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  • Jobs You Can Land After Learning Python

    Jobs You Can Land After Learning Python

    Python has created a buzz in the business world. Whether it is a technology-based company or a marketing agency, every organization seems to be leveraging the power of Python to meet their business goals. Several tech companies out there, especially in San Francisco, progressively embrace the fast-paced changes for their business success. Python has become a mainstream language that is a primary part of many job descriptions. Many successful companies like Netflix, Instagram, Lyft, Google, Reddit, and Spotify are using Python across several verticals.

    According to the statistics of TIOBE Programming Community index, which records and analyses the popularity of programming languages, Python has jumped four places in the last one year alone to rank at No. 4 in the index.

    Taking a Python course can come handy if you are looking for a better paying job or a big brand that you have always wanted to work with. Many people assume that individuals who take Python training and learn this programming language can only become a Python developer. But in reality, there are many different career paths and opportunities available for Python learners.

    Here is a list of the jobs that you can land after learning Python:

    Data Analyst

    If you like making sense of a huge number of datasets and love to get creative around building algorithms that simply them, Python is a must for you. Currently, Python is the most popular language for Data analysts worldwide. Python is finding its applications across different verticals.

    Many companies are constantly on the lookout for people who are empowered with the knowledge of Python and can help them sift through large data sets. Companies are honing the skills of Python combined with Machine learning and artificial intelligence to increase efficiency and productivity. According to an Indeed.com inquiry, professionals like data scientists earn an average of $96,674, which is way higher than compared to other regular coding jobs.

    Adult Coding - Python

    Financial Advisors

    In 2018, Citigroup started training their bank analysts on Python. The purpose of the python training was to reduce costs and significantly increase bank revenue by learning how to efficiently program computer codes.

    Business schools around the globe have begun incorporating Python in their MBA courses. Hundreds of finance and business students are taught Python as a mandatory part of their courses now. You can easily land a job of a financial advisor if you know Python. As per the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, the average salary of a financial advisor is $88, 890.

    Educator
    Do you have a passion for teaching? If yes, Python can take you to great universities, corporations and businesses that are searching for people who have a good command on Python language. You can give python training in a multinational firm to a group of engineers, analysts or marketing executives. Or you can create an online Python course and help students from across the globe learn Python.
    Freelancer

    Millions of people are choosing to freelance as their full-time jobs. It is a lucrative career opportunity for people who are willing to learn and grow every single day of their lives. Though freelancing does not promise high job security as you work with clients directly, it does offer an abundance of opportunities to learn new things and earn well. You can offer Python courses at a local institute, create online Python training, take up contractual projects for organizations or work small scale startups with their data.

    To become successful in freelancing, you have to hone a skill and be good at it. Nobody is expecting you to work on humongous projects from day one of your freelancing journey. You can select your own pace of learning and go with it. For those of you wondering if freelancing is as rewarding as a corporate job, don’t worry. Many surveys show that freelancers end up earning way more than someone working for an organization.

    Code Development on Macbook

    Data Journalist
    Data journalism is a niche category embedded in journalism that uses data to tell stories. Journalists who are well versed with Python are in demand as they can quickly sort through datasets and extract relevant information. If you are a good writer and know Python, you can easily land up with high paying jobs in the industry with eminent organizations.

    Python is no longer restricted to computer programming. Researchers, analysts, journalists, engineers, business students, almost everyone is learning python. There are tons of online python courses that you can take while sitting at your home or your office or from a coffee shop.

  • Top 6 Mistakes To Avoid While Building Apache Kafka Driven Solutions

    Top 6 Mistakes To Avoid While Building Apache Kafka Driven Solutions

    Apache Kafka is the defacto industry standard for gathering big data and making available feeds in real-time. Learning Kafka would entitle you to apply for a number of lucrative IT industry positions such as Kafka Developer, Kafka Testing Professional, Kafka Big Data Architect, and Kafka Project Manager.

