fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
In plain sight.
By: Kathy Lafollett
Tags: Animal Behavior, Birds, Parrot, Pets And Animals, Pets

I went cave exploring in Tennessee long ago. The tour entered a massive cathedral room. At one end was a blackness I’d never that I’d never seen before. We were told that gaping chasm dropped 300 feet straight down. The slope of the rock floor curved toward this 50 foot length of black. Standing in that fully lit area was unnerving while looking at that blackness promising a 300 foot drop. The tour team turned off the lights as they told the story of how this cathedral was first discovered with a gas lantern. That moment set my heart racing and vertigo hit like a truck. The lights came back on and I could not wait to get out of there.

Watching our flock enjoy visual information intrigues me because of that experience. I love watching Felix look out windows. He’s thinking hard on things. I can tell. Snickers and Butters won’t go into their open cages to eat breakfast until I open the window blinds in front of those cages. Since they face east we have to wait until the Florida sun is done beating on that side of the house. 11-ish is when they eat their second breakfast. Snickers eats from another bowl that’s in front of Felix’s window until then. Butters grabs a beak full of food from the center tree stand and perches in front of the south facing window to look out. Food with a view is important to the crew.

Views and extended visual information is a powerful gift for our companions. They need things to think on, day dream about and thoughts to get lost in as much as we do.

And Butters needs to keep an eye on the turtles that may or may not come out of the creek behind the house. Butters hates turtles. She has taken ownership of Turtle Alarms and Safety Protocols.

Snickers keeps an eye out for the vultures, hawks and egrets that fly over the house. If their shadow gets too dark or too large he sets off the alarm and flies through the house letting us all know there’s incoming whateveritis he thinks is about to attack.

The only view Kirby is interested in is from my shoulder. But make no mistake he is taking in knowledge. We’ve gotten so in tune I can simply walk to my next goal and he already knows whether or not he can come along. He’ll jump off, wait for me to finish or get back and then jump back on my shoulder as I walk through the room. Automatic Auto Pilot Kirby.

The best part of sharing your world with a parrot is the discovery. Watching them freely discover the world around them. And then watching the different personalities react to the world.

Butters is a drama queen. Snickers is a business man. Kirby is a loyal friend. Felix is a philosopher.

I am confused philosophically. So says Felix. It’s plain to see.
Incoming aircraft.
By: Kathy Lafollett
Tags: Animal Behavior, Very Short Story, Birds, Parrot, Pets

I like to think of myself as the Landing Zone for all our aircraft.

Butters’ lands on my head or shoulder like an albatross without a headwind. Big, bold and slightly startling. There’s no reason to be startled of course, she announces her intentions with a mighty flock call of ignitions. I know she’s coming, and I know when she’s landed. Her arrival feels like being shoved in the hallway back in grade school. Followed by a wet willie in the ear. Because she’s gotta let me know she’s staying for a while.

Snickers’ landing is far more subtle. You could say finessed with care. He only lands on my head and then spelunks down to my shoulder. Snickers lands lightly like a helicopter. After the landing he continues to spin in a circle for a bit before going over the edge via my ear. His foot grip is so loose and light I have no idea how he doesn’t over shoot the landing and just slide off and crash to the floor in a puddle of determined feathers.

Kirby is the jet fighter. Light and nimble and stealthy as a small blue ninja. I don’t hear him coming, and I barely feel him land on my shoulder. It’s almost as if he teleports. It’s not so much a landing as it is a ShaZAM! He really needs a poof of smoke to finish the affect off.

Felix doesn’t fly. Felix an fly. But Felix can’t be bothered chasing the LZ. The LZ comes to him.
Custom data sources in Vizydrop
By: Oleg Seriaga
Tags: Visualization, Charts, Airtable

How to create custom data connector for Airtable

Dear friends, as you know our platform has a set of built-in app connectors to visualize data from links, files, Google sheets and etc. Sometimes you may want to visualize data from your custom data sources and apps. So we have added the possibility to connect custom data sources. I am going to show how to build and visualize data from Airtable.

Create app connector

It is required to have some software development skills to implement app connector. The HTTP protocol is going to be used for communicating with Vizydrop, so you may choose any language and platform. I am going to use Node.js. Please take a look at our guide related to building app connectors at https://trello.vizydrop.com/api/v1/docs/custom_apps/overview. It will make the next steps more clear.

We have to implement several routes to build a very simple connector to Airtable.

Implement GET route available at “/”. It should contain app meta with it’s name, authentication and available sources. I am using the “express” module to simplify my life. Please take a look at how it is done here. Provide app logo by implementing “/logo” GET route. The code can be found here Implement validation of user credential by adding “/validate” POST route to your server. Airtable API key can be validated only on retrieving data, so I do nothing on validation and return the name of Airtable account obfuscated with * to keep it secure. You can find it here. Implement route responsible for retrieving the data which should be available at “/” via POST method. This is how it is done for Airtable.

