Users of Insteon hubs, which went dark two months ago, say their smart homes are back online
Last April, Smartlabs switched off its cloud servers, leaving users of its Insteon smart home system without app or voice control of their connected switches, plugs, thermostats, and other devices paired to its smart home hub. It happened overnight with no warning, and now, the same thing has happened in reverse: someone suddenly turned the switch back on.
As first reported by Stacey on IoT, numerous Insteon users across the country say that their hubs are up and working again today, with the Insteon app now functioning and voice control through services such as Amazon Alexa also working. Because Insteon devices used a proprietary wireless radio protocol, many Insteon users’ homes were able to continue running in some fashion. It was only remote access and app and voice control that relied on a cloud connection that was gone. However, the app has been removed from app stores, so users who deleted it have no easy way to get it back.
When it comes to cloud-connected services, caution should be exercised when you don’t know who is pulling the strings. As Redditor Western_Tomatillo981 pointed out in a comment on the initial Reddit post about the revival: “are you sure we should celebrate some unknown entity re-enabling access to our secure home networks now that the company we had a privacy agreement with is now bankrupt and defunct?”
Hopefully this is a sign that Insteon has been rescued and its users are not being left in the dark. But until we know more, they should proceed with caution. And whoever is behind this needs to make their intentions known right away. We’ve reached out to Smartlabs and will update this post with any new information.
It is one of many scams attempting to take advantage of the cost of living crisis
Users of popular email services such as Gmail, Outlook and Hotmail have been urged to be on alert as another scam does the rounds. It is one of many that fraudsters are using to try to take advantage of people during the cost of living crisis.
The latest is a fake message that informs victims that they are owed money by HMRC. The email will claim that it’s due to an overpayment during the last financial year.
As with many such scams, recipients are then asked to click on a link to claim the refund. This link should not be clicked, reports the Express.
If it is, it will take the user to a fraudulent website that will look to steal personal and financial information. Action Fraud – the UK’s national fraud and cyber reporting centre – said it had received hundreds of reports of the scam.
In a recent post on Twitter, Action Fraud said: “Criminals target the public with fake HMRC tax refund emails. We’ve received 442 reports in two weeks about fake emails purporting to be from HMRC. The emails state the recipient is owed a tax refund (rebate), and the links provided in the emails lead to genuine-looking phishing websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information. HMRC will never send notifications of a tax rebate to ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email.”
If you receive the scam message, you can report it by forward it to [email protected]. Scammers have gone to a lot of effort to make this fake email look convincing as it features similar branding to official Government messages.
But there are ways you can easily spot a scam email a mile off. This includes looking out for typos – as official correspondences from big name organisations shouldn’t have these mistakes – as well as double-checking the email address of a sender.
An official email from an organisation in question should be sent from an email account attached to an official domain name. If the sender’s email is from a domain name that is similar to an official one, but not quite right, or is even from a Hotmail or Google account then this should set alarm bells ringing.
For those that check these things but still aren’t certain you can simply get in touch with the organisation in question to double-check if the correspondence you have received is genuine. While this will take you a bit more time it will save you a lot more in the time and stress that would be caused if you did end up falling victim to such a scam.
This latest fake email has been highlighted after Action Fraud also recently revealed another message the public has to be aware of. Scammers have been spreading a fake email allegedly from energy regulator Ofgem, with the message claiming to offer a Government-backed rebate to help with your energy bills.
Action Fraud received over 700 reports of this scam in the space of just four days.
Speaking to Express.co.uk about this threat recently, Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish, from the City of London Police, said: “There has been a sudden flurry of reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem. These attempt to hook the public in by claiming that the recipient is eligible to apply for an energy bill rebate.
“The link will then take you through to a genuine-looking website that intends to steal your personal and financial information. As with many scams, we advise the public to follow the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to keep themselves safe from fraud.”
DCI Mullish also revealed a few steps people should take whenever they receive an unsolicited email which will help them spotting a scam…
The Metaverse is a platform that sounds like a sci-fi concept, but shockingly, it’s as real as the internet. However, this technology is new. Before it becomes the new normal, there are plenty of improvements, trends, and modifications it will go through. With time as everything is changing, the way we entertain ourselves, shop, watch movies, or hang out with friends is also changing. Technologies such as Metaverse help us in getting rid of the long-distance and be with people in real-time, even if in a virtual world. In a way, Metaverse is not only about comfort or entertainment, but it is also a decent technology that can bring two people living far from each other together.
