fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Independence Day: As seen by me
By: Patsy Starke
Tags: Mental Health, Poetry, USA, Resistance Poetry, Poetry On Medium

Pintrest.com

No more shoe laces

No more boot straps,

to pull myself up by

No more belt

Didn’t need it anyway

Paper pajamas, don’t have loops

Special beds,

with leather straps

Contemplating freedom, in a quiet room

Fireworks in my mind

Some high, some low

In awe, of what happens to me

Picnic in the cafeteria

A safe place to be

Plastic utensils wait for me

Laughing and crying

No games played

Doors are locked, not open to me

Fireworks on the outside

For those who are free

I know they’re there but I can’t see

My cries of woe are not for me

I remember those who fought for me

For their sacrifice and the life they gave,

I Still celebrate, this Independence Day!

UKdaily.com

During the rise of Hitler and his third Reich, People with Mental Illness were also sent to Concentration camps along with the old, disabled, LGBT, and Jews. Their goal was to create the perfect Race. The Power of God, manifests itself in our weakness and our uniqueness. We are still here to celebrate this day.

Patsy, 2017, a person with a Mental Illness, saved by the sacrifices of our soldiers and the great will of the people who value every individual and most of all a loving creator.
Social Media is dead, Long Live Social Media!
By: Team Elephant Media Network
Tags: Revolution, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Small Business, Social Media

With the gradual demise of organic reach, the kingdom of content has a new king.

Photo by Luiz Hanfilaque on Unsplash

Biggest advice to SMEs:

“Your content can make or break your brand it. Making sure you post content relevant to your customers every day is essential.”

We all know digital marketing is essential to a business’ success, but no one started their company to be a social media expert. As a lone wolf in the digital space you are put up against an overload of competing content and constantly revised algorithms for search results. Either you invest a year or two in learning the endless jargon of social media marketing or hire an expensive agency to create superficial, generalized industry-based content, diluting your USP.

Omer Rana, CEO says:

“We want to put the power of a global agency in the pocket of SME’s to help them compete at a local and global level but without the costs.”

Towards the end of 2017, Elephant Social launched and completely changed the game. Any revolution sparks fear and the app’s potential was so groundbreaking in it implications, that Elephant Social’s introduction to the masses had to witness a few road blocks.

As CEO Omer Rana recalled:

“In the early days, we were meeting companies looking for local partners, when we refused to explain how we made the algorithms large agencies kicked us out of their offices!”

So, what exactly does this 15MB app do that powerful agencies are either in awe or fear of its capabilities?

Elephant Social let’s a SME upload or take a picture and describe it through the Emotos Panel (a emotional intelligence computing system). The app then suggests relevant, intelligent content with trending hashtag options. No, it’s not suggested articles or videos you can re-post or re-tweet. It is fresh, innovative, unique content tailored for your brand.

World’s First ‘Creative Content’ Suggestion Tool

“Automation at this level of content suggestion is on its way to ending oligopolies of digital agencies.”

A platform like Elephant Social marks the beginning of a new era for digital content marketing. It facilitates a link between user intention and content generation. The app has successfully introduced automation to the world of content and ensured that digital marketing continues to be economical, efficient and competitive.

With high demand for fast information consumption, Elephant Social is making the biggest leap in human history on how information is supplied. We exist in a world where time is of the essence. In the business world, as information piles on information, we need to greatly reduce the time in devising content strategies while exterminating any human error in the creation of social-media posts.

It’s time for change. It’s time for the next leap. Elephant social is available on Play Store and App Store as of today. Get your subscription and be part of the change.
Former police chief Richard Dreby continues ‘rewarding’ career in public safety
By: Jack Tomczuk
Tags: Schools, Community, Police

Former police chief Richard Dreby continues ‘rewarding’ career in public safety

He was recently honored by the New Jersey Chiefs of Police Association

Retired Palmyra Police Chief Richard Dreby now works as the safety and security officer for the borough’s school district. He was honored with life membership in the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police Association.

Richard Dreby’s long career in public safety began in 1971, the year he graduated from Palmyra High School and became a firefighter.

He later served as Palmyra’s police chief and Burlington County’s public safety director. More than four decades after joining the borough’s fire department, Dreby, 65, is still involved — as the safety and security officer at his alma mater, Palmyra High.

“I like to stay active,” Dreby said. “I really do love the public safety field.”

On May 3, Dreby was honored with life membership in the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police Association. He served as chief of the Palmyra Police Department from 1998 to 2008.

Joining the fire company was a natural first step for Dreby after high school. His dad was a firefighter, and several other members of his family were involved with the department and the ladies auxiliary.

“It was kind of in our blood to get involved,” Dreby said.

He became a police officer in 1976, and worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant and finally chief in 1998. After 10 years, Dreby retired from the department and moved on to work as director of public safety for the county.

