In the hush of twilight's tender embrace, Where whispers dance with the stars' soft grace, A symphony of shadows, a celestial ballet, Awakens the poet's heart in the quietest array.

Moonlight weaves dreams in the tapestry of night, As the world sighs, wrapped in a silvered light. Stars, like verses in the cosmic rhyme, Paint tales of wonder in the canvas of time.

Beneath the ancient boughs, where secrets repose, Nature unfolds its verses, and the river flows. A gentle breeze, a muse in disguise, Whispers through the leaves, where poetry lies.

Mountains stand sentinel, their peaks touch the sky, A testament to time, where echoes of stories lie. Each crag, a stanza etched in stone, In the epic of landscapes, a ballad is sown.

Oh, the heart of a poet, an eternal seeker, In the alchemy of words, a truth speaker. Pen dipped in dreams, inked with desire, Unveiling the soul, setting creativity afire.

Through the seasons, in nature's embrace, Verses bloom, a perennial grace. For in every sunrise, in every twilight's glow, Lies a poetry of life, a rhythm to bestow.

So, let the words dance, let the metaphors sing, In the heart's ballroom, where emotions take wing. For in the tapestry of life, woven so fine, Resides the poetry of existence, a timeless design.

Hiriketiya When planning our two week trip to Sri Lanka, we pretty much split our time in half - spending our first week in the interior of the country and the latter by the coast, with the beaches being a big pull for us. Deciding where to base ourselves by the water was hard, with there being so many different beach towns and miles upon miles of beautiful coastline. We ended up staying in a few different spots, all of which were different and had something unique to add to our experience. Our first stop was a small and quiet bay called Hiriketiya. And what a gorgeous little spot it was. This was where we wanted to chill and enjoy the natural beauty of Sri Lanka. We stayed in a hotel (Jasper House) right next to the beach and spent the next few days relaxing, surfing and taking in the surrounding area. It was pretty magic and just what we needed after exploring the hills and ancient sites of Sri Lanka. next: classic and charming Galle. catching some fun ones curing fish in the sun local markets lunch at Dots Surf Cafe relaxing at Jasper House talalla beach taprobane island

Every illustration in this comic series takes inspiration from Van Gogh’s swirling masterpieces to share the brief moments of “beauty and love” in his tragic life.

Monstera plants are well-suited for beginners as they are simple to propagate and care for. If you own a Monstera plant and are interested in propagation, continue reading. This guide will provide you with the essential information to begin propagating your Monstera plants successfully!

Anxiety & Indian Parents

I first experienced anxiety when i was in school maybe in 9th standard.Growing up i was a bright and intelligent student and all of a sudden in standard 8th the growth started to drop down. I really thought about it but i didn't know what i was supposed to do and why it is happening then the first time i told my father about me feeling anxious and the anxiety hit me so hard and i don't feel the same as i was.

My father didn't understand and spoke to people like friends,family and more as he always does and they said these are all excuses for not studying.

At Last my parents believed the others opinion more than their own child and now if anything you are struggling that means you are making an excuse.

Feeling of burden

Being a girl in conservative house in India is meant to always feel anxious and uncomfortable. Too much pressure wear this, do this ,do that . Always comparison and life becoming a race to compete with people who you don't even know.

If you do well you are not appreciated you just given a mark some bonus point for the race and you are still running and keep on running .first running from your own feeling then family and then yourself .

Now i am 30 years old and i am accepting i don't feel best when i am round my family and i don't have any homesickness and i dont know is it good or bad but atleast quiet peaceful.

Now i'm 30 years old and according to indian that too old for marriage and now love marriage is fine but having a guy friend or interaction with guys were not fine my whole life .so the new competition is how many people are married and how many are in love relationship. You are a loser if you are not.

Let's hope to find someone.

Cheers!!!!

Lindsey Konchar has been friends with Caroline since Caroline's birth due to their mothers' long-standing friendship. Despite an age difference and attending different schools, their friendship persisted. When Caroline moved to New York and entered a seemingly troubling relationship, Konchar, a social worker, decided to express her concerns. However, the conversation didn't go well, leading to a period of non-communication. This situation reflects the ongoing debate about whether good friends should intervene when they believe their friend is making a detrimental decision.

