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Archive for the 'Openness' Category
Why I think TheDAO is a Success
The usual plague of so-called "experts" have come out of the woodwork following today's attack on TheDAO, to tweet, blog and bloviate their hindsight-informed opinions about TheDAO's "failure" and the implications for the future of smart contracts (despite the fact that most of them barely can barely string together a coherent description of what a smart contract is, let alone write one).
I don't view TheDAO as a failure. I view it as an experiment that has reached its conclusion. We learnt something important today – we learned that this particular configuration of a DAO doesn't work. Future DAOs and smart contracts will be better because of what we've learned, from the specific bug that the attacker tried to exploit, to the insights we've gleaned into voting incentives and DAO governance. We've learnt a lot about the benefits of being able to upgrade smart contracts after they've been deployed, and the lawyers and regulators have plenty of food for thought and debate, with all the legal questions that have been raised by both TheDAO itself and the proposed use of a hard fork to return investors' ether.
It's very easy to criticise the Slock.it team but they got a lot of things right and it appears that, in the end, all TheDAO's investors will get their ether back (albeit with the assistance of the Ethereum community in implementing a hard fork). That's no mean feat and they deserve credit and respect for what they achieved.
Most experimentation and innovation happens in private, and all the wrinkles are ironed out long before the final product is unveiled. However, in this area – cryptocurrencies, blockchains, smart contracts and DAOs – the experimentation and innovation is happening in the open.Bitcoin wasn't invented in a corporate R&D lab. Ethereum was funded by the venture crowd, not a venture capitalist. The downside is that we get to see how the sausages are made and any mistakes are public, but the upside is that anyone can participate, and the degree and pace of innovation – its velocity, for want of a better term – is far higher as a result.
If we want to reap the benefits of open innovation, we also have to embrace the downsides, including the experiments that we learn from, even when the outcome isn't what was expected or hoped for; we have to applaud those who try, even if they don't succeed; and, above all, we should elevate those who do above those who merely talk, tweet and blog.
I invested a small amount of money in TheDAO because I believe that the best way to learn is to get involved and put some skin in the game. If I never get the money back, it will have been a small price to pay for the amount I've learnt. If I do get it back, then I hope that I'll have the opportunity to invest it in TheDAO v2 so we can have another try and see if we can't learn a bit more.
Towards an Open Banking API Standard
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Open Banking Working Group (OBWG) and was involved in drafting the OBWG report. However, the thoughts and opinions presented here are strictly my own.
The OBWG's report was published yesterday with the somewhat misleading title The Open Banking Standard. We're a long way from a standard but this report is a significant step along that path. Its purpose is to lay out a roadmap for defining an Open Banking API standard that can achieve widespread adoption, and to put forward some strawman proposals, intended to generate discussion of their merits and weaknesses, with the objective of generating new and better proposals.
The OBWG's work follows on from the Fingleton report, which looked at the potential benefits of banking APIs and open data, and HM Treasury's public consultation on data sharing and open data in banking.
The OBWG was convened with three core objectives:
- Deliver a framework for the design of an open API standard in UK banking focussing on personal and business current accounts;
- Evaluate how increased levels of open data in banking can benefit consumers, businesses and society; and
- Publish recommendations in a paper by end of 2015 outlining how an open API standard can be designed, delivered and administered, alongside a timetable and implementation roadmap for achieving this
It's important to note that this initiative is separate from – and has a wider scope than – PSD2. However, I would predict with a high degree of confidence that the functionality required to fulfil PSD2's requirements will form part of the Open Banking API Standard, and I would not be surprised if the UK implements PSD2 by mandating compliance with the Open Banking API Standard.
One of the key challenges in coming up with such a standard is to figure out how banking APIs can be opened up to third parties while ensuring that consumers are adequately protected against fraud and banks aren't unreasonably held liable for third parties' failings. Currently, banks control the technology channels that their customers use to access their accounts electronically. Online banking is through the bank's own website; mobile banking is through the bank's own app. Liability for any losses rests with either the bank (if their security proves inadequate) or the customer (if they fail to take the necessary security precautions). Opening up banking APIs and granting access to third parties complicates that picture and banks are understandably wary.
The proposals presented in the report comprise a combination of provisions (including an OAuth-based authentication and authorisation model, and vetting and licensing of third parties) that represent a compromise somewhere between completely open access that would allow even hobbyist programmers to create apps that connect to banks' APIs, and a overly-restrictive regime with requirements or costs that are too onerous for finch innovators and startups. One aspect that I'm a particular fan of is the idea that API functionality should be permissioned atomically, and that the security standards to which the third party will be held and the scrutiny to which they will be subjected should be commensurate to the level of access they wish to obtain. For example, a startup wishing to offer a personal financial management solution, which requires "read-only" access to accounts would be subject to less onerous requirements than a company seeking access to instruct payments from their customers' accounts.
I have set up a mailing list to facilitate discussion of the report and future developments in this space. Instructions on how to join the list can be found here.
Fundamentally, I believe that the UK fintech sector will benefit hugely if we can make rapid progress towards an Open Banking API standard, and I believe that there's an opportunity for the UK to take a leadership role, in the same way that it did in information security standards, with the adoption of BS7799 as ISO27001.
It's entirely possible that neither the banks nor fintech innovators will be entirely happy with the report's proposals. If so, then I think we've done a good job. Personally, I think it's a significant step forward and I hope to remain involved at the next stage of establishing an implementation entity to take the concept forward.
What Steve Jobs really thought about stealing other people's ideas
The BBC's Newsnight dug up a great piece of footage from an interview with Steve Jobs from back in the '90s, for a segment on tonight's show about the impact of the Apple v Samsung judgment:
"I mean, Picasso had a saying. He said 'Good artists copy. Great artists steal.' And we have, y'know, always been shameless about stealing great ideas."
Original footage, in context, below.
Apple's Platform Strategy