Now, Metaverse is supported by plenty of technologies with different roles. In this blog, we are discussing the top 5 key technologies that are the driving force behind the functioning of Metaverse.
Currently, five technologies power the Metaverse
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI is one of the most important technologies in the Metaverse. There are many roles that this technology has to play to maintain the efficiency of the Metaverse technology. AI is used to monitor servers for improved cybersecurity continuously, and the technology is also used for smarter responses. AI in Metaverse is monitoring servers to make it a safe space against bullying or harassment of any kind. Some examples are –
Massive scalability
Decentralization
Infrastructure support
Interactive UI
Improved accessibility
Cybersecurity
Smarter translations
Smart contracts
Realistic avatars
Unscripted NPC storylines
Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
AR and VR are technologies that empower the major features of Metaverse. It is all about creating a virtual interactive experience, users can onboard its servers with the help of VR glasses. These VR glasses can be paired with any smart device including a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Users can explore Metaverse to shop from businesses that have already onboarded the space, hang out with friends, explore stories, play games, and more. AR, on the other hand, can create a fusion between virtual objects and real environments with the help of a device camera and users can access the AR features of Metaverse on their screens. For gaming, learning, entertainment, etc, AR/VR technology features can create endless possibilities.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Metaverse is a technology that uses wireless on a large scale. Thus, smarter IoT sensors play a crucial role in enabling the technology. IoT sensors are used to pair up devices like VR headsets, haptic gloves, speakers, voice recognition, etc. Now, there are other possibilities as well. Take gaming for example – it supports gaming and allows players to use devices like Oculus headsets. IoT is also capable of enabling realistic responses to interactions done in the Metaverse. With haptic gloves, every time users interact with a virtual object, IoT sensors transform these interactions into data and with haptic gloves, users will be able to feel these virtual objects. IoT and AI play major roles in enabling such possibilities of Metaverse and IoT.
Blockchain
Metaverse supports the usage of NFTs, Smart Contracts, and Cryptos. Additionally, it is supposed to handle a massive amount of data, concerns such as security, scalability, speed, and transparency are natural. Blockchain, however, is the solution technology that helps Metaverse in protecting and decentralizing the data. Blockchain can be used to store in-game assets, smart contracts, virtual real estate, NFTs, etc. Other features like control over data shared, transparency over data modifications, etc are possible only with Blockchain. Blockchain can also help Metaverse developers in tracing sources of any event that either makes servers vulnerable or unsafe for its users. To investigate any events, blockchain traceability is undoubtedly the best weapon Metaverse has.
Edge computing
Faster data transmission is the requirement of Metaverse that its tech infrastructure will have to fulfil. Edge computing is the technology that takes care of the faster data transmission requirement in modern businesses all over the world. Distributed Computing, a newer version of edge computing enables users to enjoy edge computing features without having to set up an entire hardware infrastructure. For common users, distributed computing is going to play a big role in delivering features to them.
Key Takeaways
Well, these were the crucial technologies that are majorly contributing to making Metaverse a reality. With the endless possibilities that Metaverse has, plenty of businesses can foresee the demand for technology in the future. Thus, brands are also enthusiastic about purchasing virtual real estate on Metaverse servers to establish virtual showrooms. There are plenty of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality app development experts interested in this technology, thus, it will not be shocking if the technology influences the way we use our smartphones today.
In the end, hopefully, you found this blog useful. We keep publishing such informative blogs regularly, so do not forget to open and explore the website for some more amazing reads.
Feature Image Credit: Metaverse city and cyberpunk concept, 3d render
Need some inspiration before you attach your resume to a job application? Here are ten sites with fantastic resume samples
There’s no recruitment document as important as your resume. It’s what recruiters see as soon as they open your job application, and it’s the best way to convince a company that you should be on their payroll.
It’s crucial to get your resume right, so it’s no wonder that people spend hours poring over the paperwork to make sure it’s got the right information and top-notch presentation.
If you’d like some expert guidance, we’ve rounded up ten of the best resume sample sites that have templates and advice to cover every scenario – all you’ve got to do is keep reading, and you’ll be able to create the perfect CV.
It’s no surprise that a site called ResumeGenius does a great job of supplying resume samples (opens in new tab) and templates. If you want to sift through all the page’s material then you can take your pick from hundreds of different resume samples, but it’s easier to browse by the site’s numerous categories: you can view professional, modern, creative or basic templates or pick from more than twenty different industries.
Beyond the hundreds of resume templates, ResumeGenius has a resume-building module and articles with advice on how to write your own resume. It’s a great resource.
