fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
5 Design Patterns every Software Engineer should know
By: Martin Leuckert
Tags: Software Engineering, Clean Code, Software Architecture, Programming, Design Patterns

When software engineers talk about Design Patterns, they usually talk about established and reusable constructs or architectures that address specific problems. For the most part, Design Patterns are defined independently of programming languages. If you are new to programming, you probably still don’t know, what I am talking about. Anyway, you probably used a Design Pattern at some point without knowing it. In the following, I introduce five Design Patterns that every Software Engineer should know about.

Who creates and who uses Design Patterns?

Well, everyone can. If we take a brief look into the history of Design Patterns, we will find out that it originates back to Christopher Alexander, an architect who wrote articles and books like “The Pattern of streets” or “A Pattern Language” in which he talks about actual architectural concepts, materials, and tools.

At the core […] is the idea people should design their homes, streets, and communities. This idea […] comes from the observation most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects, but by the people.

— Christopher Alexander et al., A Pattern Language, front bookflap

This is, in my opinion, a very fitting metaphor because everyone can define a Design Pattern even though this is usually done by more experienced developers. You would expect an experienced software architect to build a highly sophisticated Design Patterns; however, each and every developer is in a unique situation and dealing with problems that require tailor-made solutions. Not every problem has to be solved by a Design Pattern, but an experienced Software Engineer recognizes a good opportunity.

If you are relatively new to programming, you will probably not start to define Design Patterns after producing some “Hello Worlds”. It is more likely that you begin to gain experience through learning and “consuming” certain frameworks like Vue, Angular, or ASP. And while you do that you will probably learn about Design Patterns. When you climb up the technology proficiency ladder, you will learn even more until, at some point, you will no longer only consume technology frameworks and Design Patterns but also begin to create your own.

But enough with the introduction. Let’s get to my list of the five must-know Design Patterns for software engineers.
7 Best Websites for Freelancers in 2020
By: Juan Cruz Martinez
Tags: Startup, Productivity, Data Science, Programming, Freelancing

7 Best Websites for Freelancers in 2020

Some of the best freelancer marketplaces to get you started or get some extra gigs.

Photo by Kristin Wilson on Unsplash

As its name suggests, a freelancer has complete freedom to choose what and when to work. But, it has some serious drawbacks if done wrong. If you are someone who can efficiently manage work and life balance then freelancing can be a game-changer for you.

Today, I’m here to talk about the best websites from where you can start your freelancing career.

Before getting started, you need to understand the basic idea behind freelancing. It’s very important because it helps you find out whether you can be an online freelancer or not.

Freelancing requires you to have a skill that you offer to clients and earn money in exchange. If you have a skill then you can be hired for specific tasks. Now, it depends on the task whether it requires physical presence or can be done remotely.

For example, freelancing jobs for Handyman, Home Cleaning, Gardening, or Furniture Assembly requires physical presence. Whereas there are many digital skills (e.g. App Development, Graphic Designing, Content Writing, etc.) that can be offered from home.

The websites I mentioned below are for those who want to work from home. Because it’s easier to provide digital services online and scale your business. So, without any further ado let’s have a look at my recommended freelancing job sites.

Full disclaimer: I’m not a freelancer myself, though I have many friends freelancing. The sites here collected are recommendations from people with more experience than me on the field, I simply compiled them and presented them into the blog. I also have, at the moment of writing, no affiliations to any of the websites here listed.

Additionally, the list is in no particular order, they are all great resources filling different needs and markets.
Why You Should Read Every Day
By: Sm Sommer
Tags: Literacy, Reading Community, Mental Health, Books, Reading

You get ideas in and you get ideas out — it’s called thinking. When you read, you are being immersed in ideas, whether they are fictional or non-fictional. You are in a world of rhetorical thinking. You are using the language being written down to consider what is going on in the written world you are reading.

Reading is an exercise for the mind! Any mental stimulation is good for the brain and helps as you get older. Many studies have shown that reading improves memory, brain elasticity, and overall brain function. A study done at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation found that those who participated in mentally challenging activities (like reading) most often had a much slower rate of decline in memory compared to those who didn’t do mentally challenging activities.

Reading is relaxing. Reading can be a stress reducer in one’s life. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and just take a moment to read before your day starts or right before your day ends. It will reduce some stress in your life.

Reading enhances your vocab skills. Who doesn’t love to sound smart? Reading — especially diverse books — will help to enhance your vocabulary skills. It will also help your writing skills. Just make sure you are reading a diverse set of books and not the same thing over and over again!

Reading is free entertainment. You can greatly reduce your fun/entertainment budget and save some money! Go to your local library and grab a book or two a week. Read in your free time and voilà you just save so much money by not going to the movies. Do you have presents to buy during the holiday season? Save money this way. Tightening your budget to contribute more to retirement savings? Save money this way!
The life of a story
Tags: Storytelling, Writing, Love, Writer, Fiction

I never understood what writers meant when they said stories take a life of their own.

