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It Is Indeed Time To Police Social Media

    It is time we faced the music, Internet fans: We broke everything. Social Media was a mistake. None of us are close to understanding how or why, but apparently we have created a monster.    Social media seemed harmless enough when it came along.  Social media was nothing but an extension of the exact same Internet we'd had for decades. Believe it or not, there is very little difference between modern Reddit and Usenet circa 1990. There's also very little difference between modern Twitter and an AOL…
Score: 2.03

Ruby on Rails

Optimize your Rails Code with Bullet Gem and Speed Up your site!

by Kevin

Why Bullet Gem?  For this Rails optimization, we'll focus on optimizing repeated SQL calls to retrieve objects associated with many relationships: N+1 queries problem. The solution to such an issue is an eager loading association.  Unoptimized N+1 affected code takes a significantly longer time as N times additional SQL calls are needed.  But, we should be careful when using that eager loading approach. This because unused eager loading can deteriorate our Rails app performance instead of improving…
Score: 6.14

Implement Two-factor-authentication in Rails with Devise, ActiveModel::Otp, and Google Authenticator

by Kevin

Background  There are many gems for implementing two-factor authentication for Rails app out there. But, most of them don't work properly with Devise out from the box.   Some gems offering seamless integration with Devise gem never work smoothly with our existing Rails app. This is why we share our experience and strategy to implement two-factor authentication using Devise and ActiveModel::Otp gems.  This implementation, based on our experience, works very well with the latest Google Authenticator app…
Score: 5.42

Step-by-Step guide on how to move from Sprockets to Webpacker

by Kevin

Why we write this guide  There are several reasons The official guide provides very little info. We underestimated the effort to do this. This long post explains our similar experience. Yet, that long post doesn't give a brief step-by-step guide. So, we decide to fill the gap.             1. Add Webpacker to Gemfile  We recommend you to leave the sprockets gem in your Gemfile if it's still needed. Or, if you plan to move gradually. Don't worry because both of them won't interfere with each other.  In our…
Score: 4.35
Social Media Activism

#MeToo: Did Anything Change?

2 words… 2 words and what was once known as a pound sign lit up the internet, was stoked by celebrities and ignited the world into discussing a topic that once was too taboo to even speak behind closed doors. Though this movement has proven to make major waves in the world of the celebrity - with the big name arrests of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein - what is happening for everyone else? What about the everyday woman without the money, power, and influence behind her?The first time I was…
Score: 2.18

It Is Indeed Time To Police Social Media

    It is time we faced the music, Internet fans: We broke everything. Social Media was a mistake. None of us are close to understanding how or why, but apparently we have created a monster.    Social media seemed harmless enough when it came along.  Social media was nothing but an extension of the exact same Internet we'd had for decades. Believe it or not, there is very little difference between modern Reddit and Usenet circa 1990. There's also very little difference between modern Twitter and an AOL…
Score: 2.03
Oregon

8 Must-Visit Places in Coastal Oregon - Perfect Getaway with Outdoor Explorations and Wanderings

On my first full day in Oregon, I met a woman who asked me how long I would be staying. I replied that I would only be there for the summer while I completed my internship. She then proceeded to warn me, with a sly smile on her face, that I should be careful or Oregon will steal my heart and I will not want to leave.    I went back home at the end of that summer, but the words spoken prophetically by the woman in the cafe rang true. I did not go to Oregon expecting it to steal my heart the way it…
Score: 1.28
Podcasting

Four More Podcasts - For When You Suddenly Have A Lot of Time on Your Hands

And here we are, still in quarantine (or at least us non essential folks should be).    I know you are probably sick and tired of hearing that word (quarantine, ugh) and all of its associates, so you will be happy to hear that the pandemic is not the focus. Today, I am writing to offer you what will hopefully provide some much needed entertainment and delight on slow days working from home or during any other downtime you might have.    After several weeks of entering data alone in my home, with only my…
Score: 1.43

Five Podcasts For When You Suddenly Have A Lot of Time on Your Hands

When I first began hearing the term Podcast, I thought, what is all the hubbub? It is just people having a conversation, not unlike a youtube video or talk show.  Then, as podcasting grew in popularity - rather rapidly, I must say - I went from skeptical to enamored upon discovering a few that interested me.      I realized podcasts could be creative, educational, inspirational, and downright hilarious. They are a great companion for long drives or days when you are doing work around the house (or in…
Score: 1.24
Parenting

Helicopter parents

by Dominus

Parents love their children. They want to protect the young ones from everything that can harm them and teach their adorable little humans everything they need to know to become responsible, self-sufficient adults. Parents teach the child the proper way to do things and then they have to give that same child space to practice on their own. That means that in some situations the child has to be left alone to find his/her own solutions to increasingly more difficult problems, based on what they…
Score: 2.25

Why You Should Homeschool Your Pre-School Aged Child

        Stay-At-Home mom life is extremely difficult, isolating, and much more complicated than it sounds.   Many of these moms do not get the credit they deserve. Caring for children all day is extremely taxing on the mind and body. Many stay-at-home moms crave a taste of freedom and desire for their children to begin a curriculum early in life.   This is why many desperate mothers place their pre-school aged child in a program that claims to prepare children for kindergarten. However, more and more…
Score: 1.54

Home-schooling Truth Vs. Myth

https://pixabay.com/photos/back-to-school-home-of-apple-4373777/  I pulled my son out of public school  As my son showed signs of being unable to emotionally cope with the bullying in his elementary school and lack of support from the staff, I pulled him out of public school. Terrified by all of the myths about home-schooling and the children that come from home-schooling, I had to plug forward for the sake of my baby.   The myths can terrify any parent who is not a teacher. This is understandable but…
Score: 1.51
The Church

The Catholic Church Cover-up

by Dominus

Many years ago, I learned German and was eventually able to work in Germany over summer break. For the last 10 years I have spent 1-2 months working in Essen, Germany and except the first couple of years, when I was still struggling with properly understanding the language, there hasn’t been one year when I haven’t heard of a sexual scandal involving priests of the Catholic Church. I am not Catholic, but in Germany, I worked for a foster home and retirement home complex owned by a pro-catholic…
Score: 1.35

A Letter to the Church

      The Church, specifically white, masculine, evangelical Christianity, has been a driving force behind colonialism, white supremacy, and Christian nationalism. The church has sought to erase any and all culture that does not align with its beliefs sought to hold power over women, force Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to assimilate, and excommunicate the LGBTQIA+ community.    This same Church claims to follow the teachings of Jesus, but if you ask me, I don’t think the Church today looks…
Score: 1.24
Music Reviews

Best Summer Zoom Hangout Albums

by CFC123

Meet up with friends over Zoom and enjoy some of the best music of the 2000s, for gatherings of any occasion! Find your favorite genres and styles below, match the vibe, and let these great records spin. With a little something for everyone, check out the list below and let your tastes be heard!      I'm all about the classic HIP-HOP sound, both from the old guys and the modern greats. I've heard all the best out there, and I want my rappers to be......brash and cocky   Jay-Z – American Gangster     …
Score: 1.37
Training with Positive Reinforcement

A Journey to Mindfulness in Horse Training

  As a young girl, I could not wait to run to the barn after school. I would spend hours sitting on the fence or wandering through the pasture as my horse grazed. I felt content grooming or just spending time with her. Riding or working was never the main goal; I wanted to feel connected. At that time in my life, I felt I could communicate with my horse. We did not need words, it was more like a dance - two partners moving fluidly through space, speaking a language all our own.    As I got older…
Score: 1.43
Conspiracy theories

The Vortex Of Madness Between Putin And Trump

     "I don't believe anything, but I have many suspicions." -- Robert Anton Wilson    What Is Going On With Trump and Russia?  Hanged if anybody knows!  For a brief recap:  U.S. president Donald Trump is suspected of having colluded with Russia in exchange for Russian interference in the 2016 election, arranged with Russian president Vladimir Putin, which won Trump the office. Now entering his third year in office, an investigation is underway by U.S. Attorney General appointee Special Prosecutor Robert…
Score: 1.74
Travelling Tips

Travelling Guide for International Journey

Ask to see the holiday company's policy for responsible tourism. It should be on their website, but if it isn't, pester them for it. It is only through customers seeking change that some organizations actually start to consider taking action themselves.      The Blonde Abroad has managed some guide on what you need for international journey. (http://theblondeabroad.com/2016/08/24/the-beginners-guide-to-international-travel/)       Plan your route to minimize carbon emissions - travel by train where…
Score: 1.57