Indeed’s resume sample database includes hundreds of job categories and dozens of industries – so you’ll be able to find what you need, no matter the job in question. Resume pages also list the common skills and certifications that each job requires.
(Image credit: Zety)
3. Zety
Zety has more than five hundred resume samples (opens in new tab) that cover almost every conceivable job and industry. Zety’s resume database is easy to navigate, and if you click on a job title, you don’t just get a resume template you can use – you’ll also get a guide that shows you how to customize the document. Zety’s guides also have guidelines on the right and incorrect information to include on a resume, with detailed examples.
And, beyond this, Zety also offers one of the most comprehensive resume-building tools you’ll find anywhere on the internet – perfect if you want a stress-free resume experience.
(Image credit: Resume.io)
4. Resume.io
This dedicated resume site has more than 350 resume samples (opens in new tab) in dozens of different industries, and its handy search option makes it extremely easy to find the CV template that you need.
Each profession has its own dedicated page that explains the job, how to best write and format a customized resume, and a list of the skills you need for the position. And, if you want to use the resume template, you’ve just got to supply some basic information so the site can tailor the document’s content for you.
(Image credit: LiveCareer)
5. LiveCareer
The 400 resume samples on LiveCareer (opens in new tab) are not easily accessible as plain text or a Microsoft Word document, but don’t fret. If you want to access the samples on this site, you can fill in your personal details, work and education history, and skills, and LiveCareer will use your chosen template to create a customized resume so you don’t have to do as much of the hard work.
Elsewhere, LiveCareer has guides for writing your own resume and more articles that offer advice on individual aspects of the document, so jobseekers can easily access pertinent information.
(Image credit: JobHero)
6. JobHero
This site lives up to its name by offering more than 5,000 resume examples (opens in new tab). That’s a mighty figure, and the samples can be navigated by popularity, industry, job title and level of seniority – so users can quickly find the documents they need.
Open a template and you’ll be able to create your resume with industry-specific skills and your own information, and the site also answers frequently asked questions about resumes and CVs.
(Image credit: MyPerfectResume)
7. MyPerfectResume
This straightforward resume site serves up hundreds of templates (opens in new tab) in dozens of different categories, so you’ll be able to find a suitable document when you want to apply to virtually any kind of job.
The site also has a superb step-by-step guide on writing a resume from scratch, which is perfect for crafting your own document. It also offers a resume-building tool that can build a document once you’ve provided some basic information about your career, education and skillset.
You won’t just find loads of resume samples here – the site has dozens of articles with tips and guidance on how to write your own. And if you do want to delve into the resume samples, you won’t have to register for the site. The Balance also caters for more unusual situations, like people who want to change careers, resumes for volunteering roles and resumes for stay-at-home parents.
(Image credit: EnhancV)
9. EnhancV
There are more than 500 free resume samples (opens in new tab) on this dedicated job-seeking site, and a search box makes it easy to find the right documents from the hundreds of different job titles and dozens of industries that EnhancV covers.
The site also offers a resume builder, which takes the pain out of putting your document together, and it has tips for writing a resume, advice on writing cover letters, and even career counseling resources.
(Image credit: Resume Worded)
10. Resume Worded
Resumes are all about the words, and this linguistic site has more than 250 resume samples (opens in new tab) that have been optimized to seamlessly navigate recruitment software. The documents here are written by recruiters, too, so you can be sure that they tick the right boxes.
Resume Worded covers jobs in a dozen big industries, and it has guides to individual jobs too – so you can be confident that you’re including the right information in your next resume. When you’re ready to use one of the templates on Resume Worded, you can see which HR professional approved the document, and then download the file in either PDF or Google Doc formats.
11. NovoResume
This online resume-building site has helped people land jobs at Google, Apple, Airbnb and the BBC, so it’s clearly got some pedigree – and that level of quality is obvious as soon as you head to the site’s database of resume examples.
The site’s templates (opens in new tab) are available in sixteen distinctive styles, from basic and straightforward documents to more adventurous and eye-catching designs. The resumes on offer cover a huge range of positions, with documents suitable for entry-level applications and executive job seekers, and you’ll also find templates suitable for different industries.
All of NovoResume’s templates are free to access and personalize, and the site has an impressive editing suite that can help you create and tweak your ideal resume. If you’re happy to pay the $20 monthly fee you’ll get access to the site’s Premium tier, and this allows you to create more resumes, use custom layouts and deploy more customization tools. That’s an ideal upgrade if you’re serious about building a rock-solid resume.
