fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Perihelion
By: J.A. Taylor
Tags: Resentment, Sun, SciFi, Fiction, Short Story

Perihelion

He came as close as he could get

Image public domain from DigitalComicMuseum.com

Tension packed the small room between Lucas and Captain Kendrick. “To what do I owe the visit, Captain?” Lucas asked with a mock sincerity. “I’ve heard we’ve arrived at ‘peri-hell-whatever.’”

“As close to the sun as you can get,” Kendrick explained. “That’s what Perihelion means. If you had learned your Latin, you’d know.” His scowl narrowed. “Or, if you’d cared to work hard rather than payoff data personnel to manufacture credentials for you, you might have earned your way here.”

“Well, I am here, aren’t I?” Lucas snapped. He’d had enough of the Captain’s lectures. Since being exposed as a fraud seven months ago, he’d endured the heat of the crew’s anger. ‘Worthless kid’, ‘Phony’, and ‘He’ll get us all killed’, were a few of the phrases he’d overheard. But a few others had extended friendship. He suspected it was either their own guilt or weariness of the captain’s oppression that generated sympathy for him, rather than compassion. But none admitted such.

“Indeed, you are here,” Kendrick said. “So best you learn to make yourself useful.”

“I’ve told you I’m here to help,” Lucas said. He swallowed hard, nearly choking on the pride. Lowering his head, he stared at the sleek floor. “I’ve no ill will toward you.” He swept his fingers across his newly shaved head, as if expecting hair to still be there.

“We will deliver the payload in the next few minutes,” Kendrick said. “It will neutralize the solar radiation on Proxima Centauri. Proxima b will finally become inhabitable for us.”

“You think I don’t know what we’re doing here?”

“I don’t think you care,” Kendrick said stiffly. “And I’m letting you know once we land, you’ll spend the rest of your days in a cell. You’ll never roam freely on our new home.”

Lucas’ noticed his fingers trembling. He cowered before Captain Kendrick, inched in close, and let his voice quiver. “I’m sorry,” he said while allowing his hands to shake, “I’ve done wrong. My actions not only endangered you, but the entire crew. You should blast me out of an airlock. I don’t deserve to be on this ship.”

Kendrick looked down his nose at the hunched man before him. “Now it seems we are finally clear. And in full agreement. You have declared your own fate. You will—”

Without warning, Lucas thrust his open palm into Kendrick’s chin and delivered a swift kick to his crotch. Kendrick collapsed and Lucas stomped on the back of the man’s neck, and again on his temple — repeatedly — until he ceased breathing. The captain’s lifeless eyes stared awkwardly at the floor.

Lucas yanked the security keycard and blaster from Kendrick’s belt. He dragged the captain’s body into the ejection chamber and strapped it to the payload. He exited the chamber, inserted the keycard into the console and ejected the cargo towards its destination.

A crewmate walked by. “Where’s the captain?” he asked.

“Perihelion,” Lucas replied. “As close to the sun as he can get.”
Ramudroid v1 — Robot design and Operation
Tags: Raspberry Pi, Gps, Robotics, Arduino, Ramudroid

Robot “Ramudroid” is an autonomous system to detect litter that can be picked by robot and help clean the roadsides. Powered by solar energy, it uses the WebRTC media stream to identify target litter and uses its unique 3 rotating brush design to lift up litter and garbage.

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No more
By: Tasneem Kagalwalla
Tags: Thesceneandheard, Letting Go, Relationships, Love, Poetry

No more

Bent over backwards

I could hold on no more

After being repeatedly let down

I had to ultimately let go.
5 Tips for teaching Gen Z students
By: Sebastian Frederiksen
Tags: Teaching, Students, Gen Z, Education, Generation Z

Teachers must update their curriculum in order to fit to the new technology savvy students. Read here how teachers can adapt to Generation Z.

Generation Z and new generations are going to affect the classrooms a lot. Society is changing the upbringing of students for every generations. Therefore, the school system needs to be updated to fit the newer generations. Students of Generation Z are going to have different characteristics than former students.

Teachers must adapt to this new generation. They must update their curriculum in order to fit to the new technology savvy students. Teachers need to be able to let students be able to express themselves creatively and fully. The classrooms and school environment also must adapt to the new Generation for them to grow and be inspired by a creative environment. Teachers need to stop being conservative. The future is now and therefore a conservative mind is no longer serving the students. It is just holding them back. Students must have the right tools and the right technologies in order to thrive in the present we live in.

Student Fact 1

Students of Generation Z are creative-minded and craves an environment that fills their creative needs.

Student Fact 2

Gen Z’ers asks less for advice of the teachers. If the have challenges, instead, they use their phone or the internet to search for the answers.

Student Fact 3

They constantly absorb information, but also quickly lose interest.

Student Fact 4

They are avid multitaskers and have a very hard time on focusing on just one task at a time.

Student Fact 5

Students of Generation Z tend to be driven by their own desire, interest, and trust.

Following are a few tips for teachers and the school administration:

Teacher Tip 1

Schools need to create an environment that support the creative minds of Generation Z

Teacher Tip 2

Teachers need to teach students how to obtain and communicate knowledge more effective. This could be to more critically acclaimed towards the trust of the found sources.

Teacher Tip 3

Teachers need to keep the students more engaged in the lectures. This could be with active learnings and to keep them engaged with interesting questions to answer.

Do you want to learn more about how teachers and the school administration can learn to engage and teach students of Generation Z?

We offer an in-depth talk you can book, where our Gen Z experts come to your school to teach about this subject. Click here to read more:

https://relevo.dk/talks/
Map Journal Customizations — Part 1: Adding Audio to a Section
By: Tim Witt
Tags: Guest Author, Story Maps, Map Journal, Esri, Advanced

Hey everybody, my name is Tim and I love coding! By day I am a E911 GIS Analyst and by night I try to teach myself coding. When I code, I mostly work with the ArcGIS Javascript API, which I use to create fun and sometimes even useful applications. You can find some of them on my website.

The ESRI story map team has asked me to write a series of guest posts on the Story Maps Developer’s blog. I have created a heavily customized Map Journal Story Map and will talk about each customization, starting with adding Section Audio.

Whenever the user goes to a different section, you can have different audio files being played. This will also add a playlist and a mute button to your map journal story map.

Where do we start?

You will need the following:

Have access to a web server to host your customized story.

Create a Story Map Journal.

Basic understanding of HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

To find out how to setup the customized version of your Story map, please follow the instructions under the “Getting Started” section in this post.

Let’s Customize!

Once you have created your story map and hosted it on your server, open the index.html file again and go to the following line (59).

Between the style tags we will need to place the code which will style our playlist and mute button. It should look like this:

Next we will need to add the playlist container and the mute button. We will place that code between the ESRI logo wrapper and the app Title (should be around line 195)

The code that needs to be placed there looks like this:

After line 16 (<ul id =”playlist”>)is where you will be able to add the audio files you would like to play. In my example I have added 3 files, two stored on the server and one from a website.

Almost done!

In the last part we will be adding the Magic (javascript code)! Go to line 337, which looks like this:

We will replace the code that is in between the script tags with the following so it will look like this:

The setmusic function, starting at line 47, is responsible for playing the audio in certain sections. It is important to note that the first audio file in your player has the number 0 and not 1. Here is how your playlist and buttons will look like if everything worked!

Do you have an example?

Sure I do! I have created a simple example so you can see how everything will look in a live story map. You can find this example here. To view the source code, which you can also use as a starting off point can be viewed here.

What else is there?
DreamTeam Digest #25
Tags: Game Development, Startup, Token, Gaming, Blockchain

Dear Contributor,

Here’s a quick DreamTeam update. Since the release of our last digest, our CEO sat down for an important interview, DreamTeam has been named a national finalist for the EuroAsian Startup Awards, our Blockchain developer has been confirmed as a speaker for the BlockchainUA Conference, and DreamTeam has been included on a list of Ukrainian startups that have received the largest investments.

Check out the details below.

DreamTeam CEO Alexander Kokhanovskyy talks to CardRates

Alexander Kokhanovskyy talks to CardRates.com about DreamTeam’s past, present, and future. Alexander also shared what DreamTeam has in store for the DREAM Token and what impact it will have on the future of esports. Read the interview here.

DreamTeam named finalist for the EuroAsian Startup Awards

In our previous digest, we wrote that DreamTeam has been nominated for the EuroAsian Startup Awards. Now, we are thrilled to announce that we are among the national finalists. Check the list of finalists here.

Meet DreamTeam at BlockchainUA

DreamTeam’s blockchain developer Nikita Savchenko has been chosen as a speaker at the BlockchainUA Conference, one of the biggest blockchain events in Ukraine. Nikita will speak about delegated transactions and their implementation. Learn more about the event here.

28 largest investment rounds in IT startups and companies in Ukraine

Ain.Ua, one of the biggest IT media channels in Ukraine, reviewed the biggest investments in Ukrainian startups. Check who else made the list and what was said about DreamTeam. Here. (only available in Russian.)

Sincerely,

The DreamTeam Crew

About DreamTeam:

DreamTeam — infrastructure platform and payment gateway for esports and gaming.

Stay in touch: Token Website|Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn|BitcoinTalk.org

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support team any time at token@dreamteam.gg. Or you can always get in touch with us via our official Telegram chat.
20 Android Studio Shortcuts to Accelerate Your Workflow
By: Anupam Chugh
Tags: Android Studio, Programming, Mobile, Software Engineering, Android

20 Android Studio Shortcuts to Accelerate Your Workflow

Multi-cursors, code generations, efficient search, and more

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

As Android developers, a lot of our time is spent staring at Gradle builds. While the best remedy to speed up your builds is to invest in a powerful machine, you can also save time by using shortcuts efficiently.

There are plenty of shortcuts available in the IDE — I’ll assume you’re aware of the most commonly used, basic ones (specifically for macOS) such as:

Shift + Cmd + O : Go to a file

: Go to a file Cmd + F9 : Build project

: Build project Cmd + E : Recent file

: Recent file Cmd + Space : Basic code completion

: Basic code completion Cmd + Option + L : Reformat the selected code

: Reformat the selected code Option + F6 : Find usages

: Find usages Shift + F6 : Refactor/rename

: Refactor/rename Cmd + Alt + / : Comment uncomment a block of code

In the next few sections, we’ll walk through some essential Android studio shortcuts that you might not know.

Using a mouse or a trackpad frequently breaks the workflow and hampers productivity. Let’s start building a good habit — using the keyboard more often.

I hope these tips will speed up your workflow.
Halloween Pre-2020 Vs. Halloween 2020
By: Kyrie Gray
Tags: Culture, Humor, Comics, Halloween, Satire

Sign up for Yapjaw

By Slackjaw

Yapjaw is Medium's #1 newsletter for all things humor, and we're sorry to say you'll only receive it a few times a month. Take a look
A Top Rated Freelancer’s Advice on Actually Making Money Using Upwork
By: Carissa Lintao
Tags: Online Marketing, Freelancing, Marketing, Freelance, Digital Marketing

Specialize

You’ve probably heard this once, but I’m here to tell you again.

Putting yourself in a niche is by far the most important thing you need to do, and I can’t stress it enough.

Lets take “social media strategists” for example.

*My intentions aren’t to put these freelancers on blast*

This market is so saturated, it’s almost impossible to stand out. Okay, you’re a “social media marketer,” now what? Do you just upload curated pictures? Handle PPC campaigns? Come up with the initial strategy? There are a million responsibilities that fall under being a social media marketer, are you capable of handling everything at a professional level? Probably not.

Don’t put yourself in a box and wind up taking a job that’s too much for you to handle. Instead, take the one thing you’re really good at — say social media copy writing — and capitalize on it.

Experiment with job titles

The biggest mistake you can make is giving yourself a generic job title. Going hand in hand with specializing, “Social Media Marketer,” “Website Designer,” “Telemarketer,” etc. are all titles you should avoid like the plague.

Everyone does it and you’ll get lost in the sea of thousands of other freelancers. Aka: you won’t make money. Instead, put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes and figure out what they’d search to find you.

I was originally in the social media industry and learned this the hard way. I figured out what I specialized in over time — apps, and kept experimenting with different job title keywords.

Pro tip: Keep experimenting to figure out what sticks. Rotate keywords every month to get a feel for things.

Invest in a video

You know — that empty space in your profile that’s collecting dust?

It doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, or even include your face. I’m a very introverted person, and talking about my services was literally the last thing I wanted to do. So I went to Fiverr and snagged a little intro video for $5.

A video will make you look more professional than you actually are. Not to mention, it’ll set you apart from the competition.

Beg for detailed feedback

Or just ask nicely after your contract ends.

It may seem a little scary at first, but if your work is as great as you say it is — your clients will be more than happy to do so.

This type of detailed, 3–5 sentences of feedback makes you look phenomenal to other potential clients. Almost industry leader status.

“Great job!” doesn’t cut it on Upwork anymore, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Be honest

This is the least sexy of them all, but has the biggest returns.

For this client in particular, I went on a call and told them I would give them my gods honest truth free of charge because they were in a rough spot. After discussing the project, they ended up offering me a contract because of my honesty.

I am still working with them six months later. The client is now responsible for about 40% of my annual income.
Mike Prelesnik talks life as a Test Automation Analyst at Costco
By: Andy Orr
Tags: Student Success, Applied Baccalaureate, Community College, Costco, Career Advice

Green River College graduate Mike Prelesnik

Meet Mike Prelesnik. A former middle school teacher and retail associate, Mike turned his sites on a career change when he enrolled in Green River College’s applied baccalaureate in software development. Now a Class of 2020 graduate from the program, Mike recently started a job at Costco Wholesale working as a Test Automation Analyst. In the Q and A below, he talks more about his role and the culture at Costco, and also offers advice to college students who are looking for their first job in software.

Thanks for joining us, Mike. Can you tell us a little bit about your role at Costco?

MIKE: My current title at Costco is a Test Automation Analyst. Another way of looking at this position is an SDET. Basically, I am responsible for testing Costco’s website for any bugs, defects, unexpected behavior, etc. prior to pushing to production to ensure an easy and user-friendly experience for anyone that may use the site.

Can you describe a recent project you worked on?

MIKE: The two most prominent projects that I am currently working on include 1) Testing a subsection of Costco’s website for bugs and defects on a daily basis, and 2) Working on a program that will automate some of the daily tasks we are responsible for completing that help us reproduce and debug any defects that are found. These tasks can take hours out of an employee’s day, so completing this project will provide us with more time to focus on the debugging and resolving any bugs found.

What is the culture like at Costco?

MIKE: The culture at Costco is phenomenal. It is very welcoming, friendly, and helpful. This applies to everyone I have come in contact with, from my immediate team, to my (and other) managers, Directors, up to VP’s and AVP’s. Everyone is very positive and willing to answer questions, and the whole company seems to operate on a very team-oriented way of thinking.

Is there a particular course at Green River College that prepared you for success in your current role?

MIKE: I can honestly say that every class in Green River’s Software Development program properly prepared me for this current role. Just a few of the skills taken from GRC’s courses that I use on a daily basis include HTML, Java, debugging and unit testing, understanding and use of threads, handling of exceptions, working with/utilizing API’s, as well as general problem solving skills, writing clean, organized, and efficient code that follows coding standards, and the ability to learn/interpret new languages.

What piece of advice do you have for college students who are currently looking for their first software job?

MIKE: View every interview as a learning opportunity, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t move on with a particular interview. In my experience, I sincerely believe that every interview I had I did better than the last, because I got a better handle of the questions that may be asked, how to keep calm and composed, and how to formulate my answers in a more cohesive manner.
Everything That Starts Here Ends Here (Ecclesiasticus)
By: Walter Stepanenko
Tags: Poetry, Poetry On Medium

Everything that starts here ends here

Whether it fades away or blows up

You whisper in my ear

I got all bent out of shape

Swimming in the pools of your eyes

Voice shaking like the record spinning 45

All I wanted out of you was three good poems

I guess got to

Never wanted to be thirty plus

A mandolin jaw

Skip, skipping your heart beat

My new favorite song

What is it you said about the things you fill your head with?

Oh I’m all rhymes and bad designs and gel pens

Old Testament patience you go straight to hell in

(It’s all right spinning when the chorus is coming up)

Everything that ends here starts here

Whether it’s a last gasp or an all clear

I figured you’d know that by now dear
For A First, Thank You
By: Phindile Soulprovider Nqana
Tags: Music, African Soul, Phindile Soulprovider, Love, Poetry

Dear Soul Gazers

It’s an honor to welcome You to the space. A space that is not confined by geography and can be captured in moments through Sound and Word. I believe value is personal and I am happy to get close to you through Art. It was great seeing and being with you at Mo’s Coffee Shop for the first installment of Coffee Date. Moments with you are captured in my heart and even though I may forget names and numbers, I don’t forget beautiful souls. .. Yes!!!!! I did just say it. You Are a beautiful Soul.

From me, Phindile The SoulProvider.Thank You
I Am Made of Ghosts
By: Elle Rogers
Tags: Family, Love, Time, Poetry, Life

I am

made of ghosts —

the small, wide-eyed girl

who clutched a juicy pear

and smiled for the camera

with ribbons in her hair.

I am

the lanky, not-quite-teen

passing notes and braving dares.

I am

the young musician,

studying boys and dyeing hair.

I am

the college woman,

nose always in books,

who never seemed to notice all

the newly-minted men

and their singeing, lingering looks.

I am

the nervous bride

thinking this,

this day,

this day will last until I’m old and gray,

who paid no mind to coming storms

nor saw the battles for the fray.

I am

the empty tomb where

no life would ever grow

and I’m the hand-made crib

that welcomed home

the greatest love I’ll ever know.

I am

made of ghosts and love

and memories cut fine.

I am

made of fleeting thoughts

and the ceaseless march of time.
Announcing IoT on Tap
Tags: Machine Learning, Podcast, Hashmappers, IoT, Open Source

Announcing IoT on Tap

Join Hashmap for a New Weekly Podcast

Hashmap software engineers, Chris Herrera and Randy Pitcher, spend a great deal of time working with clients helping to crack the code on IoT applications and solutions. With this new weekly podcast they will take a developer focus (vs marketing) and an industrial focus (vs consumer) while still looking to make IoT approachable, practical, and useful.

They will be talking about how you can reasonably go from the “hello world” of IoT to actually doing advanced analytics and machine learning on your device data.

Oh yeah, and you’ll have to tune in to find out more about the “on tap” aspect of the podcast!

Here’s an inside view of the “studio” at Hashmap Houston where the magic happens…

Check out the weekly Thursday podcast from our website or from your favorite podcast app…

Hashmap Podcasts Page

IoT on Tap on iTunes

IoT on Tap on SoundCloud

IoT on Tap on Pocket Casts

IoT on Tap on Stitcher

We’ll look to provide you with a nice selection of IoT topics whether you are traveling, commuting, or just in full learning mode…

If you have topics you’d like to hear Chris and Randy discuss or any comments (or would like to join them in studio for an IoT discussion), please reach out to the guys and let them know. Chris can be reached at @cherrera2001 and Randy can be reached somewhere — thanks for listening!
How to Build a Resilient Lifestyle
By: Ani Vidrine
Tags: Resilience, Health, Personal Growth, Self Help, Psychology

How to Build a Resilient Lifestyle

DESIGN YOUR OWN HEALTHY RITUALS

All of us have our habitual ways that we cope with life. Some coping skills are more useful than others. Unhealthy ways of coping come in many varieties, such as blaming other people, being aggressive, isolating, excessive drinking, drugging, compulsive eating, compulsive spending, and withdrawing through scrolling, limitless watching of television or excessive playing of video games.

It is important for each of us to develop healthy rituals that reduce anxiety and promote a sense of well-being.

We cannot control what life gives us or how other people behave. We CAN control how we RESPOND to life.

The foundation of self-esteem is being proactive by doing what we CAN do to take good care of ourselves on a regular basis. As we take good care of ourselves, we are able to give from a full cup, instead of attempting to draw from an empty well.

Here are the essential elements of positive coping, best done on a daily basis:

See the events of life as opportunities to live out your values, rather than as catastrophes.

to live out your values, rather than as catastrophes. Accept the moment as it is, rather than how you wish it would be; you are responsible for the effort not the outcome.

the moment as it is, rather than how you wish it would be; you are responsible for the effort not the outcome. Engage in centering techniques , such as meditation, centering prayer, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and visualization.

, such as meditation, centering prayer, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and visualization. Read inspirational literature to begin your day with positive thoughts.

to begin your day with positive thoughts. Journal your feelings and thoughts, especially when upset.

your feelings and thoughts, especially when upset. Engage in regular exercise , such as walking, biking, skating, lifting weights, or playing sports.

, such as walking, biking, skating, lifting weights, or playing sports. Write your goal statements and read them often.

and read them often. Detach from negative self-talk and focus on gratitude.

One of the best ways to incorporate positive coping is to set aside 20–30 minutes once a day (preferably in the morning) to read inspirational literature, journal, read your goals, and practice a form of centering, such as meditation, deep breathing, etc. Schedule the type of exercise that you enjoy at a time that is most convenient for you, and make a commitment to yourself to follow-through with your pledge. In addition to daily healthy rituals, it is important to plan time to nurture your relationships and to do fun activities.

The regular practice of healthy rituals has been proven to reduce anxiety and promote self-esteem (The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Edmund Bourne, Ph.D, 2001).

If you do the same things you’ve always done, you will get the same results that you’ve always gotten.

Make a commitment to plant the positive seeds of a peaceful life NOW!

INVEST IN YOURSELF. YOU’RE WORTH IT!
React Native file storage in AWS S3 Bucket.
By: Edison Devadoss
Tags: React Native, React Native S3 Bucket, S3 Bucket, Image Storage S3 Bucket, Aws S3

Hi Friends, In this article, I will explain about using React Native storing files in the AWS S3 bucket.

Before we move to write code we have to create an S3 bucket. The link helps you to create a bucket. Click here.

Once you create a bucket then move to write coding.

In AWS account, you have the following things

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID,

2. AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY

3. Bucket name

4. Region

Create a React Native Project

$ react-native init <ProjectName> $ cd <ProjectName>

Install Plugins

Install the following plugins.

Before we move to further step, install the above plugins. For more details about the above plugins click each the link in the plugin and follow the installation steps.

aws-sdk

aws-sdk for storing files in s3 bucket we need this plugin.

react-native-file-selector

We need this plugin for getting documents from our mobile. Using this plugin we can access the mobile’s files.

react-native-fs

We need this plugin to create base64 from the file path.

react-native-mime-types

Using this plugin we can type of the documents from the path.

After completed all the installations then we can move to the code.

Set your ‘AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID’ and ‘AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY’, bucket name in your configuration.

S3Bucket setup with credentials

The above code is a sample setup of S3Bucket.

We need to pass fileName, arrayBuffer, contentDeposition, contentType.

arrayBuffer — The value of the file we need to store in S3Bucket.

contentDeposition — One of these headers is known as Content-Disposition , and it describes what the recipient should do with the content: should it be displayed inline in the browser, or downloaded as an attachment and saved as a file.

contentType — This is the document type.

Pick a document from your mobile.

Using react-native-file-selector we can get files from the mobile.

Generate base64 format from the file path.

Using react-native-fs we can generate base64 format from the file path. We need to pass the file path as a parameter.

Get the file type from the file path.

For S3 Bucket we need to pass file type for storing files then only we can open the file.

Generate array-buffer from base64

Above code from base64 to generate array-buffer.

I give the full code of S3 bucket here.

I Completed the code S3 configuration. Then we can run our application.

Fix AccessDenied Error

Stack over flow

After file saved successfully then opened it. But it showed the above error as AccessDenied.

I configured the bucket policy as given below.

{

"Version": "2012-10-17",

"Statement": [

{

"Sid": "AddPerm",

"Effect": "Allow",

"Principal": "*",

"Action": [

"s3:PutObject",

"s3:PutObjectAcl",

"s3:GetObject"

],

"Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::bucketname.com/*"

}

]

}

It fixed the error. Then I could saw the file in the browser.
Black book characters make black kids like me want to read more
By: Shamontiel L. Vaughn
Tags: Reading, Books, African American, Diversity, Education

While I was one of those kids who could devour a Stephen King horror book in sixth grade and could talk endlessly about Archie comic books, I was also a girl who read the autobiography before seeing the “Malcolm X” film in theaters and read the Roots series. It is indeed possible to let a kid be a kid with care-free fiction of all races while reading literature with more depth.

However, it was easier for me to find nonfiction books about black people than it ever was to find brown faces in young adult fiction though. So my childhood reading was often reading about a world of white kids living their best K-12 lives — until Ann M. Martin released another book. I crossed my fingers and hoped Jessica would make an appearance in each one. I even wrote a fan letter to Martin about my interest in being an author. Imagine my surprise when she personally wrote a letter back to me and mentioned my dreams of being a writer. I was dumbfounded. But why was Martin my only option?

According to Young, Black & Lit, 10 percent of children’s books published in 2018 depicted African/African-American characters. That’s more than two decades after I left elementary school — and I could only think of one African-American book character throughout my entire childhood. (If I’d have known who Black Panther was, I’d have collected that entire series, too.)

In a Scholastics study, “USC professor emeritus Stephen Krashen found that students attending schools in Beverly Hills had access to eight times as many books in their classrooms as students attending schools in the high poverty and largely African-American communities of Watts and Compton.”

While my parents were adamant about sending me to a school (right across the street) with an endless supply of books and library classes, my biggest complaint was being able to find characters who looked like me. But some kids cannot find a reasonable amount of books altogether in their schools. What helped me search for more books was having two parents who loved to read and had the finances to pay for me to collect even more books outside of school. Had they not been bookworms, I’m not sure I would’ve latched onto this hobby so tough.

So if you have a child who comes from a school that could use more diverse books — or more books period — click here to be put on the waiting list as a prospective monthly book donation recipients. And if you’re an African-American author or know of one who might be able to contribute their own book(s) with brown faces, consider donating books to your local libraries and organizations like this. I beg you to get involved and help more black kids see themselves on the pages. Please. Baby. Please.
Soaking in Regret and Shame
By: Simran Kankas
Tags: Life Lessons, Regret, Relationships, Self Improvement, Poetry

He was soaking wet

His clothes were drenched in shame

He had won many trophies

Not one bit of real happiness

He could claim

He was partying with friends

While his family was going

Through emotional crisis

The day he lost his son to drugs

He was seen running from

Places to places

Time flew by

He lost his friends one by one

By the time he

Realized his mistake

The damage was already done

Today he is knocking

On the door of penance

Wet eyes along with wet clothes

Are begging for repentance
How to Transform Your Social Media Experience Into a Win-Win Scenario
By: Alexa V.S.
Tags: Mental Health, Social Media, This Happened To Me, Advice, Happiness

From early to mid-2020, I quit social media. From spending an average of two hours per day, I went to zero.

I was drained.

Every time I logged on Twitter, someone announced a book deal. On LinkedIn, my schoolmates got promotions. On Instagram, fitness influencers boasted their enviable bikini bodies.

As an aspiring writer, I felt unsuccessful. As someone who had exchanged a high-paying corporate job for solopreneurship, I felt lost. As a human, I felt fat and lazy.

The worst part, though, was that I felt guilty for feeling guilty. It was exhausting.

That’s why, for almost six months, I ran away, a break-up that helped me reduce my anxiety and regain control of my life. Still, I knew I had to return. Whether we like it or not, around 4 billion people use at least one social media platform. Nowadays, it’s the easiest way to catch up with our loved ones, market a product, or learn new things.

Social media is here to stay.

Fortunately, researchers have concluded that social media doesn’t lead to depression or anxiety by itself. How we use it is what can ultimately damage our mental health.

This finding reminded me of Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. More specifically, the fourth habit: Think Win-Win.

“Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying.” — Stephen R. Covey

Problematic use of social media — like the one I used to do — is win-lose. Marketers and social media companies benefit from our engagement at the cost of our mental sanity.

But we can transform it into a win-win scenario. Here’s how:
Daily Blockchain Use Cases and News #12
By: Pavel Romanenko
Tags: Bitcoin, News, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Technology

Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) announced, that he is working with crypto startup Equi Capital

Shelf.Network, a blockchain auctioning startup from Berlin, was accepted for the YCombinators advisory path program

China banned multiple blockchain & crypto news accounts and event venues hosting crypto events

Forbes listed 20 use cases for blockchain in education

Global automotive blockchain market is to reach $1.6 billion by 2026, as reported by Business Intelligence and Strategy Research (BIS Research)
The beta Pro-Football Postseason Portfolio Challenge!
By: John Culver
Tags: Startup, Fintech, Sports, Fantasy Football, Lean Startup

Total Gain/Loss

There are two ways to score points in the Postseason game: trading gains and post-game distributions. Both of these avenues contribute (or detract) from your Total Gain/Loss, which determines your ranking on the leaderboard.

Total Gain/Loss = Trading Gains or (Losses) + Post-Game Distributions or (Reductions)

Trading Gains

There are two ways to score points in the Postseason game: trading gains and post-game distributions.

To earn trading gains, buy undervalued teams and let other people drive the price up before kickoff.

Price per share increases from what you paid → +$FBX trading gains Price per share decreases from what you paid → -$FBX trading (losses)

Your trading gains (or losses) appear below each position’s market value in your ‘My Teams’ panel on your ‘HOME’ page (circled above).

Your total trading gains (or losses) are listed in the right panel under ‘Trading Gains’.

As noted in the example above, this Fanvestor has unrealized trading gains in HOU (+12.50) and NE (+25.00) for a total unrealized trading gain of +$FBX 37.50.

Fanvestors can sell out of these positions at anytime prior to kick-off so as to realize, or bank these trading gains towards their ‘Total Gain/Loss’ score.

Post-Game Distributions

More valuable than trading gains, you’ll want to maximize your post-game distributions.

After a team that you’ve invested in finishes a game, you’ll get a post-game distribution or (reduction) based on how many points it won or lost by (what we call its “margin of victory or defeat”).

Post-game distribution/(reduction) = (# of shares owned) *(margin of victory/(defeat) *[**(5)]

**5x ONLY APPLIES if team is an underdog that wins
Accessing device location using SIM card in Android
By: Shreyas Patil
Tags: Android Development, Networking, Location, Kotlin, Android

🕵️Accessing device location using SIM Card 🗺️📍

In this article, we’ll see how to access device location using the SIM card in Android without using GPS or location service

These days, almost many apps use the device location📍. There might be some use case in your app which is strongly dependent on the user’s location. For example, if you have developed a social app 💬 which shows posts of users and imagine you’ve feature which shows trending posts in user’s nearby area. For such use case, you’ll get user’s device location and after some processing, you’ll be able to manage this feature for your cool app.

But wait… 🤔

What if your app user’s enabled Mock location? 😮

If your cool app users have enabled mock locations then your feature will not work as expected. If the user is currently at Mumbai, India and he enabled mock location and showing his location at Beijing, China 😩 then that Indian user will see useless Chinese content in the app. Your cool app’s cool feature won’t work as expected 😢

Then is there any solution? 🤷‍♀️

Yes😃, for such use case you won’t need user’s perfect location. Just area/city level location is enough for such use case. You can get user’s cell tower location by extracting the SIM card📡 details from the user’s device.

The famous app TikTok app extracts SIM Card📶 details and fetches the user’s location for the perfect updates and avoiding spoofing of location.

How did we come up with this Idea? 💡

We at ScaleReal were developing a product which was heavily dependent on the user’s location and we thought “What if GPS location isn’t available due to conditions like device failure or bad weather or if user provides fake location” 🤔. We thoroughly studied these scenarios with all aspects 🧐 and came with the solution of using SIM card details to extract at least the cell tower location of the user. This solution helped us to pinpoint the user's location using cell tower triangulation and the results were even better when we wrote a custom algorithm on top of these two. In turn a better product! 😄

In this article, we’ll learn to access the device’s cell tower location by extracting SIM Card details from the device. So let’s start implementation.
Purpose
By: Georgia Lewitt
Tags: Life Lessons, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Writing, Growth

It means heading in one direction that I choose.

I believe in my purpose as a being, as human. To that front I’m trying to tilt the scales towards good and beauty through my thoughts, my actions, my writing, the way I’m raising my kids.

My sort of mundane purpose, my goal, changes usually, either because it’s been achieved, modified, escalated, postponed- depending on circumstances, internal or external factors.

I’m a stubborn creature unable to be restful or happy without a purpose, so I move on with determination and meaning, sticking to my goals. I’m smiling now, typing, remembering how I’ve used my persistence and tenacity slamming my head into brick walls that weren’t mine to break. I believe that’s youth, inexperience, the childish belief that one can accomplish anything if they put their mind into it. Nowadays I follow what’s meant to be is meant to be and what passes us by is meant to pass us by.

Learning has always been my main focus. I’ve always seen it as a foundation, the center from where everything begins, continues and grows. I’ve spent most of my years on this planet focusing on learning for one goal or another, with the idea that knowledge is power and it cannot be taken from us. It’s recent that I’ve understood how the core is within the self, and that growth is invaluable.

To that respect I am but a seed. In fact I was just thinking this morning how we are all spread around the world, yet seeds from the same pod. Education, background, upbringing, nothing seems to matter when we talk about the self, because we have the same essence. Our souls seem to have been created from one. We’re born the same, love, laugh, suffer similarly, then leave the same way.

Having purpose means living.
Be Your Inner Indian
By: Flemming Engstrom
Tags: Spirituality, Awareness, Spiritual Growth, Self Development, Being Yourself

Be Your Inner Indian

The grounded feeling

Photo by Stephen Walker on Unsplash

One day my wife said that she was contemplating her inner Indian, and strange enough, this awoke a lot of pictures and feelings in me.

The picture coming to mind was a native American standing tall and observing the world with stoic calm and groundedness. I have no idea what it meant to her, but I was fascinated by what “being my inner Indian” symbolized to me.

I am not a native American, and I don’t know much about what it means, but to me, being an Indian is simply associated with the native Americans. So please forgive me for any misunderstandings about the native Americans.

I associate the native Americans with certain very positive qualities.

Being grounded

An important quality is the ability to be grounded. A grounded person has a deep inner connection. Staying grounded at all times and always see the world from that position.

Being calm

Calmness is a result of being grounded, but it is also a quality in itself. Being calm in the storm is a quality associated with great leaders and people with great authenticity.

Being authentic

Authenticity is a quality in itself. It is the result of being grounded and calm and not going along with any thought that comes up. To be authentic means always making decisions based on your true self. No matter what everyone else says.

Being enough

This person is always enough and have no urge to have more to be fulfilled. There is no doubt because there is a faith that what is needed is already given.

Being connected

It is a person always connected to the important things in life; family, tribe, animals, nature, spirits, etc. He feels them, and they are part of him whenever he makes a decision.

Being wise

The quiet mind will always be wise because it has access to the universal wisdom. The wisdom becomes part of the personality and is recognized by others as the true wisdom that it is.

What comes to your mind when you think of your “inner Indian?”
Gamification Theorie und Didaktik: Tag 1 der zweiten Reise, Start in Lomé
By: Christian Müller
Tags: Afrika, Goethe Institut, Community, Gamification, Workshop

in Both Sides of the Table
Why God Is My Biggest Medium Supporter
By: Chad Raybourne
Tags: Spirituality, God, Writing, Motivation, Encouragement

I’ve been trying to find my niche. What I mainly want to write about, while also keeping in mind what others want to read.

Of course, there is that part in all of us writers that want to make a buck or 2 off of our work, which is fair.

I started noticing one thing. People are curious about God. They’re looking to Medium for answers and encouragement in hard times.

My best articles have been those that have highlighted my personal experiences, which I will have to say are the articles that flowed; where I didn’t have to stop and think, “how can I make this sound good to get readers.”

People want personal experiences shared with them. How God affected you, me, or others in life. It gives Him a realness when they may be at a point of a lack in faith.

I would say my stories of that nature would be the “hang in there” type if they needed a category label for it.

He’s my biggest earner so far too, which I can’t complain about. I think it’s in the cards. If you go to church ever you’ve probably got the message that God wants you to go fishing for more believers.

To me, that’s the same thing as getting followers. Spreading the message so that you can strengthen another’s belief that not only is He real, but He is on your side.

I’ve only made a few bucks so far but I’ve gotten a few really unbelievable comments that have really blew me away at how much someone can relate to a story.

As someone pursuing writing, that’s the biggest high I’ve gotten from doing any story. The comments that may be rare, but so worth it.

So if your a writer, keep writing no matter how stupid you think it is. If you had a bad day and got over it, spit it out how you did it.

Even if you get 1 reader out of it, you may have gotten someone through a difficult time. They came to Medium to read. To grow and learn. To find motivation. Maybe to add to their good times. Maybe to help out in the bad times.

Plus, I’ve always had someone tell me to write in a journal. To me, this is the same thing at times. It allows me to get things off my chest.

So if you are a believer or not, I encourage you to find or stick with that power greater than yourself to keep on the journey of reading and writing.

I’m already starting to finally meet some great people on here, which I have a lack of in real life.

I prayed that I wanted to find people like myself who were awkward and were interested in weird things too.

At Medium, you can find that!

So he brought me a unique set of people that may not be real life friends, but sometimes their articles or their comments inspire me and get me through the day.

When I’m having a tough time, I turn to Medium anymore to search for something positive. There’s always something there. That’s why I follow who I follow, because some people just have that touch and know how to reach people.

So, may God be with you in your journey as He has in mine.

We are all on this platform for a reason. To help each other.
Jingle All The Way Merry Christmas
By: Areti Vassou
Tags: Life Lessons, Inspiration, Newsletter, Christmas, Ideadeco

May the true spirit of Christmas shine even in this online version.

Photo by Areti Vassou

This holiday season, let’s make it a point to cherish what’s truly important in our lives: Love & Kindness. And Christmas cookies, too!

Make your own definition of what Merry means for Christmas. My season’s greetings are a bit out of the Christmassy heat of the days. Do whatever makes you happy, celebrate for your own reasons, and play the music that makes you dance. Burn the rules of what festivity should look like!

Looking back at this challenging year behind, we realize that we wouldn’t be where we are today without the power to say every morning “Let’s do this!”.

All the good and the bad days are part of the journey. But don’t forget the gray days, the ones that actually passed by and we somehow lost track of time. It’s those days that daydreaming took the best of ourselves.

Celebrate love, kindness, hope and joy!

Here’s to a new year that we hope will have more hope, joy, and free time to enjoy daydreaming outdoors! Because all the significant things happen when we are taking our time and reduce the digital noise around us. There is a lot of wisdom behind slow living lifestyle.

Wishing you to find the road to inner peace. That’s the actual success in life and the best reason to be merry & bright.

Try more new things just for your own pleasure. Smile because you are alive & healthy. And remind yourself that fear is the only boundary you must break.

Life is too short and too precious to let fear rule it. Do your best and show the people that matter to you how much you love them, including yourself.

Sincerely,

Areti Vassou

www.ideadeco.co

Have you seen our Copywriting Challenge About 2020?