text:
import sys

from attr_utils import _memoize_attr

from action import Action

class HasActions:
  def add_actions(self, actions):
    if not hasattr(self, 'actions'):
      self.actions = []
    self.actions.extend(actions)
    self.actions = sorted(self.actions, key=lambda action: action.timestamp)

  def actions_in_continuous_rank_order(self):
    # FIXME: multiplying query order nr by 1M is just a silly hack
    return _memoize_attr(self, '_actions_in_continuous_rank_order',
                         lambda: sorted(self.actions,
                                        key=lambda action:
                                        action.query.order_number() * 1000000 + int(getattr(
                                            action, 'rank', sys.maxsize))))

  def actions_by_type(self, action_type):
    return self.actions_by_filter(lambda a: a.action_type == action_type)

  def actions_by_type_until(self, action_type, seconds):
    return _memoize_attr(
        self,
        '_actions_by_' + str(action_type) + '_type_until_' + str(seconds),
        lambda: self._calculate_actions_by_type_until(action_type, seconds)
    )

  def actions_by_type_before_rank(self, action_type, rank):
    return _memoize_attr(
        self,
        '_actions_by_' + str(action_type) + '_type_before_rank_' + str(rank),
        lambda: self._calculate_actions_by_type_before_rank(action_type, rank)
    )

  def actions_by_filter(self, filter_func=lambda a: False, plain_actions=False):
    return [action if plain_actions else (idx, action) for idx, action in enumerate(self.actions) if filter_func(action)]

  def _calculate_actions_by_type_until(self, action_type, seconds):
    return self._calculate_actions_by_filter_until(lambda a: a.action_type == action_type, seconds)

  def _calculate_actions_by_type_before_rank(self, action_type, rank):
    return self._calculate_actions_by_filter_before_rank(lambda a: a.action_type == action_type, rank)

  def _calculate_actions_by_filter_until(self, filter_func=lambda a: False, seconds=0):
    actions = []
    for idx, action in enumerate(self.actions):
      if self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp) > seconds:
        break
      if filter_func(action):
        actions.append((idx, action))
    return actions

  def _calculate_actions_by_filter_before_rank(self, filter_func=lambda a: False, rank=0):
    actions = []
    for idx, action in enumerate(self.actions_in_continuous_rank_order()):
      # NOTE: not all actions have a rank, so we need to skip actions with no rank
      if hasattr(action, 'rank') and action.query.continuous_rank_at(int(action.rank)) > rank:
        break
      if filter_func(action):
        actions.append((idx, action))
    return actions

  def actions_by_filter_before_action(self, filter_func, target_action):
    actions = []
    for idx, action in enumerate(self.actions):
      if action == target_action:
        break
      if filter_func(action):
        actions.append((idx, action))
    return actions

  def action_duration_in_seconds_for(self, idx, action, end_action_type=None):
    next_timestamp = None
    if end_action_type is None:
      try:
        next_timestamp = self.actions[idx + 1].timestamp
      except IndexError:
        # Can not calculate duration if the action is dead last
        return None
    else:
      for ii in range(idx + 1, len(self.actions) - 1, 1):
        next_action = self.actions[ii]
        if next_action.action_type == end_action_type:
          next_timestamp = next_action.timestamp
          break
    # Duration can not be calculated if a next action was not found
    if next_timestamp is None:
      return None
    current_timestamp = action.timestamp
    delta = next_timestamp - current_timestamp
    return delta.total_seconds()

  def duration_in_seconds(self):
    # No actions? No duration.
    if len(self.actions) == 0:
      return None
    first_timestamp = self.get_start_timestamp()
    last_timestamp = self.get_end_timestamp()
    delta = last_timestamp - first_timestamp
    return delta.total_seconds()

  def get_start_timestamp(self):
    # No actions?
    if len(self.actions) == 0:
      return None
    return _memoize_attr(
        self,
        '_start_timestamp',
        lambda: self.actions[0].timestamp
    )

  def get_end_timestamp(self):
    # No actions?
    if len(self.actions) == 0:
      return None
    return self.actions[-1].timestamp

  def serp_switch_actions(self):
    return self.actions_by_type(Action.SERP_SWITCH_ACTION_NAME)

  def document_read_actions(self):
    return self.actions_by_type(Action.READ_ACTION_NAME)

  def document_read_actions_until(self, seconds):
    return self.actions_by_type_until(Action.READ_ACTION_NAME, seconds)

  def document_read_actions_before_rank(self, rank):
    return self.actions_by_type_before_rank(Action.READ_ACTION_NAME, rank)

  def document_marked_relevant_actions(self):
    return self.actions_by_type(Action.MARK_ACTION_NAME)

  def document_marked_relevant_actions_until(self, seconds):
    return self.actions_by_type_until(Action.MARK_ACTION_NAME, seconds)

  def document_marked_relevant_actions_before_rank(self, rank):
    return self.actions_by_type_before_rank(Action.MARK_ACTION_NAME, rank)

  def document_read_times(self):
    read_times = {}
    for read_event in self.document_read_events():
      document_id = read_event['document'].record_id
      duration = read_event['read_duration']
      if document_id in read_times:
        read_times[document_id] += duration
      else:
        read_times[document_id] = duration
    return read_times

  def document_read_events(self):
    read_events = []
    for idx, action in self.document_read_actions():
      action_duration = self.action_duration_in_seconds_for(idx, action)
      if action_duration is None:
        # It's possible that the duration can not be calculated (for session time slices)
        continue
      document = action.document
      rank = action.query.rank_of(document)
      result = action.query.result_at(rank) if rank is not None else None
      read_events.append({
          'document': document,
          'result': result,
          'read_duration': action_duration,
          'read_start_at_seconds': self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp),
          'rank': rank,
          'query': action.query,
          'continuous_rank': action.query.continuous_rank_at(rank) if rank is not None else None,
          'query_order_number': action.query.order_number(),
          'document_incidence': action.incidence_of_document(),
          'read_incidence': action.read_incidence_of_document(),
          'read_incidence_unique': action.unique_read_incidence_of_document()
      })
    return read_events

  def document_marked_relevant_events(self):
    mark_events = []
    for idx, action in self.document_marked_relevant_actions():
      action_duration = self.action_duration_in_seconds_for(idx, action)
      if action_duration is None:
        # It's possible that the duration can not be calculated (for session time slices)
        continue
      document = action.document
      rank = action.query.rank_of(document)
      mark_events.append({
          'document': document,
          'mark_duration': action_duration,
          'mark_start_at_seconds': self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp),
          'rank': rank,
          'continuous_rank': action.query.continuous_rank_at(rank) if rank is not None else None,
          'query_order_number': action.query.order_number(),
          'document_incidence': action.incidence_of_document(),
          'read_incidence': action.read_incidence_of_document(),
          'mark_incidence': action.mark_incidence_of_document(),
          'read_incidence_unique': action.unique_read_incidence_of_document(),
          'mark_incidence_unique': action.unique_mark_incidence_of_document()
      })
    return mark_events

  def snippet_scan_events(self):
    scan_events = []
    for idx, action in self.snippet_scan_actions():
      action_duration = self.action_duration_in_seconds_for(idx, action)
      if action_duration is None:
        # It's possible that the duration can not be calculated (for session time slices)
        continue
      document = action.document
      read_events.append({
          'document': document,
          'read_duration': action_duration,
          'read_start_at_seconds': self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp)
      })
    return read_events

  def seconds_elapsed_at(self, timestamp):
    return _memoize_attr(
        self,
        '_seconds_elapsed_at_' + str(timestamp),
        lambda: (timestamp - self.get_start_timestamp()).total_seconds()
    )

  def average_snippet_scanning_time_in_seconds(self):
    if len(self.seen_documents) == 0:
      return None
    return self.total_snippet_scanning_time_in_seconds() / len(self.seen_documents)

  def document_read_start_at_seconds(self, document):
    for idx, action in self.document_read_actions():
      if hasattr(action, 'document_id') and action.document_id == document.record_id:
        return self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp)
    return None

  def document_mark_start_at_seconds(self, document):
    for idx, action in self.document_marked_relevant_actions():
      if hasattr(action, 'document_id') and action.document_id == document.record_id:
        return self.seconds_elapsed_at(action.timestamp)
    return None