12. KickResume
KickResume is another resume-building site with a strong selection of free resumes for anyone to use.
Open the site’s resume example page (opens in new tab) and you’ll be able to access hundreds of different documents that cover every conceivable industry and level of seniority. And, impressively, many of the documents are real-world resumes that have secured people jobs at big companies, from Amazon to Dell.
Ultimately, KickResume serves up more than 1,500 resume examples, so you can be sure that the templates on offer here will work for you.
You can use KickResume’s document-creation tool to build your own document, and the CVs on this site are also available as plain text if you’d like to copy them into a word processor and design from scratch. Beyond this, KickResume offers resume-writing guides for a host of different industries, and if you upgrade to KickResume’s paid tiers you can create more documents, use different templates and use AI-powered checking tools.
Mike has worked as a technology journalist for more than a decade and has written for most of the UK’s big technology titles alongside numerous global outlets. He loves PCs, laptops and any new hardware, and covers everything from the latest business trends to high-end gaming gear.
It’s widely reported that 70% of all change initiatives fail. Lindsey Caplan and Josh Levine offer a framework for making change stick.
“Our employee survey results just came back, and it says they aren’t feeling valued. We need to do…something.” Our client seemed to be at a loss. She was grasping for an answer. “We have a 2-day slot in June—can you help us pull an event together where we can do something fun with recognition?”
We’ve been getting a lot of questions about employee retention lately. After addressing modern employment basics like work flexibility and refreshed perks, many leaders are asking how they can improve their culture to increase loyalty.
Culture change is a huge undertaking. Even the best strategy or culture platform can get waylaid on the way from plan to execution. Whether increasing trust among colleagues or helping front-line staff improve the customer experience, changing behaviours is a big task for leaders and employees. On top of that, it’s widely reported that 70% of all change initiatives like these fail.
To improve the odds of launching and implementing a successful culture change program—one with results that last more than a single quarter, answer these three questions first.
What do we want to be different?
It’s a common mistake for executives to begin the quest for change with the solution instead of the effect. When leaders jump too quickly to an answer—’better benefits!’ or ‘leadership off-site!’—they risk tiring staff and management with quick fixes that will likely fail.
Implementing a program without knowing why is like hitting the accelerator ignorant of the destination—you’ll be moving, but probably in the wrong direction. What every culture change program needs first is clarity of intent.
The leader of any initiative must first determine an outcome. The answer to “what do we want to be different?” should be concise, concrete, and supported by the behaviours that drive that change.
One recent example is from a B2B Fortune 500 financial services company whose CSAT scores had waned 15% over the past few years. Instead of starting with company-wide proclamations (the solution), they should clarify their intent first (the outcome). For them, an outcome statement might be, “To improve our customer satisfaction score by 10% in the next year, we need employees to understand our CX goals and their role in achieving them.”
Here are a few questions to get you started if you want to redefine success:
What would this change mean for the business?
What data can we cite to support this change effort? What will we be able to measure afterward to demonstrate the impact?
What do we need from the people we’re trying to affect? Why is that important?
How will we know we’ve succeeded? Will we be able to tell a before and after story?
What’s in it for employees?
Managers can issue mandates hoping to muscle employees into change, but lasting shifts in behaviour only stick when people understand how it will benefit them personally. This strong desire to help oneself is why every culture change program must answer the question employees will inevitably ask: What’s in it for me? (What we call WIIFM, for short.)
At a recent launch of new values at the DC Public Library, the organization’s executive director stood in front of a room of 80 leaders, describing the importance of the change. By enacting the values, he argued, the organization will improve how the staff works together and, in turn, be able to serve their community better. That is true, but only when the VP of HR stood to explain that she would be integrating these values into every staff member’s HR goals did these managers sit up a little straighter.
A higher aspiration like serving the customer is critical to light the spark of change, but to see it burn brightly beyond a few months, every employee must understand why it matters to them.
To uncover why employees should care about your change program, start by answering these questions:
What is being asked of employees, and how will this impact them?
How will the program change positively impact the employee’s day-to-day life?
How does this change connect to feedback employees have shared or business needs expressed?
What are examples of how a similar change has positively affected another team or respected organization?
What could get in the way of the change we want?
After a concrete outcome is defined and employees know “WIIFM,” let’s talk about what could go wrong. Challenges constantly thwart even the best-prepared teams on the best-planned route. One way to overcome these roadblocks is to recognize and remove obstacles before they are a problem. After all, we can commit to eating healthier, but it’s a lot harder if there are Oreos in the pantry.
