fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Naming Tokens in Design Systems
By: Nathan Curtis
Tags: Visual Design, Components, Design Systems

Conventions for naming and flowing tokens in themed architectures is a considerably complicated topic beyond the scope of this article. Different teams set up tools, compilation, and naming structures in different and often very sophisticated ways. However, a few “themes about theming” are posited here to clarify the intent of a theme level.

For example, consider an animation app (supported by, say, the $aads “Animation App Design System”) may offer color themes such as ocean , sands , mountain , and sunset . Each theme may need to vary similar but distinct design tokens in both generalized and specific contexts.

// General tokens to alias thematic colors to many contexts

$aads-ocean-color-primary

$aads-sands-color-primary

$aads-sunset-color-secondary // Specific token overrides and extensions

$aads-ocean-color-heading-text-1

$aads-sands-color-heading-text-1

$aads-mountain-color-alert-background-success

One way to record token decisions is to append theme ( ocean ) to a system namespace (like aads ), resulting in a narrower namespace of $aads-ocean . This namespace provides system authors a place to map theme-specific values that override and at times extend default token values. For example, when compiling visual decisions for the ocean theme, the following mappings could be relevant:

$aads-color-text-primary

= $aads-ocean-color-primary;

$aads-color-forms-text-metadata

= $aads-ocean-color-primary;

$aads-color-background-secondary-on-dark

= $aads-ocean-color-primary;
About Fears, Hopes, and Predictions.
By: Vlad Alex, Merzmensch
Tags: Ai In Discourse, Artificial Intelligence, Art, Merznlp, Published Predict

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Tree of Life as Levels of Awareness
By: Nuno Alves
Tags: Densities, Consciousness, Spirituality

— Online Resources —

Quiz: Take this online quiz to know what’s your current overall level of awareness.

Chart: A table with the different metaphysical levels of awareness, explained.

Website: This information comes from heartki.com.
How to Migrate Git Repository with Branches and Commit History
By: Zeeshan Baig
Tags: Technology, Migration, Git, Tips And Tricks, Software Development

Overview

A short and useful post today, recently we had a customer requirement to migrate their git repositories from one account to another service provider, for example moving from bitbucket to GitHub, the repositories had a history of branches and commit for over 5 years and were quite huge in size.

The solution was quite simple but I thought to document this for anyone who is looking to solve a similar problem.

Solution

Step 1 is to mirror the Git repository to your local machine by the following command

The above command would create a directory with your repository name.git format for example myproject.git

Step 2 is to create a new repository on the destination server with the same name (not required though)

Step 3 is set the remote repository URL, run the command from inside your git repo folder

$ cd to-your-git-repo-folder.git $ git remote set-url --push origin https://url-of-the-destination-git-repo.git

Step 4 is to push the repository to the destination

$ git push --mirror

By running the following commands you can migrate the complete Git repository with all Commit history and Branches.

Hope you find this post useful, please leave a comment for any questions or suggestions.

@IamZeeshanBaig

About DataNext

DataNext Solutions is a US based system integrator, specialized in Cloud, Big Data, DevOps technologies. As a registered AWS partner, our services comprise of any Cloud Migration, Cost optimization, Integration, Security and Managed Services. Click here and Book Free assessment call with our experts today or visit our website www.datanextsolutions.com for more info.
On our Seventh Anniversary
By: Dan Mccarthy
Tags: Remembering, Love, Anniversary, Writing

This weekend seven years ago Tami and I were married on the beach in Westhampton under a white tent wrapped in a warm summer mist, soothed by the pounding surf and surrounded by our stunned families. We were barefoot and dressed in summer whites. She was nine months pregnant. We ate lobster and steamed corn on long farm tables lit by tiki torches; we danced in the dark by a bonfire to the raw rhythms of Brazilian drummers; we crawled into our rented bed, in our rented house, with our four children sound asleep and the fifth, yet to come, still dancing, pounding his little feet against Tami’s belly, while we surrendered to a deep slumber.

Around our house there are reminders of that day. In the foyer, there is a sealed glass frame with a starfish from the farm tables, sand from the beach, and the ocean blue invitation to our celebration. In the pool house there’s a storm lamp filled with shells and sand. In a hallway off our bedroom there are four photographs taken of us after the ceremony and before the party. We are sitting on the walkway over the dune to the beach. We are wearing sunglasses. The photo makes everything else look far away. We look completely relaxed. One photo shows the picture I drew on Tami’s belly with a marker — the outline of the baby, curled up and content. We wanted him to be there too.

A couple of weeks ago my stepson Ryan asked me, How did you know? He is 14 and is looking for order in the unknowables of life. He’s sorted out the overlap in timing: our anniversary and Luke’s birthday are 17 days apart and they happened in the same year? How does that work? Why did you go so fast, he asked?