Dreby began working for the borough’s school district in 2014. He’s also the chief of Independence Fire Company and executive coordinator of Palmyra’s Office of Emergency Management.

“I enjoy working with the folks to keep them safe and to continue to work with the local authorities, especially in the school system,” Dreby said.

Dreby handles security at the high school and the Charles Street School. He also serves as the district’s residency and truancy officer and the point person between the district and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

“I’m in charge of the emergency plan for the school district,” Dreby explained. “I’m involved with the security for all of the buildings.”

“I want to be part of trying to keep the school safe,” he added.

Dreby said he tries to impart to students the importance of staying out of trouble and keeping their record clean.

“What they do today is going to affect them” down the line, Dreby said.

He said working in law enforcement and public safety has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Dreby also said he’s going to keep working in the field until he feels he has nothing left to offer.

“I’m proud to serve,” Dreby said.
✍️Do You Remember Poetry?
By: Rolli, Https, Ko-Fi.Com Rolliwrites
Tags: Poetry, Medium, Life, Death, Poem

✍️Do You Remember Poetry?

They want you to forget. But I remember…

Photo: PictorialEvidence / Wikimedia Commons

Long, long ago (in 2019), poetically inclined people wrote poems, posted them on Medium, and made a little money.

Those days are over. Medium’s constantly-devolving algorithm changes have ensured that poets, along with writers of short fiction and humor, not to mention cartoonists, artists and photographers, will struggle to make even a dime for their hard work (though they might, if they’re lucky, make a penny).

Medium has, in fact, become indistinguishable from the Church of Scientology. Both lure high-profile celebrities into their organizations to lend the latter a sheen of respectability, while simultaneously robbing and neglecting their lowly hoards of “parishioners.” Jerry Seinfeld, William Shatner, Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Katie Couric and other wealthy, high-profile celebrities have all recently been coaxed into joining Medium, where their fame, rather than their authorial prowess, has allowed them to soak up the lions share of available Partner Program profits. For the rest of us — crumbs.

Photo: Kameron Kincade / Unsplash

But back to the topic of poetry…

If only for my own amusement, I thought I’d take you for a stroll through my archives. Here are some of the poems I’ve written and published on Medium. Before everything went to hell…

“My Body Toss In” is a poem that doubles, for the sake of efficiency, as a last will and testament:

“Bury Me In” continues in the same theme:

“The Cemetery for Dead Books” was one people liked quite a bit. I did the drawing for this one, too:

“Dear Humanity” was timely when I first wrote it. It’s even timelier now:

“The City of Unknown Poets” may not be the most desirable zip code in the world. But we all end up there, sooner or later.

Until/unless Medium reforms itself (this seems increasingly unlikely), I won’t be posting new poetry on the platform.

Thanks for reading, friends. Let’s stroll again soon.

Note №1

Due to the corporate greed and general ineptitude of Medium and company, this post will earn no money. It would mean the world to me if you’d consider buying me a coffee.

Note №2

Do you like stories, poems, cartoons, music — plus book giveaways and much, much more? Then you’ll love my free monthly newsletter.
McAfee says decentralized exchanges are a game changer
By: Bithemoth Exchange
Tags: Blockchain, John Mcafee, Crypto, Bitcoin, Decentralization

McAfee says decentralized exchanges are a game changer

John McAfee, the cyber security expert and cryptocurrency enthusiast, was recently interviewed by Michael Gu of the popular cryptocurrency themed blog Boxmining. During the interview he made a prediction that decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges will dominate the space and make centralized exchanges eventually go the way of the dinosaur.

He tweeted a link to the interview along with this message:

“Decentralized exchanges, when fully functional, will mark the end of any potential control by governments and will be the beginning of the largest economic boom in human history.”

McAfee sees power in numbers and thinks the decentralization of cryptocurrency exchanges can create unbreakable networks of people.

McAfee says a huge advantage of decentralized exchanges is the computing power. The millions of powerful computing devices that could potentially be contributing to a decentralized exchange like Bithemoth will create a secure distribution that can’t be achieved by centralized exchanges.

McAfee goes on to explain that not even police, or governmental institutions could take down a decentralized exchange. Adding that, “as long as the exchanges are distributed across millions of devices, it would be impossible for them to shut down.”

McAfee has been railing against centralized exchanges on Twitter, amongst other places, for a while. He claims that they have too much power and users should not be so fast to trust them with their assets.

Bithemoth agrees that centralized exchanges are vulnerable to hacks and thefts and that the decentralized model and cold storage devices will provide a level of security that cannot be achieved by centralized exchanges.

When asked about the future of ICOs and whether or not ICOs will die out, McAfee assured that new blockchain startups will continue to be born.