Enough discussing proposed fixes and improvements for ArchiMate (here, here, here, here and here). Time for a 'normal' modelling post. This time about the concept of virtual data. Most of you will know what a virtual machine is, so what is virtual data?
A virtual machine is something that looks like hardware, but isn't. It's software pretending to be hardware to other software. It is one of the many forms of a platform, a useful concept, by the way, e.g. when thinking about application rationalisation.
So, what is 'virtual data'? How can data be virtual? Here is a scenario. Suppose we have an Oracle database. I can address the data in the database as tables which I can address using SQL code. These data tables are stored on permanent storage (disk) somehow.
For those new to this blog: I am using the column-oriented colouring Mastering ArchiMate colouring scheme as it stresses one of the strong points in ArchiMate: the difference between subject, behaviour and object.
Anyway, next to data that is stored in a certain way on disks, the database also has the possibility to have virtual tables. These tables are not stored on disk, but they are generated on-the-fly from other data by the database system. The application accessing the database does not see the difference, just like the fact that an operating systems has no knowledge that it is running on virtual hardware instead of physical hardware. This is a pattern we are seeing more and more as big data becomes more popular and software logic is creeping into what used to be passive data.
From the application's perspective, there is no difference between the physical data and the virtual, on-the-fly generated, data.
Suppose now that we have some performance issues in our DWH. Performance is always a matter of behaviour being to slow, and having a good map of your landscape can help you look for the potential troublemakers quickly. In the Mastering ArchiMate colouring scheme, these are all the yellow-ish elements.
But the image above doesn't show the behaviour that creates the virtual tables explicitly. The overall database element is not much help here. We bought that system, but we built the virtual tables ourselves and this software does not show up.
Database containing virtual tables and being used/accessed by an application. The code that creates the virtual data is added and realises a System Software element.
As our virtual data is being generated by PL/SQL code we've written in an Oracle database, the code shows up as embedded code as part of our database. As this is code that runs in the database, we've chosen to model it as System Software with its own behaviour that generates those on-the-fly, temporary, virtual tables. Now, we immediately see that there is more behaviour than just the application. We might want to inspect the PL/SQL code to see if it is the cause of the performance issues.
One thing bothers me, though. Just because it is PL/SQL code that runs in a database platform, doesn't make that code 'system' software. It's not a platform, it's application code. It's in fact part of our application, it's just a part that is technically running in a different way.
The embedded business-specific code realises an Application Component instead of System Software.
I've also added an Application Component for the Analytics Program here to make clear that both behaviours are part of the same application.
Modelling virtual data — chosen solution. The virtual data Artefact is not shown.
Though the "Embedded PL/SQL Code" Artefact now Realises the "Analysable Virtual Data" Data Object we would lose the route via System Software and Infrastructure Function and that would mean that we're back in a situation that the behaviour is hidden/invisible again.
The red Realisation drawn in the picture above would do the trick, but it's not part of ArchiMate. To have real support for Virtual Data somehow behaviour would have to be able to Realise a Data Object. That could be the case if the strength of the Access and Realisation relation would switch. I haven't thought that one completely through (this is work in progress because I'm currently working on sorts of data management / data analytics subjects). Intuitively, though, I would think that it would be cleaner if ArchiMate would only use Realisation as an abstraction relation between layers (infra, application, business — and frankly maybe that should become platform, application, business, the 'infra' moniker is somewhat 'previous century' if you ask me).
ArchiMate being what it is now, the one but last picture shows my chosen pattern. In general terms: modelling everything that is business specific code as Application Components and Application Functions has served me well and this pattern design choice can be extended to the concept 'virtual data'.


text:
Valitsus.ee
Ministry of Cultural Affairs
Ministry of Rural Affairs
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications
Eesti.ee
Objectives, Activities
Basic National Defence Documents
Defence Industry Policy
Defence and Armed Forces
Defence budget
Defence planning
Flight and Vessel Permits
Initial self-defence capability and service in the military
Bilateral Co-operation
Baltic Defence Co-operation
Defence-Related Assistance
Leadership of the national defence
National Defence and Society
Operations abroad
Veterans policy
Organisation, Contacts
Defence Attachés accredited to Estonia
Defence media enquiries
Estonian Defence Attachés accredited abroad
Estonian National Security Authority
Minister of Defence
Ministry Executive
Home News Estonia to increase defence aid to Ukraine
Estonia to increase defence aid to Ukraine
Today, Estonia decided on the next aid package to Ukraine, which includes additional lethal aid such as mortars and anti-tank weaponry. In addition, Estonia plans to support the United Kingdom's initiative on expanding the extent to which they train members of the Ukrainian forces and to send a field hospital to Ukraine in cooperation with Germany.
"The fighting in Ukraine continues to be intense. Although more and more western weaponry is reaching the frontlines, our moral responsibility is to continue supporting Ukraine. They are fighting for our shared values, and if there is anything we can send to Ukrainians, we have to do so," said Minister of Defence of Estonia Hanno Pevkur.
"In addition to weapons, Ukrainian forces have asked for additional support from the Allies in training their personnel. The government's decision today means that we can also help Ukraine with that specific request for aid," said minister Pevkur, according to whom Estonian aid has a direct impact on the fighting capabilities of the Ukrainian soldiers and it is very highly valued in Ukraine. "The Estonian Defence Forces are especially proficient in training reservists for combat in an intense conventional war against a larger adversary – meaning, precisely for the kind of war that Ukraine is in right now," said Pevkur.
In addition to weapons and training, Estonia plans to support the medical capabilities of the Ukrainian troops, donating a second field hospital to Ukraine in cooperation with Germany.
Minister Pevkur emphasised that the West also has to be prepared for the Russian information war, especially the spread of messages about fatigue in the West and the ineffectiveness of providing aid to Ukraine. "Just as the aid that has already been provided clearly shows that we are not tired, our Allies have all confirmed their readiness to help Ukrainians in their freedom war as long as it is needed," added Pevkur.
In total, Estonia has provided military aid to Ukraine worth of 250 million Euros, which includes Javelin anti-tank missiles, howitzers, anti-tank mines, anti-tank grenade launchers, mortars, various light weapons, ammunition, vehicles, communication devices, medical equipment and supplies, personal protective equipment (helmets, body armour, etc.), as well as military food rations.
Additional information: [email protected]
About national defence
Contact MOD
Sakala 1
[email protected] Official enquiries:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Drake (musician)
Drake performing at the Polson Pier in Toronto, 2011.
Aubrey Drake Graham
(1986-10-24) October 24, 1986 (age 34)
Drizzy[1]
Champagne Papi[2]
United States[3][4]
US$150 million (2019) (estimate)[5]
Larry Graham (uncle)
Teenie Hodges (uncle)
Musical career
pop[6][7][8]
R&B[6]
trap[6]
drill[9][10]
OVO Sound
Universal Motown
Cash Money[11]
Boi-1da
PartyNextDoor
drakeofficial.com
Aubrey Drake Graham[12] (born October 24, 1986) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and entrepreneur[13] who has sold over five million album copies. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. He was the character Jimmy Brooks for eight seasons on the television show Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Drake has worked with a lot of other musicians. Drake collaborated with Rihanna on the number-one singles "What's My Name?" (2010) and "Work" (2016). He also rapped on "Moment 4 Life" (2011) by Nicki Minaj. "Moment 4 Life" was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award in the category Best Rap Performance.[14] His third album Take Care won the award for Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.[15]
On September 30, 2013, he was named as the "global ambassador" for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[16]
In 2016, he released Views, an album that was only on iTunes at first. His single "One Dance" became his first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a main artist.
On March 18, 2017, Drake released More Life, which he referred to as a "playlist" instead of an album. The singles "Fake Love" and "Passionfruit" reached the top ten in countries worldwide.
In 2018, Drake worked with Travis Scott and published "Sicko Mode". It was nominated for the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.
Drake's single, "God's Plan", from the EP Scary Hours, entered at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100. After 11 weeks at number one, the single "Nice for What" also entered at number one, making Drake the first artist to have a number-one entry replace another number-one entry at the top of the chart. "Nice for What" became Drake's fifth American chart-topper. Drake released the single "I'm Upset" in May 2018 and announced he would release his next album, Scorpion, in June.[17] Despite rumors, particularly a beef with rapper Pusha T, Drake revealed in the album that he has a child, a son named Adonis, with French artist Sophie Brussaux.[18]
On April 2, 2020, Drake released the single "Toosie Slide", based on the dance of the same name that had been posted to social media app TikTok.[19] It became his third number-one entrance on the Billboard Hot 100, tying him with Mariah Carey as having the most songs enter at the top. It became his seventh US number-one single overall.
1 Discography
1.1 Studio albums
1.2 Extended plays
1.3 Mixtapes
Studio albums
Thank Me Later (2010)
Take Care (2011)
Nothing Was the Same (2013)
Scorpion (2018)
So Far Gone (2009)
Scary Hours (2018)
The Best in the World Pack (2019)
Room for Improvement (2006)
Comeback Season (2007)
If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015)
What a Time to Be Alive (with Future) (2015)
More Life (2017)
Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020)
↑ "The Drake Look Book". https://www.gq.com/gallery/drake-style-look-book-outfits. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
↑ "11 Times Drake Channeled His 'Champagne Papi' Alter-Ego: From 'The Motto' to 'Mia'". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8479603/drake-champagne-papi-alter-ego-moments.
↑ "Drake on His Mother's Influence, Kanye West & Andre 3000, and Obama Being a Fan?". November 16, 2011. https://www.vibe.com/2011/11/drake-his-mothers-influence-kanye-west-andre-3000-and-obama-being-fan/. Retrieved October 25, 2018. ""I was like, 'Well I'm a dual citizen!'""
↑ Tanabe, Karin (November 16, 2011). "Drake hopes to meet Obama". Politico. https://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2011/11/drake-hopes-to-meet-obama-040866.
↑ "Drake's Net Worth: $150 Million in 2019". Forbes. https://forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/06/14/drake-net-worth-150-million-in-2019/. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Drake's progress: the making of a modern superstar. April 6, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/06/drakes-progress-the-making-of-a-modern-superstar.
↑ Spanos, Brittany (March 20, 2017). "Drake's 'More Life' Playlist Is Redefining Borders of Blackness in Pop". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drakes-more-life-playlist-is-redefining-borders-of-blackness-in-pop-111729/. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
↑ "Drake's 2018 Has Been Huge. But Is He the Biggest Rapper Ever?". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8465374/drake-scorpion-biggest-rapper-ever. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
↑ "8 UK drill artists pushing the sound forward". https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/best-uk-drill-artists.
↑ "Drake's 'War' Is Being Compared To Skepta And British Drill Fans Aren't Having It". December 24, 2019. https://uproxx.com/music/drake-war-skepta-british-drill/.
↑ Saponara, Michael (June 18, 2019). "Drake's 'Best in the World Pack' Serves as First Release Without Young Money or Cash Money Records". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8516581/drake-best-in-the-world-pack-first-release-without-young-money-cash-money. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
↑ Kellman, Andy. "Drake – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/drake-mn0001035294.
↑ Caramanca, Jon (November 16, 2011). "Drake Pushes Rap Toward the Gothic". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/arts/music/drakes-take-care-goes-to-moody-places.html. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
↑ "Grammys 2012: Rap and hip-hop nominees/winners". CBC Music. http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2012/2/Grammys-2012-Rap-and-hip-hop-nomineeswinners. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
↑ "Grammys 2013: Drake's 'Take Care' wins in rap album category". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/10/entertainment/la-et-ms-grammys-2013-rap-album-winner-20130209. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
↑ "From rapper to Raptor, Drake takes on new role". NBA. http://www.nba.com/2013/news/09/30/raptors-drake.ap/index.html. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
↑ "Drake Releases New Single 'I'm Upset'". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8458027/drake-im-upset. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
↑ "Who Is Sophie Brussaux? What to Know About the Mother of Drake's Son Adonis" (in en). PEOPLE.com. https://people.com/music/drake-son-adonis-mother-sophie-brussaux-what-to-know/. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
↑ Holmes, Charles; Holmes, Charles (2020-04-03). "Before Drake Released 'Toosie Slide,' He Turned to a Few Dancers for Help" (in en-US). https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/drake-making-of-toosie-slide-977600/.
Aubrey Graham on IMDb
This short article about North America can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/w/index.php?title=Drake_(musician)&oldid=5045921"
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North America stubs
Drake (rapper)
Actors from Toronto
Canadian movie actors
Canadian rap musicians
Canadian television actors
Singers from Toronto


