fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
After enduring decades of oppression, Sudan’s women are rising
By: Equality Now
Tags: Women, Womens Rights, Africa, Human Rights, Sudan

Following decades of oppression, women in Sudan have taken a lead in the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Spearheading dissent at great personal risk, they have much to gain by regime change — under Bashir’s rule, women and girls bore the brunt of his attacks on civil liberties, with a myriad of laws and practices denying them even the most basic freedoms.

As a new chapter in Sudan’s history begins, women are rightly demanding a central role in shaping the country’s future, including an equal share of seats in any civilian transitional government.

For years, women have endured many restrictions under Sudan’s public order acts, introduced by Bashir in 1996 as a strict moral code applied arbitrarily to oppress women, constrain their involvement in public life, and criminalize what should be matters of personal choice.

Public Order police have had the authority to arrest women and girls for a range of offenses such as “indecent or immoral behavior or dress” and “causing an annoyance to public feelings.” Wearing trousers or being with a man who is not a family member could be punished by imprisonment, a fine, and flogging.

The legislation includes minimal guidance on implementation, so what constitutes a violation and how severely to treat it has been left to the interpretation and personal biases of individual police officers and court officials.
§57 On the art of written life
Tags: Poetry, Goethe, Daemon, Biography, Hölderlin

A 2002 BBC4 documentary about Ian Hamilton shows the critic and poet as sceptical of the explanatory role of biographies to creative output. And yet, he relented…

Hamilton wrote Robert Lowell’s biography — which is considered exemplary of the genre — in spite of the general reservation he harboured about the value of biographies, and in particular about those about poetry. Hamilton said:

“The argument that a poem doesn’t need any supporting explanation from the poet’s life is a strong one, and one that I think I have sort of been drawn towards in the past. But I think that in the case with Lowell his poems almost require biographical support. And I think that can be demonstrated in looking at the poems’ manner of address; that Lowell’s poems aren’t addressed to an audience — you have to eavesdrop on Lowell’s poems.” (BBC 4, 2002; 34.35–34.50)

While a healthy scepticism of biographies is justified, there are further exceptions which carry their own literary merit. In The Struggle with the Daemon, Stefan Zweig (1881–1942) submitted three literary figures — Hölderlin (1770–1843), Kleist (1777–1811), and Nietzsche (1844–1900) — to the biographical form.

A quote by Nietzsche sets the tone for the book:

‘I love those who know not how to live except through surrender, for they are on the way elsewhere.’ (Zweig, 2012)

The book discusses the Daemonic in the three, where Daemonic is understood as

‘the unrest that is in us all, driving each of us out of himself into the elemental. It seems as if nature had implanted into every mind an inalienable part of the primordial chaos, and as if this part were interminably striving — with tense passion — to rejoin the superhuman, suprasensual medium whence it derives. The daemon is the incorporation of that tormenting leaven which impels our being (otherwise quiet and almost inert) towards danger, immoderation, ecstasy, renunciation and even self-destruction.’ (Zweig, 2012)

Zweig points out the necessity of the lived relationship with the daemonic for artistic output: ‘There is no art worthy of the name without daemonism, no great art that does not voice the music of the spheres.’ (Zweig, 2012). Zweig names Goethe (1749–1832) as ‘a counterpart to the three tragical heroes’. This counterpart is not to Zweig someone who is untouched by the daemonic, but rather the opposite: someone whose ‘mundane will is powerful enough to tame and to guide the daemonic element that has been instilled into his being.’ (Zweig, 2012)

/Fred Weibull

References:

BBC 4 (2002) A writing life. [online]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVWveORGGos.

Zweig, S. (2012) The struggle with the daemon. London: Pushkin Press.
Post-Race Analysis: Tuscany 2020 — Albon Sprints to a Maiden Podium
By: Ekagra Gupta
Tags: Strategy, 2020, Formula 1, F1, Data Visualization

As the light’s went out, Bottas overcame his setback with a lightning-fast start off the line to secure P1 going into turn 1. Though the Finn couldn’t enjoy the limelight for long as a melee in turn 2 started the first safety car period for the race.

Mugello’s layout features a long pit-straight which can provide a strong slipstream effect to pursuing cars. As a rule of thumb — the longer the straight the stronger the slipstream effect. As the race leader and temporary safety car, it is in Bottas’ best interests to resume the race as late as possible since this will effectively ‘shorten’ the straight and minimise the slipstream available to Hamilton behind.

And just as soon as the race started, it was stopped after a massive pile-up wiped out 4 cars and spread debris across the track. Thus ensued the first red-flag period and race restart.

At the beginning of part 2 of the Tuscan GP and Bottas was unable to recreate his initial getaway, conceding the position to Hamilton around the outside of turn 1. Though despite falling into the dirty air of his teammate, Bottas was able to generate good pace and keep up with his championship rival. This was until Bottas’s medium tyres fell off the degradation cliff at around lap 28 as shown in Figure 2 above. Following the first set of ‘real’ pitstops, he was able to claw back the gap though it didn’t seem like enough of a threat to contest for the victory.

