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How popular games and movies shape popular culture

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Popular culture and art have always influenced each other; the one cannot grow and expand without the other. One of the most interesting and wide question of humanistic and philosophical studies have been if it is art that immolates society and its culture or if it is the other way around. In today’s vast space of the internet and galaxies full of steaming platforms and services, games, series, and movies continue to leave the question ambiguously answered. 

games in  popular culture

As the philosophy- and art major students post the famous crying Gifs on Twitter of Kim Kardashian while ironically enough complaining about how reality-tv could not hold a candle to Aristotle or Shakespeare’s rough humour. 

Famous Movies Or Infamous Influencers? 

Before influencers became something known in pop culture as pretty people of Instagram-models who persuaded their followers to purchase a certain brands new product or service, there were many big names around the world who were the OG influences, and most famously the big names of Hollywood. 

In 1964 Stanley Kubricl’s movie “Dr. Strangelove” premiered, and it was so influential that it eventually changed the American missile program. After years of critique and scorn from the public that such construed mishaps that were portrayed in the movie would never happen in real life, the lingering afterthought and subsequent questioning led to a reform in the program to make sure there could never be a missile mishap. 

Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jaws” caused such an influx of water safety protocols and public terror with the individual swimmer that thousands, both from the day of the movie premiere in 1975 to todays and the forthcoming future viewers, developed a fear of swimming in deep waters. With the creeping fear of a great white shark stalking them from below, wanting a nibble. The movie itself was also the reason why the movie franchise now have such a thing as “summer blockbusters”, where some movies become so influential and adored that the cinema sell out almost every showing for an entire summer.  

Videogames And Slot Machines Promoting Education

Since the start of video and computer games, X-Box and Nintendo, fearful adults who see their children pay games where weapons and car chases were part of the storyline there have been an outcry for a boycott of such games. However, even with a massive online library of studies and articles that how these games do not influence children to act out violent tendencies in real life there are evidence that show how videogames support and promote education and cognitive thinking. 

It is not only games such as GTA which promotes motors kills and foresight, similar games such as casino slots online and in real-life casinos promote educational math such as calculating chance and the odds of probability. In the vast space of online games, the cognitive thinking developing along with motor skills and further education. Which actively and continuously displays the further expanse and influence of these games in people’s lives and the popular culture of today. Let alone the graphic design chooses which have influenced countless artists in their temporary works of art as well as the new artist online, the AI art generator. Which in and off itself and its generated art influences the art world for better and worse. 

The Shaping Of Nations Through Streaming Platforms And Reality-Tv Spinoff’s

The philosophers and old-school art major’s worst fears are alive and thriving in the vast space of the internet and the galaxies of reality-tv, but is that really such a bad thing? That which many of these old-school thinkers believed would create generations of lethargic youth with no sense nor sensibility instead inspired and outraged them who are instead shaping the world and creating revolutions against outdated social structures 24/7. 

With the launch of the hit reality-tv show “Keeping up with the Kardashians” launched in 2007, millions of viewers tuned in to see the propped-up tv-family of seemingly arrogant and clueless Kardashians. Expecting them to make a mockery of themselves, their nation, and the gullibility of its people. However, along with the many slip-stick comedy glimpses of the prime-time reality-tv entertainment, the family raised important social issues with a thin vail of masked cluelessness and of how these structures should be reformed. With the years the generations who saw right through it demanded the vail came off, and off it went. The Kardashians worked skilfully to get their messages across, from jail reforms, feministic outcries of injustice of social norms, and unacceptable phobic jokes. 

Through the streaming platforms such as Youtube, Tiktok, Netflix, and many more, the minds and cultures of generations are continuously shaped. 

The versatile shape and form of art will forever be changing and influence pop culture just as much as pop culture will change it.

Popular games and movies wield immense influence, shaping trends and defining modern popular culture in profound ways. The rise of interactive entertainment is evident in guides like how to code games in Python, empowering creators to contribute to this cultural wave with their own projects. Meanwhile, best streaming services compared highlight how movies reach audiences today, driving the cultural conversations that ripple through society. For those crafting related content, using top YouTube thumbnail maker tools ensures visually striking promotions that amplify these cultural phenomena online.

How To Keep Employees Engaged With Synchronous Learning

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One of the most efficient employee training methods is synchronous online training, giving employees the drive and framework they need to meet their performance expectations. But there is a catch to this. Synchronous online training needs to have the ideal balance of interaction, cooperation, and assistance for it to become unforgettable and exciting for your employees.

Employees who participate in synchronous training can get feedback immediately and feel involved in the learning process. This article will teach you what is synchronous learning and mention some practical tips that eLearning professionals could use to create synchronous online training materials that are both engaging and informational for corporate learners.