As you may notice my custom connector supports one source called “Table” and one API key authentication way to connect to Airtable API. Source has two parameters: Airtable Base Id and Table name (both required by default)

Browse source code of app connector to Airtable at our public repository: https://github.com/vizydrop/airtable

Make connector’s HTTP server up and running

Your app should be deployed and available via permanent address. Use Heroku, Amazon, Google Cloud or some other platforms. I am going to use codesandbox.io.

My Airtable app is up and running at https://1v7l2ook67.sse.codesandbox.io (please note it can not be used for production).

Add a connector to apps gallery in Vizydrop

Now we need to let Vizydrop know about our awesome connector.

The following steps should be done:

Click “Create Chart” Click “Add custom connector” Provide HTTP(s) URL to your connector into the form and save it

Visualize your data table

Create an account for Airtable by providing an API key, configure Airtable source and you are ready for visualizing your data. I am going to visualize flowers uploaded to Airtable at https://airtable.com/shr9M0RMTXK1CMWNy.

Please let us know about your questions or comments.

You may try our platform at https://vizydrop.com or https://trello.vizydrop.com
Say hi 👋 to Chart 5.0. Meet the biggest update in Chart’s…
By: Pavel Kuligin
Tags: Charts, Design, Sketch, Data Visualization

Account and native updates

When the Chart became paid I start wondering about enabling Sketch native updates and authorization because the delivery of the new version was related with some problems: some users didn’t receive the email, a lot of users had problems with spam filters and firewalls.

In version 5.0 Chart will ask for Gumroad’s email to authorize you at the first launch. If you can’t find it — just ping me and I will try to help you.

You can close this dialog or enter a fake email, but Chart won’t work. You can pay for a subscription at any time and enter your email in Settings > My account to start working with data visualizations.

The new way to create a chart

Many users reported to me that they don’t fully understand how the copy-paste mechanism works and why sometimes it is working bad. Instead of fixing an issue with understanding what is inside the user’s clipboard I decided to allow a user to do it yourself.

Now if you want to use data from a clipboard you just need to paste it to the Clipboard section of creation dialog.

Another one desirable update is supporting of local JSONs. With Chart 5.0 you don’t need to upload your JSON on the HTTPS server, just upload it directly from your computer.

Settings were reimagined

From the beginning, my mission was flexibility in chart creation. But until now settings weren’t flexible. Many users didn’t even know about settings.

In Chart 5.0 settings were reimagined from scratch. I’m happy to announce Global and Local settings.

Global settings. Each type of chart has common and specific settings. In previous versions, all settings were placed in the one dialog box and it was useless. Now all settings divided by chart types and stored in different places. Change global settings for a chart to create a new chart with these settings by default.

Local settings. In case if you want to create an only one chart with different settings you can use local settings. When you are running a chart you can see Settings link in the dialog box. This is the place where you can change settings while you are creating a new chart. These changes won’t affect global settings.

Color input. The main pain point in the setting was the color palette. It wasn’t obvious how to use RGB colors, how to format it in the right way. But now you can add new colors as 1–2–3: HEX colors instead of RGB, easy way to add a bunch of colors and, of course, visualization of added colors.

Grid and labels

Grid and labels now in beta and available for the majority of chart types. You can use it with all data types, even with random data.
Creating awesome word clouds using Highcarts JS
By: Petro Zubar
Tags: Design, Programming, JavaScript, Infographics, Charts

Word clouds are cool. For instance, I use it to build infographics to visualize word frequency in media publications. Higcharts JS allows us to build many interesting kinds of charts, so let`s try to build some, starting with simple but awesome one — word cloud.

First steps

Let's create an index.html with all the elements we need to start.

...

<body>

<div id="worcloud-container"></div> <script src="https://code.highcharts.com/7.1/highcharts.js"></script> <script src="https://code.highcharts.com/7.1/modules/wordcloud.js"></script> <script src="index.js"></script> </body>

As you see, we only need to create a root container for our chart. By the way, I suggest you always specify the version of Highcharts to avoid compatibility problems in the future.

Next, let`s see the demo from official docs for a quick start.

As you see, before sending data to the word cloud, we need to create an array of objects which have at least the name (String) and weight (Number) properties. So if you have just a string with your text, you have to prepare it first.

Then we just past this prepared list to Highcharts.chart() function. The first argument is an id of your chart container element and the second is chart options object. Pay attention, that you have to create a series property which is an array (!) of objects. Then, pass your data to “data” property and check the result in a browser:

Oh, wait, this doesn`t look awesome!