text:
What is a dilute calico cat and how rare are they?
By Kathryn Rosenberg
With a stunning coat that often features soft silver and gold hues, the dilute calico cat is a rare and striking sight to behold
The dilute calico cat is a rare beauty indeed. So much so that many cultures around the world consider this feline to be a lucky mascot that brings wealth and good fortune to any family that it lives with and are more than happy to spoil it in return with all the food and toys that money can buy.
Regardless of whether you buy into the idea that the dilute calico is a symbol of luck, there's no denying that its soft tri-color coat featuring gold, silver-gray and cream-white tones is a stunning sight to behold.
While the dilute calico shares the same genetic code of the standard calico cat that determines the color variation of their coat, they also possess what's known as the dilution gene, which means that their fur takes on a much more muted quality.
Many breeds can produce a dilute calico cat, but they're incredibly rare. With only one in 1,000 cats being born a calico, the chances that both parents would have also carried the dilution gene and passed it on is even slimmer.
If you find yourself welcoming a dilute calico cat into your family, consider yourself very lucky indeed. Read on to find out everything you need to know about one of the most prized and rare feline treasures in the world….
Chimera cat: Everything you need to know about this captivating kitty
12 facts about orange tabby cats that may surprise you
What is a dilute calico cat?
Named for the coloration and patterns of their coat, the dilute calico, like the standard calico, is a domestic cat with a genetic code that determines the color variation their fur will take on.
Scientifically known as "X chromosome inactivation", a genetic code found on the X chromosome is what gives the standard calico cat the distinct black and orange patches that they sport on their coat.
Just like the calico, the dilute calico also shares this same genetic code, but they may also inherit the dilution gene from their parents, which will give them the same tri-color patterning as the standard calico but much softer and more muted.
Interesting fact: a standard female calico may carry the dilute calico gene without having turned out to be a dilute calico herself. If she partners with a rare male calico or any other male who carries the dilute calico gene, they can produce a dilute calico kitten.
What's the difference between a calico and a dilute calico?
A lot of people mistakenly believe that the calico cat is a breed in and of itself, but in reality, any breed of cat has the potential to produce calico or dilute calico offspring.
The calico and dilute calico cat were given their names because of the specific tri-color coat pattern that they have. Instead of being purely white, orange or black, for example, the calico has fur that's a mix of all three.
Where the dilute calico differs from the standard calico is in both the colors that appear in their tri-color coat and the strength of those colors. Often referred to as a muted calico, the dilute calico cat's fur has much softer colors of gray-blue and cream, along with patches of white.
It's also possible for a dilute calico cat to have a coat that is tinged with gold or silver colorings, but no matter what shade their fur takes on, expect their overall look to be much softer than the bold appearance of the standard calico.
What cat breeds can be dilute calico?
The dilute calico is named for its coat pattern and isn't a breed in and of itself. That means that there's actually a fairly long list of cat breeds that can produce beautiful tri-colored kittens. Here are a few of our favorites:
As you can see from the list above, dilute calico cats can occur in both shorthaired and longhaired breeds.
Can dilute calico cats be male?
Like the standard calico, male dilute calico cats are extremely rare. In fact, given that 99.9% of all calico cats are female and only one in every 1,000 cats born is a standard calico, you can imagine how scarce male dilute calicos are!
The same genetic code that produces the beautiful coat color of the standard and dilute calico cats is also what determines their gender. Female cats have two X chromosomes, while males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. This means that male cats can display either the black or orange gene but not both.
However, in extremely rare cases, known as Klinefelter Syndrome, a calico cat may be given an extra X chromosome which would then produce a male calico. On top of that, they would also need to inherit the dilution gene in order to be a male dilute calico.
Are dilute calico cats rare?
Yes, even female dilute calico cats are rare. As we saw above, only one in every 1,000 cats is born a standard calico and dilute calico cats are that much harder to come by.
One of the reasons for this is that the dilution gene is what's known as a recessive gene. That means that a more dominant gene can mask it and a kitten would need to inherit the dilution gene from both parents in order to be born a dilute calico.
Because the dilution gene is recessive and can be overridden by a dominant gene, it's also very hard to specifically breed dilute calico cats - so, consider yourself very lucky indeed if you become the pet parent to one of these beauties.
Kathryn Rosenberg
Kathryn is a freelance writer who has spent the past two years dividing her writing time between her two great loves - pets and health and wellness. When she's not busy crafting the perfect sentence for her features, buying guides and news pieces, she can be found hanging out with one very mischievous Cocker Spaniel, drinking copious amounts of Jasmine tea and attempting to set numerous world records for the longest ever FaceTime calls with her family back home in NZ.


text:
Yahoo! Mash Has Been Quashed
By Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins 2008-08-28 21:01:07 UTC
Nearly one year after the launch of Yahoo's answer to Facebook, Yahoo Mash has decided to close its doors. The news comes to us from one of our readers, Mark Palmer who received a terse email from the service, giving the date they'll end service:
Thank you for trying out our Mash Beta service. We hope you had fun with it.
Please note that we will shut down Mash on September 29, 2008. As a result, your current profile on Mash will no longer be available. We strongly recommend that you return to http://mash.yahoo.com and copy the content that you wish to save onto a separate document.
Matt Warburton
Yahoo! Community Manager
I can't say I'm particularly surprised. The few times I ever played with the service, I didn't see anything particularly enthralling about it over and above what was already offered by the pre-existing social network offering from Yahoo 360, and judging from the traffic patterns, most of the rest of you felt the same way.
I took a look at the Quantcast numbers, which showed an embarrassing slope in usage over the year since its launch, ending with an estimated monthly page view count for the service around 2,000. Not two million. Two thousand.
Clearly not the home-run they were looking for.
I took a poke around on the Yahoo 360 system, which was almost a spitting image of Mash, and they've made sure to alert their userbase that it, in fact, will be sticking around in the absence of the newer social network.
Other than that, it's pretty hard to give the service a decent eulogy. It launched to a false start, was received with fairly ho-hum reviews, seemed to be a copy of not only offerings Yahoo already had but others' social networks, failed to achieve any sort of momentum, was poorly marketed, and was used by virtually no one.
Rest in peace?
Topics: opinion, San Francisco-San Jose, social networking, web, web 2.0, Yahoo, Yahoo 360, yahoo mash


Source: Eagles Doing "All They Can" to Move up for Marcus Mariota.
Finally Draft day is here.
Get ready for a wild day and the craziness has already begun.
Less than 24 hour before the first pick, a league source tells Mike Florio Profootballtalk.com the Eagles are doing "all they can" to move up for Oregon signal caller Marcus Mariota.
Sam Bradford. As Florio speculates, the Eagles could send Bradford to Cleveland and use the No. 12 pick (from Cleveland), the No. 20 pick (their own), and a 2016 first round pick to meet the Titans' asking price.


