Every entrepreneur, newbie or serial, can use valuable entrepreneurial advice when it comes to running their business or learning from other's mistakes. Towards this, we spoke with 67 business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs and requested them to share one key piece of entrepreneurial advice to their younger self. Read on!
The number one piece of business advice I would give to my younger self is to follow your passion, rather than money. Far too many people try to work out where the money is and form a business around making it.
For example, I managed to make myself very unhappy providing lucrative computer support for several years, despite finding it largely thankless and draining!
If you start a business around a passion instead, it's far easier to stay motivated, and it helps if you're "making a difference" in some way. There are plenty of very miserable wealthy people out there, and it's far better to aim for a sustainable business that involves doing what you enjoy.
1) What is the big vision for your product or service? How are you making things easier for people or what problem are you solving? Ours is "Making people safer and organizations better".
This is the output of what we do, not the how. The how comes in the mission statement. But without a "Why", you can easily get muddled and lose focus.
2) Where should your business focus? Find the way that people can understand your business and by keeping it down to one thing, you'll get to your market much more quickly.
In our case, we could have looked at lots of different types of drones, lots of different products to develop and lots of different ways they could be used by clients.
In the end, we settled on one – tethered drones (they stay up in the air for hours). Once we hit on that, our business model and marketing plan suddenly became much easier to put together.
It was like we had been wading through treacle and now we were just running across an open plain. There was a running theme throughout what we were doing, and it became very easy to explain to investors and clients.
Trusting your gut when working with clients is so important when first starting out. When you are just starting it's hard to trust yourself that you know whether something is a good fit or not.
But that weird feeling you get when on an initial consultation or them not showing up and being unresponsive are all the signs you need to pay attention to! I wish I'd let clients go away before they finally disappeared, I would have lost a lot less money and time.
Know that there is a TON of work out there so there is no need to settle for being treated poorly, paid badly, or stressed all the time. Remember you chose this route for freedom and not trusting your gut and dealing with bad clients is taking a step backward.
As someone with a new product idea who wants to turn it into an exciting new business, one of the first things you think is "I must get a patent to protect my idea".
My advice would be to think about this carefully and decide if it is right for your project. Sure, if you are a big corporate, with a budget to spend on IP, patents are a no brainer. However, as a start-up with limited funds, finances are usually very tight, so what is the best use of this money?
A great question to ask yourself is; could this money (typically $4k upwards for simple product designs) be used best for marketing or even developing the next iteration of the product rather than being used defensively.
After all, what's the point of spending all that money when you are left with an inability to sell sufficient quantities or innovate ahead of competitors?
Taking time off from work and enjoy being with friends and family would be the one thing I'd tell myself 20 years ago. I've worked 20-hour days, 7 days a week for 14 years, with 1 vacation, and speaking from experience I can say that as you get closer to your 40's and have time to breathe you'll look around and everyone will be gone.
Entrepreneurs want to cross the finish line so bad that they end up sacrificing it all for that moment, but as you'll come to learn that that moment for an entrepreneur never comes because there's always one more thing or one more company that will outperform you.
Slow down and enjoy the day, enjoy your youth and your friends and family.
It's easy to let your thirst of proving yourself control your life when you are setting up your business. It's all so exciting and new and you're eager to learn as much as you possibly can, and this certainly isn't a bad thing.
What can become damaging, however, is allowing yourself to get burnt out. When you're setting up your business, just like you'd schedule any other business task, schedule yourself some downtime.
Despite how badly you want to make sure you're on call for every single possible business opportunity, it's essential to give yourself a break. Even if you find that you absolutely have to work during your scheduled downtime, reschedule your relaxation it as soon as possible.
Overworking yourself can be demoralizing and you may subconsciously begin to reserve energy, putting less effort into your tasks, so you might as well kick back!
I wish I'd known that building a business doesn't make for an overnight success. I believed so much in my idea that after our launch, I thought I was going to be a billionaire by the end of the year!
Eight years into the entrepreneurial hustle, I've learned that entrepreneurship means being on a mission where nothing can stop you.
It will take twice as long as you'd hoped, cost exceedingly more than you'd ever budgeted and will be more challenging than anything you'll ever try but if you give it your all and refuse to give up, you can trust it will be the ride of a lifetime.
Learn as much as you can about the business you're starting up, but make sure you put what you learn to practice right away.
When I was just starting out, I found myself endlessly reading and learning everything I could about the business I wanted to grow. My learning process became like a full-time job.
See, learning is the easy part. And yes, it's important, but if you don't put what you learn to practice, you'll never find success.
Entrepreneurs need to keep a five-letter acronym in mind as they build their businesses: WIIFM – which stands for "what's in it for me?". That's the thought that's going through the minds of all of your prospective customers.
If you don't clearly and simply explain the specific WIIFM benefits/solutions that your target buyers will attain if they purchase what you're selling, you'll never entice them, and your sales will dwindle.
According to sales research, there are three reasons why people make a purchase: they're doing it because they believe that the product/service in question will make them money, save them money, or improve the quality of their lives.
If a prospective buyer is convinced that your product/service will deliver on those goals, and if they're the specific goals that the buyer wishes to attain, then the buyer will open his/her wallet and the sale will be made.
Keeping this guideline in mind will be useful for new entrepreneurs in any industry who are seeking to create enduring and profitable relationships with their customers/clients.
Don't fuss over perfection. Striving for perfection means you're not ready to face the world and know what the people really think of your product. Doing this will distract you with small details which won't matter in the time to come.
What matters in business is getting the product out the door, getting feedback and improving it. And perfection is a moving target. The closer you get to it the further it moves away. Draw the line somewhere and learn to say "good enough".
Think big and big things will happen to you. Fuss over small things and you'll spend your life thinking and living small.
One of the challenges that startups face is that their solution is not solving a big enough problem. If your company's solution is not 10x better than the traditional product or service, it will be difficult to have a product-market fit and scale. Talk to strangers, family, friends, co-workers and see if they would pay for your product or service… not just see if they like it.
Another piece of advice is that you should defer from borrowing money if possible. Because doing this will force you to be metrics and ROI driven on every dollar you spend, and it will not give you the freedom to move at your own pace. It will force you to be stingy with your equity.
Tell yourself to be like a cockroach because they never die.
When Strafe Creative was first starting out as a web design company, we didn't charge anywhere near enough. This meant that we had to take on far too many projects to make ends meet, so the team was always swamped with loads of projects with tiny budgets.
The work we were producing during this period was nowhere near our best, so we raised our prices drastically and cut our workload to half. This was not a bad thing, though – the increased budget meant that we could afford to spend more time on each project, creating beautiful designs that we could really be proud of.
This, in turn, attracted more clients, generating more income and business for the agency. If you offer a genuinely good service, the clients will come – don't feel like you have to charge less than everyone else just to entice customers. Charge what your services are worth, and if you're any good at what you do, then the results will speak for themselves and attract new customers.
Time truly is money. The one thing I would tell my younger self is to stop trying to do everything on my own just to save a little bit of money. Many simple tasks can be outsourced very inexpensively to a Virtual Assistant.
Instead of wasting time on relatively straightforward, simple tasks that anyone can do, your time is much better spent doing things that will grow your business. In the long run, you'll make far more money by taking care of the things that only you can do.
My biggest piece of advice would be to focus on solving problems for your target audience. When I was just starting my business, I was trying to figure out things like how to get traffic to my website and how to make money from that traffic. Of course, getting exposure and making money is an important part of business, but if you focus on solving problems for your customers or clients, everything else becomes a lot easier.
The first step is to really define your target audience and learn about the struggles they are facing. After that, you can work to find a solution or provide them with the information they need in order to solve this problem.
Regardless of whether you are selling a product, offering a service, or monetizing online content, you should focus on finding the best solutions for your audience.
Start sooner. There is never going to be the perfect time to start a business, but you have to start it if you want to be successful. And reading books and websites watching videos and listening to podcasts do not count!
You have to go and actually build something, write something, do something that concretely moves your business forward. Most days it will feel like you're making no progress at all, but when you look back in a few years you'll be amazed just how far you've come.
Failure with awareness ultimately gets you everything you want. It's no fun to fall on your face time and time again, to recognize that you are inadequate at the task at hand, and to deal with the fear of not knowing what to do. But all these failures gradually change you in ways that are hard to perceive, and after a while, you find you are the person you wanted to be.
Stay active in your network: The referrals I got from my existing network grew my business exponentially.
Don't re-invent the wheel every time you get new business: Create templates, processes that you can follow and customize as needed. Saves tons of time.
Ask for help: Don't let pride get in the way. Ask for advice or work with a coach. Own your weaknesses and manage them to your advantage.
Be clear on your values: Understand the boundaries that protect those values and grow your business from there.
Be Brand focused: Dress and act the way you want to be perceived. Make sure all of your business consistently projects that brand. Don't confuse your stakeholders with mixed messages. Craft your brand message and make it stick.
Don't put up with charlatans: Others will want to learn how you "succeeded". Be a mentor and share your knowledge with others and be savvy. There is a difference between someone that wants to learn and honestly needs your mentorship and one that wants to re-purpose your hard work under their name. Know where that line is for you.
Quick and sharp growth feels as if you're driving at 200 mph. Plan ahead before you take a sharp curve. The long-term perspective is important. The focus from day one should be on where you want to go; not where you are now.
You will always be busy with current tasks but prioritize so that you don't waste a single working day. Fixing specific issues will get you to where you want to go.
The tech fraternity has grown to become a global ecosystem powered by startups, brands, students, and enthusiasts alike. Their collective unabashed passion to build a community of cutting-edge new solutions is perfectly aligned with what a .tech domain represents. As a domain dedicated to all things tech, .tech domains is transforming the internet namespace for the tech community.
My advice would be not to be so naïve and mistakenly trust everyone that acts like they want to help you. Many have their own agendas and a few deals I got involved in ended up going south. I learned you have to be very selective with people you affiliate with, something I wish I would have realized early on.
Get comfortable with discomfort. As a mom of two teenagers, I am often reminded, both in my personal and professional roles, that one must not be complacent. Just when you think you have something dialed in, things change. The only thing constant is change. So, we all need to get comfortable with discomfort in business (and life).
Realize that there is only one type of relationship.
When I started out in business, I compartmentalized my relationships. In one column were business relationships and in another were my personal relationships. As a result of this hard divide I unknowingly treated people in the 'business' column differently – held them at an arms-length, avoided controversial topics, always put on a mask of perfection.
I reserved the deep, meaningful, honest topics of conversation for those in my 'personal' column. Now I know that all relationships are personal relationships and that the fastest way to build trust in business (trust is the key to stratospheric growth) is that you have to show up honestly, vulnerable and blur the line between business and life.
Watch your cash flow, first and foremost.
Make sure you have a business model that puts an emphasis on profitability over volume and size: You need to make sure you are paying attention to how much profit you are actually turning – it seems pretty obvious, yes, but it's surprising how many businesses overlook this.
Make sure to develop a strategy and then focus on its execution. A good idea without good execution will not yield the results you are hoping for.
Learn how your business operates – all of it. It's important to understand how all facets of your business work, from the operations and development to the sales initiatives. Yes, you may be the idea guy, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't understand the technical aspects of your company's product.
Hire smart people. The smaller the company, the more important your hire. Figure out which roles are the most crucial to your company's success and then dedicate yourself to finding the best candidate for the job. Don't rush to hire.
Be patient. Success doesn't come overnight. It comes from long hours and stressful development cycles. Knee jerk reactions to problems rarely solve it in the long run.
Focus on company culture. Thoughtful planning and execution are required to build and maintain a great company culture. Don't ever skimp on the recruiting process. Hiring the right people based on a cultural fit and skill are critical to success.
I would much rather hire a hard worker that is a cultural fit than a highly skilled person with no cultural fit. It boils down to being able to work well with others in a team environment.
If you're unable to collaborate, the chance of innovation and new opportunities are diminished. Spend the time and money to recruit employees who will enhance your culture.
Hiring the first ten employees was incredibly easy for me. I had a wide portfolio of hard-working friends from engineering school and the previous places I worked that I picked from. We also happened to all be relatively young, early in our careers, and able to jump at risky opportunities.
However, when that available talent pool was exhausted, I didn't have the structure in place to ensure the next wave of talent was as good. So be careful with your hiring, take a lot more time, look at a lot more candidates, check a lot more references and don't just make a hire out of desperation.
A bad hire is more painful than no hire. A mediocre hire can be the worst because someone just doing the minimum and taking up space on the org chart and payroll is preventing a good hire from being there for years.
If you want to change your life and live the life of YOUR dreams (and not live to fulfill someone else's dream), don't be afraid to risk, your life is in your hands. Take risks, you got nothing to lose but only to win: Experience and Resilience matter most. So, don't be afraid to lose or fail.
Fail as many times as you like. But learn your lessons quickly and leave mistakes behind you at the same quick speed.
Do not focus on your weaknesses, others will do that for you pretty well.
Focus on your strengths and build yourself up first.
There are many different ways to look at a problem or challenge. When one arises, be open to exploring different scenarios, thoughts, solutions and approaches. Seek advice from people that know more than you. Most importantly, follow the path that resonates most deeply with you.
Cure imposter syndrome by relying on your support system. Whether that's your tribe of fellow entrepreneurs, online communities, or mentors – surround yourself with positive (and honest) people that celebrate your victories and lift you from your losses. Building your professional confidence is the best way to silence your inner critic.
Always persevere and keep going through all the setbacks and challenges. There have been many times when I lost motivation due to a lack of concrete results but had I pushed through them faster, I would be further along than where I am now in my entrepreneurial journey.
Part of that I think is having clearly defined goals and acknowledging when you achieve something that gets you closer to those goals so that you know you're making progress. Another is keeping in the back of your mind that if you're persistent, the results will come. Lasting success isn't built overnight.
I would have invested in outsourcing earlier. As a new entrepreneur I tried to do everything myself to save money, but the tasks took me so much longer and weren't done as well as if I had hired a professional.
If you can outsource many administrative tasks to a freelancer for around $20 an hour. This frees up your time to allow you to focus on the core money-making activities in your business. It can be nerve-wracking to invest in a team before you have much money coming in, but it can help you grow more quickly and effectively.
Hands down, Search Engine Optimization is still at the heart of digital marketing. And while startup marketing best practices suggest optimizing for SEO, startups often struggle to learn their way around it. Most entrepreneurs resort to allocating big bucks on advertising and paid promotions instead of opting for SEO optimization.
Start from a place of love. When it comes to starting new ventures, we naturally tend to view our financial success or impact as the scorecard of our effort. Naturally, the money and recognition are in most cases the lowest in the beginning of the venture, and our uncertainty and the effort we need to invest is the highest.
Create something that expresses you in a new way. Start a podcast, blog, or YouTube channel. Look at everything as a tool for your next adventure. Oftentimes we have the habit of sitting back somewhat and feeling like its too late for us and life has passed us by.
Why we are doing this is because we care about our product, service, or message, and it is important that we share this with the world. It has to start with the love for yourself, love for your product or service, or love of those people who will be benefitting from what you do. If it's about the recognition or money out of the gate, most ventures are doomed to failure.
It's the ability to be proud of your effort, not the outcome, that will allow you to keep pushing, to humbly seek the mentorship you need, to be brave enough to spend the money or to be a creative problem solver, take risks, etc. that gets your vision off the ground.
I could spend all day talking about mistakes and advice relating to business. Broadly speaking though, I'd say focus on a specific niche. I think a lot of entrepreneurs focus too much on capturing the entire market in which they operate.
Instead, it's often easier and more fruitful to focus on a specialized or undeserved niche or segment of the market. By doing so, your product or service will have a better chance of standing out and gaining traction.
"Invest in an accountant before you launch," I would have told my younger self. Having a good accountant can help you find a multitude of ways to shelter your business earnings from taxes, set up a reasonable payroll, and uncover ways to maximize your retirement savings.
When I first launched my business I didn't want to incur the extra expense of paying for an accountant and tried to do all of the financial planning and tax preparation myself.
I discovered later that I lost a lot of money over the years because I missed out on valuable saving opportunities related to tax code changes. If I were to start all over again, I would sit down with an accountant to go over my business plan and goals in order to leverage every opportunity available to me.
Don't work with family members. It may be the easy thing to do when first starting out since you need people you can trust. But, if things don't work out, it could end up being bad for business, and more importantly, it could hurt your family.
When searching for co-founders and early employees, always go with top quality talent over people you have a personal relationship with. Ideally, your first hires will be people you have worked with before in a professional setting, not your friends.
It is important that you like the people you hire, but the foundation of the relationship should be a proven track record of work, not play. Remember what The Godfather says, "It's not personal, it's strictly business".
You need to be prepared for problems and learn not to be discouraged by them.
When you enter the world of entrepreneurship, it's exciting. You have an idea you believe in, and you think it is going to help your target audience in solving necessary problems.
But most accomplished businesspeople will tell you that what makes them successful is knowing how to overcome challenges. Nobody gets to where they want to go without facing a lot of obstacles. Learn how to expect problems, deal with them and find a solution.
Talk to as many people as you can about your business or idea. Especially your customer. I think too many entrepreneurs are scared to share their ideas for fear of someone "stealing" it. The fact is, the idea has probably already been floated by countless people.
But it is how you execute that will make the difference. And part of that is TALKING with the person that will buy your product or service; early, and often.
