Category Archives: Mind Uploading

According to the Office for National Statistics the number of people in work fell by 220,000 between April and June of this year.

The coronavirus crisis has led to the biggest quarterly drop in employment since May to July 2009, when the country found itself amidst the global financial crisis and deep in a major recession.

What differs between now and then though, is the supposed job security that some of us were operating under, was a false pretence.

Some have found themselves being made redundant; others were somewhat lucky enough to retain 80% of their wages through the furlough scheme.

One thing for certain though, its that the pandemic has forced people think about the fragility of their once safe job.

Many people found themselves surprisingly without work, despite being a core employee outside of these unusual times.

This startling realisation has led to people up-and-down the country taking their future into their own hands; some even making some very drastic lifestyle choices.

One person who has done this is Carlo Schembri, a former FTSE 100 employee from London, who after being made redundant twice in the space of three months, has set up an eco-friendly yoga mat company with his wife, Rachel.

He explains that the business has allowed him to escape the rat race of the corporate business world.

The pandemic has made me realise that working for another company is not as safe as I had originally thought, he begins.

"The pandemic has also made me realise the importance of being with family. In my previous role, I was constantly travelling and as I was unable to travel during the pandemic, it made me realise how much time I was missing with my son, which is why since then, I have been so keen to find something where I could either work close to home or from home.

I was living in Singapore then Dubai up until two years ago, where I was used to a work life that was both flexible and a 10 minute commute to work, which was very different to how I experienced work life in the UK prior to that, he added.

Afterwards, Carlo and his wife decided to set up Posey Yoga, a luxury yoga mat company that focuses on producing quality, environmentally friendly products.

Whilst Carlo confesses it started out as a side business before the pandemic, the mat company is now his full time focus as a result of the lockdown.

I was made redundant after five and half years just before Covid, as the real estate market in the Middle East was suffering, he starts. The next three months I was working from home which gave me some extra time to work on the mats, which was when the business really took off. Three months later I was made redundant again, I couldn't bear going through the whole job hunting process again, especially when everyone else was being made redundant, so I took the plunge and decided to take on the business full time.

The pandemic has been tough for all of us but I managed to find something positive out of it. I wouldn't have taken the opportunity to start my own business if the pandemic didn't happen, which is something that I always wanted to do, he added.

Another person who chanced on an alternative future is Christian Azolan, who after completing a degree in fashion design, entered the corporate world working for a number large global companies as a brand marketer and content specialist.

Following the end of a rental contract, and the need to visit his ill mother before the impending lockdown occurred, Christian made a decision not so dissimilar to Carlos.

I took the opportunity as my contract came to an end and I had to make plans to move back home and live with my mum, she was ill and I entered into lockdown with her and my fianc, he begins.

He was working at Just Eat HQ so was not on furlough, so his job was safe and I knew I could depend on him fully. No ifs, butts or judgment, he had my back one-hundred percent no matter what I decided to do.

I made the drastic lifestyle choice and it was a combination of circumstance and timing and I just knew I wanted to be doing something that would make me happy for years to come. I decided to open up my own limited edition illustration business, he added.

After signing up for over 10 online courses, webinars, and training events, taking advantage of many discounts available during lockdown such as the one offered by companies like Skillshare, Christian spoke to his fianc about prices and they worked out margins, mark-up, and profit. It didnt take long, however, for his new skill to flourish alongside his new business.

I started spreading the word to my friends and family and eventually when my shop went live, I started getting traffic from people buying my art from all around the world, he says enthusiastically.

I've had collectors buying from France, Germany, South Africa, Spain, Denmark, Australis, and the USA. I started to approach online retailers that I knew I wanted to work with like Wayfair iamfy; both have signed me up to work with them and to create wall art collections for them which is so exciting as I have only been going since March.

Christians story is slightly different to that of Dan Jowett, a graphic designer based in Leeds who was already in the creative industries prior to the pandemic.

After he too was furloughed from his job at a design agency, where he amassed some of his sixteen years worth of experience, Dan founded Pixel Lab a fully registered design agency despite admitting to only starting for fun.

To keep my mind active, I started created designs for t-shirts, uploading them to third party sites like teespring and Redbubble, he begins. I mostly did this for fun, but the t-shirts started selling across the globe which was an incredible feeling. I was made redundant in July and with my newfound love of creating my own designs and income from it, I decided to expand my offering into a full-service design business.

"I started by registering my limited company, Pixel Lab on Companies House, built my own website and social media graphics and reached out to local connections to let them know what I was doing and so far, so good.

I'm definitely much happier as a result of the change, its something I've always wanted to do. Working for myself is quite a liberating feeling and, even though its scary, I would highly recommend it, he added.

Whilst Dan is happy, he did throw caution to the wind; undertaking quite a considerable change in being his own boss for the first time. He admits this doesnt come without its pitfalls, but its how you adjust to the new way of working that counts.

The negative impact is not knowing where my next project is going to come from due to the current climate, however that pushes me forward to come up with different ways to look for new business. Being out of my comfort zone is a good thing, it helps me be more creative.

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Change in a time of crisis? MM meets those taking their future into their own hands post-pandemic - Mancunian Matters

JD(U) is set to launch an exclusive digital platform, JDUlive.com, for canvassing ahead of October-November Bihar assembly elections keeping in mind the limited scope for campaigning on the ground in the view of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and the detailed guidelines issued by the election commission mindful of the changed circumstances.

The digital platform, which the party insiders claim to be one of its kind for any political outfit in the state and also the country, will be launched with chief minister Nitish Kumars virtual meet, expected next month. Kumar is also JD(U) national president.