The dilemma centers on the definition of a good friend. Some argue that being "scrupulously truthful" is the essence of friendship, while others believe that offering unconditional support and leaving unsolicited advice to family members is more appropriate. Philosophers like Alasdair MacIntyre emphasize the importance of truthfulness in friendship, considering it a duty to help friends navigate their blind spots and poor decision-making. On the contrary, Friedrich Nietzsche suggests that maintaining silence about a friend's errors is essential for friendships to survive.

Research in social psychology highlights the tension between these perspectives. While people expect and appreciate honesty from close friends, they also value unconditional support and validation. People often avoid confronting friends when issues arise, preferring loyalty or neglect instead. The "culture of passivity" characterizing most friendships arises from the voluntary and informal nature of these relationships, making it easier to dissolve them.

The reluctance to confront friends is evident in studies exploring how individuals handle relationship problems. While honesty is crucial for intimacy, respondents tended to opt for subdued approaches, prioritizing loyalty or neglect over direct confrontation. The preservation of friendships often involves avoiding potential conflict, even if honesty might benefit the friend in the long run.

However, some friendships manage to survive confrontations and even deepen as a result. Long-standing friendships, like Konchar and Caroline's, have a foundation of mutual trust, making it easier to speak openly. The concept of "idiosyncrasy credits" suggests that strong relationships allow friends to deviate from societal norms, offering the privilege of difficult honesty.

In practical terms, committing to unflinching honesty in friendships, as advocated by MacIntyre, presents risks, as friendship comes with no guarantees. It is a gift where nothing is owed, only offered. While extending honesty to a friend may risk rejection, it can also lead to the closest and most meaningful friendships. Ultimately, navigating the balance between truthfulness and support is a complex aspect of friendship that each person must negotiate based on their understanding of what it means to be a good friend.

"The root cause of men's issues is memory," asserts martial artist Huang Yaoshi, a character in Wong Kar-wai's arthouse classic Ashes of Time (1994). The film delves into the interplay of remembering and forgetting, portraying an anonymous desert whose shifting sandscape symbolizes a geological palimpsest, inscribing and erasing memory simultaneously. In today's era of information overload, individuals find themselves ensnared in a technoscape dominated by an attention economy that is constantly changing.

In Lawrence Lek's ongoing 'episodic virtual world' Nepenthe Valley (2022–), ruins blending ancient and futuristic architectural elements are set against a digital 'natural' landscape. Named after the Ancient Greek mythical potion of forgetting, the project explores the prospect of therapeutic oblivion through gaming, investigating the 'doorway effect' – a psychological phenomenon where memory fades during transitions between virtual and actual spaces. The virtual ruins, eerily familiar yet strange, are surrounded by sublime hilly simulations, providing spaces for mental exploration, akin to Simonides's method of loci, linking information to mental images of places.

If Nepenthe Valley represents an experiment in futuristic mnemonic mechanisms, aaajiao's Memory Vending Machine (2009) speculates on the future of memory. Rooted in the artist's exploration of nanotechnology and biotechnology, the artwork envisions a fictional 'invention' – a gashapon (capsule toy vending machine) selling 'nanobots' that, when inhaled, introduce new memory zones to users' brains. This sci-fi concept, while fantastical, also hints at a potential near-future reality.

Today, some individuals, constrained by limited human memory capacity, are already turning to externalizing memories to the Cloud. Viewing memory as a neurochemical and psychological process, scientists are exploring synthetic DNA as a medium for digital information storage, a technology that could significantly condense and durable memory storage. This raises questions about memory authorship, revision, and the preservation of privacy.

The integration of synthetic DNA technology might usher in a new era of technological and corporeal fusion. Could there be a future where massive amounts of externally stored memories are 'downloaded' into human bodies seamlessly? With advancements blurring the lines between the coding of the Cloud and the genetic coding of DNA, there arises the potential for a 'doorway effect,' where individuals might forget their physical bodies. Questions emerge about ownership, editing, interpretation, and presentation of memories stored in DNA and synchronized across digital devices.

