Due to severe downturns in the global economy in 2023, the commercial real estate market saw a 66% annual decline in investments. Significant markets such as the US and Europe saw a 25% decline in leasing activity. The global commercial … Continue reading →

Paula MacDowell, Kristin Moskalyk, Katrina Korchinski, Dirk Morrison, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, Nov 13, 2024

This paper reports on a process where thirty-five teachers enrolled in an elective three-credit multimedia design course "engaged in experiential activities focussed on developing artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, alongside a collaborative assignment to co-author an open-access textbook, Teaching and Creating With Generative Artificial Intelligence." In the process, "the Student Artificial Intelligence Literacy (SAIL) framework was developed (illustrated)." The paper concludes with the usual recommendations ('do no harm', 'develop communication skills', etc.). Each participant wrote a chapter, though a common template was used. I very much like the idea of producing a useful open resource as part of class activities. Oddly, the article doesn't provide a link to the textbook, but I found it here. It's a nice selection of 'how-to' articles that readers, I think, will find useful. One chapter (chapter 20 1/2?) is missing.

After some recent contributions from Larry Evans and big news coming from BYD itself, I started digging into BYD’s monthly production and sales reports. The big business is the passenger vehicle business. However, BYD also reports production and sales of its buses (electric) and production and sales of its other ... [continued]

The post BYD Commercial Vehicle Sales Up 49% appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Most states currently do not provide constituent service blogs for their legislators. One reason is the fear that blogs can be misused. Legislative staff make every effort to offer non-partisan services and information and fear that blogs could be used as state sponsored tools for campaigning.

Most U.S. Representatives and Senators have both official governmental websites and private sites for operating campaigns. The question is, could state governments promote a similar dual model of separate sites/weblogs for constituent services and campaigning?

Elected officials and those running for office have seen how RSS news syndiction can help them spread their message. Howard Dean rose out of obscurity last year using a combination of weblogging and local web meetups to become his party's front runner in the presidential race. Dean and others learned that this technology can even the playing field and allow someone to rapidly organize a grass roots campaign. RSS syndication can help create a dynamic website and produce both email and online newsletters in the same process. With legislative staffs slow to offer the service, there is an inviting market niche for the private sector.

Recognizing this golden opportunity, LaVarr Web, Publisher of UtahPolicy.com today issued an "Invitation to Blog" to elected officials and party leaders wishing to communicate directly to citizens. Mr. Webb writes:

We would like to invite you to become a blogger. UtahPolicy.com is creating the Utah Policymaker Blog and we hope you will be part of it. It is an opportunity for you, as a Utah policymaker, to publish your opinions, thoughts and ideas to a wide audience of opinion leaders. It is an opportunity to participate in an exciting new high-tech communications medium that is becoming a powerful tool in politics, business and in every walk of life.

It's fun and exciting to be a blogger. You are probably aware of how bloggers are credited for toppling the powerful Dan Rather and CBS News. The phenomenon of blogging is growing rapidly and as a leader in Utah you ought to become familiar with this new method of communicating and use it to your advantage. In effect, Utah policymakers will have their own electronic publication in which to communicate with the public.

Some reasons UtahPolicy.com offers as to why elected officials ought to consider blogging include:

• You can communicate directly to citizens and other policymakers and opinion leaders without having your comments and opinions filtered by the news media.


• You can talk back to the news media. You can comment on news stories published by newspapers, and magazines and aired by television and radio. You can even link to the original articles.


• You can promote your pet projects, priorities, legislation, causes, and issues.


• You can respond to others' comments in the blog, creating a dialog.


• You can learn how to use an entirely new, and very powerful, communications channel. At some point you might want to create your own personal blog, and this will give you experience.


• You will be joining millions of other bloggers, some of whom have developed large followings.


• The Utah Policymaker Blog will become a very popular blog if enough policymakers participate. News reporters will read it for story ideas. It will help set the political agenda of the state. It will become a valuable forum for the exchange of opinions and ideas on public policy issues in Utah.