Good intentions are a start but not the solution. Some forces keep us stuck in the status quo even with the best intentions. Stanford professors and organizational psychologists Jeffrey Pfeffer and Bob Sutton coined the “Knowing-Doing Gap” to describe a maxim of change—knowing better doesn’t equal doing better. The good news is that the prepared leader can close this gap.
After some cajoling on our part, that client we mentioned above–the one who’s employees didn’t feel valued–realized a rah-rah “re-invigorate our employees” event in June might spur positive feelings for a few days, but the energy would dissipate. Old habits would inevitably re-emerge as stressed managers demanded individuals hit their quarterly numbers. Additionally, we found that those same managers lacked the mechanisms to formally reward their team more than the once-a-year promotion and review cycle. Lasting change meant removing these behavioural roadblocks.
Managers’ formal expectations now include providing rewards and recognition, and they are going to be measured on their team’s employee survey scores (a clear WIIFM). Furthermore, our client worked with her team to provide all leaders with the tools and skills they needed to start recognizing their employees more frequently, including training on the importance of positive feedback and recognition. We worked with our client to weave specific behavioural tweaks into the day-to-day rhythm vs the ra-ra of a one-and-done event.
What challenges can you find and remove? Start here:
What existing systems or processes are at cross purposes with the desired change?
Who are my ‘blockers’—people who won’t be on my side unless included in the process?
What have we tried before, and why did that fail? And why did it succeed?
What skills, knowledge, or motivation may be lacking?
What might inhibit or contradict this change in our current policies or practices?
Pain is a powerful impetus for change, particularly when caused by organizational issues like high turnover or poor survey results. We understand why these moments feel like crises and why we rush to take immediate action. Don’t. At least not before answering these three questions: What do we want to be different? What’s in it for employees? What could get in the way of the change we want? You’ll drastically improve your odds of creating lasting change by defining a concrete goal, fuelling employee motivation, and gaining a clear view of the challenges that lie ahead.
Feature Image Credit: Richard Drury/Getty Images
By Lindsey Caplan and Josh Levine
Lindsey Caplan is a screenwriter turned organizational psychologist who helps HR and business leaders script their change efforts for the effect they want. Her forthcoming book, The Gathering Effect, is based on her research and consulting practice.
Josh Levine is a passionate advocate of all things company culture. He is the author of Great Mondays, one of BookAuthority’s best culture books of all time.
Fiver’s new launch, Togetherr, leverages AI to build optimized “dream teams” of creative talent for brands on individual projects.
For brands and agencies, putting together a dream team of talent has never been easier—at least, that’s the idea behind Togetherr.
Popular freelancer platform Fiverr teamed up with Tel Aviv-based advertising veteran Amir Guy to launch Togetherr. The platform’s algorithm, called the Creative Genome, builds virtual teams of highly skilled, independent talent and connects them with brands and agencies on an individual project basis.
Togetherr’s creators have compared its interface to fantasy football. “Togetherr allows brands to build creative teams that are tailored specifically to their needs… They are getting access to world class talent for any project they can imagine,” Guy told The Drum. “Togetherr gives brands what they need, faster, and with exceptional quality.”
The platform also provides freedom and flexibility to creatives by allowing them to choose the types of projects they want to partake in.
In addition to 30 micro-independent agencies, Togetherr’s growing portfolio counts over 1,100 vetted, award-winning creatives and ad industry leaders, who have worked on campaigns for Nike, Coca Cola, Apple and Netflix. The site launches today at Cannes.
Guy has spent over 25 years at creative agencies. Starting out at Young & Rubicam, he eventually climbed the ranks to take the helm of agency Grey, Israel, where he led regional accounts for P&G,Volkswagen and other brands.
It was here, Guy said, where the idea for Togetherr was born. After pitching the idea to Fiverr’s founders, they were happy to make it a reality.
How Togetherr works
When a client uses Togetherr, they’re immediately asked what they need, be it brand strategy and identity, creative concepting or something else. After making that choice, they can specify the channels they’re interested in, such as video, social or experiential.
Finally, the client inputs their industry, budget and brands that inspire them. That data helps Togetherr’s Creative Genome to quickly match the client to three teams of creatives best suited for their project.
Each team at least one creative lead and freelancers who have worked together previously, which ensures compatibility and punctuality among members.