We planned this with the help of a group of IITians from Bihar to utilise the lockdown period, as there was a clear indication that campaigning this time wont be the same as before due to the pandemic. JDUlive.com will redefine the mode of communication with the masses in the digital era, said a senior party leader, pleading anonymity.

The platforms current integral on-boarding capacity is one lakh live viewers for a digital /virtual public rally. This can be expanded up to 10 lakh (one million) participants for any given live interaction in the future, said the leader, adding the global lockdown necessitated out-of-the-box solutions for public campaigning.

The platform can easily evolve as a dedicated communication channel to engage not just with party cadres but also the general public. In this context, a Live.tv menu on the portal is to enable any person to share any positive video or news item which, upon approval by the portals administrator, can get posted online. This will provide a single point source of positive news to the media, too.

Platforms like Zoom, Google meet, etc, have gained huge popularity as the preferred modes for organising public meets, but being third party service providers, there are obvious limitations on using them, said party leaders.

It is Janata Dal Uniteds own video conferencing platform which supports both way video communication. Developed entirely by local talents, it qualifies both as a true Make in India and a Make in Bihar product; and a platform with no dependence on any foreign or public platforms like Zoom, Google, etc., said a senior party leader.

Besides hosting live public rallies and /or private conferences, this party portal can be used as an interface with the public and for holding regular meetings with party cadres.

Also Read:BJPs plan for Bihar assembly polls involves careful study of the voters list

On the JDULive.com website, both party functionaries and people can put their views, such as through the Virtual Survekshan (survey) menu designed for Digital Survey, said those handling the digital set up.

AlsoRead:NDA to fight Bihar polls under Nitish Kumars leadership: Nadda

Data on the portal is being updated so it serves as a database of party functionaries down to the booth levels. It will be a storehouse of information, including development works in various spheres, speeches of the national president, yatras of Nitish Kumar, etc, they said.

The right to the platform will only be given to authorised party functionaries from the state and district levels for uploading and managing data and information relating to their respective jurisdictions.

Excerpt from:

Designed by IITians, JD(U)s digital campaigning platform is first of its kind - Hindustan Times

Teachers are not only crucial to opening up a students mind to the curriculum, but also experience a whole different world. A good teacher can make all the difference to a students life and future.

Some teachers often beyond their call of duty to make education better and fun for their students. We list a few teachers in India, who have gone out of their way to help their students.

Kashmir (Representational image)

A mathematics teacher residing in Kashmir, Muneer wakes up at 4:30 am these days, drives to Srinagars Old Town area with a whiteboard stand and walks 500 metres into the green cover of the forest.

Here, he conducts an open-air mathematics class, which attracts many students in and around the town. The classes are conducted early in the day so students can return home before the sun gets brighter.

While he tried taking his classes at his place, but it wasnt feasible due to the many batches. So, he adopted this open-air system, where children can bring their own chairs or mats.

Representational image

Fondly called Madhu, Murali Krishnan is anAssistant Section Officer at the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, who has been giving PSC training classes to students free of cost.

Thanks to his efforts, both his friends cleared the exam. Soon, word got out and Murali was teaching more students aspiring for government jobs. In the last 25 years, he has helped more than 5,000 students clear the PSC exam for free.

Now, due to the constraints brought about by the pandemic, he has created aYouTube channel called Future College Online, and has been uploading videos of PSC-related topics with the help of his students.

In the Dahod district of Gujarat, 60 out of the 87 students in classes 3-5 in a local primary school do not have access to internet facilities. As a result, taking classes online during the pandemic was impossible. But a primary school teacher changed the scenario.

During these classes, Jadeja makes it a point to pause and engage the students with questions and activities. He also gives them homework to keep them up to date.

Jadeja is one among the 30 teachers in the district who have gone out of their way to conduct classes for their students.

Representational image

A cop by profession, Vinod Dikshit took on the mantle of a teacher for one boy during the lockdown. Vinod met his student while patrolling through a notorious neighbourhood in Indore.

So, the Station House Officer teaches the boy Mathematics and English to help him achieve his dream.

Do you have a teacher who changed your life?

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These Indian teachers are braving multiple challenges to ensure their students continue to learn - YourStory

The 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections will be the first Indian state to hold election campaigns and rallies virtually. In this episode, JD(U) is set to launch an exclusive digital platform, JDUlive.com, keeping in mind the limited scope for campaigning on the ground in the view of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and the detailed new guidelines issued by the election commissionof India.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the party insiders claimed that the newly developed election oriented digital platform is one of its kind and will be launched by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a virtual meeting next month.

We planned this with the help of a group of IITians from Bihar to utilise the lockdown period, as there was a clear indication that campaigning this time wont be the same as before due to the pandemic. JDUlive.com will redefine the mode of communication with the masses in the digital era, said a senior party leader, pleading anonymity.

The platforms current integral on-boarding capacity is one lakh, live viewers, for a digital /virtual public rally. This can be expanded up to 10 lakh (one million) participants for any given live interaction in the future, said the leader, adding the global lockdown necessitated out-of-the-box solutions for public campaigning.

According to the report, the platform will allow to engage not just with party cadres but also with the general public. In this context, a Live.tv menu on the portal is to enable any person to share any positive video or news item which, upon approval by the portals administrator, can get posted online. This will provide a single point source of positive news to the media as well.

Platforms like Zoom, Google meet, etc, have gained huge popularity as the preferred modes for organising public meets, but being third party service providers, there are obvious limitations on using them, said party leaders.

On the JDULive.com website, both party functionaries and people can put their views, such as through the Virtual Survekshan (survey) menu designed for Digital Survey, said those handling the digital set up.

The platform can only be accessed by the party functionaries from the state and district levels for uploading and managing data and information relating to their respective jurisdictions.