Of course, not yet. Here we need to adjust some modifications to make things prettier.

First, let`s disable the creepy rotation and set minimum font size to avoid rendering too small words. I also suggest setting a default font family (this will be useful if you decide to export it as an image). To do that, the series property should look like this:

Now it looks a little bit better, but still not ‘awesome’:

Improving colors

As you see, Highcharts use its default colors for words, but this chart will look better if we will use just one. Of course, we can just rewrite Highcharts default colors property:

Highcharts.setOptions({

colors: ['#3caac8']

})

It will produce something like this:

But the better idea is to use color shades to show the difference between words` weight, right? We can add “color” property to our words objects. Also, we can describe the color with as a rgba, using its alpha channel which specifies the opacity for a color. That is not actually a “shade”, but it will show weight difference well. To do that, we have to use some simple math, find the min and max value and write a function that scales weight to an alpha channel value (let it be the range from 0.3 to 1, but you can play with it)

And now the result will be:

Bonus track

I suggest you improve the scale function to make it no linear but logarithmic. It suits better in cases with a huge difference between words!

Please, leave your comments to help me improve my code style because I am a novice in JS.
Gauge chart with angular
By: Paresh Gami
Tags: Angular2, Gauge Chart, Gauge, Chart

We are going to use ngx-gauge npm module to display gauge or speedometer with angular latest version.

I found it very easy add in angular project with zero headache configuration. So let start.

Npm module: https://www.npmjs.com/package/ngx-gauge

Installation

npm install — save ngx-gauge

Add in module file

import { NgxGaugeModule } from 'ngx-gauge';

@NgModule({

...

imports: [NgxGaugeModule],

...

})

export class AppModule { }

Now if you get error of CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA then follow this

import { NgModule, CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';

@NgModule({

declarations:[],

imports: [],

schemas: [CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA], // <------ Add in schemas array

providers: [],

bootstrap: []

})

export class AppModule { }

Configuration part is done

ts file

import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({

selector: 'app-component',

templateUrl: 'app.html'

}) export class AppComponent {

gaugeType = "semi";

gaugeValue = 28.3;

gaugeLabel = "Speed";

gaugeAppendText = "km/hr";

}

html file
What I learned as a Product Manager at Google
By: Lucy Yin
Tags: Careers, Healthcare, Product Management, Technology, Career Development

tl;dr — While no longer as nimble as a startup, Google’s scale, strong culture and awesome people make it the ideal place to learn the nuts and bolts of product management and offers incredible opportunities to create products for millions/billions of users across the globe.

If you find my career development blogs interesting, you might also checkout:

I was a Product Manager(PM) at Google Health for the last ~2 years, launching health features on Search and Maps (like these features that help users find telehealth options on Search). I’m leaving Google to pursue an opportunity at a startup (more to come here). It’s a bittersweet moment since I loved my time at Google, so I decided to reflect on what I’ve learned as a Googler.

1) The “Googley” ethos is real and awesome

Everyone that interviews at Google is assessed for “Googleyness”. This includes being ambitious, humble, and doing the right thing. In addition to being whip smart, the large majority of Googlers I’ve met are so incredibly nice and helpful (every employee having the ability to give cash “peer bonuses” multiple times per quarter also helps :P). It makes working here a joy. Google corporate does everything it can to make our work environment as safe and comfortable as possible (e.g., the food, money to buy wfh accessories, lots of working hour flexibility, “face time” isn’t really a thing). An especially great part of the culture, is the “zero-blame” aspect. This transforms the company as it allows people to feel safe taking risks and when something does go wrong, teams can have transparent retrospectives and implement useful processes to prevent the mistake from happening in the future. Side note: imposter syndrome is real here — I constantly felt very lucky but also hopelessly unqualified to be surrounded by smarter/better people that I could learn tons from. Example, my manager was CEO of a Series B startup before coming to Google — so many ex-CXO examples like this!

2) Google is a large bureaucracy, launching something takes a village

Google is a $180B+ revenue company. The downside of doing something that harms its golden goose (ads, search, maps, etc.) is extremely high. Thus, there are very extensive processes in place to rigorously check/limit any potential user harm, production defects, PR risks. PMs need to be patient as this process can take months. As a result, things take a long time at Google. This is not unlike other large companies and I’d imagine Google is likely more agile than other companies of its size. These processes are important for the user experience, whether it’s making sure the search experience stays whip-fast or that user privacy is meticulously preserved according to various state and country-level regulations.

3) Core PM skills
Wearing a Mask: The Christian Thing to Do
By: Stephen Yearwood
Tags: Coronavirus, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Covid 19 Crisis

Wearing a mask is about serving others.

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

As I understand it, Christ taught that we are supposed to serve the needs of others. To knowingly do harm to another person is outright evil.

We all need to be well. Covid19 is an illness with the potential for causing death.

I saw a graphic that informed me that if I am not infected with this virus and I am wearing a mask, but I get around someone who is infected who is not wearing a mask, I have a 70% of getting infected. If I am infected but I am wearing a mask and I get around someone who is not infected, that person only has a 4% chance of getting infected. So wearing a mask is about serving the need of other people to stay healthy.

Of course, anyone can simply choose to declare that any particular piece of information that person receives is ‘false’. That is what many people do when they receive information that contradicts in one way or another the outlook on life they want to preserve.

In this case, some people apparently want to preserve the point of view that whatever they say goes for them, no matter what. Any talk of ‘consequences’ is irrelevant. That display of power is all that maters to them. Displays of power that disregard the need for health of other people are anti-Christian.
Looking for Jesus?
By: Peter
Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Christian, Jesus

When Jesus was twelve, Joseph and Mary took their son Jesus to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. After the festival ended, Joseph and Mary made their way back home without realizing the Jesus was not among their traveling group. Desperate and anxious over their missing son, Mary and Joseph rushed back to Jerusalem. When they finally found Jesus, he was in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

When they chided Jesus for their anxious search, Jesus responded,

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” — Luke 2:49

Just like Joseph and Mary, we sometimes realize that we cannot find Jesus in the situation that we are in. We end up feeling lost, anxious, and flustered. Just like Joseph and Mary, we need to retrace our steps back to the point that we last encountered Jesus before we can move forward. When we remember that Jesus is still exactly where he needs to be, we realize that Jesus has never left us — We left Him.

Dear Lord, as we seek your presence in our lives daily, let us have the courage and the soundness of mind to turn around and retrace our steps back to that last encounter with you.
Hope in times of despair
By: Wango Boris
Tags: Hope, Christianity, Cameroon, Christian

Hope in times of despair

We are living in unhappy times in my nation Cameroon. The pain and anger you see in the hearts of people is just an indication of the despair that has flooded the nation. Despair doesn’t originate overnight. It is a state that people fall into when they have done all they know how to do to come out of a bad situation but yet they cannot make it. Despair destroys your will power and tells you there is no need to fight because you can’t win.

I am naturally a very enthusiastic and optimistic person. I don’t easily get discouraged or give up when things are going wrong. Despite my highly positive personality, I found myself falling into the state of despair because of the current state of my nation. After many years of prayer and fasting for a change in the political and socio-economic situation of my nation I was giving up on hope. I believe this is the state of most people in my nation. Hopelessness has almost become a lifestyle and people are just waiting on their turn of calamity.

One of the things I noticed while going through this process of internal death is that there is a greater one that lives inside of me. The more I came to the end of myself, the stronger the one who lives inside of me became. He has always been there all this while but He was silent as long as I tried to solve the problems of my nation through my own strength. When I gave up on trying, then He took over me. Now I can say like the Apostle Paul, it is no longer I who lives but Christ lives inside of me.

Probably you are in that place of despair. You have tried all you know spiritually, emotionally and physically and yet the situation is not changing. It’s time to stop trying and start yielding to the one that lives inside of you. Through him you can go through any storm and face any challenge. In the midst of darkness you will shine brighter because He is the light inside of you. Christ in you the Hope of Glory.

Blessings

Wango Boris

#Hopeforthenation

#Transformingculture

#Cameroon
Be Still — Grace to Let Go and Let God
By: Crystal Storms
Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Faith and Life, Faith, Christian

“‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

What do you do when you face danger on one side and destruction on the other?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. It intensifies in September. Dorian made his appearance this year right on schedule.

Experience has taught me what to do. We’ve evacuated twice and experienced extended power outages multiple times. I know the supplies to keep on hand and the importance of a full gas tank. But the lesson I’ve learned the hard way: Stay informed but limit social media.

The Israelites faced the Egyptian army on one side and the Red Sea on the other. Their eyes were on their circumstances and their faith was in themselves.

Moses kept his peace during times of stress by looking to God. His confidence was in the Lord. He had seen God’s deliverance and had faith God would do it again. He didn’t know how God would move, but he knew God had brought them this far and wouldn’t abandon them.

Moses directed the people to leave it to God in silent expectation.

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

Biblical commentator David Guzik, “Yet as God told Israel He often tells us to simply stand still and hold your peace as He reveals His plan.”

Let Go and Let God

Let go of your fears. Let go of your expectations of how God will act. Let go of your plan so God can reveal His plan.

Let go of your plan so God can reveal His plan.

As Spurgeon says, “There is a time for praying, but there is also a time for holy activity.”

In stillness God revealed His plan. Moses stretched out his hand, the sea divided, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground.

I love this wisdom from Matthew Henry, “In times of great difficulty and great expectation, it is our wisdom to keep our spirits calm, quiet, and sedate; for then we are in the best frame both to do our own work and to consider the work of God.”

Limiting social media during times of stress helps me quiet my fears. With my eyes on God my faith is increased. Then from that position of stillness, I can hear God’s heart and move forward in confidence.

Reminder for the heart: Let go of your plan so God can reveal His plan.

Related resources to encourage your heart: Be Still — Be, Be Still — Grace to Slow Our Pace, Be Still — Grace to Trust, and Be Still — Grace to Move Forward with Intention.

What’s on your heart? What helps you quiet your fears in times of stress? How do you keep your peace when others are losing theirs?

Sweet blessings,

Crystal
How to Communicate Love to Your Husband
By: Crystal Storms
Tags: Christianity, Christian

Let your ears listen to wisdom. Apply your heart to understanding. ( Proverbs 2:2, NIRV)

I’d heard Tim’s words and worked to solve the problem he shared. But on the drive home, I recognized I’d missed hearing his heart and failed to make my husband feel heard.

I apologized for how I’d moved past trying to understand how he felt and instead focused on how I could fix things.

With a desire to make my husband feel heard, I prayed and considered how I could show Tim I was listening. By taking the steps to listen to our husbands hearts, we communicate love and respect.

Communicate Love to Your Husband by Listening to His HEART

Hear his heart behind his words. Repeated statements, tone of voice-is there a thread that reveals more than what is said?

Eye contact. Watching my husband while he speaks allows me to see his expressions and observe his body language-things I’d miss if I wasn’t giving him my attention.

Ask clarifying questions. When I listen with a heart of understanding, I ask questions that give meaning to my husband’s words.

Respond in kind. When I asked Tim what I can do to reveal I’m listening, he said to give good feedback.

Thank him for sharing. With busy schedules conversations can feel like interruptions. So I try to remind Tim I’m grateful when he takes the time to share his heart.

Communicate love to your husband by listening to his heart.

We communicate love to our husbands by listening to their hearts. Taking the time to make eye contact and ask clarifying questions. Responding with good feedback that is respectful and helpful, thanking them for sharing what’s on their hearts.

Reminder for the heart: Communicate love to your husband by listening to his heart.

Related resources to encourage your heart: How to Love Your Husband in His Language All Year Long and How to Build Up Your Husband.

What’s on your heart? How do you show your husband your listening? What communicates love to your husband?

Sweet blessings,

Crystal

Originally published at https://www.crystalstorms.me on May 9, 2019.
Is There Scientific Proof that Prayer Works?
By: Onyx Family
Tags: God, Christianity, Religion, Prayer, Christian

Does prayer actually work?

We now have the reports of many scientific studies on prayer. So what are the results? Does prayer really work? Here is what we found through our research. But before we get into that, let’s go back to the basics: what is prayer exactly?

Prayer is our direct line with heaven; it helps us talk to God. He loves when we willingly communicate with Him, like a friend talking to a friend. Think of it like a phone call. Because we can’t Facetime God, our main communication with Him is prayer, which allows us to interact, praise, and worship God.

Now that we know what prayer is, let’s get back to if prayer really works.

When someone who is ill experiences prayer, studies show that it elicits the relaxation response, which lowers blood pressure and other factors heightened by stress. Prayer also inhibits the release of cortisol and other hormones, thus reducing the negative impact of stress on the immune system which promotes healing.

But one could say that is simply psychological, however, studies even show that when people are praying for those who are sick, and the sick person does not know they are being prayed for, many studies show that prayers are still just as effective.

So yes, science is a witness to the effectiveness of prayer and healing. But are these studies, definitive proof that there is a God and do prayers work? Scientifically I would say no. God will not be proved without a shadow of a doubt through scientific evidence. Answered prayers, miracles, and the proof of God’s existence and love have always been a matter of faith.

Throughout history, God has manifested His divine presence and power through many physical miracles, signs, and wonders, and still, God requires faith to accept His working and existence– not science.
The Voice of God?
By: Marvin Mckenzie
Tags: Bible Study, Proud, Devotion, Faith and Life, Christian

2 Samuel 16:23 (KJV)

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

The saying goes something like, “He began to believe his own press reports.”

As a counselor Ahithophel had enjoyed great favor and success. It seemed like everyone took his counsel as synonymous with the voice of God.

He was popular

He was respected

He was followed and apparently

He was unchallenged

The problem with all of that is that it is never appropriate to give a man that sort of authority. Worse, it is a huge mistake when the man begins to expect it.

Ahithophel’s advice to Absalom was good, but he was not the only advisor. He believed that, when his counsel was rejected, his hopes for a victorious outcome were squelched.

2 Samuel 17:23 (KJV)

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

I heard something the other day about the trouble with the internet and social media, we were not meant to be omniscient.[1] We have not been wired to handle all the news we receive these days, and it is driving many of us to the brink of depression. The same can be said of Ahithophel. No one is wired to be trusted as the voice of God. We simply can’t handle it.
Better Bite: Charity
By: Ian Mikutel
Tags: Giving, Nonprofit, Charity

This week we have one of our shorter ‘Better Bite’ episodes. We focus on why and how to give to charity. We discuss how to make a giving plan that can maximize the impact of your donations while allowing you to express your personal values and support your passions.

Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts| Google Play| Stitcher | Overcast

Here are some highlights from this episode:

Why your charitable giving can have a big impact, even if you don’t have much to give.

How and why to make a ‘giving strategy’.

The best ways to discover and evaluate charities.

Tactics on how to give most effectively — balancing impact & your personal passions.

and lots more!

We look forward to hearing about your experiences and wisdom on this topic so drop us a note on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter and share your story with others in The Better Show community. Or you can email us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Show Notes

01:30 — Our listener Jakub wants to know how to make the most of his charitable giving

— Our listener Jakub wants to know how to make the most of his charitable giving 05:10 — Can I make an impact? What are my few dollars going to do?

— Can I make an impact? What are my few dollars going to do? 07:30 — How we could eliminate extreme poverty by the middle of the century.

— How we could eliminate extreme poverty by the middle of the century. 11:50 — Charity is about expressing your personal values.

— Charity is about expressing your personal values. 12:37 — The guys try the ‘How rich am I?’ wealth calculator

— The guys try the ‘How rich am I?’ wealth calculator 18:00 — Where do you craft a charity strategy?

— Where do you craft a charity strategy? 20:00 — What is effective altruism?

— What is effective altruism? 30:00 — How to evaluate charities?

— How to evaluate charities? 33:50 — The guys discuss the pros & cons of volunteering

— The guys discuss the pros & cons of volunteering 38:30 — How to make a charity plan for this year.

Mentions

Episode Transcript

Coming soon.
Autism Awareness Month at John’s Crazy Socks
By: Mark X. Cronin
Tags: Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise, Autism, Giving, Autism Spectrum Disorder

Working at John’s Crazy Socks

Autism Awareness Month at John’s Crazy Socks

April is Autism Awareness Month and that is very important to us here at John’s Crazy Socks. We have a mission to show what people with differing abilities can do and that includes people with autism. We know the joy and contributions that people with autism bring to the world.

At John’s Crazy Socks, we know that we all have differing abilities, we all have different strengths and weaknesses. We focus on what people can do; not what people cannot do. And we know that everyone has a part to play.

Of course, we hire people with autism. We do so not out of the goodness of our hearts, but because they are great employees and colleagues. Everyone here must produce and our colleagues with autism produce as well as anybody else in our organization. When interviewing these colleagues, when working with them, we do not see an autistic person, we see a co-worker who does a job well and happens to have autism.

Saying Thank You to Those Who Support People with Autism

Autism Awareness month is a good time to say thank you to all the people who support our colleagues and friends who have autism. Our co-founder John Cronin understands. He has Down syndrome and works hard to lead his business. But as he says, it is my business, but I know I can only do what I do because of the support I receive from my Mom and Dad, my family, my colleagues, the teachers and aides I had in school, my Special Olympic coaches and so many more people. Thank you to all those supporting people who are autistic.

Actions Matter More than Words

At John’s Crazy Socks, it is important that we do more than simply pay lip service to supporting people with autism. We need to make our commitment manifest in our actions.

· Hiring People with Autism: Over half our employees have a differing ability and many are on the autism spectrum.

John’s Crazy Socks is a social enterprise meaning we have both a social mission and a business mission. These missions are indivisible and feed off each other. At its core, we are spreading happiness, but we do that by showing what people with differing abilities can do, by giving back and by making personal connections with customers.

We are always grateful for our customers. Our customers make this all possible. When you purchase from John’s Crazy Socks, you help us hire people with differing abilities, you help us give back, you help us spread happiness.
Efforts in New York Aid Individuals and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By: Anthem Foundation
Tags: Food Insecurity, Elearning, Covid 19 Efforts, Giving, Community

We remain focused on helping our communities, especially during the national health crisis we are facing as a nation. Across the country, we are working with partner organizations to support local efforts that address the health and safety of individuals and families within communities. In New York, Empire BlueCross BlueShield Foundation has committed more than $200,000 to organizations on the frontlines, providing New Yorkers with critical access to food during the ongoing COVID-pandemic.

Of the $200,000 dedicated to fighting food insecurity, the Foundation has made contributions of $50,000 each to City Harvest and Food Bank for New York City, which will support local families during the COVID-19 outbreak. Providing these vital resources to children, adults and frontline health care workers throughout the city helps to meet the growing and changing needs of the communities we serve. The remaining funds have been distributed to other organizations in New York, which are also providing critical food supplies to those who need it.

These latest contributions are part of the nearly $2 million in commitments by Empire and its Foundation to support COVID-19 relief efforts in New York. We are currently funding or will be funding programs to support:

After-school programs

Food pantries throughout New York

Food requirements

Human services and basic needs

Securing PPE/medical supplies for local hospital systems

Distributing iPads to support e-learning and socially appropriate communication

Essential worker supports

Social and emotional wellness (i.e., isolation, domestic abuse, child abuse, etc.)

In addition to supporting local food banks, Empire recently announced a partnership with the Chinese American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA) to launch COVID-19 mobile testing units in all five boroughs. People can access the free tests with a CAIPA primary care physician’s referral.

The mission of this program is to increase access to screening in order to identify, monitor and provide early interventions to mitigate hospitalization. This helps alleviate a surge of people seeking services at local hospitals, which are already at overcapacity. By screening patients at these mobile units, providers can identify those that are at risk for hospitalization and collaborate with community hospital partners to distribute them to the appropriate level facility.

Together with local partner organizations, we continue to ensure those in need can access the basic necessities they require. Through continued commitment to whole person health, and with access to food, we are working deeply in our communities to help individuals and families stay healthy.
A Giving Experiment — Connecting “Facebook-like-clickers” to my Travels Through Charity
By: Clayton Roche
Tags: Giving, Travel, Charity

Goal

To connect my “travel stories audience” to my travels through charity Allow those people to experience more joy from the giving experience from across the world

Context

I was traveling in Cebu, Philippines and posting pictures and stories of my encounters on my Facebook profile. I got a lot of positive responses, especially to pictures I posted with locals:

A proud community celebrating the completion of their colorful center

The only kids who didn’t ask me for money were the ones who lived here, scavenging.

My hypothesis

It is possible to use the internet and my personal connection to my audience to improve the giving experience.

The Outreach

I was invited by a group of local Filipinos who were doing an outreach program to bring staples and toys to kids who lived in the remote hills. These people would be classified as “low income,” though I assume a lot of their material needs are met without going through the traditional economy at all.

I solicited for participants on Facebook. I had 9 participants who gave a total of $200. A standard wage for a month’s salary is about $120 in that area. Here is the video from the outreach program that I posted for people to see:

A video compilation of the outreach trip

Takeaways

It was a successful execution, but nothing compellingly different from other charity activities.

People liked the photos and video I posted. Most of the public comments, however, were focused on me, and not the participants as I had intended. I also got positive remarks when I asked people how they felt about the whole experience:

Yes, it was a nice Christmas feeling, to help give something to others who are in need

That said, I would say the event overall did not differ much from a giving scenario where you receive handwritten letters and pictures of a child you support. This in part because I resisted the temptation to take a lot of credit for any particular items being handed out, like by telling the kiddos the participants names, because… it’s complicated.

What’s Next

My inspiration for this activity comes from my many experiences of how easily I can spend money on something trivial, yet aware of how much someone else might enjoy that money.

As much as this is a loving thought, it is even more a fascinating one to an economist: How can we design giving so it sucks less? So I might capture some reflected joy without demeaning the recipient? This is the first of a series of experiments around this — Please follow or add me as a friend on Facebook if you want to see them.
Joy of Giving
By: Shaily Agarwal
Tags: Giving, Sharing, Joy Of Giving, Sharing Is Caring

Joy of Giving

A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveller who was hungry, the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone & asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. ‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said. ‘I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.’

Sometimes it’s not the wealth you have but what’s inside you that others need. One’s good character & qualities, an ability to give and what lies within oneself that makes the person special. All these are priceless. The secret of giving is very simple – what we give is what we get. So why not begin with spreading smiles, happiness and in return experience the joy of giving ?

It’s time we all should elevate our consciousness & start giving. Give & share- your time, wisdom, happiness.

Only when we spread happiness can we experience it. Give & experience the joy.

Try and notice the happiness you feel when you share & give. Trust me, it will be much more than receiving. People who give, experience more happiness than people who receive. Graduating from the mindset of taking to that of giving purifies the mind and brings immense joy. Whenever you get an opportunity to be useful, just embrace it & experience the joy.

Life is indeed a long journey and there is a time when we experience the joy of giving much more than the joy of taking. It’s a smooth transition & it will help elevate our consciousness. I often see people are unable to find themselves. Well, the more you give of yourself..the more you find of yourself. It’s easy to be selfish but being selfish never makes you happy. You will struggle to satisfy your own self which apparently never gets completely satisfied. But when you start giving, not only it kindles your self esteem but brings a never ending contentment. Most of us are in constant quest of things to fill the void of loneliness. If you share & give, you can never be lonely. You just can’t. Your good deeds, your act of giving and most of all the expression and the gratitude of the person you helped will always be with you.

Let’s explore each and every opportunity to share & care. Let’s just live this life and experience the joy of giving. !!
Applying Axelrod’s “Theory of Cooperation” to Universal Tithing
By: Rhys Lindmark
Tags: Systems Thinking, Effective Altruism, Giving, Game Theory, Book Review

I recently wrote about my mindset towards giving, titled: We Should Tithe More! However, creating organic, bottom-up, “selfless/cooperative” behavior is difficult (without some centralized coordination mechanism for cooperation, e.g. the government). This article explores one way to organically catalyze cooperation.

Applying Theory of Cooperation to Universal Tithing

In Robert Axelrod’s classic book, The Evolution of Cooperation, he outlines his “Theory of Cooperation” as an explanation for why cooperation organically emerges without a centralized institution. Through Prisoner’s Dilemma modeling and biological and social case studies, Axelrod determines 4 characteristics that correlate with success (in a 2-agent repeated game scenario). They are:

Start with Cooperation (don’t start with defection)

(don’t start with defection) Retaliate Quickly (if they defect, you should defect)

(if they defect, you should defect) Forgive Quickly (after retaliation, forgive them by cooperating again)

(after retaliation, forgive them by cooperating again) Be Consistent (clarity allows others to cooperate with you)

We can apply this to Universal Tithing:
3 small tools to turbocharge your mapping efficiency in ArcGIS
By: Kenneth Wong
Tags: Efficiency, Mapping, GIS, Arcgis

2. Fix symbol size with Referenced Scale

Set reference scale will fix the symbol size whether you zoom in and out from the map view

As a newbie of web interactive cartography, I come with tons of problems that have never been experienced when publishing static maps. One thing is fixing the symbol size of point layers. The size of the points in the map view is adjusted automatically when you zoom in and out. However, what if I want to fix its size regardless of how far/close I zoom?

The workflow of ArcMap on rendering symbols is to first check your current map scale, and then render the symbols according to it. My old stupid approach is adjusting the symbol size only after I fixed the layout size of the map, EVERY TIME I change the scale I need to adjust the size again. However, you do not need to change the size every time if you set a reference scale.

Set Reference Scale

Setting a reference scale is useful if you want the detail in your map to look the same as on-screen when printed. Using a reference scale means the map symbols appear on-screen at the size they will appear in the printed copy.

You can’t believe how much time this tool saves

Turns out this little icon is such important in fixing my problem. When you defined a reference scale, as you zoom in and out, your symbols and text will increase or decrease in size accordingly. When no reference scale has been set (the default behaviour), symbol and text sizes remain the same on your map as you zoom in and out.

Illustration of symbol size with and without setting reference scale (Source: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/help/mapping/layer-properties/units-and-symbol-size.htm)

You could update the reference scale anytime when you find a better scale size by setting the scale again. Or, to remove it, just choose Clear Reference Scale.

Note: Reference Scale is not available in ArcGIS Online.
#HowTo color charts and maps with 23degrees.io
Tags: Mapping, Data Science, Maps, Data Visualization, Data Journalism

#HowTo color charts and maps with 23degrees.io

Since one of the first things you’ll probably want to edit when creating a data visualization are colors, we made it really easy for you to add, remove and change colors as well as save entire color palettes.

When picking colors for your visualization you start off from a pre-defined set of colors: color set or color palette. This palette can be edited at any time.

Simply click on a color in the color palette and the color picker will open. Add colors to the palette by clicking the Add New Color icon, remove them by clicking on the bin icon.

There are two ways to change the colors inside the color palette.

Either by moving the cursor on the color picker or by typing in the values for RGB, HSL or HEX color models.

You can save a color set and create as many palettes as you want. Organize palettes in folders and retrieve them whenever you create new charts or maps.

Keep in mind that the coloring of charts and maps is based on the elements (value, text, time, geo) that occur inside a column of a dataset. Depending on whether these elements are “strings” (text, time, geo) or “values” the coloring options will vary.