Sci-fi narratives have long explored futuristic conceptions of memory. Magnetic Rose, part of Memories (1995), and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) both touch on the externalization of memory and the blurring of boundaries between human and artificial intelligence. These narratives depict memories bleeding beyond the physical, creating and storing new memories.

J.G. Ballard's The Drowned World (1962) imagines memory's role in the clash between human and terrestrial memory amidst a drowned world. The novel explores the tension between human recollections and Earth's geological memory, envisioning a future where wilderness engulfs urbanscapes and memories of the past disintegrate.

In Ted Chiang's 'Exhalation' (2008), consciousness is portrayed as a pattern of airflow on a metaphorical tablet, suggesting that memories are patterns between neurons. As the externalization of memories blurs the lines between personal memories and global data, questions arise about whether remembering everything means remembering nothing.

In a future where understanding consciousness, neuroscience, and time undergo drastic developments, and internal and externalized memories converge, will individuals forget themselves? Will they continually reinvent ways to encode memories, echoing Borges's 'Funes the Memorious' (1954)?

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then a GIF is worth ten thousand. The right GIF can convey a nuanced emotion, reflect your personality, showcase your preferences, and even make a culturally relevant statement – all within a 1-2 second video loop. Unlike emojis, GIFs, with their ubiquity and accessibility, have given rise to a thriving creative community. In today's society, they stand as one of the most interacted-with creative formats.

The era of GIFs accessible to everyday users began around 2003-2004, marking a significant shift in their usage without the fear of legal repercussions (more on that drama shortly). Considering the 18 years that followed, it's astonishing to trace the evolution – from simple 'under construction' animations on website homepages to micro-narratives resonating with universal sentiments, individually viewed by billions worldwide.

In the early days of the internet, hosting animations was hindered by file size limitations. However, the demand for it spurred technologists to seek a solution. In 1987, CompuServe introduced the GIF format, and shortly after, the first-ever animated GIF, depicting a plane flying through the sky. GIFs' compression capabilities made them ideal for early web pages, overcoming the file size challenge.

The mid-90s marked a pivotal moment when CompuServe and Unisys patented the GIF format, demanding licensing fees from users. This sparked a rebellion as it contradicted the open-source ethos of the internet, causing an overnight decline in GIF usage. This upheaval opened doors for creative practitioners, like those at Macromedia, to explore alternatives. Lisa Gelobter, a technologist at Macromedia, played a pivotal role in developing compression technology for Shockwave, liberating designers and animators from restrictions and fueling the explosion of creativity on the web.

As the web gained mainstream popularity in 1993, GIFs found their stride. However, in 1994, the patent controversy led CompuServe and Unisys to claim licensing fees, causing a temporary setback. Meanwhile, GIFs were quietly used in early web designs, featuring loading bars, 'under construction' signs, and expressive elements. With the launch of Yahoo! Geocities in 1994, web newbies flooded the scene, experimenting with GIFs to add life and vibrancy to their pages.

The patent expiration in 2004 freed GIFs from restrictions, bringing them back into the mainstream. Platforms like Tumblr, launched in 2007, provided a space for users to share multimedia content, and GIFs became a prominent means of expression. The introduction of stickers on Facebook in 2015 and Instagram in 2018 further elevated the status of GIFs. Dani Newman, director of artist partnerships at Giphy, emphasizes the platform's role in reflecting current culture and societal trends.

Giphy Studios collaborates with diverse artists, from VR specialists to painters, expanding the possibilities of GIF creation. Erma Fiend, a successful contemporary GIF artist, attests to the power and entertainment value of the medium. The short, isolated format of GIFs enables artists like Erma to explore a myriad of themes, contributing to personal growth and self-expression.

As GIFs continue to play a crucial role in modern communication, innovators are pushing boundaries. Giphy has introduced sound effects and music to some GIFs, while creators explore ways to make GIFs more interactive in digital design. The history and evolution of GIFs suggest an exciting future filled with creative potential and untapped possibilities.

The term "bedtime procrastination" might be unfamiliar, but chances are you're familiar with the concept because you likely engage in it frequently.