“If you’re talking about new projects that come to fruition and create new coins? No, that will never die out.”
Nightmare
By: Gurpreet Dhariwal
Tags: Midnight Thoughts, Dreams, Fiction, Short Story, Nightmare

Nightmare

That was just a dream but it wasn’t less than a nightmare for them

Photograph by engin akyurt@enginakyurt

Her voice was breaking on the phone. She was breathing fast and didn’t know how to calm herself after seeing a murder on the street. He wasn’t able to understand her voice either as it was not audible. She started running and told him before she finally put the phone down “I believe they are chasing me now”.

He was stunned and scared. There was no way he could fly 1000 miles away from home in just a fraction of seconds to save her. His mind stopped working and whenever such a situation knocked his door he always kneeled to pray. This was no different time for him. He prayed and prayed until the clock ticked 2 am and he fell asleep on the bed.

The next thing he heard was her loud scream and he calmed her by waking her up. She was crying, moaning and putting her hands on the face shouting “They killed you too”. On waking up, she realized that was just a dream but it wasn’t less than a nightmare for them.

**Be careful about whom you sleep with at night :)
Learning By Doing in Node.JS
By: Ali Lakhani
Tags: Expressjs, API, Node, Ecmascript 6, Node Js Tutorial

Outlook

This is a generalized practical implementation of using simple JavaScript with the essence of EcmaScript6 (ES6) to work with a server-side environment or specifically building REST API with the help of the Node.

Wait a minute… What’s a REST API?

REST stands for Representational state transfer, amazing but what does it mean.

A REST API works pretty much the same way a website does, we make a call from a client to the server and we get data back over the HTTP protocol, try visiting https://graph.facebook.com/youtube what we get back is a response to our API request, we have made our API request in our browser to Facebook’s graph API, what we get in response is commonly known as a JSON Object or JavaScript Object Notation formatted data.

It’s a structured data organized according to key-value pairs the same way an Excel spreadsheet is structured with key-value pairs and we might ask for the data that is in cell A17 of our sheet, similarly, we can ask this JSON array for let’s say we want to know how many likes this Facebook page had for the data contained under the key likes.
Shadow Life
By: Dermott Hayes
Tags: Poetry, Life, Anger, Solitude, Pain

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

See me as I am,

crooked legs,

crouched, twisted

bent, another word

reflected, from anger,

reflected, from pain,

how I see myself,

inept but unapologetic ,

raging apoplectic,

spewing bile

from silence,

cold shadows

in my day,

surround me,

touching nothing,

unappreciated,

screaming dumbly,

hearing nothing,

listen,

less is listened,

walk without feet,

through cushioned lives,

too thick to weep,

too thin to wail.
1. Investing vs. Speculating
By: Carl-Arvid Ewerbring
Tags: Crypto, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Investment

In this post we will look at Benjamin Grahams view on investing vs speculating, where cryptocurrency might find itself, and what type of mindset to have as we move forward.

Graham talks about investing vs. speculating in a distinct and clear way which we can apply to the current crypto currency market. (Graham, p.19).

“An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative” — Graham

Investing is placing money by a specific formula which statistically will not lose you money, and on average deliver the expected return. Speculating on, the other hand, is akin to gambling, a “hope” that the price will rise and you will come out on top (Graham, p.37).

Where then is cryptocurrency in regards to speculation vs. investing? The answer is unfortunately that it is purely speculative. There is no way in which we with a high certainty can say “the prices will rise”, neither in measuring some sort of value flow from each individual security nor from the industry as a whole.

Stocks and bonds are valued based on how much money they generate for the owners. Dividends is a proven concept which has been around for centuries. Growth of the company, current levels of dividends and expected growth of them, are all integral variables in how stocks are valued. The bond sector, likewise, have time-tested ways of how to calculate their value for an investor. Most importantly, when these numbers change, we have tested models for how the market reacts and security prices change.(Graham, p. 45)(Malkiel, p. 329)

In crypto currency there is no proven way to estimate a value of a token or coin in order to decide if it is currently under- or over valued. When you put money into any crypto currency you hope that it will increase in price.

As there are no proven methods of estimating the value of coins we must accept that crypto currencies are in current times of a speculative nature.

Having accepted that we are at the core speculating, we note that Graham goes on to argue that there is intelligent speculating as well as intelligent investing. While speculating, one must always have this in mind (Graham, p.21):

1) Never speculate when you think you are investing

2) Never speculate seriously instead of as a pastime when lacking proper knowledge

3) Never risk more money than you can afford to lose

There is still tremendous risk in the cryptocurrency space compared to regular securities. Be aware that it is very risky to put a lot of money into this asset class. Do not believe you can make professional results from cryptocurrency unless you are at a professional level (knowledge and experience wise). Do not expect to get rich quick. Do not invest money you cannot lose.