Back in January, I mused that Apple's insistence that publishers must use the in-app subscription functionality when they sell content to users might provide a boost for Android. Then, a patent troll reared its ugly head, demanding that developers cough up 0.575% of their US revenue from in-app purchases, and this week, just hours after the Financial Times released a web app that effectively bypasses Apple's terms and conditions altogether, news emerged that Apple is backtracking on it's in-app subscriptions policy.
Apple's clearly on the back foot. It appears that they failed to anticipate that publishers would sell subscriptions out-of-band and now they look a little bit greedy (for trying to grab 30% of subscription revenue), incompetent (because the platform they sought to force developers to use turned out to be booby-trapped by the Lodsys patent – even if the patent turns out to be invalid or if it's proven that Apple's licence also cover app developers, a lot of damage has already been done) and foolish (because it turns out that, despite all Apple's efforts, you can simply sidestep the App Store – and their 30% commission – by building your app in HTML5 instead of natively on iOS).
Platforms need to be stable (both in terms of the technology and the commercial terms and conditions the platform owner imposes) to attract and retain 3rd party developers and content providers. How can a publisher formulate a strategy for a platform if you don't know what the rules of engagement are going to be in six months time? On top of that, those who scrambled to update their apps to incorporate Apple's in-app purchase functionality by the June 30th deadline are likely seething about the wasted effort.
Because platforms rely on network effects, it's important to get your strategy and your business model right. If you don't, problems are magnified by the very same network effects you rely on to make your platform successful in the first place.
The more restrictive a platform, the less attractive it becomes. Had Microsoft imposed T&Cs as restrictive as Apple's on Windows software developers, Windows would not have achieved the dominance it did during the 1990s. (Incidentally, there's a certain irony in the fact that FT's use of HTML5 to escape Apple's restrictions is reminiscent of the threat that Microsoft perceived the Web as posing to Windows' position as the dominant OS.)
Similarly, if the platform owner tries to impose too high a price on access to their platform, it makes it less attractive. If everyone who sold content in PDF format had to pay commission to Adobe, I doubt we'd all have Acrobat Reader installed on our desktops.
Network effects mean that a significant portion of a platform's value is derived from its users. If the platform owner seeks to extract significantly more value than they contribute – through, for example, innovative design and functionality, or the creation of a user-base through marketing – it becomes economic rent.
Apple make money on each iPhone and iPad they sell. They make money each time someone signs up to become an app developer. They make a commission on every native iOS app sold. Was it wise to also demand 30% of the revenue from paid-for content accessed through those apps?
Google's Big Tent
I went to Google's Big Tent event today. It's essentially a conference following on from the far more headline-grabbing Google Zeitgeist, that focuses on "the big issues facing the Internet today". This year, it was organised in partnership with Privacy International and the Index on Censorship. There was a variety of speakers, including Eric "We view everything as a ranking problem" Schmidt, Jeremy "I'll ignore the question you actually asked and, instead, answer the question I wish you'd asked" Hunt MP and Wael Ghonim, who unwittingly became one of the faces of the Egyptian uprising after being arrested in Tahrir Square, and held for 11 days.
It was an interesting change of pace from the commercial world I normally inhabit and gave me a lot of food for thought. Some of my takeaways were:
- Despite claims that legislating for online privacy would stifle innovation, nobody could actually cite an example of this happening. Ever.
- Privacy International's Simon Davies pointed out that existing laws to protect people's privacy (e.g. the Data Protection Act) are not being implemented anywhere near rigorously enough.
- "I did not want to assume a leadership role… [I believe that] We should always trust the wisdom of the crowds." – Wael Ghonim speaking about his role in the Egyptian uprising.
- "We voted with our feet, we moved to Hong Kong. We were unwilling to be subjected to the laws of mainland China." – Eric Schmidt, speaking about the perils of operating in countries with less-than-sparkling human rights records.
- Mr Schmidt also described a French law requiring that passwords be stored in cleartext as "foolish".
- Google is building a dashboard to let people see all the information Google holds about them.
- Jeremy hunt's two big predictions for the Internet in the UK: The Need for Speed and Must be Mobile. He spoke about the potential need for the government to get involved in ensuring the roll-out of high-speed broadband, so that the UK could reap the same benefits that countries like South Korea have.
- Google's David Drummond pointed out that the more the West restricts free speech, the more repressive regimes will use that fact to justify their actions.
- UNOSAT's Satellite Sentinel Project uses satellite imagery from commercial satellites to monitor places like the Sudan for signs of conflict, then leverages the high profile of celebrities like George Clooney to publicise the fact that atrocities are happening.
- Google's Jared Cohen (formerly of the US State Department) averred that the rapid, viral spread of the YouTube video depicting the murder of Iranian protester Neda Soltan directly influenced Barack Obama.
Crashing the social media giants' party
I'm a great believer in the potential of open, decentralised platforms to disrupt and disintermediate incumbents, particularly in the social media space.
I've been keeping my fingers crossed that the students behind Diaspora will make good on their idea of building an open competitor to Facebook (although, with nearly a year now passed since they raised over $200,000 on Kickstarter, my optimism is waning).
The Tahrir Project is the brainchild of Ian Clarke, who intends to build a "distributed, decentralized, anonymous Twitter". It's an idea with huge potential and, given that Ian has a very strong track record in this space, having previously developed Freenet, I'm going to be monitoring its progress with a lot of interest.
Can Sony's tablet repeat the success of the PlayStation?
Sony have announced that they'll be releasing two tablets later this year – one is similar to Apple's iPad while the other is a clamshell design, reminiscent of Nintendo's DS. The tablets will run the Android OS. Music and video content will be provided through Sony's Qriocity service (I assume the Qriocity service will be extended to support distribution of apps).
I can't help thinking about how the Sony PlayStation gatecrashed the Nintendo-Sega party and ended up outselling the N64 three-to-one. The clamshell approach is a brave one and it's interesting that Sony's opted to go with the Android OS, given their track record of pushing their own formats (e.g. U-matic, Betamax, 3.5″ floppy discs, DAT, MiniDisc, Betacam, UMD, Memory Stick, Blu-ray), although not entirely surprising, given that Sony Ericsson has embraced Android for its mobile phones.
Sony's most successful product was the Walkman which relied on the freely-licensed compact cassette. Could they end up exploiting Android in a similar fashion and knocking Apple off the tablet pedestal?