A “dream team” built via Togetherr’s algorithm / Image credits: Fiverr + Togetherr
Togetherr’s future milestones
Guy has big dreams himself for this dream team model. Togetherr could also replace the advertising industry’s agency-of-record (AOR) model, which has gone stale over the past 25 years, he says.
“[AOR’s] hefty retainers, bloated head-count and overheads, combined with complex processes, is not meeting today’s client needs,” he saidsays. “Clients need a lot more for less, and faster. Trying to meet these needs without changing our industry’s complex system resulted in broken spirits and a lack of excitement.”
Although the site is officially live, Fiverr plans to continue to build out Togetherr’s platform and improve its AI, as well as add new talent that specializes in different areas, such as media buying and production.
“It’s also important to us to have talent from all over the world We want every team to be as diverse as possible.”
Feature Image Credit: Amir Guy, General Manager, Togetherr / Fiverr + Togetherr
Data science is a new interdisciplinary field of research that focuses on extracting value from data, integrating knowledge and methods from computer science, mathematics and statistics, and an application domain. Machine learning is the field created at the intersection of computer science and statistics, and it has many applications in data science when the application domain is taken into consideration.
From a historical perspective, machine learning was considered, for the past 50 years or so, as part of artificial intelligence. It was taught mainly in computer science departments to scientists and engineers and the focus was placed, accordingly, on the mathematical and algorithmic aspects of machine learning, regardless of the application domain. Thus, although machine learning deals also with statistics, which focuses on data and does consider the application domain, up until recently, most machine learning activities took place in the context of computer science, where it began, and which focuses traditionally on algorithms.
Two processes, however, have taken place in parallel to the accelerated growth of data science in the last decade. First, machine learning, as a sub-field of data science, flourished and its implementation and use in a variety of disciplines began. As a result, researchers realized that the application domain cannot be neglected and that it should be considered in any data science problem-solving situation. For example, it is essential to know the meaning of the data in the context of the application domain to prepare the data for the training phase and to evaluate the algorithm’s performance based on the meaning of the results in the real world. Second, a variety of population began taking machine learning courses, people for whom, as experts in their disciplines, it is inherent and essential to consider the application domain in data science problem-solving processes.
Teaching machine learning to such a vast population, while neglecting the application domain as it is taught traditionally in computer science departments, is misleading. Such a teaching approach guides learners to ignore the application domain even when it is relevant for the modelling phase of data science, in which machine learning is largely used. In other words, when students learn machine learning without considering the application domain, they may get the impression that machine learning should be applied this way and become accustomed to ignoring the application domain. This habit of mind may, in turn, influence their future professional decision-making processes.
For example, consider a researcher in the discipline of social work who took a machine learning course but was not educated to consider the application domain in the interpretation of the data analysis. The researcher is now asked to recommend an intervention program. Since the researcher was not educated to consider the application domain, he or she may ignore crucial factors in this examination and rely only on the recommendation of the machine learning algorithm.
Other examples are education and transportation, fields that everyone feels they understand. As a result of a machine learning education that does not consider the application domain, non-experts in these fields may assume that they have enough knowledge in these fields, and may not understand the crucial role that professional knowledge in these fields plays in decision-making processes that are based on the examination of the output of machine learning algorithms. This phenomenon is further highlighted when medical doctors or food engineers, for example, are not trained or educated in machine learning courses to criticize the results of machine learning algorithms based on their professionalism in medicine and food engineering, respectively.
We therefore propose to stop teaching machine learning courses to populations whose core discipline is neither computer science nor mathematics and statistics. Instead, these populations should learn machine learning only in the context of data science, which repeatedly highlights the relevance of the application domain in each stage of the data science lifecycle and, specifically, in the modelling phase in which machine learning plays an important role.
If our suggestion, to offer machine learning courses in a variety of disciplines only in the context of data science, is accepted, not only will the interdisciplinarity of data science be highlighted, but the realization that the application domain cannot be neglected in data science problem-solving processes will also be further illuminated.
Don’t teach machine learning! Teach data science!
By Orit Hazzan and Koby Mike
Orit Hazzan is a professor in the Technion’s Department of Education in Science and Technology; her research focuses on computer science, software engineering, and data science education. Koby Mikeis a Ph.D. student at the Technion’s Department of Education in Science and Technology; his research focuses on data science education.
The most boring person in the world has been discovered by University of Essex research – and it is a religious data entry worker, who likes watching TV, and lives in a town.
The peer-reviewed study into the science of boredom has uncovered the jobs, characteristics, and hobbies that are considered a stereotypical snooze.