I can string words. Make coherent sentences. Occasionally, coherent paragraphs. But when it comes to writing an entire story, I tend to be a micro-manager. I am governed by details and my immediate perception of reality, most of the time. My stories do not reach their fullest potential.

I attended a story slam yesterday. They had a theme, “Fathers”. I was there to support a friend. I came without a story. The evening threatened to end early, I put my name in for Open Mic.

I jotted pieces of funny anecdotes and discoveries, cloaked with lightheartedness into my phone. As I stood in front of the crowd, words came flowing, I forgot about my notes. My mind scavenged for the next sentence until it finally got to one that made my throat choked. I looked for more words, it is the only way to stop me crying and suddenly it came, “I am still discovering my dad. Watching him evolving as a person.”

I returned to my seat, a little shell-shocked. My neighbour said he liked the vulnerability. I smiled.

“It happens.”

The story took a life of its own. It dropped the cloak of lightheartedness I had tenderly draped across its shoulders, took me its broad strong arms and showed me what I have always needed to know, I still am my discovering my dad.
Will Write For Donuts
By: Lon Shapiro
Tags: Humor, Entrepreneurship, Writing, The Grammar Games

Will Write For Donuts

Medium’s new compensation system

[Update 4/25: This story, about the writers of The Grammar Games searching compensation for their efforts, has become the most popular story in the entire Grammar Games saga. Proving once again that while the pen is mightier than the sword, the donut is mightier than the pen. Look for my self-improvement must-read articles, “You can either be the donut or the hole,” “8 secrets the donut can teach your start up company,” and “I am a donut and this is my story of sexual abuse.”]

Update 5/12: Inspired by the quest for donuts, I’ve started a new collaborative book and publication titled “The Tao of Blogging.” Please follow our efforts here:

And if you’ve written, or read a really great quote that is humorous or thought provoking, please come to the publication and submit it in the comments section of one of the articles. Thanks!]

We, the undersigned cynics, humorists, absurdists, anarchists, and other assorted deviants, have contributed to a new collaborative short but possibly long story called The Grammar Games.

What started as a satiric revolt against the overwhelming waves of self-improvement, life hacking, and entrepreneurship articles has meta-morphosed into a symbolic battle against the corporate forces that keep us writers oppressed.

Therefore, we will develop a kickstarter program to fund a novel that has given pleasure to tens of… well tens of. Because of the magnitude of the response, we thought “why not reach for the stars?” And so, our campaign will ask the public not to contribute some crappy overbrewed coffee stolen from your nearest twelve-step meeting, but to support the arts with the biggest prize of all… donuts!

Show your solidarity! Click to tweet “Will Write For Donuts”
Emily Hicks
By: Terence C. Gannon
Tags: Biotechnology, Startup, Podcast, Interview, Water

Emily Hicks

President and Co-Founder, FREDsense

Emily Hicks is President of FREDsense, a Calgary, Canada based biotechnology startup focused on the measurement of water quality. Emily co-founded the company with CEO David Lloyd in 2013. FRED stands for Field Ready Electrochemical Detector, which is the product that Emily — along with her FREDsense colleagues — invented, developed and brought to market. It’s used to detect trace amounts of chemicals in a water using a groundbreaking new approach using biologically engineered bacteria.

Her studies in biomedical sciences at the U of C eventually led her to work on the technology on which FREDsense is based. She is a named inventor in the 2013 patent related to that work.

Amongst her wide variety of accolades, Emily has been selected as a Kairos Society Fellow, one of the Top 30 under 30 in sustainability in Canada, a National Nicol Award winner in 2014, the Parlee McLaws Females in Energy Scholorship, amongst many other awards.

Emily Hicks is a passionate scientist and entrepreneur. In our wide ranging interview, she not only eloquently explains the FREDsense technology in terms we can all understand but also the pleasures and pitfalls of the entrepreneurial life. It’s a candid discussion for which the answer to at least some of the questions will come as a surprise to our listeners.

Our interview with Emily was recorded live at the INVENTURE$ conference in Calgary, in June of 2018.
What You Should Know About Criticism
By: Emeka Nwanedo
Tags: Personal Development, Work, Productivity, Entrepreneurship, Life

When Constructive Criticism Gets Out of Hand

We are all often critical sometimes, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We understand that our colleague, spouse, boss, or coach has our best interest at heart.

To criticize constructively means you’re thinking carefully. It is a skill that helps us navigate the world and our relationships in an objective way. It helps us sharpen our skills and increases our chances of accelerated progress.

Constructive criticism is about making the world better but when you're being too critical of others you're making yourself feel better.

And this is where the opposite of objectivity sets in.

Being too critical of others can make us narrow-minded and blind, especially to ourselves.

One of the reasons to easily slip into habitually criticizing others is that it makes us feel good without even knowing it.