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Southwestern Three Bean Salad
- Brush carrots, onion and corn with olive oil; grill until tender-crisp. Let cool. Dice carrots and onion; remove corn from cob. Toss with beans and remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- To serve, toss reserved vinaigrette with arugula; mound over bean mixture.
Vinaigrette: Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, orange juice, cilantro, cumin and garlic. Reserve 4 tbsp vinaigrette; set aside.
• Vinaigrette can be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours; bring to room temperature before continuing with recipe.
Recipe provided by Jim Coleman, executive chef of Normandy Farm and Coleman Restaurant
Prep Time
2 hr 10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
2 hr 20 min
Ingredient: Vegetables
Cooking Method: Grill
World Cuisine: American
Product: Extra Virgin

subset: commoncrawl


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The Android apps marketplace is truly endowed with a collection of fantastic Android games, office ware, puzzles, productivity tools and a wealth of other applications meant to make your life easier. One of the best things about Google's Play Store is that you can find almost anything you're looking for, most times for free. While you might want to pack your Android smartphones with as many cool apps, there's only space for a few. In this article, we look at the top 9 must have Android apps for 2015.
1. Avast Mobile AntivirusFirst things first. An antivirus is the number one must have app for any Android smartphone. While the choice of 'best Android antivirus app' varies depending on who you ask, we tend to think that Avast is a pretty cool one to start with. This antivirus application is packed with a wealth of features from a leading global antivirus company. The avast! Mobile Security & Antivirus app is packed with a ton of antimalware tools, privacy tweaks and anti-theft mechanisms. Straight out of a box, this will get you taken care of when it comes to securing your smartphone.
2. EvernoteEver had a brilliant idea strike your mind while strolling on a public park, just to forget about it later when you went home? Evernote is a must have Android apps that you can leverage to keep your stuff in order 2015. It's got an easy way for you to write all the notes you want, short lists, and basically anything else. And the best part? You can access this content you create on the go, from any other computer or smartphone. From getting organized to managing expenses and harnessing creativity, Evernote has a way of making your life easier. This cool Android app features an average review rating of 4.6 from nearly million users. More so, it's been installed to more than 50 million Android devices.
3. PicsArt Photo StudioDownloaded and used by over 200 million users across the technology divide, this must have Android app puts the wit of Photoshop right on your device. If you've ever wanted to connect to your PC just so that you could edit a photo you captured using your smartphone camera, this is the app you missed. Basically put, PicsArt Photo Studio will give you the capabilities to edit photos, employ manipulation tools, and apply hundreds of fantastic effects to your photos. Ideally, everyone gets to be a photo editing expert! It's integrating with popular social media networks for easier sharing.
4. Workout TrainerThis application might not sound like much, but there's a good reason it's in this list of must have Android apps. Although not as widespread in use as some of the other apps we've mentioned before, it takes care of another crucial area of your life — fitness. Everybody wants to get fit, look good, and keep it that way. Rather than trying doubtful online formulas to try losing weight the 'easy' way, this app has everything you need to get in shape. A team of certified trainers work behind the scenes, and interact with you via this app. You get a series of audio instructions for your workouts, virtual fitness consultations, instructional photos and videos, and a wealth of other resources designed to simply 'working out.'
5. Camera Zoom FXPhotography is one of the things that make smartphones an instrumental part of our daily lives, and Camera Zoom FX is the best Android app in that category. With in-built support for time lapse shots, customization for your smartphone's hardware buttons, horizontal level indicator, some photo editing and sharing features, this app gets your photography right. Whether you're looking to take a cool selfie on a 'better' day, or just record some crazy stuff on vacation, this app does you right.
6. SwiftKey KeyboardThe stock Android keyboard app isn't bad, but how about a keyboard app that learns from your typing habits, social media posts, and makes things easier for you? Swiftkey is a must have Android app that revolutionizes touch-based typing. Used by over 10 million Android users already, SwiftKey packs a wealth of cool capabilities, including word prediction, support for over 800 emoji, smart autocorrect, faster typing, and multiple colorful themes. The list just doesn't end. You'll have to try it first before you can realize its full potential.
7. Amazon KindleWhen you need to find a useful book on the latest marketing techniques for your business, where do you look? Well, you might read Google articles and watch a lot of YouTube videos, but the power of a good book is incredible. Amazon's Kindle platform holds millions of eBooks, a lot of them created by experts in various industry. And that's not even why this app ranks amongst the must have Android apps! The ability to buy useful books one-click, read authentic reviews before buying, and track your current reading position are just a few of the features that make Amazon Kindle incredible. Essentially, this app will take care of your thirst for knowledge, right from your Android device.
8. PushbulletPushbullet isn't the most popular app on Android, but it certainly is one of the must have apps for Android. Pushbullet makes your life easier in several ways. To start with, it'll be harder to miss a call or text message while working at your computer. Secondly, sending files from your PC to your smartphone becomes a one-click exercise. Lastly, you no longer have to sweat just to get links from your computer onto your smartphone. That's not all, you also get notification and alerts on the things you care about. Pushbullet literary finds hard ways to make your life easier!
9. Soundhound — Music & AudioMusic is one big way to think about entertainment. It happens often that you hear a song but just can't make out its name, or the name of the artist. Soundhound solves this problem in an incredible way. Anytime you're going about your duties and you hear a love song that you'd like to bookmark or download, turn this app on, let it listen for you, and it'll get you all the information you need. There are no gray lines. Soundhound is used by over 50 million Android users, and it'll certainly make 'identifying songs' a lot easier for you. These 9 must have Android apps are a great way to enhance your smartphone experience, as well as make life easier and better by leveraging technology. If you have a good app that you think should've made it to this list, share below, we'll certainly consider it.
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There seems to be quite a number of reports regarding the Samsung GALAXY S3 suddenly death issue. Earlier this week, I noticed that there are 2 such cases from my Twitter followers.
I did a quick search online and found that this issue affect mostly 16GB Galaxy S III models.
Although this seems to be a hardware issue, it seems like the issue can be resolved by a firmware update. According to Samsung Singapore, they are releasing a software update to address this issue.
"We have been releasing a software update to address the firmware issue. We are working to ensure that the software update will be available at the earliest possible time in all countries, including Singapore. We would like to assure our customers that we remain fully committed to providing a seamless mobile experience." – Samsung Spokesperson
Customers who are affected by the GALAXY S3 sudden death issue can visit the nearest Samsung Service Centre for assistance.
It is a good thing that a simple firmware update can fix this issue. Let's hope we get the new firmware in Singapore soon. In the meantime, it would be advisable for all Samsung GALAXY S3 users to backup their phone regularly. Anyway, it is always a good habit to backup your phone regularly.


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OpenGFX 0.4.4
OpenGFX 0.4.4 brings updates and fixes to a number of sprites, including font additions. It also introduced the makefile target clean-gfx
This release fixes a number of bugs with sprites and the fonts received additional and updated glyphs for better support of some languages.
See the changelog for a full list: http://dev.openttdcoop.org/projects/opengfx/repository/revisions/8daf216e4243/raw/docs/changelog.txt
Maintainers may note some changes to the build targets:
- maintainer-clean WILL delete from the tar bundle the file to check the md5 sums against. Do not use that
- distclean will restore the source bundle to its prestine state
- clean-gfx will remove the pngs from the source bundle which can be re-generated from the source xcf files
Thus if you want to build the package completely from source, grab the tar bundle (or a repository checkout) and run clean-gfx to ensure that the png files are cleaned and thus re-generated from source.


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To celebrate passing my 50,000th view today for this blog here is an inspirational and thought provoking TED Talk by Priya Parker – 19 mins long but worth it:
To celebrate passing my 50,000th view today for this blog here is an inspirational and thought provoking TED Talk by Priya Parker – 19 mins long but worth it:
Filed under Change Job, Goals, Life changing, Uncategorized, VIDEOS
Take the opportunity today to consider whether your happiness is created by your conditions or the other way around.
'Happiness is not created as a result of certain conditions, certain conditions are created as a result of happiness.' Neale Donald Walsch said that and I agree with him. And this applies to all states of mind.
What he means is if you are a happy person then you will create happy conditions around you. A truly happy person doesn't need the external conditions to be a certain way in order to be happy. Easier said than done right. Of course it is, at first. What's the big secret then? Well, for me, it's just to accept what is. Strive for X but be happy with Y. Not getting attached to the outcome.
When I watch a football match I see the two sets of supporters cheering their team on and in the end one team wins and the other loses, usually. The losing supporters are often devastated. Why? Because they are attached to the outcome. They strive for X (their team winning) but they're not happy with Y (their team losing). They make themselves unhappy.
Take a look today at areas in your life where you might be doing this. And if you think that by adopting this mental state you'll lose out on the highs in life (like your team winning) think again. You can continue striving as much as you ever did – but now you won't be so affected by the lows.
(Page 404 December 29th of my book: How To Change Your Life One Day at a Time)
Happy New Year and enjoy 2017
And here's a video that might help of Dr Ilona Boniwell the founder of the European Network of Positive Psychology explaining how to be more happy…
Filed under Self help, Uncategorized
You do realise that everything that has ever happened to you, good or bad, has brought you to where you are today.
You may be in a great place right now, so think if any tiny little thing in your past were different it would have changed your trajectory and you may well be in a very different place right now rather than where you are.
All those not so good places were necessary in order for you to be here.
If you're not in such a great place just realise that you are in one of those not so good places that will lead you to the great place later. So appreciate it for what it is.
Why only appreciate it later? Thank everything and everybody from your past for helping to get you here. Thank 'here' for being part of the journey that's going to get you 'there' in the future.
And always remember… in the depths of winter the blossom is waiting to bloom.
Who will you thank, and for what?
PS: This is p.358 of my book 'How To Change Your Life One Day At A Time'.
Filed under Self Improvement
You know what I mean right? Sure you do. I could sit here and write a page of words that show you what they might be but I'd only be scratching the surface wouldn't I?
We've all got stuff going on that we say is this or that. But we know it's not. I mean it could look that way to the untrained eye, to the casual observer, but we know it's just a façade for what's really going on.
Take a good look at it today, be as honest with yourself as you can. Allow the discomfort or maybe even pain of looking at it to come through. Welcome it. Once we open the cupboard door and shine a light in there we can see there was nothing to be afraid of.
I know this'll be hard for a lot of people – me included, so lets all dig deep and give it a try.
What will you take a look at today?
Enjoy (if you can)
Filed under Self help
A while back when I was getting ready to launch my book 'How To Change Your Life One Day At A Time' I decided to create a street video to help promote it.
I had only one question that I wanted to ask of many complete strangers: WHAT ONE THING YOU WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF?
I wanted to document how different people would answer the same question, based on their own lives and circumstances. What I found was in many, many cases their answer led me to ask another question, then another, then a final question. (A process I now call 'Crossing The River').
It was in these instances that those asked gave the most considered responses, delving deeper and deeper into the issue. In many cases they actually answered the most penetrating question they had probably been asked in years, if not decades.
They were as surprised by their answers as I was.
Remarkable considering that not one interview took more than two minutes to complete, AND they were complete strangers to me!
Many wanted to change things about their appearance, some about bad habits they had and some about the way they thought about themselves or others. I was moved and surprised at just how candid these people were, how open. I sincerely hope that some of them went home that day and actually made the change they said they wanted.
So what are the four questions you MUST ask yourself if you want to make any change in your life, whether it's to do with your relationships, your achievements, your lifestyle, your health, wealth and happiness or your career?
Bare in mind the change MUST be about YOU – not your boss, or your neighbour, or the economy or anything else that you cannot influence.
Get Help
Let me suggest that you get someone else to ask you these questions – a close friend or family member or even a colleague. Answer the first one before getting them to ask the second. Then answer that before they ask you the third, and so on.
Answer as quickly as possible too as this is where the revelation is, when your mind doesn't have time to dwell on and possibly filter the answer. It doesn't take long – as I said, of the 30 or so interviews I did on that cold day in February, not one took longer than two minutes!
Crossing The River
Here are the 4 questions:
1. What is the ONE thing you'd like to change about YOURSELF today? (This is not about your circumstances, this is about YOU.)
2. Why do you want to make that change?
3. How will you make that change?
4. What's stopping you?
Make a note of them, then forget about them until you have chosen someone to help you with this insightful exercise. If you decide you want to do them on your own then answer the first question NOW. Quick – answer!
To see the video CLICK HERE – it's 9 min 41 long, I hope you enjoy.
Take care
Filed under Goals, Life changing, Self help, Self Improvement
Stuart Young, London, UK
I was chatting with James Arthur Ray, of hit movie 'The Secret' fame the other day. When I say chatting – I mean I commented on his blog post and he replied. 🙂
I've been reading his latest 'Do You Love Life or Fantasy' series and I recommend you take a look CLICK HERE
If you're not familiar with James then Google him, but believe me when I say he's been through the biggest battle of his life recently.
How we 'think' at difficult times is THE KEY to moving through the experience, and coming out the other side more swiftly and with hope for a brighter future.
His posts led me to formulate a process called The 3 'A's:-
James has his own variation where he adds another two 'A's – Act and Adjust.
If you've been through a battle recently, or are in the midst of one now – consider these today. And please take a look at James' blog posts, they're insightful.
Filed under Change Job, Goals, Life changing, Self help, Self Improvement
Stuart Young, London, UK
What if you could … what?
What if you could meet the partner of your dreams? What if you could be as fit as a top athlete? What if you could achieve all of your goals systematically. What if you could have the job you love doing?
We spend so much of our time thinking that we can't, we forget to consider if we could.
What's the point you might be asking.
Apart from the fact that thinking about achieving something that would make us feel great actually starts to make us feel great – the very act of thinking in that way actually makes us consider opportunities and options that we are blind to when we're busy thinking we can't.
Think about it – if I ask you to think of three reasons why you'll never win the lottery, it's impossible for you to come up with ways that you could win.
If I said look around where you are right now and find ALL the red things, you wouldn't notice all the blue things because that's not where you are putting your focus. You'd miss all the blue things.
Likewise with continually thinking you can't – you miss those opportunities in front of you that may just prove that you can.
Try that today – just allow yourself to daydream about all the things you'd like in your life and, just for the purposes of dreaming, imagine that you can have those things. Ask yourself: What if I could…?
See what happens.
Filed under Change Job, Goals, Life changing, Self help, Self Improvement, Success


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Never have I seen a truer statement than the one emblazoned on this tin I saw at CVS the other day.
Don't worry; they'll disappear before you know it.
Props to the person who thought of this, because you and I both know that it's only a matter of time before those ties disappear into that household wormhole that swallows all of the black hair ties in the world and sends them to their mysterious final destination.
Where do they all go?
Until the scientific community figures it out, I will continue to work under the assumption that they go to the cosmic playground in the sky where angel kitties swat at them for hours on end.
I've actually got a black tie in my hair right now because I'm typing and painting my nails. 'cause that's how I roll. Paint, type, paint, type…
Oh, noooo. Is that a nick on my thumbnail?
Wait — it's not. WHEW! *wipes sweat off brow.*
As I was saying, I'm multitasking, even though I'm running the risk of accidentally denting a freshly painted paw.
Faster, pussycat
I recently figured out a way to speed up the process even more, because, frankly, who has the time? Why fritter away 30 minutes of your life waiting for paint to dry when you could be doing things like squats or watching a Keanu Reeves movie (I know I've been talking about him a lot lately, but can you blame a girl?).
Also, I think I finally nailed (ha ha ha) the "speed mani" thanks to these few products. I'm completely done in 15 minutes. FOR REALS. Everything dries super quickly, AND the mani lasts a long time. I'm talking zero-to-very-few chips for a full week.
It's all about that base
It starts with Sally Hansen No More Stains Spray-On Base Coat, which is also fun to use.
Doesn't it look like a travel perfume bottle?
You just spray the clear base coat on bare nails (one or two spritzes per nail), and the thin protective layer dries in less than a minute. You don't have to be very precise about it (it's like you're spraying hairspray on the tips of your fingers). Just spray, spray, spray, and ya done!
T-minus 300 seconds
On top of that, I add a couple layers of a nude shade from the Essie Gel Couture line, and it doesn't seem to matter which color I wear — tan, pink, peach, taupe. Whichever direction I choose to go, the end result looks so-fresh-so-clean, even after a week.
Duuuuude! I'm also all about the brush. It's wider and flatter that a typical nail polish brush, so I can paint from base to tip in even, smooth strokes.