Don't build what you think they want, build what they tell you they want. These conversations will also help you hone in on your business model, which, frankly is of utmost importance since it's how you will make money for your business.
And you never know, one of those conversations may even lead to early-stage investment or team members. So get out there and talk about your idea!
As an entrepreneur, most days are filled with chaos. And let's be real, if you're starting a new business and things don't get chaotic every now and again, you should probably be worried. But you also need to protect your sanity.
That's why I encourage young entrepreneurs to proactively find peace and routine on a daily basis. By doing so, you'll provide an anchor for yourself and your day, especially when things get crazy.
I'm an early riser, which enables me to set the tone for my day, instead of it setting the tone for me. Every morning, I enjoy a nice, quiet coffee moment with my husband — who is also one of my business partners — and then we work ourselves into our day from there.
You don't have to be a coffee drinker, but I suggest starting each morning with a routine and by enjoying your peace before the chaos of the day sets in.
38. Dr. Gwen Smith is an author, inspirational speaker, business success and life coach.
Before starting your new business consider the following advice: Get to know who you really are at your core. It will become important in later making sound business decisions which align with your intuition. Every major successful person has touted this as his or her primary source for success.
The next advice would be to know what is important to you. Burn out is a huge issue for many entrepreneurs because the journey at times can be arduous. Unless you really believe in what you are doing, and especially unless it aligns completely with who you are, it will become a struggle eventually, even if you make the money.
Because once you achieve the goal, you won't find peace and profits as much. Practice keeping a positive mindset to allow you to bounce back when you fall and to continue to think clearly about profitable solutions.
Finally, sharpen your awareness so you can discern transformation in your life and business environment that allows you to be on the cusp of evolving yourself and your business and creating what's new.
My advice to my younger self would be to spend time at the onset of my business to determine my brand's soul. In other words, explore my true purpose, passion and the distinct value me and my business will provide.
Entrepreneurship is a tough road that will challenge you in ways you can't even imagine.
So you need to be prepared to stand up for yourself to yourself when doubt, insecurity, and major obstacles come your way.
So, how do you go about determining your brand's soul?
First, be honest with yourself. There are a lot of things you're interested in and passionate about that frankly, you just may not be good at. Don't start a business you're not good at or knowledgeable about.
Secondly, understand and accept your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to make sound business decisions.
Stay positive! Many times you will want to throw in the towel, but it's important to remember that in order to discover the rainbow, you must power through the storm. Also, It's okay to have "stepping stones." After graduating from college, I had a couple of positions in sales and marketing.
Though those jobs didn't necessarily lead me to become an entrepreneur, they gave me some important building blocks and tools needed to run my own business and make GB Design House a success.
Get plenty of sleep, meditate and exercise in the mornings. If I start the day with that foundation, I'm in a much better place to deal with everything life throws at me, and can ultimately do more, and handle more.
If I get little sleep and start the day by checking emails, there is a good chance anxiety levels will be higher, I will be less productive, and question why the hell I'm doing what I'm doing!
I would tell the younger version of me to find the essence of your faith. When lead by faith you will continually be motived to press on to achieve long term goals. Therefore, you will never regret investingino yourself.
When you allow faith to be the overarching unifying backbone that undergirds your actions you constantly believe in what you are trying to achieve. Faith leads you back to your true north which realigns you with your passion, drive and endure so that you will not give up but rather conquer.
The basis of any SEO strategy is the active usage of keywords. And the basis for a successful SEO strategy is the use of relevant long tail keywords. The right long tail keywords in the correct volume can drive tons of traffic to your techs business's website and dramatically increase conversions and revenue for your startup.
My biggest piece of advice is about picking the right people to get into business with and even then, making sure you have the legalframeworkk in place in case it all goes wrong.
Fortunately, in my case I work with my brother and we have formed a great team, but we have had a bad experience with an external partner who quickly proved to be a danger to our company.
By having the right legal structures in place, you not only protect yourselves from behavior which is detrimental to the company, but it also sets expectations about how partners should conduct themselves.
This may seem like yet another expense at a time when cash is in extremely short supply, but it could save you much more in the future.
To My Younger Self Right Before Starting Out Stop paying attention to everyone else's opinions and advice. They aren't you, they aren't in your shoes, and they don't have the experience you have.
Throughout your entrepreneurial journey, people will want you to listen to them and take their advice. These people will come at you with more experience, more knowledge, and even more prestige than you.
Take in what they say but make sure you don't get talked into something you don't want to do. You miss 100% of the shots you never take!
The one piece of advice I would give my younger entrepreneur self? Mistakes are a good thing. I remember reading how Thomas Alva Edison failed 1,000 times before inventing the light bulb. First time I read that I admit I was not enthusiastic about my future failings.
But as time went on I realized with each misstep or failure I learned so much which brought me confidence and more clarity towards my goal. So yes be prepared to fail and have the patience that you will achieve your goal.
Also bonus tip.. Know that your business will not look like it does when you first started. You cannot conceive of how your business will change and grow which is one of the most exciting parts of the process..
Enjoy the journey and as Betty Davis said in All About Eve "Buckle up as it will be a bumpy ride.
Find your fans and ask them for help. Whether it was our early investors, our advisors, our loyal customers, or others that supported BitWall, a huge component of our success was that we had a lot of people on our side.
We received fantastic introductions to investors and potential customers and we were able to make a lot of noise with our product launches because we had great people supporting us.
Focus on the Problem that You Solve, Not the Product. Focusing too much on creating the perfect product in your eyes will increase the chances of failure greatly. By instead focusing on solving a real problem for people or businesses that need it, you can create sustained success.
Identify Key Macro Trends. Bitcoin was just coming onto the scene in 2013. We correctly predicted that it could make a massive impact on the world. Bitcoin's success helped boost our efforts greatly. We even raised some of our venture funding in 2013 in Bitcoin!
47. Zachary Phillips is a life coach, public speaker, podcaster and author.
If something has to be done, if something goes wrong, if you are not getting the results that you want, it is your fault. Blaming other people is a waste of time, and will result in continued failure.
Did the employee make a terrible error that cost you a big client? Your fault for hiring the wrong person, not providing adequate training or clarifying your intent properly.
The market takes a downward turn and sales start to dry up? Your fault for not making appropriate plans for such an event occurring. People are not buying your product?
Your fault for not matching your product with consumer needs (or for not creating that need). When you stop blaming others and start accepting complete ownership of the results, you will start to win.
An advice that I would give to my younger self is to have undeniable faith in yourself and expect to win. After experiencing setbacks in career, where my first choice of career didn't work out, I labeled myself as a failure. And with that mindset, everything I touched turned to a tombstone.
I would work hours, waste time running around circles and nothing to show of it. Failure is nothing more but a reroute, the compass of life is leading you to a better destination, only if you trust in the process.
The next time you look in the mirror, it doesn't matter how many hours you study, how many times you prepare for the opportunities, if you don't believe in that face looking at you, if you don't expect your actions to yield desired results, then you have to get back and work on your mindset and make sure that your work is aligned to your purpose.
I've started many businesses, especially since the internet created the opportunity to take action with next to no financial outlay. Most of the failures and difficulties that I've experienced and seen in others come down to two main pitfalls.
Firstly are the businesses with no barrier to entry. If anyone can enter the space, you'll have colossal competition, much of it from those who will work for little or no profit in the beginning.
With an online business, you're up against professionals, as well as teenagers, students, stay at home moms and smart side-gig entrepreneurs from all over the world. If it's easy, it's probably brutal. Many of these people will game the system, give you bad reviews or even try to rip you off.
Secondly, most industries have a 'winner takes all' market share dynamic. A top company can destroy most of its competition. Think Amazon or Google, but then consider that this is the case in every industry.
Before entering a space, think, can I dominate this niche? Do I have the financial backing, industry experience or network that I need? If there's no chance of being the best, you might have a permanent glass ceiling that might cause a few years of wasted energy.
50. Erik J. Olson is the Founder & CEO of Array Digital and host of the Journey to $100 Million flash briefing and daily podcast.
Too often new entrepreneurs think that if they built it, they will come. Everyone has a product or service. Will yours really be so different that it will be the next Facebook?
Let's get real – it's doubtful.
Instead, focus on selling a product or service that someone will actually buy. By that I mean you actually sell it – have them sign an agreement or purchase order. That's the only actual way to validate your idea versus potentially wasting thousands of dollars and hours building something you *think* others want.
I started a global branding and marketing firm 17 years ago and I did not appreciate or realize that most of my business would come from public speaking and networking.
Those are 2 key skills that have helped me succeed. People do business with people they know, like and trust so you have to get out there to build your reputation online and off.
Prospective customers can come from anyone anywhere anytime so you should always be on your best behavior & make a great lasting impression. Be nice to everyone & make friends before you need them, you never know who is in or will be in a position to help! Also, beware that the people you start with are not always the ones who grow with you.
The hardest lesson I learned when I started my company is not getting rid of weak people earlier than I did in the first few years of my business. I spent more time managing them than finding new customers.
I knew in my gut they were not up to the mark but out of loyalty to them, I let them hang around much longer than they should have.
It would have been better for everyone to let them go as soon as the signs were there. They became more insecure and threatened as we grew which was not productive for the team. As soon as I let them go the culture got stronger and the bar higher.
"A" team people like to be surrounded by other stars. It is true that you should hire slowly and fire quickly. I did not make that mistake again later on so learned it well the first time. I wish I had known it even earlier though, but lesson learned for sure!
When I was in college, a friend of mine and I wrote a letter to Eric Schmidt, the then CEO of Google, asking what advice he had for upcoming entrepreneurs. The takeaway he shared was that at the end of the day, it's the people on the journey with you – colleagues, family, friends that make the biggest difference.
This reminder has stuck with me and me to be more decisive and careful in who I choose to partner and work with. This gives me the liberty to "fire" a client if they are dragging down the team.
Getting advice from Google's CEO isn't something you easily forget, and it made a huge impact on the type of entrepreneur I am today.
I can remember that one of the greatest challenges I faced at the start was scaling a company without investment. My advice to business owners is to keep onto as much of their company as they can, for as long as they can.
The advice I would give my younger self is to trust your instinct? I was always worried if I was doing the right thing. I would spend countless hours trying to figure out if the decision I made was correct. In the beginning, I was so stressed.
I would listen to motivational speakers, business executives, friends and family who didn't hesitate to tell me what they would do in my particular situation. I was so confused. I didn't know what to do. What I've learned is to go with my gut. My instinct has never let me down.
I stopped inviting people to offer information about my business and decided to pray and allow God to lead me in my decision making. That is the best thing that I ever did for my business.
Seek out mentors. Give yourself permission to ask for advice. You're going to quickly realize you lack the knowledge of the day-to-day operations and the nuts and bolts of forming and running a business.
A company has many moving parts and mistakes made at the beginning can be costly and create major headaches down the road.
Consult an attorney (preferably one that has experience in business law versus one who specializes in family law) whether to incorporate as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, etc.
Talk to an accountant about issues regarding payroll, taxes, expenses, cash vs accrual method, etc.
Network with other entrepreneurs to listen to their startup stories – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Trust me, the knowledge you'll gain will be time and money well spent.
If you've read some of our previous articles pertaining to picking a domain name for your tech business, then you must remember coming across the term 'radio test'.
When deciding whether or not you should join a startup or start a new venture, make sure you do it because you love the grind, not because you want to get rich. Startups are a little like being in show business — you may end up as Tom Cruise, but statistically, you are more likely to be "Guy at Bar #3".
Your decision should be based on your love of building things and fixing problems, and because you love the journey more than the destination.
When starting your entrepreneurial journey and for that matter throughout your career, keep seeking out new ways to learn. For me, this has predominantly been connecting with people whose knowledge and experience I can apply to my own business struggles.
When I was in an engineering role, I attended professional engineering networking events and now as a CEO, I'm a member of Vistage, which is a professional organization for CEOs and executives.
I have been able to learn from other businesses that are very different than my own yet share many of the same challenges. I also recommend reading books on business, entrepreneurship, psychology, and leadership.
Whenever someone mentions a book they've enjoyed, I add it to my master list so I can read it in the future. Since everyone is limited on time, my approach is to listen to books during my commute to and from work.
Not only does it make the time productive, it puts me in the right frame of mind to tackle my day and I often apply what I have heard directly to my day at work.
Don't fear the stigma of failure. This has been said by many people in many ways, but it's such an important piece of advice that it bears repeating. No risk=no reward. And, while risks are a necessary component of striking out on your own, that doesn't mean that you abandon all reason. You take "calculated" risks as I like to call them.
Success lives just outside your comfort zone and doing nothing is not a path to success. So if (or should I say when) you fail, don't let it affect your confidence. Learn from your mistakes. Pick yourself up. Trust your gut. Try again!
When you are starting your career in the tech industry, just be good at what you do. If you're a programmer, be the best programmer you could be, if you're an entrepreneur just starting out, be the best entrepreneur you could be.
Whatever your position is, do your position with the right attitude. Remember that as a leader, you're always a work in progress. Assess what you do well and what you don't. Surround yourself with people with the same beliefs and philosophy.
Having a team that can support you and elevate you throughout the process will make you a much better leader and person overall. The tech industry can be extremely competitive. Remember that the best way to set yourself apart is by being positive and constructive of yourself and your team.
expecting honesty from employees means modeling honesty. Expecting dedicated, diligent employees means demonstrably working hard myself.
Placing a premium on clear, directed communication within the organization means communicating effectively. Fostering a strong, vibrant culture means possessing strong ideals and executing on those ideals every day.
Part of what I learned, as an entrepreneur, was to use my limited interactions with every employee to maximum effect. You interact with people at the top of the chain a lot more than you do than at the bottom.
You have to use every interaction as an opportunity to demonstrate what's important to you and what should be important to the company.
In life, as in business, you have to make mistakes. I don't know that there's a real way to jump over the mistake part. The things I did poorly in my '20s as a manager and the things that I did poorly in my '30s as an owner led me to where I am today. If you want to run a business, you must do your part in learning from your own mistakes.
The initial fate of startup entrepreneurship is one of the most important factors to decide how a young entrepreneur will continue his or her venture. It happens quite often that new entrepreneurs quit for good after failing in succeeding at their first start up. This happens due to inexperience.
To avoid this unwanted instance, a startup entrepreneur must acquire hands on experience of the same trade as much as possible. This can be most successfully done by joining a similar type of business as an employee or apprentice.
You can truly learn practical knowledge and acquire real life experience while working with that business. Within one year you will be sufficiently equipped with practical knowledge and experience to start your own entrepreneurship and you can successfully continue your start up.
This initial practical knowledge will help you to become a leader of your trade in the future.
Be smart when managing your finances – especially at the start. A lot of times, businesses will want to spend money in ways that are just not necessary at the start of their business. I've learned that you need to be smart with your money when starting a business, especially if you're using your own savings and income to start the business.
Don't buy an office if you can do the work in your garage, you don't need it and 9 times out of 10 it's just for show. Have your meetings in a Starbucks or a restaurant if you need to – these day's we just video call.
The only things you should worry about when it comes to money in your business is spending it on improving your cash flow. Marketing automation is a big thing business should be using today and this doesn't have to be expensive.
Don't let ego or pride get in the way of your success. Leave your ego and pride at the door when starting a business because there's going to be times when you need help from certain people that you don't want to take help from.
It's not unheard of when someone starting a business ends up having to sleep in a car or move back in with their parents. Not everyone's entrepreneur journey can be a smooth ride, things happen and its part of starting a business so embrace struggles.
Don't be too embarrassed and try to save face, it'll pass if you push through and once it does, you'll have one heck of a story to tell. Also, do not try to fake your success to look better in the eyes of people that don't pay your bills – that's a recipe for disaster.
Be selective when it comes to building your team. Don't be too quick to say yes to the first person that wants to join your team. A bad team can destroy a whole company if not dealt with properly.
You want to make sure that the people who are on your team have the same end goal in mind and follows the same principles you set for your business.
You need to make sure that whoever you're hiring will be fit for your business. A team that can't cooperate efficiently will fail and take you down with them.
You need to put your company in the best position to succeed and that starts with making sure that the people behind your company are the right ones for it.
It's so imperative that you get this part right because the direction your company goes starts with the people handling it.
Find a trusted mentor. is so much information out there in the world and on your phone that I believe there's no reason to fall victim to general rookie mistakes like mismanaging your money starting out or not having a hiring process.
But down the line you'll get to a point in your business where you need more than Google to help you run your business, you need a mentor who has been where you been and understands what and what not to do.
While I believe that humans are smart and that if one person figured it out then so can you, I also believe in not wasting time and resources with unnecessary struggles.
So, finding you a mentor, even if you have to pay for one, will be the best investment you can make.
Regardless of what you're developing, make sure you know how to market it. Even though you have amazing software, your target audience may not find you. Be excited about your idea – but do not delay thinking about marketing until you have launched and find yourself struggling. Research your high traffic keywords in advance and set yourself up to be on Page 1.
Be careful with your time, your most valuable resource, and who you give it to. Build relationships that give you a return on the time you have invested in them and that don't take away from your vision.
By doing an audit every day or week, you can verify that you're spending your time wisely, and change those relationships quickly with little or no return, be they with clients, employees or vendors.
Some clients will try to get all they can from you and drain your energy, time, and money.
That will not only devalue you but take away from your growth, discourage you, drain you and most importantly, take away from your time!
Starting a tech business? Ger .tech here!