When constructive criticism gets out of hand, it becomes hateful criticism.
Why Am I So Nervous to Talk to People?
By: Kara Lissy
Tags: Personal Development, Life Lessons, Self, Mental Health, Psychology

A friend recently asked me for some tips to help with her anxiety. She shared she was having a hard time preparing herself to go the store or to see friends in small gatherings. “It’s like I’ve forgotten how to act. I’m worried I’m going to do or say something stupid or awkward.”

My friend isn’t the first one to mention this fear. Clients and other loved ones have (sometimes jokingly, sometimes seriously) mentioned their concern about having developed a social ineptitude. They are worried all the time that isolation has had a negative impact on their ability to socialize with ease.

For those with preexisting social anxiety, the pandemic may have had some silver linings. Suddenly it’s become the social norm to stay away from others. Cocooning in one’s home was seen as helpful as opposed to avoidant. However, as this 2020 article from the National Social Anxiety Center points out, the pandemic has caused a lot of treatment setbacks; in vivo exposure, or instruction to engage in social situations that make us uncomfortable, has obviously been put on hold in many ways (Rosen, 2020).

Even if you’ve never previously struggled with social anxiety, it’s completely understandable if there’s an uptick in nerves when thinking about going to meet or speak in front of other people. The hallmark of social anxiety is a fear of being judged, critiqued or otherwise negatively evaluated by others. This can result in a feeling of self-consciousness in social situations or a general fear of meeting others (NIMH). These feelings might be heightened after a period of not being exposed to these situations.

There are steps you can take to cope with and unlearn the thoughts and feelings associated with social anxiety. Try these tips below for easing yourself back into social situations.
Spiritual Secrets Submission Guidelines (Updated 18/10/2020)
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Storytelling, Writing, Universe, Spirituality, Mindfulness

Why do I want to connect with Spiritual Secrets?

Spirituality is an inevitable knowledge for today’s mankind to overcome the herculean mammoth like problems arising in their day to day lives.

Spirituality can be used to conquer fear, putting down the burden of past relationships or events, achieve success, attain mental peace and stability, and even become free from the past guilt.

Hence, spirituality can be used in all prospects to make our lives peaceful, happy, blissful, powerful, and valuable.

Spirituality can open the doors of experiencing the innate powers of the soul: Peace, Happiness, Bliss, Power, Knowledge, Purity, and Love. And we strive here to share the stories that empower the soul.

If you, too, want this world to transform into a paradise, let’s join hands!
Do This on the Days You Hate Your Writing
By: Max Klein
Tags: Motivation, Writing, Reading, Persistence, Writing Tips

Do This on the Days You Hate Your Writing

This sentiment is a good sign

One of the greatest writers ever, Franz Kafka, burned over 90 percent of his work. Some days I look at my writing and feel like pulling a Kafka. I want to throw it all out.

It all looks like complete garbage to me. Perhaps a lot of it is. Many writers say they look back on their first few years of writing and cringe. I’m still in my first few years and luckily I cringe some days.

Luckily? Yes. Cringing is a sign that my writing is improving.

Here are a few ways I’ve found to turn the occasional negativity I have for my own work into improvement as a writer.
Are the People You Hang Out With Good for You?
By: Lisa Beth Wright
Tags: Self-awareness, Relationships, Mental Health, Friendship, Life

There are five qualities that healthy relationships all have.

Respect

You both respect and trust each other. You have similar values and ethics and know that you can count on one another to be there when it is important. Betrayal is not an option. You know that would never occur.

Open communication

If there is a problem in the relationship, you talk about it. There is no “silent treatment.” You feel comfortable addressing concerns with one another and don’t have to guess what the other person is thinking and feeling.

Vulnerability

Your trust allows you to share your fears and desires. You know that secrets will be kept in the utmost confidence. These friends are on your shortlist. You tell them things that you wouldn’t share with just anyone.

Healthy boundaries

Because you communicate well, you have established healthy boundaries. You feel comfortable telling one another if you need time to yourself. You don’t have to guess what is acceptable and what is overwhelming.

You feel perfectly comfortable saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t handle that right now. Can we talk later?” And the other person understands and respects that. There is a mutual give and take.

Forgiveness

If you have a misunderstanding or hurt one another, you can work through it and forgive one another. There is no punishment phase.

You understand that each of you is 100% responsible for 50% of the relationship.

Our inner circle of friends is important. Choose them wisely.
LOL — Issue 28
By: Arihant Verma
Tags: Storytelling, Poetry, Books, Spoken Word, Lolissue

Book Suggestion — A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry:

Short Hair — Swastika Jajoo

On My Last Day In Australia — Sierra DeMulder

Sierra DeMulder is an internationally touring performance poet and educator, a two-time National Poetry Slam champion, a four-time published author, and the co-founder of Button Poetry, the largest digital distributor of spoken word in the world.