    Incentives for learning Kafka and its components

    You will develop the confidence and agility needed to build end-to-end enterprise Kafka cluster after completing the Kafka course. For enhancing Kafka’s capabilities, you can integrate it with Spark, Storm and similar real-time streaming systems. Building a high throughput and low latency messaging system with advanced features would be a breeze for you.

    Common Mistakes To Avoid While Using Kafka

    It is important that you complete your Kafka certification course from a credible institution. The faculty would then offer you real-life insights into the common traps in which you can easily get stuck while configuring Kafka. This section gives you an overview of the major pitfalls that you may come across so that you can be wary of them.

    1. Misconfiguration of consumption rules

    The simple consumption rules for traffic routing can lead to additional data being injected into the system. This can adversely impact performance and cause message lines to be choked with a redundant load.

    To avoid this, you may misconfigure the consumption rules in a manner that data is not consumed. This would also lead to missing essential inputs by distributed components.

    2. Increase in latency time

    The configuration of timeout in Kafka is done by ‘Time-To-Live (TTL) setting. Anything from the log is not deleted unless the timeout parameter is met. While deleting, suitable log.retention.*setting is invoked from the .properties broker file.

    If you prolong the deletion time, this would lead to swelling of logs. Consequently, performance would be adversely impacted and latency would increase as writing is done through swapping of disks. There is the risk of consumer missing vital inputs if deletion of logs is done quickly.

    3. Fault in message infrastructure

    With Kafka, you no longer need to buffer messages within user space. Efficient streaming of messages happens inside the kernel IO. But, if the kernel is accessed in an unsafe manner, potential faults of colossal nature can adversely impact and can even bring to a standstill the messaging setup.

    4. Topics go without any consumer

    When you are debugging, you would want to view definite logs. This is needed for:

    • Developing a system up.
    • Selecting records which will need data feeds later.

    However, the optimal performance of the system can be compromised if debugging options’ deactivation is not done. If a debugger is allowed to run when the system is up, topics may have no consumers at times.

    5. Getting tied to the proprietary tool of Confluent

    Confluent Schema Registry is a tool that is built by the developers of Kafka. This is used for decoupling the systems which have been integrated with Kafka. Consequently, you pave the way for growth and expansion of your system.

    Schema Registry is employed to:

    • Record the data schema used by producers.
    • Record the decoding and data validation methods used by consumers in adherence to schema rules.

    Confluent charges nothing for the use of schema registry. Apache.org doesn’t distribute the feature.

    However, when you want to upgrade your system, you would be required to use the Confluent’s tool for managing schemas. Resultantly, forward compatibility would be a major issue to overcome.

    6. Not factoring in future plans when setting up Kafka

    Apache Kafka can be set up in various ways. Your choice would be based on your usage of:

    • Confluent’s native free version.
    • Paid version on Docker.
    • Using the Apache.org provided distro.

    You should ensure that the Kafka version, Payment module, and Installation mode should be in accordance with your future expansion plans. Else, you would have to rebuild the system all over again.

    You can learn more about the same in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsdoQkoao2U

    Apache Kafka certification: The gateway to a promising career

    Training in Apache would build your expertise in configuring, installing, administering and performance testing Kafka. Your understanding of Kafka’s architecture, client APIs (producer, consumer), stream APIs, and Connect API would deepen. You can confidently integrate Kafka with Storm, Spark and Hadoop. Various streaming use cases would offer you real life and hands-on experience while learning. It is desirable that you have fundamental understanding of Java to understand the concepts faster.

    Knowledge of Apache Kafka would help you earn big. The excitement that accompanies working on prestigious projects would be a bonus.

  • 5 Incredible Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers

    5 Incredible Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers

    Do you have a YouTube channel and struggling to get more followers? This might be hectic, and as a business person, you might be feeling frustrated. The need to have more subscribers is so crucial, as YouTube algorithm places so much importance when it comes to ranking one’s channel. This post provides 5 incredible ways to get more YouTube subscribers.

