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Gadget Lab Newsletter
Sifteo Makes Playing With Blocks Fun Again
LAS VEGAS — Tired of playing endless sessions of Spider Solitaire on your laptop? Fear not, weary game enthusiasts. MIT Media Lab alums Jeevan Kalanithi and David Merrill have a solution that blends real-world objects with computer circuits and LCDs. Sifteo is a very different kind of game cube. Using 1.5-inch blocks that communicate through […]
LAS VEGAS -- Tired of playing endless sessions of Spider Solitaire on your laptop? Fear not, weary game enthusiasts. MIT Media Lab alums Jeevan Kalanithi and David Merrill have a solution that blends real-world objects with computer circuits and LCDs.
Sifteo is a very different kind of game cube. Using 1.5-inch blocks that communicate through a Wi-Fi connection, Sifteo brings puzzle games that might otherwise be played on a computer screen to the tactile, tabletop environment.
Instead of loading Text Twist on your PC desktop, you can play a game of Word Play on your literal desktop, physically rearranging the letters that appear on the blocks' full-color 128-pixel display screens to form words.
Inside each cube is a 32-bit ARM microprocessor, powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery. And just like the iPhone and other smartphones, there's an accelerometer that can determine the cube's position, which enables some pretty cool ways to play games.
In Shaper, seen below, players must arrange the cubes into the configurations that appear on each block's screen.
Sifteo co-founders Jeevan Kalanithi and David Merrill were talking about the idea of Sifteo a year ago at TED, back when the blocks were still called "Siftables." The two met as undergrads at Stanford University, and both went to the east coast to earn MS degrees at the MIT Media Lab , where they built the Sifteo hardware.
"When we were still in the early stages of development, we took the blocks to an elementary school for testing," Kalanithi told Wired.com in an interview. "It was amazing to see a bunch of 8-year-old girls moving the blocks around intuitively."
Right now, Sifteo only has in-house developers working on games for the hardware, but the company wants to eventually open the API up to any and all 3rd-party developers that want to create games for it. "We're looking for feedback," Kalanithi said. "Opening this up to different people brings the best possibilities for interesting games."
Sifteo is currently in an early access testing period, but the company plans to release the product in the Fall. Priced at $150, starter kits will come with three Sifteo blocks, a charging dock and AC adaptor, and a USB wireless link for your Mac or PC. If all goes as planned, by next Christmas you won't have to play yet another round of Settlers of Catan with the 'rents again.
TED: Siftable Computing Makes Digital Data Physical
Scrabble Flash Is a B-L-A-S-T
Photo: Mike Isaac/Wired.com
Mike is a Wired.com staff writer covering Google and the mobile beat. He's written on a number of different tech topics, ranging from startups to social media.
TopicsCESMITtoysWirelessvideo games