More:

Bihar Assembly Election 2020: Designed by IITians, JD(U)s virtual campaigning platform first of its kind - Newsd.in

The lockdown has no doubt meant a lot of decluttering as Britons were forced to spend more time at home. But with the final Bank Holiday weekend of the summer coming up, it may be time for another clear out - and its a good chance to make some extra cash. Martin Lewis has revealed his top tips for selling your unwanted items online.

In the latest Money Saving Expert (MSE) newsletter, the expert has shared how you could make hundreds of pounds if you put your mind to it this weekend.

The journalist has compiled two comprehensive guides on the MSE website to provide sellers with a crash course on how to make the most money on auction sites and social media marketplaces.

MSE revealed that sellers regularly post in the eBay forum to say they make hundreds of pounds a year simply by listing unwanted goods on the popular website.

So if youre planning a wardrobe clear out or even think you have a few antiques or household items that are going to waste, heres what Martins team recommend in order to get the cash rolling in.

READ MORE:Martin Lewis explains if now is a good time to buy a home

While eBay is the best-known website for selling second-hand goods around the globe, Facebook is quickly catching up as one of the most popular platforms because it could save sellers money.

Facebook groups and Facebook Marketplace wont charge any fees, so you get to keep all the cash, while eBay takes 10 percent of the total transaction.

However, Facebook works best if youre selling locally - a little like Gumtree - whereas eBay gives you a wider audience since buyers are expecting to get the item posted.

The MSE team recommended selling anything and everything rather than putting it in the bin.

Many shoppers will be looking for spare parts, or will be happy to buy something cheap and fix it themselves.

Even used carrier bags, magazine cosmetic samples and broken toys can be sold, according to the money-saving team.

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Martins top tip for anyone looking around their home for things to sell is to apply a one-year rule.

If you havent used something for 12 months, its time to sell it.

However, not everything will necessarily fly off the online shelves.

The expert advised that new items, still wrapped in cellophane or with tags on, will sell for a higher price.

Branded goods will also sell better as buyers will trust the label - so make sure you include brand names in your listing to boost its search rankings.

You can also offer whats called a job lot if you have lots of similar items, such as a heap of baby clothes - simply sell them as a bundle to save time.

While it may seem like it was just a few years ago for some, many items from the 1990s are already considered to be vintage - which means all your childhood favourites could now be worth hundreds.

Martin revealed that 90s music clothing such as a Nirvana t-shirt could sell for up to 600, while an old pair of Dr Martens boots or Laura Ashleys heritage dresses could fetch up to 150.

Old gadgets are also more popular than ever, with Sony Walkmans selling for up to 350 and even original iPods could make you almost 200.

Your retro toys could fetch a tidy sum too - dig out your My Little Ponies, Polly Pockets or Tamagotchis to top up your bank balance.

The money saving team suggested ending your eBay auctions on a Sunday evening, as its the busiest time for the site.

Dont worry if youre uploading it at the wrong time either - you can schedule 20 of your listings for free so that they start and end at the best times.

Martin advised checking the completed listings on eBay through its advanced search option in order to get an idea of how much something has recently sold for.

You can then price it slightly higher than you want, in order to leave room for haggling - and you may even end up with more than you expected.

For those wishing to sell their junk through Facebook groups, they can get in there quick by having a look through previous posts to see if there are any wanted ads.

Someone local might be looking for something youve got hidden away and hadnt thought to sell, giving you the chance to make some quick cash.

See the article here:

Martin Lewis shares eBay and Facebook tricks to make you hundreds of pounds this weekend - Express

Could your social media account be spoofed, why would anybody do it, and what can you do to avoid having a doppelgnger?

Social media has some great advantages, such as keeping in touch with loved ones and sharing experiences with friends, but like almost anything on the internet, it can be easily abused. With some creative thinking and a little luck on the side, it is possible for it to be used as a vehicle to steal money from unwitting victims.

I had heard stories of account cloning, but I always assumed people would check with the account holder via another form of communication or at least think twice before sending money to an account they only recently connected with. Sadly, people are still being caught out with this scam and I want to help reach those who may be unaware of how the con works.

As with all my ways of getting a security message across, I needed to conduct a little experiment to test this scam in the real world and see first-hand the ease with which it can work. Its easier to get your message across about the risks when theyre shown a real example of the scam working and then they want to better protect their accounts and themselves. All I needed was a volunteer who would be willing to allow me to set up a cloned account and then attempt to dupe their friends. However, wow am I quickly running out of friends to con! I looked far and wide, but no one wanted to play ball on this one.

Therefore, having failed to find someone happy for me to clone their account for the test, I decided I would have to clone my own Instagram. I follow nearly 900 accounts on Instagram and I am usually posting the same old seascape photos or pictures of me prancing around at the beach to my 1,400 followers. I decided to make a new account on my spare phone and took four screenshot copies rather than uploading the originals to make it as authentic as possible just like someone else would have done it. It was easy to duplicate these images but the only thing that could have been a difficulty is that when copying the profile picture, it would have needed to have been posted in the feed to make a quality replica.

Here is a screenshot of my real Instagram account, @jakemooreuk.

And here is my cloned Instagram account, @jakemoore_uk. Notice the change in bio to include NEW ACCOUNT AFTER LOSING ACCESS TO ORIGINAL.

I decided to follow 30 of my friends to see if they would follow me back and let the experiment begin. Ten were private accounts, therefore they required approval, and 20 were public accounts.

Within moments I had three private account owners accept my request and two followed me back. This was a good start. I was expecting someone to contact me via a different communication method and question this request, particularly due to my line of work and the embarrassment that I could have been subjected to, understanding that even I am susceptible to an account compromise!