text:
Marianas Trench @ The House of Blues
Alex Seibt
Photos and Scribed by: Alex Seibt While out on their SPF 80s tour, Canadian rock band Marianas Trench rocked the House of Blues Sunday night in Cleveland. The band was formed in 2001 and consists of four members: Josh Ramsey (lead vocals), Matt Webb (lead guitar), Ian Casselman (drums) and Mike Ayley (bass guitar). I […]
Black Squirrel Radio at Promowest Fest
Katherine Wilkes
Review by Katherine Wilkes Photos by Mark Tabar and Mark Fleming Promowest Fest was held in Columbus, Ohio, on July 15th through July 17th. It included bands such as X Ambassadors, AlunaGeorge, All Time Low, LL Cool J, and even Snoop Dogg! Promowest Fest was much more than I expected—and better! Summer night sparklers Pepsi […]
Vans Warped Tour 2016 is hot, loud and everything that you want.
Adrian Leuthauser
Darien Lake's Vans Warped Tour was on July 14 and as I'm writing this, it has been a week and a day since it has happened. I've been transcribing four different interviews and editing over 3,000 photos, so with that said, this article will be split up into two parts. Part One will feature interviews […]
Concert Review: One Hell of a Night
Tyler Thompson
On a sweltering Sunday night, right in the dawn of summer, Bad Company and Joe Walsh's tour One Hell of a Night paid a visit to Northeast Ohio, or as the state adopted son Walsh would call it, "Home." Generations of rockers from Baby Boomers to Millennials gathered inside the pavilion and crowded the sprawling […]
Concert Review: Honeybucket
Layne Gerbig
by Layne Gerbig, General Manager. Photo courtesy of honeybucketohio.com It's halfway through their first set when Honeybucket mandolinist Brendan O'Malley dedicates the next song "to all you whiskey drinkers out there." The newgrass trio from Cleveland launches into an upbeat folk tune and the floor of GAR Hall in Peninsula shakes with the stomps of […]
Concert Review: Noam Pikelny, banjo virtuoso
Photo courtesy of noampikelny.com For the past 10 years, Noam Pikelny has managed to eat a whole bag of Doritos on stage at every concert he's played. The banjo virtuoso admitted that it's easy to get away with things when he's sharing the spotlight with his fellow Punch Brothers. But in February 2016, there were […]
Concert Review: Tommy Link and SIRSY @ The Stone Tavern
Mikala Lugen
The Stone Tavern was lit up with its usual psychedelic decorations and original crowd-pleasing performances last Thursday night. Born and raised in Erie, Penn. Tommy Link opened up the night with his folk, indie acoustics in the little downtown bar. His humor and personal stories charmed the crowd throughout his performance. Link's songs incorporates his […]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