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New England power grid operator shelling out…
New England power grid operator shelling out millions on salaries
Power lines.
By Sean Philip Cotter | sean.cotter@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
The organization that oversees New England's power grid — essentially the same role as the one blamed for Texas's winter electricity woes — is being zapped by advocates for its executives' sky-high salaries and a lack of transparency.
ISO New England CEO Gordon van Welie was the recipient of a total of $2,305,770 as of the last tax filing made public by the nonprofit, which was for 2019. Executive VP and COO Vamsi Chadalavada hauled in $1,746,314.
Another four employees made more than $800,000, and 38 people made more than $100,000 — including eight of the nonprofit's board members. Various nonprofit-governance publications say it's unusual for nonprofit board members to be paid, but not illegal.
A Delaware-organized nonprofit, ISO New England is funded largely by fees off the top of residents' electricity bills, and brought in $194 million in 2019.
ISO NE, which says it takes just over a dollar a month from the average ratepayer in fees, defended its bigwigs' pay.
"Our board and leadership roles require a considerable time commitment and expertise in markets, power system operations, information security and more," the company said in a statement. "Our compensation levels are reviewed by outside firms annually to ensure that the company stays competitive and within reasonable ranges when compared to similarly situated companies. Competition for these leaders is significant."
But David Tuerck, head of the conservative Beacon Hill Institute, slammed what he saw as their shockingly high salaries.
"ISO New England claims it 'maintains a culture of cost accountability and transparency in its service to the region.' They might add, 'except when it comes to paying their staff lavishly,'" he said.
ISO New England is charged with maintaining the power grid in the six New England states, which means the organization is tasked with balancing supply and demand, pricing electricity, maintaining the system and implementing any changes the grid system needs.
These types of independent service operators handle these duties for states or regions across North America. One of those, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — ERCOT — recently caught widespread flak and fired its CEO after the Texas power grid failed during an unusual cold snap several weeks ago.
Progressive environmental advocates have their own issues with ISO NE, mainly around transparency and what they see as a slowness to embrace green energy.
"The board members are well compensated and there's an opaqueness as to the way they operate," Jeremy McDiarmid of the Northeast Clean Energy Council told the Herald.
He cited a lack of public access to some board meetings, and what he said was just a general lack of responsiveness to groups looking to engage with them. And, he said, the ISOs are essentially the gatekeepers for what energy is going to customers — so if people want it to be cleaner and greener — and locally produced — this is the place to start.
In that vein, Deborah Donovan of Acadia Center said she worries that the board has taken on a focus of "reliability — to the exclusion of everything else," including the cost to consumers and the inclusion of green energy.
"We're paying too much for the wrong thing," she said.
ISO NE insists it is working hard to make the power grid more green-friendly.
"Building a cleaner electricity system, while maintaining reliability, is a vision we share with New England's policymakers," the organization said. "For more than a decade, ISO New England has recognized the growing importance of renewable resources and began preparing for increasing amounts of clean energy in the region's resource mix."
But Massachusetts' centrist Republican Gov. Charlie Baker shares similar concerns with the activists. Baker joined with the governors of Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut in sending a letter last fall, calling for a "modernization" effort and slamming the nonprofit as having "a governance structure that is not transparent to the states and customers it serves, with a mission that is not responsive to States' legal mandates and policy priorities."
Baker's administration said in a statement to the Herald this week that the letter was meant to start a process to reform "the governance and transparency of the ISO New England, regional electricity market design, and the transmission planning process."
Sean Philip Cotter | City Hall Reporter
Sean Philip Cotter is a reporter covering Boston City Hall and whatever else goes on around town for The Boston Herald. A South Shore native, he previously covered Quincy City Hall for The Patriot Ledger and local politics and crime in Pennsylvania for The York Dispatch, winning awards for his reporting at both papers. Sean's a graduate of Syracuse University and fan of Patriots football, long drives, overly strong coffee and bad puns.
sean.cotter@bostonherald.com
Follow Sean Philip Cotter @CotterReporter
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Ramiz Raja hails Team India for doing what Pakistan did under Imran Khan
KSW Web Desk
0	 Kashmir Sports Watch June 1, 2021 10:30 am
Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja put India in strong position on opening day
New Zealand to return to Pakistan twice in 2022-23
Ramiz Raja hails Team India for doing what Pakistan did under Imran Khan. Pic/Twitter /Graphics
Srinagar, June 1: Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has hailed Team India's agressive approach and termed it similar to Pakistan team under Imran Khan.
India is set to lock horns with Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the much-awaited World Test Championship final, which kickstarts on June 18 in Southampton. Later, in August, the visitors will square off against the hosts in a 5-match Test series.
Ahead of the much-awaited tournament, Ramiz spoke about the Indian team dynamics and hailed skipper Kohli for his aggressive approach.
While speaking to India News, the cricketer-turned-commentator said India have become the favourites across the world and they are doing the same thing that he and other former Pakistan players used to do under the leadership of Imran Khan.
"India have turned into a brilliant side. There is aggression and a controlled madness in Virat Kohli's captaincy. And I believe, the game plan is based on aggression which helps in releasing the negativity from the system and sets you free.
"So, India is doing what we used to do under Imran Khan's leadership. So, I feel happy. There were 2-3 boxes which India weren't ticking earlier and they have been doing it for over a decade now. That's why they have become one of the favourite teams across the world. Wherever they tour, they win," Ramiz Told India News.
"Unless you don't win overseas matches, you don't express your command. And we see how well they performed in Australia with a B Team," he added.
Speaking about India's chances in the upcoming marquee clash, the former cricketer stated that India is a 'more talented' side than New Zealand as Kohli & Co have a strong game plan which is backed by 'natural abilities'.
"The sooner they acclimatise the condition, the better for Team India. New Zealand have arrived early and they do have the advantage. But overall, India is a more talented side than New Zealand. The Kiwis follow a single game plan and if it fails, they lose. Whereas India have the game plan and are also backed by natural talent. Sometimes when your game plan backfires, you win matches relying upon the natural abilities," Ramiz said.
Cricket 5225 Cricket 2072 Imran Khan 28 Pakistan 660 Pakistan Cricket 721 Ramiz Raja 20 Virat Kohli 179 World Test Championship 62
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University of Edinburgh – All Informations
Last updated May 9, 2019
The Scottish University of Edinburgh offers its students more than 600 courses in various fields of study for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees.
The University of Edinburgh was established by royal order from 1582 to become the fourth Scottish university. The University of Edinburgh did not have its own university campus but was represented in several buildings in the Scottish capital. The university's first building was the old college, which is now the University's law department building in South Bridge.
Thanks to its history, the University of Edinburgh has helped establish a number of historic buildings in the center of the Scottish capital, including the Student Union Building, the world's oldest Teviot Row House, where student youth activities are held continuously. In 2011, the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Arts merged under the name University of Edinburgh.
Majors And Academic Programs – University of Edinburgh
The degree of leave in medicine is one of the most famous degrees in the university, which aims to learn research based on scientific study and experience. The University of Edinburgh is also distinguished at the UK level by the best study programs in various disciplines.
study fees
University tuition at University of Edinburgh is relatively high for international students and very low for local students, with £ 1820 for Scottish students on university leave while the rest of UK universities charge an estimated £ 9,000 per student on university leave. For non-European international students, there is an opportunity to be accepted and funded by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish capital of Edinburgh is characterized by a noisy atmosphere full of night celebrations where its bars are often open until early in the morning. The city has a mix of contemporary and medieval architecture in the old city. The cobbled roads and ancient stones lie beneath the majestic city castle alongside the modern or modern Georgian city center. Edinburgh was also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the site of the largest closed space for climbing practice.
University buildings and facilities
Most University of Edinburgh buildings are located in the city center itself and the university student residence is just a few minutes' walk from the university itself.
Residence – University of Edinburgh
In the Hallock Halls, student accommodation includes meals that are already set at the beginning of each semester and are a good option for most students. The subscription fee ranges between £ 116 and £ 237 per week depending on whether the room is shared or shared With one or several people.
The food is on two meals a day, seven days a week, for all those living in the building. This is not the only building of its kind. There are 24 similar buildings with a weekly rental fee of between £ 57 and £ 122, most of which are shared apartments. Private accommodation, which allows students who do not want to live in the student dormitories, allows them to stay on a weekly rent of between £ 70 and £ 76 not including the apartment bills.
Education – University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh recently launched a new investment of £ 44 million to develop several veterinary science buildings and re-pump new blood into the central library. In addition to the above, there has been a recent investment in the campus, with the aim of expanding the construction of a sports center and medical research center for radiation scanning, in addition to the development and renovation of a university department for business administration and information technology.
Saratov State University
University of Guelph – All Informations
Clausthal University of Technology : TU Clausthal
University of Miskolc, Hungary – All Informations
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Homework is important, but in order to go above and beyond, you will need to prioritise non-required work. There are 3 types of 'non-required work': Practise papers, Making exam notes, and Extra Reading. Our research with top performing students demonstrated that the more practice papers a student completed, the better their grades. This factor was more influential to success than anything else. Making notes during term is important because, you need them, but you want valuable time at the end of term to be spent completing practice papers, not making notes. Finally, doing extra reading will give you an edge that other students won't have. This might be an extra few facts, or an alternative opinion on a particular area of study.
How much non-required work should you do? We suggest you do one non-required task per subject, per week. Each non-required task should only have to take you about 20-30 minutes long, so if you're doing five subjects, we are looking at two and a half hours per week for all subject combined. The thing is, this two and a half hours is going to have a massive pay-off for your marks.
Math: Do questions 1 and 2 from the 2014 practice exam paper. That's one non-required task for the week done. Next week, maybe work through questions 3 and 4. By the end of the year you'll have worked through about 10 practice exam papers - most students only do one or two.
English: Spend 20 minutes reading another author's analysis of the book you're studying and make notes on their commentary, and add these to your notes on the book. By the end of the year you will have a formidable bank of quotes and opinions to draw from when you are asked to analyse the text.
Modern History: Read through another history text book by another author, and make notes on that author's analysis of the topic. Do this for 30 minutes each week. This will give you a wealth of information which no other students ever bothered to access, despite the fact it would have given them amazing content to draw from for their essays and extended answers.
How can I memorise an essay?
Generally speaking, it is important to understand the content of the essay and the text/topics that will be examined. With a deep understanding, it will not be necessary to regurgitate a pre-written essay. Examiners normally respond to original answers that clearly identify what the question is really asking. In subjects such as English, it can often be more helpful to focus on tailoring the content to different questions by doing a number of practice essays OPEN BOOK, so that you have access to the information you need.
1. Break your essay into sections. This is easy becuase you can do this by just choosing each paragraph.
2. Colour code. Colour code each topic/opening sentence in green, then highlight the main argument for each paragraph in orange, then the main peice of evidence in yellow, and the concluding sentences in pink. That way, your brain can start to sort through the essay.
3. Next you could record yourself saying your essay aloud. You can do this on your smartphone or computer. Then put the track in your phone or ipod and listen to it as you go to bed, go to school, go for a run etc. this will help embed it in your memory.
4. Finally, it's helpful to create triggers for each paragraph. So if you have an essay, let's say on Romeo and Juliet, and one of your body paragraphs starts with a sentence about the Capulet's, you could draw a little picture of a basebcall cap next to the topic sentence as a cue.