But no one did. In fact, the numbers increased. Thirteen accounts followed me back on the same day and by the evening I decided to message these people and see what sort of responses I would receive.

Initially, I mentioned the account compromise and thanked them for accepting the new follow request and then went in with a request to catch up.

This received 8 replies from my 13 new followers. The goal of the test was to create a good enough back story to quickly request money without raising suspicion. This would be particularly rare if the contact had been unsolicited but when the victims believe they know who they are talking to they are far more likely to part with their cash.

One of my contacts replied with a hopeful message. She clearly felt bad for me and agreed how frustrating it would be.

Social engineering at its best requires believability, confidence and a little luck to make it all plausible and make sense. Simply asking people to wire money to a random bank account in the first message would have most likely raised the alarm bells, so I planned to divert the conversation to discuss my cashflow situation as soon as the thread allowed me.

Prior to the test, I created a new PayPal account in my name to make it seem more legitimate than a bank account number, which is similar to what a fraudster would do with a similar-sounding email address as my name in the PayPal account. I chose this as it was available jakemooreuk@xxxxxx.com.

Here is how the conversation went:

What I found most disconcerting was how quickly it all escalated and I was able to trick the target into thinking it was genuine with no extra checks required. I was even able to make her be the one to offer to help me which was a nice little twist. This is usually a clever technique used by professional social engineers reversing the psychology to avoid the request of the money.

NB: I was able to get in touch with my contact before she deposited any money into this new PayPal account, but it proved one simple thing this scam is easy to carry out when such a mass of information is offered online. All that is really needed is an account to clone and a set of contacts.

It is vital to try to reduce the amount of personal information and photos of ourselves online where possible. Although this is a huge task, it is important to teach the next generation of social media users to try to limit the amount of information that is posted online before it is out in the open forever. This scam wont work if accounts are private.

Saying that, however, many people whose accounts are private still allow people they do not necessarily know to follow them due to minimal vetting. It is extremely important to think about what you post as well as accepting only followers you dont mind knowing more about you. Being completely public has the potential of creating dangers such as this.

Users should also be reminded to never take anything at face value when money is requested. Asking for validation in another form of communication before any money is sent to a new payee is paramount. If the victim had called the real me, then scammer me would have been foiled.

Had that happened, however, I would have just abandoned that attempt and moved on to the other seven replies I received, and targeted them instead.

This scam is not solely limited to Instagram I have also seen this occur on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn so make sure you keep an eye out for cloned accounts. Report these accounts and make the genuine account holder aware.

Send in the clones: Facebook cloning revisited

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Attack of the Instagram clones - We Live Security

Artificial intelligence and its applications have surely revolutionized the sectors pushing them forward in a new direction. Its application isnt limited to the start of product development but continues post-launch and customer interaction.

One of the sectors that are reaping the benefits of AI integration is the retail industry. However, there are still many questions that are being thrown out there. From what AI-technology or application has proven to be the most beneficial in retail to which innovations have the potential to change the retail game?

We need to keep in mind that artificial intelligence has not been perfected and is still in the stages of experimentation. Some results have proven to be positive and progressive, while others a complete failure.

Having said this, from 2013 to 2018, AI startups have raised around $1.8 billion according to CB insights. These are impressive numbers and the credit can be given to Amazon which changes the perspective of AI integration within retail.

In a nutshell: AI in retail can be explained as a self-learning technology, that with the adequate data, only improves the processes further through smart prediction and much more.

AI solutions are still in the process of growing and progressing. However, there are certain applications within retail that have proven to be fruitful not just in terms of the value it provides as a service but the benefits businesses reap afterward.

What are the top of the line applications of AI in retail? Lets find out.

With digitization, much of the work-load has been automated and streamlined. Now, with the COVID wave placing human contact as harmful, cashier-less stores are an idea that is very much on the table. This idea of lowering the number of human employees working on a store and being replaced by AI-powered robots is not just a concept of the movies anymore.

Amazon is already on the case with Amazon AI introducing stores that are check-out free. You must have heard about Amazon Go and Just Walk Out technology where the items being placed within your trolley are being examined and kept track of, so when you simply walk out of the shop, the Amazon account takes the money. Pretty interesting, right?

AI and IoT play a great role in creating this cashier-less store experience, relieving stores from having expensive operation expenses. With technology like Amazon Go, human staff members are reduced to merely six or so, depending on the size of the store.

The rise of the chatbots was possible due to AI integration, making them capable of conversing in a human-like manner. Moreover, with their ability to understand the query posed by the visitor, they can analyze and provide adequate assistance accordingly.

Safe to say, AI chatbots have elevated customer service, searching, sending notifications, and suggesting relevant products all by themselves. These AI chatbots work wonders in retail as there are so many queries that are lined up mostly filled with product related questions. In addition, they also learn the buying behavior of the customer and suggest products that would match their search and buying intent.

Chatbots are the present and future of retail helping customers navigate through online stores and increasing the revenue of businesses in return.

Voice search is catching up with 31% of smartphone users globally using voice search at least once a week. While, in the year 2020, it is projected to grow to 50%. With Alexa and others, customers can simply ask for the desired product without having to type and visually invest in the process.

Voice search is definitely one of the demanded features in any software solution and software development companies (koderlabs dot com) would incorporate voice and text search to maximize the convenience.

Visual search is a term or technology not too familiar as of yet. However, this AI-powered system enables customers to upload images and find products similar to certain aspects of those uploaded images; like based on color, shapes, and even patterns.

AI coupled with image recognition technology is marvelous and can help significantly in the realm of retail. Imagine wanting a similar dress and just uploading its picture, you get suggestions of places either selling the same or something similar. You then can compare the price difference and go for the one that suits your best.