What Is Synchronous Learning?

The term “synchronous training” comes from the phrase “in sync,” which denotes two persons joining together simultaneously. Synchronous training refers to in-person learning where learners and instructors can interact proactively in real-time.

This type of learning strategy replicates face-to-face interaction, whether it be digitally or physically. Here, information transfer takes place instantly. Several individuals are learning the same material in a synchronous setting at once. So there are many different viewpoints present in the space.

Synchronous training can now be conducted between both physical and virtual teams, while it was previously primarily done in person. All that is needed, whether synchronous training is being conducted on a computer monitor or in a classroom, are honest, in-person conversations between the person instructing and those being taught. 

In-person role plays, one-on-one tutoring, break-out rooms, text messaging streams, live-streamed seminars, and lectures, among others, are all forms of synchronous training.

Pros Of Learning In A Synchronous Setup

  • Real-time learning- The employee can learn how to deal with difficult circumstances as they arise.
  • Communicative session– To make the session more engaging, the L&D might quiz the customer service team members on their understanding of the concepts they have been trained on.
  • Collaborative learning –  For example, the CS team can talk about what they’ve learned after the training and assist one another with complex concepts.

Importance Of Employee Engagement 

Employee engagement is vital for every organization. It contributes significantly to the performance of an organization and enables it to expand. Since engagement is higher in synchronous training as compared to asynchronous training, it increases employee motivation and satisfaction over time. This is because employees perceive it as a clear investment in their career, which increases the likelihood that they will get more involved with the company and, consequently, become much more productive, successful, secure, and happy. 

Moreover, individuals will be more driven to learn and participate if they experience a sense of community and know that everyone is striving towards a similar goal. Synchronous training also has the enormous benefit of enabling real-time feedback. The instructor can observe the learners and determine whether or not the learners are motivated and interested in the lesson.

Keep employees engaged using synchronous learning with the following tips:

Prioritize Resource Sharing

Give your employees relevant materials in advance and ensure they have received them. This prevents individuals from wasting time downloading the resources during the training sessions and enables any download issues to be detected and fixed beforehand.

Meetings Should Incorporate Synchronous Training

Include your synchronous learning in the existing team meetings. For instance, conducting quick quizzes and verbal tests in a remote team meeting is a terrific way to keep things productive and save time.

Be Ready

Make sure you’ve turned on all of your equipment, logged in, reviewed your papers, and planned relevant solutions for potential inquiries before your meeting begins.

Ensure That Learners Feel Welcomed And At Ease

The degree to which participants felt at ease and welcomed will significantly impact this type of training’s efficacy. Conduct the training gently, let employees know when it’s appropriate to ask questions, and be friendly when you introduce yourself to ensure they feel as joyful as possible.

Consider Inclusivity

Different individuals require different amounts of visual and aural stimulation when learning. Keep this in mind throughout your synchronous training, and propose useful methods such as printing out notes to go along with slides, going over them in detail, and speaking more slowly.

Keep It Brief And To The Point

Don’t go above what is necessary. Prolonged lectures covering broad themes will bore your audience. Choose what is important and prioritize that.

Choose A Method To Record It

Planning this kind of training will take a lot of your time, so make sure to record it. It is advantageous because you can return and watch it later to find any gaps. Additionally, you can distribute it later to individuals who skipped the training and those who wish to review particular sections.

Distribute Feedback Forms

Distribute a survey asking for comments from all employees after the session has finished. Find out what they liked, what they thought could be improved, and the training’s main takeaways.

Look Out For Exhaustion

Paying attention to learner exhaustion is crucial for remote teams because online meetings may be extremely draining. Allow learners to take brief intervals, and do your best to maintain lively conversations to prevent this.

Include Team-Building Exercises To Make It Enjoyable

Linking team members from different parts of the world and promoting creativity, job happiness, cooperation, and team spirit are just a few of the many advantages of team building. Sync your training with some team-building exercises.

Conclusion

You can engage and energize your staff for training by having everyone participate in an online game at the start of the training. Choose from a puzzle game or a Christmas game, then play through five quick rounds to help teams relax and evaluate their ability to work together. Include icebreaker activities to meet the team, make everyone feel at ease, and develop trust-based relationships.

In this article, we spoke about what synchronous learning is, its pros, how it is implemented for employee engagement, and additional tips for building an effective synchronous training program. We hope it will help you better understand the concept of synchronous learning.

