fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Work Live Think Act Play
By: Ilexa Yardley
Tags: Technology, Virtual Reality, Data Science, Programming, Work

You are using the Circular Theory, no matter what you do.

String of characters.

You are using the Circular Theory, no matter what you do, work, live, think, act, play. This is because any string of characters articulates a line, diameter and circumference of a circle, meaning, clearly, you are, and you interact with, a string of characters. So, therefore, you are a zero and-or a one (a character, yourself) (a string, yourself).

Therefore, we have to analyze the string more carefully, and, this, technologists do automatically. They work with strings (because, unbeknownst to most of them), they are strings. Data science proves this (we use data to analyze humans (and vice versa) (an assumed circular relationship is needed).

So, therefore, deep thinkers understand the interrelationship between work, live, think, act, play. It’s all the same. Zero and one. Conservation of the circle (circumference and diameter, the basis for zero and one) is the core dynamic in nature (keeps the whole thing together) (allows a human to separate it into pieces) (analyze everything).
Brief Intro to Data Structures
By: Ebube Anyiam
Tags: Computer Science, Programming, Data, Data Science

Brief Intro to Data Structures

In computer science, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationship between those values and the functions or operations that can be applied to the data.

To fully understand the concept above, we need to understand the concept of data types.

A data type refers to a defined kind of data, i.e. a set of possible values & basic operations on those values. It tells the system compiler or interpreter how the programmer intends to use the data.

Data types consist of two major thing

a domain ( a set of values ) a set of operations that may be applied to the values

Almost all programming languages explicitly include the notion of data types, though different languages may use different terminologies.

Common data types include

Integer

Floating-point number

Character

String

Boolean

Abstract Data Types ( ADTs )

Any data that does not specify an implementation is an abstract data type. For example, a stack ( which is an abstract data type ) can be implemented as an array ( a contiguous block of memory containing multiple values ), or as a linked list ( a set of non-contiguous memory blocks linked by pointers )

ADTs can be handled by code that does not know or “care” what underlying types are contained in them.

Examples include

A queue ( a first-in-first-out list)

A set ( can store certain values, without any particular order, and with no repeated values )

A stack ( a last-in-first-out data structure )

A tree ( a hierarchical structure )

A graph

A list

A hash, dictionary, map or association array; a mere flexible variation on a record, in which name-value pairs can be added & detected freely

A smart pointer ( The abstract counterpart to a pointer )

So, data structures can also be referred to as the implementation of an abstract data type in a particular programming language. Data structures can also be referred to as “data aggregates”.

ADTs can be broadly classified into 2

Linear Data Structures Non-Linear Data Structures

Linear Data Structures are stored and accessed linearly in the computer memory e.g lists, stacks, queues and arrays.

Non-Linear Data Structures are not stored linearly in the computer memory but data items can be processed using some techniques or rules.
Sit with Me
By: Agnes Louis
Tags: Motherhood, Loss, Love, Feelings, Sadness

A radiant smile on her face,

her cheeks glowing with pure bliss,

her eyes narrow as her lips curve.

That’s how I imagine she would be,

sitting on an old, stories-infused wooden bench.

Gently, gracefully, slowly,

she would move her arm,

beckoning for me to come closer.

“Sit with me, love,”

Like a whisper of the wind,

so soft it made me wonder if I had dreamt it all.

And I would take those steps,

small, cautious, tentative.

“You… are not supposed to be here,”

I would say, gingerly, warily.

Elation and fear,

I had never known the two could co-exist.

It was like one of those snowballs.

Delicate, a whole world contained within a sphere.

Dreamy, unreal, surreal.

An illusion.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away.

“Come, child. Sit with me.”

My brain told me it couldn’t be,

but my feet had carried me forward.

Desire rules the mind.

And before I knew it,

her hand landed on the small of my back,

and peace ran through me like liquid gold.

“I am here.

I am here.

I am here,”

she whispered.

“Whenever,

wherever,

I am here,”

she said.

“Anytime,

anywhere,

come sit with me.”

And I did.

I sat with her for a few eternities.
A guide to spending Eid Al-Adha in Qatar — 2017 version
By: Shabina Khatri
Tags: Qatar, Islam

By Doha News Team

Eid prayers. Credit: Ray Toh

The first day of Eid Al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) falls on Friday, Sept. 1 this year.

Muslims traditionally slaughter an animal — usually a sheep, goat or cow — or pay to have one killed during the annual religious holiday to mark the sacrifice to God made by the Prophet Abraham.

This meat is then shared with family and friends and those in need.

Eid Al Adha slaughterhouse. Credit: Chantell D’mello/Doha News

Most government employees in Qatar will be off from Aug. 31 and will return to work on Sept. 10, the same day most schools also start their new terms.

Meanwhile, private sector employees usually get about three working days off, though this varies depending on the employer.

Many residents travel abroad for Eid, but thousands will be staying here and can enjoy a broad range of activities across the country in the coming week.

Gulf dispute notwithstanding, there’s tons going on. From prayer times to fireworks to cultural performances, here’s our guide to what’s on offer — and what’s open when — during the holiday. And here’s the Mirror link.