If you still would like to put in some money into crypto currency, start with a quick look at what strategy the books could recommend.
What is a Stablecoin and Should I Invest in One?
Tags: Blockchain, Investing, Crypto, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency

Many game changers have come in and rocked the world. Though they’re few and far between, companies have come through and essentially reinvented the wheel. This is what Tether is trying to do with what they’re calling a stablecoin. A lot of people aren’t happy about stablecoin, and evidence suggests that this new way of looking at cryptocurrency will do more harm than good.

What is the Stablecoin Market?

The idea behind the stablecoin market is that values won’t fluctuate much if the value of a coin is tied to a real world asset, like cash. Tether is a controversial company that has created a stablecoin exchange where one of their coins is equal to one US dollar. This market is heavily enforced at a one for one exchange. The value won’t grow — you’re merely turning one thing into another.

How is it Different From the Cryptocurrency Market?

The Cryptocurrency market as a lot of variables. The value of a traditional cryptocurrency isn’t backed by anything. The market does what it’s going to do. While this sometimes means losses, it also means the potential for tremendous gain. Since the value of the coin is free to move up and down, particularly when it’s impacted by the amount of people who invest and the amount of companies that accept it as a form of payment, it’s a little more of a gamble. Investing in cryptocurrency is a lot like investing in a new startup company. It’s exciting and less predictable.

Be Careful

Cryptocurrency and real money aren’t the same thing — when you use cryptocurrency to pay for a real world good or service, it’s a little more like bartering. The danger in stablecoin comes from the fact that coins are being treated as equal or exact to actual cash or real world commodities. These coins can’t be traded back for what you got for them, and if there’s nothing you can do with them, you’ve essentially thrown your money away. Use extreme caution when dealing with stablecoins. Better yet, just steer clear.
Location Analytics for Your Supply Chain Company Using Locale.ai during COVID-19
By: Aditi Sinha
Tags: Analytics, Covid 19, Geolocation, Coronavirus, Supply Chain

TL;DR: If you are a logistics or delivery company, we want to help you in monitoring & bridging the gaps and bottlenecks in your supply chain. We will make our location analytics product available to you free of cost for the next couple of months. Do get in touch with me on LinkedIn if you are interested!

Everything that’s been happening with COVID has hit us hard and has forced us to think — how can we help in the best way possible? How can we use our skills in the right way to make an impact?

Inspired by Loom, our hope is we are able to make some difference in the current situation that is plaguing the world. Hopefully, many other businesses will carry this forward.

The Corona Effects on the Current Supply Chain

COVID-19

COVID-19 took us by surprise and we were not even close to being ready for a situation like this — Even Amazon’s models couldn’t have predicted this!

The global supply chain is fueled by outsourcing and thin margins and COVID-19 has proven how fragile (or, rigid) it all is. Until now, the supply chains were stocking supplies efficiently in just the right amount (just-in-time manufacturing). However, when the demand spiked, everyone felt the effects of it.

“We do not see a supply shock in the sense of the availability,” said a UN economist to Bloomberg. “But there could be a supply shock in terms of logistics, not being able to move supplies from point A to point B.”

The majority of logistics players who influence the global supply chain (directly and indirectly) don’t have any visibility or a plan to deal with this kind of disruption. The supply chain just doesn’t have enough inventory buffer for a 20x shock!
About Me- Anna Dainese
By: Anna Dainese
Tags: Feminism, About Me, Short Story, My Story, Introduction

I was born and live in Italy, I love what this country has to offer, I love the people who are here, their warmth, I love our food (who doesn't?). Italy is a country rich in culture and art, things that I love, in fact a few years ago I graduated in History of Art.

But like any self-respecting twenty-year-old I lately found myself in the midst of an existential crisis and I began to understand that perhaps art was just a passion for me, a great stimulus, but it was not destined to be my future.

Slowly then I approached the world of writing, a world that has involved me as long as I can remember. For example, I remember an episode when I was in elementary school, as a task the teacher had assigned us to write a theme in which we had to describe a relative of ours. I chose my cousin, I don't know why, we don't even have who those great relationship, but I chose her. I vividly remember this sentence:

My cousin has very light eyes and golden hair, but the most characteristic thing about her face are her ears, ah her ears ... etc

The teacher correcting it eliminated "ah her ears" because she had understood it as a repetition. Well it HAD to be a repetition, its purpose was just to emphasize the phrase and the beauty of the ears but she didn't understand it. And that was the first time (but not the last) that a teacher didn't understand how deep I could be. Perhaps the fault was in my shyness and insecurity, but none of my teachers have ever tried to understand what was under that barrier.

But I kept writing, and then one day I found my first and most important supporter, my husband.

He made me discover Medium, he helped me to understand how to move within it and it is always him who always supports and encourages me (most of the applause for my articles is his). I met him eight years ago, he is my brother's best friend, but I wrote a message to him to declare myself almost five years ago. The rest is history, a beautiful story, but it would take a book to tell it.