The Importance of Authentication and Authorization to API Security 

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Application Programming Interfaces (API) have always provided the backbone of data sharing between apps, but in the last decade they have exploded in popularity. However, their peripheral spot in the software supply chain has led some developers to grossly overlook the security implications. API security best practices are more important than ever before, and this can be simply split into two major themes: authentication and authorization. 

Why API Security is a Big Deal

An API is a software intermediary that allows one application to share data, inputs and functions with another. They are accessible tools that provide incredible flexibility for developers to build applications, enabling the fluid and real-time flow of data between software. APIs began as the quiet underdog of application development. Powering huge online pioneers such as eBay and Amazon, ecommerce paved the way for APIs to thrive. From 2006, social media sites sought to change the way users interact with and share information. Facebook’s platform and API facilitated developer access to Facebook users’ friends, photos, events, and profile information. In turn, users made the leap to social media in droves.

Nowadays, the focus has shifted away from monolithic application development. Instead, microservice architecture is revolutionizing tech stacks. Following this architecture, applications are not single documents chock-full of self-written code. Instead, each app is modularized, and divided up into smaller standalone services. Each independent service can be built, deployed and scaled independently from the rest, allowing for more efficient resource usage. Each of these individual microservices must be able to communicate with one another; with their databases the real-time info is drawn from; and the web sites they power. From allowing applications to talk to one another, to becoming the very glue holding them together, APIs have come a long way. 

The Victims Of Poor API Security Are Your Users

Last year saw a number of high-profile data breaches that stemmed directly from API vulnerabilities. With both political and financial motivations, attackers are keenly aware that APIs represent some of the most glaring issues in today’s applications. 

Parler is a social networking platform that rose in popularity during Donald Trump’s presidential leadership. Fiercely defended by its right-wing userbase, Parler presented itself as a place for free speech. However, in 2021, some major security flaws in Parler’s API came to light. A single unprotected API had been built and shipped with no limits placed upon it. This meant that the attackers could build an automated function that simply crawled through every single user’s profile, collating all data it found and relaying it back to an attacker-controlled server. Parler had no way to flag that this bot was making hundreds of requests per second, thanks to the lack of API limit. This allowed security hacktivists to scrape and collect over 60 terabytes of data, surrounding the platform’s almost 10 million users. It’s not exactly like Parler had been built with security in mind, however: what made this piece of hacktivism even easier was the fact that post was sequentially ordered, making it that much easier to download millions of them in order.

Although Parler’s user data was used for legal means – that is, to establish the actions of users just before the infamous Capitol riot – other API-caused breaches cause far more damage. LinkedIn’s 2021 data scraping incident saw cybercriminal Tom Liner strip the personally identifiable information (PII) off the vast majority of user accounts. A single API had been granted too much access to the data within each user account – by leveraging a number of interconnected APIs, Liner was able to create a ‘super-list’ with the details of 90% of LinkedIn’s user base. He went on to use a similar technique to form a database of 533 Facebook users. In an interview with the BBC, Liner stated that user data from the LinkedIn fiasco was being sold for around $5000 a pop. This price is so high, thanks to the fact that personal contact details of C-suite executives pave the way for high-ROI spear phishing attacks. Insecure APIs have a tendency to damage the end-users the most; part of responsible data management is to guarantee security, at every stage of the data pipeline.

The Two Key Elements of API Security

Authentication and authorization are two very different – yet equally vital – processes. Authentication describes the process of determining the identity of the end user. Authorization, on the other hand, determines what data each user has access to. 

Authentication is a process that users go through when they first log into an application. This authentication must be verified by an API, otherwise there is the risk that a user could perform an operation that is not permitted. Note that client authentication is separate from user authentication, too: clients can continuously be requested for authentication, as the response is automated. Users, on the other hand, would find it incredibly frustrating to be asked for their login details at every different API call. To solve this, authentication typically occurs at the start of every session – for any requests thereafter, it’s simply propagated. This process must guarantee security: the best process for public-facing apps is transport layer security (TLS). As data is transferred between systems, TLS safely encrypts it. It also verifies the server that the client connects to during this process. By operating off private/public key pairs, TLS secures the shared authentication data, while preventing it from falling in the wrong hands. 

Once a user has been authenticated, APIs need to maintain a zero-trust approach, and adhere to the rule of least access. Authorization is a major stumbling block for many applications. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on software security. In 2019, they analyzed hundreds of real-world exploits and released a list of the top 10 API risks facing businesses. Top of the list: Broken Object-level Authorization. This occurs when an API can be tricked into returning information outside of the end-user’s scope of permissions. All an attacker needs to do is manually change the object ID within an API request. If no authorization checks are made at the API gateway, the attacker is free to access any data they please.

Protecting end-users from ill-meaning actors can often be as simple as enforcing API checks. Though the microservices economy promotes endless, rapid development, this risks worsening the industries’ division between developers and security. 

What Is The Average Cost And Price Breakdown Of A Server? 

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What Factors Contribute to the Price of a Server?

When customers ask us to provide them with a price quotation for a server, our response is always adapted to meet the requirements of the particular business. Due to the fact that the cost of a server might be adjusted, it is difficult to offer an accurate estimate of the price. The price of a server is often determined by the following three factors:

  • What are your plans for making use of the server?
  • How many individuals do you anticipate will connect to and use the server?
  • And depending on your use case, which particular components are you going to need to employ?

Nevertheless, a minimum of $5,000 is a sensible amount for the price of a server to plan for. If you have substantial data storage requirements, you should be ready to move up.

What Kinds of Things Make Up a Server, Anyway?

The sum of $5000 is a significant amount of money, particularly when one is just beginning their career. Let’s have a look at just what it is that you are purchasing when you fork out that amount of money, shall we?

There are five primary elements that make up a server.

  • The form factor, often known as the case
  • Processor
  • RAM
  • Archival media; hard drive
  • Power supplies

Type Factor

The first thing to consider is the size of the device, often known as the form factor, or the kind of case it will fit in. The amount of space you have available will affect this. Also, think about the number of servers that will be available.

Processor

The processor is the second component, and its capabilities dictate how many different items may be processed at the same time. Digital devices already have processors. There are processors that have been developed for servers alone, and their only purpose is to ensure compatibility with other servers.

Before deciding on a processor, it is important to ask oneself the following questions:

  • Should I choose a single or a double processor for my business?
  • What is the minimum number of cores that a CPU must have?

What you want to do with the server will determine how you respond to this question. The decision about whether to use a single processor or a dual processor has a significant impact on the total cost.

RAM 

RAM constitutes the third component (Random Access Memory). RAM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory) makes it possible to operate many virtual servers or for more than one person to utilize the same server at the same time.

Storage

Your server’s storage is the fourth component that makes up your server. It’s important to think about both the quantity and quality of storage space required when choosing the drive(s) for your server.

Are you content to use the standard spinning disk, which is both slower and more cost-effective? Or do you require the more contemporary and speedy SSDs, which come at a larger cost but also provide more storage space?

The Source of Power

Your power supply is the fifth and final component of your system. Dual power supplies are what we suggest for use with servers since they provide redundancy in the event that one of the supplies fails.

What Varieties of Servers Are Available?

There are many distinct applications for servers, each of which receives a specific title based on its purpose. The following are some examples of frequent uses:

  • For storage
  • Regarding computer simulations
  • For remote desktops
  • When doing a particular job

For Storage

The storing of data is the most typical initial application of servers. It’s possible that you’ll require a server to store all of your data. If you operate a small firm that employs less than twenty employees, this might cost you anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 at the most.

Servers may become prohibitively costly for companies that need a significant amount of hard drive capacity for archiving purposes, video editing, or 3D modeling. The price of your server might go up to 20,000 dollars.

With Regard to Virtual Machines

The second application is the configuration of several virtual machines. The use of many virtual machines enables multiple business applications, like email and active directory, to be operated on a single physical server.

It is difficult to provide a price estimate since the cost is dependent on the number of virtual servers that need to be operated. The cost will increase proportionately with the number of virtual servers that you need to maintain.

Nevertheless, it is important to avoid over-engineering your server. We want adequate performance, but not too much. It would be like getting a gaming computer when all you need is a device to check email and browse the internet.   Consolidating your servers in an effective manner is crucial if you want to prevent over-engineering your system.

4 Methods for the Continual Improvement of Business IT

There is not a single member of the modern working world who has not had to deal with defunct, outdated, and infuriating IT systems. The 2022 office can only remain effective if it remains up to date. 

Keeping your office up to date is far easier to talk about than to do. Without an efficient system, you lose production. If your system is permanently slow, think about how much production value you are losing. Slow IT means slow responses from your staff, slow service, and customers that go elsewhere. The modern world sees clients want everything now, in the moment. If your service is not providing that, modernising your IT systems could change your ways.

The 4 Techniques for Improved IT Systems

IT You cannot simply instal IT systems and forget about them. Business owners and management must undergo continual improvement or see their services die out. Here are four methods for improving IT systems and monitoring them over time.

1 – IT Service Management 

IT Service Management, or ITSM for short, allows firms to monitor the IT services they use and strategize over improvement. If you look at a service such as Servicenow ITSM, you can see a great example of how the correct IT framework and the continued reviewal of it helps businesses to monitor and upgrade flawed systems. Having the correct framework to match your firm means less disappointment on the user end. 

2 – Automation and Modernization

It never hurts a business to have a strategy for modernisation. The methods and techniques you used originally will not work forever. One of the simplest methods for improving your IT services is to set aside an hour a month or so to review your automation and modernization processing. Automating small tasks frees up employee time and boosts production. Modernising your software systems using IT personnel can speed up output, too.

3 – Review Cybersecurity Processes

It’s not just the IT that we use in the office to print labels or spreadsheets which we should regularly update, but the cybersecurity systems that protect them, too. In fact, updating your firewalls and online protection is the most vital part of upgrading your IT systems. Data security breaches cost firms millions each year. They create problems for your customers and erode their loyalty to you in the process. Dealing with bad security damages your reputation, forces your prices up to cover the costs, and might even see you operating illegally, accidentally. 

Review your cybersecurity processes as often as once a month. You should also keep your service fully updated to always protect consumer data. You may be in breach of GDPR policies in your country if you do not. 

4 – Develop a Data Strategy

Data strategies are specific to the companies that write them. They aim to detail how you will store, protect, and use the data you company generates. Any decent data strategy includes detailed methods of improving and upgrading IT services to meet new demand alongside company growth. Developing a strategy of your own could keep your IT services up to date, and your data completely safe.

Services for Automation and Modernization of Production

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Optimization and improvement of all stages of production is not so much a pleasant investment as a necessity. After all, every businessman will want to implement the latest technology in their company to improve its productivity and increase income afterward. This generates competition, and companies start chasing the most profitable solution in manufacturing automation.

Relevance of Automation Services

As you know, you can make money on anything you can think of. Against the background of such competition among manufacturers, individual robotics companies like https://www.rios.ai/ began to appear. They provide services for the production and sale of industrial automation systems, which help manufacturers achieve maximum product quality and productivity in general. Thus, if you seek professional help, this is the right choice.

Such companies have been in high demand among their clients since the beginning of their activities. The relevance of their services has remained high until today and will continue to remain high in the future. This is because their factory automation components offer companies the most profitable and modern solutions for production optimization.

Profitable Cooperation

If you have decided to automate one of the stages of production at your enterprise, cooperation with a professional company will be the most profitable solution, especially in the long term. And this is because such companies not only have their equipment factory but also provide support for their customers. After all, who better than the manufacturer knows their products and can service and repair them in the best possible way?

In addition, industrial robot system customers are regularly notified of updates and new systems that can also be implemented in production. And with a personalized approach and friendly customer service, you can build your own set of robots and systems that will perform the task and meet all your requirements.

4 Ways New Digital Tech Has Impacted Modern Media

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There is no doubt that all sorts of different areas of public life have been impacted in a big way by tech. You can certainly put the media front and centre on this particular list. However, in terms of the specific impacts that have been had, you may not be able to put your finger on exactly what it is that has changed. This is what the following blog post is going to be looking at in a higher level of detail.

1. Decline of Print Media 

First of all, with the widespread emergence of the internet and its accessibility, this has inevitably lead to a situation in which the traditional print media has declined in a big way. Ultimately, this also means that many of the major news agencies have struggled to get people to pay for content on a regular basis. One way in which they have attempted to circumnavigate this particular problem is by putting up paywalls and getting people on a subscription model. 

2. Rise of Amateur Content 

The fact that anyone can be a content creator in the modern world has led to a situation in which more and more people are looking to alternative sources of news. Of course, this can lead to all sorts of challenges based on the fact that not all of this content has the potential to be verified. Therefore, there is certainly a spread in terms of the power of what can be put out into the world, but this comes with its own individual set of challenges at the same time. 

3. 24-Hour Rolling News 

Rather than just having news at a single point in the day, there is no doubt that there has been a greater and greater level of demand present in terms of 24-hour rolling news and the accessibility of the major news apps. This means that people do not have to only consume their news at specified times of the day. Instead, they have the option of getting their hands on it as and when they would like to, which obviously represents a major change in so many different ways. 

4. Tech Setting the News Agenda 

In so many different ways, there is the sense that tech is very much setting exactly what is going on in terms of the news agenda. For example, we have a great deal of news out there about the major tech companies. Not only this, but any advances in tech are met with a huge amount of coverage. At the same time, people are looking more and more at answering key questions such as ‘what is NFT’ via the news. 

These are just a few of the noticeable ways in which digital tech has been having an impact on the modern media market. Of course, we are still very much in the early stages and there is no doubt that the changes are going to keep on coming thick and fast in the future.