Note: We’ll be updating this guide as more information as items come in. Feel free to leave a comment with anything you think we’re missing!
This is a Time
By: Paul Mulliner
Tags: Philosophy, Mindfulness, Yoga, Spirituality, Poetry

Let’s choose the larger self,

the spacious presence

of the boundless and inexpressible inside us,

the unsung melody that lifts our heart.

The self that dances like music

through the endless ocean of our being.

Not the self that thinks its way

into conflict and anger.

Let’s live with our

brightest inspirations

rather than

our darkest fears.

We’re a universal consciousness

expressing itself as human beings,

and as we inwardly focus our attention,

our separate self dissolves

into the inner space,

where all life breathes

with one breath,

in the ocean of our joined awareness,

and we vibrate, resonate and share all

with the conscious Universe.

We find the single conscious space

inside all of us, and let go of the separation

from others and the world

we thought into being within ourselves.

Let’s be who we really are,

the intelligent presence

of the boundless and inexpressible self

that’s living through all of us

everywhere.
The Cute Enby Squad Manifesto
By: Zanne Nilsson
Tags: Manifesto, Transgender, Nonbinary, Identity, LGBTQ

Though not all nonbinary people choose to call themselves “enbies,” many of us do, and that is valid. And enbies like me have been seeing nonbinary people represented in the mainstream culture more and more.

However, the cis mainstream definition of nonbinary appears to be very narrow in scope. To be nonbinary, they tell us, means to fit a specific (skinny, white, able-bodied, effortlessly androgynous) aesthetic.

And that’s bullshit. It’s perfectly okay for someone to fit that mold and express themself that way, but not all enbies do. And we shouldn’t have to in order to feel valid and amazing and fucking adorable.

Therefore, I propose that we enbies seize a life of radical cuteness.

To do that, I lay out the following tenets for anyone who wants to join the Cute Enby Squad:

1. Every enby is cute

This point is not up for debate. If an enby wants to call themself cute, they’re cute. If they choose not to, that is also valid.

2. Our cuteness shines from within

Cuteness is like the light from a lantern, radiating out from deep inside us. How we choose to manifest that cuteness is entirely up to us. Every expression of it is valid.

3. No one aesthetic can contain us

We are as varied as all other people and can’t possibly fit into one aesthetic — even one of our own choosing. We will never expect anyone else to look the way we do. We will be as colorful and unique and free as we damn well please, and won’t shame anyone for choosing differently.

4. We didn’t ask for cis people’s fucking opinion

Nor do we need it.

5. Nobody needs permission to be cute

Not mine, not yours, not anybody’s. We express our cuteness for ourselves, not for others. So why should we need their approval?

6. The strong will protect the cute

We will protect our fellow enbies from any and all harassment, no matter where it comes from. Because if we don’t protect our siblings, who will?

And above all else, we believe this:
What I Love Most About Being An Editor Of My Own Publication
By: Benny Lim
Tags: Ｍedium, Writer, Writing On Medium, Publication, Editor

Back in September 2019, I started my own publication called Writers’ Blokke (WB). The reason for it was simple — to have a home for articles that didn’t belong anywhere else.

As a new writer at that time (I was only 2 months into the MPP), I quickly learned the significance of publishing my articles in publications. Though I wasn’t sure how different it would be from self-publishing since my publication had zero followers, I guess just having that ‘published in…’ sentence on my articles was satisfying enough.

Fast forward a year plus later and that little publication has now grown with over 1,500 followers and countless contributors.

I started the publication as a decentralised one, meaning that everyone who joined came in as an editor. The purpose was so that people could publish their own articles whenever they wanted without the need to wait for an editor to accept and publish it. After all, it is a home for articles that just don’t belong anywhere else.

But recently, I had to change that rule a little and am only adding new contributors as writers. This was due to the fact that some editors were not playing by the rules.

However, the purpose is still the same and I make sure that submitted articles are published within a 24–48 hours span so that writers do not have to wait too long.

I have to say that over the course of running this publication, I’ve seen my fair share of writers come and go, and I couldn’t be happier.

As the owner and editor of that publication, that is my sole purpose.

To allow writers a place where their articles can call home before finding their feet and sailing off to bigger and better things.

The majority of contributors to WB are new writers, just discovering the wonders of Medium. They’re fresh and still finding their feet as a writer and as a writer on Medium. They’re still learning about the ins and outs of the platform and have used WB as a stepping stone.

I’ve seen many writers who first joined WB now writing for bigger publications such as The Ascent, The Startup, Better Marketing, Fearlessly She Wrote, P.S. I Love You, The Writing Cooperative, Blue Insights, etc. and it makes me proud to know that they started out at WB.

Some still publish their articles with WB every now and then, some have completely stopped but that’s alright.

It’s like a proud dad watching his children finally stepping out into the world on their own and achieving great things in life. That’s what I feel like when I see writers who started out with WB now publishing regularly in bigger publications on the platform.

And for as long as WB is around, for as long as I’m the editor and owner of it, I will continue to want the writers to grow and achieve bigger things, publishing in bigger publications.