Ultimately, the most important part of an essay to memorise is quotes. To memorise quotes it can be helpful to visualize the quote like a movie scene, We often remember scenes and lines from movies very well because they trigger many parts of our brain and perception at the same time. So try and visualise the quote and the context like a movie and imagine the character actually saying the quote.
How do I do practice papers? How many is enough?
This means that you start doing practice papers as soon as possible. Start with two papers, or a whole bunch of text book questions and do them open book and open time. This means that you have all of your own notes available and as much time as you need. Then as you are answering those questions, if you get stumped you can turn to your own notes. If you go through your notes to try and find the answer and it's not there, that means your notes aren't finished yet! So it's a great way for you to check whether or not your notes are complete. Jot down which topic point you need to take further notes on, and then after you've finished the paper you know where you have gaps in your knowledge and gaps in your notes.
You still have all the time you need to do the questions, but you now have to do them closed book. This means you can't look at any notes and have to rely on your memory. If you now get stumped, then make a note of the topic point that you can't answer and this will help you develop a list of key areas you need to go back and memorise. After the papers, go back and fill the gaps in your knowledge!
Notice that this doesn't say 'next two' or 'last two'! This is because the more you do the better. This process is really straightforward, you now can't look at your notes and you have a limited time to answer the questions. However, there is one last key point – set yourself up like you are in the exam room. Have a water bottle, your pens, a clock and work through the paper under exam conditions. The more you do in this format, the less intimidated you'll be when it comes to the real thing. If you follow that, you will have a much clearer idea of what is 'enough'. However, I can hear the burning question through the computer of "where do I get all these questions?!". Your text book is a great place to start. You can also get individual practice questions from our site here. Also, depending on what state you're in, you can download past papers from the relevant exam board authority website too. Otherwise, speak to your teachers and ask for more questions that you can have. Last and definitely not least, team up with a friend and write questions for each other! It may sound tricky, but it doesn't have to be and then you can take in turns to answer each other's questions. If you make up a few, take them to your teacher to get the all clear and then get answering! Finally, always remember to get feedback on practice questions. Take them to your teacher ask if they'll mark them for you, then get detailed feedback on what is good and what needs improvement. This will help you know exactly what the teacher is looking for!
Hi there, I find it really hard to concentrate on study when I'm at home because my younger brother and sister make a lot of noise. How can I block them out and focus better?
It sounds like you may need to find other environments where you can study. Libraries are a great place to start. Studying in the school library if it is open after school is always a popular suggestion. Public libraries are also always quiet and, even better yet, if you live within a reasonable distance of a University there will be ample quiet spaces where you can study in peace. Even somewhere like a café or a park can be a good option to find a distraction-free study environment.
A lot of people find that music is so distracting because they get caught up in the lyrics or the beat of their favourite song. Try listening to music that you haven't heard before and that is purely instrumental. Classical music is the obvious example but if, like a lot of people, you find that boring, you can use some great Spotify playlists for studying, or even film soundtrack (the batman trilogy is my personal favourite).
White noise can also be used to block out other distractions. Sometimes when I really need to switch on, I'll put this on in the background. My personal favourite is noisli.com which allows you to customize the type of noise you want in the background. They have sounds of a crackling fire, the rain, crickets, waves and many more. Also, noise cancelling headphones can help too!
What is the best way to make notes, and should they be typed up or hand-written?
Personally, I found it better to handwrite my notes in my final few years of high school, because it helped build up a tolerance to hand-writing, which is ultimately the way you have to sit your exams. My attitude was that training myself to hand-write is just like training any other particular muscle in the body, it can only be improved through strengthening and training over time. I also found it much easier to hand-draw mind-maps rather than construct them on a computer.
Having said that, many friends of mine chose to write their notes on this computers and found this method equally advantageous. Their rationale was that they did not have any mess which would impact their ability to memorise their notes.
The most important thing is that you take ownership for the notes that you are making. The very last thing that you want to do, regardless of whether they are hand-written or not, is have a 'copy and paste' approach to note-taking. Most students will copy word-for-word what is in their textbook into their notes, without absorbing the information whatsoever! You have to make sure that you convert the information into your own words, or words that you can remember, to guarantee that you are going to be able to remember the content for any longer than 5 minutes.
The easiest way to achieve this is through using trigger words. Trigger words are the one, two or three words which spark a great deal more information on a particular point that we didn't have to write down. Most students will typically have quite lengthy notes, with long sentences and long dot-points, incorporating words that will have little to no impact on their ability to recall information.
The easiest way therefore to introduce trigger words into your note-taking is to force yourself to be selective about the words that you are using. I found the easiest way to do that was by drawing a dotted line down the middle of my A4 sheet of paper, and saying that I was not going to allow myself to write any bullet points in my notes beyond this half-way mark. This made me think long and hard about what words, for me, would have the greatest likelihood of being able to remember and recall that information, as well as forced me to grapple with the content which lead to an increased understanding.
How can I memorise my notes?
When it comes to doing well in exams, one of the most critical things to remember is that your notes, no matter how amazing they are, aren't any use to you if you can't recall the information in them to answer questions. So here are two tips that I found really useful in school.
Use a system of review when learning your notes. This is pretty simple – once you've written a page of notes, review it immediately. This means reading through everything you've written just once. It doesn't take very long (maybe 1-2 minutes for a fairly detailed page of notes). The research shows us that if you review notes immediately after writing them, there is a far higher chance (up to 80%) of being able to remember them a few weeks later.
The next step is to review your notes 24 hours later. This means if you wrote them on Monday, read through that same page of notes on a Tuesday. This is a pretty simple task that only takes a few minutes, but makes it even more likely you'll be able to recall the information on your notes in an exam.
Lastly, you want to review your notes monthly – which means getting them out and reading everything you've written up until that point. It's pretty common for students to think (and I was the same) 'yeah right – that's going to take ages. No thanks' – but in truth it doesn't take as long as you might think. Maybe half an hour to an hour at the end of each month. But what you'll notice is that as the year marches on and you read through your notes each month, every time you do this you'll start to get a stronger sense of what's coming on the next page. By the time you reach exams, you'll pretty much know what's going to be on the next page. At this point you'll realise you won't really need your notes in front of you – you already know where the information is without needing to look at them!
Colour code information. The research shows us that our brains are amazing when it comes to linking information to different colours. This means if a sub-topic in a subject you're studying has a colour linked to it, thinking of that colour will serve as a memory aid when you're trying to recall that information in an exam. My notes in Political and Legal studies had all the names of people I needed to remember in blue, all the dates in green, all the places in red and all the High Court cases in orange. This meant I was able to remember information far more easily when I got stuck – I just thought of the colour. It's simple, but it works really well for a lot of students. Give it a go!
How could I memorise a diagram of an ear for my Health class?
Create the diagram of the ear with the words/labels absent.
Create an association between the word, a picture, and the actual picture. For example, draw a drum stick on the ear drum part of the diagram.
Be creative and link the association. For example, imagine the drumstick drumming on the picture of the ear drum.
By doing this, you are making creative associations between the required words and the pictures. In this way, when you see the picture in your exam, it should trigger the association. Ie. When you look at the diagram, you'll see in the centre of the ear, an oval shaped object, and you will then visualize the drum stick tapping that part. Then you will know, it is the ear drum. You can repeat this process for all the parts. Remember: the more unique/interesting your mental association – the easier it will be for you to remember. If you use peculiar associations, they work better as they stand out in the mind as being strange.
How can I balance my study and life? I tried to make a study timetable oncce but it didn't work.
STEP ONE: Identify the activities that you don't want to take out of your life. Most people aren't going to be prepared to give up TV, sport, hobbies, or socialising with your friends. Neither are the top students! Most people think that the students who get the best marks are the ones who are chained to their desk by their parents and fed crusts of bread under a flap in their door once a day! Nothing could be further from the truth, and often what you find is that the top students are the ones with the most activities that don't involve study in their life.
STEP TWO: Put these activities into your timetable first. Don't freak out if some events don't occur on a specific day or time – for example, there is no set time for just laying on the couch watching TV or for going on Facebook. Instead, put down when you would normally do these activities.
STEP THREE: Fit the study in around these activities. Remember, when you sit down to study – the goal isn't to rack up as many hours as you can. The goal is to get specific tasks done. As such, when you sit down at the start of the night – write up a to-do list of everything you want to get done! If it only takes 30 minutes to get the work done – guess what – you can take an early mark. Getting work done is more important than being busy!
STEP FOUR: Don't designate study time for subjects in advance. One of the things that you normally see when you look at a student's timetable is that they have blocked out their study time according to subjects. This can cause a few problems: firstly, you end up doing work for work's sake, as opposed to working on either the most important or urgent work. Instead, when you sit down to study, create a TO-DO list, focusing on what tasks you need to complete for subjects. Write down what work is most urgent (ie. what is due in the next few days) and what is most important (ie. what work is important but not necessarily due in the next few days). Once you have your to-do list, spend the designated "study period" working through these priorities. If you get all of the work done earlier than expected, give yourself an early mark!
STEP FIVE: Don't freak out! Don't freak out if you don't stick to the timetable all the time. Some people think that the goal is to stick to the timetable perfectly. Guess what? It isn't going to happen. If you try and stick to it all the time you will just get frustrated and throw it out. Instead, think of the timetable as a guideline. Don't use it as a rule book.
If you want to download a sample study timetable, click here.
How can I stay motivated to study? I often sit down, try to study and then look at the clock and it's only been 20 minutes.
Having a sustained level of motivation through the year is going to be one of the biggest challenges for a student to overcome. Most students will start the year promising to themselves that 'this year is going to be different', only to get two weeks into the year, the work begins to pile up, and the way they approach their studies is exactly the same as any other year they have had at school!
My first piece of advice for you would be: stop looking at the clock!
So many students treat school as though it is a job that they can clock in and clock out of. The problem with this is that they then make the assumption that if they study for two and a half hours a night that is instantly going to mean they are going to get the marks that they want. While the average performing student is looking at the clock, the top performing student is concentrating on what it is that they are actually doing in their study. They are concentrating not only on completing all of the required tasks set by their teacher (homework/assignments/etc), but they also their work beyond this into the non-required tasks (practice papers/making notes through term/extra readings/etc). It does not matter to this type of student how long each particular task takes, but rather they judge the success of their study on how many of these tasks they were able to successfully complete. This does not mean you have to study for 8 hours a night to be a top student however! For example, a top student might say to themselves that they want to complete 5 particular tasks of an evening, and once they have completed them, they will pack up for the night, sometimes it might take them 45 minutes and sometimes it might take them 3 hours.
So when you sit down to study, plan out what things you need to get done that evening, and then go ahead and tick them off. It is a very satisfying feeling when you can see the progress you are making through your study, and you can take it from me that these small wins that you achieve over time have a huge impact on your motivation!
My second piece of advice would be: get yourself a goal!