The Wolf’s Postcript To ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ — Poem by Agha Shahid Ali

Advice To Women — Poem by Eunice de Souza

Sometime next week we’ll be reviewing two poetry books
Descent method — Steepest descent and conjugate gradient in Python
By: Sophia Yang
Tags: Linear System, Visualization, Python, Gradient Descent, Data Science

Descent method — Steepest descent and conjugate gradient in Python

Python implementation

Let’s start with this equation and we want to solve for x:

The solution x the minimize the function below when A is symmetric positive definite (otherwise, x could be the maximum). It is because the gradient of f(x), ∇f(x) = Ax- b. And when Ax=b, ∇f(x)=0 and thus x is the minimum of the function.

In this article, I am going to show you two ways to find the solution x — method of Steepest Descent and method of Conjugate Gradient.

Method of Steepest Descent in Python

Now let’s use this steepest_descent function to calculate

With the steepest_descent method, we get a value of (-4,5) and a wall time 2.01ms.

Conjugate gradient method in Python

With the conjugate_gradient function, we got the same value (-4, 5) and wall time 281 μs, which is a lot faster than the steepest descent.

Visualizing steepest descent and conjugate gradient descent

Here we can visualize the steepest descent method and conjugate gradient method. We can see that the conjugate gradient method takes fewer steps than the steepest descent method, and thus the conjugate gradient method is faster.

Steepest descent method

Conjugate gradient method

Hope you enjoy this article. If you are interested in the math behind the two methods, check out this article:
Typing DNA Command Line Authenticator
By: Anmol Singh Suri
Tags: Angular, Python, Development, Swift, Programming

The application uses Typing DNA authentication services, a service that captures user typing pattern to authenticate the commands that a user wants to run and if verified then it let them execute them. The user gets a simple popup application where he/she can add/edit commands that needs to be verified for the specific typing pattern that of the user.

Demo:

Inspiration for the Project

All the developers make use of the terminal while running the commands. And commands can be run by any user without verifying whether it was explicitly run by a specific user who was authenticated to do that or by anyone else. If anyone gets access to my laptop or a server the user will be able to run the command.

What it does

The application uses Typing DNA authentication services to authenticate the commands that a user wants to run and if verified then it let them execute them. The user gets a simple popup application where he/she can add/edit commands that needs to be verified for the specific typing pattern that of the user.

How I built it

It has a 6 component architecture that interacts with one another. The swift application creates a popup for ease of use which has an embedded application for angular. Angular application interacts with the Django backend which stores and persists the user information, command information, access tokens as well as interacts with the Typing DNA Apis and the PostgresSQL Database. The Swift Application interact with the Terminal and syncs up the commands that are being configured in the system.

Challenges I ran into

First i thought of using the swift application’s global listeners to get all typing events and pass it to the angular application which has the typing dna javascript library but the delay in the events form the computer created an abnormal typing pattern at the javascript library. Thus i changed a few bits and got the application working as seen in the demo.

Accomplishments that I’m proud of

Learn about the typing DNA apis as it is an interesting project. I had heard about the concept when i was in my final year of engineering but it was good to see a product working in production and learning to interact with it. I also enjoyed completing the application in due time. I got to know about the competition on 10th of October thought of an Idea but wasn’t sure would be able to complete it as i wasn’t aware about swift development and there were a lot of loop holes i saw in the development lifecycle for my application.

What I learned

Interacting with typing DNA.

Swift application development. A little bit of bash scripting. How swift interact with the shell scripts and vis-a-versa.

What’s next for Typing DNA Command Line Authenticator

With some small changes in the code this can be deployed on the server and as a proper application for Mac Users. The same shell scripts and the backend can be reutilised for authenticating command requests on a server.

Github:
The Psychology Of Color
By: Naja Bomani
Tags: Branding, Colors, Design, Psychology, Advertising

However, in reading this article I found that these same elements relate to communications planning — especially when itcomes to storytelling, data representation (infographics) and presentation decks. To create a truly powerful creative presentation that will capture the interest of the audience, it’s crucial to build a visual connection with your audience through color.

When it comes to design, the initial focus typically lands on idea, concept and then execution. The first step typically is to draft the layout of the project. However, most often than not, we forget that design is not just about creating cool layouts or intricate designs. Design is about building a connection between the product which we are designing and the target audience. The best way to do so is through the use of color. As humans, we are naturally drawn to certain things, in large part due to the color used and the feeling it evokes. Color expresses an emotion, gives the tone and attracts a person’s attention to the overall design.

“Color is an essential factor to the world of graphic design and advertising. Not only that it brings in depth and emphasis to a design but it also gives the feel and the mood of a design.”

The most fundamental way to grasp the psychology of color is to first understand the color wheel. The color wheel is made up of the hues, tints, tones and shades of primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Primary colors consist of the colors yellow, blue and red. Meanwhile, secondary colors consist of green, orange and purple. These colors are the main colors used in brand identity and advertising.

Bold primary colors are often used within a brand’s identity (logo). They capture the eye of the viewer, and if used consistently in the long term, they become recognizable. This is not just because of the brand name alone, but by association with brand color. For example; the following logos represented in the photo use primary colors along with minimal use of positive and negative space (the representation of white and black) for their branding. (Note: The article introduces black and white as “actual” colors. However, in design they are not considered colors. “In the visible spectrum, white reflects light and is a presence of all colors, but black absorbs light and is an absence of color. Black can be defined as the visual impression experienced when no visible light reaches the eye.”) In the case of secondary colors, some brands use them for color identity, but only some.
PWiC and OPEN Seattle: Making the Leap to Startup from Corporate Life
By: Pakistani Women In Computing
Tags: Pakistan, Startup, Pakistani

OPEN Seattle

After the networking event, Azfar Moazzam for OPEN Seattle welcomed the attendees and gave an overview of the goals and vision of OPEN Seattle. He reminisced about the early 90s when there were not many Pakistanis living in Seattle and expressed his excitement about how the community has grown thus far. He mentioned that OPEN’s membership boasts leading entrepreneurs, business leaders, and corporate professionals. There are currently 13 OPEN chapters globally and it hosts dozens of networking, knowledge sharing, and mentoring events every month.

Azfar Moazzam — OPEN Seattle

PWiC

After Azfar’s presentation, Huma Hamid, PWiC President, and Co-Founder introduced the global community to the audience and shared her story of PWiC inception. She impressed the attendees with the great number of successful partnerships that PWiC has created and the tremendous impact that it has made throughout the years.

Huma Hamid, PWiC -President & Co-founder

Keynote Session By Farrukh Malik

The keynote was delivered by Farrukh Malik, CEO, and Co-Founder at Discretelogix | President OPEN Islamabad, who was on a business trip to the US. Farrukh is a seasoned Pakistani entrepreneur with multiple startups and technology initiatives under his belt. In his keynote, he shared his personal journey of becoming an entrepreneur and the current ecosystem for technology related startups in Pakistan.

Farrukh Malik, CEO, and Co-Founder at Discretelogix | President OPEN Islamabad

Panel Discussion

Next, Alishba Khawaja moderated the panel discussion on the topic of entrepreneurship. There were four panelists from a diverse type of businesses:

Farrukh Malik — CEO and Co-Founder at Discretelogix | President OPEN Islamabad

CEO and Co-Founder at Discretelogix | President OPEN Islamabad Afshan Abbas — CEO and Founder at Fuchsia Shoes

— CEO and Founder at Fuchsia Shoes Fahim Ul Haq — CEO and Founder at Educative.io

— CEO and Founder at Educative.io Raja Iqbal — CEO and Founder at Data Science Dojo

The panelists went over topics ranging from productizing and financing a startup to setting up the right culture for your company and hiring your first employees.
Want to Read People? Start by Reading These Books
By: Anirban Kar
Tags: Books, Self Improvement, Psychology, Life Lessons, Reading

People are tough to read.

A few years back I went to visit my family at Christmas. I was supposed to get back in the city the next day. However, my family insisted me to stay. So I called my then-girlfriend. I asked her if it was okay with her for me to return after the new year. She understood that I hardly got to spend time with my family and complied. Later, as I got back to the city and visited her, she showered me with the fire of absolute rage.

Apparently, when she said yes, she meant no.

Well, that made almost as much sense as QAnon conspiracy theories.

Later along the way, we split ways, and I started dating another girl. Then in some similar turn of events, again, I had to stay longer in my hometown than I expected. So I called my current girlfriend to inform the new development. This time she, herself, expressed her unwillingness to go out and told me not to worry about it. I appreciated her for being understanding of my situation. Besides, I found her appetite for laziness amusing.

However, a few weeks later, during an argument, she too mentioned my failure to decrypt her straight forward yes as a no. By the time I had spent two and a half decades with the species of Homosapien since my parents — let’s not go there. What I am trying to say is, I felt clueless. I felt like an alien, looking at the grand pyramid, trying to figure out why the people from earth accuse them of building it.

So like any other nerdy entity, I fell back on books to find some answers.

Chances are you are not as bad of a spouse as me. Yet, you may have a fair share of troubles reading people. Still, it is something that we need to master to thrive on this strange planet, both professionally and personally. Just think to yourself. How many times did you felt like you understood what your editor meant only to get more red marks and notes on your piece?

Being able to read people beyond their words comes with an enormous advantage. It helps you to cut through the noisy cloud of expressions, allowing you to see where the other person is coming from in a conversation. So here I am listing three books that will help you understand people better.
Data Science Reading List for September 2020
By: Luke Posey
Tags: Technology, Startup, Books, Reading, Data Science

Data Science Reading List for September 2020

Books, research papers, and blog posts I’m reading in September. 📚

Note: I am not affiliated with any of the writers in this article. These are simply books and essays that I’m excited to share with you. There are no referrals or a cent going in my pocket from the authors or publishers mentioned; I prefer to align my incentives with the reader rather than the publishers. Reading is a vitamin for the brain; please support your favorite writers and enjoy!

Another month of our Data Science reading list! // Photo Creds: Unsplash

Welcome to another month of our Data Science reading list! We do these each month, and I love all the positive feedback. I especially like when folks share their own recommendations. Feel free to share your own books, blogs, and anything else you’re reading this month. I would be happy to give your favorite authors a read and maybe include them in a future list! luke [at] spawner [dot] ai

On to this month’s list!

Building Machine Learning Powered Applications: Going from Idea to Product

O’Reilly has partnered with a bunch of really high quality Data Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers recently to spit out some high signal to noise reads. This one is no exception.

Our author goes the full scope of Machine Learning Engineering, covering all the way from project inception and planning to training, deploying, and monitoring. This is the exact type of important information sharing we have been missing over the last decade in our field. This engineering perspective is perfectly aligned with the evolution of the role of Machine Learning Engineers. Big ups to the author for a great reference and read! LINK

Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology

Life in Code by Ellen Ullman is a unique view from her time starting in San Francisco in the 70s as a software engineer and working through the rise of the programmer and technology.

Ullman lays out much of the evolution of tech, from culture to code. Reading this reminds me of piecing together chats from all the senior engineers and leaders who have told me stories and historical tidbits from their early days in tech. Spectacularly fun read. LINK

Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization

Whether you agree or disagree with the author’s arguments, Scientific Freedom raises important points about the role of science and its place in our civilization. Braben discusses the pitfalls of funding and peer review, and he discusses a fresh model for research and the reinvigoration of scientific discovery.

This is an updated version to the first edition published in 2008. Beset with beautiful formatting, well-done charts, and more. Big ups to Stripe Press for its continued efforts to publish and highlight important writing. LINK
This Is How I Get The Most Out Of A Headline Analyser Tool.
By: Aldric Chen
Tags: Writing Tips, Technology, Productivity, Communication, Writing

Top Headline # 1 — This Is the Best Way To Think About …

Analyser Score: 85 points.

This is one headline type that points to the highest utility of thinking. There are many ways to skin a cat. And this is the best way.

You help readers save their time by presenting the best way ahead. It could be a short-cut or a life trivia.

In short, this is the way ahead.

Top Headline # 2 — This Is How I Got The Most Out Of …

Analyser Score: 82 points.

This shows the reader that you are an experimental scientist, and you found a way to extract the most value out of an activity.

This is about extracting and retaining the most information from a book, for instance. It is highly valued by students who are coping with their examinations.

Top Headline # 3 — How To … And Get The Most Out Of … When You Have No Time …

Analyser Score: 87 points.

As with the Top 2, this category is about showing the short-cut with a time dimension. What if all we have is 10 minutes? What is the best way to get the most out of a gym workout over a 30-minute lunch break?

People who struggle with time control will be attracted to such headlines.

Top Headline # 4 — How To Be … All The Time …

Analyser Score: 84 points.

This headline is about life lessons, in my opinion.

Try inserting different words in between “To Be” and “All The Time.”. You will realize that positive words make sense. Negative words do not.

Take, for instance, “How To Be Calm All The Time.”.

It showcases life lessons accumulated over time.

Many people need it. I need it. Thanks for writing it.

Top Headline # 5 — What You Can Do When You Are Sick And Tired Of …

Analyser Score: 84 points.

This headline deals with overcoming negativity.

I think it deserves a pre-set high score because we are all sick and tired of something. I am sick and tired of people trying to tell me what to do or what not to do.

I am sick and tired of listening to people telling me how to do things this way or that when they are not doing it.

You know, things like that.

Top Headline # 6 — What You Need To Know About … And How To Deal With it …

Analyser Score: 85 points.

This headline type deals with circumstances.

Insert in a difficult circumstance you have encountered, and you will know what I know. They can range from asking for a pay raise, emotional people, tendering a resignation.

It teaches readers to expect and how to deal with the next step.

Top Headline # 7 — What Happens When You Start Doing … For The First Time …

Analyser Score: 86 points.

This is about personal growth. It shows how uncomfortable we are attempting to do things for the first time.

It also shows how it really isn’t that difficult or how it is tough beyond comprehension. In any case, this is about a reflection.
Catharsis Submission Guidelines
By: Navya Gupta
Tags: Storytelling, Poetry, Writing, Submission Guidelines, Catharsis

How to submit?

If you are already a writer with Catharsis, you know the drill — After thoroughly reviewing your draft, click on the three dots beside the Publish icon in the right hand corner of your Draft page. Select Catharsis and send.

Also, please note: If your story is in alignment with the guidelines, it will be published within 48 hours without fail.

