fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Now You Can Buy Bitbon on the Bit Trade Exchange
By: Bitbon System
Tags: Trading, Fintech, Bitbon, Asset Management, Blockchain

The popularity of crypto currencies as a modern financial instrument is growing. More and more start-ups are attracting financing by using crypto instruments. Today, the crypto community pays extensive attention to and focuses on Bitbon. The Bitbon creator considers it to be a crypto value due to a number of its properties and differences from other digital currencies, and the key one among them is its backing by real assets. At the time of writing this article, Bitbon capitalization constituted $604,492,000.

One can buy Bitbons on the Bit Trade exchange of digital assets, which started its functioning on March 13, 2018. On the day when the exchange was launched, the cost of one Bitbon was $5. The price has increased by 20%, and now it is more than $6. The exchange rate of this crypto currency is determined by a special formula published in the Bitbon System White Paper and calculated online in accordance with the number of purchased Bitbons. Based on the further development stages of the Bitbon system, starting from October 10, 2018, the price of Bitbon will be determined by the market method.

By registering on the Bit Trade exchange, each user receives an Assetbox with the ability to customize it, i.e., give it a name (alias) and upload an image (icon) for easy wallet identification. One user can have several Assetboxes depending on their purpose. For example, one Assetbox can be used to make payments, and another one — to accumulate funds for the purchase of real estate, etc. In order to buy Bitbons, the Bit Trade customer should pay an invoice in any bank branch. The purchased Bitbons are credited to the Assetbox according to the rules of the bank which accepts the payment. In the near future, Bit Trade customers will be able to conduct payments using Visa and MasterCard bank cards.

In addition to buying and storing Bitbons in the Bit Trade account, users can transfer funds and make payments to different Assetboxes on the Bit Trade exchange website. It should be noted that there is no commission for Bitbon transfers between Assetboxes. Also, there is Blockchain statistics available on the website, where users can check necessary information on transactions and their dynamics.

To find out more about the Bit Trade exchange of digital assets and Bitbon purchase, follow this link https://www.bit.trade. Detailed information on the Bitbon system and the stages of its further development is published in the Bitbon System White Paper.

The original resourse is: http://www.finsmes.com/2018/05/now-you-can-buy-bitbon-on-the-bit-trade-exchange.html
The Great Lingering
By: Zach J. Payne
Tags: Life Lessons, Poetry, Relationships, Life, Love

after john green.

There is no wealth of you, no resevoir

from which to draw a life of memories

but only whisps of promises, the stars

not found in heaven, only reveries

will take me back to you, the sweat and rhyme

of weary days abandoned to the sun;

we thought ourselves so wealthy, rich with time

the hours idled on, but we’d begun

to trace our portrait on each other’s skin,

a faint reflection, who we’d love to be

an honesty so ripe with lust and sin

we scared ourselves: we set each other free.

But I am left to linger. You will fade

diminished, though the moments dearly made.
Part Two of ‘The Great Flamarion’ (1945)
By: Debbi Mack
Tags: Mystery, Movies, Bmoviemaniacs, Web Series, Film Noir

I hope you’re all enjoying a fantastic Christmas, Hannukah, or other holiday season of your choice!

And, so, here’s Part Two of a decidedly non-holiday movie, The Great Flamarion!

And, as a special holiday treat! This old thing …

PS: Happy Boxing Day! Many happy returns … 🙂
Can You Guess How Old E-Cigarettes Are?
By: Ryan Velasco
Tags: Vape, Vaping, Smoking, Better Health, E Cig

Contrary to the belief that vaping is the modern, hip, sexy, new way to smoke it turns out that vaping is as old as our grandparents, or nearly as old as World War 1. The first patent for electronic vaporization (e-cigs as we know it) was filed by Joseph Robinson in 1927 with the intent of vaporizing medicinal compounds. Although approved in the 1930, no form of it was commercialized therefore never making its way to the consumer. Though, three different patents were filed bearing resemblance to electronic vaporization it wasn’t until 1963 when Herbert A. Gilbert filed, and received his patent in 1965 that commercialization would be attempted. The endeavor to commercialize it failed with Herbert quoted as saying,

‘Those I showed it to could have done it but they chose to wait for the patent to expire and then filed their own versions. I showed it to chemical companies, pharmaceutical companies and tobacco companies and they did what they did to try to protect their markets. I am sure that many great inventions that could have benefited people, in the past and even today, receive the same treatment. As John Cameron pointed out to me, timing can be everything and I was ahead of my time, and in the midst of what some might say was the most powerful advertising period of big tobacco.’[1]

Though there is no evidence that I could find to support his argument, I’m likely to agree because that period of time was when big tobacco dominated society and was therefore a more popular past time.[2]

Fact: ‘Though the word vape is relatively new to the mainstream, it has been around since 1985 when physician Jacobson Norman developed the first commercialized form of e-cigarette.’

It wasn’t until the 1990’s when activity on creating and bringing to market e-cigarettes was on the rise. Both tobacco companies and independent inventors were in constant development and finally in 1998 a major Tobacco company requested permission from the FDA to sell their e-cigarettes. The FDA at the time did not regulate tobacco products, but because e-cigarettes are classified as a drug delivery system the FDA had to approve it before it could be sold. The request was ultimately denied since it was an unapproved drug delivery service. From then on, the idea of e-cigarettes seemed to have faded away, at least in the United States.

In 2003, 52 year old pharmacist and inventor Hon Lik, of Beijing patented the first commercially successful e-cigarette that resembles what we see today. In 2004, it was being sold in the Chinese market with some coming to the United States mostly through small marketing firms.[3] By 2007, Golden Dragon Holdings, Lik’s employer, registered for an international patent under the title ‘Electronic Atomization Cigarette’[4] with the company changing it’s name to Ruyan within the month.[3]

Then from 2006 onward, e-cigarettes left the domestic market of China and entered the global market being introduced to Europe and the United States that same year with other countries later following suit.
The Way of the Midwest: Wayzata High School and its R-word Success
By: Jamie Behymer
Tags: Education, Respect, Special Olympics, Advocacy, Equality

On March 7, 2018, the Governor of Minnesota made a proclamation that this date would be the Spread the Word to End the Word day. One campus, Wayzata High School in Plymouth, MN, hosted events to educate students about the R-word and make their campus a more inclusive place.

“Taking the pledge shows that they [people] respect everyone, with and without disabilities. This is important because it symbolizes that we are all equal,” Katelyn Palasek, a senior at Wayzata High School, said.

At Wayzata, the mission of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is shared throughout a week of events. The campus has an organization, Club US (Unified Students), who promote the R-word activities throughout the week. T-shirts are sold and a banner is on display for students to sign. Events occur during lunch so there is ample time for students to learn about the campaign and pledge to eliminate the R-word from their vocabulary.

The R-word campaign has changed the culture of the school. “It simply makes are school more inclusive,” Mimi Schrader, a junior, said. “Everyone feels like they are accepted and the R-word campaign has sent a message saying that words and labels don’t define you.”

Another way students at Wayzata promote the R-word campaign is through the use of a video made by students. In the video, students hold up signs with words that are used to label them. These words alongside the R-word demonstrate the impact words have on an individual.

Members of Club US recommend other organizations use incentives like shirts, pins, and flyers to draw attention to the R-word campaign. Outside of their efforts with this campaign, students in Club US have worked to promote a more inclusive campus environment. From honoring players on Unified teams at school events, to implementing a Unified Sports P.E. class on campus, the students have paved the way for a future of inclusion.

If you have a story, video, photo, poem, essay, guide, dance, (or anything else) to share with the world, follow the three easy steps in this link or publish your story on Medium and email it to spalumbo@specialolympics.org. If you prefer, you could also put your story into a word document, let us know whether you would like it published under your name or anonymously, and email it to spalumbo@specialolympics.org.

Pledge your support to end the R-Word here.
CyClean and Cryptocurrencies — Digital Currencies, A New Form of Payment
Tags: Cyclean, ICO, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Newpayment

What comes to your mind when you think of currencies? Some people might think of paper while others might think of metal or a plastic card. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) just recently posted a picture that shows the evolution of money that people have used since the beginning of human civilization.

As you guys probably have realized, humans evolve, and so do their tools. In my opinion, this picture posted by IMF is a huge victory for those who are passionate about cryptocurrencies because this picture suggests that international organizations like the IMF officially recognize the usefulness of cryptocurrencies.

Why People Started Paying Attention to Digital Money

Money is a commodity. This means that money also evolves like other commodities in the market. Consider computers, cell phones and other goods and services in the free market. Every product in the market progresses to attract more consumers. So does money.

In 2008, people suffered from the economic crisis that was the result of an artificially created housing bubble. This bubble was caused by low interest rates and fiat money created out of thin air. The fundamental problem of this crisis is the fact that the central bank (also known as the Federal Reserve Bank in the U.S.) has the authority to print as much money as they want. Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, lowered the interest rate to encourage people to borrow and invest money more easily, and this caused malinvestment. Satoshi Nakamoto understood the fundamental problem behind fiat money and decided to invent digital gold that people can send and receive instantly without a 3rd party getting involved. In this context, the 3rd party is a bank. And thus, Bitcoin as born as a digital currency.

A New Era

At first, Bitcoin was ignored by economists as well as computer engineers. However, people gradually noticed the potential of Bitcoin. Early investors like Roger Ver, Charles Hoskinson, Dan Larimer, and Vitalik Buterin realized that decentralized digital currencies can reshape this world, and each of them created alternative coins that can supplement what Bitcoin lacks. And now, CyClean has created a token that adds to Bitcoin’s original function as a digital currency. In this way, we are seeing more cryptocurrencies emerge.

And this is where Bitcoin began to be accepted as a currency. More recently, the US Security and Exchange Council (SEC) announced that Bitcoin and Ethereum are not securities. Many people around the world are starting to see Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as alternatives to fiat and centralized money. We are living in a very interesting, new era, and we are excited to see how CyClean plays a part in this revolution.
A Powerful Prayer for God’s Help and Guidance in 2020
By: Phillip Tan
Tags: Christianity, Prayer, Faith, God, Jesus

A Powerful Prayer for God’s Help and Guidance

Do you believe that God hears your prayers for help and guidance and answers them before you ask?

We need powerful prayers in 2020 because we are hurting. You don’t need to be reminded of all the global and local issues happening right now, creating chaos and uncertainties. All of us feel the impact.

God knows the problems we are going through.

Don’t trust what I say. Trust God.

For in Isaiah 65:24, God clearly states that

“It shall come to pass

That before they call, I will answer;

And while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

God anticipates our needs and lovingly lays the foundation for granting our prayers before we ask.

That does not mean we sit back and do nothing.

God wants our participation. God wants our prayers with a broken and contrite heart (Psalms 51:17). God wants us ready to receive his help and guidance.

Let’s bring on God’s blessings through a powerful prayer together. Find a quiet and private corner, like what I have suggested for the powerful morning prayer and the powerful bedtime prayer.

Let’s pray.

Powerful Prayer For God’s Help and Guidance

Note: video provided below for praying along with inspirational music

A Prayer for God’s Help

Dear Heavenly Lord, at this moment when the enemy rises up against me, I will not be afraid. No matter how great the task, no matter how many obstacles, no matter how impossible it seems. I stand firmly upon the rock. Jesus is my rock and my fortress. Christ is my salvation, and no power, no threat, and no danger can separate me from the love of God. I call out to you now, rise up, my Lord, my God. Cast out the enemy. Strike him down into the abyss. Silence his lies. May God’s Kingdom come to me. Establish your Holy Order. Give me clarity, peace and courage. I am a child of God. Your Spirit lives and reigns in me. All evil must flee from you, oh Lord. All glory and honor are yours. May I rise with Christ resurrected, strong and secure in the Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

God’s Inspirational and Motivational Answer

Let me share God’s answers to my prayers, to give you an inspirational and motivational answer to yours.

I was ‘stuck’ at what to write after praying and typing out the powerful prayer above — twice because it was somehow not saved the first time. I dozed off for a bit and awoke with a jerk. Somehow my hand caught hold of my iPhone next to me and I started looking through the suggested videos that popped up.

The big message “DON’T LIMIT GOD” stared at me.

I somehow knew that this is God’s message for our uplifting and encouragement.

Let’s hear God’s message to us:

Don’t Limit God

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God Bless!

Free Resources:
Last Requests
By: Andrea Juillerat-Olvera
Tags: Poetry, Desert, Scrittura, Poem, Solitude

Last Requests

Poetry

Image by author

We don’t unmask ourselves to each other

skin thickened by a thousand cuts

veins bled dry.

We become our facades

and retreat

impenetrable by necessity.

So I begged you,

“Come away with me to the desert

give up your heavy garb of stoicism”

Alone with each other we might speak

of wordless truths

of moths

silently seeking the globular moon

harmonizing with sage and crickets.

And here,

I lay my thoughts before you

small stones in the sand

for ants to interpret

with their Formic myth.

And I don’t remember being so bare and cast out

as I was in the fury of loves ocean.

Will you take me now?

My quivering old flesh?

Call me blade of grass

cut my trembling shaft

then bear my body away.

Call me snail or tortoise

I live inside myself

permanently masked

for the comfort of all.

Andrea Juillerat-Olvera 2020
14 Hours Left to Live
By: Mitch Albom
Tags: Fiction, Heaven, Death, Mitch Albom, Book Excerpts

At the time of her death, Annie was tall and lean, with long curls of butterscotch hair, knobby elbows and shoulders, and skin that reddened around her neck when she was embarrassed. She had flashing eyes of a light olive shade and a soft, oval face that co-workers described as “pretty once you get to know her.”

As a nurse, Annie wore blue scrubs and gray running shoes to her job at a nearby hospital. And it was at that hospital where she would leave this world — after a dramatic and tragic accident — one month shy of her 31st birthday.

You might say that is “too young” to die. But what is too young for a life? As a child, Annie had been spared from death once, in another accident at a place called Ruby Pier, an amusement park by a great gray ocean. Some said her survival was “a miracle.”

So perhaps she was older than she was meant to be.
Karan Bharadwaj, CTO, XinFin spoke at “Blockchain and Business” Event organized by Nanyang Blockchain Association on 27th March 2018
By: Xinfin Xdc Hybrid Blockchain Network
Tags: Development, Technology, Blockchain Technology, Blockchain, Environment

Here are a few clicks from the event:

Karan Bharadwaj, CTO, XinFin (middle) at the event.

Karan sharing his views and experience on Blockchain Technology at the event.

NTU students and staff members listening Karan at the event.

Karan presenting XDC Dev Environment to NTU students and staff members.

Karan explaining blockchain technology as a panelist at the event.

An NTU student asking question from Karan at the event.

Karan explaining that how its Dev Environment will help students become enterprise ready.

Karan being felicitated by NTU at the event.
Get music promotion for under $1 with our music team
By: Shabazz Publication
Tags: Music Business, Advice, Music, Tips, Streaming

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The Only Chance
By: Harley King
Tags: Poetry, Fantasy, Poem, Disease, Utopia

A Poem

The Only Chance

Of Finding Our Way

Canva-Photo by Victoria_Borodinova — 6314823

I reach inside

my coat to find

a small stick of gum.

I chew slowly,

anticipating the moment

when my physical body

dissolves and I materialize

in another dimension

where disease no longer

exists and I have

the opportunity to live

a long happy life without

suffering and pain.

Sometimes we must cling

to hope even in the darkest

hours of our lives.

Sometimes our fantasies

are the only chance

we have of finding

our way through the forest.
Ingin Bekerja di Bidang DevOps? Miliki Beberapa Skill ini!
By: Alterra Academy Writer
Tags: Technology, Alterra Academy, Codingbootcamp, Coding, DevOps

Alterra Academy is a tech talent incubator that gives everyone (even non-IT background) a chance to be a professional Tech Talent.

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What’s the Next Advice After — Build Your Mailing List?
By: Tochukwu Okoro E.
Tags: Email Marketing, Marketing, Freelancing, Entrepreneurship, Business

What’s the Next Advice After — Build Your Mailing List?

Nobody talks too much about Managing Email lists

Photo by Onlineprinters on Unsplash

Everywhere you go, you hear countless advice on how you should start building your mailing list from day one. I can’t say it’s not bad advice because it‘s important that you build one, but what you rarely hear is what to do afterward because, to be honest with you, most people (I was people) are clueless about what to do after starting a newsletter.

It’s quite simple to grow your email list — lead magnets, content marketing, ads, etc, but what’s difficult is keeping your subscribers engaged. First of all, a mailing list is not about dropping updates daily on your blogposts or dropping links to your course every minute. Yes, that’s part of it, but if you’re not engaging enough, your open rates will suffer.

I receive hundreds of emails every day, and I just open 10% of them — I focus less on the promotional and annoying emails and read the newsletters I find engaging.

Your subscribers would stop opening your emails if your emails are boring or don’t have captivating subjects. What I do best when I’m writing my emails is I ask myself if I enjoy reading what I’m writing because, at times, what you write can be boring as hell — and you know it.
Monday’s Market Outlook Appears Bright
By: Small Cap Reporter
Tags: Technology, News, Bitcoin, Tech, Stock Market

Among the several “things to know” today, early reports this morning that China and the U.S. agreed to pause imposing import tariffs has seen negotiators setting up a blueprint to determine proper routes to evenly weigh current trade imbalances.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that, “We are putting the trade war on hold. Right now, we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework.”

While the agreement means that both sides will potentially avoid billions of dollars in tariffs, China still hasn’t agreed to cut the trade deficit even though President Donald Trump made it known that that the world’s second largest economy should reduce its trade surplus by $200 billion. Because of this we’re seeing U.S. futures pointing to a higher open on today

In other news, with no major U.S. economic reports set for release on today, traders and investors will most likely set their sites on Federal Reserve policymakers who are planning to tighten policies. Right now the markets are pricing in a rate hike at the next Fed meeting slated forJune 12–13. This would be the second move this year. But questions still remain surrounding the potential for a fourth increase toward the end of the year.

Fed chairman Jerome Powell will be part of a panel discussion of “Financial Stability and Central Bank Transparency” at the Sveriges Riskbank Conference in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday.

Dollar Jump Sparks A Focus On Cryptocurrency

The dollar hit a five-month high on Monday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the U.S.-China trade war “on hold” following their agreement to suspend threatened tariffs. But this isn’t the currency on the rise. Over the weekend prices of numerous cryptocurrencies increased. This includes the price of bitcoin, which was hovering around $7,970 on Friday and currently has broken above $8,400 for a jump of more than 6%.

The outlook focuses on bitcoin and blockchain related stocks Monday morning. Banks exploring the space, including Bank of America (BAC), JP Morgan (JPM), and Goldman Sachs (GS) all saw price increases during pre market hours on Monday morning. One of the biggest gaining stocks within this industry however, saw a boost in price by nearly 22% late last week.

Block One Capital (BKPPF) (BLOK.V) saw a surge in both price and volume after hitting 52 week lows last Thursday with a continued rally Friday. Unlike the banks listed above, Block One invests directly into early-stage opportunities in the blockchain and cryptocurrency fields.

From its investment into Finzat, a blockchain tech built for the mortgage industry, to its $750,000 investment into one of the most popular ICO’s this year, Shopin Token, Block One offers exposure for investors to things that otherwise would not be available. In a recent conference call, Block One’s CEO expressed several key developments that will be coming during the upcoming weeks and months that could set the company up to become a real leader within the market; more on that, here.
The Journey within the Journey
By: St. James Parish
Tags: Ron Abrams, Journey, Church, Christian, Community

It’s good to be home! I must say that my sabbatical was everything I hoped for and more. Family and friends have inquired, “How was your sabbatical?” “What was your favorite part?” The answer to the first question is easy. It was GREAT! The answer to the second question is actually quite difficult. My time away, like the season’s of the church,(especially the Advent season) were journeys within the larger sabbatical journey.

I divided the sabbatical into three segments and each segment had within it several journeys. An example was my time learning and interviewing clergy and laity in Texas. I spent time in three very different cities, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Each city had its own personality and dynamics. What I worked hard doing was to embrace the journey within the journey I as presently in and not to worry or think too far ahead to where I was going next. I was conscious to “live into the moment.”

The ability to focus on the present place and people is a great blessing. I was able to immerse myself into the culture, the challenges, and the ethos of each journey as if it were the only one I would encounter.

One of my journeys was to Montreal, Canada. Why Montreal? Well, because I had never been there before and always wanted to go. It did not hurt that I got a great deal on flight and hotel! I went thinking I would do all tourist type things, but the truth is, this journey within the journey was a spiritual experience. I think I spent more time in churches and cathedrals than anything else. I even took time to take a few church tours. What I found in Montreal was something I did not expect. The majority of worshipers I encountered at three different weekday services in both the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches were immigrants. Many were from Africa and Asia. After the last service I inquired about the racial and ethnic diversity I was experiencing. The response I got from one Priest was, “We are a changing church and nation.” He went on to say that the Church is a secure refuge for those trying to restart their lives. That in many ways the Church way the only anchor they had as they try to assimilate into a new land.

This hit a core with me. No matter where I went along my sabbatical journey, I found worship spaces and communities that made me feel connected and secure. I came to understand that the journeys we take during the big journey of life need to be filled with connection and security. For without this, it would have been very hard to be at peace and live in the moment. I believe this is what Advent and the Christian journey is all about.
WAR
Tags: War, Crime, Trump Administration, Russia, Trump

I was always a writer but lived in a bookkeeper’s body before I found Medium and broke free — well, almost. Working to work less and write more.

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I Love You, My Child
By: Jocelyn Soriano
Tags: Christianity, Poetry, Poem, Love, Parenting

I love you, my child

There is nothing that you can do

that can separate me away from you

You are here always,

within my strong and loving embrace

You are protected

You are loved.

I delight in you,

and see my own eyes upon your eyes

I take away your fears

I take away your tears

from now on you are safe

and you are where you’ve always longed to be.

Let the people who judged you

see how I cherish you now,

Let those who condemn you

see how close you are to me.

You are never outside of my love,

never an outcast

never a failure

never so far away

You need not do anything

to please me,

for I am already pleased

that you trust me

to guide you in everything

you wanted to do

You are beautiful

you are whole

you are healed

you are my beloved

you can rest upon my strong shoulders,

and trust that you won’t ever slip away,

For it is I

who is holding on firmly to you.
Designing for Empathy and Retention
By: Ryan Scott
Tags: Design, Ideo, Events

“We need to understand what will delight people, and then go out and find the technology or business model to make that happen.” — Blaise Bertrand

Partner and Industrial Design Director, Blaise Bertrand, explains it’s a designer’s responsibility to “Zoom In and Zoom Out,” viewing problems from “the millimeter to the kilometer”

IDEO wants everything from chairs to cellphone accessories to connect with their audience on an emotional level. What makes IDEO such a successful product development firm lies in the difference between “Tech Push” and “Tech Pull.”

Tech Push:

“Many companies invent the technology, and then try to push it into the world regardless of the market or users.” — Blaise Bertrand

Tech Pull:

Only after IDEO designers fully understand and empathize with a problem do they investigate the software and hardware necessary to create an effective solution.

Understanding the problem always starts with researching the audience, but it’s not about “just talking to people.” IDEO designers go to extreme lengths to experience problems firsthand before they start concepting solutions.

How far are they willing to go? Once, an IDEO designer researching how to improve hospital visits, admitted himself into the ER and recorded the entire experience. The resulting video showed how much time patients spend looking up at boring ceiling tiles — a unique perspective you wouldn’t think of until experiencing the environment for yourself. “Experiencing it develops empathy,” Blaise explained, “which leads to innovation.”
Dressed For Every Occasion
By: Nina Sankovitch
Tags: Short Stories, Family History, Clothes, Summer Brenner

Summer Brenner’s new collection of short stories, My Life in Clothes, is a breath of fresh air, a lively mix of imagination and memoir with no angst, lots of love, and enough humor to clear away whatever tears may fall. Her stories about a Jewish family from Atlanta, told from the point of view of a rebellious but affectionate daughter named Sue, cover history spanning generations, including family lore (the ancestor who sang so beautifully no Cossack would touch him), trials (the lifelong rivalry between sisters Marguerite and Edith), touchstones (the varied familial responses to integration, music, desire), work (Sue’s experiences are hilarious), and adventures (wanderlust and thirst for experience leads Sue and others of her clan north, west, and even further south). Clothes do play a part in the family history but the manner in which Brenner weaves and sews the clothes into the stories is original, integral, and beautiful. All qualities, by the way, shared by the schmatte — and the people — we love.
Buridan’s Ice Cream
By: A Story Each Day
Tags: Short Story, Fiction, A Story Each Day

Brianna’s mother led her through the grocery store, dodging in and out of aisles and displays. Her shopping cart grew crowded and full. Brianna watched as her mother grabbed a gallon of milk and added it to the cart. Her mother turned to her and pointed to the one empty spot in the cart.

“You want to pick something out?”

Brianna nodded.

“Alright. Go pick out some ice cream and meet me up at the checkout counter. Pick something good!”

Brianna’s mother pushed the cart toward the front of the store. Brianna watched her disappear.

Brianna wandered past the meat section, the dessert section, the dairy department, and the bakery. She wandered to the frozen cabinets of ice cream, stacked and poised, like a library of desserts. She opened the freezer door. Coils of icy vapor billowed and rose. The plethora of flavors presented themselves to her, vying like rivals for her attention.

Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry. Those were good ones, but she always got those. Cookies & Cream, Cookie Dough, Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate Chip. Those were good, too. Candy Bar, Chocolate Chunk, Cherry Surprise, Banana Pudding, Birthday Cake, Peanut Brittle, Brownie, Cotton Candy, S’mores, Peanut Butter Cup. She sorted through them, one by one, reaching through the vapor and into the frozen shelf, grabbing a container, turning it around and reading the sugary ingredients.

The aisle grew colder and colder, and Brianna shivered and let go of the carton of Banana Split ice cream. Her teeth chattered and the door slammed shut. She took a step back, with indecision hesitance, and hugged her arms close to her body. Her eyes wandered to the surrounding shelves, and grew wide against the cold air. She took a step back, overwhelmed by the endless possibility of choices.

Berry Blast, Apple Pie, Pecan Crunch, Rocky Road, Mocha Fudge, Cinnamon, Waffle Cone, Peach Cobbler, Pineapple, Cherry Almond, Pistachio, Orange Sherbet, Cappuccino, Lemon Meringue, and —

“Brianna!”

She tore her eyes away from the icy shelves and glanced down the aisle. Her mother ran toward her.

“Brianna. What’s going on? I’ve already checked out. Come on!”

“But I haven’t chosen one yet.”

“Well, maybe we’ll get one next time. You missed your chance, sweetie.”

She grabbed Brianna’s cold hands, and led her away.
How To Create AR Experiences In One Hour Using Reality Composer
By: Amir Khella
Tags: Virtual Reality, AR, Prototyping, VR, Augmented Reality

For the past year at Augmentop, we have built dozens of Augmented Reality prototypes for clients, and for fun, and we often needed a week or two to finish each prototype: laying out 3D scenes, creating user interactions, and to adding basic animations to 3D objects.

But during the 2019 WWDC, Apple announced a new tool that completely changed the way we prototype AR experiences, and that we believe will radically change the way AR creators work.

And that’s Reality Composer.

We have been using the tool for our projects, and we found that what normally required a week or more of prototyping work ended up taking less than a day to finish and test!

The following prototype was created in less than 1 hour in Reality Composer, including user interaction and animations, and without writing any code!

An augmented reality prototype for books

Bringing a familiar face to Augmented Reality

In a nutshell, Reality Composer is like Apple Keynote for Augmented Reality.

With Reality Composer, Apple is enabling anyone with no experience in 3D design or coding to create interactive animated AR experience in a few hours.

And just like Apple Keynote is being used to prototype web and mobile apps, Reality composer will similarly help product designers who want to get into AR, product managers who want to create requirements and specs for AR apps, and entrepreneurs who want to prototype new AR ideas without having to hire outside help to do it.

The tool brings the familiarity, simplicity and ease of use of Keynote into Augmented Reality, enabling you to focus on the basic tasks of prototyping, without getting lost in the detail of modeling, animation, and writing code.
Wash Day in the 1940s
By: Louis Hart
Tags: Life, Memories, Appliances, Nostalgia, Home

In the 1940s, one day a week was designated as wash day, the day when a week’s worth of dirty clothes was gathered up and washed. I seem to recall it was usually on Monday. Of course in Houston, that often had to be changed due to the predictably unpredictable weather.

The washing machine was in the garage and it was one of those that had a wringer. The machine and the rinse tubs were filled by way of a garden hose. After the clothes had washed for awhile they would be run through the wringer and put into a big tub of clean water to rinse. After swishing them around for a while with a wooden broom handle they would be run through the wringer again and transferred to a second tub of clean water for a final rinse. Then they would be fed through the wringer a final time and hung on the clothesline to dry.

When I was in the 3rd grade we moved from the Woodland Heights area to a larger place across town in southwest Houston.

After we got settled, the old clothes washer made a loud clunk the first time we tried to use it and refused to work anymore. My dad replaced it with an automatic washing machine. It was a front-load model, the most modern of the times. It had a little glass window in the door.

The first time we used it my mother loaded it with clothes and the entire family, plus with my grandmother from next door, brought chairs into the laundry room and sat in front of the machine and watched it wash the clothes. It was quite an event.

Of course, we still had to hang the clothes outside on the clothesline to dry but we didn’t mind. With an automatic clothes washer, we felt we had moved to a higher level in life.
How to create a McKinsey-style waterfall chart
By: Jan Schultink
Tags: Mckinsey, Templates

The “water fall” chart is an effective way to summarize the quantitative impact of a number of drivers. For example, you need to put the following story in a chart: “Our profits went up by 7, the positive effect of higher prices and lower cost was offset by a lower sales volume.” A waterfall chart would look something like this:

For illustration purposes I left the light grey color and data labels of the supporting series in so you can see how to make the chart: it is basically a stacked bar chart with 3 series:

A “white” series to support the drivers

One series for the drivers

One series for the (sub)totals

The data table for this chart (Powerpoint 2007):

For a final touch, make the color of the light grey series white, take out the data tables and that’s it. There is the temptation to make automated tools (in Excel) that do the work for you. Like almost all my charts, I start with a piece of paper and make my waterfalls manually, to make sure that they

Are correct (negative numbers can make these charts a bit tricky to get right sometimes)

The chart tells the story I want it to tell (what subtotals to use, in what order to list factors, etc.).

UPDATE: here are two other posts related to McKinsey waterfall charts:
No Goodbye
By: Josh, Υя_Ωιѕємαη
Tags: Life Lessons, Poetry, Life, Poem, Love

You say it’s already gone

That nothing of us is left

In the chest of the heart

You say it’s already gone

That nothing of us is left

In the chest of the heart

And that life goes on

For even your moon is born in another direction

And that life goes on

For even your moon

rises in another direction

You put the winter in your voice

When you talk to me

But I even find it funny

You speak of the time that passed

And the look says otherwise

It’s funny because your body language speaks the opposite

You came to say goodbye

But I cannot forget your earrings

What you put to me

Your dress is like we’re meeting for the first time

Where are you dressed like this?

With these beautiful heels?

Nobody says goodbye like this.

Where are you going in a little dress?

And beautiful shoes?

I’d pretend that I even agree.

And that I remember nothing from this dead-end passion

And we hold each other.

Like two lovers

Saying goodbye isn’t the ideal thing.
Turning A Side Project Into Your Main Gig: What Works For Work Brighter Founder Brittany Berger
By: Tara Mcmullin
Tags: Small Business, Startup, Entrepreneurship, Business, Podcast

The Nitty-Gritty:

How Brittany Berger came up with the idea for the Work Brighter newsletter

How Work Brighter evolved as she continued to work her day job — and then as she struck out on her own

What her current vision for Work Brighter is and how it informs her growth strategy

Why Brittany chose to think of her company more like a software company than a content company

A side business can be your main focus.

Mike McDerment founded Freshbooks — a company that now reportedly brings in over $50 million in revenue each year — because he saved over an invoice he was working on for his internet marketing consultancy.

But Mike didn’t quit his existing business to start a new one. He started building it on the side.

And well before Freshbooks started making, well, really any measurable amount of money per month, he figured out a way to devote 80% of his time to making that company and his solution for small business owners like him a reality.

He made the new company his top priority, even though it wasn’t paying his bills.

This probably seems pretty counterintuitive. Don’t you want to prioritize what’s making you money?

Sure, prioritize what’s making you money if it’s what you want to continue doing and has the potential to grow into the kind of company you really want to run.

But that wasn’t the case for Mike. He saw the potential of Freshbooks long before anyone else did. He knew that Freshbooks wasn’t just a great idea — it had the potential to far exceed the earning and impact potential of the business he was currently running.

