fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
An Untold Tale of How I Almost Got Stuck in London
By: Joshua Bent
Tags: Travel, Story, London, Travelling, Funny

Photo by Levi Ventura on Unsplash

I’ve held off telling this story for a while because honestly, it’s quite embarrassing but at the expense of myself someone needs a laugh today and this is it. I’ll start from the beginning…

I was on a trip to Accra, Ghana (Africa) and I had a long layover in London. At first I was excited to have a stop in London so I could see the city but I didn’t realize how cold it was compared to where I was headed. A Florida boy does not do well with cold weather. It had to be like 40 degrees outside compared to 90 degrees where my destination was. I had no jacket so I took the blanket from the first flight to have some type of warmth.

During the flight I had the typical airplane food but this time something wasn’t sitting right with my stomach and being stuck on that plane for so many hours was not to my benefit. What made things worse was the connecting flight was an hour away at an entirely different airport. I was scared I was going to miss it so I didn’t waste anytime making the move over there. No sight seeing for me.

The Image above was taken on the transit bus to the other airport in London before my stomach really hit the rollercoaster. I was too cold to focus on all the twists and turns. The wine may have played a part in all of this but it was free so I indulged.

I finally get to the other airport and my stomach is on fire. I’m walking all funny trying to look normal but this is a dire situation. I finally find a bathroom and the worst thing that could happen…happened. I’m in such a rush that I drop my passport while I’m in the stall. It hits my foot and slides out of the stall and across the bathroom!

Y’all…my heart literally sank into that stool. I kid you not I was so embarrassed and freaking out at the same time. I didn’t know if I should yell out and say…

Aye! Can someone slide my passport back under the stall please?!

Or just shut up and pray for the best. I opted for the second option. I literally froze and didn’t say anything. I was shook to the -enth (this isn’t a real word) degree. I wrapped up my session in the bathroom as fast as I could while simultaneously praying the entire time.

God please help me and let me find my passport. I don’t want to be stuck in this country!

I left the bathroom and started searching all over for it, asking folks had they seen it. Thank God I ran into a guy who was in the bathroom when it happened and he told me some guy turned it into one of the welcome centers. I scurry along in a panic and I go to the first station and they’ve got nothing but they send me somewhere else.

I go to the second place and sure enough they have my passport. My heart returned to my chest! Crisis averted and I can live again cause I damn near died on that toilet.

For approximately 15 minutes I thought I was going to miss my flight to Ghana. I still don’t know the process for losing your passport and I don’t really want to ever find out. The lesson here is to keep your passport in your backpack!
8 Places Where You Can Work For Free In London
Tags: London, Coworking, Freelancing, Entrepreneurship, Founder Advice

Whether you’re fully funded, a boot-strapper or a hustler on the side, free places to work are always useful to know. Below is a list of some of our favourite — hopefully we’ll see you around soon!

Mae J’s, Peckham

A black-owned cafe situated inside Peckham Palms, Mae J’s is a warm & cosy space with reasonably priced drinks & snacks (and a well-stocked bar for later!) Connect to the wifi and enjoy the vibe.

peckhampalms.com

Southbank Centre, Waterloo

Free, big and centrally located, the Southbank Centre is a great place to pitch up with your laptop. But be warned, sockets are sparse and the wifi strength can be questionable so arrive fully-charged and with the knowledge that you might be limited to your emails. Not every piece of work needs internet connection though!

southbankcentre.co.uk

Barbican Centre, Barbican

Spread across multiple floors, the Barbican Centre offers free workspace in the form of tables, chairs & sofas for anyone who wanders in. With a Benugo on hand for coffee and wifi on deck for emails, you can settle in for the day while watching the comings and goings of the building. Plus, there’s a stunning Conservatory on the 3rd floor (free entry) if you want to mix it up with a bit of nature.

barbican.org.uk

Google Campus, Old Street

A few minutes’ walk from Old Street, the downstairs cafe of Google Campus is a well-known haunt of entrepreneurs. Sign up for a free membership and arrive early to ensure you can get a space as it fills up quickly. A bonus is that you can use it as an opportunity to get to know your fellow entrepreneurs, attend events and make the most of the knowledge and resources housed in a Google-owned venue.

campuslondon.com

British Library, King’s Cross

Libraries are often slept on as a great place to work for free. The British Library in particular is well-worth a visit, especially as they have an entire department dedicated to small business.

bl.uk

Citizen M, Tower Hill & Shoreditch

A Shoreditch-based hotel chain, they provide a safe haven for entrepreneurs needing to keep costs low as they work.

citizenm.com

Ace Hotel, Shoreditch

A staunch favourite of the East London start-up scene, the lobby of the Ace Hotel is a great place to work, especially if you’re the type to be inspired by being surrounded by like-minded folks. Buzzy but workable, it can be a bit dark towards the back of the building but light & airy if you arrive in time to grab the seats by the windows.

acehotel.com

Hanbury Hall, Shoreditch

Situated in Shoreditch — the heart of London’s start up scene — Hanbury Hall is known for its welcoming atmosphere and friendly nature. Head into the street-side cafe for coffee, lunch and most importantly, free wifi.

spitalfieldsvenue.org/food-drink/
Is It Worthy To Hire A Professional Photographer?
By: Emma Jones
Tags: Music Photographer, London Photographer, London, Music Photography

This is something you must have asked from yourself a million times whenever any special event approaches. In the world of smartphones with advanced camera pixels, why anyone bothers about spending bucks hiring professionals?