After examining more than 500 people across five experiments researchers found the blandest jobs are seen as data analysis, accounting, cleaning and banking.
The paper – published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin – also discovered that religion, watching TV, bird watching, and smoking were amongst the dullest hobbies.
Boring people were also perceived to shun large settlements to live in small cities and towns
Led by the Department of Psychology’s Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg the research revealed that stereotypically boring people are generally disliked and avoided due to preconceptions.
And people may expect to be paid a minimum of £35-a-day to spend time with them as recompense.
He launched the study to explore the stigma of perceived boredom and how it can impact perceptions.
He said: “The irony is studying boredom is actually very interesting and has many real-life impacts.
“These paper shows how persuasive perceptions of boredom are and what an impact this can have on people.
“Perceptions can change but people may not take time to speak to those with ‘boring’ jobs and hobbies, instead choosing to avoid them.
“They don’t get a chance to prove people wrong and break these negative stereotypes.
“The very fact that people choose to avoid them can lead to social ostracization and increase loneliness leading to a really negative impact on their lives.”
The study also showed that being perceived as boring likely conveys low competence and low interpersonal warmth.
Those perceived as boring may thus be at greater risk of harm, addiction and mental health issues.
And despite the negative perception society needs people to perform roles such as accounting and banking.
“It was interesting to me to see the study showed that boring people were not seen as competent,” said Dr Van Tilburg.
“I would have thought that accountants would be seen as boring, but effective and the perfect person to do a good job on your tax return.
“The truth of the matter is people like bankers and accountants are highly capable and have power in society – perhaps we should try not to upset them and stereotype them as boring!”
Lists:
The top five most boring jobs:
1.) Data Analysis
2.) Accounting
3.) Tax/insurance
4.) Cleaning
5.) Banking
The top five most exciting jobs
1.) Performing arts
2.) Science
3.) Journalism
4.) Health professional
5.) Teaching
The top five most boring hobbies
1.) Sleeping
2.) Religion
3.) Watching TV
4.) Observing animals
5.) Mathematics
Feature Image Credit: The peer-reviewed study into the science of boredom has uncovered the jobs, characteristics, and hobbies that are considered a stereotypical snooze. (CREDIT: Creative Commons)
According to GlobalData, its 10% spam estimate is conservative but the firm acknowledged that “there is no conclusive way of knowing if a certain account is a bot or spam.” According to Sidharth Kumar, GlobalData senior data scientist, the discrepancy between Twitter’s internal sub-5% estimate and the GlobalData model’s 10% estimate is likely due to a difference in criteria as to what counts as “spam.”
“The precise proportion of spam accounts is difficult to compute, as it is almost impossible to confirm the identity of the entity behind a tweet handle,” Kumar said, adding that “the definition of a spam account may differ for everyone. Incessant tweeting of non-original content can be considered spam, but some may choose to see it as a very active user sharing articles/opinions.”
For the study, GlobalData analysed about 4 million recent tweets from a sample of 20,976 Twitter accounts to discern patterns — and concluded that 10.9% of those represented spam accounts. The firm’s model used multiple factors to determine whether a specific account was “spam,” including whether its tweets originated from third-party applications; whether it is Twitter Verified; number of tweets per day; proportion of retweets; the median time between any two tweets; the length of an account’s bio description; and proportion of links shared.
Wall Street has viewed Musk’s sudden interest in conducting due diligence about the spam/bot metric as an attempt to either back out of the acquisition or to drive the deal price down. Twitter has disclosed its estimate that spam and fake accounts represent less than 5% of its active users for years, dating back to its IPO filing in 2013.
In a series of tweets, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal responded to Musk’s questions about fake/spambot accounts, tweeting in part that “Unfortunately, we don’t believe that this specific estimation can be performed externally, given the critical need to use both public and private information (which we can’t share).”
Did you know that around 7 million blog posts and 500 million tweets are sent out every single day?
That equates to almost 5000 blogs per minute and 6000 tweets per second. In addition, you also have over 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute.
That’s a dizzying amount of content to compete with, and if you’re a content marketer, you’re at some point going to ask yourself the exasperating question, how am I going to cut through the noise and reach my target audience?
One thing to remember while creating content for your audience is that, in the end, they are human beings. To cut through the noise you can tap into human psychology. Here are 5 actionable strategies that can help you do just that.
1. Social Proof Theory
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon that consciously and unconsciously persuades you to adopt a belief or mimic the actions of a group of people you happen to like or trust.