That’s what I love seeing the most.
Weekly Digest: Instant Cashouts To Card, CPO Livestream & USDC
Tags: Fintech, Finance, Cryptocurrency, Crypto, Bitcoin

Ready, steady, go!

Cryptocurrencies are great. They are secure, fast and reliable. But there is one thing most of them are still lacking: stability. That’s precisely why we’ve added support for USD Coin (USDC) — one of the world’s most popular and trusted stablecoins. This digital currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar, allowing you to fix profits, reduce your downside risk exposure & more!

Learn more

About Crypterium

Crypterium is one of the most promising fintech companies, according to KPMG and H2Ventures. We are building a mobile app that meets the banking needs of the digital assets era.

Our goal is clear: with Crypterium, whatever you can do with traditional money you will able to do with digital assets. This idea is supported, among others, by the co-founder of TechCrunch Keith Teare and over 400,000 registered users, and the number is growing by day.

The team is led by former General Manager of Visa Central & Eastern Europe Steven Parker, and C-level executives from global financial institutions, like Renaissance Insurance, London Derivatives Exchange, American Express etc.

Join our Telegram news channel or other social media to stay updated!

Website ๏ Telegram ๏ Facebook ๏ Twitter ๏ Reddit ๏ YouTube ๏ LinkedIn
Photowalk: Point Lobos
By: M. H. Rubin
Tags: California, Carmel, Photography, Black And White

Photowalk: Point Lobos

My daughter insisted we go for a walk today.

I don’t really enjoy this kind of landscape photography. But I take my camera with me when I’m out and about, and this is a beautiful place about an hour from my home, and where my daughter wanted to go for a walk. Obviously I have to work with the light present when we’re there, at noon on Christmas Eve, but it’s not light I particularly like. Now that it’s a day later, the few images that I’m having the most fun looking at are the “gnarly tree” and the “egret lines.”

Taking it in (Rubin, 2020)

Gnarly tree, 2020

Carmelite Mission (Rubin, 2020)

Egret lines (Rubin, 2020)
I Found Love
By: Saugat Acharya
Tags: Silence, Relationships, Feelings, Poetry, Love

Yes, I found love.

I found love in silence.

Silence that keeps me awake.

Silence that makes me dream.

Silence that listens.

Silence that speaks.

Silence that holds me together.

Silence that tears me apart.

Silence that helps.

Silence that doesn’t.

Yes, I found love.

Unlike anyone; unlike anything.

I found love.

I found silence.
Hosting your Text Generating Infilling Micro-Service with FastAPI on GCP
Tags: NLP, Gpt 2, Fastapi, Infilling, Gcp

2. Deploying Your Own Infilling Micro-Service on Google Cloud Platform

In order to deploy your own infilling micro-service just follow the next simple seven steps.

1. To deploy this micro-service by yourself please create a new project on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). For the new project to be created, you have to choose a project name, project ID, billing account, and, then, to click Create.

Start a NEW PROJECT.

2. Next, activate Google’s Cloud Shell in the upper right corner of GCP to execute a few lines of code to host the ILM-API.

Activate the Cloud Shell.

3. Now, we clone the ILM-API Repository from GitHub. Fort that, type the following command into the Cloud Shell:

git clone https://github.com/seduerr91/ilm-api.git

4. As a next step, we install the requirements. These project related libraries are located in the file requirements.txt. To install all these modules in one go, run the following command:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

5. To prepare for the deployment of the FastAPI micro-service on Google App Engine, we need to create a gcloud app. Note: By executing the next command, you will be prompted to select a region. Simply choose the region nearest to the geographical location where your consumers access this micro-service. In the cloud shell, type the following command to create the app:

gcloud app create

6. You are almost there! Now, we actually deploy the FastAPI app on GCP App Engine. While running the next command in the shell, you will be prompted to continue. Press Y and hit enter to proceed. It takes a few moments to host the service (like 3–5 minutes), once you execute:

gcloud app deploy app.yaml

7. Now, you can browse to your micro-service. Generally, your app is deployed on the URL that has the following format: your-project-id.appspot.com. In case, you are not sure what the project id is, then type the following command to view your application in the web browser:

gcloud app browse

Congratulations! You just hosted the your own infilling micro-service based on the Deep Neural Architecture GPT-2 via FastAPI.

Next, we take a brief look at the source code, to better understand what we just did.
What is ZenCash?
By: Meredith Davis
Tags: Cryptocurrency Investment, Zencash, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Crypto

ZenCash is perhaps best known for its emphasis on privacy, but its strengths also lie in governance, economic incentives and engineering ingenuity. The first to offer end-to-end encryption and with close to 13,000 nodes, it is the world’s most decentralized and anonymous blockchain for the transmission of money, media and messaging. A fork of zClassic, ZenCash builds on the system to address security issues while providing exponentially increased scalability. Users get to decide whether their transactions should be conducted in private or on the public ledger.