If you've ever stayed up later than planned to watch TV, scroll through social media, grab a late-night snack, or do anything other than simply go to sleep, you've experienced bedtime procrastination. It's a small act of self-rebellion that you know will have consequences in the morning, yet you indulge in it because, well, you deserve some time to relax and have fun.

According to Charissa Chamorro, PhD, a New York-based clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety and sleep issues, nighttime often serves as the only downtime, making it tempting to indulge in non-work/non-family activities that bring enjoyment. Engaging in activities of your choice before bed gives you a sense of control, which can be gratifying after fulfilling daily obligations.

However, the downside is compromising on the quantity and quality of sleep, with potential consequences such as increased fatigue the next day, as indicated by a December 2022 systematic review in Sleep Medicine Reviews. Bedtime procrastination also raises the likelihood of oversleeping in the morning, disrupting your sleep-wake cycle and making it challenging to sleep on time the following night.

If you're looking to overcome the urge to procrastinate at bedtime, consider the following strategies:

Connect Goals to Values: Tie your goal of going to bed on time to your values. Recognize that your bedtime is your choice, and staying up unnecessarily only harms yourself. Write down your top three values and how they relate to getting sufficient sleep. For example, if family is important to you, adequate sleep enhances your presence with them.

Schedule Personal Time: Allocate at least 15 minutes of scheduled personal time each day. Creating time for relaxation or enjoyment during the day makes it easier to commit to bedtime when needed.

Set an Earlier Alarm: Set your alarm 15 to 30 minutes earlier. This not only provides a dedicated slot for personal time in the morning but also increases the likelihood of adhering to your bedtime. Waking up earlier strengthens the drive to sleep at night, making it easier to choose sleep over other evening activities.

Limit Phone Use Before Bed: Recognizing that many of us procrastinate bedtime by spending time on our phones, consider setting an alarm one hour before bedtime. When the alarm goes off, switch your phone to airplane mode and engage in more relaxing activities, such as a bedtime power hour or gentle stretching.

By understanding your motivations and incorporating intentional strategies, you can cultivate better bedtime habits and prioritize the sleep your body needs.

🌍🌡️ Climate Change and Public Health: Urgent Discussions at COP28 🌱👥

In a historic move, the annual U.N. climate summit COP28 is prioritizing the profound impact of climate change on public health. Government ministers are set to engage in crucial discussions on safeguarding communities from climate-driven health threats, which pose a significant risk of eroding decades of progress in public health.

💔 Challenges Ahead: Threats to Global Well-being

By 2030, experts predict that four key threats—malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress—could collectively contribute to a staggering annual increase of 250,000 deaths globally, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). The intersection of extreme weather events and public health is becoming increasingly apparent.

🌪️ Extreme Weather Events as Health Disasters

"Extreme weather events are becoming extreme health events," emphasizes Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More, underscoring the critical link between climate and health. From heat stress to the proliferation of disease-carrying mosquitoes, the repercussions are far-reaching.

🦟 Vector-Borne Diseases: Spreading Threats Across Borders

Rising temperatures and heavy rains are facilitating the migration of mosquitoes carrying diseases such as dengue, malaria, West Nile, and Zika to new regions. Dengue cases, for instance, surged from half a million in 2000 to over 5 million in 2019, according to the WHO. In 2023 alone, Brazil witnessed a 73% increase in cases compared to the five-year average, with Bangladesh grappling with an unprecedented dengue outbreak.

🔍 Looking Ahead: A Call to Action

As COP28 unfolds, the imperative to address the intertwining challenges of climate change and public health has never been more urgent. Governments worldwide must strategize and collaborate to mitigate the escalating threats, ensuring the well-being of communities and safeguarding the progress achieved in global public health.

#COP28 #ClimateChange #PublicHealth #GlobalWellBeing #ClimateAction #Healthcare #ClimateSummit

🧠💡 Navigating the AI Writing Landscape: Beyond Efficiency to Preserve Creative Essence 🚀📝

The rise of generative AI, marked by OpenAI's ChatGPT launch in November 2022, has stirred concerns and debates. From fears of increased student cheating to worries about unemployment in creative fields, the impact of AI on human expression has been a subject of intense scrutiny. But beyond the immediate anxieties, a deeper question emerges: What happens when AI becomes a significant player in the act of writing?