That is until Lance Stroll experienced an unexpected rear left tyre failure which sent him spinning into a tyre wall to draw out a second safety car period for the session. Due to the timing, Bottas was able to pit for fresh tyres whilst Hamilton was too far across the pit straight to do the same. This positioned Bottas nicely to have a tyre advantage on Hamilton and challenge for the lead. Although this plan was foiled due to the safety car ‘picking up’ Bottas and not Hamilton which gave the Briton a large enough gap to pit safely and maintain the lead. Before lady luck is to take the blame, a second red flag was flown shortly after. The red flag meant that the pit stop permutation was rather academic as Hamilton would have been able to switch tyres had the safety car not made the mistake.
Siri
By: Samantha Kemp-Jackson
Tags: iPhone, Technology, Siri, Haiku, Haiku World

I ask you questions,

Sometimes you give me answers;

Frustration follows.
How do you scale video chat engagement with chat?
By: Konrad Piercey
Tags: User Experience, Visual Design, UX Design, UI Design, Twitch

We’re bombarded with streaming services as consumers, but none are utilizing live entertainment as well as Twitch, the live video gaming platform.

With their eSport competitions, music coverage, and crowd-sourced creative content, they’ve become one of the fastest growing platforms in the game. In fact, Twitch reports that an average of 15 million people PER DAY watched or participated in their live streams [Link]. No wonder Amazon bought this company for almost a billion dollars.

But here’s the stitch with Twitch. Many of their core features haven’t scaled to meet the demand for these large, hungry audiences.

The Product Problem:

The UI and user experience of Twitch chat was never meant to be used with 10,000 users simultaneously. Solution, implement a contextual algorithm to determine which comments display to Streamers.

A single theme unites Streamers. The wish to have more viewers, more followers, a larger audience. How to feed this need? There’s also direct positive correlation between the amount of chat activity and a Streamers channel size. Every Streamer realizes their participation in chat bolsters engagement so finding ways to nourish chat activity is always an issue — but how can they chat with thousands of viewers at once?

With way too many people chatting but an increased need to keep conversations going, there might be opportunities for using chat algorithms to help push things forward for Twitch.

Have you noticed those word suggestions popping above your keyboard when typing on your phone? Those are determined by the context of your conversation. As you type your phone’s trying to understand what you’re wanting to say and helps you along. This machine learning/algorithmic design makes you more efficient. Other applications are hopping on this bandwagon too. Gmail offers quick email responses in the form of 3 to 5 word canned auto responses.

Our theorem below can help us craft a chat algorithm of our own.

VE = Viewer Engagement | SE = Streamer Engagement | SS = Number of Streaming Sessions | HUG = Holistic User Growth

Verbally this theorem states that increases in viewer engagement increase streamers’ engagement, these increase number of overall streaming sessions, all which trigger a cycle of platform growth.

If a viewer participates in chat they’re way more likely to subscribe, follow, or donate money to a Streamer (ΔVE). As well, having Streamers converse with viewers (ΔSE), triggers significant chat participation, but this is harder at scale for Streamers who broadcast to large numbers. Some Streamers employ moderators, secondary admins or friends to help with the onslaught of chat messages. Sadly this solution doesn’t mend issues with balancing response rates for those tuning in.
The Gift
By: Rev Dr Sparky
Tags: Easter, Spirituality, Inspiration, Christianity, Poetry

fcor1614 on flickr

The Gift

this really happened at easter

Bright and urgent,

followed by a tiny tap,

the little cup of wine is dropped

and spilled forever always,

right there in the chancel:

on the whitest marble, red.

Splendid, solemn moment:

wine bursts out of grasp

and lavishes

our hastening hearts

with accident,

with sacrifice.

Prophets pour the wine out freely,

on to earth and stone, and say

it’s not in drinking you’ll remember,

no, but in the spilling:

in the pouring out, the giving up,

the flood set loose from upstream of your heart;

the waste, the mess,

the glorious clumsy spirit overtaking all your niceties,

making light of your pretentious, solemn ritual

making light

of all your darkness

making light.

From your darkness,

light.
Receive our newsletters
By: Tds Editors
Tags: Newsletters, Readers Guide, Data Science, Tds Features, Tds Explore

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The Daily Pick:

Hands-on real-world examples, research, tutorials, and cutting-edge techniques delivered Monday to Thursday. Make learning your daily ritual.

Our Weekly Digest:

Our digest features personalized recommendations for you and is delivered directly to your inbox every Friday. It’s easy to subscribe. Just follow our publication by clicking the “Follow” button in the rectangle to the left and turn on “receive letters” in your settings.
Emanet (Escrow) Nedir?
Tags: Blok Zinciri, Blok Zinciri Rehberi, Emanet, Ethereum, Bitcoin

Find out what's happening in the crypto world with our latest news and guides on bitcoin, altcoins and blockchain.

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Mark In The Ages
By: Suntonu Bhadra
Tags: Poetry, History, Poem, Transformation, Life

The forms that eras convey

takes shape in history

but transforms the symbols, age after age

the cave-arts in the ancient dens

the scribes of the winners

the letters and the books of the past

the words into the epics and novels

puts aspects of the old that left behind in the pages of history

deny, you can

shapes, changing from time to time

marks to remain on the pages, changes

now, we are digital avatars

this thy shall pass

what’s next

on our marking?

