fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Should You Be Using Instagram For Business?
By: Peter Oflina
Tags: Social Media M, Instagram Marketing, Instagram, Social Media Business, Instagram Business Tips

Instagram is a social networking app that was designed to let you share videos and photos online. Most people think that it’s just a way for people to share their holiday snaps or what they’re eating with friends.

Ancak Instagram bir sosyal medya güç merkezi geldi geldi. İşletmelerin ve markaların bağlantı kurması ve satışlarını artırması için harika bir yer için geldi. Bir ay içinde Instagram 120 fazla kişi bir web ziyareti planlanacak, yol alacak, ara, e-posta gönderecek veya Instagram'da bir ödemede bir ödeme planı.

Easy to Use

Instagram is incredibly easy for anyone to use. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to social media websites, you’ll find that Instagram has a very user-friendly interface that you will learn to use effectively in no time. It’s a great way to give your business a bit of personality and spark some customer interest.

Instagram Free

You generally have to spend money when it comes to tools and resources to improve and grow your business, but you can set up Instagram account for free by downloading the app onto your smartphone or tablet. There are no limitations in any way. You also don’t need to spend any money to create a business profile.

Valuable Insights

A business profile on Instagram enables you to obtain valuable insight into your followers. This is unique information only available to owners of business accounts. You’ll find out more information about who your followers are and when they’re online.

Instagram every day

Millions of people around the globe use Instagram every day. Using hashtags makes it easy to get your posts in front of people looking for particular things about your business, products or services, but who may not be following you yet.

Getting a business!

Getting a business profile on Instagram will make it possible for you to get creative with the videos and photos that you publish. You must post unique, quality content if you want your business to be a hit on Instagram.

You can get creative by using Instagram stories. It’s a feature that allows you to post a photo or video but it’s only available for 24 hours. After that, it’s gone. Because they are not around forever, people are encouraged to view and share them quickly. For businesses, Instagram stories have great potential and can be used to boost business if they are used correctly.
ONE MILLION IMPRESSIONS ON INSTAGRAM AR FILTERS
By: Yogesh Kumar
Tags: One Million, Impressions, Instagram Marketing, Instagram, Augmented Reality

The hero of the story is Kankshit my friend whom I met online in an online marketing cohort-based course.

Picture credits: Brett Jordan

It was in January 2021, when he got to know that making Instagram AR Filters is a thing that I do. So he thought let’s try this out, and here it begins.

And he made a few filters and published some of them and today we are going to talk about one of them.

He named that filter “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” so is the idea/ theme of the filter is which he went on to publish on his Instagram account, @d3signwithk (the filters appear in the effects of the Instagram profile and this can be easily noticed as three stars and he forgot about them.

Picture Credits: Claudio Schwarz

Later in the month of June, he somehow opened the account and hopped onto his spark AR dashboard and there he notices something…..

this happened he saw these stats and most amazing stat was the shares and saves which he received on his filter.

The engagement was crazy he was amazed…

It was all because of the filter and his ideation behind the creation process.

ENGAGEMENT

You can see he does not have a big followers base on his account. Still he managed to get all these many impressions.

The hero is still amazed and what was just an experiment is a story today.

Keep creating.

The Augmented Reality is the upcoming thing and has not reached his inflexion point like Virtual Reality so there is opportunity to transform your brand story using AR Filters in your marketing campaign.

So what we can learn from the story:

Always experiment. Include Augmented Reality Filters to make brand recall and get more awareness

Every story has a villain too and the villain here is Call To Action (CTA)

If this was a targeted campaign then we redirected the users directly to create a big following or more brand awareness and following.

But it didn’t happen.

It was just an experiment.

The story ends……..
Three Things to Keep in Mind for Instagram Success in 2021
Tags: Instagram Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Instagram

Three Things to Keep in Mind for Instagram Success in 2021 EVINS 4 days ago·3 min read

Today we’re covering an important topic: how can brands succeed on Instagram in 2021? The beloved platform seems to be evolving almost constantly and it’s important for marketers to regularly evaluate how and when to modify their brand’s approach to maximize success. With that in mind, our team has rounded up some of top simple tips below to consider for Instagram success both this year and into 2022.

Let’s Get Reel

Reels are a must! Since it’s a newer feature on Instagram, the platform is putting more priority around it algorithm-wise and our team has been seeing particularly strong engagement with this format (higher than static content) for client influencer campaigns. What’s more, this analysis from Conviva found that the average NFL team’s Reel is generating 67% more engagements than a typical Instagram video. Reels are worth a try and don’t need to be overly choreographed. The whole point is to be fun, quick and entertaining. Give it a shot!

Are Stories the New Feed?

As users continue to gravitate towards more authentic-feeling video content, Instagram Stories cannot be ignored. According to Instagram, over 500 million people use Stories daily. Sprout Social also reports that one-third of the most-viewed Stories come from brands. We’re seeing a ton of impressive engagement and views from users there on behalf of clients and influencers we’ve worked with this year. It’s not enough to just bank on getting noticed in users’ traditional Instagram feeds. Stories are a little more raw and a little more real than in-feed content, which is exactly what audiences are interested in more and more these days even before COVID. Social fans love participating in brand or influencer polls and “questions” on Stories that let them weigh in. It’s all about anything that gives them an opportunity to interact and be heard by a brand or influencer.

Audience Gut Check

Last but not least, remember: don’t just post what you think will work well. It’s about your audience! This has always been important, it’s still important in 2021 and will always be important. It might seem obvious, but it is often overlooked and not reassessed nearly as much as it should be. Think about the age you’re targeting, what their interests are that tie to your brand, what holidays and events they celebrate and are interested in and what other brands they follow. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Plus, it’s important to regularly ask your audience, whether via Instagram Stories polls or questions or directly in captions for in-feed posts, what they want to see you post about. Also, regularly assess the performance of your posts each month to see which ones are resonating the most and focus on posting more of that type of content, and less of the content that received the least engagement.

What are your top tips for Instagram success in 2021? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on Instagram (@evinssct) if you have any other insights to share.
How Brands Are Reacting To Drake’s Certified Lover Boy
By: Trisha B
Tags: Reactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Instagram Marketing, Pop Culture, Content Marketing

Social Media Marketing, Pop Culture

How Brands Are Reacting To Drake’s Certified Lover Boy

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Last week, Drake released his new album Certified Lover Boy, and its cover is taking social media by storm with its image portraying 12 pregnant women emojis, surely it has become one of the most talked-about album art this 2021.

Album art for Certified Lover Boy by Damien Hirst

And of course, brands are so quick-witted that they made sure to hop on the trend even during their supposed weekend break. Talk about raise!

Here are some of our favorites:

Adobe: Certified Adobe Boy

Shopify: Certified Shopping Bag

Dunkin Donuts: Certified Pumpkin Lover

One of my favorites because it’s Fall season!

Doritos: Certified Doritos Lover

What a way to promote your products!

KFC: CertiFRIED Chicken lover

Pepsi: Certified Pepsi Lover

Not gonna lie, didn’t know most of these flavors exist!

Which one’s your favorite? I am loving everything! Listen to Drake’s new album on Spotify and Apple Music.
How To Use Instagram Influencers for Your Business
By: Sean Peck
Tags: Instagram Marketing, Social Media, Business Development, Business, Digital Marketing

What is an influencer?

An individual who has a following in a particular niche/industry, which they actively engage with. They also have the power to affect the purchase decisions of others because of the position they develop with their audience.

Instagram micro-influencers with followers anywhere between 5,000 to 50,000 are useful sources of generating profit from your business.

Why does influencer marketing work so well?

As people are exposed to more advertising content than ever, it’s important to get creative in order to stand out from traditional standard advertisements. Advertising experiences must be appealing and not spammy whatsoever.

This is why influencer marketing can be such a powerful choice for your brand. Influencers are seen as authority figures and experts in their fields and usually are very passionate about the niche that they are in.

Scaling

Scale simply means ‘to grow or expand,’ and this marketing model of using Influencers is easily scalable. If you want to increase brand awareness, scaling is highly recommended.

For example, if 1 influencer is bringing in sales for your business, you might as well use that profit and spend it on more micro-influencers. It’s also important to know that Just because an influencer has hundreds of thousands, or millions, of followers doesn’t mean that they will get you the best profit. Once an influencer reaches a certain size, their engagement rates tend to decrease.

Although a micro-influencer with 5,000–50,000 followers will usually be more humble and excited just to partner up with any brand and will charge a much fairer price.

Not only are they easy to contact but they reply fast too, which is great! The last thing you want is to work with someone who takes forever to reply (already a bad sign for future business).

On top of this, Micro-Influencers are usually very friendly and more understanding of working with new businesses and their budget constraints which is great! Whereas a large influencer would probably just brush you off and not even reply to your messages.
Lead generation tools to get more targeted leads.
By: Lucky Gupta
Tags: Business Strategy, Business Intelligence, Lead Generation, Digital Marketing, Business Development

No matter what industry you’re in, if you’re not generating new leads you’ll eventually go out of business. Everyone has some sort of lead generation process. It can be a time-consuming process, too, but it doesn’t have to be.

Lead generation is also a great way to increase brand awareness, which as you can assume, most brands strive for. Fortunately, there is no shortage of lead generation tools to help you accomplish this.

Lead Generation Tool

Any tool you use to find or create leads is a lead generation tool. Your calendar, your calling app, your CRM — they’re all connected to the lead generation process. Each tool has its own little role.

Without these databases, this whole list would be null and void. You can’t chase a lead you can’t access. You can’t schedule a call until you’ve found contact information.

So, lead databases are an essential part of the process and most companies use more than one. Here are 3 that will help you find the right leads for your business.

Lead generation is an integral part of any sales process. Hopefully, we’ve enabled you with a more powerful lead gen strategy thanks to these tools.
User Experience Rules For Website Creation
By: James Maxfield
Tags: Single Page Website, Lead Generation, Onepagewebsite, Onepage Website Templates

Introduction:

People nowadays utilize the internet for various purposes, including information, socializing, and online purchasing.

Because of the rapid expansion of the internet, users now have many options, and there is fierce rivalry among websites to succeed.

While the items and services offered by users continue to be the essential factor in determining the site’s success, the user’s experience on the site is as critical.

Applying the following rules, you will be learning will help you break the circle of defeat with your website and set you onto your industry because you’ll be able to create application software that delivers values.

Responsive Design:

The first thing that anyone willing to create an engaging website would want to consider is responsiveness. The pages have to be easily accessible for users, and whether they are in a landscape mood or portrait style, they can still enjoy their experience with the software.

Design Hierarchy:

The arrangement of website components should be so easy that users easily navigate through the essential parts without distraction.



Remember that the purpose of UX optimization is to guide visitors to do the desired action without feeling like a robot, to make the overall experience pleasurable. Your website should be in a way that the audience is attracted to the main components. Moreover, No one would choose software with blurry images over another one with high visual quality.

Also Read: How to Plan effective lead generation ads on Facebook in 5 Simple Steps

Make It As Simple As Possible:

Your website aesthetic is crucial; most visitors aren’t there to judge how sleek the design can be. Instead, they are on the website to get over a particular problem or locate a particular piece of content.



As a result, design components that are not useful (i.e., those with no practical purpose) will practically overload visitors and make it more difficult for them to achieve their goals.

Conclusion:

User experience design entails more than simply making a user-friendly website. If your user has a negative experience with your website, the whole reason for developing it may be gone. Also, with today’s level of competition, you can’t afford to overlook user experience. As a result, it’s critical to select a competent web design agency with expertise in building user experience designs and take them as seriously as any other component of custom website design.
CoStar Homes.com acquisition & effective lead generation for agents
By: Daniel Ramsey
Tags: Costar, Virtual Assistant, Homes, Real Estate, Lead Generation

Top Tips For Generating Leads:

• Leverage the best resources, talent, and tools

Consider hiring a full-time, professional real estate virtual assistant — often times up to 70% less in costs from a traditional employee. Allow your talent to coordinate lead generation efforts. Use your website visitors, mailing list subscribers and social media followers as active contacts through which to generate leads. Get creative with the tools you use; tap into other channels you use to promote or recommend your business; leverage apps to provide additional functionality; connect with online influencers. There are many online lead generation tools that provide free leads — many of which are built for real estate agents.

• Do your research

Conduct a market analysis to identify the top markets for your product or service so that you can focus your lead generation efforts on those regions and markets with the highest potential.

• Maintain good inventory

Inventory is critical! Make sure you have a current list of active buyers and sellers posted online so that leads can be directed to the correct person/s when they fill out their profile information.

• Set a good foundation

Credible website with the right look and feel. Setting up your website with industry relevant keywords for your property search, good photos of your listings and concise descriptions of the properties will reduce search time and increase the chance that a lead will contact you.

• Reach out to those in your network:

If you have a social media presence then be sure to make use of it. Interact with members on sites like Facebook, Twitter etc., especially if you are using it as a personal page, share useful information/resources that will encourage your network to be active on these areas (ex. offer referral links or special deals having to do with your business).
Profit Mate Review -Email Marketing Solution to Build An Email List
By: Alexandra Davis
Tags: Email Marketing Software, Email Marketing, Email List Building, Lead Generation, Email Marketing Tips

Profit Mate Review -Email Marketing Solution to Build An Email List

Profit Mate is a cloud-based software that helps you to instantly build an unlimited email list from the internet in 42 seconds? All you need to do is to search “any keyword” & Profit Mate will automatically build a list to earn profits.

Profit Mate- Email Marketing Automation Software

Who is the Creator of Profit Mate?

Let me introduce to you the prominent figure behind this outstanding software: Brendan Mace.

He has been in this online marketing thingy for many years throughout the journey, he has gained so much experience and perfected his skills in designing products that can help users maximize their potential of making money online.

Some of his successfully launched products that you may have heard of are Smash My Campaigns, Zero Hour Work Days, Five Figure Freedom, Take It Flash Sale, CloneME, Super Funnels Flash Sale, Set & Forget FLASH SALE, Beast Funnels — Flash Sale, 5 Minute Profit Pages.

Profit Mate: Idea of generating AUTOMATED leads

Think about it. The idea of generating AUTOMATED leads used to be just a fantasy. Not unlike a myth or legend. But it’s not… This is a way to “GET INSTANT TRAFFIC” & skip “reinventing the wheel” from scratch.

Read Full Article
📸 In Pictures: the UK Armed Forces at Hamid Karzai International Airport
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: Military, Afghanistan, Kabul, Photo Essay, UK

📸 In Pictures: the UK Armed Forces at Hamid Karzai International Airport

UK Armed Forces are continuing to assist with the evacuation of British nationals and Afghan civilians from Kabul following the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan Ministry of Defence Follow Aug 23 · 4 min read

UK Armed Forces personnel continue to work around the clock with allies in Kabul, Afghanistan to help evacuate Afghan civilians and British nationals from the country.

So far, thousands of people have been taken out of Afghanistan on Operation PITTING, the name for the military support to the evacuation of British nationals and former staff eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

Armed Forces personnel have been working around the clock on Op PITTING.

Alongside the evacuation, Armed Forces personnel continue to provide humanitarian support to those wanting to leave the country, providing food, water, baby milk, nappies and sanitary packs to those in need.

More than 1,000 UK personnel are deployed to Kabul to assist with the evacuation process. Working with the US and other allies, the UK Armed Forces have been able to ensure that civilians are able to get to safety.

Take a look at how we have been working with our US partners👇

The Royal Air Force is using a range of air transport to transit Afghan civilians and British nationals outside of Afghanistan back to the UK, including C-17, A400M and C-130 aircraft.

Personnel have been assisting with evacuating from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

Take a look below at the UK Armed Forces assisting with the evacuation of Afghan civilians and British nationals👇
The Taliban Is The Least Of The World’s Problems
By: Max Rottersman
Tags: Taliban, Geopolitics, Afghanistan, United State

Without an air force or heavy artillery the Taliban can’t hold onto anything.

Just a quick observation about American short-sightedness. We stopped fighting a war in Afghanistan in 2013. Instead, we’ve been running a peacekeeping mission. So if the police move out why wouldn’t the gangs come back?

I’m not going to argue that the U.S. (and other Western powers) should have stayed in Afghanistan (I’m on the fence). But I am going to argue that Americans are woefully naive if they believe this is going to be the end of it.

In today’s NYT article, like almost all Western coverage, we’re only shown Afghanistan by itself. The map above is the big picture.

China, Russia, India, Pakistan, KSA and Turkey will all try to increase their geopolitical strength by using Afganistan to push their enemies back. Unlike the U.S., they cannot leave Afghanistan alone, even if they idealistically wanted to.

The Taliban cannot and has never survived without foreign money.

If the Taliban choose not to take foreign money and weapons then Militant Group X will take it (from India, Iran, Russia, China or Turkey).

I’m up for bashing the U.S. any day of the week. But in this case, I feel sad that we’ve become as cynical and short-sighted as this.

What about the argument that we need to put our resources into containing China? If that were true then we’d be doubling up on Afghanistan! Iran already controls Iraq. China is increasingly controls Iran. Therefore, if you look at this map you will see that with the U.S. gone, China may end up expanding its de-facto border almost into the Mediterranean Sea!

Perhaps, in the end, that’s for the best. Again, I’m just pointing out the situation is not what you read in the NYT. It’s complex and scary as shit to anyone who follows it.

What Americans don’t understand is we don’t worry about borders because we’re so isolated. This is NOT the case in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It’s easy for Americans to say, what’s the big deal? Yet border insecurity was a big factor in both World Wars.

The West leaving Afghanistan is not without huge risks in global peace. There’s nothing preventing a 3rd World War from starting like the two before it. Last time we were the underdog with little to lose. Not so today.

A follow-on to this piece here.
Madam Speaker: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the U.S. Speaker of the House
By: Speaker Pelosi
Tags: Military, Afghanistan, Democrats, Insurrection, Congress

On Monday, Madam Speaker joined Golden State Opportunity, parents and advocates for a virtual press event as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Child Tax Credit Awareness Day to ensure parents know about the American Rescue Plan’s historic expansion of the Child Tax Credit and how it will benefit their families. On Tuesday, Madam Speaker spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid to congratulate him on his new position and the new government and discuss the strong relationship and shared values between the two countries. Wednesday, the Speaker joined Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Michael Turner and bipartisan Members of Congress for the introduction of the Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. Thursday, Speaker Pelosi held her weekly press conference today in the Capitol Visitor Center, announcing the establishment of a Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection to uncover the truth behind the deadly attack on our democracy. On Friday morning, Speaker Pelosi met with His Excellency Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, ahead of a bipartisan leadership meeting.

Take a look at this week’s behind-the-scenes photos:
What I’m Reading
By: Florian Schoppmeier
Tags: Ethiopia, Afghanistan, India, Journalism, Photojournalism

International Developments to Keep an Eye On

I recommended a powerful visual story about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia two weeks ago. Recently, I read two articles that steered my thoughts back to those pictures from the Tigray region and my writing about them.

The first of those articles is a background story about the conflict and the role Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed plays in the current situation.

The New York Times writer Declan Walsh beautifully explains the context of the Tigray crisis. There’s a great depth of important information in this story; facts and anecdotes that help readers make sense of and understand what is happening in Tigray.

From Nobel Hero to Driver of War, Ethiopia’s Leader Faces Voters starts us off with a powerful anecdote that shows the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner as a leader who’s more interested in showing visiting politicians economic success stories than addressing an ongoing war.

I highly recommend you give this story your attention, for it rewards you with the facts and perspective you need to follow Ethiopia’s path.

There are also stunning pictures by Finbarr O’Reilly that add emotional depth to our understanding of the country, its difficult path, and its people.

The second read I want to talk about is not about Ethiopia. It’s from a different crisis, but I found myself thinking about very similar topics and questions when I came across the Taliban Enter Key Cities in Afghanistan’s North After Swift Offensive.

It’s a “simple” and short update on Afghanistan written by Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Najim Rahim, informing us of the Taliban retaking strategically important cities.

The political decision that international troops are leaving Afghanistan has been long in the making. Ever since the first withdrawals came to effect, the Taliban increased their attacks and pushed for renewed control over the country and its people.

It’s a sad and frustrating situation. Without trying to enter into a political discussion about the western military presence in the region, here are a few interesting reads about:

I hope there’s something in this collection of articles you find interesting.
Emigration from Afghanistan: A War That Does Not End
By: Andrew Kane
Tags: Afghanistan, Middle East, Immigration, Terrorism, Politics

A new round of Afghan migration has begun. This trend in the West shows that Afghanistan is still affected by the war and despite the activities of NATO, no positive results have been achieved. Since July, the United States and NATO have been planning to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, two months before September, the date set by US President Joe Biden.

There is talk of a possible political settlement through talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban. Negotiations have not yet been concluded and the two sides have not yet been able to convince each other to sit at the negotiating table and share power. The process of achieving peace between Kabul and the Taliban will allow a large-scale civil war to be avoided. But Afghanistan will change. According to experts, everything will happen in the summer and events will likely lead the country in another direction, or towards peace and tranquility, or the beginning of violence and civil war, such as the scenario realized in Syria and the recurrence of tragedies and years. The turmoil of the last century.

Many Afghans fear that the withdrawal of US troops will not have a positive effect. They believe the Taliban are waiting for all the foreign troops supporting the Afghan government to leave the country and then start violence in Kabul. Now, everything depends on the seriousness of Afghanistan’s leaders.

According to some estimates, the number of Afghan refugees could be between 50,000 and 100,000. Most migrations are to Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, India, and Europe. Currently, Afghans are the second-largest group of refugees after the Syrians due to insecurity, violence, and war in Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan has killed tens of thousands of people, cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and left the future of a war-torn country. It is unclear what other consequences await Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign troops. To date, about 6.3 million Afghan refugees have entered Pakistan and Iran. After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country is in danger of becoming the first country in terms of the number of refugees. Summer is a hot season for Afghans who can face serious changes and dramatic changes in the political equation.
Is it at all possible to consider a trade relationship with them that can allow them to determine…
By: Princess Carrie Graham
Tags: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Biden Policies, Economics, Politics

Is it at all possible to consider a trade relationship with Afghanistan that can allow them to determine their own path to economic sovereignty?

We will allow the Purdue company family to get rich off pharmaceutical opiates here in North America, but somehow Afghanistan's poppy business is illegal.

That makes no sense.

Address their poverty, and the extremism usually follows. This is what the proselytizing mosques there have known for years: feed them and they will follow you. We exacerbated their poverty when we dumped them after using them against the Soviets. We left them with a decimated nation full of bombed infrastructure and broken promises.

We MADE bin Laden.

So where are we now? Aside from always being willing to provide more bombs, more guns, and more soldiers, where are the schools we promised them? The hospitals? The roads? The foreign investment?

I hope that's our next chapter. After all our broken promises and generations of rubbing our wealth in their faces while they watch their children starve, I really hope that helping them rebuild is the next chapter.
Conda env, Kernel and Jupyter Notebook in GCP
Tags: Gcp, Conda, Kernel, Jupyter

One thing we can do is, we can create different kernels which uses specific conda environment.

step1: prepare a conda env yml file called mydep.yml (doesn’t matter what it is called, as long as it’s a .yml `), make sure ipykernel is included in the dependency list:

name: test-env

dependencies:

- python=3.7

- pip

- ipykernel

step2: create a conda env using this yml, the bash command below will create a conda env called test-env (as is defined in the name section in the my_dep.yml ) :

> conda create -f mydep.yml

step3: create a kernel called my_kernel :

python -m ipykernel install --user --name my_kernel

step4: create a startup script that starts a kernel inside of conda env test-env . The script could be in in the my_kernel ’s directory (actually it doesn’t matter where this file resides, it’s put here just for house keeping purposes), which should be:

/home/jupyter/.local/share/jupyter/kernels/my_kernel

or one can easily find it out by running the following command in the terminal:

> jupyter kernelspec list

my_kernel /home/jupyter/.local/share/jupyter/kernels/my_kernel python3 /opt/conda/share/jupyter/kernels/python3

create a new file called kernel-startup.sh ,

> cd /home/jupyter/.local/share/jupyter/kernels/my_kernel

> vim kernel-startup.sh

whose content should be as follows, make sure you reference the correct env:

#!/usr/bin/env bash



# activate anaconda env

source activate test-dev



# this is the critical part, and should be at the end of your script:

exec python -m ipykernel $@

step 5: start the my_kernel with the startup script above. in kernel.json file which already exists in the my_kernel directory:

"argv": [

" /home/jupyter/.local/share/jupyter/kernels/my_kernel /kernel-startup.sh",

"-f",

"{connection_file}"

]

step 6: validate!

in your jupyter lab webUI, create a new notebook, and choose the my_kernel kernel on the top right corner,

run either of the 2 following commands:

check all conda environments

one should see the following result, amongst other things, test-env should have a little star next to it.

# conda environments:

#

base /opt/conda

test-env * /opt/conda/envs/test-env

check current environment

'/opt/conda/envs/test-env'

step 7: voila!
Learn To Earn More with Qwiklabs!
Tags: Gcp, Google Cloud, Cloud Learning, Qwiklabs, Google Cloud Platform

Until recently we thought of working and learning as separate experiences. School was meant for learning and jobs were meant for working.

As a student, One might think that there is plenty of time to decide on a career path and to acquire the skills needed to market oneself successfully. It is often believed that completing an academic program will lead to a guaranteed job. This is not always true. What can you do to make yourself attractive to a future employer?

In today’s competitive job market it is essential that you possess relevant skills and experiences that will set you apart from everyone else. Work-based learning experiences can help you focus on your career interests and develop job skills.

Learning new skills or earning a certification can result in a raise upwards of $12,000 a year.

87% IT professionals take certifications seriously as 87% of them have at least one certification.

IT professionals take certifications seriously as 87% of them have at least one certification. Careers in cloud computing can lead to top-paying salaries.

Qwiklabs is here to help you to achieve the skills and certifications that will completely change the trajectory of your careers

Take your career in tech to the next level, build your skills with the Learn to Earn Cloud Challenge. You’ll get free access to 32+ hands-on labs, plus an opportunity to earn prizes, grow your network, and showcase your skills. Join the challenge today!
Noodles & Machine Learning
By: Ravi Srinivasan
Tags: Gcp, Machine Learning, Automl, AI

A Foodie’s interpretation of Machine Learning Flavors

Co-Author aka Partner in All : Annusha Srinivasan (Annusha Srinivasan)

When we started exploring Machine Learning, we realized that there were many solutions available in the market from concept to production. To simplify and understand the options, our initial approach has been, understanding of concepts from MOOC’s, hands on coding using classical ML packages like Numpy, Pandas, Scikit Learn, NLTK, Matplotlib…mostly using Python/R on Anaconda/Pycharm/Rstudio as IDE.

Mr. Ginger's Machine Learning Journey

Though it was easy to get hands dirty & see the power of ML , it became complex when the classical ML approach were deployed for real world problems. Problems compounded due to many factors such as availability /quality of training data, imbalanced data sets, feature engineering requirements, lower precision, accuracy….

When we were building a Machine learning-based classifier for a NLP Classification problem for a business requirement, we encountered challenges in the form of Feature Selection, Imbalanced Data Set, hyper parameter Tuning, etc.

To improve the prediction accuracy, we wanted to try Deep Learning solutions. That’s when we stumbled upon AutoML/SaaS solution offerings across GCP, H20, AWS. In this article we will simplify various flavors of ML offerings from Google Cloud Platform(GCP)
On Identifying the Root Causes of Resistance
By: Institute For Nationalist Studies
Tags: Anti Feudalism, Duterte, Resistance, Anti Imperialism, Anti Facism

Layout by Matt Adapon

April Newsletter

The 500th year of the Battle of Mactan on the 27th of April emphasizes an anti-imperialist struggle, particularly when colonizers exploited Filipinos through land usurpation, harvest pilferage, and forced or unpaid labor.

Centuries after, resistance is further strengthened by the supporting broad masses when the glaring socio-economic crisis enables them to uphold their democratic rights against feudalism and fascism. The prowess to advance our collective struggle is more than prosperous to pursue true national democracy.

To resist is to persistently exhaust all means in exposing landlords and capitalists against their unjust treatment to peasants and workers. It is undeniable that proletariats are more knowledgeable of their privileges and rights, therefore, they cannot be fooled.

These serious crises demand us to guide and reside with the masses in carrying forward their struggles against economical needs, such as the increasing prices and scarcity of agricultural products. As the pandemic further uncovered the government’s incompetence, we must consolidate our efforts to liberate the masses.

How can we combat state-sponsored arrests, killings, and disinformation? The Duterte regime has now become more intolerable for all classes. The current material conditions are daring us to strive for on ground research and community work that continuously expose, oppose, and isolate the enemy.
“The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies”
By: Dejan Nashoku
Tags: Resistance, Poetry On Medium, Oppression, Rebellion, Freedom

“The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies”

I'd been running away for so long

and I've finally caught myself

between the reflection in the mirror

and what walks among the living dead.

A monster on a journey that you can't comprehend,

a closed book that you can't ever read.

In demagogic agony I’ve finally met myself,

survived myself and left myself again.

Born anew, a new grind has arisen,

open wide for everyone to see.

Born from a barren ground,

a womb six feet deep and wide,

from inside a cold coffin

decorated with cut-off voodoo skulls and bones.

I’m the resurrection man,

from the seven fires a jackal-borne,

delivered into this sycophantic world

of a obsequious surrogate of reactions.

Drunk from the milk

that comes out of the xenon tit,

the "liquid of life" pouring from the state that lies and steals,

that hides and kills,

the young, the old, the seekers of truth.

You take your dreams and smash them to bits,

in copious amounts of a dull fever pitch.

A complete matricide, a vivid amnesia,

choking on your addictive drinks and amphetamines,

guilty insomniacs.

A coup d’état, you’re forgetful and blind,

I’ll cut open your eyes

to realize the real lies,

in a world full of narcissistic masquerades

to overthrow the senile men of power.

We the animals, hear the agonizing screams for help that won’t cower.

You suffer from a manufactured envy,

perpetually unsatisfied by design,

a sinking ship of fools,

it’s time to break the paradigm.

An industrial impulse, parametric lies,

commercial degradation

of the basic human life.

In utter subjugated personification

of an automated system,

murdered slowly in increments of time,

reclamation, venom burns inside.

"Leaders of men", a God complex,

distrust and disgust, a natural gag reflex.

Paradise lost, desolated,

in truth we believe,

the resurrected common sense.

Insurrection and independence

from rusty modern shackles

that for years we painfully bled through.

Still echoes and always will,

a legacy of colapse

no more the shameful house of the rats.
The public speaking side quest
By: Morgane Peng
Tags: Design, Careers, UX, Leadership, Public Speaking

Quest requirements

I used to think that speaking was for academic experts or people with charismatic voices and big arm gestures — insert here your typical LinkedIn / Twitter contact wearing a stage mic in their profile picture (yes I was tempted to do the same when I got the above picture, then went for a Pikachu tail).

But when it comes to sharing experiences or educating people, academic experts may not always be the best choice. They have usually long forgotten how it feels not to know something.

There is also an increasing demand for honest talks, without corporate fluff. People with diverse backgrounds are a better fit for this than corporate executives and consultants — who usually have an interest in selling you their products or services.

A diverse bunch of speakers makes a more interesting conference

In reality, what matters is your commitment. Great speakers always prepare their talks. A TedX organizer once told me that beginners are not so bad to manage, because they listen to advice. The less reliable speakers are the ones who think they are so good that they don’t need any preparation.

A serious talk takes months to prepare, rehearse, and fine-tune. Here’s an indicative breakdown of how much work goes into a 30 min talk for me:

Scoping and research : 8 hours

: 8 hours Writing a draft and organizing content : 10 hours

: 10 hours Designing the slides with the script : 10 hours, add another 10 hours if you draw your slides like me

: 10 hours, add another 10 hours if you draw your slides like me Practicing and iterating with people’s feedback: 8 hours

36+ hours is a lot of commitment. Don’t force yourself or feel pressured to do it. Time is scarce so you may be prioritizing learning a new skill, practicing a sport you like, or spending time with your family. Luckily, public speaking has no age requirements, so you can pick up or resume this optional quest whenever suits you, at any point in your career!
5 ways to improve public speaking skills
By: Jaques Montegolifier
Tags: Public Speaking

Speaking in front of large crowds scare many people. They often get nervous, which makes them lose their track. Nervousness is the enemy of confidence. No matter how hard people try to rehearse in front of the mirror, they often fail after seeing the audience in front of them. Such responses can harm ideas and presentation skills, leading to a communication gap. The messages are incomplete and hard to understand when delivered without a clear and concise speech.

Confidence, composure, gestures, tone, and many more factors are involved in improving oratory skills. While many face a tough journey ahead, strategic communication consulting can ease the burden, causing the stress levels to decline and boosting confidence. Given below are five ways in which people can improve their public speaking skills:

1. Seek clarity:

While delivering a speech, speakers must have focus. By maintaining a track of their words, they will never feel lost or lose the attention of the audience. They must understand the purpose of the message. The audience will get bored, confused, or even tired if the speaker fails to deliver the message appropriately.

2. Prepare:

Speakers should be aware of their audience and the demographic limit. They must ensure that their speech relates to every individual’s life so that it becomes easier for them to connect. Proper preparation also involves knowledge of the subject discussed. Research and practice before the final delivery of the speech and create an impact on the audience.

3. Entertain the audience:

Good speeches include personal experiences with strong emotional content. Using humor and jokes helps to a certain extent. Avoid overusing humor as that diverts the attention of the audience without letting the speaker deliver the message effectively. Use emotions that touch the hearts of every person sitting in the audience. And remember, punchlines used towards the end of the speech should be compelling and original.

4. Accept:

Speakers tend to become nervous, which is natural. But they should not allow nervousness to overcome their level of confidence. Sweating a bit is alright unless it does not negatively affect the speech of the speaker. No matter how large the audience, speakers need to accept the circumstances as they arise while maintaining their composure and confidence level.

5. Keeping it real:

Honesty in speeches helps speakers connect deeply with the crowd. They can admit if they are feeling nervous, and that helps in calming them down. Most importantly, speakers must make themselves comfortable while speaking. Strategic communication consulting helps them overcome all their fears without displaying anxiety or nervousness.
3 essentials to acing a group discussion
By: Siddharth Gupta
Tags: Self Improvement, Public Speaking, Self-awareness, Daily Thoughts

3 Essentials to acing a group discussion

I recently graduated with a masters in business administration (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India. Business schools in India thrive on a strong culture of debate and discussions. Group discussions form a part of nearly every process, right from clubs and committee selections to student placements.

Being a part of the society which organised the Annual Festival at IIM Lucknow, group discussions were the only solutions to better decision making.

And often I found myself stuck in situations where the want for every member to put across his/her point led to prolonged debates and half baked conclusions.

2 years of incessant debates around every possible problem the society faced did make each and every one of us a bit wiser on how to effectively participate and contribute to a group discussion.

Here are my 3 essential learnings:

Its not always necessary to start!

Bust the belief that putting across your point as the first is the best way to make it reach every ear.

While addressing an audience even as small as a group of 12, it is imperative that you structure your thoughts, establish a coherence in their flow , and end it with the “crux” of what you wanted to convey.

2. Never break the flow

We all have that one moment in any problem-solving discussion when the solution strikes to us and you instantly experience a eureka feeling along with a strong urge to blurt it out. Should you ?

No ! park that solution aside for the right time.

If you interrupt in between it has 2 disadvantages.

Your solution might be wrong. It will be rejected by the group and moreover people will be disappointed with your eagerness to break the flow of the discussion. Even if the solution is right, you are still breaking the flow and clouding others thoughts . Better solutions which could have been reached are now out of the picture.

Wait for the right time and context, then strike!

3. Criticism is the key to success

Criticism is the most important key for making any discussion worth-wile. It helps in 3 ways:

a. Creates an atmosphere where in one thinks before speaking.

b. Defenses of criticism help you tackle contingencies which might actually arise.

c. Filters out garbage ideas and makes the group reach the solution early.

Happy discussing !
Creating space in Ottawa to empower underrepresented professionals in tech to kickstart their speaking careers
By: Women
Tags: Public Speaking, Professional Development, Diversity In Tech

Why here, why now

By empowering diverse people to succeed, this speaker bootcamp launches the first in a series of positive ripple effects that extend beyond office spaces and conference stages, to build a future that is more inclusive.

Take, for example, the oft-cited challenge of ensuring diversity on panels, fireside chats, workshops and more. When we grow accustomed to seeing only one type of person represented as a “leader,” it becomes harder to imagine those who look different in the same position. It also becomes easier to make assumptions — and excuses — about how much of an effort it would take to invite diverse people to, for example, speak at a conference.

That’s why Women and Color’s Speaker Bootcamp is so refreshing. It provides subject matter experts from underrepresented groups with the opportunity to learn how to take up space where it isn’t already offered to them, gaining the confidence and skills to become the protagonists of their own stories. The greater the opportunity for people with diverse experiences and perspectives to connect — where both are respected and neither are engaged to simply tick a box — the greater our impact and potential to solve the challenges faced by our businesses, societies and the world.