📚 Writing's Transformative Effect on Minds and Brains

Historically, writing has been a catalyst for profound changes in human thought. The development of writing and the spread of literacy have shaped our brains, enabling reflection, logical thinking, and the creation of tangible texts. The literate brain, capable of using writing as a canvas for thoughts, empowers individuals to articulate and refine their ideas.

💻 AI as an Editor: Balancing Potency and Peril

As AI takes on the role of an editor, questions arise about the trustworthiness of its suggestions and the potential impact on personal writing voice. Tools like Grammarly and Microsoft Editor, infused with OpenAI's GPT models, offer potent editing capabilities. However, the reliability of AI edits and the risk of losing individuality in writing voice demand careful consideration.

🔄 Beware of Deskilling and Preserve Writing as a Craft

The convenience of AI editing should not overshadow the importance of continuous practice in writing. AI's role should complement human abilities, not lead to degradation. Retaining the craft of writing involves ongoing commitment and recognition of its value, especially in personal expression and artistic endeavors.

📝 Commitment and Collaboration with AI: Striking the Right Balance

Acknowledging AI's potential to enhance writing efficiency, individuals must assess their level of commitment. While AI tools like ChatGPT can reduce time spent on writing tasks and improve outcomes, the extent to which one is willing to accept algorithmic edits or generated text varies. The collaborative venture with AI demands a nuanced approach.

🤖 Preserving the Essence of Human Sentience in Writing

While AI excels in impersonal writing tasks, the core motivations for human writing delve deeper. Writing serves as a means to look outward, convey perspectives on the human condition, and look inward to understand our thoughts. Human motivations, emotions, and sentience form the foundation of writing that AI lacks.

🖋️ Craftsmanship in Writing: A Precious Tool to Shape Minds and Ideas

In the quest for efficiency, it's crucial not to lose sight of the essence of writing as a craft. Each word, sentence, and punctuation mark contributes to the nuanced art of expression. As AI becomes more integrated into the writing process, the balance between efficiency and preserving the precious tool of writing must be maintained.

🚀 Conclusion: Embrace AI Collaboration, Safeguard Writing's Essence

Partnering with AI in writing is a step into the future, but it should be done with a mindful approach. As technology evolves, let's not compromise the invaluable role that writing plays in shaping minds, articulating ideas, and connecting us as humans. In the dynamic landscape of AI and writing, finding the right balance ensures that efficiency and creativity coexist harmoniously.

#AIWriting #Creativity #HumanExpression #WritingCraft #AIEditing #Collaboration #ArtOfWriting

🚀 Empowering Agility: Rethinking Decision-Making in Agile Organizations 🔄

The term "Agile" has become synonymous with project management methodologies, with 97% of organizations embracing it in some form, according to the 15th State of Agile Report. However, as companies grow, agility often transforms into inertia, hindered by bureaucracy and fragmented decision-making processes.

🤔 The Dilemma: Decision-Making Challenges in Agile Environments

Traditionally, decision-making has been a top-down function, leading to delayed or unresolved issues. Many organizations grapple with a "List" where decisions languish unaddressed. The key challenge lies in fostering a culture where decisions can be made effectively at all levels, preventing a culture of indecision and avoidance.

⚡ Competitive Advantage through Swift Decision-Making

Faster and better decision-making provides a competitive edge, allowing organizations to seize opportunities swiftly. However, a company's agility is only as strong as its least flexible team. To address this, a paradigm shift is necessary in how organizations approach decision-driven work.

🎯 Three Critical Requirements for Transformative Decision-Making:

1️⃣ Different Priorities: Better decisions begin with effective categorization and prioritization. Utilizing tools like the Eisenhower Matrix helps categorize decisions based on urgency and importance. This empowers teams to act promptly on urgent matters, schedule important yet non-urgent decisions, delegate less critical tasks, and eliminate unnecessary decisions.

2️⃣ Information Thresholds: Complex decisions often require information from various silos, leading to information overload. To counter this, leaders should focus on what information is needed rather than what employees already know. Emphasizing "good enough" information over perfection accelerates decision-making, as evidenced by studies showing faster decisions and improved outcomes.