Photo by the author

So that I love art, writing and food I already said it. Another important thing to say however is the passion for my children, I might be biased but they are the best.

The first one was born when I was very young, and therefore I would say that in part becoming a mother shaped me, it shaped my adult life. But I don't like to present myself as a mother. I find it limiting and even a little reductive. Partly because when people hear the word mom they imagine a desperate housewife who spends her days in sweatsuit in a minivan to carry her children in their infinity commitments, and partly because being a mother is not all that defines me.

I am also that but above all I am much more. I am a dreamer, my mental films win an Academy Awards every year. I'm an avid reader, my favorite book so far is Blindness of Saramago. I'm a good cook, and an excellent taster (my belly speaks for me).
La importancia de motivar a las mujeres en las TIC
By: Entel Ocean
Tags: Tecnología, Comunicación, Líder, Innovación, Mujeres En Las Tic

in Eudaimonia and Co
#FigmaTip Roundup 7.0
By: Valerie Veteto
Tags: UI, Product, Design, UX, Tech

Welcome to our #FigmaTip Roundup where we pull our favorite Figma mini-lessons from the design community. If you’d like a refresher on past installations, click these links for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Paste SVG code into Figma and watch it transform automatically into the graphic

Easily create unique symmetrical shapes by using components

Pressing spacebar freezes your selection bounds

Zoom in with precision by hitting “Keyboard Zooms Into Selection”

🎶 You can see clearly now, the “Frame Outlines” have come 🎶

A huge thanks to everyone who has submitted a #FigmaTip! And a special shout-out to Kuldar Kalvik, Alena Deleña, Gerrit Halfmann, Mirko Santangelo and Rasmus Andersson whose tweets are featured in this #FigmaTip Roundup.
Taking decisions to structure big projects with Hooks, Stores, Services and more…
By: Quique Fdez. Guerra
Tags: Application, JavaScript, Components, Folder Structure

Nowadays there are a lot of different tools to work with components, some of them help us to decrease the coupling between our code, others help us to have a better communication and some others give us a better DOM performance or teach us how to structure our files.

Choosing a files naming convention

The naming convention will help you a lot when you have to create a project with a lot of components, remember that we always want a more maintainable, scalable and extensible structure when we create new and long-term projects.

Spoiler: To use a folder called ‘components’ and add all the components inside, is not going to be the best practise.

The real important thing here is that has to be maintainable and if others join your project, have to be able to understand it.

Talking about naming convention there are at least these basic conventions:

PascalCase aka TheElder: This convention is really usual in Backend scenarios, and to name the components in Frontend.

aka TheElder: This convention is really usual in Backend scenarios, and to name the components in Frontend. camelCase aka theCommon: Probably the most used convention in the Frontend side.

aka theCommon: Probably the most used convention in the Frontend side. kebab-case aka the-modern: The popularity of this convention has increased recently, with frameworks like Angular.

aka the-modern: The popularity of this convention has increased recently, with frameworks like Angular. sneak_case aka dont_use_this: Not really used convention.

Which is the best? None of them and all of them, choose one you like. And Which I prefer? Personally I really like the naming convention that was introduced some years ago.

They use kebab-case and also add the type of the file to the name, that means that we can have some names like this:

home.module.js

home.service.js

home.model.js

home.styles.css

home-detail.hook.js

home-detail.component.js

But from some time ago, the community accepted to use PascalCase ONLY for Components, that means that in the case of the component you will see something like Home.js

Structuring Files and Folders

About this convention, there are two big ways to structure the files and folders:
COVID-19 News for State, Local, and Tribal Leaders, 10/30/20
By: Harvard Ash Center
Tags: Covid 19, City Government, Indian Country, Coronavirus, Local Government

Animals’ Bridge on Route 93 near Evaro, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Sign in English and Salish language. (Vince Devlin)

Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles and resources for state, local, and tribal leaders creating policy to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as steering the social and economic recovery for their communities. Postings below do not convey endorsement of any particular organization or opinion contained in links.

Updates on People’s Health, Housing, and Livelihoods between August 19 and October 26.

The tools are intended to provide an extra level of disinfection against COVID-19.

The economic recession triggered by the global pandemic has magnified the need for high-quality programs that can help students acquire the skills, training, and postsecondary credentials they need to thrive in the workplace. Here are some programs that studies show improved academic outcomes and increased earnings.

On March 10, when Philippine schools shut to slow the spread of Covid-19, April Garcia’s job was upended.

The latest survey conducted by the multi-university COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States, led in part by Shorenstein Center faculty Matthew Baum sought to answer the question of who is spreading misinformation on COVID-19.

In a region where only one in four women works, experts say those who retrain could tap surging demand for digital skills.

The unseasonable October arctic outbreak made life tough for all kinds of Montanans this weekend, but maybe no one so much as election organizers on the state’s seven Indian reservations.