Well, it’s not that simple as it appears on the surface. Here is this saying that perfectly describes the context “The more you know the more you realize how much you don’t know”.

Is it really worthy of hiring the professionals’ photographers? Let’s see!

1) Skills

Capturing the live moment is only the thing of a pro. A great photographer is able to anticipate movements and moments and takes the perfect shot from the perfect angle, background and of course the light. Is there any difference between two people taking the same shot? Yes! There is a difference in skillset one possesses. Skills matter when it comes to professional photography.

2) Quantity V/s Quality

It’s great if a photographer has a collection of more than 1000 pictures a day. Well, you will least appreciate it when it comes to going through every single picture. Not everyone is a pro-photo analyzer.

A professional photographer knows that nobody in this world has the time to go through a whole lot of images; they carefully choose the best ones for delivering it to you. They prioritize Quality over Quantity. Would you prefer endless hours going through every single picture or will fall for the highest quality and the best ones for the greater impact?

3) Price

Do you think that hiring a professional will disturb your budget? Well, it’s the skills and the efforts to capture the perfect shot that makes professional photography a costly affair. The efforts of a professional photographer get highlighted in the brand with high-quality Images.

It increases the value of your brand. The customers are likely to look from a completely different angle just because you care about the quality of your brand. It is good to have an image that is inseparable from the original one!

Professional photography is all about creating unique and amazing images. Yes, it is indeed worthy to hire a professional photographer! You have a few seconds to catch the attention on social media! Hiring the professional Music Photographer in London will help you make the most of the moment.
London “Thumakda”
By: Dipti Kamath
Tags: Doctors, Graduation, London

London “Thumakda”

(3–8 Dec 2019)

I’ve been a rebel for sometime now

A smiling one at that

The astrologer told my father, I wouldn’t become a doctor

But I did — “Take that! 👊🏼”

I thought I wouldn’t “settle down” in a marriage so soon (are you mad?)

And yet I fell in love, most serendipitously, and soon in red I was clad

And in a couple of years, like a miracle indeed, the stork delivered our bundle of joy, our precious lad

They told me I would quit, that becoming a mother would make me want to stay back

But I fought ’em tears and worked doubly hard, with higher productivity, no slack

So when at last the day had dawned to wear the robe in black

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people I had to thank

For the ones who pushed me further on; and also those naysayers who tried to pull me back