AI can detect the mood of your customers and provide you with valuable feedback that will allow your representatives to give assistance just in time. Take Walmart as an example. The retail giant has cameras installed at each checkout lane that detects their mood.

If a customer seems annoyed, they would immediately approach and try to help. So, with AI and facial recognition technology, stores can build strong relationships with their customers and ensure their satisfaction.

AI in the retail supply chain can help retailers dodge poor execution and management that leads to major losses. With AI, calculating the demand for a particular product through analyzing the data that includes the history of sales, promotions, location, trends, and various other metrics allow retail stores to make a better future decision.

AI can predict the demand for that certain product and allow you to order just the right amount without having to deal with leftovers or shortage of it.

Since we are currently facing COVID that has placed the necessity of an online-smart-world, AI can predict through the data received from either the websites or mobile apps. Either way, the supply chain is effectively managed and processed systematically.

With the usage of machine learning, the retail industry can easily classify millions of items from various sellers with the right category. For instance, sellers can upload the picture of their product, and machine learning will identify it and classify it accordingly.

Clasification helps automate the mundane and time-consuming task and can be done in a few minutes with the help of AI.

What more is that with such smart classification, customers are able to find the right products under the categories of their choosing.

The retail executives survey conducted by Capgemini at AI in Retail Conference entails that the AI application of technology in retail could potentially save up to $340 billion each year for the industry till 2020. In addition, nearly 80% of these savings will come from supply chain management and return as AI will improve these processes by a large margin.

The global market for AI in retail is projected to grow over $5 million by the year 2022.

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning-powered software solutions can really change the game for retail, especially amid the pandemic. Not only AI facilitates automation but provides a better insight into businesses by predictive analysis and reporting.

On the customer front, AI-powered chatbots and cashier-less stores provides convenience and futuristic shopping experience with improved customer service.

Although the pandemic has slowed down much of the progress; still, we can see considerable growth in AI-powered solutions geared to improve the retail industry and prep it for the times ahead.

Zubair is a digital enthusiast who loves to write on various trends, including Tech, Software Development, AI, and Personal Development. He is a passionate blogger and loves to read and write. He currently works at Unique Software Development, a custom software development company in Dallas that offers top-notch software development services to clients across the globe.

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Artificial Intelligence Applications within Retail in 2020 - ReadWrite

Cassie McClure, My So-Called Millennial Life Published 2:03 a.m. MT Aug. 16, 2020

Cassie McClure(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News, )

Of all the things I haven't expected in my life, I didn't expect that I'd need to retake second grade. But, thanks to COVID-19, here we are. Here are many of us, back to thinking we escaped worksheets and algebra, only to be pulled back in like an old and tired Michael Corleone in his kitchen.

I remember my first go-around with the second grade, almost 30 years ago. I remember friends. I remember first crushes. I remember being exasperated with the amount of busy work that we did, culminating in a refusal to partake in making a hand-shaped cardboard turkey. The thought still peeves me.

In March, when the bottom dropped out of schooling for my daughter, we made do with her morning Zoom calls. She used my home office, seeing her familiar classmates in small little rectangles on a screen, and came out looking a little dejected. Fall will be better, I assured her. I suspected in May that wouldn't be the case and stopped saying that.

Honestly, I had been slightly ignoring the start date of school creeping up, but about three weeks ago, I received a phone call that I let go to voicemail as I worked. It turned out there was a spot open in a school to which we applied for our daughter during the Before Times. The school had held a lottery back in March. Did we still want her to attend?

I quickly consulted with my husband. Yes, we did. "Great, they said; we're in our second week of classes, so let me send you the teacher email, her new logins, and you'll get codes for getting online." OK, then. Suddenly, all the schooling was in our laps.

Yet, there wasn't just one online system. It wasn't just Zoom and uploading shots of worksheets to a mobile app previously used for reminding me about the monthly school calendar. It was two completely different systems used congruently, one for assignment management and one for doing the assignments sometimes. I think. I still haven't figured that out completely.

With my work, there was a combination of slowly digging out of the quarantine depression and someone else's retirement that hefted more responsibility on my shoulders. I started making a dedicated to-do list to wrap my mind around everything.

On the same day, I got another call offering my son a spot in pre-K. Did we want it? Both schools had already extended their in-person start dates and assured us that if we didn't feel comfortable and we wanted to stay in remote learning for a while longer, our kids wouldn't lose their spots. Deep breaths for me. Yes, we can figure this all out; I can figure this all out. If quarantine toxic positivity Instagram posts tell me anything, it's all about to-do lists. Maybe color-coded ones would be needed.

The following week, after a few emails back and forth with my daughter's new second-grade teacher in which we promised we'd catch up and set up a learning area complete with U.S. and state flags, I received very polite emails from another teacher, her coach. My daughter had missing assignments. Were we registered with her online class system?

It might have been the 30 years I don't know. But in a flood of horror, I did more scrolling. She didn't just have one second-grade teacher; she had an art teacher, a music teacher and a coach. All with worksheets or activities. All of whom skipped between online programs where we uploaded material, watched videos and uploaded work. And the Zoom links and groups kept coming, none of which my kiddo can do alone.

I came out of my office and put my head down on the kitchen table for a few minutes. More deep breathing. More pushing away the word anxiety mantra of how this was "unsustainable."

Check on your friends with Zoom-age kids. They're not going to be OK soon. They're starting to be knee-deep in an unsustainable lifestyle, complete with one or more eye-rolling mini coworkers stealing their computer and snacks. There are no water coolers for gossip. There are no happy hours. There will, however, be plenty of to-do lists with the hope that we can pull it off as we are pulled back in.