    1. Publish long videos

    Conventional wisdom suggests that we should post short videos that people will just spend a few minutes to watch and do other things. While many people prefer posting short videos, it does not help that person who wants to gain more subscribers. As explained by SMMrank, a company that develops free YouTube tools, the longer your video is, the higher chances of getting more subscribers. A good YouTube video of more than ten minutes has more chances of getting more views as well as subscribers than that of two minutes.

    2. Promote the videos in your end screen

    In most cases, if someone watches more of your YouTube videos, then that person is more likely to subscribe to your channel. And in order to make a person watch more of your videos, you have to promote videos at the end of the screen. This is an effective way of making the person aware that there is more than what he or she just watched.

    Another cool way of promoting your YouTube videos in order to get more subscribers is by simply buying the subscribers. This is an easy and hustle-free way, as it is both cheap and time-saving. By clicking on the link https://youtubegrow.com/buy-youtube-subscribers, you can be able to choose any package that is most suitable with your budget.

    3. Have a subscribe button

    If you want more subscribers for your channel, then there is no better hack than this one. You need to put a watermark on your video which allows viewers to subscribe to your channel even as they continue watching the video.

    Note that the subscribe button is a branding watermark, and thus you need to know how to use it if you are to get any substantial number of subscribers for your channel. There are cases where individuals use their company name as brand watermark to get subscribers. This does not usually work. Instead of using your company name, you should be explicit, and use SUBSCRIBE as a watermark to ask people to subscribe. This way, anyone watching would easily see and know that they can subscribe by clicking on the button.

    4. Post quality videos

    Many at times we are advised to upload as many videos as we can. This is a good idea, as it makes our viewers have more to watch on our channel. But what if the videos are of low quality? The truth is, even the few subscribers that we have on our channel will unsubscribe the moment they notice that the videos we are posting are of low quality.

    For you to get a considerable number of subscribers, you need to ensure that you create quality videos. People would want to watch m0ore of your videos if they find them educating, entertaining or at least helping them solve a problem. You should not focus too much on quantity, quality should reign.

    5. Reply to comments

    Any company will reveal to you a direct correlation between replying to comments and the number of subscribers that one can gain. This shows that for one to get more subscribers to his YouTube channel, then he needs to spare some time and reply to comments posted by his viewers.

    Replying to comments is an easy thing, and it does not even need a lot of time. With just 1-2 hours a day, you could have done a lot to improve the performance of your channel.

  • Top 5 Reasons Why React Native is Great for Building Mobile News Apps

    Top 5 Reasons Why React Native is Great for Building Mobile News Apps

    More and more businesses and startups become interested in React Native app development, and online publishers aren’t an exception. Why? The answer is below. It’s booming now!

    React Native Google Trend
    Data Source: Google Trends

    Since 2015, when it was created by the Facebook Team, the popularity of apps built with React Native has been rapidly growing. But what is it?

    React Native is an open-source JavaScript-based framework that lets developers build native iOS and Android applications that share the same codebase. To put it simply, it makes possible to write the code that will work on both iOS and Android devices, however, some platform-specific adoptions are required, too.

    Moreover, respondents of the Stackoverflow Research (2018) named React Native as the third most commonly used technology.

    The chances are high that you’ve already used a React Native application. Do you have Facebook, Skype or Instagram? All of them are built with React Native!

    Moreover, such publishers as Vogue or Bloomberg have also chosen this technology to deliver their mobile products. Why and how can it be useful to your own news app? That’s what we’re about to find out!

    Reason #1: Cross-platform compatibility: Kill two birds with one stone

    One of the best things about the React Native mobile app development is that it allows creating 1 codebase to cover both platforms – iOS and Android. According to Stormotion, developers are able to reuse up to 70-80% of the code, where the other 20-30% are minor platform-specific improvements that may relate to UI components, deep linking or push notifications.

    Eventually, it provides you with many other benefits:

    • It takes less time to deliver a working application for both platforms.
    • You will have to spend fewer resources to develop, test and support the apps at the post-release stage. According to Dariusz Kociecki, it may lead to a 30% decrease in costs.
    • Even if for some reason you decide to start with one platform, it will still take less time to create it comparing to the native development.

    Moreover, it’s a great alternative to web applications that could also be opened on both iOS and Android devices but have an extremely poor performance.

    Why is it good for online publishers?

    Cross-platform development is especially important to online publishers whose main goal is to satisfy the widest possible audience. Since these 2 platforms cover up to 98% of the world’s mobile users (Android’s share is about 68% while iOS owes 30-31% of the market), it’s really crucial to ensure that your application will be available on both mobile operating systems.

    Also, like every other company, I bet you’re looking for a cost-effective and fast solution. While native development is usually effective but not cheap and fast and hybrid development is fast and cheap but not effective, React Native takes the best from each approach and leaves out their disadvantages.

    Reason #2: Top-notch UX for both iOS and Android users

    With the shared codebase it’s possible to secure the same (high!) level of the user experience for your audience. By the way, it may be a tricky task during the native app development.

    Due to the platform differences, it’s a typical case when native iOS and Android versions of the same application may perform differently. For example, one of the most common cases is different loading speed: while the first application loads in 1 second, the second one may require 4 seconds. It may not sound like a big deal but when it comes to the UX even the slightest difference plays a great role.

    However, you may forget about such concerns when developing your mobile application with React Native. Due to the shared codebase, cross-platform React Native apps are able to reach the same high level of the UX, making sure that the audience won’t leave your app because of the poor performance.

    Why is it good for online publishers?

    A great UX is important to any kind of mobile apps, but online newspaper and media applications must be extremely good at it. Here are a few reasons why:

    • People use news app more frequently than many other kinds of applications. What do they usually do when they have a free minute? Browse social networks or check the news!
    • The more time loading takes, the fewer users will wait. Since people can get news from many different sources, the competition is too high to make them wait for even additional 2-3 seconds.

    So when it comes to the React Native app development, you may be sure that users of both platforms will be highly satisfied with your application and won’t switch to your competitors due to poor performance.

    Reason #3: Over-the-air updates

    Everyone who has ever developed a native app, knows well that every new update should go through a complicated and sometimes long review process and then must be installed as a new version of the application. That may be ok if you aren’t in a hurry but the most updates don’t make global changes to the application – they just fix bugs and introduce minor improvements. And that’s when React Native helps, again!

    The trick is that your application should be checked by Apple’s or Google’s review team only if you have amended the native code. Yet, the changes can be instantaneously applied if you modify the JavaScript code which is the backbone of the React native apps.

    Such changes don’t require additional review and installation. Actually, they immediately spread among all your users without bothering them.

    Why is it good for online publishers?

    There are many cases in which over-the-air updates can play a great role. Some of the unforeseen issues (for example, law changes as it was with the introduction of the GDPR) may significantly worsen the UX, make some features unavailable or even endanger your whole business (remember the GDPR data breach penalties and fines).

    Moreover, news apps are actively used by a pretty big audience. Thus, any bug can potentially affect many users at once.

    Over-the-air updates, however, allow you rapidly fixing bugs and issues, leaving both review and download processes aside. Such changes will be immediately applied to existing versions of applications so users won’t even notice that something has changed.

    Reason #4: It’s constantly improving

    React Native is a relatively young technology, so when it first appeared there was a risk that it wouldn’t make its way to the toolbox of mobile developers. However, during this time we could notice a stable increase in interest towards this framework from both the developers’ community and clients who want their apps to be built with React Native.

    We’ve already learned that React Native is an open-source framework. It means that any developer can contribute his own ideas and knowledge to improve this technology. Such a cooperative approach ensures constant development of this framework.

    Just to mention: React Native is the 14th most starred repository on GitHub with over 15,500+ commits and 73,000+ stars (as of January 2019).

    Why is it good for online publishers?

    As an online publisher, you will be able to implement the latest features and solutions to keep the application fresh and interesting to your audience.

    Also, you may not worry about possible bugs. Probably, someone has already come up with a solution and shared it for common use.

    Reason #5: Lots of JS developers to choose from

    As you remember, React Native is based on the JavaScript programming language. It’s the main language for web development so the ones involved in it shouldn’t face too many difficulties when learning React Native. Also, JavaScript is more widespread than native mobile programming languages (Swift or Kotlin if we’re talking about the most modern ones).

    As a result, the market of JavaScript developers far more broader than the same for native mobile developers. Eventually, it means that you can easily find an appropriate tech partner to deliver your mobile product.

    As Stackoverflow puts it in their 2018 Report, JavaScript has taken the position of the most commonly used programming language for the sixth year in a row.

    Why is it good for online publishers?

    Newspaper and media applications are the kinds of projects that usually don’t require creating your own in-house team. The optimal solution in this case is to find a remote React Native partner and outsource the development.

    Since the market of JS developers is quite wide, you will have many options to choose from and will be able to find the team that is on the same page with you and doesn’t go out of your budget.

    Takeaways

    As you can see, despite React Native is relatively young technology, it is actively used by many startups and businesses, including online publishers and media.

    Why?

    Because it has a bunch of great advantages that allow us to consider React Native as the best alternative to the native or hybrid mobile development so far. Let’s briefly recall how it can be useful to your online media app:

    1. You can create a single codebase that can be used to deliver apps on both platforms (iOS and Android). In other words, it’s possible to create 2 independent applications using the same code and small platform-specific improvements.
    2. This technology ensures the same high level of the UX and performance across all platforms.
    3. Over-the-air updates allow fixing bugs and implementing improvements immediately and bypassing the App Store or Google Play review processes.
    4. Since React Native is the open-source framework, it’s actively developing thanks to the community contributions.
    5. The market of JavaScript developers (React Native uses JS as the programming language) is pretty wide so you won’t face troubles when trying to find your perfect partner.

    Guest Publication by Stormotion.

  • What to Do If Your Android Phone is Stolen or Lost

    What to Do If Your Android Phone is Stolen or Lost

    Are you a victim of phone theft? Whether you’re worried about the data the phone holds or its value, having your phone stolen is always frustrating. Still, losing your phone doesn’t have to be a terrible experience.

    It takes a few seconds for your phone to disappear. You forget it on the store’s counter and the next customer simply puts it in his pocket. Someone bumps into you while you’re walking and lifts it out of your pocket. The examples are limitless, but it’s also possible to find Android phones if you know how to do it.

    So, if your phone is missing, you don’t have to panic. There are several options that can get you your phone back.

    Prepare yourself

    As soon as you buy your new Android phone, prepare for the unfortunate event of someone stealing it or you losing it. I am Frank Thompson, a technology and small business provider of help with business planning for owners. This is what I always tell my clients: People say that it’s better to be early than to be too late. This applies to technology, too. Good tech companies implement methods that will help you recover the phone, but it is your responsibility as a customer to make sure that you can use those options when the time comes.

    Here are some tips that will help you prepare yourself for such situations:

    • Turn on the fingerprint and passcode authentication. Don’t just rely on face authentication (it can be tricked simply by using your photo).
    • Turn on Google’s ‘Find my device’ in your Android device manager to be able to erase and lock the phone as soon as you lose it. Check if this feature is enabled in Security and Location > Find My Device.
    • If you’re using a Samsung phone, enable the Samsung’s ‘Find my mobile’ service, too. This is an extra precaution that you should definitely have.

    How do I locate my phone?

    If you’ve already lost your phone or had it stolen, there are a couple of things you can do on Android to track it.

    Use the ‘Find my device’ feature

    Most phones have this option enabled, so even if you didn’t do it before it got stolen, odds are that you can still track it. Access this page immediately when you notice that your phone is gone. Once you do, sign in to the Google account that you linked to the phone.

    You can access this on your computer or download their app from the Play Store from another device. Once you do it, Google will start locating your phone. Surely, it would have to be online on for this to work. If it’s not, Google will inform you as soon as the phone is online.

    As soon as the app or site finds your phone, you can use one of their options: erase the device data, lock it down, or make it play a sound so that you can locate it in your home.

    If you choose to secure the device, you can choose the message that will appear on the lock screen. You can also sign out of the account, but continue to locate the phone.

    However, if you hope to find the phone, don’t erase the device. This is your very last choice if nothing else works.

    Use your smart watch

    Many people today have a smart watch that they pair with their phone. If you have your watch but not your phone, you can use it to find it. The watch will look for your phone and tell you about its location. However, if you plan to use the Bluetooth connectivity, this won’t really work unless the thief is nearby or your phone has been lost in a location that’s within the Bluetooth range.

    Smartwatch
    Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

    Use Samsung’s Find My Mobile Service

    This applies only if you own a Samsung phone. Their special feature for tracking phones can be really helpful if you’ve turned it on. You can use it to locate the phone once it’s lost or stolen. To use this service, visit this website.

    Report the phone as stolen

    This rarely works, but who knows? The police might be able to find your phone if you report it fast. And if it’s covered by insurance, you definitely need to do this to claim your money.

    To report a phone theft, you need the IMEI number. You can find it on the box or in the phone’s settings menu. Write it down as soon as you buy the phone. They’ll also need your phone’s model, version, brand, color, as well as your phone number, chosen mobile network, and some information about the theft such as date and location.

    Out of all these things, the IMEI is the most important. Without it, you might never find your phone, but you’re also not entitled to the insurance money.

    Smartphone
    Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

    What to do if you can’t locate your smartphone

    Have you tried everything and failed? If you have, there are three things you should do.

    Firstly, file an insurance claim and report your smartphone as stolen. This should give you a refund and it will blacklist the device so that no one else can use it. It’s not ideal, but it’s definitely comforting to know that the thief risked it for nothing.

    Secondly, you can wipe the data on the Find My Device website. You don’t want the thief to be able to access your phone’s information.

    Finally, disable the cell phone service. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying huge phone bills if the thief decides to use the phone after stealing it. It’s a strange thing to consider, but it has happened plenty of times.

    Conclusion

    I hope that these steps help you find your lost or stolen phone. The situation is frustrating and stressful, but if you’re able to locate your phone, that means that you might be able to recover it. Still, remember that you shouldn’t confront the thieves on your own. If you find their location, call the police.

    Unfortunately, the tricks above don’t always work. Thieves know their way around these, so you might never get your phone back. That’s why it is smart to get insurance and enable the features above so that you can at least get some refund and be able to erase your personal data.

    Author’s Bio

    Frank Thompson, a business marketing expect and a financial advisors, has recently decided to share his wisdom with people online. Ever since, his wise words have been published on multiple websites online. With his help and guidance, hundreds of new small businesses have developed a better financial and marketing strategy.

  • A Few Ways to Enhance YouTube Experience

    A Few Ways to Enhance YouTube Experience

    The new generation of internet users is probably unaware that there was a time when YouTube did not exist. Well, this is true, but given how popular the platform has become, such a train of thought is probably understandable.

    Despite being around for many years, YouTube continues to exceed the expectations of their audience and is constantly introducing great new features. However, some of them go under the radar for the majority of us.

    The website has a lot more to offer, and if you are interested in learning about it, then be sure to continue reading this article.

    Video downloading

    There are instances where you would like to be able to watch video offline, or it might disappear from YouTube without any prior notice. The solution is quite simple – downloading directly to your device.

    You see questions like How to download YouTube videos on Mac appear quite a few times. The device of your choice is not that important because you either use downloading software or a browser. Of course, there is an option to subscribe to YouTube Red and download videos that way, but few people are willing to pay money for it.

    Keyboard shortcuts

    This one is meant for those who prefer to use their keyboard more than their mouse. You have a few shortcuts for YouTube as well.

    Pressing M will mute and unmute the video, Spacebar will pause and resume, L skips the video, J rewinds it.

    Kids version

    YouTube - Kids Version
    Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

    If you have children who already spend time on the internet, try to redirect their attention to something more educational and kid-friendly.

    YouTube seems to be invested in making more entertainment for their young audience, and such an initiative can only be commended.

    Virtual reality

    Have you ever wanted to experience the world of videos in an entirely different setting? If so, then you should definitely try out virtual reality. That is right. Even YouTube has entered the world of VR.

    While the feature is still in development, you can definitely expect to see it getting more upgrades in the future. YouTube will not allow themselves to fall behind on this one, as they see a lot of potential in virtual reality.

    Watching videos later

    Whenever you are unable to watch the video, you can always add it to the “watch later” list. It helps if you are unable to remember the name, but would want to see it again in the future.

    Movies

    YouTube - Movies
    Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

    Streaming services like Netflix has made a massive impact on the world of entertainment. Accessing a lot of content for a monthly subscription fee is quite appealing.

    YouTube has also decided to introduce something similar. They now have a movie section which allows you to watch it not just old releases, but films that are currently in theaters. Of course, they do not have every single movie available, but any cinema enthusiast can get his or her money’s worth by becoming a member of YouTube movie services.

    Captions

    Turning the captions on allow watchers to better understand the context of the video. Not everyone is fluent enough to understand every word spoken, and reading subtitles is of great help to them.

    Captions are either computer-generated or written by real people. It is inevitable that it will have some mistakes, but it would be a disservice to captions to say that it has any noticeable drawbacks.

    Dark theme

    If you cannot stand the light while browsing YouTube when it is dark in your room, switch to the dark theme. It is not something exclusive to the platform, but a lot of users have been asking for this feature to be introduced.

    Timestamp of Videos

    YouTube - Timestamp of Videos
    Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

    Would you like to share a particular time of a video rather than making someone watch the whole thing? If so, you can copy the URL with a timestamp of your choice by right-clicking your mouse on the video. The copy of the URL will have a timestamp when you paste it.

    To conclude, if you are still new to YouTube or have not bothered to move past only watching the videos, consider trying out at least one of these features. Who knows, it might be the thing to make you like the website even more.

  • Windows 10 Displays Black Screen at Startup

    Windows 10 Displays Black Screen at Startup

    After a few months, my desktop recently updated to Windows 10 version 1903, and after upgrading to that version refused to boot up properly. The machine would show the Windows logo, and then immediately display a black screen. The screen wasn’t blank because I can move the mouse cursor around the screen, but couldn’t do anything else on the computer.

    The issue persisted after countless restarts to try and determine the issue, and while I did manage to find a workaround, the issue for me still remains unresolved.

    The Windows 10 Black Screen

    I have been running Windows 10 on my desktop for a few years. Up until recently, I haven’t had any real issues with this version of Windows. I replaced my almost 9 year old hard drives with a single solid-state drive (SSD) last year without any issues. I also replaced my graphics card without any problems.

    It wasn’t until last week when I had my first real issue with running Windows 10 – continuously got a black screen when Windows started up. The black screen appeared before I the log in prompt appeared.

    As I mentioned above, I was able to move the cursor around the screen, but nothing else. I tried various options to try and resolve the issue, including:

    Repair Windows
    I attempted to repair Windows, or restore the last system backup, which was done before the last update. The startup repair didn’t find any issues, and for some reason the system restore failed. I figured I needed to take more drastic action.
    Reinstall Windows 10
    Since I had my data backed up, it wasn’t hard for me to reinstall Windows. I had an older image of Windows 10, so when I installed Windows I knew it would need a big update. Windows 10 installed fine, I was able to log in, but after I ran the update to 1903, it immediately display the black screen again after the update restarted the machine.
    Reinstall onto the old hard drive
    I thought maybe there was an issue with the SSD drive, so I decided to reconnect one of the older hard drives and then reinstall Windows. This time I had the most recent image of WIndows (version 1903), but as soon as I installed that version of Windows, I immediately got the black screen.

    After the black screen appeared when I installed Windows for the second time, I realized that the issue was with the 1903 version of Windows 10 and my machine. It is hard to debug the machine, however, when I can’t log into the machine.

    The most difficult part, was it was hard to find a resolution online, as many solutions involved being logged into Windows, which was a problem I was having on my desktop.

    The workaround

    Eventually, I did find a workaround to my issue, but unfortunately, I don’t have the URL to the website that provided the workaround. I call it a workaround because I haven’t really solved the issue, I just manage to get my desktop up and running again.

    The workaround was to simply turn off my desktop, and then pull the power plug out of the power supply unit (PSU) from my computer. Wait for 30 seconds, re-connect the power plug into my computer and turn it back on.

    After doing so, my desktop immediately restarted and the Windows log in prompt was displayed on the screen. I was able to log into Windows and once again use my machine.

    As I have mentioned, this is a workaround as I don’t know why my machine displayed a black screen, and why removing the power plug from my computer, waiting 30 seconds, and then connect the power plug again resolved the black screen issue.

    Until I figure out the issue, for now I’ll have to use the workaround if I encounter the black screen again.

    If anyone can provide more information about this issue, feel free to leave a comment below.

  • Utilizing Agile Performance Testing

    Utilizing Agile Performance Testing

    Agile performance testing is a critical component in the software development process. Throughout each stage of the agile management process, performance testing needs to be a priority for both testers and developers.

    Therefore, project managers and developers must know how to integrate such testing methods in an agile workflow.

    Why Do We Need Agility?

    The market needs high-quality apps within a short time periods, so organizations are motivated to use the Agile methodology throughout the development process. Through a waterfall model, performance testing occurs during the end of the development cycle.

    When it comes to Agile, the process is the opposite; performance testing starts at the beginning of app design stages. This method makes sense – the design determines the robustness and the function of the app, so using this process ensures that the app behavior and quality are tested and verified throughout the project. Design, coding, and analysis takes place simultaneously.

    Types of Testing Methods

    On Demand: This is a starting point for small companies that want to fuse agile processes with performance testing. Developers are responsible for tuning and testing for all levels, under a dedicated tester’s supervision, which helps with the performance evaluation.

    On Retainer: A tester is designed for each app development project, who might not be committed to any task, but they’re on standby whenever developers need additional bug resolution or technical assistance.

    Full Immersion: This method is important for companies who are serious about the quality of the app’s delivery. Testers are there to monitor each development stage, and also to orchestrate and manage the performance activities from start to finish.

    Continual Analysis

    In agile performance testing, continuous analysis is important.

    Both stakeholders and contributors need to monitor the progress of a project, especially when it comes to app performance and functionality. To create a clear view on what is needed, performance analysis needs to be comprehensive and continual.

    With this ongoing analysis, your team can spot any problem within the application. Analysis takes place on the daily scrums that include performance testers as application stakeholders and contributors.

    Contributors are active members on the team who complete daily scrums, which lets stakeholders see the status of the development effort. When all of the team members know the performance of each project sprint, they can keep the application’s quality high. The faster problems are found, the easier it is to fix them.

    Automated Testing

    Using automated testing tools can speed up the performance testing process. With the correct software, you can make a script, allow it to be reused, and you can schedule it to be tested during the off hours when you developers aren’t changing the code that’s tested.

    Automated testing helps you meet your performance testing and regression objectives within a 2-4 week sprint. This is more important when developers hold off 60% of their work during the sprint until its time for build testing. This doesn’t give you enough time for testing.

    Conclusion

    With agile performance testing, you’ll have a streamlined way of solving problems as they arrive. By doing it early in the development process, your IT team will be able to remove any discrepancies with your app before it launches. Thus, use it to ensure that your app is delivered to the utmost quality and please your stakeholders as a result.