For while the latter didn’t recognise the phoenix within the ashes black

My tribe always knew the rebellious girl would most certainly bounce back!

~~~. ~~~. ~~~

The highlight this week was definitely the MRCEM graduation ceremony at the Central Hall, Westminster. What pure joy it was to have my family witness the ceremony, in the royal setting…my parents, along with the little one, landed on the very day! I couldn’t count my blessings — I was just so overwhelmed.

To toast to the momentous occasion, we had a dinner reservation at Ottolenghi’s Nopi. We spent some good family time, chatting over delicious Michelin-starred Mediterranean food.

The next morning, we headed to the gorgeous Lord’s cricket stadium and thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour, especially standing at the very balcony Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup in 1983; in the evening we met some of our friends, at the Hyde park Winter Wonderland.

On our last day in London city, while the parents whirred away into the distance, off to Scotland, we visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street, chilled at ‘The Farzi Cafe’ (right opposite ‘Her Majesty’s Theatre’ where I had sat enraptured watching the musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, few nights ago) and later, at the oldest bookstore, Hatchard’s, before making our journey to the airport.
Why choose Best removal companies in London?
By: Ravi Byte
Tags: Removals, London

many companies are in London to offer removal services for the people who like to move

Removals from London to Manchester at an affordable cost. But every person who is looking

forward to hiring the removal companies for the first time in London has to put some effort to

find the best service unit for their requirements. Only the best removal companies stand by the

client-side and assist them to move all their Removals from London to Sheffield and also to

other possible locations. Properties that include furniture items, Air Conditioners, Washing

Machine, Thread mills, kitchen set, and other essential properties will be moved smoothly

without creating any trouble in the middle. Instead of preferring the Do It Yourself method,

hiring the best removal companies will do it for all.

Removals from London to Manchester will be transported within the given deadline by these

removal experts. Also, the removals companies in London will have insurance for their

services. Even if a client's good got damaged or broken during the transportation time, the client

will get the money paid for the loss through the insurance agency. All the clients need to confirm

that they have hired only the reputed and insured services unit for their removal process to finish

everything in a trouble-free way.

Objects like picture frames, precious antiques, and valuable objects need to be moved from one

location to another with much care. Do it yourself method is not recommended to handle such

costly objects, and that is the reason why best removal companies are hired by many to handover

their moving requirements. Consulting with the best removal company in the local area to move

the Removals from London to Sheffield makes the job easier.

These experts offer hassle-freeservices across London for all types of movable properties.

Premium type removable services with the help of the specialized Trucks helps complete the

process without any problem. The biggest highlight in moving the Removals from London to

Manchester with the help of the best removal company is services will be available for the

economical rate. The customized services are also offered by the best removal companies to

move the big items and furniture from one location to another.

The best removal company will have hundreds of employees in their location to help the clients

move their items, furniture, kitchen accessories, wardrobes, curtains, chairs, and more in a short

span of time. The expert services unit will send the experienced servicemen to pack and move

the object from one location to another. For safety, Polystyrene sheets, paper cutting, bubble

sheets, and other materials are used over the items for safe removal.

If you decided to move your items and objects from one place to another, hiring the company

that offers the removal services is the right choice. Make sure you are going to hire top removal

companies for the transportation needs. Hiring the best service unit will save you valuable time

and money in the one-shot, so choose only the best at the time of hiring.
Voices From The Real World I
By: Jeffrey L Minch
Tags: Wutangflu, London

So, dear reader, the Big Red Car shook the relationship tree of The Wisdom of the Campfire and communicated with some current and past CEO coaching and venture capitalists to get an idea of what is happening in their world, vis a vis the Wutang Flu.

From London in the commercial property world, we hear the voice of a CEO, entrepreneur who founded and runs a business that facilitates big commercial property transactions in the United Kingdom often marrying up institutions and world class, best of breed buyers. Smart, brilliant guy.

He says, since the 29 October 2019 UK general election, “It has been an interesting 6 months from a business perspective. . . . . . Business fell off a cliff. . . . . . in January (2020) everybody saw a post-election window and I had my busiest months on record for the first 2 months of the year.”

“The Covid-19 crisis started to hit economically 2 weeks ago. I have a friend in M&A. All his deals have been pulled over the past 2–3 weeks. Another friend is an executive coach working with corporate leadership teams. Her diary is now empty for the next few months.

“Yesterday things got serious. The government recommended people do not go to bars and restaurants and that everyone work from home if they can and go out as little as possible. Retail has had an awful 12/24 months and we have already had 3 or 4 high profile bankruptcies including Laura Ashley this week. Today they just announced £330B of loan guarantees for all size businesses. They are trying to replicate Mario Draghi’s upfront/whatever it takes action to save the Euro.

“I can see my business will now have a very quiet few months. After that who knows. Pension funds are forced to sell property if investors withdraw funds, so there will always be some volume. Separately, I’m trying to close a pre-seed round for an exciting new business. I followed up with interested investors yesterday to line up a final meeting to show our demo/close funds. 8 emails, 3 replies so far (all positive). I suspect I’ll lose more than a few. We shall see. . . . . . “

That’s the insider view from London. What do you think?
Clovers, leprechauns, Guinness and Rainbows .. it’s St. Patrick’s Day!!!
Tags: London, Saint Patrick Day, Coronavirus, 2020, Ireland

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … all I could sort out for Saint Patrick’s Day was green grapes and a few Pringles potato chips - not my finest hour, but maybe a good cup of tea will redeem me?!

Gone are the days of blaring the Dropkick Murphys and dawning bright green sparkle t-shirts. I’ve never cared for Guinness, not even in Ireland, not even to impress a boy, not even in honor of Saint Patrick himself! I’ve always loved this day though. The 17th of March, for as long as I can remember has been the one day that I felt connected to some sort of tribe. Even the town I grew up in would celebrate with a festival, just for the lowly yet dynamic miracle that is the potato.

When we were young, my grandmothers would send us cute cards - a tradition my parents have continued. One Saint Patrick’s Day my mom made us cinnamon toast with green food coloring, my brothers were not amused but I loved it - all of it: the green socks or hair ribbons, the Irish music, the stories about my great great grandparents. Ireland was like a homing beacon always reaching out to long lost descendants whose ancestors had left reluctantly (always reluctantly!). Pictures of Ireland with green fields, stunning cliffs, cute sheep, red-headed children, and brightly colored doors were only the start to what has been a life-long fascination.

As a teenager my love of cooking peaked with my red-headed Spanish-speaking friend Tatiana teaching me how to make the best ever potato soup in her parents’ kitchen (I kid you not - THE BEST EVER); it took hours to prepare and cook, but to this day it is my favorite soup.

During university my book collection expanded and Yeats, McCourt, and Beckett graced my desk, I went to Pittsburgh’s Irish Festival, and in 2005 I finally went to Ireland. It’s no longer 2005, and I don’t have any heart-felt raw poetry at hand, but I can listen to the Cranberries, talk to my parents, remember to be grateful for all the sacrifices made and hardships endured by those who have come before me and live on through me, and say a prayer that Saint Patrick will drive this pandemic out just like snakes!

“May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields.”
Correspondence from Corona Virus. Today is the first day of the new…
By: Sarah Sandberg
Tags: Everyday Life, London, Advertising, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Waiting for the Tsunami

Today is the first day of the new normal. At home all day, harder than ever to escape from constant sound of building work next door. Our landlord has been renovating for at least the last 18 months and it appears that social isolation does not, as yet, give us any respite from the constant whine of drills, grinders and hammers.

I’ve been out of work since the end of last year when my last freelance contract ended and I resolved to get back to permanent work. From other freelancers I know, it seems that work in London has pretty much dried up. I’m in a much better position than most, we can still live comfortably on one salary, we have savings in the bank, and my business account has more than enough money in it to cover my tax liabilities, but I’m naturally worried about the prospect of an even longer time away from work.

Unlike most, the last two and a half months of job hunting have made the steady rhythm of the world without work a familiar beat to my Mondays to Fridays. As a senior, in more ways than one, I knew the job hunt would take time, so I’ve worked hard to build a daily schedule, allocating time to writing, job hunting and housework, and ensuring that I escape my surroundings at least once a day.

I’ve come very close over the last couple of months to getting a new job, and my lack of employment has been more about pickiness on my part than a lack of opportunity, but now I feel my uncertainty about what to do next has come back to haunt me. Pretty much everyone I know who freelances has been laid off over the last few days. I’ve resigned myself to spending at least the next couple of months not working, but the silver lining is that I get more time to to work on my writing.

Now my husband has been added to the mix causing a change of schedule, a bike ride for coffee each day, a change of lunch and the familiar sound of an American accent.

I’ve never experienced anything like the atmosphere in Central London today. There is a strange hushed quietness, almost like everyone is waiting for the tsunami of the virus to break. It reminds me of Neil Shute’s ‘On the Beach’. We are all waiting for the inevitable, even if we are not sure about what that exactly means.

As residents living just off Theobald’s Road, there are already major differences to our daily lives. A weekday here is more like the weekend, most of the office workers around us are gone, but you often see signs of life, an open window, a conversation between a resident and someone below. The flocks of disorientated tourists, dragging carry-ons along with them everywhere are a thing of the past. You no longer see the Chinese with their face masks, replaced instead by locals furtively looking around them, as they hope to not hear a cough or a sneeze.

Despite knowing many people, both here and abroad, we still haven’t heard of anyone who has fallen sick with the virus. Whatever the personal impacts on me, I really hope that it stays that way.
I Think You Must Take A Tour To London Monuments
By: Adequate Travel
Tags: Travel Tips, Monuments, London, London Monuments

Any first time visitor to London will uncover to you that the city has determinedly stayed with critical milestones, statues, and commitments. In any case, be that as it may, they’re normally ostensibly interesting to look at, these statues are impressively progressively astonishing when you find increasingly about them.

Nelson’s Column

Nelson’s Column is a landmark in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Focal London, worked to remember Chief of naval operations Horatio Nelson, who passed on at the Clash of Trafalgar in 1805. The landmark was built somewhere in the range of 1840 and 1843 to a structure by William Railton at an expense of £47,000.

2. Wellington Arch and Marble Arch

Wellington Arch, otherwise called Constitution Curve or as the Green Park Curve, is an Evaluation I-recorded triumphal curve by Decimus Burton that shapes a focal point of Hyde Park Corner in focal London, between corners of Hyde Park and Green Park; it remains on a huge traffic island with intersections for passerby get to.

3. Cenotaph

4. Battle of Britain Monument

5. The Victoria Memorial

From here you can get brief information about the monuments to visit in London.
London’s Best Pubs: Beat the Winter Chill in These Cozy London Pubs
By: Elliott Troop
Tags: Travel, Pubs And Bars, London

London may be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, even in winter, but at this time of year there’s no disguising the fact that it’s cold, dark and wet. It’s fair to say that in wintertime the weather isn’t one of London’s best qualities.

The weather can be a nuisance, but it’s fair to say if it wasn’t cold and wet London certainly wouldn’t have as many fantastic pubs as it does. There’s nothing like snuggling up next to a roaring open fire in one of London’s countless cosy pubs in wintertime. Whether you live in London or are simply here and staying in short term accommodation, here are some of the best pubs to visit.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese — The City

This is one of London’s oldest pubs, the building itself having stood since 1667. There has been a pub on this spot, however, since 1558, the building being rebuilt after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, along with most of Fleet Street.

The pub interior makes you think you’re in Dickensian times, with panelled walls, wooden floorboards and low ceilings in front of a grand fireplace. The sawdust on the floor and the aroma of the place is in itself enough to take you back hundreds of years.

The Jerusalem Tavern — Clerkenwell

On most days of the year the smell and warmth of the fire dominate this small pub. It may not be a large place but has enough nooks and crannies scattered about the place for you to find comfort.

This is a pub for beer lovers as it’s the London base of St Peter’s Brewery, a well known British beer maker based in Suffolk. Examples of their wares are available of draft as well as all manner of bar snacks

The Spaniard’s Inn — Hampstead

This is not only a comfortable cosy pub with an amazing open fire surrounded by comfy seats, it is also rumoured to be one of the most haunted pubs in London. One of the ghosts said to haunt it is that of the famous highwayman, Dick Turpin. The reason being is that his father was the landlord throughout most of the 1700s. Oddly enough whilst Turpin is said to haunt the pub his horse, Black Bess, is said to haunt the car park.

Ghosts aside, this is a charming old pub, boasting not only great beer but also fabulous food too in its dining area.

The Trinity Arms — Brixton

If you’re heading south of the river then The Trinity Arms should definitely be a considered stop off. The throng of traffic and people on Brixton Road is easily forgotten once you’re sitting in front of the open fire inside.

This is a particularly popular pub in the summer months as it has a large outdoor area, but inside it has a quirky feel, with lots of knick knacks adorning the walls and traditional games to be played at the tables. If you’re looking for a place to eat as well as drink, then visiting on a Sunday is definitely appealing as their traditional roasts come highly recommended.

Serviced Apartments in London is the best option to stay if you are planning to visit London.
Live Classical Music always with West Kensington Music Team
By: Juan Rezzuto
Tags: Juan Rezzuto, Wkmt, London, Music

Are you looking for a classical concert in London? Are you into classical music and you don’t know where to enjoy beautiful concerts at affordable ticket prices?

WKMT have the perfect solution for all your wishes. The famous London Piano Studios, thanks to Markson’s Pianos and St Cuthbert’s church, organise every single month beautiful classical concerts in London for everyone who would wish to join to enjoy great performances of such great piano concertos.

By the end of every month, you are invited to join our concerts happening in St Cuthbert’s church. All you need to do is to check our website and book your tickets by calling us on emailing us.

Well, this time, we are back to present what will be the next concert. WKMT have just released the details. The poster above posted with some details. March 30that 6.15 pm in the usual church I will be performing the piano concerto in G by Joseph Haydn. One of the most beautiful concerts ever written by the Maestro of classical music in Europe.

WKMT Ensemble will be accompanying me doing the orchestral sections. Also, our little orchestra of students will delight us with some beautiful short pieces to finish the concert in a very cute way.

Join us on the 30th. Check the link below mentioned for all the details and book your tickets soon!
October highlights
By: London Film School
Tags: Film, London, Filmmaking, Movies, Cinema

October highlights

Our monthly London Film School community updates; students, alumni and staff successes you might like to know about London Film School Nov 5, 2020·4 min read

Summer Shade — wri/dir. Shira Haimovici, DOP Tamas Apor Meder

The best bits

Wonderful news for Fiona Lamptey, an alumna of the LFS Fast Forward Producing programme held in 2012, named the new Director of UK Features at Netflix.

Huge congratulations to MA Filmmaking (MAF 173) graduate Colum Eastwood, named a Star of Tomorrow for 2020 by Screen Daily.

Two very recent MAF (192) graduates, Paul Maziere and Tamas Apor Meder, were nominated for the British Society of Cinematographers Short Film Cinematography Competition - Tamas was announced as the Student Winner for his work on Summer Shade (wri/dir. Shira Haimovici, co-produced by Adam Robinson)!

Students and recent graduates have worked on a new project with Senior Lecturer in Production Design, Matthew Button. The Sky Original comedy Bloods will be released next year.

Ana Garcia Rico (MAF 195, Assistant Buyer)

Nia Faussett (MAF 184, Standby Prop)

Andrea Vigoni (MAF 191, Assistant Art Director)

Juri Ferri (MAF 191, Dressing Prop)

Great news from this year’s digital edition of the Encounters Film Festival:
Are Locksmiths Still Working During Lockdown
By: Itcc Locksmiths
Tags: London, Lockdown, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Locksmith

The UK enters its second lockdown this year, hopefully this will end on December 2nd as planned. With most of us working from home or not working at all.

But what do you do if you need a door unlocked or a lock change? Are Locksmiths still working? What extra precautions are being taken? ITCC Locksmiths remains operating like usual on a 24hr basis, but what about everyone else?

Emergency Locksmith Service: We have conducted research across the England and can reaffirm the vast majority of locksmiths are still operating and delivering essential emergency services needed by the Great British public including ITCC Locksmiths. Under current government restrictions locksmiths are allowed to operate however to meet government advice the way locksmiths operate may have changed. Some locksmiths may ask more questions before attending, some locksmiths may only accept card payments but all locksmiths should try to adhere to social distancing advice issued by the British government.

Locksmith Shops: From the research ITCC has conducted the vast majority of locksmith shops will be shut following government advice. To help slow the spread of Coronavirus.

All locksmiths are taking special measures, asking more questions for example is the customer self isolating or have any symptoms of Covid 19. Locksmiths may also be wearing protective equipment including gloves and masks and may adhere to a strict cleaning routine.

We ask all customers to inform the locksmith if you are self isolating on your initial call. This is for the safety of the locksmith and their families.
WATCH DOGS LEGION: DEADSEC NEEDS YOU
By: David Metcalfe
Tags: Gaming, Review, PlayStation, London, Watch Dogs Legion

After the prologue playing a smooth James Bond character giving you a mini tutorial we begin with around a dozen characters to choose from. Start to the review unfortunately is a negative one the voice acting is so poorly done it’s on the verge of being offensive The story may not be to long but it’s very well put together giving you freedom to do many of the missions as you desire from recruiting someone who will blend in, using technology and gadgets to do your bidding or just straight up gunning everything and everyone who you see. With really fun and story expanding side quests to collectables this game has a lot to offer.

The right balance of personnel helps to complete missions or accessing areas to retrieve perk points or information comes to the well designed capability of being able to recruit anyone and I mean literally anyone you see from trained Albion contractors, Spy’s, pensioner’s even the queen’s guard a lot of fun can be had

London one of the most iconic cities in the world it’s such a breath of fresh air to enjoy a game set in the UK and recognise nearly every aspect of the map your driving round. A huge congratulations to the Ubisoft team they did an amazing job. The game is so beautiful which adds to the immersion of traveling around even if just to being a tourist and seeing a few of the landmarks such as:

Buckingham palace,

Houses of parliament (Palace of Westminster),

Big Ben,

HMS Belfast,

Piccadilly Circus

And many, many more

With so much to do and see this game has just took a lot of people by surprise by not just meeting everything they promised they snuck in a lot more. Adding multiplayer near the end of the year just adds to the incredible game.

Hope you found this review helpful and you enjoyed thank you for reading.
It’s all about sunshine and breeze — How I headed towards the UK
By: 王紫荆 Wang Zi Jing
Tags: International Student, Journalism, Journos, London

I know the weather in Beijing, always dry, a little burning even at the very end of September. I left the next morning, very early, but somehow, the hot evening that I finally got used to and black Americano that I was fond of for two years suddenly became my last impression of this country I lived in.

11 hours flight, I was chasing time up in the sky with the other 300 passengers, aiming to land before dark. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to make it : People get softer and weaker alone at night, or in the dark. They lose the sense of direction, they get into the wrong bus,they make mistakes. So we had to hurry, the plane and staffs aboard and all the other 300 passengers, we needed to hurry.

We made it. I went out of London Heathrow Airport, it was noon here. Good weather: sunny, no clouds, cold breeze around me. All of a sudden, I thought I was standing in front of the entrance of Qingdao Metro station, heading back to Ocean University, continuing my life there- drinking at night, walking alongside the sea, climbing.

But no, I was not. I could not smell the sea, I could not hear people speaking Chinese with their lovely accent, and there are no red roofs, just like some buildings in Qingdao have. What I got here was some friendly smiles, and some unfriendly stares.

It’s my first time living in a place with a status called “the foreigner”. At the moment some things that puzzled me became clear and understandable, some things about my foreign friends living in China at the moment.

Now we are more like the same.

And for them who live in Qingdao, we even share the same kind of sunshine and cool breeze.

02 Nov. 2019
!!!world famous astrologer in canada!!!!+91–84272–51483
By: Pandit Keshav
Tags: Los Angeles, London, Discord, Dubai, America

[नाम और उम्र बताकर घर बैठे जीवन की हर समस्या का हल A TO Z तुरन्त करवाए

Astrologer Pandit keshav ji get true solution for all kind love issue

Call Now for fast solution World Famous Astrologer — +91- 84272 51483

Lovemarrige Problems are solved by some are following :

want back your old love any type and get your love back by vashikaran voodoo love spell by love black magic specialist love problem, Family problem husband/wife problem .Visa problem ,success in business for lifetime , lottery number specialist, study problem solution



pandit ji is a world famous astrologer, vashikaran, black magic specialist babaji. If someone have any problem in life find a complete solution within 24 hours with 100% gurantee.

Contact Name:- pandit Keshav sharma +91=84272 51483

. Vashikaran specialist. Love marriage specialist

<फीस काम होने के बाद> all type love problem solution Famous Astrologer

Astrologer In Usa | Astrologer in Canada | astrologer in Malaysia astrologer in newzealand

-Vashikaran Specialist in Delhi love marriage specialist in meerut

-Vashikaran Specialist in Bangalore love marriage specialist in Vancouver

-Vashikaran Specialist in Hyderabad love marriage specialist in toronto

-Vashikaran Specialist in Ahemdabad love marriage specialist in calgery

-Vashikaran Specialist in Chennai love marriage specialist in oman

-Vashikaran Specialist in Kolkata love marriage specialist in turkey

-Vashikaran Specialist in Surat love marriage specialist in Thailand

-Vashikaran Specialist in Pune love marriage specialist in bangkok

-Vashikaran Specialist in Jaipur love marriage specialist in london

-Vashikaran Specialist in Lucknow love marriage specialist in missisauga

-Vashikaran Specialist in Kanpur love marriage specialist in dubai

-Vashikaran Specialist in Nagpur love marriage specialist in new York

-Vashikaran Specialist in Indore love marriage specialist in paris

-Vashikaran Specialist in Thane love marriage specialist in Australia

]
@@@online love problem solution@@@+91–8427251483
By: Pandit Keshav
Tags: Toronto, London, Mumbai, America, Canada

[नाम और उम्र बताकर घर बैठे जीवन की हर समस्या का हल A TO Z तुरन्त करवाए

Astrologer Pandit keshav ji get true solution for all kind love issue

Call Now for fast solution World Famous Astrologer — +91- 84272 51483

Lovemarrige Problems are solved by some are following :

want back your old love any type and get your love back by vashikaran voodoo love spell by love black magic specialist love problem, Family problem husband/wife problem .Visa problem ,success in business for lifetime , lottery number specialist, study problem solution



pandit ji is a world famous astrologer, vashikaran, black magic specialist babaji. If someone have any problem in life find a complete solution within 24 hours with 100% gurantee.

Contact Name:- pandit Keshav sharma +91=84272 51483

. Vashikaran specialist. Love marriage specialist

<फीस काम होने के बाद> all type love problem solution Famous Astrologer

Astrologer In Usa | Astrologer in Canada | astrologer in Malaysia astrologer in newzealand

-Vashikaran Specialist in Delhi love marriage specialist in meerut

-Vashikaran Specialist in Bangalore love marriage specialist in Vancouver

-Vashikaran Specialist in Hyderabad love marriage specialist in toronto

-Vashikaran Specialist in Ahemdabad love marriage specialist in calgery

-Vashikaran Specialist in Chennai love marriage specialist in oman

-Vashikaran Specialist in Kolkata love marriage specialist in turkey

-Vashikaran Specialist in Surat love marriage specialist in Thailand

-Vashikaran Specialist in Pune love marriage specialist in bangkok

-Vashikaran Specialist in Jaipur love marriage specialist in london

-Vashikaran Specialist in Lucknow love marriage specialist in missisauga

-Vashikaran Specialist in Kanpur love marriage specialist in dubai

-Vashikaran Specialist in Nagpur love marriage specialist in new York

-Vashikaran Specialist in Indore love marriage specialist in paris

-Vashikaran Specialist in Thane love marriage specialist in Australia

]
Three mobile eCommerce design tips to improve UX
By: Aditya Patel
Tags: Ecommerce, Mobile Ux, User Experience, Mobile Website Design, Ui Ux Design

Expectations of mobile shoppers are different from that of desktop users.

60% of mobile shoppers say they face at least one problem while browsing within the last 12 months. They mostly encounter that:

Websites are too slow (73%)

Crashed, froze, or received an error (51%)

Didn’t perform as expected (45%)

Simply wasn’t available (38%)

Providing a better user experience on mobile websites is therefore critical to retain customers. Here three mobile eCommerce tips to improve UX:

Consider showing a search icon on the homepage or, if possible, a full search bar. If users can find a search option easily, usage can increase by 13% on mobile, and overall conversion increases by 41% on mobile when combined with a clear call to action or category navigation. Customers are quick to abandon websites due to poor search experiences, and studies have found that 80% of users will leave your website if they aren’t satisfied with the search results.

Many brands force customers to hover when zooming on their website. This is another pitfall of designing your site as a desktop-first experience. When this is translated to a mobile experience, users are frustrated since there is no such thing as hovering on touchscreens. Instead. let the user choose to zoom into an image with a button or pinch-to-zoom option.

Once customers navigate to your product pages, it’s important to reiterate that sense of urgency we touched upon earlier. Such elements can include free shipping, special offers, or easy returns that clearly demonstrate your brand’s value proposition. These elements should be positioned close to urgent call-to-action (CTA) options like “add to cart” buttons to help increase conversions. Websites with this type of value proposition on their product detail pages see a conversion improvement of 17%, and this simple yet effective strategy won’t require much effort to pull off, either.

To learn more of such quick tips for designing mobile experiences, read this blog.
UI & UX errors in Evernote, and Google Keep
By: Promise Adesemoye Ui
Tags: Evernote, Note App Design, Ui Ux, Ui Ux Design, Google Keep

Recently, i was researching into note taking apps and i decided to look into the most popular ones and check their UI design and this is what i found.

Evernote app (android)

At a first look, evernote app is a very beautiful app for notes. It has great features and very user friendly especially for the fact that it can be synced across multiple devices.



The blend of the colors green and white is quite okay and balanced.



but there are a few catches i found on the app(android)

Settings Screen

Looking through the whole app, the screen i can say that i found the most UI "potholes" will be on the account info page.



One of it is that the page looks "bland" why? here are some reasons.

Color - On the screen, 99% of the colors are grey and white... Background is white, all texts are a shade of grey.



For me, it actually makes it quite boring...#no offense







The solution i would have proferred to this is that the texts with larger font size(the headers) should have a more darker color e.g black to make it stand out more.

For me, it actually makes it quite boring...#no offense The solution i would have proferred to this is that the texts with larger font size(the headers) should have a more darker color e.g to make it stand out more. Text



The text with smaller font size there(the description) i will say is quite much. maybe its because of its font size. but nevertheless, the text looks quite much.



What i woud have done is to reduce the sentences to a few phrases and also reduce the font size.

The text with smaller font size there(the description) i will say is quite much. maybe its because of its font size. but nevertheless, the text looks quite much. What i woud have done is to reduce the sentences to a few phrases and also reduce the font size. Illustrations.



So this is for an addition to make the page. Icons and illustratons will add more color and make the page more lively.







Below is a screen that demonstrates what i have said.



Note: this is my phone settings screen.

Google Keep

The google keep app is absolutely amazing in tems of its UI&UX design.(of course... Its google)



Actually i dont expect anything less from google. but i just wanna make some additions of my own.







Home Page(first Screen)

This screen is well, perfect i will say. The features are amazing, clear and beautiful but for my first experience with the app, i couldnt quite understand the icons at the bottom(at first). so what i would have done is to put some text under the icons so users could understand them more easily just like youtube below.

So those are my opinions about the two apps. Well, i will like to hear your comments about this post.







Cheers.
Make View fill space leftover in parent view using ConstraintLayout
By: Pius Aboyi
Tags: Bottomnavigationview, Android, Ui Ux Design, Constraintlayout

Sometimes we want to design a layout that has one view or some set of views with specific height or width while the next view beside/below/above it should just fill whatever space that’s left. Good old LinearLayout has a way of letting one do this using layout_weight but for this post we will be learning how to get it done using ConstraintLayout.

The thing I lovethe most about how ConstraintLayout gets the job done is how obvious the code looks. Its so easy to relate it to simple laws of physics.

<android.support.v7.widget.RecyclerView

android:id="@+id/demo_recycler_view"

android:layout_width="0dp"

android:layout_height="0dp"

app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/navigation"

app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"

app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"

app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@id/app_bar_layout" /> <android.support.design.widget.BottomNavigationView

android:id="@+id/navigation"

android:layout_width="0dp"

android:layout_height="wrap_content"

app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"

app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"

app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent"

android:background="?android:attr/windowBackground"

app:menu="@menu/navigation"

/>

In this example we have an activity that displays a List (RecyclerView) and a BottomNavigation widget. We want this list to fill whatever space that is left between the app_bar_layout and the BottomNavigationView. The code above shows how that is done by setting the height of the RecyclerView to 0dp. And also setting constraints for top (layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf) and bottom (layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf) of the RecyclerView to the AppBar and BottomNavigationBar respectively as shown in the code above.

The physics is like telling android to place the RecyclerView just below the AppBar and set the height to fill all space till top of BottomNavigationBar.

Here is a screenshot of the output:

ConstraintLayout bottom_nav example

With this pattern (and if you do not set any vertical margins) the list will scroll smoothly and no detail will be lost under the bottom navigation at the end of the list. Same applies to the app bar at the top of the list. There is so much you can do with ConstraintLayout but that’s all for this post. Cheers and Happy coding.
UI UX Case Study: Redesign of a corporate application
By: Shintia Lim
Tags: Mobile App Development, UI Design, UX Design, Case Study, Ui Ux Design

Disclaimer: This is a personal project experience when given a test to redesign a corporate application by the company. Here I share the process to complete this project.

Overview

OTLink is an application that helps all the needs of the Orangtua Group’s employees. The main function of this application is to help employees with swab tests and digitally absent.

Problem Statement

Orangtua Group is a fast-growing company. Because the OTLink application is needed quickly, the application that has been created can be used but with a modest design. So, business stakeholders briefed the UI UX designer to redesign a more user-friendly OTLink application.

Users & Audiences

Users & Audiences in this project are all employees of the Orangtua Group.

Roles & Responsibilities

Because the OTLink application already exists, I am working on starting from UX Research, UX Design, and UI Design to improve the application.

Challenges

The challenge, it is difficult to ask employees for time to do In-depth-interview (IDI) and testing.

Processes

I applied design thinking in making this project.

Design thinking is creative and collaborative problem solving to produce more empathetic and innovative solutions. By David Kelley and Tim Brown, IDEO founder