One of the things that became quite obvious through our research is that the top performing students have the greatest emotional connection to their goal. They knew exactly what the study that they were doing in high school contributed towards beyond their final exams. If you haven't thought about what you might like to do beyond high school, I would highly recommend sitting down with your Careers Advisor and chatting about your interests. They will be able to give you all the different ways that you might be able to pursue that interest beyond high school, as well as letting you know what particular marks you might need as well. Careers Advisors are also fantastic resources for Faculty Handbooks (for particular university courses) as well as information on particular university open days. Once you expose yourself to these resources, you can guarantee this will help you develop a stronger emotional connection to your goal, which might be the difference between you deciding to do the work (because you know if you don't you might be comprising your ability to reach the goal your have set for yourself), or procrastinating and watching another Youtube video video!
I'm having a horrible time trying to overcome procrastination. What can I try? My parents won't let me go and work in the library after school.
school and create a goal to work towards.
great way to motivate yourself. Check out an article on short-term planners here.
Often we procrastinate because we perceive the task at hand as taking too long or being too hard for us so we delay starting. Overcoming this fear of starting can involved looking at the task and separating it out into as many bite sized pieces as possible. For example, if you have to write an English essay, rather than making the task "write essay", you should break it down into the following parts.
Then simply write the essay in sections. Begin by writing the introduction and give yourself a short break after that.
In this way we are able to see exactly what it takes to get the daunting task done. When we see the roadmap in front of us, it is important to just take small steps. One sub-task at a time will make it easier for you to complete the larger task in question.
Another method involves making study fun. You can study with friends if this means that you will be able to study for longer periods.
If you are not allowed to work in the library after school, it is worth simply finding a good space at home that is free from distractions and studying from there. If you have trouble with things like the internet and social media, it is worth exploring procrastination/productivity apps such as "focus me" and "cold turkey" which allow you to block websites while you study.
For some more detailed information, have a read of 'Step 3: Pack the Essentials' in our book, The Science of Student Success.
How do I make exam-notes?
Generally speaking we don't recommend making notes specifically for exams, but rather relying upon a good set of notes that you've made over the course of the year. This saves on doubling up on the same work and it allows you to focus on the important stuff like memorising those notes, getting a deeper understanding, and demonstrating your understanding through practice papers.
Trigger words: The concept of using trigger words and reducing the amount of words in your notes is not so much about making the notes less overwhelming to look at, but rather ensuring that you can actually find the trigger words. Remember, the more words on the page, the harder it is to find the trigger words which will impact how much you remember. The reason we tend to write descriptive notes is that we think (a) we will forget everything if we don't include long explanations or (b) that the more information we have on the page, the more information we will remember in an exam, but unfortunately both of these beliefs are misleading.
Reducing the amount of time you spend making notes: the majority of students who write long descriptive notes need to spend time before an exam turning them into summaries. But remember, this time is better spent on practice papers. If you can write shorter, more concise notes, you won't need to rewrite them before an exam, which will free up time for practice exams.
There are a few really good ways to use mind-mapping when making your notes.
Preparing for exams: using mind-mapping can simplify the process for memorising your notes. One good way to do this is to read over your notes, then draw them up as a mind-map on a whiteboard. Take a mental snapshot of the mind-map then erase the mind-map, and try to draw it out again. When you have successfully completed the mind-map, rub it out and draw it up again. By the third time you will be amazed by how easily and quickly you remember the information.
In exams: When you get into exams, draw out the mind-map in the first few minutes of exams. This means that if you get stuck you basically have your notes in front of you. Similarly, you can also look over the mind-map and see what you should include in your essay so that you don't leave anything out.
Well, there are a few tips that you can start to implement, which (if you do them consistently) will help you manage stress.
Time Management – Don't let work pile up and use your free periods wisely. Nothing breeds stress quite like being completely overwhelmed. If all of a sudden you have an exam or test to study for and you also have homework you have to get done for other subjects then stress levels well start rising. Having foresight when due dates and deadlines are will ensure that you are never caught underprepared. This means you will have plenty of time to study for your tests and exams which will help you feel far more relaxed before you walk in.
Healthy Lifestyle – it may seem obvious and even cliché, but your health and wellbeing are critical to your stress levels. Even though you may only feel really stressed during assessment time, typically this is just when your stress surfaces. Hence, it is key that you are keeping fit and healthy. Physical activity releases endorphins creating a chemical change in your brain which helps to keep you more balanced and relaxed. The same goes for a healthy diet and plenty of sleep. They may seem like the simplest changes, but if you make them, you can be assured you'll feel a lot more relaxed come exam day!
2) Once you've identified the stressor, you should write down 3 immediate actions you can take that day to help alleviate the stress. For example, if you run into an area in maths that you don't understand, you should write down "I am stressed because this area is hard and I don't know what I'm doing wrong". Then, you can write down 3 immediate actions such as "1. Email my teacher to make an appointment with them. 2. Read the text book on this section. 3. Call a friend to ask for advice on the topic".
3) Take action! Once you've identified the 3 things, do them immediately. Don't wait. This will force you to confront what is bothering you which will then allow you to get back to focus and get the grades you're looking for.
Avoid other people – Weird one I know! However, nothing causes you to stress out just before an exam like frantically trying to cram or guess what is going to come up. The problem is that your friends are usually the ones who are going to test you or check how much study you've done. This causes a lot of nervous energy and if you are already stressed, this will only tip you into the dangerous zone. Hence, the best thing to do is to take yourself off and try to think about something completely unrelated. Think about your weekend, the news, whatever it may be – but don't focus on the exam until you get in there.
Breathing exercises – usually when we stress we take shorter breaths, which stems the flow of oxygen to our body and therefore our brain and less oxygen means we think less clearly. What we want to do is actually breathe to the bottom of our lungs, so that your stomach visibly moves out. Go through this exercise; breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 6 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds. Do this two to three times before the start of your exam and you will feel yourself significantly relax.
Hopefully that all helps! Great question and all the best with the rest of your assessments!
How does colour coding work for making my Biology notes?
The colour coding system, as you know, is all about separating out information so that it's easier to remember due to the association between a type of information, and a corresponding colour. As such, the key is to find different types of information and use them accordingly.
That way, when you're in an exam and you get stuck trying to think about a particular formula, you can think "okay, formulas were in red." That way, you will automatically reduce the pool of potential pieces of information that you need to recall to only having to recall the "Red" words. Also, if you want some extra tips on Biology, make sure you check out our free video series here.
Friends ask me to join study groups, but i find that I'm wasting my time because I put in more effort so i don't get much in return from them.
It's important to remember that the point of a study group is to help each other along in the process. Of course, not everyone in the group will be of equal ability, but this can actually be a positive thing. Whilst it may feel that you are not gaining as much by explaining concepts to your friends, you do actually benefit just as much.
By explaining the concepts to other people, you force yourself to put the content and information into words you understand. Rather than simply rote-learning the material (learning it in order), you ensure that you truly understand it. Each time someone asks you a question or prompts you to explain something to them, in essence you are getting extra practice material and questions – which is the best way to learn!
In terms of sharing notes, the best way to avoid feeling cheated is to create a trade system whereby you only can trade notes of equal quality. For example, if you bring in 3 pages of really well set oiut notes on a topic that contain clear examples etc and someone else shows up with a bit of scribble on a piece of toilet paper, you know you can turn them away and tell them to get their act together. In doing so, you ensure that everybody shows up with the understanding that you only trade notes of equal quality and so people will put in more effort so they can reap the rewards.
There's no right or wrong in terms of how much study you should be doing. The key is to focus on tasks rather than time. When we measure our productivity in terms of how much time we've spent studying, we can develop a 'clock-on, clock-off' mentality. This means we conflate the idea of sitting at our desk with actually being efficient and getting work done.
One technique you can use to avoid this is to write to-do lists. This is great because there is simply nothing more satisfying that ticking something off a list. The beauty of this technique is that suddenly you will notice yourself being much more efficient and effective, measuring what you've achieved in terms of tangible tasks that have been completed rather than an amount of time. Some people get so addicted to this method that they'll actually complete tasks which aren't on their list, then write them on the list just so they can get the feeling of ticking things off the list!
You can use these apps to block social media sites for yourself for as long as you like. For instance, if you want to do a 30 minute power study session, simply plug in Facebook into the app and you wont be able to access Facebook in those 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can give yourself a quota for the week (i.e. 4 hours), and every time you log onto Facebook, your allotment of 4 hours will tick down. Some people get really optimistic and block Insta for the rest of the term and regret it instantly. Don't do that. Instead, write yourself a to-do list for a study session, block the site that distracts you for however long you intend to work, then log in after as a reward for working hard.
How can i write better history essays?
The key to writing strong history essays is analysis. Many students fall for the trap of recounting the story of what happened. However, remembering and understanding the story is only half the battle. Teachers assume that we remember the story – the real challenge is being able to analyze why it happened, how it links to other events or ideas, and what we can learn from it.
Always ask yourself the question – why was I taught about this event in history? (The answer is not 'because my teacher felt like it'!) Think about what significance the event had in the context of the decade or the century. Ask yourself how the event changed the political landscape, or made people think or act differently. If the question asks you why nationalism was one of the key causes of World War I, while it is important to understand what nationalism is, it is more important to be able to argue why it was a key contributor to the rise of tension.
By using strong analysis, backed up by firm evidence such as quotes, dates or facts, you can prove your point effectively. Remember, a quote or piece of evidence is always used to prove your point, not the other way around. If you understand why the event was significant, and can argue your point succinctly and articulately, you can go along way to improving your essays and taking them to the next level.
How do I make sure I only write the essentials in exams but still fit in all my knowledge?
This is a very common problem that students encounter. One of the first things that can go wrong in the exam room is we spend too much time writing on the wrong question. With all this information in your head, particularly on a specific topic, you open the paper and the question is describe x (2 marks), and you're like "are you serious, I spent 2 weeks revising this! You made me learn it, you're going to read about it!" Although it's only a 2 mark question, we spend way too long on it, hoping the marker will give us 4 out of 2.
When an exam paper is being constructed, the markers have in mind how much time, to the minute, you are meant to spend on each question. If you can work out that formula it gives you a guide to know how long to spend on it. The general formula is minutes ÷ marks: that is, if you have 2 hours to do the exam (120 minutes) and there are 20 marks on the paper, you would spend 6 minutes on each mark, meaning that for say, a 2 mark question, you'd spend 12 minutes on it for example.
A good way to keep on track of this is to work out how long you will spend on each question before you get into the exam (as we are always given the amount of marks and amount of writing time before going into the exam). Then, as soon as you start writing, quickly jot down next to each question what time you intend to finish that question. If you can buy 1min here and there across an exam, you get to the end of the paper and you might've saved 5mins that allow you to go back and fix up certain questions. If you stick to it, you're going to get to the end of the paper. Just remember, in every question there's easy marks and hard marks: you want to be getting the easy marks first and move on.


The series of videos linked below are intended to help you add content to your Whirl Site. Every menu item on your Whirl Sites dashboard has been covered. The powerful system we have built gives you the ability to keep your website updated with the very latest information about your organization.


Follow the journey of a group of zombie-apocalypse survivors, and fight to save the world in the unlimited ammo hack of DEAD TARGET 2. Join other players in dangerous online FPS action as you gather supplies and weapons, find other survivors, defend your base, and use your shooting and strategy skills to save us all!
The story in DEAD TARGET Zombie 2 Mod is set in a future where the world was already overrun by zombies. A group of survivors known as MPS-16 are trying to find a cure to the virus that caused the outbreak in the original Dead Target game. That group is now traveling the globe finding other humans and killing every last undead creature in their way. But after news came that some scientists are on the brink of developing a medicine to cure the disease, MPS-16 soon journeyed to the Middle East to keep them alive and made that mission their sole target.
Dead Target 2: Zombie v0.9.156 Modded Apk (data included) features unlimited stuff like money, ammo, high damage, and No Reload to help you stay alive and kill as many zombies as possible. You can download it now (requires Android 4.0 and up)!
- PVP: Protect your own base and destroy other building to get foods and fuels.
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Install the Apk file, Copy 'com.vng.android.mps.dead.zombie2' extracted Data folder to sdcard/Android/obb/, Launch the Game and play online.


I'm sure I wasn't the only one who witnessed the birth of a new star when the video with Pharrell Williams doing a masterclass with NYU student Maggie Rogers went viral.
In the subsequent weeks I played Alaska a whole lot on Virgin Radio Music Discovery and so when the new single Dog Years dropped into my inbox I felt it was time to get my namesake and total dreamboat Maggie Rogers on the phone.
I've noticed since she's been picked up by the BBC Sound of 2017 and Vevo Ones To Watch tipped lists for next year - quite rightly.


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News - January 2017
County's pupils feel glad about who they are & in control of their lives
Over 29,000 local young people have shared their feelings in a fantastic turnout for the online pupil survey.
The 2016 results are overwhelmingly positive and show that generally pupils are happy and healthy.
Of year 8 and 10 pupils, 84 per cent are glad about who they are, 87 per cent feel they have control over their life, and 70 per cent like their appearance. In years 4 and 6, 92 per cent are glad about who they are, 83 per cent feel they have control over their life, and 83 per cent like the way they look.
This year's responses also show that young people drinking alcohol has continued to drop over the last 10 years. 77 per cent of year 8 and 10 answered that they don't drink alcohol, compared to 46 per cent in 2006. There has also been an increase in year 8 and 10 pupils who have never tried drugs. In 2006, it was 90 per cent and this year it was 93 per cent.
Bullying was another important topic and the survey results show an improvement on how young people feel bullying is being dealt with in schools. Seventy-one per cent of year 8, 10 and 12 pupils felt schools were dealing with bullying better, compared to 65 per cent ten years ago.
This year, the survey asked a new question about going to sleep. Almost 70 per cent of pupils in years 8 and 10 revealed that they take an hour or longer to get to sleep each night. 10 per cent of year 8 and 25 per cent of year 10 going to bed after 12pm. Almost a third play computer games or use the internet in bed and 12 per cent watch television for more than an hour after going to bed. 65 per cent of younger pupils in years 4 and 6 are also awake in bed for hour or longer before falling asleep.
Getting enough sleep is important for health and wellbeing and is linked to healthy weight, good mental health and being able to concentrate the next day. Young people should aim to get around 9 hours of sleep each night. Gloucestershire County Council has also produced a sleep guide for schools to use. This recommends that families limit the use of electronics in bedrooms and encourage earlier nights.
Cllr Paul McLain, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Thank you to all our pupils who took part. The online pupil survey means we get to hear directly from young people about how they feel and what they do.
"When pressures on our young people seem on the rise, to know that ours are feeling happy about who they are and in control of their lives is fantastic.
"It's important for wellbeing and learning that children and young people get enough sleep and being active. Parents can get information about sleep and bed time routines on the NHS Livewell website."
Cllr Andrew Gravells, cabinet member for public health and communities, said: "This impressive reduction in the number of young people drinking is something our county should be really proud of.
"The NHS' Change for Life website has easy tips everyone can follow to be healthier."


BELGRADE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Belgian renewable energy firm Elicio NV said on Friday its 42 megawatt (MW) Alibunar wind farm in northern Serbia will start operating in October and help the Balkan country diversify its energy mix and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The wind farm, which has 21 wind turbines provided by German wind turbine manufacturer Senvion, is the first large-scale farm to connect on Serbia's grid. Elicio NV already operates the 8 MW Malibunar wind farm in Serbia.
The Alibunar farm, was built at a cost of 80 million euros ($93.60 million), financed mainly through a syndicated loan provided by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and a number of commercial banks, a spokeswoman for Elicio's Serbian branch told Reuters.
The project will help reduce Serbia's carbon emissions by more than 120,000 tonnes per year.
She said the company has earned a status of a temporary privileged electricity producer and signed a power purchase agreement with the state-run power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) for 12 years.
Serbia, which produces 70 percent of its energy from coal and the rest from hydropower, aims to generate 27 percent of its energy consumption from renewables by 2020.
The country's energy minister said this week it will have 500 MW of installed wind power capacity by 2020.


Anti-government protests resumed in Jordan despite the resignation of the country's prime minister who had led the push for unpopular austerity measures.
Africa is in the midst of an education crisis.
The U.N. agency for children said Monday it has distributed cash to nearly 1.5 million families in war-battered Yemen to help avert the risk of famine.
The U.N. agency for children said Monday that it has distributed cash to nearly 1.5 million families in war-battered Yemen to help avert the risk of famine.