Can you guess it?

Forget it; let’s mark our presence as the digital nomads, for now.

Suntonu Bhadra ▪ December, 2020
Argument Rehearsal
By: Franco Amati
Tags: Arguments, Scuzzbucket, Prose, Relationships, Poetry

Photo by Mike from Pexels

Mentally simulated arguments

might be the worst ones to have

Rehearsing what to say,

how to defend against insanity

Preparing for battle

Constructing chainmail

to withstand imagined arrows,

barrages of insults and lies

Concocting antidotes

for the deadliest verbal poison

Forging shields

to nullify her breath of fire

Protect me, oh gods of the hypothetical

I wish not to be struck down

by my enemy’s tongue

So I will plan and ready my speeches

for the worst that she’s yet to bring

Because above all,

more than winning,

I want to survive

without compromising my honor

or losing the will to carry on
Apply for jobs like a Privileged White Man in these five easy steps
By: Sarah Cassidy
Tags: Confidence, Negotiation Tips, Careers, Gender Pay Gap

Confidently ask friends, acquaintances and strangers for introductions

Your application is much more likely to be recognized at a company if a current employee (or a personal contact of someone that works there) passes your resume and cover letter along.

It is for this reason you will do yourself a great service by asking for introductions and recommendations if you have a contact within.

This is where ‘networking’ comes in. Lots of people believe that they are ‘bad at networking’, but according to this article at Time, “Researchers say that being referred by someone at the company boosts your chance of successfully landing a job as high as nearly 7%.”

Imagine if you put 100 resumes in and you get seven more job offers than you would have otherwise. Does reaching out to people who might be able to help you sound like too much work now?

When looking for someone to refer you, make a list of the jobs you would like to apply to and place the ones where you have a personal connection, or you know someone who has a personal connection, at the very top.

Reach out to the people that you know, to ask if they could make an introduction for you. You can use social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook to see how close people are to other people working in relevant companies.

If you’re not sure how to ask someone for this favor, here is a sample message:

“Hello! I hope you’re well. I’m interested in applying to a position at [ company ] and I was wondering if you could introduce me to [ person ] who works there? I’m happy to provide a short summary of my professional history if it helps you to make the introduction.”

If someone doesn’t offer to assist you, thank them anyway and move on to someone else.

You can also try reaching out to current employees at the company, even if they are strangers. You can choose someone in the relevant department and introduce yourself.

“Hi [ name ]! My name is [ X ] and I am a [ professional title ]. I see that there is an opening in your [ department/company ] and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about what it’s like to work at [ company ] to learn more as I prepare my application?”

You might not always hear back from people, but if you are presenting yourself professionally [i.e., not badgering people, being genuine about your intentions, and personalizing your message to that person], you never know who might take you up on a cup of coffee.

On the whole, you will find that people want to help you. Lots of companies offer kickbacks to employees who recommend successful hires, which means that people might have a strong incentive to refer you. Other people are just nice and are happy for the opportunity to give someone a leg up. Act optimistically and reach out to people whenever you can.
Simple CSS Animation Tutorial. Let’s turn a yellow square box into a…
By: Javascript Teacher
Tags: Web Development, CSS, UI, UX, Programming

These diagrams are from CSS Visual Dictionary — grab a copy here.

Check out the above figure. Soon as .animateClass is assigned to an element, animation will start playing. The class has a link to animationName. It must match the name specified by @keyframes rule. This animation is set to last 3 seconds or 3000ms as specified.

Note: Easing adds flavor to your animation — by providing a curve describing relative velocity of your animation at a particular spot on the time line.

We’ll cover easing and all other CSS animation properties throughout the remainder of this article, based on this simple example.

So How Does It Work?

You can animate any CSS property whose physical position, dimensions, angle or color can be changed. Basic animation is surprisingly simple to implement using keyframes.

CSS animation keyframes are specified using the @keyframes directive. A keyframe is simply the element’s state at a single point on animation time line.

CSS animation engine will automatically interpolate between animation keyframes. All you need to do is specify the state of CSS properties at the start and end points of the animation.

Once all of our keyframe locations are set up (which are often specified in percentages) all we need to do is set up the defaults for our original element we wish to animate.

Then create a named animation using @keyframes animationName {…} format, that stores all the keyframes. We’ll take a look at that in just a moment!

Finally, create a special class that will define your animation’s duration, direction, repeatability, and easing type… and link it to the same animation name that was used by @keyframes directive. This process is explained visually in the following sections.

CSS Animation Properties

The animation property is the short-hand to the 8 stand-alone animation properties described below:

animation-name — name of the keyframe specified by @keyframes rule.

animation-duration — duration of the animation in milliseconds.

animation-timing-function — specify easing function.

animation-delay — add delay before animation starts playing.

animation-iteration-count — number of times animation should play.

animation-direction — play forwards, backwards or alternate sequence.

animation-fill-mode — state of the animation when it is not playing.

animation-play-state — specify whether animation is running or is paused.