The easy answer, I tell him, is look at where we are now, the world that we all share seven years later. It is good and natural. It is loving and strong. We went fast because we knew that this is where we were going, and when you have found the path to the right place, you should never waver.

But, I say, if I had told you that seven years ago, it might have sounded like wishful thinking, a story that I was working up to justify a risky choice.

So how did you know, he asks again.

I knew that it was different than anything I had ever felt and that nothing was going to keep me away from it, I told him. Your mom felt the same way.

Here we are seven years later and every single day proves us right. There is nothing in the world that soothes me like the touch of her hand. My heart stills when I breath in her scent. When she smiles I feel like I’ve been charged with electricity. Her eyes are soft and sparkling, lights that make dangerous shoals vanish in the distance. Her heart is fierce and strong. She is vulnerable, utterly human, elevated by joy and hope into that thing that makes being human the greatest gift we have. She is stunningly beautiful. She never stops living.

The morning that we were married I stood in the tent. A bag piper began to play. Tami walked across the sand. I watched her. I could watch her forever. She smiled. There was no one else. There never has been and there never will be.

Happy Anniversary, baby. I love you.
InterValue’s Singapore News
Tags: Blockchain, Inve, Technology, Intervalue, Bitcoin

In September, the InterValue project pursued its mission to connect and interact with quality projects in Singapore. InterValue’s COO Scott Guo visited and the offices of Zilliqa project and OEX exchange and participated in the Brightening Cocktail Party hosted by BN Capital.

Talks with Singapore’s OEX Exchange

In September, InterValue’s COO Scott Guo and overseas operations manager Clement, together with BN Capital’s management, visited the Singapore OEX exchange. OEX is one of the world’s leading digital asset trading platforms. Headquartered in Singapore, OEX provides digital assets and derivatives trading services such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to users around the world, with high experience, high security, low threshold and low commission fees. “The advantages are well known in the industry.” OEX’ representative gave a very high evaluation of the InterValue project.

Communication with Zilliqa’s CEO

In September, InterValue’s COO Scott Guo visited Billi Capital with Mr. Dong Xinshu, CEO of Zilliqa, and discussed and exchanged with his core team on the technical characteristics, marketing and community operations of their respective projects.

Join Brightening Cocktail Party

At 19:00 on September, InterValue COO Scott Guo and overseas operations manager Clement were invited to attend BN Capital’s Brightening Cocktail Party. InterValue’s overseas operations manager Clement gave a presentation on the theme of “InterValue: Building highly Scalable, Usable and Secure Next Generation Blockchain” and exchanged with the guests at the reception.
Hey Winter, Quit Playing With My Emotions
By: Joanna Scatasti
Tags: Weather, Poetry

A few summers ago at Dewey Beach. (Where I’ve been yearning to go to since this weather has been toying with my emotions.)

I read one of Maya’s posts recently about having the winter blues, and I couldn’t identify with it more. The winter blues is real. But what is even more absurd about it all is that these “winter blues” aren’t necessarily caused by the winter. Rather, I truly and vehemently believe that the severe case of the blues that I suddenly have is in part due to the massive fluctuation of the weather.

It was warm and sunny a few weeks ago, was it not? Though I felt wrong about it, I enjoyed the sun, the breeze, and the happy (and too early) chirping of the birds. I imagined, just for a second, that it was spring, that I was a step closer to graduation, and that summer was just around the corner. Then, only a measly few days later, I was hit with the reality that it is winter, it is cold, and that I am not close to any of those things. This weather is really messing with my mind, and really all I can do about it is snap myself out of this sudden sadness that I feel.

Though I am slightly annoyed and upset that I’m inconvenienced about this weather change, it’s definitely not normal that this is happening in the first place. How can a slight weather change effect my mood to such a high degree? If we keep toying with the environment and just generally not taking it seriously, surely these effects will get worse.

And, as I end every post I’ve been writing here, lately, I’m going to try and figure out how to fix it.

You won’t win this time, winter blues.
Relive the Most Epic Moments from Crowdtap’s People-Powered Party In Austin
By: Crowdtap
Tags: Work, Events

For six years, Crowdtap has taken to the streets of Austin to mix and mingle with our industry friends attending SXSW Interactive. This year’s event was especially epic.

Nearly 1,000 marketers, agency strategists and industry friends stopped by Vulcan Gas Company to enjoy rooftop cocktails, live music, dancing and more. Watch our full recap video for a look into the party, or scroll down for a play-by-play of the night’s most memorable moments!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meqFOg97IpY[/embed]

SoCal-based alternative rock band The Mowgli’s brought the stage alive with an hour-long set featuring some of their trending tunes, like “I’m Good” and “San Francisco.” Keep tabs on this this talented group of seven via Spotify or iTunes.

Hip hop’s “By Chance” bros Rae Sremmurd turned the night up a notch with chart-toppers “Come Get Her,” “No Flex Zone,” and “Blasé.” The crowd went wild as LED thundersticks and beach balls filled the air.