Cassie McClure is a writer, wife/mama/daughter, fan of the Oxford comma, and drinker of tequila. Some of those things relate. She can be contacted at cassie@mcclurepublications.com. To find out more about Cassie McClure and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at http://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/FyzBC4xv1RfJx3PlRtxB0VF?domain=creators.com.

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Bharat Mistry, principal security strategist at Trend Micro, discusses what working from home means for CISOs

Does your cyber security policy need a rethink?

When history comes to be written about the current decade, the past few months may well mark a turning point. Exactly how remains to be seen, but one thing has become abundantly clear: the way organisations work may never be the same again. This matters a great deal for CISOs, because if you were worried about insider threats before, the same risks could be many times greater among workforce working from home.

This is where user awareness training comes in. But simply putting a blanket scheme in place may not work some employees dont break the rules out of ignorance but because theyve made a conscious decision to do so.

With the risks less related to education and more to psychology, its time for organisations to take a more nuanced approach to employee security training.

A recent global study of 13,200 remote workers in 27 countries found that although awareness of cyber-related risks is high, many employees choose not to conform anyway. A majority (85%) say they take instructions from their IT team seriously, agree that cyber security is partly their responsibility (81%) and even claim they have become more conscious of security policies since lockdown. A majority (64%) also recognise that using non-work applications on a corporate device is a security risk.

Steve Bennett, enterprise solutions architect at OGL Computer, discusses the role of IT in ensuring business continuity in todays new normal. Read here

Yet over half admit to doing just that, even uploading corporate data to these apps. Other security issues respondents admitted to include using work devices for personal web browsing, accessing corporate data from a personal device, and even accessing adult content and dark web sites on work devices.

Its easy to understand why employees do what they do. CISOs have always had trouble convincing them that productivity and protection are not mutually exclusive that users can do their jobs just as effectively by following policies, accepting security controls and using pre-approved apps and devices, and especially while working from home, the shift to productivity at all costs has threatened to disrupt this delicate balance.

It comes as cyber criminals look to capitalise on distracted home workers, unprotected endpoints, overwhelmed VPNs, and distributed security teams who may be forced to focus on more pressing operational IT tasks. Google is blocking as many as 18 million Covid-themed malicious and phishing emails every day. It takes just one to get through and convince a remote worker to click, and the organisation may be confronted with the prospect of a debilitating ransomware outage, BEC-related financial loss, or damaging data breach.

With many organisations struggling financially in the wake of government-mandated lockdowns, few will welcome the costs associated with a serious security incident.

Research from Specops has found that four in five computer and IT firms (78%) have seen an increase in cyber threats while working from home. Read here

Best practice cyber security requires a combination of people, process and technology. However, the people part has historically been neglected, which is one of the reasons why phishing attacks are today the most popular cyber crime threat vector. Training programmes are too often one-way, one-off affairs, which may raise awareness for a short time, but do little to actually change behaviours in the long-term.

Part of the reason for this failure is that they assume all staff members are basically the same. Of course, they are not. According to Edge Hill University Cyberpsychology Academic, Dr Linda Kaye, there are four key employee personas based on their cyber security behaviours.

Fearful employees are nervous about wrongdoing that might expose their organisation to cyber risk. Theyre highly accountable for their own behaviour, even if they dont know what the risks actually are and how to manage them.

Conscientious types are probably the CISOs dream: they understand cyber-risk and act on advice, not just avoiding risk but taking steps to proactively manage it.

On the other hand, ignorant users are a major risk because they combine a lack of cyber awareness with minimal personal accountability for their own actions. Their risky behaviour, however, is rooted in their lack of understanding.

More dangerous still are daredevil employees who break rules not because of their ignorance, but because of perceived superiority. Others should be accountable, but not them, they believe.

So what can CISOs do with this information as employees continue working from home? Certainly, different strategies may work best with different character types. Fearful staff members may react well to real-world simulation exercises, which allow them to try and experience things that they wouldnt normally. They may also benefit from being mentored by conscientious personas, who can be used as security champions in the organisation.

Don Randall MBE, former Bank of England CISO and advisory board member at METCloud, discusses cloud security, his new role and what to expect from a CISO. Read here

Ignorant users need training and practical advice on how to mitigate risks. To keep them engaged, it may be necessary to use gamification techniques, or again those phishing simulation exercises, which can be updated each time to reflect current scams. Its also important to recognise that these personas may require additional intervention to help them understand the consequences of risky behaviour. Daredevils are perhaps the most challenging as they dont respond well to authority. However, even here, CISOs can achieve promising results, perhaps by using reward schemes to change behaviour.

Ultimately, no two organisations are the same. CISOs will need to approach this task according to their risk appetite and the type of tasks staff working from home undertake. The most important thing to bear in mind with user training is to keep lessons short and regular, and act on the feedback you receive to continuously improve courses. These should never be a chore for employees. With a more considered, personalised approach, CISOs can change user behaviours and build both an effective first line of threat defence and a security-aware corporate culture.

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What working from home means for CISOs - Information Age

There is, and seemingly always has been, a dance for every letter of the alphabet. From the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance of the Middle Ages (in which residents of the Staffordshire village run around with reindeer antlers) to the traditional Greek Zonaradiko (whereby dancers hold on to one anothers belts), we have always loved a good routine. Yet while you could peer into an 1870s debutante ball or a 1970s disco and see people following a set of steps, our modern era seems altogether less structured. In the 90s and early 2000s, only the occasional Macarena inspired a school dance hall to move in sync. Then, in 2017, along came TikTok.

In just three years, the video-sharing app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has been downloaded over a billion times, making it the seventh most downloaded app of the decade. Immensely popular with Generation Z, TikTok hosts short clips ranging from three to 60 seconds in which people lip-sync, perform skits, or take on challenges. Yet it is dancing that TikTok is best known for. Every week, a different dance craze goes viral, prompting living rooms around the globe to shake as viewers join in the fun.