In the following sections we’ll explore each one visually.

animation-name

The alpha-numeric animation identifier name:
Are You and Your Blinker Okay?
By: Rachel Wayne
Tags: Humor, Relationships, Cars

Hey, we need to talk.

I’m a little worried about you.

I couldn’t help but notice that you and your blinker seem to have a …. difficult relationship. I don’t want to say “toxic,” but… it just seems like you’re both might be taking more than you’re giving. And it’s really upsetting for me, and other drivers on the road, to witness.

Sometimes, it seems like you two are so close and you work so well together. Other times, it’s like you don’t even want to touch each other, and you just sort of let everyone else deal with the consequences.

Have you guys talked about it, or…?

No, I’m not judging you. I’m just saying, you might need to reevaluate how you guys communicate. I see that the blinker is trying… it keeps trying to help you and guide you even if you don’t want anything to do with it. And then everyone else gets confused, because it’s going on so long and you’re not doing anything.

No, I am not taking its side! I’m saying this because I care about you. Is there some sort of issue keeping you from using the blinker? Has it hurt you in some way?

You can talk to me about it.

Really, go ahead.

I’m listening.

Okay, well, maybe not now. But feel free to talk to me any time… what? No, the blinker did not ask me to talk to you. I’m just reaching out as a concerned friend… no, I’m just trying to look out for you!

Okay, fine. WiIl you promise me to at least work on it? At least try to work things out. I have a feeling that your whole life will improve if you try to use the blinker and get back on board. It’s all about communication, right? And trust me, we all want to see you succeed. We all want to see you happy…and not have to dive out of the way when you decide you want to change lanes. No, I’m not being critical, just honest.

Okay…talk soon, I guess. Just do me a favor and text me when you’re off the road. Off the road. Like, no longer on it. I need to go somewhere tonight… Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant.

You know what, the blinker was right! You deserve your license revoked. I mean it.

Yeah, fine, whatever.

Okay, I’m sorry. Again, I’m here to talk any time.

Just please, try to use the blinker? For me.

Thank you.
Crypto exchanges: It’s all scam … or is it? Part I: Fake volumes (I/II)
By: Eitan Galam
Tags: Trading, Bitcoin, Crypto, Cryptocurrency, Exchange

Blockchain technology is by design meant to bring transparency and self-regulation. Technological limitations have favored the growth of centralized (offchain) exchanges over decentralized (blockchain) exchanges. Most centralized cryptocurrency exchanges are neither regulated neither transparent in the sense that users’ sole source of information is data provided by the exchange itself.

The claim has been made that a significant part of the volume allegedly traded on these exchanges is actually fake.

Increasing volume numbers, increases the exchange’s ranking and popularity among both traders and post-ICO firms looking to list their token. Trading volumes are a major indicator for liquidity, slippage assumptions, risk management models and high volumes is a strong positive factor for a token.

Therefore, reliable volume numbers is essential for making informed decision regarding where to list tokens and which exchange to trade on.

In a scientific study (available here), we have systematically reviewed all the trading activities of more than 50 crypt-exchanges to verify the claim and quantity th extent of the manipulation.

In this first post, we will look at global numbers (which is already pretty worrisome). In part II, we will look more deeply on a coin by coin basis (and it gets scary).
Taking a Peek Under the Hood of Lyft’s Influencer Strategy
Tags: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Content Marketing, Influencer Campaigns, YouTube

For more information about Julius or our blog, please contact Russell Wilde Jr.

By: Noah Tuller, Manager of Operations & Research

The popularity of ridesharing continues to grow and reach into new markets. In order to raise brand awareness as that expansion persists, Lyft has turned to the use of influencer marketing.

Where Lyft tries to separate itself from market powerhouse Uber is through its customer experience. Uber tends to carry itself as a more upscale, private car service experience equipped with your own chauffeur. Lyft, however, wants to make the experience more like riding with your friend, previously encouraging customers to bump fists with their drivers as well as sit in the front seat.

Lyft is utilizing personable celebrities in order to create viral marketing videos through their “Undercover Lyft” YouTube series. In addition, social media influencers are sharing their Lyft riding experiences as well as the exciting places they’re using the service to travel to.

In the “Undercover Lyft” videos, celebrities wear disguises and pretend to be Lyft drivers as they chat and have fun with their passengers while taking them to their destinations. At the end of the trip the celebrity finally reveals who they really are, to the shock and excitement of many of their customers.

Most notable perhaps is the deep voiced, 7’1” undercover Lyft driver who rocks a different disguises with every customer. Whether he’s Charles who makes bracelets, Pierre with the red beret from France, or Goose the off duty cop; NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal flexes acting muscles the world hasn’t seen much of since Kazaam.

These entertaining videos; which also include the likes of Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski, David Ortiz, Danica Patrick, DJ Khaled, and Jerry Rice; strive to prove just how much fun you can have in a Lyft car.

Snapchat is another way the company has drawn in attention. Influencers have been sharing their Lyft experiences on their own Snapchat, such as actor and Vine star Josh Peck on his journey to date night. Lyft has also given Internet sensations, such as GloZell Green, the key to the company’s Snapchat account in order to leverage the influencer’s audience in hopes of gaining a new audience of their own.

Lyft is embracing the use of influencer marketing across multiple platforms to show that it’s not just about where you’re going, but also the experience you have on your way there.
Is ‘Better’ Enough for Roomscale to Thrive?
By: Hammer
Tags: Vive, Oculus, Xr, VR, Virtual Reality

Axiom Zen, our partner company, recently dismantled our Vive setup. It wasn’t being used by the majority of us (Axiom Zen is mostly into cryptocollectibles these days), and until we move into larger offices in the next few months, we needed the space for meeting rooms. We also took apart our Oculus (and our HoloLens, but that’s small enough it’s now sitting on the edge of the Hammer & Tusk desk), and removed the other VR gear (I still can’t get the Spectacles to sync with my phone).

As the primary writer for Hammer & Tusk, it was up to me to decide what to do with the VR equipment now that it was homeless. The Oculus moved to my home office, so that I would be able to review games and experiences for the blog. But the Vive? I decided I had no room for its roomscale requirements. It ended up in a box, waiting for bluer skies (and bigger offices).

The situation got me thinking: while room-scale experiences are far and away better, are they better enough?

My first VR experience was using the Vive to play Tilt Brush. Well, my first first experience was the demo on Samsung Gear, but since it has no positional tracking it’s practically a 360 video, and thus doesn’t count. No, the Vive opened my eyes to a world of possibility, and from the first moment I trailed a scattering of stars across my field of vision, I was hooked. When Oculus announced it had no plans to pursue roomscale tech, I was floored. It seemed like deliberately choosing to walk around with a blindfold on.

And yet. When I had a choice between the Oculus and the Vive, I chose the Oculus without a second thought. I live in a one bedroom apartment, and there’s simply no room for the 5x5 square the Vive demands. And, thanks to the new double sensors from Oculus, they do a pretty great approximation of roomscale without any of the hardware requirements.

Roomscale, it seems, is more trouble than it’s worth.

Of course, new technological shifts will hopefully bring roomscale technology without the same hardware requirements. Companies are working on positional tracking using cameras in the headset instead of external sensors that take up space. And more experiences are getting smart with small-scale movement, so that you can jump around and get physically invested without having to walk halfway across your apartment to do it.

But for now, roomscale is a better experience that most of us simply can’t support. And that’s too bad.
Social media is the new oppression
By: Jess Semaan
Tags: Poetry, Social Media, Life Lessons, Technology, Life

Take back your brain

Take a social media break

Use it to listen to your soul

To be present with nature, lovers, friends, family, dogs, cats and the moon

Take back your energy, your intelligence, your gifts

Free your brain

So it can breathe again

So it can create.

Sing a song, sow a scarf for your nephew, doodle tropical fruits, interview people that fascinate you, write a letter to your ex then burn it, call an old friend and say sorry + I love you, solve a puzzle of the Eiffel Tower

Take back your life

They say we only have one

Don’t give it to Instagram
Humanities Grace
By: Alan Tegel
Tags: Poetry, Humanity, Spirituality, Alan Tegel, Life

Humanities Grace

The Balance of Life

Photo by Apostolos Vamvouras from Pexels

Words Excite

Tickle the Mind

Intent from Heart

Emboldens the Divine

Open Minds

Creativity Released

Humanity Enriched

Diversity Desired

Love conquers Hate

Kindness usurps Fear

Niceness breeds Comfort

Hugs nullify Jeers

Male Strength

Female Power

Blended together

Sparks fun for many hours

Twinkles in the Eye

Kisses which bring Tears

Hugs that bestow Warmth

Smiles which never Fear

Stay away from the darkness

Embrace the light

Realize we need both

To find humanities grace

To fix the wrong with the right.
San Francisco Federal Court Accepts Bitcoin for Hacker’s Bail
Tags: Bitcoin, Crypto, Hacks, San Francisco, Bail

A San Francisco-based federal court is accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment for the $750,000 bail of hacking suspect Martin Marsich.

Federal judge Jacqueline Corley established a new court precedent by ordering the payment of a $750,000 bail via Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. Martin Marsich, a Serbian and Italian national currently living in Italy was arrested at San Francisco International Airport on August 8th for criminal charges for hacking the servers of video game company Electronic Arts. This is the first time a judge has ordered a large bail sum be paid in cryptocurrency, at least within the United States.

The judge could order just about anything. What the objective is is to get the defendant to comply with an order to appear later. — Abraham Simmons, U.S. Assistant District Attorney

U.S. Assistant District Attorney Abraham Simmons commented on the motion, clarifying that what’s important is simply that the plaintiff pays the bail, not the means by which it is paid. He cited the precedent for real estate as a viable form of payment.

The idea is to get him to court, not necessarily to maintain the value of any particular asset…I would imagine that either side would alert the court of an extreme change in the value of the asset, but it doesn’t mean that the court would care one way or the other.

The judge’s ruling represents a new use of cryptocurrency beyond the typical online and cross-border transactions. It sets a precedent that suggests a cryptocurrency is a valid form of payment on the federal level which has the potential to trickle down to the local court level, as well as to international courts. At present, a ruling like this one is likely to only come on a case-by-case basis. Judges are likely only going to consent to cryptocurrencies as payment in instances where it is the best option, such as in the Marsich case where his assets are primarily in Bitcoin. Given the widespread illicit use of cryptocurrencies, regulatory standards will likely need to be implemented before crypto becomes a universal bail payment option.

Disclaimer: information contained herein is provided without considering your personal circumstances, therefore should not be construed as financial advice, investment recommendation or an offer of, or solicitation for, any transactions in cryptocurrencies.
Why I love ugly, messy interfaces — and you probably do too
By: Jonas Downey
Tags: UX, UI, Product Design

Let’s say your goal is to make a global peer-to-peer commerce network. That’s a big, complicated project to tackle.

You could attempt to reduce your solution down to a minimal version, cutting out features and reducing density in the name of beauty and simplicity. Here’s a Craigslist redesign concept like that. (Designers sure hate Craigslist, don’t they? Has any other site had more unsolicited redesigns?)

Craigslist redesign concept by Aurélien SALOMON.

Or, you might decide that you really can’t cut features, because it’s more important to nail every use case you care about. (Remember, you have to support a huge number of scenarios to reach table stakes for this project.) Now beauty and simplicity are instantly a much lower priority. Making something useful comes first.

For another example, think of Photoshop. How many graphic designers who idolize Swiss Style also use Photoshop every day? Probably most of them. Yet Photoshop’s UI is the antithesis of minimal — it has more nasty junk drawers than your parents’ unkempt basement. It doesn’t matter at all, because people don’t come to Photoshop for inspirational UI. They use it to get the job done.

In other words, sometimes this isn’t so great:

When this is what you really need:
Shadowplaces by Maria-Lucilia Gorre
By: Maria-Lucilia Gorre
Tags: Illustration, Life Lessons, Learning, Personal Growth, Inspiration

Written by

Making small moments big, through pictures, words, and general shenanigans. Fluctuates between fluffy blob and grumpy cat whom someone woke up unexpectedly.
Episode 46: Believe In Your Dreams, with Trust Wallet
Tags: Investing, Blockchanneltv, Ethereum, Crypto, Bitcoin

Press Play!

On this episode of BlockChannel, McKie, Dee and Petty are back for a new season with Viktor Radchenko of Trust Wallet. Fresh off the back of an acquisition by Binance (those guys are on fire), he’s taking his vision for a decentralized dApp browser to the next level with the backing of Binance’s vast resources. Come learn about Viktor, his background, and his vision for Trust Wallet going forward in the future post-acquisition.

Show Link(s):

Trust Wallet: trustwalletapp.com

Intro/Outro Music “Money Boat” by JTM: Jamesthemormon — Money-boat

Show Sponsor(s):

Amentum: amentum.org

Disclaimer: This is not investment advice, it is an engaged discussion on new technology; BlockChannel reminds you to always do your own due diligence before investing in any crypto-related project in the industry.
Guilty as Charged
By: Nicole Cliffe
Tags: Religion, Catholic Church, Celibacy

A hearty welcome to “the clerics’ charmers, devil’s choice tidbits, expellers from paradise, virus of minds, sword of soul, wolfbane to drinkers, poison to companions, material of sinning, occasion of death … the female chambers of the ancient enemy, of hoopoes, of screech owls, of night owls, of she-wolves, of blood suckers.”
Love in the Time of Corona: Love Notes (Part III)
By: Paul Kist
Tags: Covid 19, Humanity, Love Letters

There are very few places left in my house that haven’t been re-organized in the last few weeks. I’ve come across some love letters from the various lovely protagonists of my past. I think I’ve always had the intention of parting with these memories, but something stops me, and I’m so glad that it does. It’s great to learn, read, integrate, and remember life exactly as it happened.

In addition to empty toilet paper shelves, cleverly designed face-masks, and rampant paranoia, another hallmark of this time: public love notes. From signs on restaurants, chalk on the sidewalk, graffiti on the sides of buildings, pieces of paper taped to a sticky bus stop wall: words of encouragement and hope are all around.

As far as love languages go, words of affirmation are a very potent way that I personally receive love, although my primary love language is pizza. Let it be known that I despise the love language phenomenon and the relational dysfunction and codependence that I believe it’s seeded all across this great land of ours. But that aside, when they’re not used to try to control how others behave, love languages can be a useful tool in understanding what makes ones own juices flow. And because of this, I’ve been really energized every time I come across one of these very public but very personal words of affirmation.

On my jogs around Oakland, I’ve got to enjoy these love letters, and so I want to share them with you: the signs, the chalk, the pavement, and even nature itself is sharing her support of us all. You’ll see And so without further ado, here is Part III of my series Love in the Time of Corona, otherwise known as: “Calories Don’t Count During Quarantine, and Other Fun Facts”
The Magic That Was
Tags: Grief, Eulogy, Loss, Love, Poetry

The magic…

not in the deep blue eyes, not in the divine voice,

not in the cherry-stained delicate lips,

just the magic, that was her.

The magic…

not in what I saw, not in what she spoke and sang,

not the sweet aftertaste of the kisses we’d share,

just the magic, that was her.

The magic…

not in the tangerine sky, not in the yellow flowers,

not in the cold water she’d pull me in with her,

just the magic, that was her.

The magic…

not in the little memories, not in her surreal portraits,

not in the profound love poems she wrote for me,

just the magic, that now the heavens enjoy.
Recipe 245: The Best Getaway
By: Sarah Charles
Tags: Recipe, Marriage, Airbnb, Cooking, Louisville

Recipe 245: The Best Getaway

This AirBnB was exactly what we needed

This is one of the many recipes that Aaron and I want to share with you. We are overjoyed for you to come with us on our journey as we put together different concoctions and laugh together (all while hoping to not burn our house down). Please enjoy these recipes as much as we have. We welcome you to a small, but intentional, part of our lives.

If you would like to read the post that accompanies this recipe, check it out here.
Hacks to an Unhappy Life
By: Nosh Komen
Tags: Happiness, Satire, Comics, Humor, Life

1. Say yes to everything.

This is the easiest way to unhappiness, you don’t need a lot to do, just pronouncing this three-letter word, YES.

Say yes to that road trip, when you want to spend time with your family.

Say yes to that friend who wants you to go to the gym with him when you want to go to the bar for a drinking spree.

Just say yes to everything, even when you mean no.

2. Don’t bother about your sleeping pattern.

In short, deprive yourself of sleep. Instead of sleeping, work, do not waste time. If you can’t work, then watch.

At most, sleep for 4 hours in 24 hours.

3. Pay more attention to your cellphone.

I know you are so close to your phone, but please, stay closer. Never mind who is around you, concentrate on your phone, period!

Wait, I almost forgot, put on the earphones or headphones, so that you don’t get distracted.

4. Ignore your hobbies.

Do not bother to attend to your hobbies. Why should you? After all, some hobbies are costly.

If you like swimming, and it’s sunny, don’t go swimming. You have a whole series to watch, and a phone with hundreds of unattended messages, also, you can use that time to work to earn extra dollars. Think about it.

5. Do not help others.

Take this advice seriously, it’s very important. Selfishness is the key to unhappiness. Do not help people, it will make you feel good and satisfied. Let everything be about you. Sharing is expensive! Stay away from such good acts.

6. Build your self-esteem using social media.

Do you need some love? Attention? Therapy? You will get all these on social media. Dismiss your family members, friends, and the therapist, social media is the solution.

Post yourself on Facebook, Instagram, and any other social platform, and determine your worth by the number of likes you get. Take seriously the comments you receive, especially from your haters, they are right.
by Martino Pietropoli
By: Martino Pietropoli
Tags: Monday, Inktober, Drawing, Illustration

A little explanation: october is Inktober, an initiative by designer Jake Parker: a month during which each designer/illustrator draws each and every day (anything new here) on a given theme *on paper* (no digital allowed).

Today’s theme is “Divided”.

PS: yes, today is October 2nd and yes, I missed yesterday.
Automating the Cloud SQL triad with Terraform, Python, Docker, and gcloud CLI
By: Marcelo Costa
Tags: Terraform, Sql, Docker, Gcp, Postgres

The terraform code is really similar, basically what changes is the database_version: MYSQL_5_7 , POSTGRES_11 , SQLSERVER_2017_STANDARD , since we are using the same terraform resource: google_sql_database_instance .

let’s execute it and take a better look:

./init-db.sh

Executing Terraform for SQLServer

Results

Cool, now let’s take a quick look at the init-db.sh bash script:

init-db.sh file — part 1

The important pieces here are, the .tfvar file and setting up the jq command-line which will be used in the next step.

Also bear in mind that we are saving the infrastructure state with all the output in a local tfstate file (remember that we had the password there?), don’t do this on a production environment =), consider using KMS or Secret Manager, depending on your requirements.

Generate Schemas and Tables

For this step, we are going with Python, and since this step requires connecting to the Database, getting the right environment set up always gives us headaches, so we are getting help from Docker here to have seamless automation.

init-db.sh file — part 2

Here we retrieved the database IP and credentials, and then we are calling the Docker container to populate the database:
Forever Gift
By: Ani Vidrine
Tags: Poetry, Spirituality, Wonder, Appreciation, Gratitude

Forever Gift

Poems From The Porch

photo by asma Alrashed on Unsplash.com

There is condensation on the windows this morning.

The full moon is shining brightly

while the sun is dancing on the grass.

It is a blustery, blue sky day,

cold and fresh,

a robust wind ushering in a new season.

I am feeling it, too,

for my soul is smiling

and my pen is scrawling

to honor this sacred moment.

Always holy,

forever gift,

this precious present.
How to add chips value in an array in ReactJs
By: Ankit Kumar Rajpoot
Tags: State, Chips, Reactjs, Material Design, Arrays

Chips Example

Chips are compact elements that represent an input, attribute, or action.

An example of rendering multiple Chips from an array of values. Deleting a chip removes it from the array. Note that since no onClick property is defined, the Chip can be focused, but does not gain depth while clicked or touched.

There are some basic steps to implement chips in ReactJs.

Step 1:- Install “ material-ui-chip-input” through the following command.

$ npm i --save material-ui-chip-input@next

Step 2:- Import “ material-ui-chip-input” in your component file.

import ChipInput from "material-ui-chip-input";

Step 3:- Define state

constructor(props) {

super(props);

this.state = {

tags: []

};

Step 4:- Define functions for adding and deleting chips

// Add Chips

handleAddChip = (chip) => {

this.setState({

tags: [...this.state.tags, chip]

});

}

// Delete Chips

handleDeleteChip = (chip) => {

this.setState({

tags: _.without(this.state.tags, chip)

});

}

In this function, I am using the underscore library for delete value from the array you can use any other or basic javascript function.

Step 5:- Use ChipInput in the component

<ChipInput

label="Video Tags"

value={this.state.tags}

onAdd={(chip) => this.handleAddChip(chip)}

onDelete={(chip, index) => this.handleDeleteChip(chip, index)}

/>

Example:-

Demo

Inspect State

That’s it for this time! I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome questions, notes, comments and requests for posts on topics you’d like to read. See you next time! Happy Coding !!!!!!
Full-time workers in a rich country shouldn’t be living in poverty
By: This Working Life
Tags: Australia, Actu, Acci

I HAVE been doing pay negotiations for 30 years and I’ve never been to a meeting where an employer told me the time was right for a pay rise.

There’s always a reason why they can’t spare the money just now. I’m pretty sure that’s how it will be with the union movement’s bid to get a pay rise of at least $30-a-week for 1.5 million low-paid workers who depend on a decent minimum wage.

Employers have opposed every bid we’ve ever made to lift minimum wages, in some years demanding no pay rise at all. If the Fair Work Commission had accepted the employers’ positions since 2000, the minimum wage would be about $120 less than it is today.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants this year’s minimum wage rise to be just $5.80 per week — less than a one per cent increase.

I’ll probably be accused of “class warfare” for daring to disagree with employer groups on this, but I’ll go ahead.

Unions are campaigning for a $30-per-week minimum wage increase because it puts money in the pockets of the workers who look after the elderly, clean our buildings and staff our shops.

Many of these people are trying to look after families on an income of $606 per week. For most of them, the annual minimum wage case is the only time they get a pay rise.

The minimum wage has fallen behind average wages and is barely keeping up with inflation. It is now 43% of the average wage — down from 49% in 2005. A family relying on a minimum wage earner is falling further behind the rest of society every year.

A $30-per-week increase for the 1.5 million lowest paid workers is a reasonable ask at a time when living costs are increasing. Australia’s economy is stronger than most countries and we have not seen rises in unemployment or drops in productivity as a result of previous wage rises.

During the 1990s, wage rises kept pace with productivity but, since 2000, productivity rises have jumped ahead of wage increases.
Pagan holiday specials you’ll probably never see
By: Kyrie Gray
Tags: Satire, Culture, Comics, Humor, Christmas

Pagan holiday specials you’ll probably never see

Plus more humorous stories you might have missed

What’s better than frankincense or myrrh? Jokes! At least that’s all I’ve got for you this week, so I hope you aren’t picky. Should you find yourself in need of a laugh whilst you try to wrap a bicycle or handle too many holiday zoom calls, then check out these stories from the past week.

Stories

What if pagans ran the Hallmark channel?

Business ideas that are sure to be a hit in 2021. Cottagecore communes? Sign me up!

Image by Lynn I. Hsu

A fantastic comic that Lord of the Rings fans will enjoy this Christmas.

Image by Ryan Fan created on Canva Pro

Ryan is back with some much-needed updates to the reindeer vs. grandma situation.

The mistletoe at your holiday party is pissed.

Old favorite:

Does the quote describe Santa or your bad ex?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting this little publication.

Kyrie
America Has to Let Go of Donald Trump
By: Sikander Hayat Khan
Tags: World, Politics, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Government

Chief among which are his children. The thing with this kind of attention is it tends to have a trickle effect; one where it passes down from Trump to his kids. They are then able to leverage the attention their father got for their own political gain. This is where they “pick up the mantle” and use the brand he created to stand for office. And this happening is far likelier than you’d believe. Because Ivanka already has political aspirations. And even if she doesn't run, Donald Trump Jr. has become a sort of poster boy for the Trump campaign. He already wields significant influence over the Trump base and he led the charge, along with Rudy Giuliani, to overturn the result in the courts. What has all that achieved? Trump Jr. has now managed to associate himself with politics in the eyes of millions.

This is where you see political dynasties come to life. I’ve seen it happen twice. Once they normalise their presence in the political arena, to the average voter’s subconscious, it seems like the natural progression when they eventually announce their candidacy. And because their father or mother had held the highest offices in the land, that’s exactly what they’ll be gunning for too. Why? Because, like their dictatorial parents, they too have a sense of entitlement to rule. Why else would they willingly go ahead with agendas to subvert democracy?

And if you’re thinking whether them leveraging the attention Trump is getting is even a possibility, know that they've already done it. I mean, they became famous before their father became president because they were able to feed off the attention he was getting.