Our party wouldn’t have been without DJ Friendly Greg, who kept the beats bumping in between sets. His mix, which included crowd favorites like “Pony” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” had folks wanting more by last call.

When they weren’t shredding the dance floor, guests got creative at our GIF booth, thanks to our friends at SmileBooth! Want to see more photos of fun? Check out our official event photo album on Facebook and feel free to tag yo’self.

All photos via Gary He / Insider Images.
SSH Tunneling, a guide.
By: Craig Godden-Payne
Tags: Networking, Ssh, DevOps

Before we start — SSH Config

Use ssh config to save your connections, to save having to go through your bash history to find the command you used last week that worked.

I am a serial bash history searcher, but there are easier ways to setup your ssh tunnels and connections in general using SSH config.

SSH config is usually located at: ~/.ssh/config

If it isn’t you should just be able to create that file.

You can add blocks into this config, so that you can in the future use an alias.
A few tips I found useful during my first year as a UX/ UI Designer.
By: El Niño
Tags: UI Design, UX Design, Tips, UX, UI

2. MoSCoW Analysis

Divide specific website features into the following criteria to know how to prioritise them.

The MoSCoW prioritisation categories

This particularly came in very useful when talking to clients, who have a fixed amount of budget but cannot stop stating what they want. Having them (and you) go through each of the features they want and ranking them in hierarchy creates a realistic expectation to both the customer and the developers.
Harvesting Tales of Inspiration
By: Jeffrey Keefer
Tags: Writing, Life Lessons, Poetry, Motivation, Creativity

Harvesting Tales of Inspiration

A poem to make the most of December

Remember when we embraced

the New Year, a moment for

hopes and opportunities

to escape the failures we

buried in the recesses

of the oddly distant past?

Whatever the new year brings

can leave us with another

taste of regret, or if we

reframe hope into action,

take the time remaining and

grasp a future, harvesting

tales of inspiration.
Stationery Love
By: Paroma Sen
Tags: Humor, Crime, Intern, Poetry, Fiction

I am an intern, and I moonlight as a spy

In the world of the devious, does my talent lie

On my third day, far and wide, I let it be known

My services were available, the seeds were now sown

For a small commission, $200 of cash feed

You could have access to all that you need

Performance reviews, background checks

You will get them all, no need to be wrecks

Thus started my life of crime, living quite the dream

Restaurants, bars, vacation villas, courtesy of the team

My boss’ trustworthy aide was I, no chance of backlash

Ethics? Schmethics, I say, all bunkum and balderdash

As an intern, I was efficient and had a delightful air

Stationery I hoarded, with quite the masterful flair

Paper clips, they were my favorite by far

I used them all over, in love and in war

I used them as toothpicks, I used them for my hair

Not a day went by without a paperclip in my lair

I held on to them everywhere, under and aloft

I promise, this segment’s not sponsored by Microsoft

One day I had to break into my boss’ office, a rush job

I’ll use a red paper clip, just some papers I’ve gotta rob

Unfolding one end, and hooking into another

I’ll jimmy that lock, faster than any other

Overconfidence? Maybe, but I’m cool as a cucumber

Picking up the confidential docs, I dance a little number

I exit my boss’ office, my head held high

Tonight’s party is on me, and I won’t lie

I’m excited as hell, I’m building up quite the kitty

Reputation be damned! On cash I’m sitting pretty

I head out, on my way to the bar

Humming a tune, driving my car

Soon I’ll have a few margaritas in me

This lifestyle I like, it suits me I see!

I’m on my second drink, dancing and preening

With Mark, and Sam, and that man Browning

Returning to the bar, I need to slow my pace

I run into my boss, absolutely face to face!

My astonishment showing, on me he landed

“This time, my girl, I’ve caught you red-handed!

I followed you closely, you think you’re so smart?

You got found out by your own paper clip art!”

Saying these ominous words, and his mouth all agape,

He brought out my red paper clip, all bent out of shape

I thought of denying: It wasn’t me! Someone else’s junk!

But then I realized the evidence was still in my trunk

And that’s how my criminal career came to an end

I’d advise you to lie low, behave, stay on the mend

Honesty’s really a good policy, on any given day

I broke my boss’ trust, and for that I have to pay

Above all my friends, remember this one last tip

Stay away you must! From that stupid paper clip.
49 Pulses
Tags: Transgender, Poetry, LGBTQ, Homophobia, Pulse