If you are not a writer with us yet, you can either reply to this story/leave a comment and we’ll add you as a writer or you can send an email at contactnavyagupta@gmail.com with your Medium profile link.

We welcome each and every one of you to this family with open arms. We can’t wait to read your story.

If you still have any questions or doubts, feel free to reply here or reach us at contactnavyagupta@gmail.com.
Wine Classifier Using Supervised Learning with 98% Accuracy
By: Michelangiolo Mazzeschi
Tags: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Wine, Big Data

With the information I just obtained from the graph, I already have an idea of the kind of classifier I am going to use: a Naive Bayes Classifier. This machine learning classifier performs extremely well on normally distributed data (do not believe developer who mocks it!). If the distributions are situated apart from each other, even better, it will be much easier to distinguish among the three different classes.

4. Preprocessing

Given that this is a very simple dataset and the data is already in numerical form, I personally do not think I need to make any preprocessing. If you are a beginner, know that you need to preprocess data when you have to prepare it for your model (for example converting categorical data to encoded data).

Extracting Labels

The only thing I am going to do is extracting labels from the dataset so that I can feed it to the model.

v.upload.retrieve_backup(e.K)

v.extract.labels(['Wine'])

e.y

sample of labels

5. Splitting

I will now split X (features) and y (labels) into train and test. As a default, I will use a .2 proportion for the test side.

X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = v.split(0.2)

print(X_train.shape, X_test.shape, y_train.shape, y_test.shape)

6. Machine Learning Model

It is now time to create my AI:

Creating the Model

I will be using the scikit-learn library, one of the best open-source machine learning libraries.

from sklearn.naive_bayes import GaussianNB

clf = GaussianNB()

Training the Model

I will use my train samples to find the rules that link X to y. Then, I will make an estimate on X_test and compare it with the actual results that the model has never seen: y_test.

clf = clf.fit(X_train, y_train)

y_predict = clf.predict(X_test)

from sklearn.metrics import accuracy_score

print(accuracy_score(y_test, y_predict))

1.0

100%! Astonishing result!

7. Evaluation

I have only been splitting the dataset once, but, to improve the validity of the model, I can use a cross-validation algorithm to test the model on 10 different splits, each one with different data taken from the dataset.

v.statistics.cross_validation(clf, X_train, y_train, 10) Accuracy: 0.96 (+/- 0.09)

[1.00,

1.00,

1.00,

0.92,

0.92,

1.00,

0.85,

0.92,

0.92,

1.00

]

Depending on the data in train and test determined by the split, the accuracy ranges from 85% to 100%, with an average of 96%. The result can vary, the top I obtained is 98% after a few attempts.
Stumbling on the Happiness of Being Like Everyone Else
By: Chad Prevost
Tags: Authors, Books, Happiness, Psychology, Two Minute Takeaway

In some ways we realize we’re all very much alike. That’s why we can get behind big, bold statements like: “All men are created equal.” But research shows that regardless of IQ or education level, we are all susceptible to similar errors in our reasoning. As a result, most people believe they are the exceptions to the rule.

Most overestimate their abilities and underestimate their weaknesses. Some researchers call this “illusory bias.” It reminds me of author William Saroyan’s statement:

“Everyone has got to die, but I always thought an exception would be made in my case.”

Daniel Gilbert’s, Stumbling on Happiness, brings to life the latest scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics. Gilbert reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine the future, and about our capacity to predict how much we will like it when we get there. (Hint: we’re not very good.)

He explains in detail the cognitive errors we make in trying to predict our future happiness. The greatest ability of the human brain is to imagine, to see the world as it has never been before. Our brains fall victim to biases that cause our predictions of the future, and our memories of the past, to be inaccurate.

This leads to our fallibility and not being able to predict well what will make us happy. He also outlines one technique that has been effective in predicting future happiness, but then goes on to discuss the reason why the vast majority of humans won’t use it.
Food Waste Economics
By: Christina Gayton
Tags: Economy, Economics, Sustainability, Environment, Food

HOW FOOD IS WASTED

People waste food at four levels: producer, distributor, seller, and consumer. At these levels, three types of food get discarded: food gone bad, food we think is bad, and food we know is still consumable, but we don’t want.

1. LOST IN TRANSIT

When genuinely non-consumable food is thrown away, it is usually because problems in packaging, storage, and transportation at the production level and consumers and sellers stocking more than needed. For the average US household, approximately $2200 of food is tossed- roughly a fifth of goods in every consumer’s shopping cart.

Surprisingly, actually bad food is the smallest margin of food wasted. On average, 90% of tossed food can still be safely eaten.