Now, today’s show isn’t about Mike — but you can get the full scoop on what worked to get Freshbooks off the ground in the early days and what worked to reinvent it when they need to leap ahead of the market in Episode 152.

But Mike’s story is the perfect introduction to Brittany Berger‘s story.

You see, Brittany is all-in on the seed she’s planted, just like Mike. And, just like Mike, it’s not her primary source of revenue yet.

Yet, the seed she’s watering and tending to has the potential to grow into a big venture.

Brittany Berger is founder of Work Brighter, a digital media company that helps productive unicorns go beyond working smarter to a version of productivity that makes room for “unproductive” things like rest, self-care, and fun. Work Brighter currently publishes a weekly newsletter and hosts a membership community full of resources and templates.

One of the things that stood out to me most about our conversation was how clear-eyed Brittany was about her priorities for this growing company. While she’s still earning income as a content marketing consultant, Brittany knows that Work Brighter is her future. It’s her primary focus.

Brittany and I talk about about how Work Brighter got started, why she treats it more like a software business than a content business, and how she creates her weekly newsletter. We also talk about her business model and why she chose to focus on building monthly recurring revenue.
When Random Acquaintances Die
By: Kristi Keller
Tags: Social Media, Relationships, Death, Loss, Friendship

Death has got to be the most bizarre emotional sensation. I’m not referring to the person who passes on, but to those of us left behind to reconcile with it even if they’re someone we’re not close to.

Coming to terms with a person being there one day and permanently gone the next is difficult to rationalize. It leaves a gaping hole in what was “normal” before.

One day recently, as I sat here quietly plunking away on my keyboard I heard a piece of paper slide under the front door of my condo. The condo board often slips us notices to advise residents of various things happening in the building.

I picked up the piece of paper but this time it wasn’t about a fire inspection or garage cleaning day. Instead, the message revealed that the president of our condo board passed away suddenly.

I was stunned. I had literally ridden the elevator with him two days earlier just as I have many times before. He lived only a couple doors down from me.

He’s not someone I was close with but as the president, this man had been inside my condo unit many times over the years. I’ve passed him and his wife multiple times in the hallway and enjoyed lovely conversations.

Now he’s just gone. I’ll never run into him at the mailbox again.

I felt an overwhelming desire to reach out to his wife but what would I even say? We’re such surface acquaintances that I wouldn’t feel qualified to knock on her door, yet I feel a terrible sadness for her loss. Instead, I slipped a card under her door and left it at that.
Building the new Reacji Channeler
By: Slack Api
Tags: Reactions, Emoji, Announcements, Slack, App Directory

It started as many good ideas do, with a joke. What if we could collate all our best, most awful puns into a single channel, automatically? A bit of brainstorming led to a bit of code and quickly we had a prototype of what would become the Reacji Channeler app.

How the app works is fairly simple: a slash command lets you link a specific reacji (reaction emoji) with a specific channel. When anyone in the future adds that emoji as a reaction to any public message, a copy of that message gets reshared in the designated channel.

A bit of history

Soon after emoji reactions were launched, our team developed a habit of tagging messages containing funny puns with a custom :airhorn: emoji. At first, it was meant as a visual signifier to mark something as funny-slash-terrible, as many puns can be. But soon after, someone wondered if there was an automated way to collect them all in one place, regardless of which channel the message and reaction were posted in.

The first version of Reacji Channeler did exactly that — it collected every message with an :airhorn: and tossed a copy into a new channel called #airhorn , giving everyone an endless stream of eye-rolling jokes from every corner of our team.

What’s going on behind the scenes

The Reacji Channeler starts as a slash command that accepts two parameters: name of emoji and name of channel. Next, it uses the Events API to monitor the reaction_added event. If the app finds a match with any tracked emoji, the message is copied to the designated channel using the chat.postMessage method.

Behind it all, there’s a simple database that keeps track of which messages have already been posted to a channel so that future additions of the same emoji won’t make messages reappear in the feeds. Finally, we built a simple one-page site to add the app to your own Slack team using the Add to Slack button. The Reacji Channeler is truly a minimum viable product type of app, built internally to test out the capabilities of our Events API ahead of its debut in Summer of 2016.

Great, but what can you do with it?

Check out our main blog post announcing the app, but internally we often use this app to highlight messages for internal teams. If someone mentions an idea in our feature request channel that our developer relations team really ought to see, anyone marking it with their custom mascot emoji means that group will see the message in their team channel.

For the government services group 18F, they’ve been using emoji reactions as an informal way of tracking knowledge to later share. 18F’s workflow would be a perfect use-case for the Reacji Channeler to automate into a designated channel for anyone on their team to review.

We can’t wait to see what kinds of things teams end up using this app for, and we’re sharing some background on how it was built in hopes it might give developers ideas for apps that solve real problems for working teams but also don’t need to be overly complex or difficult to build. Sometimes simple and easy just works.