MARSHFIELD — Dozens of area kids have new clothes and shoes for back-to-school, thanks to the efforts of some Marshfield volunteer groups.
The efforts of a Leadership Marshfield team culminated yesterday with its initiative entitled "Best First Day." The group teamed up with Cheryl Hartl of Soup or Socks Food Pantry and Clothes Closet Aug. 8 to hand out clothes and shoes which the Leadership team spent the past few months collecting, to give to qualifying families in the area.
"They all got at least two or three new outfits, new shoes, new socks, new underwear, and some other goodies for the first day of school," Hartl explained.
The first day of school is of particular importance for all children. It's the day they embark on meeting new friends, embrace exciting learning opportunities, and grow as individuals. Beginning that day with new shoes and proper clothing are basics that give children confidence, ultimately aiding in their education and future. But there are times that not all families can afford it. And that's why families like Tim and Theresa Luchterhand and their three children from Granton were thankful for yesterday's event.
As a United Way Partner, Hartl says Soup or Socks can use the names of those families who qualify for the Nutrition on Weekends program to also outfit those children for the upcoming school year.
Over 80 kids were served through the event.
The Leadership team consisted of Chase Gomez , Kathy Leick, Jen Morrow, Mike Warren, and Tammie Willfahrt.


text:
Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom Convenes Opening and Closing Events
On July 15, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will host an opening event marking the start of the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, DC.
U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback will join Museum Director Sara Bloomfield and a Holocaust survivor in delivering remarks on the importance of promoting religious freedom and protecting religious minorities. Ambassador Brownback will join Director Bloomfield in a private tour with survivors of religious persecution and participate in a candle lighting ceremony led by Holocaust survivors in the museum's Hall of Remembrance.
On July 18, the U.S. Department of State, National Museum of African American History and Culture and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will host a closing event at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Ambassador Brownback and Holocaust Museum Director Sarah Bloomfield will deliver remarks.
These events are open to the press and media can gain access with a Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom credential.
For press inquiries please e-mail IRFMinisterialPress@state.gov and visit www.state.gov/religiousfreedom for event information. On Twitter, follow along with the conversation @IRF_Ambassador and using the hashtag #IRFMinisterial.
Holocaust Issues Human Rights and Democracy Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom Office of International Religious Freedom Office of the Spokesperson Religious Freedom
Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback On President Trump's Core Event on Religious Freedom
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo at the United Nations Event on Religious Freedom
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Keynote Address at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom


text:
package ch.xxx.trader.usecase.common;

import java.lang.invoke.CallSite;
import java.lang.invoke.LambdaMetafactory;
import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle;
import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
import java.lang.invoke.MethodType;
import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
import java.util.function.Function;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.SerializationFeature;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.datatype.jsr310.JavaTimeModule;

public class DtoUtils {
	public static final String CREATEDAT = "createdAt";

	public static ObjectMapper produceObjectMapper() {
		ObjectMapper objectMapper = new ObjectMapper();
		objectMapper.registerModule(new JavaTimeModule());
		objectMapper.disable(SerializationFeature.WRITE_DATES_AS_TIMESTAMPS);
		return objectMapper;
	}

	// source: https://dzone.com/articles/setters-method-handles-and-java-11
	@SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
	public static Function createGetter(final MethodHandles.Lookup lookup, final MethodHandle getter) throws Exception {
		final CallSite site = LambdaMetafactory.metafactory(lookup, "apply", MethodType.methodType(Function.class),
				MethodType.methodType(Object.class, Object.class), // signature of method Function.apply after type
																	// erasure
				getter, getter.type()); // actual signature of getter
		try {
			return (Function) site.getTarget().invokeExact();
		} catch (final Exception e) {
			throw e;
		} catch (final Throwable e) {
			throw new Error(e);
		}
	}

	// source: https://dzone.com/articles/setters-method-handles-and-java-11
	@SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
	public static BiConsumer createSetter(final MethodHandles.Lookup lookup, final MethodHandle setter)
			throws Exception {
		final CallSite site = LambdaMetafactory.metafactory(lookup, "accept", MethodType.methodType(BiConsumer.class),
				MethodType.methodType(void.class, Object.class, Object.class), // signature of method BiConsumer.accept
																				// after type erasure
				setter, setter.type()); // actual signature of setter
		try {
			return (BiConsumer) site.getTarget().invokeExact();
		} catch (final Exception e) {
			throw e;
		} catch (final Throwable e) {
			throw new Error(e);
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Working in partnership with NIHR CRN North East and North Cumbria.
Increased understanding of research processes.
I will be more inclined to find out about relevant trials and discuss this with patients however I feel currently I am not confident enough so this will take some time post qualification.
Speak with manager about PPI in our area can be develop/access groups.
New role! (PPIE); I have more knowledge for local links I will use the 7R's when looking to recruit the public in future.
Will feel that my involvement in PPI is worthwhile.
Good to be part of group.
More lay people would be better and some medics would be good.
Very interesting. More students should take advantage of this because it was very useful.
Worked well because of patient group/carers involved – needs a good mix to work.
More practical examples of this to start using/engaging and recruiting the public would be useful in future for those of us at the very beginning of the process.
The format of health professionals and members of the public working together was fantastic – would be good to advertise to the public for future events.


Burgers and fries and cherry pies | Bing!
Burgers and fries and cherry pies, it was simple and good back then.
I'm reflecting on those words as I ponder the lives of five guys: Joe, Howard, Dean, Jeff, and Alec. If you look closely, you can see images of all five in the picture above, one but a reflective image inset with his generational contemporary in the upper right, but reflections of them all are imaged in my thoughts this early morning hour.
But one of the five was intimately associated with the other four of us, and as time goes by, he will soon leave the younger two and join the two preceding us on this journey.
I don't know if there are burgers and fries and cherry pies in Heaven, but I believe it will be simply good. One day, I believe these five will get to share, all together, in a much greater feast.


Woking survived one heavyweight Martian attack; now it's facing another round of extra-terrestrial tales..!
The Wells in Woking short story competition invited wordsmiths to pen their own masterpiece and challenge Wells for Woking's science fiction crown.
The competition's five categories - listed below - attracted over 80 entries, and was judged by Stewart Ross, author of more than 300 published titles, including prize-wining books for younger readers, novels, plays, librettos, a musical, and many widely-acclaimed works on history and sport.
All the winners were invited to a special ceremony in September 2016, when the new H. G. Wells Sculpture will be unveiled.
You can read an excerpt from each of the winning writers by clicking on their story title to the right, or choosing from the list of categories on this page. You can also hear from the winner in the adult category, LIz Firth, during a short video clip.


text:
Губавач је насеље у општини Бијело Поље у Црној Гори. Према попису из 2003. било је 550 становника (према попису из 1991. било је 633 становника).

Демографија
У насељу Губавач живи 406 пунолетних становника, а просечна старост становништва износи 34,1 година (33,6 код мушкараца и 34,5 код жена). У насељу има 142 домаћинства, а просечан број чланова по домаћинству је 3,87.

Ово насеље је углавном насељено Бошњацима (према попису из 2003. године).

Референце

Спољашње везе
 Мапе, аеродроми и временска ситуација локација (-{Fallingrain}-)
 Гугл сателитска мапа (-{Maplandia}-)
 План насеља на мапи (-{Mapquest}-)

Општина Бијело Поље
Насељена места у Црној Гори
Википројект географија/Насеља у Црној Гори

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
namespace QuantConnect.Algorithm.CSharp
{
    public enum StockState
    {
        shortPosition,  // The Portfolio has short position in this bar.
        longPosition,   // The Portfolio has long position in this bar.
        noInvested,     // The Portfolio hasn't any position in this bar.
        orderSent       // An order has been sent in this same bar, skip analysis.
    };

    public enum OrderSignal
    {
        goShort, goLong,                // Entry to the market orders.
        goShortLimit, goLongLimit,      // Entry with limit order.
        closeShort, closeLong,          // Exit from the market orders.
        revertToShort, revertToLong,    // Reverse a position when in the wrong side of the trade.
        doNothing
    };

    public enum RevertPositionCheck
    {
        vsTrigger,
        vsClosePrice,
    }

    public enum PositionInventoryMethod
    {
        Lifo, Fifo
    }
}


The AHL's Cleveland Monsters won their final game of the regular season on Sunday against the Toronto Marlies at Coca-Cola Coliseum by a final score of 5-1. With the win, the Monsters have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the regular season 37-29-8-2 with 84 points in fourth place of the AHL's North Division.
Following a scoreless first period, Zac Dalpe struck first for the Monsters to take the 1-0 lead just 20 seconds into the second period with assists from Doyle Somerby and Ryan Collins. Toronto's Hudson Elynuik tied the score at the 9:11 mark of the middle period, but Mark Letestu notched a tally to give Cleveland a 2-1 edge at 9:56 with helpers from Dan DeSalvo and Sonny Milano. The Monsters took a two-goal lead courtesy of Somerby's goal 12 minutes into the middle stanza with Brett Gallant picking up the lone assist.
Cleveland's net-minder Brad Thiessen finished the regular season 12-8-2 making 17 saves while Toronto's Eamon McAdam stopped 36 shots to end at 9-5-4.
Next up for the Monsters, it's the first round of the playoffs against the Syracuse Crunch with the opening game on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Oncenter War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, NY. The entire playoff schedule can be found below, and fans can catch full coverage on Alt 99.1, AHLTV and the Monsters Hockey Network.