In the six months spanning September 2019 to February 2020, various renditions of the Renegade a routine set to the hip-hop song Lottery by K CAMP were viewed over 1.6 billion times on the app. The dance was shared by everyone from Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown to former FLOTUS Michelle Obama, and was covered everywhere from the New York Times to The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I love seeing people come together and have fun, says the routines original choreographer, 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon.

Moves like dabbing, flossing, and hitting the woah (making a circular movement with the fists before freezing on the beat) have spread far and wide thanks to online video and Fortnites emote actions. Yet TikTok is different. The app has not given rise just to one-off moves, but has birthed a number of complete and complex routines.

Despite its reputation as an app for bored teens in their bedrooms, many of TikToks most popular dances are created by professional choreographers. Social media and TikTok changed everything in our industry, says Greg Chapkis, a choreographer who created a dance to Daddy Yankees song Con Calma that blew up in February 2019. I was getting tagged in not just hundreds but thousands of videos with my choreography Its crazy that so many dancers and people that dont dance got moved by it.

Some popular TikTok routines take days to invent, others are created in five minutes; some are designed with internet fame in mind, others take off organically. TikTok virality has wide-reaching ramifications: the app has launched songs such as Lil Nas Xs Old Town Road and Roddy Ricchs The Box to number one spots on the US Billboard charts, and has given a new lease of life to old songs, such as when the 1956 hit Tonight You Belong To Me, by sister act Patience and Prudence, became popular in summer 2019. Though musicians dont directly make money from their songs being used on TikTok, many have recognised it as a powerful marketing tool, and some artists and labels pay famous TikTokers to dance to their music.

Yet despite the power TikTok choreographers have, it isnt always easy to determine the original creator of a dance. Dance challenges can explode so quickly on the app that it can be difficult to trace their origins, especially as many TikTokers like to put their own spin on routines. In practice, this means that already-famous TikTokers can often steal the limelight from lesser-known dancers. This has been particularly troubling for black creators, like Harmon, who have frequently seen white TikTokers get credit for their routines. Reporting on Harmon's Renegade in February 2020, New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz argued that mainstream influencers "co-opt" the "cutting-edge dance community online". Since the beginning of the year, many TikTok stars have begun tagging original creators in their captions.

Its no wonder choreographers want credit a successful TikTok account can bring in money from brands who pay influencers to post sponsored content and adverts on their profiles. My whole life revolves around TikTok, says 20-year-old influencer Michael Le, who frequently posts three videos a day to the app. Le now earns 80 per cent of his income from TikTok; he has more than 23 million followers, and labels have paid him to promote their music. Earlier this year, Harmon posted her first piece of sponsored content (for Warner Bros new Scooby-Doo movie) and also launched her own merchandise range; hoodies sell for $45 (36) on her official site. Still, other TikTokers struggle to earn money. The app has no in-built revenue-making mechanism like YouTubes AdSense, and so for many TikTokers tons of views dont equate to tons of money.

Despite TikToks Chinese origins, seven of the top ten most-followed TikTokers in the world are American. This is partly because the Chinese version of the app Douyin is run separately due to government restrictions. Though nearly four times as many people had downloaded TikTok in India than in the US (before India banned the app in July), TikToks 2019 round-up of its most popular videos demonstrated that Americans dominate the app, possibly because of the popularity of the English language and American music (this could change in the future as the US moves to restrict TikTok). Elsewhere, keen TikTokers often translate hit songs into their own languages in order to add their own spin to dance crazes.

Many of the dance routines that take off on TikTok are set to hip-hop songs. Erik Saradpon, a choreographer who has won honours at the World Hip-Hop Championship, puts this down to the genres universal appeal. Hip-hop and pop music are the most mainstream music to young people. Its the same reason why you see so much hip-hop in commercials, he says. Saradpon says that TikTok has now influenced particular movements and phrasing in hip-hop choreography, and says the app is definitely sparking creativity in people of all ages.

How does this creativity strike? Here, TikTok creators explain how they came up with their dances and demonstrate how you can give them a go.

Song: Lottery (Renegade) by K CAMP

The Renegade has 21 steps and should take between 15 and 20 seconds to perform. The dance is made up of moves involving the arm and upper body, making it easier than routines with tricky footwork. Start with a woah, followed by extending your arms into a downwards clap, then swing and wave your arms before snapping your fingers. Harmon explains the dance is a medley of already popular moves learn those and youll find it easier to master the routine.

Harmon takes hip-hop, ballet and jazz classes, and invented the dance after school in her Atlanta bedroom in September 2019. Im really proud to be a dancer right now because its a cool talent, she says. The Renegades huge success had multiple ramifications, from K CAMP retitling his song to include the name of the dance to the teens appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I think its really cool when I see celebrities doing my dance, says Harmon, who now has over 2.3 million followers on TikTok and her own agent. For people my age, when youre a good dancer, youre popular, and a lot of people respect and admire you.

Song: The Git Up by Blanco Brown

Ajani Huff and Davonte House

Half-brothers Ajani Huff and Davonte House popularised The Git Up on TikTok off the back of country rapper Blanco Browns song of the same name. Brown uploaded an Instagram video of himself line dancing to the song in April 2019; Huff and House filmed their spin on the routine in a gazebo by a New York lake in May. Another teen TikToker, UK-based Harvey Bass, helped their routine go viral in June, and the brothers later collaborated with him, filming other dances together for the app.

To join in, start with your arms hanging out by your sides, bent at the elbows, before performing the footwork of the cowboy boogie crossing and uncrossing one leg behind the other. Grab the bottom of your shirt while thrusting, spin around, swing your knees in and out, and youve git it down.