3️⃣ Clear Objectives: Decision-making objectives provide a framework for measuring the quality of decisions. Objectives should not only measure results but guide the decision-making process itself. Leaders must ensure alignment when objectives conflict, fostering a culture where decision-making is guided by strategic importance.

🌐 Building a Culture of Agility: Lessons from Formula E Racing Team

Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director of Formula E racing team Envision Racing, emphasizes empowering employees at all levels to make decisions autonomously. This approach creates a culture where decisions don't solely rely on executives, fostering a nimble organization capable of quick responses.

🌟 Strategic Intervention for a Stronger Culture of Agility

While every leader acknowledges the need for a more agile culture, intentional intervention is required to overcome hierarchical barriers. A Gallup study highlights that one in five employees feels hindered by a hierarchical culture in decision-making. The decision to change lies in the hands of organizational leaders.

🚀 Conclusion: Transforming Decision-Making for Agile Excellence

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to make decisions swiftly and effectively is paramount. By rethinking and retooling decision-driven work, organizations can not only preserve but enhance their agility, positioning themselves for success in a dynamic environment.

#AgileTransformation #DecisionMaking #Leadership #AgilityCulture #BusinessInnovation

🎉 Celebrating One Year of ChatGPT: The Unseen Game-Changer in Tech! 🚀

Reflecting on the past year, ChatGPT, introduced by OpenAI, has quietly become one of the most impactful innovations in the modern technology era. Unlike flashy product launches, ChatGPT entered the scene without grand announcements, yet it has reshaped the tech landscape in ways no one anticipated.

🌐 A Year of Transformation:

In the twelve months since its launch, ChatGPT has ushered in changes across the entire technology industry. Despite a decline in venture-capital investing, companies incorporating "AI" in their pitch decks raised a staggering $17.9 billion in the third quarter alone. The AI boom has become a focal point, with companies like Anthropic, Midjourney, and Pika leading the way in various domains.

🚀 ChatGPT's Unforeseen Impact:

ChatGPT's simplicity belies its tremendous success. Despite occasional reliability issues, it garnered a million users within five days, reaching an impressive milestone of 100 million users every week. Remarkably, ChatGPT has not only revolutionized consumer technology but also evolved into a billion-dollar business model for OpenAI.

💡 AI Reshaping Big Tech:

Major tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta, have embraced AI as a cornerstone of their strategies. AI has influenced everything from search engines to virtual assistants, and companies are pouring resources into AI-related endeavors. Even Apple, traditionally less aggressive in this domain, is signaling increased focus on AI, particularly in enhancing Siri.

🔍 AI's Current State and Future Challenges:

While AI's potential is widely acknowledged, it's crucial to note that current technology still has limitations. Large language models sometimes "hallucinate" information, and AI-generated content often exhibits machine-made characteristics. Despite the rapid progress, achieving superhuman Artificial General Intelligence remains uncertain.

💭 The Dilemma of Responsibility:

As the AI revolution accelerates, questions of responsibility and purpose emerge. Balancing shareholder value with societal benefits becomes a critical consideration. The tension between maximizing profits and ensuring AI's positive impact on humanity is a challenge for tech leaders worldwide.

🌍 AI's Cultural and Legal Implications:

AI's influence extends beyond technology into cultural and legal realms. Lawsuits involving AI-generated content underscore the inadequacy of existing copyright laws in addressing AI-related issues. As AI becomes increasingly pervasive, discussions on its role as a tool, collaborator, or creator intensify.

🚀 What Lies Ahead:

As the AI industry moves into its next phase, expect rapid developments in AI technology, infrastructure, and consumer gadgets. The coming year promises an acceleration of advancements as companies explore new applications and innovations.

In the grand scheme of things, ChatGPT's impact goes beyond a successful product launch. It symbolizes a transformative moment in history, subtly altering our trajectory into an AI-driven future. The world may not have seen it coming, but the effects of ChatGPT are undoubtedly profound.

#ChatGPT #AIRevolution #TechInnovation #OpenAI #ArtificialIntelligence