Think of ZenCash as the paranoid friend in an action thriller — sometimes it pays to have the paranoid guy watching out for you. With governments known to be collecting and reading the communications of citizens, ZenChat offers a messaging platform that protects the content of the messages for secure commerce and communication. ZenPub is a publishing platform for publishing and accessing anonymous documents. These two features are huge in countries that actively censor their citizens. ZenHide uses domain fronting to hide connection endpoints to get around crypto-commerce blocking, essential for providing economic access to users in countries hostile to cryptocurrency.
Workshops 💻 with The Fifth Elephant and Anthill Inside
By: Abhishek Balaji
Tags: Machine Learning, Conference, Workshop, Deep Learning

Did you know that we are organizing workshops too this year, along with The Fifth Elephant 2018? #NowYouKnow

This year we bring you a deeper and more hands-on experience at the conference. With the workshops happening along with the conference sessions, you can attend them free of cost! All attendees who’ve already purchased tickets will receive RSVP links for the workshops.

If you’ve not purchased tickets yet, you can now buy a single day ticket as well.

Here are the 2 workshops planned for both the conference days:

Machine Learning with Amazon SageMaker — 26 July — Building, training and deploying machine learning models efficiently and at scale Deep learning based hybrid recommendation systems in TensorFlow — 27 July — Gain an end-to-end view of deep learning-based recommendation and learning-to-rank systems using TensorFlow

But hey, we have limited seats. So this is going to be a first come first serve on the RSVP, till we run out of space. Don’t wait any more!

Get tickets: https://fifthelephant.in/2018/

We have planned more workshops around the data ecosystem to help you upskill and meet the rising demands of your organization and the industry. Dig deep, get your hands dirty and emerge more powerful at the other end!

Bootcamp: Learning representations of text for NLP

Date: 28–29 July 2018

Venue: Thought Factory, Bangalore

URL: https://anthillinside.in/2018-july-nlp-bootcamp/

Math for Data Science

Date: 28 July 2018

Venue: IKP Eden, Bangalore

URL: https://fifthelephant.in/2018-math-for-data-science/

Update: We’re sold out for this workshop, but you can sign up for the next one here: https://fifthelephant.in/2018-math-for-data-science-ii/

Workshop: Make your own DL framework

Date: 29 July 2018

Venue: Datalicious, Bangalore

URL: https://anthillinside.in/2018-july-dl-framework/

Deep learning bootcamp II

Date: 30–31 July 2018

Venue: IKP Eden, Bangalore

URL: https://anthillinside.in/2018-july-dl-bootcamp2/

Workshop: DL and ML for computer vision

Date: 5 August 2018

Venue: Great Learning, Bangalore

URL: https://anthillinside.in/2018-computer-vision-workshop/

For more details about any of these, write to info@hasgeek.com or call 7676332020.
Writing your first JavaScript library
By: Ajay Ns
Tags: Programming, Coding, JavaScript, Software Development, Web Development

Let’s get started by introducing what a library is, in JavaScript. Any program or functions you write to perform actions in your WebApp, for instance, is bundled up into a module that can be easily reused anywhere, instead of just adding the code directly to the scripts, just for your app’s use.

Goals

No dependencies (fully independent code and functions) Efficient (minimal size and processing load) Reusable and easy to add to any project

Templates and Functions

JavaScript is powerful language by itself. With its DOM (Document Object Model) Manipulation capabilities, you can achieve almost all tasks your library needs to do with just vanillaJS functions.

Here are a few things you can do to your HTML and CSS using JavaScript:

// Add HTML code to your page

this.template = '<div id="id">' + ' <div class="class"></div>';

document.body.innerHTML += this.template; // Change element styling

document.getElementById("id").style.display = "none"; // Modify element attributes

document.getElementById("id").src = ""; // Add listeners to elements

document.getElementById("id").addEventListener("click", this.function);

Basic Structure

So generally, libraries are .js files along with .css files (if you need to add a lot of custom styling). All the functions used in the library, along with variables, even HTML templates to be appended, are wrapped up into a class in the .js file. I previously wrote an article on JavaScript classes which could probably help you out there.

// Previewer.js

// LIBRARY CLASS

function Previewer() {

// Add all your code here

}

And then to initialize the module, add var previewer = new Previewer; to your WebApp’s script, once .js and .css files have been included in your project.

Conclusion

Now you know the structure, the power of pure JavaScript and how it can be bundled up into a library. Let’s look at how the basic goals were achieved in the above hypothetical library we just built.
Blockchain Technology
By: Filza Zarin
Tags: Blockchain, Technology

A blockchain is, in the simplest of terms, a time-stamped series of immutable records of data that is managed by a cluster of computers not owned by any single entity. Each of these blocks of data (i.e. block) is secured and bound to each other using cryptographic principles (i.e. chain).

The blockchain network has no central authority — it is the very definition of a democratized system. Since it is a shared and immutable ledger, the information in it is open for anyone and everyone to see. Hence, anything that is built on the blockchain is by its very nature transparent and everyone involved is accountable for their actions.

The Three Pillars of Blockchain Technology

The three main properties of Blockchain Technology which have helped it gain widespread acclaim are as follows:

Decentralization Transparency Immutability

What is Blockchain good for?

The blockchain network gives internet users the ability to create value and authenticates digital information. What new business applications will result from this?

#1. Smart contracts

#2 .The sharing economy

#3. Crowdfunding

#4. Governance

#5. Supply chain

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY -For Trust and Future sustainable Development

We are living in a digital Era,where every transaction is happening with the help of intermediary and for every transaction a coustomer has to not only have to trust on the third-party as well as have to pay some amount in some cases. So,we are bounded with the terms and conditions of our mediator for the authentication procedure and delay.The Blockchain technology has bring a transparency and security in the field of transaction of each type.
ICO Alert Crypto Minute: June 26, 2018
By: Mike Finch
Tags: R3, Crypto, Cryptocurrency, Crypto Minute, Bitcoin

Robinhood *May* Be Developing *At Least* A Wallet Application For Users

As read on ccn.com, Business Insider first spotted the stock trading giant’s plans for a wallet and more through a job post online. Robinhood launched fee-less cryptocurrency trading earlier this year and continues to try to threaten cryptocurrency companies like Coinbase. The wallet would allow users to withdraw their cryptocurrency from other exchanges and deposit it directly to Robinhood instead of having to cash out the cryptocurrency first and depositing fiat onto the platform. Robinhood is currently offered in the following states: New Hampshire, Montana, Missouri, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Texas, with the latter being the most recent addition.

ASIC Chip Giant To Launch IPO After Huge Bitcoin Mining Boosts

Ebang Communication is going public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as reported by ccn.com. The company is the third largest producer of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips that are used for Bitcoin mining. Originally rumored by Reuters, the IPO may be used to raise funds for continued production of the new, more efficient 7nm chips. Ebang Communication has one other competitor out of Japan producing the same chip, so a head-start on production with what could be $1 billion in funding through an IPA would be a welcome strategy for the ASIC giant. Previously Canaan Creative, the second largest Bitcoin mining manufacturer, filed an IPO application as well.

R3 Announces Cordite Community, Focusing On Digital Assets For Banking Institutions

Business-blockchain-builder R3 has announced huge news in the form of its brand new “Cordite.” Cordite will be for business and banking “what ERC-20 was for Ethereum” according to the Coindesk article posted this morning. The Cordite community will focus on bringing various assets into the digital world and onto their Corda blockchain. The main contributor to the community-focused project is the Royal Bank of Scotland, one of the 30 largest financial institutions in the world. The announcement comes at a time when R3 has been relatively quiet in the industry, with rumors of poor financial health for the company.
What’s New in ES2021?
By: Harsha Vardhan
Tags: Programming, Coding, JavaScript, Software Development, Web Development

WeakRefs

WeakRef stands for Weak References. The main use of weak references is to implement caches.

Since JavaScript is a garbage collected language, if a variable is no longer reachable, the GC automatically removes it. As a good practice, we would not want to keep a lot in memory for a long time. We can allow the memory to be garbage collected and later if we need it again, we can generate a fresh cache.

Example:

// callback function

const callback = () => {

const obj = {

name: "Harsha"

};

console.log(obj);

} // IIFE function to print the object after 3 secs

(async function(){

await new Promise((resolve) => {

setTimeout(() => {

callback(); // {name: "Harsha"}

resolve();

}, 3000);

});

})();

The above example might seem complicated. But, it is actually simple. The code basically calls a callback function after 3 seconds, where the function prints an object. Whenever we call the callback function, the obj is still present in the memory. To manage cache efficiently we can use WeakRef .

// callback function

const callback = () => {

const obj = new WeakRef({

name: "Harsha"

});

console.log(obj.deref().name);

} // IIFE function to print the object after 2 and 5 secs

(async function(){

await new Promise((resolve) => {

setTimeout(() => {

callback(); // Guaranteed to print "Harsha"

resolve();

}, 2000);

});



await new Promise((resolve) => {

setTimeout(() => {

callback(); // No Gaurantee that "Harsha" is printed

resolve();

}, 5000);

});

})();
88% of Bounty Campaigns go unnoticed, Don’t miss this one!
By: Beldex Exchange
Tags: Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Bounties, Bounty Program, ICO

Beldex is running it’s bounty campaign. And, why you should have BDX coins in your wallet!

Here’s a word about Beldex Privacy coins

Beldex coins are privacy enabled that let you transact the way you wish. Right from public transactions to untraceable private ones. BDX coins offer complete anonymity when you need it.

Why contribute to Beldex?

Investing in Beldex is the right choice because you get the utility element with it. The most critical aspect is stability and beldex is a coin that will be used for creating smarter elements in the cryptosphere.

Beldex bring privacy enabled coins that let you transact in the way you wish. Right from public transactions to private untraceable ones. BDX coins offer complete anonymity when you need it. Investing on them is the right choice for you because you get the utility element with it. You can either buy the coins in the ICO sale or participate and win BDX coins as rewards from the Bounty campaign. Here’s the link to the Bounty details.

Link to Bounty>>> Beldex Bounty

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by Martino Pietropoli
By: Martino Pietropoli
Tags: Drawing, Friday, Portraits, Illustration

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

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Support People Coming Out, And Those Who Are Not
By: Sexedplus Dan
Tags: National Coming Out Day, Transgender, Sex Education, Coming Out, LGBTQ

Comics and articles about sex and relationships. Also at sexedplus.tumblr.com and on Facebook as Sex Positive Education.

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A Distinct Vision — A Look at Renaissance Master Sandro Botticelli
By: Kevin Shau
Tags: History, Art History, Art, Renaissance, Culture

This adoration of the Magi scene is one of Botticelli’s earliest surviving paintings and is perhaps the best example of the beginnings of his professional artistic career. Scenes depicting the Magi, or three wise men, were particularly popular in Renaissance art because the Magi were seen as the best biblical representation of wealthy people who were also benevolent. One can also note a thematic continuity from the mythical visit of the wise men giving riches to the baby Jesus and the wealthy bankers of Renaissance Italy supporting the arts. The Medici family is depicted among those crowded around the central biblical scene. The young Lorenzo de Medici (later known as Il Magnifico) is depicted on the far left wearing a purple tunic. On the opposite side of the painting, Sandro Botticelli has depicted himself looking out. Here he stands, among the crowd and the Medici inner circle. Botticelli gazes out, a confident craftsman with a discerning and exact eye.

Close-up of Botticelli’s self-portrait (1475) from the Adoration of the Magi

When looking at Botticelli paintings, also consider the medium and technique. Like most artists of his time, Botticelli used egg tempera paints, not oils. Oil paints were known and used increasingly as the fifteenth century gave way to the sixteenth (and were more popular, at first, in Northern Europe) but tempera predominated in this early phase of the Italian Renaissance. One of the key differences in terms of color between the two, is that oil paints allow for brighter, more dynamic colors while tempera paints tend to produce more muted colors. Oil paints tend to dry much more slowly, allowing for greater change. Whereas oil paint can be blended and played around with, tempera has to be applied via careful hatching as the paint will dry in seconds. Also consider that each workshop made their own materials. Before the nineteenth century, artists could not simply go to the store to buy materials. Each workshop had to make their own paints by mixing pigments with water and a binder (egg tempera or oil).

With this basic knowledge of tempera technique, look back at the above self-portrait of Sandro Botticelli. Focus on the folds of his clothing and the interplay between light and shade. Look at the individual strands of his hair. Notice the way his face is depicted in the soon-to-be classic three-quarter pose. Consider how many hours Botticelli put into the entire painting in this comparatively unforgiving medium. This may be one of his earliest commissioned works but it shows that Botticelli was certainly already a great artistic master.
Crypto Taxation Without Representation
By: Kel Dennis
Tags: Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Article, Taxes, News

What has changed in 2018? The prospect of having a fat tax payout is a reality for the U.S. government. They are beginning to regulate Bitcoin and popular trading platform Coinbase.

More platforms, more users, more taxes

It is an enviable position for the U.S. government to be in. They will benefit as more platforms support Bitcoin trading. Using the clout of Bitcoin to coerce new subscribers, Robinhood and Cash App have announced their crossover into crypto trading.

In just a week, Robinhood has received almost 1 million subscriber requests for Robinhood Crypto. Square Cash’s stock gained a 3% increase, the same day of the Bitcoin trading announcement. Using the words blockchain, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrency for PR has proven to be a success.

Why is Bitcoin getting this mainstream push in 2018? How does this advancement correlate with recent government interventions?
Token with Stable Value
By: Team Remiit
Tags: Blockchain, Stable Coin, Bitcoin, Ieo, Token Economy

In the first post on Token Economics, we economically investigated why the token economy is needed. In that post, we looked at the economic basis of tokens that serve as payment instruments with a limited role within an economy. Based on that discussion, this post will investigate what benefits we can gain from tokens which is applied to the token economy.

Tokens generally play a limited role in the payment system within an economic system as described above, but on the other hand, people perceive tokens as investment assets traded on the exchange. For this reason, the token has one dilemma. A token, which plays a role of payment in its own ecosystem, is required to stabilize its value because it plays a limited role in the environment where fiat currency exists. The severe fluctuation in value in functioning as a transactional medium is an obstacle to the formation of trust. Let’s take an example. In the 1997 financial crisis, the Korean won depreciated sharply. The collapse of this value makes the statutory currency lose its credibility, not to mention the token. If a token is to function as a payment instrument, then value stability is essential. On the other hand, tokens are traded on exchanges and are therefore recognized as investment assets for many people. Unlike normal currency, investment assets must be somewhat volatile. This is due to the different expectations of people for the direction of volatility which can result in transactions and capital gain of investors. For example, if the stocks traded in the stock market do not have price volatility, no one will buy or sell these stocks. This is because dividends might be received but not capital gains. Of course, too much price volatility is the reason why people are reluctant to invest because of the risk, but the appropriate level of volatility is a prerequisite for investment.

The two different roles pursued by tokens cause a dilemma: whether to pursue price stabilization or volatility. As we have already experienced a surge and plunge in token prices, many projects are now designed with a token, called stable coin, that seeks to price stability. The token economy is essential for designing such a stable coin. This is because price stability can be achieved not through a simple blockchain or smart contract mechanism, but through a complexly designed market mechanism and central intervention. This can be understood simply by considering the efforts of central banks to stabilize the value of their fiat currencies.

In conclusion, by applying the token economy, we can design stable coin with stable price, which can give value to our users.

In the following post, we will study more closely at the types of token economies and their mechanisms that apply to stable coins.

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Website : https://remiit.io
I Miss Overpriced Coffee
By: Harris Sockel
Tags: Life, New York City, Work, Coffee, Culture

I Miss Overpriced Coffee

An ode to the experiences we took for granted

Photo: Mara Ohlsson/Getty Images

Do you remember coffee?

Not beans, which you buy in silence, mask stretched over your face, eyes darting under fluorescent lights. Not the glass carafe on your kitchen counter. Not your Keurig, which doesn’t count and never did.

I mean paper cups. Plastic lids with small embossed brand names. Loud rooms with retro light fixtures and overpriced banana bread. Strangers yelling at you to stop looking at your phone, it’s your turn, and oh my god, sorry, can I just have a small coffee? A small coffee. Hot cardboard juice that costs $3.25. Or iced coffee, all ice and no coffee. It costs $4.00. You shove your straw in, it overflows, and now your hands are wet. There goes your money.

It’s spring in New York City, and no one is strolling down the sidewalk sipping too-expensive iced coffee from a paper straw that gradually disintegrates in their mouth.

I love trash in my mouth. It was my ritual. The purchase that told my brain: “It’s spring.”

I love asking where the bathroom is and being told there isn’t one. Or there is, but it’s locked, and here’s the key. The key is attached to a giant wooden stick. I love carrying a giant wooden stick through a room of strangers, en route to the bathroom.

I would kill to do anything small and pointless and overpriced in public. I would kill for a tiny paper cup of overpriced coffee.
Why Taking It Personal Is Always a Bad Idea
By: Desiree Driesenaar
Tags: Work, Personal, Hurt, Family, Love

Because it’s cold in our caravan in winter, we’re staying more often with my mum now. 100 km to the north, but at least it has warmth. I can write there as much as I can write anywhere. And much of my other work happens online as well. So I type, and I Zoom and I enjoy the company of my mum and Mike.

My mum was a stay-at-home-mum until I was twelve and went to secondary school. Then she went to work as a secretary. Her skills were shorthand (remember what that is?) and typing. And many more! She’s a very intelligent woman, my mum. But she sadly lived in a time when she was fired just for getting married. Married women couldn’t explore their skills in the workplace back then.

She and my dad made it possible for me to study and have a high-fly career in business before becoming a changemaker.

When I left my studies in 1987, the job market was terrible. Many of my peers were taking 10-finger-typing courses to enhance their job chances. I was too proud for that. I might have said back then that I didn’t want to become a ‘typing goat’. I just wanted a career.

And I got one. So I might have repeated that term more often. I don’t remember. But apparently, my mum does. And it hurts her.

In my changemaker work, I have come across the four agreements in Toltec wisdom (Miguel Ruiz wrote about it). And the sentences always stay with me.

Be impeccable with your word

Don’t take anything personally

Don’t make assumptions

Always do your best

The first two are for me and my mum. I should have been more impeccable with my words. She should not have taken it personally, because it was never meant that way.

And in the meantime, I’m just awfully sorry I didn’t take a typing course back then. Writing is a large part of my life now and it would have come in so handy! This story is written with lots of respect for all professional ‘typing goats’ out there. I definitely fall short by only using four fingers…

Takeaways

You can be more careful with your words as well. Please realize that sarcastic or cynical words can sting badly even if they are not meant to

We’ve all been on the receiving end of stinging words, I bet. Don’t take them personally. It will only hurt you. And the other person probably doesn’t even notice

Assumptions are the cause of many misunderstandings and fights. Other people perceive the world differently from you. Trust them. And ask them to explain whenever you feel hurt or don’t agree. Try to see it from their perspective before you make up your mind and express your own opinion

Do your best at a certain moment. Learn every day and when you know better, do better. We’ll never stop growing. So, there’s always a next time. And a moment when you can say sorry. Or be lovingly silent.

If you want to connect, you can find me in my food forest, admiring the pollinating bees. Or via Patreon, LinkedIn, Vocal, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, ManyStories, Quora, and my website.

Thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my words.

© Désirée Driesenaar
The Golden Buddha
By: Amanda Dalmas
Tags: Scrittura, Poetry, God, Love, Poem

The Golden Buddha

A Poem

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

I am the Forgotten One.

The Lonely.

The Cast Aside One.

The One who would Rather eat Cake!

They starved me from your affections.

Anything will do

so long as it is from you.

I am a World of Pain and Spite.

I ruminate, cry, and throw temper tantrums.

But none of it even calls you to me.

It’s almost a compulsion now.

This insistent waterwork of gushing energy

etching lines into my face

while drying the well up.

I can’t even look away from you.

You are my God.

Like a Golden Buddha in the sky.

Behind your darkness lays such beauty and treasure.

You are all that sparkles in this world …to me …for me…

All the Power in the world can’t touch you.

Really,

I just want to worship you like a God …all the rest of my days.

Amanda Dalmas ~Dec 23rd, 2020
On-boarding Update: September 2019
Tags: Blockchain

We recently announced ICO participants were eligible to onboard and start trading on the platform. Here’s a recap of what’s been happening for the past few weeks.

A few weeks ago, we announced to our community they would be eligible to trade on LGO if they had participated in our ICO back in 2018. We have sent out invitations and are happy to share the following statistics:

1000 members have completed their onboarding sign up so far.

845 have received a KYC/AML link

415 have passed (i.e. given all the info to the KYC provider with a successful response)

126 have received their invitation code

Given community requests, we’d like to bring clarity to our rewards for ICO participants who join the platform: :
Vite App Android Ver. 3.8.0 Released
By: Blackey Hou
Tags: Wallet, Announcements, Vitex, Vite Labs

On Dec 23, 2020, Vite App will release Android Version 3.8.0, with a new design on asset management layout. After the upgrade, Vite App will have the same smooth user experience as using centralized exchange Apps.

The new release has the following upgrades:

Introducing the new DEX Assets page. The Wallet page is now used only for deposits and withdrawals, exchange asset transfers are completed on DEX Assets page.

2.Exchange functions have been completely separated from wallet functions. The Homepage now displays only wallet assets, users can go to DEX Assets page to view exchange assets and transfer assets for trading.

3.My [Account] has been moved to the upper left corner of the Home page, click to enter Account Settings.

Upgrade to try the new Android App and let us know your opinions.

App Download: https://app.vite.net/
Tibetan racism against Indians; and lessons for Hindu-Muslim apartment leasing issues
By: Hindavi Swarajya
Tags: India, Tibetan, Buddhism, Islam, Islamism

A post from a friend who runs social businesses in Dharamshala, where the Tibetan government in exile is based

The Tibetan got away with simply an earful in this case. Had the author of this post been a Muslim and to make matters even worse, the Tibetan a Hindu, this story would have been all over the Indian media.

Calls of Islamophobia and rise of Hindutva ideology would have been ‘Breaking News’ across all English and Hindi channels that are headquartered in New Delhi.

On a recent visit to Jamshedpur, i saw atleast one society with a few hundred apartments which were Muslim only. I didn’t try asking for an apartment on rent, but the apartments were located in a nearly 100% Muslim area called ‘Mango’ (pronounced ‘Maa-n-go’). The apartment building had 3–4 loud speakers at the entrance itself, associated with the call to azan (the five-times a day Muslim call to prayer).

Even if some broadminded Muslim permitted leasing an apartment on rent to a Hindu (without a malicious idea of converting him/her to Islam), it would be impossible for him to remain sane with such blaring speakers in a residential area.

So. What’s the point of this post?

Firstly, that communities behave this way; they stereotype, unless the community in questions works actively to break those stereotypes. Do you not know of South-Indian ghettos in New Jersey? Some level of ghettoisation is expected when especially in migrating communities; and yet they must walk that extra mile to mingle with the rest and become one among them.

Second. Next time you hear a Jain samaj or another Hindu community refusing an apartment to a Muslim, please don’t call it Hindutva or Jain-utva and use it to bash the Hindu community— recall this post and let the media know that even Buddhist Tibetans in exile in India behave the same way.

And remember that Muslim communities are almost intolerant of any other religion living amongst them; it’s against basic tenets of Islam to respect other religions; Quran and Hadees define in detail how to convert non-Muslims living in Islamic states, and if they do not, how to tolerate them while imposing Jiziya (non-Muslim tax) on them.
Cryptocurrency Dictionary for Beginners.
Tags: Blockchain, Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrency, Crypto, Bitcoin

If you’ve kept a keen eye open for the past few years, you’ve probably seen these terms strewn about. Especially within this past year when Bitcoin and most Altcoins stampeded on a historic bull run. Cryptocurrency seems to be discussed everywhere nowadays. The news, the radio, the Internet, your Uncle Greg, podcasts and virtually any other modern form of media aggregate.

Truth be told, you’re only going to be hearing and seeing more of this burgeoning field for the foreseeable future! It’s time to make some sense of all of this. Cryptocurrency may seem quite hieroglyphic to many, but I’ve put together this list of must-know terms, minus that technical computer-speak mumbo jumbo. Aunt Jane and Grandma Edith can finally understand why Uncle Greg keeps telling everybody he’s HODLing during Thanksgiving dinner! 🦃
World Humanitarian Day: What’s in the bag?
By: World Food Programme
Tags: Humanitarian, Travel, Bags, Heroes, Hunger

To mark World Humanitarian Day, we asked World Food Programme (WFP) staff to take a break from duty and reveal what they keep in their bags. Learn more about the everyday essentials carried by our colleagues.

Czarina Macalos Kunso

Monitoring Assistant, Cotabato sub-office, Philippines

Czarina Macalos Kunso with her new bag. Photo: WFP

I purchased this backpack at a discounted price a month ago. I was longing to have a new one, but buying this item is not on a mother’s priority list. When I knew that it was on 60 percent sale I was thrilled.

The bag’s laptop compartment really secures the unit. I also keep my ID cards, advantage cards for groceries and my wallet in there.

I always carry my UV-protection as well as pens and a notebook so that I can easily jot down points when I’m in a meeting. Face masks and hand sanitizer are parts of the daily basic essentials now. We need to protect ourselves and our families.