According to Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, he states “we view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”
How to apply it in content marketing?
Social proof can be incorporated in several ways to boost your content marketing, you can either add social plugins or provide sharing buttons to your blog that displays the number of shares your content has generated. If your readers can see that some people have shared your post already, it’s quite likely that they will follow suit. Another quick way to apply social proof to your content marketing strategy is to highlight milestones on social media.
User-generated content like testimonials, reviews, and social media mentions each offers amazing avenues for leveraging social proof. Why? because they all highlight positive experiences and effectively signal to others that your content is trustworthy. Therefore, if you are lucky enough to boast these or any other forms of social proof, you should not shy away from it!
2. Information Gap Theory
Characterized as a disparity between what is known, and what needs to be known to make a comprehensive and reliable decision. This strategy can be used tactfully, to impact your content marketing.
Human psyche is such that when an individual identifies a gap in his/her knowledge or on a topic they care about, they will take the necessary course of action to find out what they need to know. This sort of behaviour is fuelled by natural human curiosity, which when tapped into strategically works wonders for content marketing.
How to apply it in content marketing?
You can leverage this theory by making your target audience more interested in your business. To help create an information gap, make sure to use gripping headlines and select engaging topics that pique your target audience’s interest. All your headlines must be ultra-specific, unique, and useful, they need to be able to fuel a sense of need and curiosity, take a cue from Neil Patel’s content.
Therefore, when you fashion a headline, try and test out a variety of options until you find a blend that encompasses all the attributes mentioned above. Then, the main too should do justice to the headline and provide the reader with valuable insights they desire. You can also utilize this psychological strategy to determine the answers your prospects are looking for and create content that addresses those topics.
3. Theory of Reciprocity
Within social psychology, reciprocity is described as the tendency of human nature to want to offer something when something is received. Essentially, when your content can offer individuals copious amounts of value, they might be fuelled by gratitude and might choose to return the favour. The key to this strategy lies in using the principle tactfully to trigger customers to behave in the way you desire.
How to apply it in content marketing?
When you think about it, with every blog post that you create, you give away valuable insights to your readers for free, but why just stop at that! You can go a step further to take advantage of reciprocity, you can create a few free podcasts, webinars, e-books, etc too. These insightful freebies, when used for performance support can get you a mention or a shout out on their social media or a link back to other blogs. They also act as amazing lead magnets that lure readers and potential customers to share their contact details. In short, if you can ingrain a sense of gratitude in your content, reciprocity will help you secure loyalty.
4. The Nudge Theory
Developed by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, this theory suggests that indirect suggestions and positive reinforcements play a pivotal role in influencing people’s decisions and actions. The success of this strategy relies on clever placement and timing to reinforce the prospect’s momentum. This approach guides prospects towards your content by launching them from other related services or products.
How to apply it in content marketing?
You could tactfully place call-to-action buttons or suggested articles on relevant content and advertising platforms with related products or services. A nudge can provide suggestions of what other converted users did or clicked next to streamline the customer journey. If a nudge towards an action happens to pop up at a natural point during the user experience, they are more likely to take the cue. Embedded nudges are useful for getting people to sign up or subscribe to your content.
5. The Frequency Illusion
The frequency illusion, or for many the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, is a sense of analytical bias wherein after you notice something for the first time, there is a tendency that it starts cropping up everywhere. The trick about this illusion is that your selective attention goes into overdrive. When it comes to content marketing, you can use it strategically to retarget your consumer.
How to apply it in content marketing?
To trigger the illusion, you need to make potential customers aware of your content through integrated campaigns. Distinctive headlines and short sharp hooks within the content supported by attention-grabbing visuals are crucial. You should create multiple pieces of content across several platforms that can reinforce the marketing message conveyed in each, which in turn creates the feeling of frequency.
Parting thoughts
At its core, marketing is in fact psychological manipulation, from colour palettes to hook phrases to streamlining the user experience, psychology helps marketers anticipate and even influence behaviour.
The reason behind using these psychological tactics is that it helps create a competitive advantage by providing audiences with valuable content that speaks to their wants, needs, and challenges.
You too could utilize these strategies to unravel the minds of your target audience and better grasp the universal motives that fuel human behaviour and desire.
Aditya Kathotia is the CEO of Nico Digital and the founder of Digital Polo. A polyglot of the digital marketing business, he has powered 500+ brands through transformative digital marketing strategies. His work has been featured on Entrepreneur, Hubspot, Business.com, Clutch, and many more. You can find him on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn