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Instagram Accounts to Follow for Your Mental Health
Elisa Aquino
Health & Wellness, SELF
Scroll your way towards mental wellness
Normalizing the discussion on mental health starts with the simple things. It entails being cautious of how you expend your energy and easily recognizing what goes into your system. Pro-tip: A regular social media cleanse is good for the soul once in a while. If following users with all-too-perfect, unachievable lives (and bodies) takes a toll on your self-esteem and mental wellness, it's time to click unfollow. There's no shame in that.
If you do find yourself mindlessly scrolling on your phone, here are some bona fide mental health advocates to make the day-to-day easier.
RELATED: The Elusive Pursuit of Happiness: Why You Can't Just Tell People To "Look on the Bright Side"
Rukmini Poddar
A post shared by rukmini poddar (@rockinruksi) on Jun 27, 2019 at 9:09am PDT
NYC based illustrator, designer and #100DayProject artist Rukmini Poddar considers herself an online therapist. She "draws people's emotions" and "has an illustration for every feeling." In her self-published book, 100 Obscure Emotions, she explores complex, unseen emotions in various topics like relationships, vulnerability and acceptance. Get to know more about her at Dear Ruksi.
Amber Rae
A post shared by Amber Rae (@heyamberrae) on Sep 25, 2019 at 10:58am PDT
Bestselling author and speaker Amber Rae may just be your brand of self-help. Dubbed as the "Elizabeth Gilbert of her generation," she wrote Choose Wonder Over Worry to explore pragmatic tips on overcoming worry and anxiety. On the daily, she posts easy-to-swallow content on how to filter feedback, how to set boundaries, how to reset habits, how to sit with discomfort and the like. Start (or end) the day with her daily check-ins and see how your perspective changes.
Lindsay Braman
A post shared by Lindsay – Mental Health Art (@lindsaybraman)
Before anything else, a significant PSA from Lindsay Bramand: Instagram is not therapy. In the age of anxiety, the Seattle-based therapist and writer educates through her "psychology doodles. " Whether it be a digestible visual study on trigger warnings or what goes on in couples therapy and even how to respond to self-harm, there's something to learn for everyone.
The Official Sad Ghost Club
A post shared by The Sad Ghost Club (@theofficialsadghostclub) on Oct 2, 2019 at 12:45pm PDT
Your productivity doesn't define your worth. This gentle reminder is brought to you by The Sad Ghost Club, an online club for everyone—especially for those who feel like they don't belong anywhere—raising positive mental health awareness through comics and community. The iconic ghost character identifies and empathizes with anyone who feels alone and displaced. Aside from posting regularly on their social platforms, the three creators (Nathan, Lize and Helen) sell merchandise and hold workshops. They have also partnered with Off The Record, a UK based Organization offering free mental health support for young people aged 11-25.
Tori Press
A post shared by Tori Press (@revelatori) on Jun 12, 2019 at 12:36pm PDT
On "It's Therapy Thursday," Tori takes her audience in her therapy sessions destigmatizing conversation on counseling. She writes, "Sometimes you might need it. Sometimes you might not. But you should always know it's there, waiting." She considers herself a human storyteller and her quaint illustrations are a successful interpretation of how pain has purpose.
How Do You Adult
A post shared by hi i'm fran (@howdoyouadult) on Jun 21, 2019 at 9:03am PDT
Adulting is difficult, and nobody can display the realities of growing up (and old) better than Fran a.k.a. How Do You Adult. The twenty-something illustrates her day-to-day experiences as somebody dealing with anxiety. Sometimes, you have the answers but most of the time, you don't. Whether you procrastinated again or apologized too many times, be kind to yourself; you're doing your best.
RELATED: Am I There Yet: An Illustrated Guide to #Adulthood by Mari Andrew
Introvert Doodles
A post shared by Marzi (@introvertdoodles) on Sep 10, 2019 at 4:45pm PDT
Marzi Wilson is a self-professed introvert—obviously—and author of Introvert Doodles and The Little Book of Big Feelings. Her relatable musings on vulnerability and, ultimately, being human is a joy to survey. My personal favorite comic is on crappy apologies; yes, a real apology includes ownership of the other person's pain and ownership of the damage inflicted.
RELATED: Let's Talk About Mental Health: How to Support the Supporter
What are simple steps you take to better your mental wellness?
Amber Rae How Do You Adult Instagram Introvert Doodles Lindsay Braman Mental Health Rukmini Poddar The Official Sad Ghost Club Tori Press
6 Personalities Open Up on Body Image and Social Media Pressure; Here's What We Can Learn From Them
What Is "Doomscrolling" And How Do You Stop It From Harming Your Mental Health?
Visual Storyteller. Explored the entertainment industry in my early 20s, eventually found my voice by telling people's stories. Finding joy in writing about empathy, beauty and literature. Always a photographer.


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One of our favorite times of the year is coming up: the National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2015 (#NRAShow).
We here at ReviewTrackers are super excited for the event, and here's why: the NRA Show is the industry's largest trade show, and it's happening right here in Chicago – the home of ReviewTrackers – from May 16 to 19, 2015 at the McCormick Place.
This year, the National Restaurant Association expects to attract over 65,000 attendees and visitors from more than 100 countries, and the show is set to showcase the latest products, services, innovative ideas, up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues, and growth opportunities in the restaurant, foodservice, and lodging industries.
There's also the fact that this show is all about food.
Attendees can taste, test, shop, network, and connect to their hearts' content. If you aren't yet registered, go get your badge by visiting http://show.restaurant.org/Attend/Registration.
"I don't know how you can be in our business and not want to come here and check out what's going on," said celebrity chef and AZ Canteen owner Andrew Zimmern.
Once again, the ReviewTrackers team will be at the NRA Show and we'll be showing off our powerful solution for monitoring and managing online reviews. More than 50,000 businesses are already using ReviewTrackers, and every day our team works hand-in-hand with restaurateurs and F&B execs to help them interpret consumer feedback and customer insights, as well as provide delightful dining experiences to customers.
So if you're going to be at the NRA Show, be sure to look out for the ReviewTrackers team! We're going to be at Booth No. 6666. We'd love to tell you more about the kind of technology and data that we've developed specifically for the restaurant and foodservice industry. You can ask us questions, schedule a demo, or just say hello. For more information on what we're going to be doing for this year's NRA Show, send us a message and we'll get back to you right away.
Meanwhile, we dug into some research to explore how online reviews can influence consumer behavior and affect a hospitality business' bottom line.
67 percent of all Yelp reviews have 4- or 5-star ratings. It's easy to focus on the negative and hate on online review site Yelp for giving voice to diners-turned-critics who are impossible to please. But you have to look on the bright side, too: 67 percent of the 71 million reviews on Yelp are actually 4- or 5-star reviews.
Only 14 percent have one-star ratings.
So, contrary to what some folks may think, Yelp is a platform that likes to praise (instead of attack) great local businesses.
Reviews > Likes and Hearts. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are terrific tools for driving brand awareness. But in a Gallup study, 62 percent of respondents said that social media had no influence at all on their purchase decisions.
If you would like to be able to engage more effectively with customers, pay greater attention to consumer feedback on review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google+ Local, and OpenTable (among others). Why? Here's some data: Forrester Research found that consumer-written reviews (46 percent) rank ahead of posts by companies or brands on social networks like Facebook and Twitter (15 percent) in terms of trustworthiness.
Reviews boost sales. It's been proven that incorporating reviews as a regular feature of your digital channels can help you attract more people, generate more leads, and give your restaurant more visibility. As a recent report on AdWeek summed up: more reviews, more ROI. An increase of 8 to 100 reviews can even result in an increase in your natural search traffic.
Trust the consumer. Some restaurateurs and chefs are afraid that a single bad review will destroy their online reputation. But that's not true, because customers today are savvy enough to tell which reviews are useful and which ones aren't. According to a TripAdvisor study, 81 percent want to hear about food quality when they're checking out online restaurant reviews; 63 percent want to read about the service. On the other hand, overly picky reviews rank as the biggest turn off for consumers (57 percent), followed by lack of details about the experience (50 percent) and bad grammar (47 percent).
We're Digging In. This year at the NRA Show, We'll be releasing some new facts and figures all about reviews and restaurants. If you want the inside scoop on this new story, please contact us.
Getting started with monitoring your reviews? Check out our Ultimate Guide: Restaurant Reviews and Ratings Sites Your Business Should Know About.
I've noticed a real difference in commenting over the last several years. I think it's because so much actual commerce happens online and most people are on review sites now because they're actually looking for things or places. If you're really looking for good information then you're more likely to give good information. Ten years ago people were a lot less serious about what they wrote online.
Yes, I've noticed this too. And reviews and comments are being coming more and more important for SEO because of it.
I'm not even going to tell you how far I got into this before I realized the R was for Restaurant. I kept wondering why there was so much food at the National Rifle Association show. It's early folks.
I have to say I agree that actual review sites have much more influence on my perception of a business than their social media site. I feel social media is more easily manipulable than sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor., so I am less likely to believe reviews posted there.