Pulses

Slipping away

One night of fun turned into a bullet spray

Ricochet

Lost for words, I’ve lost my Hemingway

One night

Turned into a doomsday

Full hatred on display

As hollow tips ripped through doorways

49 pulses

49 heartbeats

49 voices that can no longer speak

49 smiles that can no longer greet

Snatched away by semi–automatics

Snatched by one man

Who rolled up in a van

Creating pure havoc

I won’t say his name

I’ll just call him satanic

The news made my heart sink like the Titanic

As young as 18

As old as 49

49 pulses

Ripped away

Turned into prey

49 heartbeats forced to fade away

49 voices forever silenced

At the hands of homophobic violence

–BFoundAPen
How To Build Your First GitLab CI/CD Pipeline
By: Andrew Bestbier
Tags: AWS, Programming, DevOps, Gitlab, Elastic Beanstalk

Preliminary Steps

For this piece, we need to create an AWS user so the GitLab can programatically access Elastic Beanstalk. See my guide on how to do this: (you’ll be provided with AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY variables):

Next, we need to create an application on Elastic Beanstalk which GitLab can deploy to. My guide (below) explains how to do this

The final step is the creation of a Docker Hub repository. Again, see my guide here on how to do this:
Understanding the Use of Interface and Abstract Classes
By: Nahidul Hasan
Tags: Oop, Programming, Interfaces, PHP, Abstract

Interface Class

We know that an interface is defined by the interface keyword and all methods are abstract. All methods declared in an interface must be public; this is simply the nature of an interface.

Here is an example:

In an interface, the method body is not defined, just the name and the parameters. If we do not use an interface, what problems will be encounter? Why should we use interface ?

You’ll get answers to these questions in this article. Please see the code below:

In the above example, I do not use interface . I write to the log using the LogToFile class.

But, if I want to write a log using LogToDatabase , I have to change the hard-coded class reference in the above code on line number 23.

That line code is:

public function __construct(LogToFile $logger)

This code will be:

public function __construct(LogToDatabase $logger)

In a large project, if I have multiple classes and I need to change them, I have to change all the classes manually.

But, if we use an interface, this problem is solved; we will not need to change code manually.

Now, see the following code and try to understand what happens if I use interface :

Now, if I change from LogToDatabase to LogToFile , I do not have to change the constructor method manually. In the constructor method, I have injected an interface ; not an arbitrary class.

If you have multiple classes and swap from one class to another class, you will get the same result without changing any class references.

In the above example, I write the log using LogToDatabase and now I want to write the log using LogToFile .

I can call it like this:

$controller = new UsersController(new LogToFile);

$controller->show();
The Dow (Still) Doesn’t Matter
By: Rob Walker
Tags: Stock Market

Back in August, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average got its latest makeover — dropping ExxonMobil, Raytheon, and Pfizer, and replacing them with Salesforce, Amgen, and Honeywell — I explained why the world’s most famous stock index is also the most overrated.

Today the Dow crossed the 30,000 mark for the first time, and that’s being treated as significant economic news. But as I explained previously, it makes little sense to treat an index of 30 stocks as offering a real snapshot of where the broader economy stands, or where it’s headed. The argument is just as relevant today, if not more so. Read it here:
Data Nurturing con pandas. Procedimientos básicos
By: Patricia Carmona
Tags: Python, Pandas, Data Analysis, Data Science

Ironhack is a global tech school with campuses in Miami, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Mexico City & Sao Paulo. We offer courses in Web Development, UX/UI Design and Data Analytics. With more than 3000 graduates and an extensive global network and partner companies

Follow
A primer on GDPR — Summary from a talk at JavaZone (plus some notes…)
By: Aiko Yamashita
Tags: Privacy, Security, Gdpr, Data Science, Software Development

Rule specifics:

Simen goes on by discussing the core parts of the regulation that touches technology. He points at several articles, namely: 7, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 25 and 32–35 (no worries, we’ll go through them very briefly).

Article 25: Data privacy by design and by default

This article indicates that privacy should be considered in every single aspect of the design and development of a product or service, and that when prompted by an option, the default should always be private mode. Some useful checkpoints to comply with this are:

Are you using only the minimum data needed?

Can you unlink data from individuals?

Are you using anonymisation and pseudonymization?

Simen suggests the usage of DPIA (Digital Privacy Impact Assessment) if a privacy breach in a specific context involves high risks and consequences.

Article 7: Conditions for consent

GDRP stipulates that the company needs to document or prove that consent has occurred between the user and the company, and if the consent is withdrawn, it should have an immediate effect.

Article 15: Right of access by the data subject

Another important aspect is that companies should provide users with access and an overview of their personal data. This can be done via something like an Information Portal, which could also be used for consent management purposes.

Note by Aiko: You can also check an interesting article at NYTimes written by this years’ Nobel Prize laureate Richard Thaler on exactly this topic.

Article 16: Right to rectification

The Information Portal can further be used so the user can amend his/her personal data. This implies a series of challenges such as validation of the new data, and potential “ripple-effects” in the systems relying on the data.

Article 17: Right to be forgotten

Should we use anonymisation or pseudonymisation? it depends on the case! Simen goes by saying that for example, for tax audit purposes, it is required to hold on to certain data for 2.5 years before it can be deleted.

Article 19: Notification obligation

Notifications need to be followed by any changes requested by the registered individuals, that would be: change of personal data, request for removal or withdrawal of consent.

Article 20: Right to data portability

This means that it should be possible to consolidate and download all the data concerning an individual.

Note by Aiko: In some cases, it can be quite scary to see the data they have on you.. as shown in this article written by The Guardian on Tinder data.

Article 32–35: Security of processing

Techniques and an organisational strategy need to be in place for Data Access Management. This includes secure programming, and the mechanisms need to be in accordance with the disclosure risk. Also, Simen suggests to NOT put all the eggs in the same basket! — in case a system is compromised. Also, mechanisms for predicting risk or flagging unauthorised accesses are not a bad idea!
Cypherium Mainnet Has Launched
Tags: Announcements, Blockchain, Cph, Cypherium, Mainnet

Dear Cypherium Community,

We hope you are as thrilled as we are that our mainnet has officially launched today, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the Bitcoin whitepaper! As excited as we are, we know that this is no time to rest. We appreciate your continued support on our journey to get here. This is only the beginning…

We know you are all wondering when you will receive your tokens. We can confirm that all tokens for Pre-Sale participants have been distributed. All additional tokens for Public Sale will be distributed by November 10, 2020. Please note that all tokens are not transferrable until Cypherium’s first exchange listing. Until that point, community members of any role or capacity are not permitted to engage in any monetary transactions involving CPH tokens. You can expect that the mainnet transaction history will be reset several times between now (mainnet launch) and the first exchange listing date, so that all CPH holders will be able to see their correct balances reflected in their wallets.

Our Cypherium Mobile Wallet Apps are still awaiting approval from the app stores, so please continue to use these wallets:

Apple — https://testflight.apple.com/join/aw704NzO

Android — https://github.com/cypherium/Cypherium-Wallet/blob/master/CPH.apk

Now, where does our project go from here? As many of our supporters know, Cypherium’s ambitions are high. We are not only aiming to be a cutting-edge financial services and payments provider: we are, in fact, aiming to reshape the very landscape of global finance. We have been doing this previously through our partnerships with some of the familiar Big Tech names (Microsoft, Google, AWS), and through our use cases with companies like Randstad.

Going forward, most of our partnerships will continue to be in the arena of CBDCs. We continue to develop our connections throughout Europe and China, where a number of central banks and municipalities have been looking to leverage our technology and our expertise to stay ahead of the coming revolution in payments and data organization.

But today is about our public network and our community’s use of this new technology. Indeed, our future is the community. Our network has unlocked the scaling and speed benefits of HotStuff for fully decentralized public use, and we will continue in this spirit to unlock those unique benefits of blockchain technology usually reserved in specialized industries for our entire community. Cypherium will stay ahead of the competition not just through our first-rate research and our relentless business development, but truly through a focus on the democratizing and decentralizing nature of blockchain tech. We are going to win because we’re doing it together. And today’s deployment of the public mainnet is a huge first step in this historic effort.

Thanks for being a part of our Journey.

Onwards,

Cypherium Team
Just Be There
By: Bernie S Poetry
Tags: Family, Poetry, Sharethelove, Be Present, Parenting

Just Be There

When your very presence is the greatest gift of all.

Enjoy the Little Things in Life…Be Present…Just Be There

When I was young

either my mother or father were there

every morning,

there every afternoon I returned from school,

without much words or aplomb.

Just there.

Every day.

I knew I was loved,

I felt I was loved,

I still feel that love.

Now with my own children

I or my husband are there every morning,

There every afternoon they return from school.

Just there.

Every day.

Just be there.

Not just be there

Not just be there

Not just be there

Simply just…

Be there.

Such presence is the greatest gift,

holds the greatest knowing.

They know they are loved.

They feel they are loved.

They just know.

It’s the greatest gift.

Simply just…

Be there.

Be present.

© Bernie McCullough 23 Dec 2020

I know it’s not possible for every family’s mother or father to be there fully each morning, or each day after school…perhaps there is a childminder involved, or a caring Nana or Grandad, but whatever the situation, ‘being there’ as much as you possibly can be for your children is just such a gift.

In my own childhood, every day I came home from school, either my mother or father was there... there was always someone in the house to give a warm welcome. I am now in the lucky position where I work for myself, from my home…and to be able to give that same gift back to my own children now means so much to me. I see their happy faces, feel their warm hugs, catch their eye as they look around to see where I am….often times, no words are necessary at all.

This Christmas, whether near or far, the gift of our presence is by far the most important thing we can give, and enjoy. A gift to be cherished throughout our lifetime and passed on to the generations coming after us.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Image: Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash
The Beginning of Great Wordcraft
By: Zach J. Payne
Tags: Craft, Writing, Art, Creativity, Life

I was in the seventh grade.

Starting a new school in a new city, where I didn’t know anybody. I was repeating the seventh grade after a truly horrible year of taking online classes, classes that I didn’t show up for. Even though I didn’t have the terminology then that I do now, I can say pretty confidently that depression had been kicking my twelve-year-old ass.

I was not happy to be repeating the grade, even if it was my own fault.

As a kid, I gravitated more toward the adults than I did people my own age. That’s still true today. So, when I wasn’t sitting alone in a corner reading, I started chatting with any adult around, including our campus security guard, Mrs. Marti. And it was she who introduced me to the first person to change my life, one of the school’s vice principals, Carol Weaver.

Many years later; The City of Santa Fe Springs’s Diversity Summit 2009. The few years before this, Carol (the colorful one at far R) had secured the opportunity for me to talk as a motivational speaker at the summit. This year, my senior year of high school, she blindsided me: I was the guest of honor, and received awards from the Cesar Chavez Foundation, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and the California State Assembly. This is one of the few pictures that I have with Carol that isn’t in storage.

I wish I could say I remembered more about our first meeting, but I don’t. But I do remember how full of energy Carol was (and still is!), always working out, walking, drinking water, always moving somewhere and running some great program. When I think about Carol, I think about living the good life — good food, good wine (not in the eighth grade, but later!), and doing good work in the community.

I could talk about her and the great things she’s done for hours, but I don’t trust my memory, and this is a different post.

Anyway, I became one of Weaver’s Pets pretty quickly. She took me under her wing, made me an office worker and a peer mediator and introduced me to a world outside of my family and my depression. And she, a former English and theatre teacher, introduced me to the world of writing, even letting me make one of the office computers mine.

I joined Poetic Constellations, a poetry site, in the summer before I started high school. This is a poem that I wrote for Carol. It truly is terrible.

It was obvious to her, pretty quickly, that I had a skill for writing, and she, more than anybody else at that point in my life, encouraged me to keep writing. Back then, it was poetry and the occasional short story. Every day, it seemed, I’d churn out a pile of new poems on printer paper, then hand them over to Carol to read.

They were such terrible poems. And she was very kind.

But even while I was focused on writing short forms, she knew that I had a novel in me. She kept telling me that, repeatedly.
Words Which Speak
By: Priyanka Srivastava
Tags: Paper Poetry, Quotes, Reading, Proust, Books

Words Which Speak

A quote from the book Paintings in Proust

Illustration by Author

I don’t know what I will paint tomorrow or write in the pages, today while turning the pages of the book Paintings in Proust, I found these words.

They reminded me of some other quote which I had read somewhere else.

I believe when we write we shed a part of us unknowingly, we are never the same. Later when we read the same words we fail to identify them, the reason is simple. When we write we change. Our loved ones don’t know about it. It’s a transition which happens quietly. Somehow these words in the picture were stuck somewhere, that’s the best thing which happens to me when I read, I know something within cracks and I make more space for life and love. Every time I read my heart grows bigger.

thanks to Suntonu Bhadra for this space for my scribblings.
An Introduction from Aurora E
By: Aurora Eliam
Tags: Forgiveness, Introduction, Philosophy, Illumination, Personal Development

An Introduction From Aurora E

“Words are events, they do things, change things.”―Ursula K. Le Guin

Who am I?

Last week, I saw a post calling for Illumination introductions, but as I began to write, I realized that it had been a while since I really thought about who I actually am.

If you’re like me, you often get so busy creating, doing, and being that the actual characteristics or qualities that make you get lost in a convoluted pool of work, parenting, and external stressors.

So I took a little bit of time to think about who I am and where I’ve been … and this is the result.

I am a mother, wife, Gen X’er, writer, compassionate old soul, survivor, thriver, friend, chronic illness warrior, empath, spiritual mystic, animal rehabilitator, sanctuary owner, voracious reader, geneology lover, and above all a brilliant shining soul, just like you, dear reader.

Life:

Like all of us, I’ve had an interesting life, with the first two decades spent on a farm-turned-animal-sanctuary, and then the next two decades spent searching for myself and healing in various cities across the U.S.

Our rescue: Rosie the Riveter

I attended university in 2000, where I studied broadcasting, advertising, and psychology, and then went on to work in broadcast reporting for CNN, and the non-profit industry for 15 years before becoming a mother, freelance writer, and animal rehabilitator.
Never Forget That Your Parents Are People Too
By: Divina Grey
Tags: Family, Love, Self Improvement, Parenting, Relationships

They convinced me to come over for a hug. It wasn’t that hard. And Gawd, I’m so glad I did. This morning all I knew was Mr. Grey, and I are going through it. But I wasn’t even sure what it was until I visited my parents this afternoon.

Today turned out to be a pretty productive day.

My Mom and Dad were waiting at the door together teary-eyed, with a look on their faces like I couldn’t possibly make my way up their driveway fast enough so they could hug me and make sure I was okay.

We sat on the couch together, while I sipped the cup of exquisite coffee my dad made for me and talked about how difficult marriage and how backbreaking raising a family can be. We also touched on how hard it is to heal from our wounds. (and how my dad and I are still working through ours by playing guitar together.)

My mom hit it right on the nose when she said we're going through growing pains.

I realized Mr. G and I were in a major transition period.

It takes a lot of work. It’s quite a painful process. But anything is possible if it’s what you really want.

I got heaps of hugs and love from my parents today. I also figured out what the hell I was doing with my life. While I sat comfortably in my childhood home, absorbing the reliable energy my parents were illuminating, I heard my inner child's voice start to talk like a grown woman. I heard her talk about marriage life and kids, and realized exactly why I went to see my parents today.

Parents have a way of simplifying things for you no matter how old you are. When you’re so caught up, driving through a shit storm, and can’t see clearly, they will take a squeegee to your windshield, fill up your gas tank and send you back on your way in the right direction.

I want to save my marriage. (The tears and runny mascara was a good sign.) I’m doing the work. And so is Mr. G. That’s all I can really hope for right now. No, I don’t know what the future holds. I’d be lying if I said I did. But I think we’ll be okay if we keep putting in the work.

I couldn’t figure out where to put this part, so, it’s going to be a P.S. — Remember that your parents are people too, not just your mom and dad. They’ve made mistakes but will never stop helping us sort through ours.
Why You Need to Take a Day off
By: Kimberley Payne
Tags: Physical Health, Devotional, Sabbath, Christianity, Relationships

Some years ago, I celebrated a belated honeymoon with my husband. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel that featured a wood burning fireplace and therapeutic tub. It offered the perfect opportunity to put up my feet and relax.

One evening, after a fine meal, we returned to the hotel and noticed a computer sitting alone in the hotel lobby.

I felt drawn to this machine. I wanted to check my e-mail.

Imagine that.

I had five days to be away from my email, cell phone and computer obligations, yet I felt compelled to sit behind the keyboard and check in on work.

How ridiculous.

We live in a world driven by technology. Yet instead of giving us more freedom, it seems to have shackled us further.

In the Bible, we are directed to take a day off

A day where we leave the worries of the week and focus our physical and mental energies on God.

Now this is something we should be doing daily, but most of us don’t take even an hour out of our day to focus on God. We are commanded to take a day off.

Silly, really, that we must be told to take time off? We must be reminded to relax?

The Ten Commandments express God’s unchanging standards for moral living.

In Exodus 20, we are told to, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

We know that Jesus is the new covenant because He fulfilled the law, but He still wants us to follow the spirit of the law.

After my vacation, I returned refreshed and rejuvenated. I tackled my regular routine with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.

Imagine if I did this once a week.

Imagine how much better I would feel on Mondays if I only did what God asked of me.
A Honeymoon at the Beach
By: Susan Sagarin
Tags: Weddings, Writing Prompt Response, Fiction, Centina, Compromise

A Honeymoon at the Beach

It’s all about compromise

Photo by Pam Ivey on Unsplash

First, it was the venue. If they wanted to get married in the Peabody Library of Music, they had to do it the Saturday before Christmas. Irv heaved a sigh at the ceremony. He’d gotten to step on the glass but there were poinsettias everywhere. More merry Christmas than mazel tov.

The next morning, Sarah sighed as she packed the red bikini she’d spent a year starving herself to fit into.

“What?” Irv asked her. “You’re getting your beach honeymoon.”

“Yeah, Ocean City in December,” she replied. “Not what I was expecting.”

“Babe, it’s all about compromise,” Irv reminded her.
Increasing the Impact of Your Machine Learning Model
By: Dominik Haitz
Tags: Business, Machine Learning, Workflow, Productivity, Data Science

Increasing the Impact of Your Machine Learning Model

About Balancing Efforts

With all the media hype and the latest developments in the academic machine learning community, it sometimes feels like this is everything that matters:

Or, in case of e.g. word embeddings for natural language processing:

What’s the problem with that?

Typically, industry machine learning projects aren’t based on a fixed, preexisting reference dataset like MINST. A lot of effort goes into procuring and cleaning training data. As these tasks are highly project-specific and can’t be generalized, they are rarely talked about and receive no media attention.

Similar is true for the post-modelling steps: How to bring your model into production? How will the model outputs create actual business value? And by the way, shouldn’t you have been thinking about these questions beforehand? While the model serving workflows are somewhat transferable, monetization strategies are usually specific and not made public.

With these considerations, we can paint a more accurate picture. This is what actually influences the impact of your machine learning project:
Ford Escort in the 1980s: a tale of three sedans
By: Danillo Almeida
Tags: Marketing, Style, History, Cars, Trends

1980 Ford Escort Coupé (Europe)

The concept of car family basically consists of a manufacturer developing several car models using one project so as to reduce costs. In general, this project unifies all mechanical components of those cars, such as engine and suspensions, and leaves the creation of almost all stylistic parts free. The downside of this strategy is limiting which models to create from this single project, since they can’t be too different — it would be impractical, for instance, to develop a large SUV and a compact sports car that way. All things considered, the biggest challenge here usually is to create a family whose members are similar enough to be cheap to produce, but different enough not to compete with one another. Usually.

As you can imagine, manufacturers have a series of other variables to juggle in order to keep their lineup competitive and viable. Each car model has its own production requirements, each factory has its own capabilities, each population has its own preferences, each government has its own laws… In theory, industrial efficiency is achieved by unifying the lineup, while consumer satisfaction calls for individual products. As a result, what manufacturers actually do is execute one of the infinite intermediate combinations of those extreme scenarios every time. Experience makes them use some solutions way more often than others, so the few exceptions which managed to get through became quite interesting.

In Europe, hometown of the Escort, Ford executed some renovations in the early 1980s. The Cortina and the Granada families were gradually replaced with those of Escort (third generation) and Sierra, which were smaller and relied on aerodynamic designs to improve fuel efficiency. Initially, Ford created multiple body styles only for the Sierra, in order to compensate the reduced size. Since that turned out to attract more customers, it decided to expand the Escort’s lineup as well. The Orion was released in 1983 with more conservative front fascia and larger trunk, which was basically a stretched version of the Escort’s signature notchback. It quickly made success of its own, apart from the base model.
The Pythagoras Curse Part XVIII
By: P.G. Barnett
Tags: Stories, Pythagoras Curse, Short Story, Storytelling, Fiction

Each day we traveled further north brought with it a day of rain. Rivers we came upon were swollen, the ground hundreds of feet from the banks sodden and muddy.

Though the temperature was hospitable the constant onslaught of rain was not. It became necessary despite the warmth to don our woolen jackets in hopes we could somehow manage to keep our clothing dry.

We discovered we could not.

Sheets of driving rain assailed us; seeping down our necks, swirling into the gaps in our coats between the buttons; soaking through our jeans and our long johns.

We discovered very few places which spared us from the rain.

When we did, we often overstayed our stop in hopes the rains would taper.

They did not.

Days of travel blended into each other, each of us now resigned to let the rain have it’s way with us as we let the horses pick and choose the path which suited them best.

Something we should not have let them done.

When Long Feather’s horse went down I pulled up and quickly dismounted. The boy had been thrown clear and by the time I reached his horse it became evident what had happened.

The horse was whimpering, it’s eyes wide with terror and pain, its right fetlock bent at a sickening angle. A piece of bone, jagged and bloodied had pierced the horses flesh.

When Long Feather reached my side I was reaching for my pistol.

“I must end his pain boy.”

“No, I will.”

I cocked my pistol and handed it to him. It was impossible with the rain to tell if he was crying, but somehow I knew he was.

I could feel the wrenching pain he was suffering as I stared at this beautiful animal. This horse had chosen him, bonded with him and had already done so much for the boy. And now, I could only stand and watch Long Feather end its suffering.

Long Feather knelt beside his horse and laid his hand against it neck. The animal tried to get up, but he pushed the horse’s head down, then leaned in close to its ear.

In seconds the horse stopped flailing and grew still.

Long Feather closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head back as he chanted a small prayer.

Then without hesitation he placed the barrel of the pistol against the horse’s head and pulled the trigger.

Despite the constant roar of water assaulting us, the booming echo of the gunshot caused my horse to flinch. I struggled against the reins to control him as Long Feather pulled the trigger back and fired another round.

I finally managed to get my horse under control as Long Feather stepped away and handed me my pistol. After returning it to my holster I mounted and offered him a hand then swung him up behind me.

As I heeled my horse to move again Long Feather wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt him press his face against my back. Then I felt his body lurch against me over and over.

Although there was a steady waterfall pouring off the brim of my hat, I found myself wiping away a set of waterfalls which had sprung from my eyes.
For J., On Falling Again
By: Zach J. Payne
Tags: Grief, Poetry, Healing, Love, Poem

You put your heart to sleep, buried the spark

that flashed like flame before the Reaper dropped;

accustoms to the pulse-less heavy start

that filled your heart when all the planet stopped.

Bedecked in widows’ webs, bent low in grief,

time comes to fill your chest like Novocaine,

so petrified with the holy belief

that searching out new love brings certain pain.

But pain is everywhere: memory, joy,

two lovers touching, chaste as winter snow.

Behold the echo of the breathing boy

transformed by love, lit with a lively glow.

And then from black, a spark! You dream a song

but singing hurts too much. Your lover’s gone.
An Undeniable Truth of Life
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Haiku, Poetry, Relationships, Life, Spirituality

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