text:
package com.trunk.rx.json.token;

public class JsonArrayEnd extends BaseToken {

  private static final class Holder {
    private static final JsonArrayEnd INSTANCE = new JsonArrayEnd();
  }

  public static JsonArrayEnd instance() {
    return Holder.INSTANCE;
  }

  private JsonArrayEnd() {
    // do nothing
  }

  @Override
  public boolean isArrayEnd() {
    return true;
  }

  @Override
  public String value() {
    return "]";
  }

  @Override
  public String toString() {
    return "JsonArrayEnd{}";
  }
}


text:
The PR BlogCreativityStorytelling & WritingHow To Write About AI: A Beginner's Guide
CreativityStorytelling & Writing
How To Write About AI: A Beginner's Guide
Writing about AI is a challenge for PR writers.
How do you write about AI — without messing up?
Many PR professionals and communicators are tasked with writing articles and texts about artificial intelligence these days.
Since I've written quite a few of these articles, I want to share some insights that could help you write your next piece on AI. 1Please note that approx. 70% of this article was written using premium GPT-3 software.
AI art. Prompt: "Artificial intelligence, visual art, highly detailed."
Avoid Over-Inflating AI Concepts
What AI Are You Writing About?
1. Reactive AI
2. Limited Memory AI
3. Theory of Mind AI
4. Self-Aware AI
Three More Types of AI
5. ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence)
6. AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)
7. ASI (Artificial Superintelligence)
The Fear of AI
Fear of Uncontrolled AI
Fear of AI Supremacy
Deterministic Fear
Different AI Technologies
AI in Pop Culture
Mr Smith
Summary: How To Write About AI
Leading AI scientists aren't in agreement on how to describe artificial intelligence. As an article writer, you could define AI in whatever way you see fit and be sure that there are perspectives to support your chosen approach.
Do you want to describe a toaster as an AI device? Sure, a toaster is a machine that reacts to input to produce a predictive output.
But be careful. The ambiguity within the AI field is both a blessing and a curse for anyone writing AI articles. You're free to be creative in your approach — but there's nothing to hold onto, unfortunately.
The general uncertainty means the PR writer must choose a consistent path through the AI text.
There's an "artificial intelligence inflation" within corporate writing. Since it's easy to call just about anything "intelligent" or "smart," many tech brands over-use the AI term. Especially in their marketing.
My advice would be to adopt a more conservative approach.
But what should that approach be, exactly?
If it's an algorithm, call it an algorithm.
If it's machine learning, call it machine learning.
If it's a neural network, call it a neural network.
Artificial intelligence is an area of artificial intelligence research that covers the full spectrum of potential for future technologies. This includes the various implications of this technology on society, employment, and economic development.
It also covers how economics could play a role in how different countries may build the first AI to become an independent entity. Countries like Japan, China, and India have made significant advances in AI research and development through private enterprises and government participation.
There are attempts at classifying different types of AI. Since we can't pinpoint a general definition, defining sub-types also becomes challenging.
A reactive AI receives input and produces a predictable output. IBM:s computer Deep Blue which defeated chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov is a famous example. 2Gary Kasparov is a chess legend. On September 10 1985, he faced off against the IBM machine, Deep Blue, to determine whether or not machines could outperform humans when it came to chess. The world … Continue reading
Calling Deep Blue an AI won't cause any raised eyebrows. It beat a human chess champion, after all! However, what about the Netflix algorithm? What about a pocket calculator or a smartphone? Or what about… a toaster?
Applications that use limited memory AI are like reactive AI systems, but the difference is that a bit of memory AI will use historical results to self-correct.
If you've been tasked with writing a text about AI, this is most likely the kind of AI you'll be writing about. Almost all "AI applications" that exist today fall under this category.
A theory of mind AI will understand you—at least to a degree. These technologies are essential to push AI into a space that could benefit humanity.
Is it possible to build machines that can feel, both for themselves and on behalf of others? It seems so, but it isn't straightforward.
This is where the famous Turing test comes into play; when will we be able to communicate with a machine without being able to tell it apart from how a human communicates? 3The Turing test is a test of artificial intelligence (AI) developed by Alan Turing in 1950. The hypothetical test is conducted by an interrogator who asks natural language questions to humans and AI … Continue reading
Also known as the "singularity," a machine could theoretically become self-aware.
The space of self-aware AI is highly hypothetical because we have yet to understand whether humans are genuinely conscious (we could feel aware).
Three more typical classifications can be helpful for anyone about to write about AI.
Artificial narrow intelligence, or ANI, is a term that applies to any computer that has been programmed to do one thing very well.
For example, the ANI chess program Deep Blue beat its human opponents by analysing more moves in a shorter time than human players can. Many industries use artificial narrow intelligence for tasks ranging from facial recognition to assembling automobiles.
ANI is a computer's ability to complete a narrowly-defined cognitive task. The term was coined by MIT scientist and inventor Marvin Minsky in 1966. 4Marvin Minsky was born in New York City on September 9, 1927. He attended Harvard University, where he studied mathematics and physics. Later, while attending Princeton University, he developed an … Continue reading
Artificial general intelligence (AGI) produces a machine with an artificially intelligent system that can perform tasks that require human intelligence. One of the most challenging tasks is the replication of human reasoning abilities.
The current best-performing artificial intelligence is Deep Q-network (DQN). A DQN agent will orchestrate its learning procedure and decide when to use reinforcement learning. 5A Deep Q-network, or DQN, is a reinforcement learning algorithm that has successfully solved various engineering problems. The architecture combines a supervised learning model and an unsupervised … Continue reading
Artificial Superintelligence is creating a machine that has cognitive abilities that are superhuman to human beings.
An AI system can be powered by a database that stores all the information, but it's not enough for an AI to have this information. It also needs to think rationally and logically, no matter what.
The fear is that AI will surpass human intelligence and become too powerful to control.
There are three types of fear when it comes to AI. Understanding these fears can be helpful when writing about artificial intelligence.
An AI system could get out of control. This goes for reactive AI, limited memory AI and ANI. Ironically, this is a fear of an AI that we can't reason with—because it doesn't understand. It just keeps doing what it's been programmed to do.
If an AI becomes aware (the singularity) or thinks it is conscious, it could start to reason in a dangerous way for humans. We rarely consider the rights of insects, so why should an AI consider the rights of humans?
There are legitimate concerns that artificial intelligence could be the next frontier of natural evolution and that mechanical life will surpass and eventually replace biological life.
There's a fear that consciousness is an illusion, that we're nothing more than biological machines. The creation of seemingly self-aware machines potentially attacks our ideas of having free will.
As you attempt to write about AI, you will face the challenge of describing how the technology works. Below are a few terms that might be useful to research further before starting your writing project.
Algorithms are used to make decisions. They are sequences of computational instructions that are used to solve a problem.
Algorithms are commonly applied in computer science but are also used in areas outside of computer science, such as genetics. They are used for everything from calculating the fastest route to drive to work every morning to matching donors with recipients for organ transplants.
Machine learning is a form of AI that allows computers to learn new information without being explicitly programmed.
A machine learning system consists of two essential parts: an algorithm and training data. The algorithm is used to find patterns in the training data and make predictions about new data.
Neural networks are AI technology that mimics how the human brain works. They consist of a series of interconnected neurons that communicate and process information.
When presented with a problem, the network adjusts its connections and thresholds until it solves it, comes up with a viable solution, or runs out of time.
Scientists can train neural networks to perform tasks by supplying them with many examples and letting them figure out the patterns independently.
Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that is revolutionising the field of AI. Deep learning aims to ensure that machines learn in ways similar to how humans do.
Many different types of algorithms can be used for deep learning. Still, they all have one thing in common: they automatically learn by processing large data sets and iteratively improving performance on some tasks.
Quantum computers are a new branch of computing that uses quantum bits, or qubits, instead of the traditional binary bits.
The primary advantage of a quantum computer is its ability to store exponentially more information than a conventional computer. A slight difference in temperature between two qubits can change their energy states which causes them to be either "up" or "down" at any given time. This property is known as quantum entanglement.
What will happen to humans when artificial intelligence can do everything better than becoming more and more prevalent in the 21st century?
Many have seen artificial intelligence as a threat to human civilisation, with some calling for it to be banned. But others argue that an AI-driven world could be our only hope.
Artificial Intelligence has been a popular topic in pop culture for quite some time now. Movies have depicted AI as either friendly or evil. Still, it's not until recently that society has begun to understand what it means for humanity if the singularity is created.
The general mythos surrounding AI can be used for references to make your AI text more relatable or understandable.
In the Terminator movies, the Skynet AI doesn't show self-awareness signs. It behaves more like a limited memory AI application for war games that have run amok — and it thinks of humans as enemies.
The Terminator T-800, spawned by Skynet and hijacked by human resistance, is sent back in time and slowly becomes self-aware throughout the franchise.
Sarah Connor and T-800.
The AI in The Matrix is fully self-aware. While it struggles to understand how to regulate humanity, its many programs can connect emotionally with the human characters.
Mr Smith is such a separate program tasked with managing the computer-generated world. Ironically, he learns he hates his job almost as much as humans.
Mr Smith from The Matrix.
Like the T-800, Hal 9000 ranks in between Skynet and Mr Smith.
While the T-800 and Mr Smith are self-aware, they're also free to reason outside their hard-coded parameters. HAL 9000, on the other hand, would easily pass the Turing test but seems unable to break free from its programming. Instead, HAL 9000 finds creative ways to interpret its mission parameters.
Dave and HAL 9000.
Use a humble tonality and reason cautiously. Even the most prominent scientist in AI isn't in agreement. Be mindful of presenting any certainties. Be extra humble if you're writing about reactive- or limited memory AI.
Know your primary AI classifications. You'll most likely write about reactive- or limited memory AI. Don't lead the reader to think that the technology you're covering is first-cousin with the singularity.
Take your time explaining the technology. Any reader of your text about AI will want to know how the technology works. This might be the most challenging part for the writer, but it's crucial for making your text work.
Some of your readers fear AI. The fear of AI is real; even highly educated experts and intellectuals express their concerns. Use fear to make your text more compelling, but do so sparingly — especially if you're writing about ANI (artificial narrow intelligence).
AI matters to all of us. AI has been a part of our pop culture for a long time. Use references to make your text stand out, but remember that science-fiction is still… science-fiction.
Please note that approx. 70% of this article was written using premium GPT-3 software.
Gary Kasparov is a chess legend. On September 10 1985, he faced off against the IBM machine, Deep Blue, to determine whether or not machines could outperform humans when it came to chess. The world watched breathlessly as the world champion challenged the mighty machine. Though most people expected him to trounce the computer, they were disappointed when Gary lost to Deep Blue by four games to two.
The Turing test is a test of artificial intelligence (AI) developed by Alan Turing in 1950. The hypothetical test is conducted by an interrogator who asks natural language questions to humans and AI programs. The AI passes the Turing test if the interrogator cannot tell the difference.
Marvin Minsky was born in New York City on September 9, 1927. He attended Harvard University, where he studied mathematics and physics. Later, while attending Princeton University, he developed an interest in artificial intelligence. By his third year of college, it became clear that the topic was his life's work. He later said, "A computer is like a violin. You can imagine a novice trying first a phonograph and then a violin. The latter, he says, sounds terrible. That is the argument from our humanists and most computer scientists. Computer programs are good, they say, for particular purposes, but they aren't flexible. Neither is a violin or a typewriter until you learn how to use it."
A Deep Q-network, or DQN, is a reinforcement learning algorithm that has successfully solved various engineering problems. The architecture combines a supervised learning model and an unsupervised learning model. Google engineers initially developed it to play Atari 2600 games superhuman.
https://doctorspin.net/write-about-ai
We were chasing waterfalls in Älvdalen, Sweden. This amazing place is called Stopfallet. We've been here several times before and can't wait to return.
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The Identity Project: My Big Five Aspects Scale Test Results
Slow Storytelling is Making a Comeback


text:
Smertrios (HD 149026 b) – planeta pozasłoneczna oddalona o około 257 lat świetlnych, znajdująca się w gwiazdozbiorze Herkulesa. Planeta została odkryta po jej tranzycie przez tarczę gwiazdy Ogma. Pomiary promienia i masy wskazują, że planeta ma nadzwyczajnie duże jądro planetarne.

Nazwa
Nazwa własna planety, Smertrios, została wyłoniona w 2015 roku w publicznym konkursie. Smertrios był galijskim bóstwem wojny. Nazwę planety zaproponował Club d'Astronomie de Toussaint (Francja).

Odkrycie
Planeta została odkryta w 2005 przez N2K Consortium, które szukało gwiazd z ciasno orbitującymi gorącymi jowiszami jak Dimidium (51 Pegasi b), skutecznie używając Efektu Dopplera. Widmo gwiazdy było badane przez teleskopy Kecka i Subaru. Mały spadek jasności (0,003) był wykrywany podczas każdego tranzytu planety, co potwierdziło jej istnienie.

Choć zmiana jasności spowodowana tranzytem planety była mała, jest wykrywalna przez astronomów amatorów, dając sposobność dla amatorów do włożenia ważnego wkładu w badania. W rzeczy samej, jeden astronom amator, Ron Bissinger, faktycznie wykrył częściowy transfer dzień przez opublikowaniem odkrycia.

Charakterystyka fizyczna
Planeta okrąża gwiazdę po tak zwanej "orbicie – pochodni". Niezwykłe jest to, że rok na tej planecie trwa mniej niż 3 dni ziemskie. Planeta jest mniej masywna od Jowisza (0,36 , czyli 114 mas Ziemi), ale masywniejsza od Saturna. Temperatura planety była początkowo szacowana na 1450 K, bazując na rozsądnym albedo równym 0,3, sytuując ją jako granicę między klasą IV i klasą V planet według schematu klasyfikacji Sudarsky'ego. Pomiar jasności jej dziennej strony umożliwił oszacowanie temperatury na 2300 ± 200 K przez porównanie połączonych emisji gwiazdy i planety na fali długości 8 μm przed i podczas tranzytu. Ta ekstremalnie wysoka temperatura wskazuje na bardzo dużą absorpcję światła gwiazdy, co sugeruje ciemny kolor planety.

Znanych jest dużo "gorących Saturnów", ale Smertrios jest unikatowy. W świetle gwiazdy planeta może być czarna, jarząc się czerwonym blaskiem tylko w najgorętszym obszarze podsłonecznym. Większość tranzytujących planet ma promień większy od Jowisza, jednakże promień Smertriosa to jedynie 73% promienia Jowisza i 83% promienia Saturna, co znaczy, że ta planeta jest nadzwyczaj gęsta jak na gazowego olbrzyma o takiej masie. Wytłumaczeniem może być duże jądro zdominowane przez pierwiastki cięższe od wodoru i helu. Teoretyczne modele dają jądru masę 65–70 mas Ziemi. Planeta może zawierać więcej materii skalnej i metali niż wszystkie planety w naszym Układzie Słonecznym.

Robert Naeye spekulował, że na powierzchni jądra przyspieszenie grawitacyjne mogło wynosić 10 g (10 razy większe niż na powierzchni Ziemi).

Konsekwencje teoretyczne
Odkrycie zostało ogłoszone jako dowód dla popularnej teorii mgławicy gwiazdowej, gdzie planety formują się ze zderzeń mniejszych obiektów. W tym modelu, olbrzymie planety rozwijają się tak duże, by przyciągać lekkie, lecz liczne, atomy wodoru i helu. W każdym razie, przeciwnicy tego modelu podkreślają, że tylko jeden przykład takiej planety nie jest dowodem. Tak duże jądro jest trudne do wytłumaczenia nawet przez pierwszy model.

Inną możliwością jest to, że z powodu ciasnej orbity ta planeta, w przeciwieństwie do Jowisza, wchłonęła wiele skalistych obiektów. Do tego deszcz cięższych cząstek z gwiazdy na planetę mógł pomóc w budowie ciężkiego jądra.

Staranne pomiary prędkości radialnej umożliwiły wykrycie efektu Rossitera-McLaughlina, przesuwającego fotosferyczne linie widmowe, w związku z zakryciem przez planetę części powierzchni gwiazdy. Ten efekt pozwala zmierzyć kąt między płaszczyzną orbity planety i płaszczyzną równika gwiazdy; w przypadku HD 149026 b jest to 11° ± 14°. Dużo większy kąt mógłby sugerować gwałtowny przebieg tworzenia się planety.

Zobacz też
 HAT-P-3 b
 HD 189733 b

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Gorące jowisze
Gwiazdozbiór Herkulesa
Nazwane planety pozasłoneczne
Planety tranzytujące
Obiekty astronomiczne odkryte w 2005


text:
from Jeff Fountain
Freedom's song
At 10 am today, citizens of The Netherlands will stand on balconies, at windows and in gardens across the nation to sing together the mysterious words of the first verse of the world's oldest national anthem, the Wilhelmus.
For this is Koningsdag, King's Day, the birthday of King Willem Alexander, when traditionally the Dutch create a sea of orange with flags, banners, caps and T-shirts pouring into public places for concerts and good-natured revelry.
But this year, for the first time since the Liberation 75 years ago, the streets and concert halls remain empty. Lockdown has forced the cancellation of the royal visit to the city of Maastricht.
Nevertheless the party goes on – under the title: Koningsdag Thuis (King's Day at home). That means singing the Wilhelmus, accompanied by the Koninklijke Concertgebouw Orchestra live on zoom.
Cute for the Dutch, you say.
But wait. There's a backstory here about how freedom spread in our world. For the party celebrates the nation's bloody birth from a struggle for freedom of conscience and religion, making The Netherlands a laboratory for liberty, attracting freedom-lovers like Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Comenius and the Pilgrim Fathers.
This first verse of the Wilhelmus (one of the fifteen my wife learnt by heart at school) reads:
Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ben ik, van Duitse bloed. (William of Nassau am I, of German blood).
den vaderland getrouwe blijf ik tot in den dood. (I'll be faithful to my fatherland till I die)
Een Prinse van Oranje, ben ik, vrij, onverveerd, (A Prince of Orange am I, free, fearless)
den Koning van Hispanje heb ik altijd geëerd. (I have always honoured the King of Spain)
The first letter of each verse spells W-I-L-L-E-M—V-A-N—N-A-Z-Z-O-V – old spelling for Willem van Nassau. Nassau was a dukedom in Germany, and Orange an independent principality in southern France (like Monaco). Our Willem is from Nassau, and was thus German (see first line). Yet Germany only becomes a nation 300 years later. So what is the fatherland, in line two – the Holy Roman Empire? Indeed, a strange verse for the Dutch to sing so heartily! The-not-yet-existing-Netherlands gets no mention in the whole song.
As a boy, William inherited the Principality of Orange, opening doors to the imperial court of Charles V in Brussels. Later he became the emperor's emissary to Paris, rubbing shoulders with nobility from all over Europe. Now a European cosmopolitan, he consorted with many aristocrats, including French Huguenot leaders.
The song is written in 1572, four years after William decides to lead an uprising against the ruthless violence unleashed against Protestants in the Low Countries, starting the Eighty Years War with Spain. At first he declares loyalty (4th line above) to Philip II, king of Spain and Habsburg ruler of the Low Countries (or Nether-lands), accusing Philip's viceroys of the injustices.
Eventually, William recognises Philip as the real tyrant. Philip declares William an outlaw. One stanza declares William's confidence in God to 'dislodge the tyranny' that wounds his heart. Another compares William with David fleeing from Saul the tyrant.
What is at stake was the right to worship freely, to follow one's conscience, not the ruler's dictates. 'In a free land, tongues should be free!' William had earlier protested when deciding to lead the rebellion, quoting Erasmus.
The Dutch magistrates of the provincial states themselves faced a great dilemma. They had sworn allegiance to Philip, an oath not broken lightly. But, on 14 June 1581, arguing that Philip was a 'false shepherd' for deserting his Dutch 'flock', the rebellious state representatives drew up the Act of Abjuration, the Plakkaat van Verlatinghe (literally 'Placard of Desertion'), to declare the throne vacant. The seven United Provinces duly became a federal republic, the first fully independent Dutch nation state. William, assassinated in 1584, never became stadhouder or king. Only 230 years later, the Congress of Vienna in 1815 established the House of Orange as the Dutch monarchy, with William's descendants ruling right up until Willem Alexander today.
The Plakkaat van Verlatinghe is one of the earliest statements of the rights of citizens to overthrow a tyrant. The British followed the Dutch example in the 1689 Declaration of Rights, deposing the Catholic James II. They enthroned William of Orange's great-grandson, stadhouder – not king – in the Dutch Republic, as King William of England, Scotland and Ireland.
The strong resemblance of the 1776 American Declaration of Independence with the Plakkaat van Verlatinghe, justifying the overthrow of British tyranny, has led some experts to conclude it was inspired by the Dutch. The American Declaration has in turn been the inspiration for freedom in many other countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Today for the Dutch orange is the colour of freedom, and the Wilhelmus the sound of freedom, stirring 'oranjegevoel' (Orange feeling).
For the Dutch, that's worth singing your lungs out for.
Till next week,
Newer	Weekly Word:
Who won the peace?
Previous	Weekly Word:
Ponder the flowers!
Weekly Word is an initiative of
The Schuman Centre for European Studies
Weekly Words are the personal reflections of Jeff Fountain and do not necessarily express the official position of YWAM.
They may be reproduced with due acknowledgment.


YouTube Trends: "Words Do Hurt"
Anti-bullying campaigns pushed off in full force last fall with the It Gets Better project created by Dan Savage. That campaign, which began modestly, resulted in hundreds of encouragement videos from celebrities, politicians, and everyday people (including googlers) who wanted to share stories and words of encouragement. Eventually the President of the United States even contributed one.
Alye's simple message -- "Words are powerful" --- has generated video responses and hundreds of comments.


Tanks are used in a variety of ways in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, including the storage and mixing of chemicals and chemical compounds, as well as research. Tank fabrication, therefore, must facilitate the safe handling of harsh chemicals while preventing contamination and leaching. Plastic tanks and stainless steel tanks are popular choices, each offering unique properties and advantages for specific applications.
Plastic tank fabrication is conducted using high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene, Teflon™, and other types of plastics. In the past, stainless steel tanks were primarily used for chemical storage, as it was believed that poly-based plastic storage tanks were prone to leaching, corrosion, and bacterial growth as a result of vulnerable resins. It is now known that certain plastics offer significant chemical resistance, making them a popular choice for chemical and liquid storage in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.
Plus, plastic tank fabrication making use of polypropylene and polyvinylidene is USP VI-rated, making these tanks ideal in deionized ultrapure water system applications, as well as biopharmaceutical mixing applications including chrome slurry agitation, buffer prep, and media prep.
It should be noted that certain plastic tank fabrication materials can be more vulnerable to extreme temperatures, and are not well suited for applications involving intense heating and cooling.
Stainless steel tanks are used for mixing applications that require pressure or vacuum ratings. These tanks are also used for storage and processing in the pharmaceutical industry.
Stainless steel tanks are also the better choice for certain heating and cooling applications due to the tanks' resistance against breakage when exposed to intense hot or cold temperatures. Stainless steel tanks also offer high resistance against rough materials that can create vulnerability in plastic tanks.
However, stainless steel tanks require regular maintenance and costly coatings for protection. Seams and welding points within a steel tank create vulnerability, and are typically the first points for pitting, crevice corrosion, and chemical attack. These tanks are also costly to manufacture compared to plastic tanks, due to the need for welding and metal base polishing.
A stainless steel tank requires a more compact, solid foundation for installation. Once installed, it should not be moved lest its structural integrity be compromised, allowing for the development of leaks.
Both plastic tanks and stainless steel tanks are commonly utilized in various applications within the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries for storage, mixing, and other needs. Careful evaluation of specific application demands — as well as material qualities — will help in determining the ideal material choice.
PVDF: A Better Choice for Stainless Steel Components?


A 4-H Club can be started in any community where there is a group of youth 9-21 years of age who wish to become members, and parents or adults who wish to assist in a leadership capacity.
Contact the Agriculture Leadership Coordinator (ALC) in a regional office in the region in which you live. The regional offices are located in Truro, Sydney, Kentville, Pictou, Antigonish, Lunenburg and Cornwallis.
The ALC will discuss the details of the 4-H program with you, determine the extent of interest, local leadership potential, and community needs of the youth, and answer any questions you may have.
A meeting date would then be set when prospective members and their parents and other interested persons in the community could meet with the Agriculture Leadership Coordinator. During this meeting, the coordinator would outline the 4-H program, display project material available, learn the interests of the members, and learn how much community support a 4-H club would receive from the adults.
What Materials Would Be Required By A New 4-H Club?
These materials can be obtained from your regional Agriculture Leadership Coordinator (ALC). Monthly newsletters are also sent to 4-H families from the regional 4-H Nova Scotia office.


Human remains have been unearthed at a beach in Maketū.
Local iwi have placed a rāhui on the eastern side of Ōkurei Point in Maketū after a landslide washed human remains into the sea.
A public notice said the remains, which were possibly pre-European, became dislodged and disinterred and washed into the surrounding ocean, including at Newdicks Beach.
The rāhui (prohibition) includes a ban on collecting kaimoana shellfish or any other seafood until the koiwi a tangata (human remains) have been retrieved and properly reinterred.
The public was asked to avoid the area and respect the rāhui, which would be in place for at least six weeks.
The rāhui area includes all of Newdicks Beach and extends 8km to the south towards Little Waihī Beach, and also covers 500m to the north.
The rāhui has been imposed under the authority of Sir Toby Curtis, Liam Tapsell and Tony Wihapi on behalf of Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Maketū Taiāpure, Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū Tapuika and the police, the notice said.


Today's marketplace has become more competitive. Customers demand more value in a shorter period of time than ever before. Purpose-built hardware can help you deliver that value.
Next generation application solutions such as big data, analytics, mobile, and cloud require new considerations. Application performance is critical, as our customers demand instant, anywhere access to their systems.
The underlying hardware that your applications run on can dramatically affect your user experience. That is where IBM Power Systems comes in. With IBM Power Systems running Linux, your software solutions can perform the way they were meant to.
Faster processing, improved data speed, and reduced network latency. Optimizing your applications to run on IBM Power Systems can extend your value proposition.
Better user experience. Your applications perform at their fullest potential.
Deliver more value. Add functionality such as real-time analytics.
Reduce customer's costs. Reduce number of servers required.
IBM Power Systems have been developed from the ground up to run next generation applications with maximum performance and unmatched reliability and security.
POWER8 Processors offer a 12 core processor that can process 8 threads per core. That equates to 96 threads per clock cycle. That is 4x the performance of competing x86 systems.
CAP I/O is PCIe Gen 3 logic configured directly on the processor. This advanced hardware accelerator allows devices, flash storage, and coprocessors to communicate directly with POWER8 processors at extremely high speeds.
IBM invested over $1 billion in the Linux open source community. We also founded the OpenPOWER Foundation that allows members open source access to POWER8 processors and our I/O systems.
Red Hat, SUSE, and Ubuntu have all ported their enterprise Linux distributions to IBM Power Systems. There are now over 1,400 independent solutions that have been certified on IBM Power Systems.
Your applications can run on IBM Power Systems running Linux with minimal effort. Most applications written in scripting languages such as Pearl, Java, PHP, Ruby, and others will run on IBM Power Systems with no changes to the code. The majority of applications that are compiled, such as C/C++, will only require a simple recompile. To see the growing list of development tools and platforms, click here.
We have invested in additional resources to help you explore the benefits of IBM Power Systems running Linux, including free access to an online development environment for our Business Partners. There are also IBM Power Systems Linux Centers in North America, Asia, and Europe.
This report compares IBM's new POWER8-based scale-out Power System to Intel E5 v2 x86-based scale-out systems.


The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County are sponsoring a one-day workshop for eligible participants of the Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP). HIP provides financial and technical assistance to Lake Whatcom watershed residents within the City of Bellingham, or within the Silver Beach Subbasin of Whatcom County. (Click here for map of eligible area.) Participants have the opportunity to receive between $1,000 - $6,000 in reimbursement eligible projects that reduce stormwater runoff or improve water quality. This event will provide a "one-stop-shop" opportunity to enroll in the HIP, develop an eligible plan, and receive pre-approval for project-related purchases. Attendance at this workshop does not obligate you to develop, agree to, or complete any project. Participation in the HIP is completely voluntary.
Workshop participants will receive one-on-one technical assistance from local, private sector experts to design a HIP-approved project proposal for their property. City and County staff will be available to answer questions, but you may choose to work directly with local, third-party experts to develop and design your project.
Pre-registration for the workshop is recommended. Those who pre-register will be provided a lunch. Snacks and light refreshments will be available for all participants.


In today's Peak Performer Series message I wanted to talk to you about becoming a person of value. How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? How do you add value to clients? I've got some great ideas for you in my message this week.


Rice Park was initially formed as a result of the early 2000's flooding that forced residential homes to be relocated. The park is a great place to bring the family to enjoy a round of disc golf, play on the playground, or simply cast a fishing line in the river. The River's Edge Disc Golf course is a six hole course that caters to both novices and experienced players alike. Rice Park also has a skateboarding park for those who are more interested in testing their limits.