text:
Change city California (en)
Time Out California
Worldwide icon-chevron-right North America icon-chevron-right United States icon-chevron-right California icon-chevron-right The 23 best things to do in California right now
The 23 best things to do in California right now
Experience the Golden State's top adventures and hidden gems with our list of the best things to do in California
By Garrick Ramirez | Posted: Monday October 28 2019
Photograph: Unsplash
With perfect weather, gorgeous beaches, trendsetting culture and some of the best restaurants in the world, you'll never lack for fun things to do in California. For its entire history, the Golden State has generated innumerable cultural shifts, from the Gold Rush to gangsta rap. Plus, its diversity of landscapes—from beaches to mountains, vineyards to deserts—allow the ambitious pull off a surf and ski session in the same day. Can it get any better?
Below, we've gathered the destinations and activities that capture the best of California in all its iterations—past and present, highbrow and kitschy—from sipping tiki drinks at Disneyland to exploring a redwood forest featured in Star Wars. As Tupac and Dr. Dre proclaimed, it's all good from Diego to the Bay, because California knows how to party.
Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. You can also learn more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world, or take a look at our list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now.
Best things to do in California
Photograph: Iwan Baan, courtesy the Broad and Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Where: Los Angeles
If you think trendy social media phenomena such as sprinkle tubs have bested traditional art museums, you haven't been to the Broad in Downtown LA. The admission-free venue sports an eye-candy building designed by the starchitect firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and a treasure trove of contemporary art from household names such as Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The museum also features some primo Instagram opportunities including a Star Trek-worthy elevator, Robert Therrien's giant dining room table, and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Room.
Disover our complete guide to The Broad
Photograph: Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
Where: Willow Creek
That famous image of Bigfoot—mid stride, tossing a casual glance over his (her?) shoulder—is taken from an infamous 1967 home movie shot near Willow Creek, California. Today, the Humboldt County town teems with Sasquatch-fueled tourism including a dedicated museum, parade, and the must-try Bigfoot Burger at Early Bird restaurant. The hulking sandwich features a gargantuan, foot-shaped bun stuffed with two cheese-topped patties, bacon and all the fixings. If you manage to get back on your own feet after devouring one, you can search for the big guy yourself in the nearby forest.
Photograph: Shutterstock
Where: San Francisco
On a nice day, there's no better way to experience San Francisco than on a scenic bike-and-ferry journey across the Golden Gate Bridge. Beginning in Fisherman's Wharf, where you can easily find rental bikes, ride past SF's big-ticket attractions like the Palace of Fine Arts, Crissy Field, and Alcatraz, before you cycle across the famed bridge (245 feet above the chilly waters) and arrive in the cutesy town of Sausalito where you can board a ferry, crack open a beer on the bay and arrive back via the Ferry Building where some of the city's best eats await.
Discover the best things to do in San Francisco
Photograph: Flickr/IK's World Trip
Palm Springs' Mid-Century Modern architecture
Where: Palm Springs
California is home to the largest collection of mid-century modern architecture in the world, and Palm Springs is its epicenter. During the 1940s and '50s, architects such as Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Albert Frey used the desert as a blank canvas for their sleek, low-slung pads. To seek out Palm Springs' mid-century classics, download the Palm Springs Modern Committee's app, or pop into the Palm Springs Official Visitor Center—housed in a striking former Tramway Gas Station designed by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers—where you can pick up a map to the city's mid-century landmarks.
Discover the best things to do in Palm Springs
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Bar
Where: Anaheim
If all tiki bars flaunt a little Disney, then you know Disneyland's tiki bar is something special. Hidden behind the Disneyland Hotel—and free to the public—Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar is a cozy tropical den packed with fun details including an erupting volcano, blinking tiki masks and shrunken head mugs filled with potent grogs. Order the Shipwreck cocktail and you'll cause a bar-top, model schooner to sink amidst a dramatic blast of thunder and lightning.
Photograph: Courtesy of Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Skip the lackluster stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and head straight to the source. At the final resting place of Hollywood's finest, you can mingle with celebs such as Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, and Johnny Ramone. Don't miss the summertime movie series from Cinespia which screens classic films such as Casablanca and Raiders of the Lost Ark on lawns below—and above—the stars.
Discover the best things to do in Los Angeles
Photograph: Flickr/David Seibold
Yosemite's Half Dome
Where: Yosemite National Park
To complete this 10-12 hour, bucket list trek, you'll need to rise before the sun, invest in real hiking boots (that old pair of tennies isn't going to cut it), and conquer any fear of heights. Yet, nothing cements your Cali cred like a photo of you standing 4,737 feet above the valley floor, without any guardrails but with plenty of butterflies in your stomach.
Discover the best things to do in Yosemite
Photograph: Rebeca Anchondo/Flickr
San Francisco's Chinatown
Lantern-strung streets, secret alleyways, and chinoiserie-embellished buildings are all worthy hallmarks of San Francisco's historic Chinatown. Yet, the real draw is the food. Where to begin? Here's a quick cheat sheet to the neighborhood's prized edibles: dim sum dumplings at Good Mong Kok Bakery, exotic fruit smoothies at Juicy Fruit, poke bowls at Katsu House, Asian-influenced scotch cocktails at Cold Drinks, and Michelin-starred dishes at Mister Jiu's.
Discover the best things to do in Chinatown, San Francisco
Photograph: Flickr/Jeff Shickele
Burney Falls
Where: Shasta County
Hidden in the Northern California forests of Shasta County, Burney Falls is likely the most impressive waterfall in the state. At 129-feet, it's neither the highest nor largest, but its massive wall of cascading streams—primarily spring-fed which guarantees year-round splendor—will leave you gobsmacked. It also makes for a hell of selfie backdrop. Post a photo, and friends will think you've just returned from somewhere deep within a South American jungle.
Photograph: Flickr/rockaroundtheglobe/CC
Where: San Simeon
Visiting the opulent home of a wealthy, loudmouth businessman-turned-politician who bullied people and filled newspapers with falsehoods may not sound appealing these days, yet it's the dazzling architecture of Julia Morgan—the first licensed female architect in California—that still draws us to the former hilltop estate of William Randolph Hearst. A series of daily tours cover different areas of the extravagant mansion, with specialized tours such as the Upstairs Suites and Cottages lending a more intimate experience. Note that all guests can visit the visually stunning Roman Pool—sheathed in vivid tile and ringed by Roman deities—which is worth the price of admission alone.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons/Roman Eugeniusz
San Diego's Barrio Logan
Where: San Diego
California teems with both hipster and traditional Mexican culture, but only San Diego's Barrio Logan neighborhood melds the two seamlessly. Drink Horchata Lattes at Por Vida, sip Mexican chocolate stouts at Border X Brewing, and chow down on steak-and-fries tacos and churro ice cream at Salud. At night, bed down at stylish One Bunk which features a mini bar stocked with mezcal and Tijuana craft beers.
Discover the best things to do in San Diego
San Francisco cable cars
It's touristy, it costs too much, and you can't rate its drivers on your phone. But damnit, clinging to the exterior of the boxy cars, feeling the wind in your hair as you climb and descend over the city's famously steep hills and distinct neighborhoods, is nothing short of exhilarating.
Discover our full guide to the San Francisco cable car
Photograph: Flickr/Marc Cooper
Where: Fort Bragg
A pristine beach whose sandy shore is comprised of colorful, jewel-like pebbles? Yep, such a place exists. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the coastal town of Fort Bragg used its beaches as their dump. Yet, instead of getting swept out to sea as intended, glass bottles were broken up by the pounding surf and washed back onto shore. Today, Glass Beach sparkles with polished, translucent gems blanketing its shores. Locals will tell you it ain't nothing like it used to be, but it's still amazing.
Photograph: Courtesy the Magical Castle
Bookcases with secret doors, a piano-playing ghost that takes requests, and expert magicians that perform head-scratching sleights of hand: a visit is to the wondrous home of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood is not too unlike Harry Potter's first visit to Hogwarts...plus cocktails. Yet, the fantastical private club is only open to members and those lucky enough to score a personal invite. Our advice: track down regular performers at the Magic Castle online and shoot them a friendly email request.
Discover our full guide to the Magic Castle
Photograph: Flickr/Amarnath
Where: Big Sur
Big Sur offers numerous spots to revel in its grand-scale beauty—Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls—but there's only one that serves excellent margaritas. Seemingly perched amidst the clouds like the bohemian pad of Lando Calrissian, Nepenthe restaurant features modern earthy architecture—a product of a Frank Lloyd Wright student—and edge of the world views. Nab a drink from the bar, settle into one of the numerous outdoor terraces, and watch the sky light up as the sun dips into the Pacific. Linger after nightfall, and you can cozy up around a blazing bonfire under the stars.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons/Eric Gunderson
Squaw Valley Gondola
Where: Olympic Valley
You'll feel like you're in a James Bond flick soaring 2,000 feet above the valley floor aboard Squaw's aerial tram, drifting over snow-topped sandstone formations and granite peaks, to the site of the 1968 Olympics—as well as a bar with knock-out views. During winter, a seasonal ice rink and expert ski runs are the primary draw, yet, the majestic beauty of the High Sierras makes a trip worth it long after the snow has melted.
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
The beloved California burger institution that's spawned numerous imitators (cough, Shake Shack) displays a minimal menu that belies the seemingly countless ways to customize your order. In-N-Out's series of off-menu options may sound uncomfortably like entries from the Joy of Sex, but they make fast food so much more fun! "Well Done" fries come extra crispy, "Extra Toast" gets you a crispy bun, "Protein Style" swaps the bun for a lettuce wrap, and the "Flying Dutchman" ditches the bun altogether. Get your burger—or fries—"Animal Style" and enjoy extra spread, extra pickles, grilled onions, and savory, mustard grilled patties.
Reached via a 55-minute ferry ride from Long Beach, Catalina Island feels worlds away. The island's Descanso Beach Club offers mainlanders a touch of the tropics with a scenic, palm tree-lined beach cove filled with cabanas and chaise loungers. There are kayaks and snorkel gear to explore the cove's clear waters, but we're content to nab a drink from the beachfront bar, dig our toes into the sand, and forget the LA freeways just 26 miles away.
Discover the best things to do in Catalina
Photograph: Flickr/Miguel Vieira
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Where: Crescent City
While there are numerous places to marvel at California's towering coastal redwoods—the largest and oldest living things on the planet—you'll want to speed your hover bike to the spot that doubled as Endor in Return of the Jedi. With misty, primordial forests filled with gargantuan, old-growth redwoods, it's obvious why George Lucas picked it to serve as a galaxy far, far away. And while you're mixing movie fandom and nature outings, scoot next door to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park whose magnificent Fern Canyon was famously featured in Jurassic Park 2.
Discover the best state parks in California
Photograph: Courtesy Shimoda Design Group
Museum of Neon Art
Before neon signage enabled cutesy phrases for trendy coffee shops and avocado toast backdrops, they beckoned would-be patrons to swanky supper clubs, roadside motels, and places to ogle tassel-adorned dancers. Like Las Vegas's famed Boneyard, the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale captures Southern California's bright past via a radiant collection of restored neon signs. On Saturday nights, you can hop aboard the museum's double-decker bus and enjoy a narrated tour of the vibrant neon signage lighting up Hollywood and Downtown LA.
Photograph: Flickr/Jay Galvin
Where: Carmel-by-the-Sea
At the enchanting Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, you wouldn't be surprised to see Bilbo Baggins emerge from a tangle of twisted cypress trees. Situated between Big Sur and Carmel, the coastal park feels undisturbed since the Mesozoic Era with ancient forests, craggy outcrops, and scores of wildlife. You're not likely to see all its 400 acres in one visit, so start with the Bird Island Trail which skirts the impossibly turquoise waters of China Cove, or the more rigorous North Shore Trail whose forested, cliff-side route rewards hikers with some of the park's most dramatic vistas.
Photograph: Flickr/Wayne Hsieh
Gold Rush towns
You've strolled the fabricated Old West facades at Knott's Berry Farm and Pioneertown, but there's nothing like experiencing the real McCoy. Cruise Highway 49, and you'll discover atmospheric Gold Rush towns whose preserved main streets—lined with wooden covered sidewalks and 19th century buildings—transport you to the Wild West. It's not all boring history museums and Ye Olde Candy Shoppes, either. In towns like Sutter Creek and Nevada City, historic structures have been repurposed as chic boutiques (Kitkitdizzi), craft beer halls (Three Forks Bakery & Brewing, Sutter Creek Provisions), and sleek hotels (Hotel Sutter, Hanford House).
Photograph: Flickr/Naotake Murayama
Since Santa Cruz is the birthplace of both mainland surfing—introduced in the 1880s by Hawaiian princes—and the wetsuit, it's fitting that it should also be the birthplace of your new surfing skills. Leave the double overheads of famed Steamer Lane to the pros, and head to the gentle breaks of Capitola Beach. Hook up with a nearby surf shop such as Capitola Beach Company who will get you suited up, out on the water, and throwing shakas from your board in a couple of hours.
Discover the best things to do in Santa Cruz
More of the best in California
Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Yue J.
The 14 best restaurants in California
California's namesake cuisine still defines contemporary menus throughout the United States. Whether you're seeking eateries with three Michelin stars or just a few post-meal wet naps, here are the best places to get a taste of the Golden State.
Time Out California Site map


text:
Ha Joo-hee (, born September 18, 1982) is a South Korean actress, model, and entertainer. Ha debuted as a model in the magazine Cindy the Perky in September 2001. She debuted as an actress after appearing as Junko in the 2003 South Korean TV series, Thousand Years of Love.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Awards

References

External links

South Korean film actresses
South Korean television actresses
Sungkyunkwan University alumni
1982 births
Living people
21st-century South Korean actresses

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Category Archives: Information Architecture
Another DAM Podcast interview with Abby Covert on Digital Asset Management and Information Architecture
Abby Covert discusses Digital Asset Management and Information Architecture
https://anotherdampodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/abby-covert.mp3
Henrik de Gyor: [0:02] This is Another DAM Podcast about Digital Asset Management. I'm Henrik de Gyor. Today I'm speaking with Abby Covert. Abby, how are you?
Abby Covert: [0:09] Great. Thanks so much for having me.
Henrik: [0:11] Abby, how are you involved with Digital Asset Management?
Abby: [0:14] Well, I am a professional Information Architect. My involvement with Digital Asset Management is really in helping organizations to understand the impact of language, and structure on their effectiveness towards whatever their goals might be, and that can be across many mediums, which I think is similar to the challenges that Digital Asset Managers face as well.
[0:35] They're looking at the scaffolding that then initiates a lot of processes within an organization. So, my job is pretty similar in that regard I would say.
Henrik: [0:44] As an Information Architect, you recently authored a book titled How to Make Sense of Any Mess. Tell us more about what we can learn from this book since many DAM professionals need to do the same.
Abby: [0:55] My main premise in writing a book with such a broad title How to Make Sense of Any Mess, and I thought very hard on the word "Any", was that I really felt as a practicing information architect after 10 years, that a lot of the messes that I was helping my clients to make sense of were actually really based in information and people, more than they were specific to the technologies, or the mediums that we were actually executing in.
[1:21] I would say that anybody who has been working in technology for more than 10 years, has seen some sort of current of change that all of a sudden we have mobile, all of a sudden we have social, how does that change what we do?
[1:33] What I actually found was that it doesn't change a lot when you look at that information and people part, that it really comes down to a basic understanding of leading and facilitating people, through a process of identifying what is not making sense to their consumers or to their coworkers.
[1:51] Then working through the delicate steps that one needs to take to really adjust the mental models of themselves, and maybe the people that they're working with, in order to reach whatever intent people are trying to get to. I guess after spending a lot of time making sense of other people's messes, I wanted to know if I could write a book that would help people make sense of their own.
[2:14] I think so far, based on the feedback, yeah, I think that you really can. You can self‑serve this stuff which is great.
Henrik: [2:21] What are the biggest challenges and successes you've seen with Digital Asset Management?
Abby: [2:25] I definitely think that scalability is one of the biggest issues that organizations face in general. Whether that be scaling up to meet the needs of digital, or scaling up to meet the needs of a growing business, those two things have become synonymous. I don't run into a lot of companies that are scaling up their business that doesn't mean they need to scale up the digital side of their business.
[2:49] Also, the cross‑channel nature of things. The decision to invest or not invest in certain channels, and the impact of doing so. Taking the time to start a new social channel that just got announced, instead of taking the time away from doing something else. So I think in terms of Digital Asset Management, I think that it's difficult to stay on the edge of that while also maintaining what you have and not letting the things that you have get unkempt.
[3:21] I would definitely say scalability, and keeping up with the wave of change would be the biggest challenges. Successes, I would say, anyone that can pay close attention to context of use, and not use metadata as a way of checking the box on like, "Yes, we've collected metadata," but really thinking about how that metadata is going to apply to a use case, that might be realistic to that organization, and how they're going to use that content at a swift pace.
[3:52] Then, also the cadence they're going to need it at. I think that anybody who is doing that level of deep research organizationally, around the way that they're organizing their internal assets, is probably seeing a lot more success than those who are in their cubicles alone, just applying data schema that make sense in their head. Because it's easy to do that from the common sense place, but it turns out that common sense is pretty unreliable in a lot of cases.
Henrik: [4:20] Good points. What advice would you like to share with DAM professionals, and people who are aspiring to be DAM professionals?
Abby: [4:25] I am going to go and continue my thread of "Get out from your cubicle, or your office, or even from your desk and go work with other people." I think that the idea of doing the work versus concepting your way through how the work will be done, is a dangerous place to be by yourself, especially in a field that is so dependent on making sense of the things for other people to use for their jobs.
[4:55] I feel like if you can take that soft skill part and use that, and give equal attention to that, then also your tools, I would say that that would be my number one piece of advice.
Henrik: [5:07] Have a conversation with as many people as necessary who will be using this?
Abby: [5:12] Yeah. Also, don't scare them away with your language and your tools. That's for you to figure out later. But get out a marker and some post‑it notes and a white board, or whatever you got to do to make them feel comfortable and get through the anxiety of… Digital Asset Management is like a big mouthy term, and I'm sure that there's some marketers that are hearing it for the first time in some cases when people are working with them on it.
[5:37] Making sure that that's not getting in the way, and just remembering that technology is a monster in many people's minds. So, we're all going through this transition organizationally. Most organizations are going through a transition. I would say that those that haven't been born into digital, even those are going through lots of transitions with the increased cross‑channel nature of our businesses and our design mediums.
[5:59] But I feel like if you can educate people in a way that they understand that you're making decisions that are going to help them along the way, and that you're collaborating on those, and that you're just the filter, you're just the person that's going to go to the tool at the end of the day, and enter it into the way that you guys agreed it's going to be. But you're not a dictator of the way that digital assets should be managed.
Henrik: [6:22] Well, thanks Abby. For this, and other Digital Asset Management topics, log onto AnotherDAMblog.com. For this podcast and a 150 other podcast episodes, including transcripts of every interview, go to AnotherDAMpodcast.com. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to to email me at anotherdamblog@gmail.com. And Abby where can we find out more information from you?
Abby: [6:45] At AbbytheIA.com, or you find me on Twitter @Abby _the_IA.
Henrik: [6:49] Thanks again.
Listen to Another DAM Podcast on Amazon Alexa, Apple Podcasts, AudioBoom, CastBox, Google Play, RadioPublic, RSS, Spotify or TuneIn
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Categories: Another DAM podcast, Author, Digital Asset Management, Information Architecture, Interview, Podcast, Transcript, User Experience | Tags: #reDAM, 2015, Abby Covert, Another DAM podcast, Author, book, DAM, DAM Professionals, Digital Asset Management, Henrik de Gyor, How to Make Sense of Any Mess, IA, Information Architecture, interview, Linkedin, podcast, scalability, transcript, user experience, UX | Permalink.
Another DAM Podcast interview with Joe Bachana on Digital Asset Management
Joe Bachana discusses Digital Asset Management
https://anotherdampodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/joe_bachana.mp3
Here are the questions asked:
How are you involved with Digital Asset Management?
How do open source Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions stack up today?
What advice would you like to share with DAM Professionals and people aspiring to become DAM Professionals?
Henrik de Gyor: [0:02] This is Another DAM Podcast about Digital Asset
Management. I'm Henrik de Gyor. Today I'm speaking with Joe Bachana. Joe,
Joe Bachana: [0:11] Great. Hi.
Henrik: [0:12] Joe, how are you involved with Digital Asset Management?
Joe: [0:16] Personally, I've been implementing Digital Asset Management since
about 1997. My first project with DAM was when I was working with a company
called Image, Inc. I was implementing a product called Phrasea, which was a
French-based solution. I had way back then experienced implementing products
like MediaBank. North Plains TeleScope I had implemented at a number
of locations around that time, as well. [0:42] I founded DPCI, which is a technology
company that implements content solutions. I founded that in '99. We've
been doing Digital Asset Management projects ever since with a wide variety of
Digital Asset Management products for a whole variety of use cases, as well.
Henrik: [0:58] How do open source Digital Asset Management or DAM solutions
stack up today?
Joe: [1:04] We have to look at them in a few different ways. The first is the
business of open source DAM. The second, you would have to look at the legal
underpinnings of those solutions. The third would be the technology. Some
people say, "Let's take a look at the technology real quickly first," but I think
that's a mistake. [1:22] One of the reasons why we look at the business is that
the open source DAM projects are very different from the open source Web content management solutions out there. The CMSs such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, or Plone are principally anywhere between a very large collection of
contributors globally to those projects to maybe a little more modest contributor
[1:48] Generally, it's anywhere between a few hundred people and thousands
and thousands of people contributing to the innovations of these open source
projects, so they've taken firm foothold into the rubric or fabric of not only
our country but globally, the way Web content management innovations are
happening.
[2:06] In the case of Digital Asset Management, not as much. You do have solutions
that have been created out of Europe, out of the UK, and here in the
United States that there are a couple of folks that are working on it that are
friends or colleagues, or you'll have companies that are behind the products
with their own resources. The solutions themselves haven't necessarily taken
root as global initiatives.
[2:35] That doesn't mean it's not going that way. You're starting to see more of
what happened 10 to 12 years ago in the CMS world starting to happen in the
DAM world. The reason why it's not going to happen as rapidly is, to me, Digital
Asset Management is a little bit like the plumbing in your and my walls. It's nice
when it's working, but it's not the sexiest thing in the world.
[2:57] The thing that everybody cares about is how nice does your house look.
It's like the CMS. The CMS is the presentation of your content as well as the
ways in which you develop your content the workflows and so forth. Obviously,
no CMS is created equal.
Joe: [3:13] With respect to DAM, companies principally use Digital Asset
Management systems for archive and retrieval of their assets. That's a simplified
notion of what DAM should do. Both you and I both know there's a
huge number of reasons people implement DAM, ranging from selling content
through storefronts to integrating DAMs with CMSs, CRMs, or ERPs
and so forth.
[3:38] In the case of media companies where they're selling their content,
whether it's through rich media like video or live streaming, these things obviously
are the core of their business. It's not just about archival. It's about real
work in progress and delivering that content across multiple channels.
[3:57] The pace of innovation in the open source world from a business standpoint
is certainly not as rapid yet. It's not as sexy.
[4:06] There's one project that we're involved with for a media company. They're
headquartered here in New York City. They had been veterans of a couple of
different proprietary platforms. They had spent millions on a couple of different
solutions. They made a determination that they were going to try an open
source implementation. They are doing a good amount of work to having us do
some cool customizations for them to add on top of the open source solution.
[4:34] The question always is…What we like to do in open source is, we like to
contribute back to the community, however small or big it is. Hence, we oftentimes
will go to that customer and say, "As a precursor to our signing on,
do you have any objections to us contributing these solutions out in an open
source way?"
[4:53] That gets to the business aspect of it. The other part of the business
aspect of it is operationalizing DAM. For companies that have had experience
with proprietary vendors, some of the vendors have 24/7 support. Some of
them, not so much.
The DAM vendors can be smaller companies in some cases, so they don't necessarily
have the resources. When you have a president of a company answering
the phone at 11: [5:07] 00 at night to support you, that's generally not a good
sign, although some of the presidents of these DAM companies are absolute
geniuses. It's always a pleasure to talk to some of them. But it isn't a scalable
model. Operationalizing maintenance and support, it's something that some
of the proprietary vendors don't do that well. But if you look at it in the CMS
world, when you think about the kind of services you can get out of an Acquia
and Drupal, which is commercial support.
[5:44] There are other alternatives on that side, as well. Those types of things
aren't necessarily fully hammered out yet in the open source world. Because
businesses behind the open source DAM projects are sometimes not matured
yet. They may be smaller groups. So that's going to change over time. The
second point was this notion of the legalistic implications of open source. Not all
open source is created equal or licensed equally.
[6:11] You've got different licensing schemes out there. A very common one is
the GNU GPL. You hear about that one a lot in the web CMS world. In DAM,
quite a number of them take advantage of the lesser GPL, LGPL, which has
some limitations. These things people have to really reflect on, when they're getting involved.
Do they want to do an open source implementation where there may be some restrictions.
Joe: [6:37] I also look at these products… Does the company who is creating
it, are they paying lip service to open source? But then you start to think, "Do
they have all their documentation out there online? Can you readily download
and install that product?" If you're really open source, you've got to behave like
open source, which to me means freely downloadable and installing, and freely
available documentation.
[7:01] Then it's your prerogative to decide whether you want to purchase services
from a company or whichever individual. The legalistic application of it
is quite important when people are reflecting on open source. Now we get to
the technical. This is the one everybody really concentrates on first. People ask
me, "Don't even look at the products if you can't first look and see what the
business and the legal implications are of the solution you're about to go forward
[7:29] The open source DAMs are approaching, in general, the work group functionalities
of products out there, in the marketplace. If you look at solutions like
Resource Space or Enter Media, Rezuna as well. There are a couple more, I'm
not trying to plug these products, simply giving it as examples that these solutions
are starting to meet the needs of work group, Digital Asset Management,
which would be considered, for me, the ability to import, either individually or
batch, a whole variety of digital asset types.
[8:08] And on ingestion, to be able to automate the creation of thumbnails and
previews and even evoke certain recipes for conversion of the assets. If you,
upload a PSD or any PS file, then you can set up recipes for conversion to JPEG s
at certain widths and depths. The ability to also capture metadata information.
Things aren't all created equally, but the ability to capture XMP metadata, for
example, is something that is available in several of these products.
[8:38] In one case, we actually did some customizations where we have some
preprocessing of assets within Adobe Bridge for a customer. Then the assets
are going into their open source DAM. It's a phenomenal thing, because they're batch modifying with some extended XMP metadata, with their own panel within their Adobe Creative Suite products. And then that information is getting
ingested into those open source DAMs.
[9:06] These kinds of basic functionalities are available. It's really exciting, because
they're there. We've actually implemented quite a number of these kinds
of projects. They're working. For a year or two years, they're in business, in
use. The other thing that I find really exciting is that the whole promise of open source, to me, is you don't have to say, "Mother, may I?" The whole idea of innovate and ingenuity in software, the open source software world is the ability to just step up and say, "I want to create something of value that's available or
that I need for the context I need it."
Joe: [9:45] Without saying, "Hey, may I please do that?" And then somebody saying, "Yeah sure. But pay $20,000 for an SDK and sign this agreement that you won't do this or that." With open source, you can do it. A couple of the
open source products have robust web services and published APIs that, essentially,
allow you to do anything you want, ranging from connecting the DAM
to a produce like Drupal or WordPress, or connecting it to your CRM, if that's
what you needed, and so on. That, to me, is the most exciting aspect. In one
case, we did a project down in Atlanta for a company where they had this huge
infrastructure. They needed to just automate the production of real estate guide books.
Joe: [10:31] So we have this integration of, in that case it was a product called EnterMedia, with believe it or not, a whole Microsoft infrastructure. Integrated
with Adobe Live Cycle, integrated with Data Plan Journal Designer. And integrated,
I'll add, with the InDesign server. So the whole infrastructure is automating
the pagination of these real estate books, straight from sales folks just
entering the data on the individual homes that are going to be offered.
[11:02] This content is being used to create both the web listings, as well as the
print catalog books or guide books that are being done in multiple states. It's saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in their production processes. The DAM is an underlying technology within the architecture. It works flawlessly and it's
open source. They save themselves… If you think about the amount of money
they spent on the other infrastructure. [laughs]
[11:28] They spent a fraction of their budget on the actual DAM implementation.
There's a lot you can do with open source DAM solutions as underlying architectural
decisions for larger projects. And for very modest use cases around
archival and retrieval of assets you absolutely can use those types of solutions in
your business.
Henrik: [11:54] What advice would you like to share with DAM professionals and
people aspiring to become DAM professionals?
Joe: [11:59] That's a great question and I appreciate it, Henrik. A lot of folks
come into this industry… I should add, I've been doing this type of thing for
26 years now. I'm not going to count my tech jobs while I was in college,
which principally were around content technologies. But 26 years ago, content
technologies were a whole different animal. To me, there's a lot of folks that
enter the market and they want to be DAM professionals and they want to get
jobs doing this. [12:28] My concern has been folks coming out there and never
having laid their hands on a single product, without having done a single implementation.
There's a lot of information that goes on and a lot of folks that are…
There's no certification for becoming a DAM professional or a DAM analyst or
consultant. Yet people go out there and help folks with RPs and so forth, and
they've never done a DAM project.
[12:54] To me, if you're right out of college, first of all, there's some colleges which actually have some programs, like RIT, the print management school.
They have a course in Digital Asset Management. It is modest. But they give
people a chance to understand how to configure. What are the important use
cases trying to be solved in DAM? Getting hands-on experience with DAM is
really important. Even if you never will touch the technology in your career and
you want to be a pundit or someone who's just a thought leader, you've got to
be able to touch them and understand what these types of products, this class
of products, do.
[13:33] What problems do they solve? That's just me. Other people would probably
emphatically disagree. But I don't think, going back to the plumber motif
that I said earlier or concept, you can speak with authority about plumbing
if you've never laid in the pipes an understand what the heck goes on there.
I certainly don't understand what's happening behind the walls. That's one
thing. The second is, the best, to me, really exciting folks out there are the folks
who've gone to library science school.
[14:05] They really fundamentally understand what information science or information
architecture is. How do you define a taxonomy? What is an ontology?
How do you create controlled vocabularies? What's that process? Sometimes
folks that were in data modeling are very good at that, as well. They're very
thoughtful. A lot of times we go in as professionals and over engineer the
model, the information architecture of a platform.
[14:35] That becomes onerous for the folks who are trying to capture that metadata
and track it. There has to be a reasonableness that goes on, which again,
goes back to point number one. Which is, try to become a practitioner. But,
understanding that these are human systems, that's the third thing. Again, we
talk about first laying your hands on these types of things, second is understand
how taxonomy is laid out. If you have money to go to library science school or, if
not, pick up some books on it.
[15:04] There's some great resources out there for that. The third thing is understanding the use cases or the workflows. Because the DAM systems don't necessary do workflow really well. But every single person or any company that's
creating, managing, enriching and delivering assets has implicit workflows.
Some that are simple. Some that are very complex. Until you really understand
what those are, you're going to be hampered.
Joe: [15:34] I'm talking about not just people starting out in their career, but folks
that are 10, 15, 20 years in, that are delivering Digital Asset Management implementations.
A lot of times they don't pay attention to the ways people interact
with assets through the life cycle. Different asset or content types have different workflows.
The way you're creating an interactive object is going to be different
from some sort of an image file or video file and so forth.
[16:02] Those have different ways of being manipulated through a whole class of
employee types or user types. So understanding those is really important. Once
you get those you're going to be more sensitive to the way people work. The
fourth thing is, understand how to listen and understand how people currently
work, meeting them halfway. Just coming in and implementing a DAM and
saying, "This is the way it works," isn't good enough.
[16:32] To be able to understand how an organization needs to work is important.
To hopefully deliver a DAM solution that supports that work and bolsters
and improves it, as opposed to makes people change the way they work, which
invariably, as you and I both know, doesn't work. People rebel. You get into all
kinds of change management issues where folks just fight the DAM implementation.
I want to just end on this note, that a good way to inform your career
in DAM is that everybody high fives themselves when the DAM installation is
[17:09] But the way you test the success of a DAM solution is two to three years
out. How many people are using it? How many assets are there? Is it supporting
the business? Has duplication of assets been minimized or eliminated? Are there
issues with finding assets that were thrown in two years before, that are important?
That's the way you test. You always have to think forward in this business.
Think about the results you're going to be creating, two to three years in.
Henrik: [17:38] Thanks, Joe.
Joe: [17:40] Cool.
Henrik: [17:41] For more on this and other Digital Asset Management topics,
log onto AnotherDAMblog.com. Another DAM Podcast is available on AudioBoom,
iTunes and the Tech Podcast Network. If you have any comments or
questions, please feel free to email me at AnotherDAMblog@gmail.com.
What do you know about your integrator? (anotherdamblog.com)
How much do Digital Asset Management professionals earn? (anotherdamblog.com)
Categories: Another DAM podcast, Change Management, Digital Asset Management, Information Architecture, Interview, Open Source, Podcast, Publishing, Taxonomy, Transcript, Workflow | Tags: #reDAM, 2012, Another DAM podcast, Audioboom, business, DAM, DAM podcast, Digital Asset Management, Henrik de Gyor, interview, Joe Bachana, legal, Linkedin, Open source, podcast, technical, Technology, transcript | Permalink.
Another DAM Podcast interview with Alex Struminger on Digital Asset Management
https://anotherdampodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/alex_struminger04142011.mp3
Why does a DAM need a Project Manager?
Management. I'm Henrik de Gyor. Today I'm speaking with Alex Struminger.
Alex, how are you?
Alex Struminger: [0:10] Henrik, good to be with you.
Henrik: [0:12] Great. Alex, how are you involved with Digital Asset
Management?
Alex: [0:17] Henrik, let me answer that first by telling you about the Digital Asset
Management project I've been working on, which is with the United Nations
Children's Fund, UNICEF. In this particular project, I am acting as a project manager
and, in some ways, as a facilitator. [0:38] UNICEF uses a number of different
kinds of digital assets, and they're managed by different groups. Video is a big
part of what our group is doing. That's something that has spawned a lot of
change in Digital Asset Management over the last couple of years because of
the large file sizes and the increased bandwidth and storage needs for video.
[1:07] We also have more traditional assets. We have branding assets with logos,
stationary and a lot of those kinds of things. We have publications assets,
photos and that kind of thing.
[1:21] By far and largest is the video, and we use the DAM in a couple of ways.
We use it as an archiving system. We use it for providing access to the archive
of video and other assets. We also use it as a distribution system probably more
than anything else.
[1:46] We put the videos up there. The group that owns the assets, manages the
assets and the systems puts it up there. Then, the global organization is able to
access those.
[1:56] That's probably the biggest use we find for the DAM, is just getting those
assets into one central place, letting people know they're there, and then using
it as a distribution vehicle for getting the videos to all of the end users.
Henrik: [2:12] Excellent. Why does a DAM need a project manager?
Alex: [2:16] That's a great question, Henrik. I would say that many people would
agree that most technology platforms, at least in their design, implementation
and roll out, are going to need some project management. [2:31] If nothing else
to sort out the resources, schedules, budgets and things like that, and keep
everything on track.
[2:40] What I find is that there's another part of project management that comes
much more into play with these technology platforms with lots of users. That's
why I mentioned that I'm a project manager and, in some sense, a facilitator.
[2:59] There's a social aspect to DAM as there is to any network technology
platform, whether it's lots of end users all connected by wires and other means
of communication, emails, instant messaging, telephone lines. All working together.
The biggest hurdles project managers talk about are risk and risk aversion.
I like to talk to you more about ensuring success.
[3:31] The success of a project is not, simply, to get it designed and implemented
on the technical side, and then rolled out to the user base. Unless
people, actually, use it, you're not going to see success.
[3:48] In some sense, to use a military analogy, you might talk about the difference
between a "shock and awe" campaign. We can roll out SharePoint on a
Friday, and when people show up to work on Monday, that's not going to make
them SharePoint users. You may accomplish the same thing that "shock and
awe" accomplishes which is you could, probably, befuddle them.
[4:10] It's more a little bit like counterinsurgency. We're wanting to win hearts
and minds so there's a social aspect. You want to put down your big guns and
put on your social scientist hat. Say, "OK . Let's try to understand the culture in
the organization.
[4:27] Who are the people, who are the influencers in the network? Who's going
to driver adoption? How are we going to get people to adopt this system into
their workflow?"
[4:37] Hopefully, we'll show a lot of value for it which is a good driver for adoption.
Word of mouth and having people influence other people to change the
way they're doing things, today, to use a new system tomorrow is the thing
that's most likely to drive success.
Henrik: [4:56] Excellent.
Alex: [4:57] We talked a little about socializing the technology. Adding the
people in the process and showing value as part of the project management
formula, rather than simply rolling out the technology and saying, "Here you go.
You may not have realized you wanted this, but here it is."
Henrik: [5:18] What advice would you like to give to DAM professionals and
Alex: [5:23] I think the best advice I could give, based on this experience, is
think a lot about that socializing process. The success of the project is definitely
going to be driven by people's adoption. [5:40] You want to identify those key
influencers. You want to start with a group of stakeholders who are motivated.
People who are willing to accept and get involved in the project early.
[5:53] If you can get them involved as early as possible, even if the identification
of the system and the vendor so they feel a sense of investment with it, then
you'll have a much more loyal group of people working with you going forward.
Then build it.
[6:07] I always advocate going slowly. Not a big "shock and awe" campaign but
starting in the social systems with the groups that you can convert and win over,
and building on that bit-by-bit is a much more sustainable approach. That's a
big part of what I would say.
[6:29] The other thing that I would bring up which has less to do with project
management but I think something that in DAM systems is particularly important,
is information architecture, taxonomy, and the metadata that drives
the system.
[6:46] Make sure that you get the specialists on board, at least from the design
and roll out phase, to get those things right. I think that will provide the support
on the back end that will help show the value of you're trying to win those
hearts and minds out in the company and in the field.
Henrik: [7:02] Excellent. Thanks Alex.
Alex: [7:05] Henrik, it's been a pleasure to be with you.
Henrik: [7:07] For more on Digital Asset Management log on to
AnotherDAMblog.com. Thanks again.
Another DAM podcast interview with Jeanette Ortiz Osorio (anotherdampodcast.com)
Alex.struminger.com (Alex.struminger.com)
Categories: Another DAM podcast, Brand, Digital Asset Management, Distribution, Humanitarian, Information Architecture, Interview, Podcast, Project Management, Sustainability, Transcript, Workflow | Tags: #reDAM, 2011, Alex Struminger, Audioboo, DAM, Digital Asset Management, Henrik de Gyor, interview, Linkedin, PM, podcast, Project Manager, Technology, transcript, UNICEF | Permalink.


Introducing The UK and Ireland's best specs wearers, as judged by a panel of celebrities and eyewear experts at the glamorous Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards 2016.
Seven stylish glasses wearers from across the UK and Ireland travelled to London last October for a glitzy awards ceremony presented by Xtra Factor's Rylan Clark in aid of anti-bullying charity Kidscape.
The star-studded bash is an annual charity event by Specsavers, which both celebrates glasses wearers and helps raise awareness about Kidscape and the important work it does. The event raised a whopping £88,000 for the charity.
As well as raising money for the fantastic cause, finalists got to rub shoulders with celebrities including Nadine Coyle, Kimberly Wyatt, Professor Green, Denise van Outen, Sinnita and a whole host of our favourite reality stars, including Joe Essex and Oliver Proudlock.
Former shy guy turned professional model Derek Dubery was crowned the overall winner after impressing judges with his newfound respect for specs, after years of being embarrassed by his glasses.


The root's hunched back betrayed the nursing of the ground from which it sprang. It had not grayed from exposure. The rain and sun had varnished it to the softened, worn polish of tanned leather cowboy boots. It could have been part of a grand piece of furniture had it been properly stained, but like those boots, it was made to live wildly on the side of this cliff. I could not trace where among stones above my head it arose nor could I estimate how far it tunneled beneath the slope, now at a tapping point six feet behind me and equally distant below me. I studied it, wondering the time a tree artery could actually be living in such a state. It had not died, but withstood the constant tugs of winds and weather and animals which surely must have rested under its umbrella arm. The gap between root and ground was wide enough for me to wiggle through, but not without scratches.
I looked up the slope, (the cliff, Steph, it is a cliff), imagining it covered in snow with perfect moguls of fluff and grooves for speed. Terrifying fun on skis. My eyes tracked up and down, tracing and retracing what it would have been like, tearing down, with the unpracticed grace and daredevil only possible with the skied legs of youth.
I looked up again at the patience of my tree, waiting, after all this time, for what, I did not know. For me? I did not think so, but I imagined so. For birds? Well, that is what trees do. They flower leaves of green and they grow. And then they sleep. They wait. They stand. I wondered how old the tree was, as I laid my hand upon its rooted arm. The grain of its wood, like veins from an exercised arm, flowed from where it popped out of the ground, under my fingers, past me, then returned into the ground. I wondered if its fingertips ran to the orchard trees, the soldiered scrub oaks with whose tops I was now at eye level.
All around me, there was so much to feel, so much to take in, so much. I moved my hand away from the dirt, away from the ground, to lay it upon the root. I realized I did not need to crawl in the mud, although I could and I did not mind it. I did not need to claw or grasp tightly or cling. Somehow the fact that I could stand on a cliff-like slope full of stones and edges and mudslicks seemed rather confusing, challenging my simpleton understanding of physics, laws of gravity and elementary common sense. I tested the ground for firmness by gently tapping my toes until I was hopping in an unceasing crescendo. I was the 'Fool on the Hill." But the slope never gave way. Somehow I could not get over that I was indeed standing upright, glancing up the slope then down, up to the sky then back to the grounded oaks. I focused back and forth, distance across the field grasses then up to the tree like a child waiting for the parental nod of approval.
But there I was, standing, hand over hand, walking, foot after foot, up the side. I smiled up at where I was going, then looked back at where I had been. I was now slightly above the trees, at an even level with the top of the bank of the other side. The field grasses waved. The forest was only an outline of black between those grasses and the blue sky.
It was quite ordinary and plain, yet full and stunning like crispness of fresh green beans, the taste of sun and the odor of water and fresh air. And yet there was not a touch of green anywhere.
I love the Wind, the spirit of the earth's own device in the wind of seasons and change, the lullabies of air pressure and clouds and earth – the reminder of forces and energies..
But at this moment I did not want to feel wind. I had enough to contend with, I thought. I was grateful for my balance. I was grateful for being 'right here, right now'. I was grateful for feeling gratitude. But that is the beauty of Wind. It comes because it comes, not because I want or do not want. It comes because it must in a duty only it knows, according to dictated orders only it can hear. The spirit of wind..
The sun was the marvelous sun of warmth, of spring's promise. And this Wind was the reminder of cold. If there had been snow it would have been a blizzard. But there was no snow, no rain, but the sun kept shining. I could have ducked into the side of the cliff, between the tree's arm and the ground. I could have tucked myself out of the Wind. But I only guarded my eyes. I had crawled through field grasses and navigated through the terrors of the woods. If I could stand, even if it was on the face of a cliff, why would I not stand?
I could either keep walking or I could duck away. I would be colder walking. I would be warmer if I stopped.
I looked to see the orchard trees to see if this Wind would tear them apart. No, they were protected, only slightly twisting and only their fingers rattling slightly. It was then that I realized they had been planted; they had been an orchard. They had been part of a garden that I could only get an idea of. It was all that had remained. The idea of the garden. Someone had once tended to them.
It was nice looking back, looking at the trees and how we had danced. I placed my left hand further up the root. I side stepped, not believing yet I could possibly walk up the cliff. After all my mini-calculations and the most bizarre set of tests, I still did not just walk. I still doubted.
The Wind kept on with the force of winter, stinging and biting at my face. But I did not turn away.
I smiled, turned to face the cliff, placed my right hand upon the root and took my fourth step up.
Happy love to you all.


text:
Back to Learn to Program: The Fundamentals
Learner Reviews & Feedback for Learn to Program: The Fundamentals by University of Toronto
Behind every mouse click and touch-screen tap, there is a computer program that makes things happen. This course introduces the fundamental building blocks of programming and teaches you how to write fun and useful programs using the Python language....
Well taught, assignemnts are just right in complexity, its hard enough to no be easy and but not to be frustrating and tests challange your knowledge enough for it to be rewarding to complete with 80%
Great for a fundamental course. I have to admit that I had learnt python a few years back and was using this as a practice and revision course. But I learnt a lot more which I can add to my knowledge.
1426 - 1450 of 1,732 Reviews for Learn to Program: The Fundamentals
By Abhishek B
Great teaching! Lectures were very well delivered. Loved the short quizzes in the middle of lectures plus the ones at the end.
Assignments were challenging but doable. Following the discussions on the Forum was extremely rewarding, thanks to good contributions by students and prompt replies from Patric (mentor). Came to the program with no background in programming and completed the course well in time.
By Conrad U
Great course! This course deep dives into the Python and provided me immediate hands on coding. I enjoyed experiments with this language. The quizzes and final exam were tough but fair. The only complaint I have is that the python visualization tool quiz questions were confusing. I like the visualization tool; it allows one to view code execution which was a must for this course.
By ANGELIS K
It was a really helpful course! I had previous experience in programming (I have written scripts in Fortran), but having the opportunity to learn a much modern language such as Python was really entertaining.
The assignments were made so that I could utilize each lesson and so did each quiz.
I would firmly recommend this course to people with little to none programming knowledge!
By Mau B
Useful course but in my opinion very basic. I expected basic but thought it would take me at least double the time. Still I'd recommend it if you know nothing about programming and want something to start with. It kind of let me thinking I know very little about programming with Python and thinking I want to expand upon what I learned if I really want to make something useful.
By Vishnu L
Very good for grasping the basics, and a nice structure and succinct lectures. Also includes challenging projects which are the best way of learning, more of these would be good. Exceptional mentors on the forums, particularly Patrick Dennis, who gave very detailed responses and was supportive, and posed further questions and thinking points to all. Very good overall.
By Diana H
I think this class did a good job of teaching programming concepts, but it was not easy. The final assignment was very challenging and it took me weeks to solve it. However, if you have the time and patience to think things out for yourself (with helpful hints from mentors in the forums), you will come away with a good grasp of programming fundamentals.
By Derek G
Overall a good overview of basic in both Python and programming generally. Problem solving is important and many questions or designed in a way that requires careful problem solving--a few are a bit ambiguous initially in terms of what the expected answer format should be. This improves in retrospect once you have completed several quizzes.
By shlok d
Realy great course! had a lot of fun and the tests genuinely were very challenging but fun in their own way.
would have loved to give 5 stars but i don't know if it was just me but the topics of week 6 were explained a bit fast so had some difficulty grasping those especially READING A FILE.
overall a pretty good course with lots to learn
By ANANYA S C I
It was a very interesting and detailed course. It has helped improve my problem solving and decision making skills. I learned the importance of reviewing our work at each step helps us grow further. Though, i had expected to learn how to apply these codes and build a mobile app, i was able to learn various python programming tools.
By Carlos M
It's a fantastic course, I just feel like it seriously lacks more practice exercises to reinforce what you are learning while you are learning it rather than having to go back to weeks because you need to look up a topic you didnt really get much practice on back when they were teaching it! Fantastic teachers and material though!
By Matheus R
The classes are clear and well explained, the exercises are challenging but not excessively hard and all the content was amazingly well planned and executed. My only problem with the course was the terrible audio quality in the videos. Too many times I had to go back a few seconds to make sure I understood what was being said.
By Nick A
This course was fun and challenging. I couldn't believe how frustrated I was with some of these problems, but was able to find a way thru. I like the method of teaching and exercises. It has helped me continue on the python path. Thanks to the instructors for a job well done. I signed up for their continuation python course.
By Chet I
Overall a really good course. The teachers speak clearly, the quiz and assignments are fair which keep you engaged. The sounds quality could be better and some topics could be explained a little bit further but since this is the part 1, I assume that the finer details will be taught in part 2.
Looking forward to it !
By Hugo S
It would be extremely helpful if after passing an exam or quiz to be able to see explanations for the wrong answers. I understand that could lead to students to retry to achieve 100% (the reason of doing so surpasses me), but still, the purpose should be comprehension.
Overall, a great course.
By Mohamad A
A nice short course. It covers the fundamentals of python in general without getting into a specific domain like data analysis. I was expecting more on how to manipulate mathematical expressions and functions, especially the more advanced ones. But I think such material can be found online.
By Sastry N
I am a beginner and this course has really helped me grasp the concepts of programming and python. I faced problems in dealing with text files. The course should have gone for a little more explanation in that regard. Otherwise, the course has been really helpful in all respects.
By Djaber B
As a beginner, I found this course helpful. The approach of teaching is quite good, I also like the assignment which is often the part of a complete and meaningful program. But, I think plotting in python is missed in this course, which is equally important to other sub-course
By Aishwarya R
This course is quite suitable for people who have no prior knowledge of python at all, overall experience was quite good. But I feel like the programming tutorials could have been taught in steps rather (like the one in week 6 - developing a program) than just in one video.
By Leandro B
Well thought and very clear. The only reason I don't give the 5th star is because if you make a mistake in an assignment it does not tell you what the mistake was.
It would be nice to discover, once the exam is passed, which were the things people got wrong.
By Corey
Very good and clear introduction with limited practice included. Could use more challenging practice problems, but honestly, if you want to learn to program you'll have to play around with your code; don't expect to learn just by listening to lectures.
By Sheshaddri .
An excellent introduction to Python! As someone who's never programmed before, I learned a lot from this course about the basics of Python and coding in general. This course has inspired me to learn more about programming and to explore Python further
Thank you Jennifer, Paul and Patrick for share your knowledge with us. This is a very good course to start with Python programming. This gives you an overview of Python syntax, loops and basic concepts needed to build up our programming skills.
By Marko V
Great study material, I was really happy with what I learned. However, I do not think it was the very basics of Python programming; I had to learn the basics elsewhere before completing this course, but I still found Coursera extremely helpful!
By Bennett J
Decent class where I was able to learn the fundamentals of programming. While I'm certainly not ready to build anything complex and I at least know a whole bunch more than I did when I started. Pretty easy to follow throughout all weeks.
By Samir M
i liked the course, i think more practice would of been good and i felt sometimes some things were shown in the end tutorials and questions that we never went over in the course. I would say it has been a good intro to python though.