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text:
Ten Incredible Technological Medical Marvels For The Future
Ten Incredible Technological Medical Marvels For The FutureMedical marvels covered on YD range from tech solutions for the impaired to regular stuff like toilets and oral hygiene. Here's a look at ten medical and technological solutions for those with disabilities and not-so-impaired people. Hopefully some of them will make from the drawing board to the real-world.
10) I Contact by Eun-Gyeong Gwon & Eun-Jae Lee
Although at the moment it may be hard to fathom this concept, but designers Eun-Gyeong Gwon & Eun-Jae Lee propose a contact lens that is so technologically advanced that it works like a mouse for your computer. It's intended for people with disabilities, but that shouldn't stop the able-bodied people from experimenting with it.
9) Touch Sight Camera by Chueh Lee, Liqing Zou, Ning Xu, Saiyou Ma, Dan Hu, Fengshun Jiang & Zhenhui Sun
Designed for the visually impaired, the Touch Sight Camera looks to be an innovative solution for those who would like to capture precious moments even though they can't literally see it.
8 ) Sens Phone by Takumi Yoshida
Giving the blind an edge of independence is the Sens Phone. It's easy to use features will make it a practical device for independent use.
7) Batphones by Matthias Ries
Quite comical to say the least, although grandma here looks quite content to use it as her hearing aid!
6) Universal Toilet For The Disabled by Changduk Kim & Youngki Hong
The Universal Toilet has a flexible design coz it can be used by both the able-bodied and people on wheelchairs conveniently.
5) Oral Hygiene Monitor by Sarah Tisdale
Put me through the surgical knife but spare me the dentist! How many of us echo this sentiment…me, me me! Oral Hygiene Monitor makes sure that we won't forget our dentist; EVER!
4) Braille Interpreter by Hyung Jin Lim
Just because someone is blind, it's not necessary that they know Braille. Braille Interpreter is a gadget that will help them learn and interpret the language.
3) Nike Air Jordan Prosthetics by Colin Matsco
Designer limb!
2) Beagle Scarf For Autism by Leo Chao
A scarf that acts as a comforter for those with Autism, this one includes speakers in the hood, customized aroma patches along with textured inner pockets.
1) Lumitact Breast Prosthesis by Stephanie Choplin
Besides the pain and trauma associated with Breast Cancer, the loss of femininity is the biggest psychological side-effect. Lumitact is an adhesive, tactile breast prosthesis that integrates Phillips' Lumalive material into its design. It tries to bring back the sense of self-confidence and sexiness into the woman's life.


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Jon Tester on War & Peace
Democratic Jr Senator
Matt Rosendale (R): Yes.
Jon Tester (D): No. Supports treaty as "only option" to prevent nuclear weapons development.
It is time for Pres. Bush to articulate a clear exit strategy for American troops from Iraq. An open-ended occupation is not in the best interests of the US, the Iraqi people, or the Middle East. The time has come to support our troops by laying out a plan to bring them home
Proponents support voting YES because:
Sen. LEVIN: "The amendment requires redeployment be completed within 9 months. At that point, funding for the war would be ended, with four narrow exceptions:"
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
Sen. McCAIN: "This year, after nearly 4 years of mismanaged war, our military has made significant gains under the so-called surge. Overall violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level since [2003]. Improvised explosive device blasts now occur at a rate lower than at any point since September 2004.
"Al-Qaida's leadership knows which side is winning in Iraq. It may not be known in some parts of America and in this body, but al-Qaida knows. We are succeeding under the new strategy.
"Given these realities, some proponents of precipitous withdrawal from Iraq have shifted their focus. While conceding, finally, that there have been dramatic security gains, they have begun seizing on the lackluster performance of the Iraqi Government to insist that we should abandon the successful strategy and withdraw U.S. forces. This would be a terrible mistake."
Proponents support voting YES because:
Sen. LIEBERMAN: Some of our colleagues thought the Sense of the Senate may have opened the door to some kind of military action against Iran [so we removed some text]. That is not our intention. In fact, our intention is to increase the economic pressure on Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps so that we will never have to consider the use of the military to stop them from what they are doing to kill our soldiers.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
Sen. BIDEN. I will oppose the Kyl-Lieberman amendment for one simple reason: this administration cannot be trusted. I am very concerned about the evidence that suggests that Iran is engaged in destabilizing activities inside Iraq. Arguably, if we had a different President who abided by the meaning and intent of laws we pass, I might support this amendment. I fear, however, that this President might use the designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity as a pretext to use force against Iran as he sees fit. [The same was done with the Senate resolution on Iraq in 2002]. Given this President's actions and misuse of authority, I cannot support the amendment.
Proponents recommend voting YES because:
Our troops are caught in the midst of a civil war. The administration has begun to escalate this war with 21,000 more troops. This idea is not a new one. During this war, four previous surges have all failed. It is time for a different direction. It is time for a drawdown of our troops.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
This resolution calls for imposing an artificial timeline to withdraw our troops from Iraq, regardless of the conditions on the ground or the consequences of defeat; a defeat that will surely be added to what is unfortunately a growing list of American humiliations. This legislation would hobble American commanders in the field and substantially endanger America's strategic objective of a unified federal democratic Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain itself and be an ally in the war against Islamic fascism. The unintended consequence of this resolution is to bring to reality Osama bin Laden's vision for Iraq; that after 4 years of fighting in Iraq the US Congress loses its will to fight. If we leave Iraq before the job is done, as surely as night follows day, the terrorists will follow us home. Osama bin Laden has openly said: America does not have the stomach to stay in the fight. He is a fanatic. He is an Islamic fascist. He is determined to destroy us and our way of life.
Excerpts from Letter from 85 Senators to President Obama We all hope that nuclear negotiations succeed in preventing Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapons capability. For diplomacy to succeed, however, we must couple our willingness to negotiate with a united and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime. We urge you to insist on the realization of these core principles with Iran:
Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, "Enforcing Iran Nuke Deal," Jan. 25, 2017): More than anything else, the Iran nuclear deal must be kept because the alternative is a return to ever-heightening tensions and clamoring by hawks in both countries. From 2003 to 2014, years of unrelenting U.S. sanctions and confrontation, Iran went from 164 centrifuges to 19,000. The hostile approach generates a more expansive, less transparent Iranian nuclear program and increases the chances for another disastrous U.S. war in the Middle East. Let's hope the Trump administration chooses not to go that route.
|Other candidates on War & Peace:
|Jon Tester on other issues:
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text:
Hello again!
Before my university two weeks semester break began, I was certain I was going to read so many books. I was only yet to draw out the list of fiction, autobiography and Christian literature I would read. I was only yet to.
The break has turned out entirely different but I'm super grateful for how it finally turned out. It's been tough keeping up with certain demands in my fellowship but I'll probably never build so much strength without it.
A good thing that came out of the break was that I completed a book by Francine Rivers. I did so in no time, really. In this book, she really pushed strong Christian views forward. In light of my previous reading of her work, doctrinally, she came on tough. Well, Precious people, let me review it before putting all my opinions before your face. (sidenote: I've been calling everyone precious these days, good innit?)
The title of the book is "The atonement child", authored by Francine Rivers.
My copy was published by Tyndale house publishers inc, Wheaton Illinois and it has 376 pages.
I was in a Christian library the other day, when I saw a book with a colourful cover page on a shelf.
It's title – " Aids is real and it is in our church".
To be honest, I can imagine most pastors swiftly yet steadily glancing away with sufficient experience, from that book with the colourful cover page. But aids is in our church. Who's gonna pick up the book? Against that backdrop, "The atonement child" is also a book that hinges on a topic that makes us all avert our gaze to the side. It's based on a somewhat sensitive issue. Abortion.
In a moment too short to have had the weight and consequence it eventually had, Dynah Carey was raped. Painfully. Brutally.
Beautiful Dynah, sweet Dynah, blonde-hair Dynah, God-adoring Dynah. Her life had been close to perfect. I enjoyed reading how she went down to New Life College in Illinois to school and how she met Ethan who swept her off her feet, yes. However, her life hit rock bottom after the rape and she was forced to reconsider everything she had ever known, and forced to put things in perspective, one day at a time.
The main characters were Dynah; Ethan, her fiance; Hannah, her mother; Doug, her father; Joe, her friend; Evie, her grand-mother. Quite a circle. The characters are very credible and they felt so many emotions. The characters seemed to have been faced with trials they couldn't bear, they ran into lots of problems.
My favourite character is Dynah. She was able to pull through beautifully (this involved lots of tears and questioning God, running away, quitting school) but it serves to tell how much dignity can still be pulled on, in ugly circumstances. If I told you who my second favourite character is, I'll probably begin to gush and digress and I will mention my third favourite. You already know I love the book, I don't need to make it any more obvious.
Beautiful as the characters were, I couldn't relate on a personal level. Our experiences differ and the setting different. My favourite part of the book was a certain widows brigade meeting. Some elderly women who were close friends and met together every Sunday for the past four years to share lunch, sorrows and joy. I liked that potrayal because it touches on vulnerability and on the courage to call on the commander of the army, to go to war against the enemy.
This book while focusing on Dynah, was able to efficiently branch out to the lives of people affected by abortion: The doctors who perform it, the families of the doctors and what they felt or didn't feel, the parents of those who aborted and reasons for supporting or opposing it, the men for whom pregnancies were aborted and their disposition for the rest of their lives , the pastors from whom counselling was sought, their errors and their excellence, the schools with no tolerance policy for pregnancy and the blind eyes turned to rape circumstances, the government and the position of the law, pro-life support groups and what they really care about.
On the issue of pro-life organizations, this book subtly dealt with why these organizations should focus more on the women thinking of having or who have had abortions and should not only be concerned with 'saving the child'
This book had exceedingly thrilling points despite it the solemn theme.
I'll recommend this to all and sundry because we all have a thing or two in perspective about abortion which needs changing.
On having Pastors having no answers :
He looked into her eyes and saw fear and confusion, her anguish. He wanted to weep. He knew the answer to that question in his heart. He knew the answer by all he had studied over the years in the word. But he couldn't bring himself to give a one word answer to such a loaded question.
On Christian zeal:
Douglas had noticed that when they first met Ethan. "He's on fire alright but that kind of fire can burn churches down"
On grief:
she had thought she had cried to last a lifetime when she was nineteen. Now she realized she'd had no clue what grief was. She hadn't known how deep it could go or how long it could last and that there were ramifications she hadn't suspected.
Sometimes when she read her Bible, she envied the Israelite. They could wear sack clothes and ashes. They could wail and scream. They could prostrate themselves before the lord
On trials:
anger stirred. Frenetic activities seemed to be Ethan's forte. And safety valve. When he didn't want to face something, he served mightily as for the lord. But not really. It was easier to teach God's word than to live it
On people's justifications for abortion:
"it would seem life could be built upon the foundation of death".
"besides the supreme court doesn't agree with you. They seem to think we poor women would fall apart if we knew the facts, so they decided women don't have the right to know the full truth" she shook her head "they've made it legal to withhold vital information, even when a woman asks for it…and do you know the argument they used for withholding information? They say it spares women trauma…"
On facing the truth:
"she lifted her shoulders slightly, unable to explain, not sure she wanted to diagnose her feelings. Perhaps it was best not to examine some things too closely. You might find corruption.
On compromises made for love:
she hadn't wanted to think about it too much or look too closely, not when the love of her life was so intimately involved. She couldn't bear to think he might be wrong
On worrying:
He brushed a tear from her cheek. "you're borrowing trouble, Dynah. You're worrying about what might happen. Deal with now"
On love for Children:
"I remember my son going through a period in the seventies when he said he didn't want to bring children into such an awful world, " Evie said" I told him people who cared so much about children should be the ones having them"
Love and books,


text:
The property on offer is situated in JHB - Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Gauteng
This apartment is perfect for the person or young couple working in the JHB city centre commercial hubs.
A large lounge enjoys loads if sunlight accentuating the floor space and offers access to a balcony room.
The kitchen is spacious and offer loads of preparation surfaces and loads of cupboard storage space.
The voluminous master bedroom is sun drenched and warm.
The single bathroom servicing the apartment is neatly fitted.
MyRoof uses an online offer system, so why not Make an Offer ?
Contact the agent directly.
Save this property to your favourites for later review.
We will e-mail you when another property of this kind becomes available in Krugersdorp.
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Roodepoort , Krugersdorp , Noordheuwel , Kenmare , Wentworth Park , Monument , Rant-En-Dal , Chancliff AH , Dan Pienaarville , Amorosa , Burgershoop , Munsieville South , Rietvallei , Olivanna


text:
This is the lovely, sweet surprise that arrived in the mail for me (oops, I mean the baby) last week from Amy. I knew she had knit the booties from her posting them recently, but it was still a total surprise when they arrived--so beautifully packaged as is always the case with Amy--and surrounded by other fabulous goodies. Most special is the Wizard Of Oz illustrated by Lizbeth Zwerger. Amy posted about her wonderful illustrations long ago and I've been wanting to add something to our collection since. Amy was so right on--the illustrations are AMAZING. I don't think the wee one will mind that we're reading it to big brother right now, who's loving it as much as Mama is.
And just in case you didn't see them when she posted them, here are the sweet things up close. SOOO unbelievably soft and cozy--I can't wait to put them on baby toes this winter. Thank you, Amy!! Such sweetness. I continue to be amazed and blown away by the connections and relationships that this whole blogging community has created. My exchanges with Amy have been one of those rare, "real" relationships that I feel so blessed to have, despite being physically divided by a continent. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And then the love continues....yesterday, this wonderful package arrived in the mail for me from Amanda. Just from the mere mention of my regret for not joining the fabric swap, she ever-so-sweetly sent me a package of just that! A huge loot of amazing fabric--so much fun stuff in here!! And some cool buttons and beads, and a fabulous card from her shop Homebaked. Thank you, Amanda!! And a Happy Belated Birthday to you, too!
And then one more very cool bloggy thing I must mention. Two weeks ago, I took the boys to our local train museum for a ride. Through some twist of fate, I'm sure, I entered through the "back" door and walked through the office. A woman working there followed us out and approached me asking if I had a blog! Ah! She totally recognized my boys, and we had had an email exchange or two in the past. It was so cool to meet Brandie face to face--she was so sweet and kind, just as I had imagined her from her blog. And so bizarre to have the blog world and real world collide like that. I'm hoping for a similar meeting on the street some day with Maria...


text:
Coupon & course info
Course Name: SEO Secret 2016- How to Rank #1 on Google – Get Free Traffic
Subtitle: Step-by-step SEO Course to Rank #1 on Google. Get more traffic thanks to SEO
Instructor: Taught by Greg Lata, Freelancer, Web Designer & SEO specialist
Category: Marketing
Subcategory: Search Engine Optimization
Provided by: Udemy
Price: $297 (before discount)
Free coupon code: See above (no charge for coupon)
Review info & popularity
As of February 25, 2016…
Students: 4,542 students enrolled
Ratings: 52 reviews
Rank: ranked #85 in Udemy Marketing Courses
Brief course description
My Udemy courses have been taken 7 000 times by over 6 300 students.
Course fully updated 13th February 2016
(Read more about this course on the official course page.)
Greg Lata bio
I am a surprisingly young freelancer, as for the information and projects that I have in my portfolio. I am a SEO, Link Building and Web Design specialist. I have four years' experience in the SEO and internet sites positioning field. In 2013 I hired a team of people who help me to reach my target, to know all the google mysteries and to become the best positioner. You can say that now I cooperate with people all around the world.
(Learn more about this instructor on the official course page.)
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Learn how to successfully use Instagram as a Social Media Marketing tool for consumer engagement and brand recognition
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5. Facebook Marketing: Grow Your Business With Retargeting
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Languages: English
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Lectures: 41 lessons
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Download options: check course to see if you can download lessons


text:
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MILTON — The town's Memorial Day Parade will set off from American Legion Post 61 at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 26, on Steeple Street where the Civil War and World War I monuments are located.
After greetings from the President of the Day, American Legion Post 61 Commander Herb Wolfinger, the invocation will be given by the Rev. Betsy Webber, and the Pledge of Allegiance will be given by Post 61 Past Commander and former State Rep. Bob McKinley.
The Gettysburg Address is expected to be delivered by a member of the Milton Boy Scout Troop, after which the Speaker of the Day, former NH State Police officer, author and Post 61 member David Duchesneau, will give his remarks.
Nute High School Band, under the direction of Krin Monterose will perform a special selection of patriotic music, and the Rev. Bob Walsh will close with a benediction.
The first stop of the parade, which will march to the beat of drummer Stanley Banks, will be on White Mountain Highway, on the bridge crossing to Maine. There, the Rev. Walsh will lead a memorial service for departed sailors.
After this it will proceed to Milton Veterans Memorial Park, where a brief service will be held, led by the Rev. Webber.
Participants will include members of the American Legion, VFW and Auxiliaries, Gold Star Mothers, Boy Scouts, Cub scouts, Milton School Unicycle Club, the Mary Torr Chapter of the DAR and Milton Fire Department. The Marshals of the Day are American Legion Post 61's Wolfinger, VFW Post 8393 Commander Pete Hayward, and VFW Post 7663 Commander Fred Guldbrandsen.
Refreshments will be served to children after the parade at Milton Elementary School.


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Pricing: Crawl, Walk, Run
Expand as Your Needs Change
Today's retail realities have influenced many companies to embark on a journey towards price optimization, but where does one start? All glory comes from daring to begin. In your unique pricing journey, begin at your own pace and then go as fast as your business requires. Our "crawl, walk, run" staging offers an evolutionary approach to pricing that allows you to focus on your most immediate priorities and still gain significant results.
Price… The original function in retail. When your business is selling goods and services, price is the ONLY thing that directly determines revenue.
It's because of its importance that it is complex. You, consumers, and vendors all have a vested interest. Even a slight adjustment can have significant effects on your revenues and on what customers think of you.
There's no "magic" switch set the right prices. Cute taglines, easy to rattle off sayings can grab your attention but they don't make it happen.
When you read anything about pricing, it's all about using predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI. And while science can provide significant improvements, you know that it isn't the only answer. It's one of them but it might not be the one you need right now.
Improving pricing is not about focusing on the results. Just like sports, just like work, just like any goal. It's about mastering the fundamentals. They aren't sexy, they aren't inspiring, and they aren't headline grabbing, but they achieve results.
In pricing, some of those fundamentals include:
- Gathering, accurate competitive prices and the changes as they occur and then making the necessary adjustments on your own prices;
- Knowing the items that customers really care about, and how they affect your image with them;
- Figuring out the best price zone configuration of your stores for each category, and how the online channel should align;
- Understanding out of all the competition across your entire business, which ones in which areas for which items, really affect demand.
You can then build on this knowledge by:
- Creating a streamlined and automated workflow that improves responsiveness, efficiency, and granularity without adding more people;
- Supporting an extensive library of pricing rules to manage all the different nuances and ensure compliance;
- Providing transparent results, so people can understand why the price is the way it is OR even better maybe they can maybe simply the rules to the most effective ones;
- And actually having a forecast to understand what the effect of the price is on the demand.
From there you can continue to build through:
- Influencing the customer demand signals by adding predictive analytics and science;
- Incorporate business strategies to align your pricing to your goals;
- Add scenario planning to Plan, Simulate, & Respond to future market outcomes, instead of waiting for them to overtake you;
- And then finally, by combining all of this you can add additional workflow automation and exception management to stay ahead of consumers by ensuring you are priced strategically, everywhere, in this moment and the next.
This still can be a lot for many retailers to do all at once. The good news, is you don't have to.
At Revionics we've designed our entire pricing solution to allow you to focus on where you need to and still gain significant results. There are several paths and several options for you to choose from.
- You can choose to start with gaining additional competitive information through competitive insights.
- Or maybe you want to dip your toe into analytics to see what it can offer for you and what immediate insights you can get from it.
- Other retailers, with our price management solution, can streamline their processes, improve rule adherence, and actually get a forecast, thus greatly improving their efficiency, scalability, and decision making.
- From that point retailers can decide to incorporate dynamic pricing to ensure they are pricing at the right frequency while keeping the right alignment for each of their channels.
- And then many retailers move towards optimization, to manage their business strategically and with data analytics.
Not all retailers take the same path. Not all first take on dynamic pricing then optimization. Some do the reverse. Some decide to go directly from price entry systems to optimization, some to management. Some don't need to incorporate extensive competitive insights until they first focus on other areas of pricing, but then they come back to improve that. Every retailer's journey is unique for them.
Yet, since the hardest part of any journey is starting, with Revionics' solutions you can being at your own pace and go as fast as you need. We refer to it as a crawl-walk-run approach and have already used it at many retailers across the globe. With it there is no re-learning or starting over when more is added.
Another unique advantage of Revionics' solutions is the sum is greater than the parts. Because it uses a predictive learning platform and shares data there is commonality in learnings and the insights are easily leveraged across areas. This is compared to doing it in silos which results in conflicts, workflow clashes, and multiple versions of the truth.
Retailers have found benefits at any stage they are in, but they obtain 50% more benefit when they are transitioning to optimization from management. But because of the prior mentioned Revionics advantage, they find this transition in Revionics' solutions to be fairly easy compared to starting from nothing. Which then changes the nature of the first statement "not that you obtain 50% more benefits from optimization," but you are "leaving 50% of your benefits from not taking advantage of optimization."
To learn more about how Revionics can help you and your pricing needs, go to www.revionics.com or email email@example.com.


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This entry is cross-posted from pirateparty.org.uk.
Today the Supreme Court gave a long-awaited ruling on the subject of DNA databases and the ability of the police to store DNA samples of innocent people indefinitely. In a majority judgment (with two of the seven judges disagreeing) the Court ruled that the police practices were unlawful. Due to changes in the law being discussed by Parliament the judges did not go as far as ordering the police to change their practices within a certain time-frame or awarding compensation. It was, however, suggested that if changes were not made soon, further cases could be brought which were likely to succeed.
While this ruling does not mark the end of excessive police profiling, or of the police DNA databases, it is clearly a step towards a more balanced and proportionate system, and should be welcomed by all those who seek a fair and just policing system


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Anouar Majid
Vice President for Global Affairs; Managing Director of UNE Morocco; Founding Director of the Center for Global Humanities, Founding Director of the Tangier Global Forum; Professor of English
(207) 221-4447
Anouar Majid is Vice President for Global Affairs, founding director of the Center for Global Humanities (Maine, USA) and the Tangier Global Forum (Morocco), and founding chair of the Department of English, which he headed from 2000 to 2009. He conceived and established UNE's campus in Tangier and is the managing director of UNE's operations in Morocco. Majid has published widely on relations between Islam and the West. He is the author of Islam and America: Building a Future Without Prejudice (Rowman &... Read More
Full-time Faculty
Khalid Amine
Khalid teaches courses on Moroccan society and culture at UNE Morocco. He is also a senior professor at Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan, Morocco. He holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Abdelmalek Essaadi University and an M.A. in Literature-Drama from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. In addition, Khalid is the founding president of the International Research Centre for Performance Studies; the founding director of the International Festival Performing Tangier; and a former director of Tangier's Professional... Read More
Mourad Boulaid
Boulaid teaches Physics at UNE Morocco. He is also a professor of chemistry at Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan, Morocco. He holds a Ph.D. in advanced chemistry from the University of Almeria in Spain and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Abdelmalek Essaadi University.Read More
Abdelaziz Dahdouh
Abdelaziz holds a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from University Abdelmalek Essaadi and has over twenty years of teaching experience. His research interests include heterochemistry in organic synthesis and application; chemistry of natural substances and application; and the study of the structure-activity relationship. In addition to teaching organic chemistry at UNE Morocco, he serves as a professor of chemstry at University Abdelmalek Essaadi; the director of the laboratory of applied organic chemistry; and a member of both the Moroccan Society of... Read More
Anthony David
Tony went off to college to Brandeis to study under German-Jewish scholar Frank Manual, an historian of utopianism. It was Professor Manual's suggestion that he continue his studies with the philosopher Ernst Tugendtat, his friend at the Free University in West Berlin. In East Berlin he wrote an unpublished novel, the first of many, and with his friend David he began the first English school in the former communist capital. From there it was off to the University of... Read More
Anisse Saadi
Dr. Anisse Saadi has a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Oklahoma. He also has a bachelor's degree in Bio Technology and Genetic Improvement of Plants from the University of Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco. He has been teaching Anatomy & Physiology and Applied Micro Biology at The University of New England for the past three years. He has also been working at the American School of Tangier as a Biology and Chemistry teacher for the past seven years.... Read More
Professional Staff
Campus Manager
Mourad was born in Tangier, Morocco and completed his university studies in Fes, Morocco and the Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France. He holds a master's degree in linguistics and a computer science diploma from the Tangier Applied Technical Institute. Before joining UNE in October 2013, Mourad worked as Training Officer and Management Specialist with the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), a government broadcasting relay station based in Morocco. Outside of the office, Mourad enjoys sports, especially basketball, along with drawing... Read More
Campus Coordinator
Douaa holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Linguistics from University Abdelmalek Essaadi and speaks five languages. Prior to joining the UNE Morocco team, she was the project leader at the International Center of Interweaving Cultures and Performance in Berlin, where she brought Moroccan and German students together. She has also worked with CIEE and CEA study abroad exchange programs in Granada and Seville to bring American university students to Morocco.Read More
Assistant Campus Coordinator
Rania holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from University Abdelmalik Essadi, Faculty of Letters. She studied web programming for one year after graduating high school and participated as an organizer and facilitator in both national and international forums in Tangier in which she helped facilitate communication between Moroccan students and foreign universities. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in English Literature & The History of Ideas. She speaks three languages.Read More
Campus Chef
A Tangier native, Karima Dinia received her law degree from Mohammed V University in Rabat. After practicing private law, she returned to Tangier and took over her family catering business, Société Tangerin's Cream. Her company has worked with many different public and private clients, including consulates, ministries, festivals, films, hotels, schools, and cultural institutions. She became the campus chef at UNE Morocco in 2014, an experience she finds very fulfilling because it enables her to meet young people from a... Read More
Technical Director
Mohamed Hounaini was born in Tangier and has attended schools in both Morocco and Spain, studying design, electromechanics, international business, and the management of operating systems. In addition to serving as UNE Morocco's Technical Director, he is the founder and director of iTech, an engineering systems and applied technology consulting and design company. Outside of work, he is interested in Formula 1 racing, cars, rockets, physics, astronomy and history.Read More