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Developing Resilient Leaders
Resiliency is a Reflex
The Organization's Heartbeat
19-04 Where is the Blame
April 2, 2019 /in Podcast /by contentadmin
Have you ever used another person's voice to tell a story? Invoked someone else's speaking pattern and accent for effect? Why? Is it because you are a gifted impressionaro or is there another reason?
Welcome to Swimming in the Flood; a podcast where we navigate the difficult currents in business and life. My name is Trent Theroux.
Quick show of hands how many times have you used someone else's voice in a story where they did something wrong to you? My magic mirror shows that a lot of you have your hands raised. Why do we do that? Why do we relive an event through another person's eyes? Is it to make ourselves look better to our audience?
This classic human behavior is called mirroring. Mirroring is a subconscious action. It's a kind of universal signal that helps us survive and relate to others. We do it with social actions as well. Notice someone wearing a new and interesting hair style and before long many people wear the same style. It's mirroring. It's the only quasi-intellectual reason I can use to explain twerking in nightclubs.
Scientifically, we possess a neuron that recognizes faces and understands expressions. Maybe you've noticed that you feel happier when you are with funny people or you feel more despondent when you are with grouches. In a study published in the Journal of Individual Differences, extroverts were found to mimic others more because being liked by others is a higher priority compared to introverts.
So why do we impersonate someone we perceive has wronged us? I know you've used this tone before, "And so she said to me I didn't eat your fries. I told her that if she eats my French fries one more time I am going to pull that wig right off her head." Ugh. There's a reason I don't do voices. But, we all do this in some form or another. We blame others and we do it in their voices. Jamie Foxx would say we should blame it on the Al – Al- Al – Al-Alcohol. Michael Cain blamed it on the rain. Milli Vanilli blamed it on the rain. And we all know how that worked out.
The New Orleans Saints lost a heartbreaking game in the NFC Championship to the Los Angeles Rams. Every news outlet covered the "pivotal call." A Rams defender intentionally committed pass interference against the Saints late in the fourth quarter and the referee did not throw a flag. Saints fans were apoplectic. They swore that the refs cost them the game and a visit to the Super Bowl.
I don't see it that way. Often, it's easier to blame someone else than look at yourself as the probable cause of the failure.
You may recall from the game that the Saints were up by two touchdowns. They had the number one offense in the league and were ahead by two touchdowns. They didn't lose because of a blown call. The lost because they let the other team back into the game. They systematically failed to control the balance of the game and allowed the Rams to make it competitive.
The Saints, Head Coach, Sean Payton, acknowledged in the press conference that he was responsible for the loss. It was his decisions earlier in the game that created the pivotal situation and the opportunity for outside influence. This admission served three purposes which I consider to be very useful for business managers. First, he refocused the conversation away from a blatant mistake by the referees to his individual failure in an attempt to take the air out of the notion that the game was decided…that the Super Bowl was decided by one call. Second, he let his players off the hook from the emotional distress they would feel from losing a heartbreaking game. Before the start of the playoffs, Saints tight end, Benjamin Watson, announced his retirement effective at the end of the season. The blown pivotal call cost him the grand opportunity of playing in the Super Bowl as his final game. Coach Payton attempted to assuage a modicum of the pain by accepting the loss. Third, and most important, Coach Payton followed the greatest management axiom, "Your team gets to revel in the win and you, the manager, are always responsible for the loss." That's the way it works when you sit in the big chair. If you don't understand that by now, you need to change seats.
I am going to give you my unscientific, non-peer reviewed theory on management responsibility. Are you ready? Got your pencils out? Here it is: Ask the man in the mirror. You heard it! Ask the man in the mirror. It has been endorsed by at least one royal pop star wearing a single sequined glove. The concept is that we first need to see what we did wrong in a situation before we adopt someone else's voice to tell a story. We need to hold ourselves accountable above and beyond what we expect from our teammates.
This was an exceptionally hard lesson for me. Many of you know that I was in a violent boating accident. When I was pulled into the boat that struck me, the passengers were screaming… at me. And cursing. I had no feeling in my legs and left arm. When they let me go, I collapsed onto a table. Then they realized the severity of my injuries. They could see the red blood soaking through my white t-shirt. Two of the men got close to my face to console me. Their breath reeked of stale beer. Beer cans were strewn throughout the floor of the boat. My resentment for them was instantaneous.
I blamed the captain for mutilating my body. I wanted him to suffer as badly as I was suffering for as long as I was suffering. I mean how could that bastard not see me in my bright yellow kayak? I felt complete rage for being put in a wheelchair.
I carried that fury and anger for many years. Ten years to be precise. Ten years after my accident I started my charitable foundation to provide durable medical goods for those with spinal cord injuries. I met people who suffered a similar fate to me yet did not have a drop of malice in their hearts. How could they be so understanding? So compassionate? It was unfathomable to me and made me question my own values. Maybe I was the one who was wrong.
I sat on the coastline one morning and looked over the spot where the accident took place. It happened at night. In the dark. Unknowingly, I put myself in harm's way. Yes, the captain didn't see me, but I was the dumbass who created the scene by being near the channel. I finally accepted blame for the accident and absolved the captain of the guilt. It took me years to ask the man in the mirror. Ten years.
I have now found that the best way to move forward in life after a setback is to get a good look at the man in the mirror. Michael Jackson had it right, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. Sha-mon make that change."
Folks, thank you for listening to Swimming in the Flood. It's tough navigating life's currents but with one tact or another we can get there together. You can find more podcasts and videos on my website at www.trenttheroux.com. Music today is from Bensound. If you enjoyed today's show, please tell a friend, leave a comment or subscribe. I am also willing to take comments and suggestions. Just drop me an email at infor@trenttheroux.com I look forward to getting together next week.
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text:
from django.db import models

class Countable(models.Model):
    """
    Identifies a model or a SQL query.  A model is identified by app name
    and model name.

    These two specifiers are mutually exclusive:
      {app_name, model_name}
      {sql}

    The sql can be manually written or obtained from a Django QuerySet object
    by stringifying the query attribute of the QuerySet.  A higher-level API
    for doing this is TBD.
    """
    app_name = models.CharField(max_length=200, null=True,
                                help_text='')
    model_name = models.CharField(max_length=200, null=True)
    sql = models.CharField(max_length=10000, null=True,
                           help_text='SQL query relation to count')
    queryset = models.CharField(max_length=10000, null=True,
                                help_text='Serialized un-evaluated QuerySet')

class SnapshotDefinition(models.Model):
    """
    A collection of Countables that can be evaluated to create a Snapshot.

    """
    name = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    description = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    countables = models.ManyToManyField(Countable)

class Snapshot(models.Model):
    """
    A collection of RowCounts at a given point in time.

    A Snapshot is modeled on a SnapshotDefinition.

    A null database_name means the current database.
    """
    database_name = models.CharField(max_length=200, null=True,
                                     help_text='Django database identifier')
    definition = models.Model(SnapshotDefinition)
    label = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    taken = models.DateTimeField()

class RowCount(models.Model):
    """
    Row count for a relation (a table/model or a query).  A RowCount belongs
    to a Snapshot.
    """
    countable = models.ForeignKey(Countable)
    snapshot = models.ForeignKey(Snapshot)
    count = models.BigIntegerField()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub