Static Web Apps Service
By: Bhargav Bachina
Tags: Angular, JavaScript, Programming, Cloud Computing, Web Development

Azure Functions Development

Make sure you install VSCode extensions as I mentioned in the prerequisites section. Let me go through the whole creation process for one function here. Once you install those extensions.

First, you need to create a project with the Azure Functions extension in the VSCode and click on the folder icon on the top to create an Azure Functions project.

Browse the folder

You can select the api folder where all the Azure Functions code goes

Select a language

You need to select the language that you need to write functions with. In our case, select the Javascript.

Select a template for your project’s first function

Select a template HTTP trigger since we are writing an API for our angular code.

The whole process creates an Azure functions project with the following structure. It contains a package.json where you can run the project with this command npm start

Azure Functions Project Structure

This is a package.json file where the start command is defined in the scripts section.

package.json

We have four functions defined for the four API routes. Let's have a look at the todos-get function. We have two files for each function: index.js and function.json.

index.js

Every function has an index.js file as the starting point and receives HTTP requests and context objects and sends an HTTP response back. You can access the HTTP request and response through the context object. You can import other files into this for the processing, database access layer, etc.

index.js

function.json

Every function has a function.json file which defines the route, type of HTTP method, directions of the request, and response objects. For example, This is the get request and the direction is in with the req object. The object is res for the direction out.

function.json

You have the route called todos in the JSON file that means when you start the Azure Functions with this command func start you can access on http://localhost:7071/api/todos

Access the API in the browser

Here are the helper files that act as a database and can be used with all the functions.

helper files

Once you have all the functions in place and you can just start and test all the functions. You can see all the functions ready when you run the command npm start
The Anatomy of a Tick Bite. From birth to blood-sucking and beyond…
By: Anna Almendrala
Tags: Anatomy, Tickpocalpyse, Lyme Disease, Body, Ticks

Step 9

When people seek medical care for symptoms that could indicate Lyme disease, doctors typically check their body for a rash and ask if they have had any recent exposure to ticks — especially if they live in an area where Lyme disease is endemic and their symptoms began in late spring or summer. The doctor may also order a blood test to check for Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses. But because the antibodies that indicate the presence of Lyme can take several weeks to appear, a doctor may make a diagnosis and prescribe the treatment without a positive Lyme test.

Step 10

The typical treatment for Lyme disease is a course of antibiotics that can last up to three weeks. Most people begin to feel better shortly after treatment, but a small minority still experience symptoms for months afterward. This condition, known as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, or PTLDS, affects an estimated 1.5 million people per year.

This story is part of “Tickpocalypse,” a multi-part special report.
My Love
By: Stefani Vader
Tags: Family, Feelings, Love, Loneliness, Life

My husband is gone.

Not gone gone. Just not right here. Even though it’s only been a few hours, and although I know we will be together again in a couple of weeks, there’s a feeling of emptiness inside me right now.

I’m not going to lie. I’m seriously looking forward to sleeping diagonally in bed tonight. But, in the morning when I reach out and feel the cool sheet under my hand instead of his warm body? I’m dreading that.

I miss the sense of security I feel when he’s around. Knowing that he would stand between me and any danger that comes my way without giving the situation a second thought always makes me feel safe. Every sound at night will keep me up.

For the next two weeks, there will be no one here to give me a hug at night before bed; ending my day with peace no matter how crazy things may be.

For the next two weeks, he will not be here. With me. A phone call away? Absolutely, but it’s not the same.

You always hear the saying “so-and-so completes me.”

I am a complete person. I don’t need someone to ‘complete’ me.

He is my partner, my friend, my lover. He is my security, my ego-booster, my comedian.

He makes me laugh, he makes me smile, he makes me cry.

He is my love, and he is missed.