In some neighborhoods, rows of heat lamps may become a defining feature of Covid winter sidewalks. But costly heaters aren’t the only or best option for many restaurants.
Saturdays Are Hard Work
By: Berend Van Daalen
Tags: Work, Fatherhood, Productivity, Parenting, Family

Photo by Julie Johnson on Unsplash

To make this fair, I’ll kick off the day with the first solo parenting activity, which is a trip to the bakery. Our home is within walking distance of the shops, so this should not take too long. My three-year-old tags along on his scooter. He wants a bagel, and of course, the one with sesame seeds. I can already envision myself cleaning up the trail of sesame seeds all through the house. Sure, your brother can have one too.

I arrive back home, and now it’s time for my wife to leave for work. I feed the baby some fruit. After that, I do laundry. You can always do laundry.

To add a layer of difficulty, apart from our home looking like a building site already there’s actual construction taking place as we’re building an extension. The development adds a layer of dust and debris to our already messy household. I start the robot vacuum cleaner, knowing full well that I’m only kidding myself.

The next stop is our first trip of the day to the nearby playground. It’s right next to our house, which makes this a logistical breeze.

After that, it’s time to make the baby his bottle and try to feed it to him. It’s not going down well.

I ask permission for a toilet break. Permission granted. However, it will have to be accompanied by constant banging on the door, yelling and screaming.

While I empty the dishwasher, I receive a notification on my phone that the robot vacuum has completed a task. The immediate thought that comes to mind is, really? Followed by, how do I start this thing again?

Five-year-old and three-year-old get into an altercation. I manage the situation and console three-year-old twice.

The baby indicates that he would like the remainder of his bottle. Given the level of screams he’s producing, I think now would be a good time for it. I finish feeding the baby his bottle and put him down for his nap.

While I’m upstairs, I put in another load of laundry.
Register Your EOS Account Name for FREE Now! Just Three Easy Steps with Infinito Wallet.
Tags: Eos, Cryptocurrency, Startup

Register Your EOS Account Name for FREE Now! Just Three Easy Steps with Infinito Wallet. Infinito Follow Jul 8, 2018 · 4 min read

That’s right! With the launch of version update 1.10, Infinito Wallet brings a special offer for users: register your EOS account name free of charge and our team will bear all the expenses! This exciting campaign will only last from 6th to 18th of July with a fixed budget of 1,600 EOS on a first-come, first-served basis. After this budget is burnt out, users will not be able to register EOS account name for free anymore, so act fast and be amongst the first to get your free account name!

Download Infinito Wallet

With the launch of this unique new campaign, Infinito Wallet once again reinforces its roadmap and vision to become the world’s most inclusive universal cryptocurrency wallet. It is our sole mission to become the seamless gateway for users to access and thrive on industry-leading blockchains, harnessing the endless potentials of cryptocurrencies at their convenience. As the compulsory registration fee serves as the foremost barrier to user’s participation in the EOS ecosystem, Infinito Wallet believes it is, therefore, essential for us to help ease this burden for prospective users. Thus, we decided to provide this one-of-a-kind offer!

Account Name Registration is now a compulsory procedure for all users to fully interact with the newly updated EOS blockchain. EOS officially mandates that crypto users must pay approximately 2 EOS to register for an account name, and this amount is still increasing as we speak. Since late adopters never conducted EOS token registration, it will be virtually impossible for such users to join this platform, as they would have no funds to pay for the procedure in the first place, making this fee extremely alienating to newcomers. However, with Infinito Wallet, users can register their account name FOR FREE and be a part of this blockchain’s bustling community when our limited-time campaign launches on 6th July 2018!

Join this campaign with simple steps outlined below. On your wallet dashboard, you will see the option to conduct FREE Registration right beside the EOS logo.

Step 1: Click “FREE Registration”

This will bring you the window to initiate the registration process.

Step 2: Press “Next”

An “Information” tab will appear, briefly explaining about why you should register your EOS account as well as FAQ. Press “Next” to proceed.

Step 3: Input Your Account Name

In the “Register” window, input your desired account name. It should be noted that you can only choose an account name consisting of exactly 12 letters ranging from A to Z and/or numbers from 1 to 5 (“12345” and “abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz”). Tap “Register” complete the process.
Enough
By: Katie Kastner
Tags: Women, Mental Health, Poetry, Quick Reads, Short Poem

A Poem

Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash

soar like a bird

but don’t you dare drop

the sky is enough for all

but not enough for you
A First Look at a Pi
By: Girija Shankar Behera
Tags: Raspberry Pi Os, Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi

Pi Products

Now we will see a list of all the products sold by the Foundation. As we saw above, it has been around for almost a decade now. Overall, it has four versions released, starting from the First Stage in 2011 to the Fourth Stage, the latest one in 2019. Each stage also comes with different variants like A+ or B+, depending on their hardware configurations. The latest version has a new variant, Raspberry Pi 400 which has a keyboard built-in with the Pi making this a complete computer kit. There are also the Zero and Zero W variants with reduced configurations, with Wireless and Bluetooth configuration installed in the later versions.

Apart from these mini computers, they also provide other accessories, such as HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) which includes the Sense HAT for Temperature or Humidity sensors, TV HAT for decoding the Digital TV Streams. There are also the Camera and the Fan modules which can be installed externally on a Pi.

There’s a lot more in the list, if interested please do check here.
How to Use Sticky Notes on Windows
By: Dr. Derek Austin
Tags: Windows, Windows 10, Productivity, Sticky Notes, Technology

Where to Find Sticky Notes on Windows

On Windows 10, hit the Windows key + S, type in Sticky Notes, and hit Enter. (Win + S opens up the Windows search bar.)

Screenshot of Windows 10 by Dr. Derek Austin 🥳

If it’s your first time opening the program, you’ll see a prompt to sync your notes across devices with your current Microsoft account.

It’s not a feature I use, but why not? Once you authorize the account (or not), the sticky notes program will launch.

The basic interface is super simple — it’s all I need for a quick note or two.

Screenshot of Windows 10 by Dr. Derek Austin 🥳

Since I’m working on a laptop hooked up to a gaming monitor, I put my sticky notes on the small laptop screen, which I otherwise don’t use at all.

When you close notes, they minimize to the task list. Double-click them to reopen them. You can also delete them from the task list as needed.

You can change the color of an open note by clicking the three dots at the top-right, just left of the X to close the note.

There’s no way to change the font size, but that’s not a deal-breaker.

The only other feature worth mentioning is that you can change the sticky notes to “dark mode” in the settings (click on the gear).
Demystifying Rails Plugin Development
By: Nick Plante
Tags: Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Software Development

My slides from the Voices that Matter (Pro Ruby 2008) conference…

Thanks to everyone who attended and of course to the organizers for putting together a great conference.
Writing Around the “Single Story” Trap
Tags: Women, India, Anthropology, Storytelling, Creative Non Fiction

I flew to Mumbai in August 2009 with a research grant to try to answer some of these questions. I had never been to India, but I was fresh out of graduate school for creative nonfiction, a discipline that encourages writers to embrace the unknown. The idea is that you lurk like an anthropologist, taking copious notes toward a nonfiction book as rich and empathetic as a novel. This kind of complex portrayal could, I felt, give surrogate mothers a voice. I never guessed that the story would take me six years or, as I came to think of it, the remainder of my youth.

In Mumbai, I pulled my luggage from the airport into a dark, smoky night. In the taxi, the open windows let in tropical air dense with exhaust, incense, and shit. We drove past rickshaws, past narrow men clustered around kiosks lit by single lightbulbs, squatting on their haunches. Women in saris sat with their feet in the gutter. At the hotel, I recorded feeling resourceful for ordering a bottle of water from room service. Such was my disorientation in this city of moldering buildings, eye-stinging pollution, mosquitos, heat, and constant horns, where barefoot children begged at choked intersections, laying their palms on the closed windows of BMWs.

In retrospect, it’s lucky that it took me five months to meet Padma. I needed to acclimate, and learn enough Hindi to be polite.

I met Padma through her sister-in-law, a former surrogate mother I met in a Mumbai clinic in January 2010. At that point, I had interviewed several surrogate mothers, but always in the presence of a lawyer; their doctors had grown distrustful of the media after being burned by an Australian exposé. This dynamic did not make for frank conversation, so I was grateful when Padma’s sister-in-law allowed me to meet her at home.

When I first appeared at her doorway, Padma was cautious. For one, white women were an oddity in Ulhasnagar, an industrial city north of Mumbai where many surrogate mothers lived. For another, I’d arrived with her sister-in-law, who she considered disreputable. Still, Padma invited me and my translator — a friendly, pushy local journalist — to sit on the family’s bed in their single room. Her teenage daughter Anu, slender in jeans, set down a plate of Ritz crackers.

The journalist explained our purpose in Marathi, and we agreed to change the women’s names for privacy. Gamely, Padma told us about the surrogacy she’d done for a couple in Bihar. Or rather, Padma spoke for several minutes, and at some point, the journalist turned to me and said, “Padma says, ‘When I did it, I got only 1.25 lakh [rupees], which is not enough.’”

Padma, meanwhile, watched me intensely, unsmilingly — which made me think she was serious and spoke in pronouncements. In fact, I later learned that she had a bawdy sense of humor, a sharp and sudden laugh.
Introducing ARK Grants: A Development Incentive Program Backed By 1 Million ARK
By: Justin Renken
Tags: Blockchain, Development, Crypto, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency

A 1 Million ARK Grant Pool Awaits!

With the ARK Grants program now launched, we’re ready for you to take advantage of this opportunity to dive into Blockchain while earning cryptocurrency for doing so. But hurry, because if you’re reading this, that means someone else is, too. Put your creativity to the test, and let us know your best ideas on how you’d like to utilize the ARK Grants program. We promise we won’t steal them! Let’s unlock the awesome potential of blockchain-powered ideas together.
Watching the silence
By: John Horan
Tags: Poetry, Cosmos, Life

and you are wondering

what to do?

play, pray, love,

it’s up to you,

the stars dance

to the same tune

as the molecules in you.

Just dance.
Vessel (TKA)
By: Jackie Ann
Tags: NYC, Photography, Artwork, Architecture, Poetry On Medium

Photo by Jacqueline Ann. instagram.com/jacquelineann06

Vessel (TKA) is a new public structure and landmark in NYC’s Hudson Yards. At sixteen stories, this intricate web of staircases affords visitors a multitude of vantage points from which to view the city and Vessel’s sleek, symmetrical architecture. TKA means “Temporarily Known As”; the structure owners have asked the public to give it a formal name.

Once inside the structure, you can go in any direction and be able to reach the top. I like that it’s not a maze where only one direction leads to the goal and all others are dead ends. I particularly like the photos I took that showcase this web of symmetry and interconnectedness. I think of it as a visual representation of the fact that we are all connected and many roads lead to enlightenment.

This notion of connection is in stark contrast to the urge we all had to take pictures of everything, which disconnected us from the actual lived experience. Yes, I want to “capture” the moment and share photos, but at what point does this diminish my ability to be present? Connection is about real-time experiences lived concretely through our senses, not through a screen.



I did put my phone away for the descent back to ground level.

And I was inspired to write this poem…
SPAC Is the New Black
By: Asger Bruhn
Tags: Innovation, Investing, Finance, Business, Venture Capital

FINANCIAL MARKETS

SPAC Is the New Black

The IPO-alternative has made a massive comeback and investor appetite will keep the party going in 2021

The last few years have seen a 2000s Wall Street favorite — the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) — returning to former glory.

Using SPACs to take companies public was an uncommon practice in the decade following the financial crisis of 2008. But activity has surged in recent years. In 2020, SPAC IPOs represent around half of all capital raised via IPOs.

This year has seen sports betting firm DraftKings ($DKNG), electric vehicle project Fisker ($FSR), Richard Branson’s aerospace bet Virgin Galactic ($SPCE), and esports monetization platform Skillz ($SKLZ) amongst other exciting names go public through SPAC mergers.

Several SPACs already announced acquisition targets. Those expecting merger in 2021 includes DMY Technology Group II ($DMYD). They’re targeting sports data and statistics provider Genius Sports. The price is an estimated $1.5 billion.

AMCI Acquisition Corp ($AMCI) will attempt a merger with hydrogen fuel cell technology firm Advent Technologies in a deal worth $500 million.

SPACs have become a viable alternative to IPOs.

Churchill Capital II Corp ($CCX) will take over digital learning provider Skillsoft, valued around $1.3 billion. After the merger, they will acquire Global Knowledge Training for an additional $230 million.

Amongst the most notable are CC Neuberger Principal Holdings I ($PCPL) looking to acquire SaaS Supply Chain Software developer E2Open in a whopping $2.2 billion deal. E2Open was publicly listed until 2015 where a private equity fund bought and delisted it.

The increasing amount of SPACs — and the increasing amount of high-profile companies involved in SPAC mergers — raise several questions.

Why has the alternative road to the stock exchange experienced such a rise in traffic? Are SPAC companies worse investment opportunities than those taking the IPO route?

As clarified below, SPACs have become a viable alternative to IPOs. There is no sight of the tide turning anytime soon, but despite their popularity, they carry significant risk for retail investors.
How The Hamilton Fills the Seats for Every Show
By: Jake Rush
Tags: Case Study, Events, Social Media Marketing, Toneden, Advertising

Keith Berquist is the Marketing Manager of The Hamilton, a live music venue in Washington DC. From handling public relations to running advertisements, Keith manages marketing for each of the 200+ shows put on by The Hamilton.

Keith was tired of guessing which target audiences to spend on for each of his digital ad campaigns. With the help of ToneDen’s ad platform and automation tools, he was able to streamline the campaign creation process and efficiently utilize his marketing budget.
Daily Dose // Rx 3.9
By: Mccall Bliss
Tags: Daily Dose, Remix, Music, EDM, Electronic

Today’s daily dose is a remix of a track by Elin Bergman by Mickey Valen called Naked. The original is very catchy as well, but as per usual the remix pulls it to an even higher level that we try to prescribe with the 💊💊💊 Daily Dose. I’m sure you can relate to the lyrics “Cause when it all comes down, I just prefer you naked”.

Love the daily dose? Get the full prescription on Spotify.