We wanted it to blow up but we didnt expect it, says House, who explains he and his brother take between literally a minute and hours to choreograph dances for the app. The pair say the secret to TikTok success is something thats easy but hard at the same time. Like, youre capable of doing it, but it looks hard to others, House explains.

Song: Con Calma by Daddy Yankee feat. Snow

Greg Chapkis, choreographer on Daddy Yankees 2019 music video for Con Calma, didnt create the dance with social media in mind. Nonetheless, his routine took over the internet the music video has 1.8 billion YouTube views and the #ConCalma hashtag has 455 million views on TikTok.

To join in, lean backwards and tuck one leg behind the other while bringing your hands up. Turn around on the tips of your toes and slide your knee out to the side. People were asking me non-stop for a tutorial, says Chapkis, explaining that his social media profiles exploded after the dance was released. The choreographer has been teaching for 24 years his mother owns a studio in Ukraine, where he grew up before moving to San Francisco.

I feel dancers were always in the background to the artist, and now dancers are creating their own lane, he says. On YouTube, a behind-the-scenes video of one of Chapkis rehearsals for Con Calma has been viewed over 77 million times. He says virality has allowed him to teach sold-out classes across the globe, meaning it has also increased his opportunities to travel. I feel really happy and proud, he says.

Song: Savage by Megan Thee Stallion

I was scrolling through TikTok and I noticed people were basically doing the same dances over and over again, so I decided to switch it up a bit, says 19-year-old Keara Wilson, a military student from Ohio. Wilson spent an hour coming up with her routine to Megan Thee Stallions Savage in the hopes of going viral she created three or four different endings but decided on the least challenging option to help viewers.

For the main part of the dance, thrust your elbow to the side and then bring your arm over your head, shake your shoulders and bum before forming a cross with your arms, and stick out your tongue and waggle your fingers by your head in time with the acting stupid lyric.

Wilson, who hopes to make a career out of TikTok, was overwhelmed when the routine blew up in March 2020. She has been dancing for ten years and was also a cheerleader in high school. Since her routine went viral, Wilson has got an agent and launched her own merchandise though her career is just starting. In April, when Beyonc released a remix of Savage, Wilson dropped another routine which quickly accumulated just under 200,000 likes.

It made me speechless, very speechless, I was in disbelief, Wilson says of going viral the first time. I actually cried tears of joy because this is something Ive always wanted to do.

Song: 7 Rings by Ariana Grande

It was Christmas Day and Devin Santiagos best friend was feeding her newborn baby when he first came up with a routine to Ariana Grandes 7 Rings. Santiago, who is 26 and from New Jersey, took between 15 and 20 minutes to choreograph the dance while the baby ate; afterwards, he and his friend filmed the dance in his older sisters bedroom. I was so excited, its such a good feeling when you make up something and you feel so confident that its good, he says.

Santiago has been dancing for 18 years and is also in film school he says the outfits, backdrop, and theme to a TikTok video are almost as important at the dance itself.

To join in with the thousands of others whove danced his dance, swing each elbow to the side in turn before putting your hands up, palms outwards. Bring your hands down and your knees up while snapping your fingers, and then cross your arms and jump, splaying your legs, before doing your best spin.

Song: Hey Julie! by KYLE feat. Lil Yachty

TikTok dances constantly evolve: while one person may create two or three steps to a song, someone else might add two or three more that push it to go viral. Multiple people can be credited with the moves in the viral TikTok routine to KYLEs Hey Julie!, but 20-year-old Michael Le from Florida was the first to popularise a full routine on the app (and has the coveted Original tag for uploading the song). It is likely the special effects he used in the background of the video helped capture attention his video is animated with light blurs and lyrics that pop up on screen.

In this case, the lyrics prove highly instructional. Wave your hands at Hey Julie, and pull at your shirt four times when you hear drip, drip, drip, drip. Throw your arms to one side and move them in sync to the lyric wrists, wrists, wrists, wrists then youve got the gist, gist, gist, gist.

Honestly, I made that dance up in ten minutes and we recorded it immediately after, says Le, who earns all of his income posting content on TikTok and Instagram. Le is paid by both record labels and brands to promote music and products he most frequently works with an energy drinks company and a clothing brand. In May 2020, he began to rent a luxurious house (complete with indoor and outdoor pools) with his influencer earnings.

In total, Le has nine years of dance training. The dancing on TikTok obviously isnt super-duper intricate or expert, but because I have training, Im able to execute movements in a way thats different from someone who doesnt have that experience, it looks a lot more natural, he says.

Song: Out West by Jackboys & Travis Scott feat. Young Thug

When famous TikTokers performed 19-year-old PR student Nicole Bloomgardens routine at an NBA game in February 2020, she decided it was time she got credit for her dance. Bloomgarden developed the #OutWestChallenge in December 2019, a day after the song was released, making it easy to replicate in the hopes of going viral.

Bloomgarden got her wish: famous TikTokers like Charli DAmelio began doing her dance in the following months and the challenge soon spread, but Bloomgarden got no credit (like Harmon, she didnt have the Original tag on TikTok because she didnt upload the track and her video together). When celebrities including Usher began doing the dance, she spoke out on Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, finally earning recognition for the routine.

To do the dance: hit the whoa, clap your extended hands, shimmy your shoulders forwards, cross your arms, point your elbows to the side, and extend your arms to the ceiling.

All I want to do is entertain, says Bloomgarden, who went to dance classes when she was a child but is mostly self-taught. I want to be able to put people in a better mood.

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Meet the choreographers behind some of TikTok's most viral dances - Wired.co.uk