2. OVEREMPHASIZED EXPIRATION DATES AND APPEARANCES

The largest category of food trash is food we think is bad, but could actually still be consumed. This comes down to aesthetics and expiration dates. First, aesthetically, producers and sellers are hesitant to deal with misshapen or bruised goods, even if they’re still eatable. At the retail level, there is an emphasis on all individual products looking homogeneous. So, when an item is perceived as a distorted, such as a two-bodied pear, it won’t make the market shelves. Tacked on to this, there is hesitation to consume food that looks slightly bruised or is past its sell-by date. However, when it comes to bruises on produce, damaged boxes, or passed sell-by dates, it often only indicates a decrease in quality- not in-edibility. Thus, the items are tossed.

3. LEFTOVERS

Lastly, when we throw away food we know is still good, but we simply don’t want, it is often because the time, resources, and money needed to donate the food or transport it to someone who would eat the food outweighs what we believe the possible good to be. For sellers in particular, companies like Walmart recognize that it is more cost efficient to throw away the good than to spend money on a driver to transport the food to a homeless shelter.
When Your Calling Seems Vague and Unclear, You’re on the Right Track
By: Jeff Goins
Tags: Self Improvement, Work, Entrepreneurship, Careers, Productivity

Lesson 2: Just Because It’s Hard Doesn’t Mean You Should Quit

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Aristotle

I’m wary of people who can name their dream immediately without having had any real experience with it. The flame that is fast to light is also the quickest to burn out.

Although you occasionally encounter rare cases of people knowing what they were meant to do since childhood, most struggle with the clarity concept. But what if we at least temporarily disregarded it?

Often, I hear people tell me they would gladly follow their passions in life, if they just knew what they were. Or they have too many interests in life and don’t know which one to focus on.

So where do you start?

Instead of following your passion, as Cal Newport says, maybe you should let your passion follow you. We all tend to enjoy activities we’re good at and shy away from the things we’re not. So if you don’t have something like that, don’t wait for passion. Just get so good that the enjoyment soon follows. And if it doesn’t, you can always pick something else.

Naming and claiming a dream is a popular trend these days. What’s far less popular is the disciplined practice of a craft — spending thousands of thankless hours getting great at something before sharing it with the world.

If you tell me, “I want to be an author” but have never written a word, I’m skeptical.

If you say, “I was born to be a carpenter” but have never lifted a hammer, I’m doubtful.

You may like the idea of being a writer or the image of being on a construction project, but you haven’t done any actual work. You don’t understand the cost of the dream, of putting yourself out there and risking failure. Therefore, it has no real value to you. You have to practice.

But not all practice is equal. In fact, most people have no idea how to do something with excellence, which is little wonder why we drift from one meaningless job to the next. Maybe what we need is not less work and more four-hour work weeks, but instead the kind of practice that demands our total presence and most serious attitude.

This is what Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, calls “deep practice.” It is the kind of activity that requires all your strength and attention but also ends up being the most fulfilling thing you could possibly do. No, it isn’t always easy, but since when did your calling have to come easy?

And if you choose to wait, to bide your time before beginning to figure out what you were meant to do with your life, well, that’s a form of practice, too.
A World Without Climate Role Models — 5 Years After the Paris Agreement
By: Amanda Hanemaayer
Tags: Environment, Climate Action, Sustainability, Awareness, Learning

In response to many commemorative and reflective discussions taking place to mark the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Greta Thunberg boldly accused national and international leaders of creating “distant hypothetical targets” and “new loopholes with empty words,” ultimately falling short of every uttered promise.

With no intention of completely nullifying the attempts at the progress that has been made, I agree with her remarks. While electoral politics is inherently geared toward alleviating immediate concerns, governments have an obligation to anticipate future adversity, especially perils so clearcut as the ramifications of climate change. We stand in a situation now where these consequences are already perceptible and worsening.

And yet, five years after the signing of the Paris Agreement, there are no global role models on climate change action. Only Morocco and the Gambia are on track for meeting the 1.5 degree Celsius limit set forth in this agreement meant to hold nations accountable for their actions.

But the young activist was also correct to implore for our optimism and for a fervent, unbending commitment to making climate change mitigation and transitions toward a more sustainable global society our highest priority. All along, I have believed that the engagement of individuals and communities in the discussions concerning how to address the climate crisis will be imperative to ensure that appropriate action is actually taken in order to curb emissions and establish sustainable solutions moving forward.

Without awareness of the current and imposing ramifications of global warming continually incurred with our inaction, and the daunting facts held secret for many years that human action is to blame, any number of other misfortunes, more paramount at the moment, will claim the position of highest salience. Rapid transitions without the will to adopt greener technology and more sustainable solutions will inevitably feel like some form of loss.

But long, drawn-out problems — such as systemic racism, gender inequality, and, naturally, climate change — demand enduring commitments.

Often we complain about an absence in political will when we ourselves remain confined to past traditions and resistant to change. Governments will move forward with climate action more aggressively when we push them to do so. So engage in discussion with your climate change-denying father and choose to eat plant-based even when it annoys your friends; speak as loudly as you can and listen to your Mother.