Utah policymakers interested in the offer should send an e-mail expressing their interest to daily@utahpolicy.com. While the general public will be able to read the blogs, only invited policymakers (i.e. elected and appointed officials and a few key opinion leaders) will be able to publish to it.

This is an example of the union of business and government to promote democracy and inform the citizenry using RSS news syndication. We wish them well in their efforts!

The Debian project has announced its latest point release for Debian Linux 12, codenamed “bookworm,” marking the eighth update to this stable distribution. This 12.8 update primarily addresses security issues and fixes various critical bugs, enhancing the reliability and security of the system. Importantly, this release is not a new version but an update to existing packages within Debian 12. Users who routinely update via security.debian.org will notice only minimal changes, as most updates are rolled into this point release. There is no need to replace existing installation media for bookworm; a simple upgrade through an up-to-date Debian mirror suffices… [Continue Reading]

Building a social media presence is perhaps the most common advice given to brands that have just begun building their online presence, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Social media has become so ingrained in our culture that it touches every corner of our lives, both personal and professional. Even those who don’t consider themselves […]

The post Five Tips for Creating a Hot-Shot Social Media Strategy From Scratch appeared first on The Design Inspiration.

Are you looking for an online editor that offers free templates for commercial use? If so, you...

After close to 2000 podcast episodes, Joe Saul-Sehy knows a thing or two about growing an audience.  In fact, his finance podcast, Stacking Benjamins, has amassed a massive following of 180k listeners, with shows averaging around 40k listens/episode. Joe’s no…

The post How Joe Saul-Sehy Grew His Financial Podcast to 180k Listeners appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

¿En qué momento la influencia se convierte en una falta de influencia?

Festival season kicked off as revelers from around the globe flocked to the small town of Indio, California for The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023.

The Met Gala once again took over NYC - and our social feeds. This year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”, paid homage to one of fashion’s greatest designers on one of fashion’s biggest nights.

Gen Z is well known for being social media savvy. But not all platforms are created equal, and with new trends emerging it can be hard to keep track of where Gen Z is spending its time. In this blog, we’ll walk through the apps where you’re most likely to find this cohort scrolling, liking, and viewing, covering the following topics: 

• What social media app has the highest reach among Gen Z? 
• What social media app has grown the fastest among Gen Z?
• How does Gen Z’s social media usage compare to the general population? 
• How does Gen Z’s social media usage compare to other age groups? 

Wimbledon 2023 wrapped up with a men’s final tennis masterclass, and social media didn't miss out on the action.

The post How to Approach Influencers in Your Niche: Twelve Crucial Tips appeared first on ProBlogger.

Do you want to connect with influencers in your niche? Most bloggers do. But many of them go about it the wrong way. Forming relationships with influencers is something you really want to get right. Done well, it’s one of the best ways to grow your audience and brand. And hopefully ...more

The post How to Approach Influencers in Your Niche: Twelve Crucial Tips appeared first on ProBlogger.

In this episode, recorded live on Facebook, Nicole discusses her experience of Holy Week prior to becoming Orthodox by reading from the Conclusion of Time and Despondency. Readers from Facebook join in with thoughts about how their impressions and experiences of Holy Week have changed over the course of their lives. The intro and outro of Time Eternal are "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy," by Kai Engel.

Bill is joined by special guest Eric Namee. Eric is a successful lawyer who also serves as the Chairman of the Virginia H. Farah Foundation. The Farah Foundation has helped hundreds of Orthodox ministries with grants for programs meeting their criteria. Eric is also working with the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in an advisory capacity.

Many people are systematically allowing themselves and their children to become more depressed and addicted to dopamine through social media and smart phone use. These two, highly-addictive and codependent tools have been proven to magnify a sense of loneliness, inadequacy, despair, and helplessness as we are swept into an "attention economy." Church social media guru Fr. Barnabas Powell and Bill Marianes will review the data on social media dopamine addiction and discuss effective strategies you, your churches, and families can use as we explore how to use social media positively and focus on WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) with the power of social media.

Frederica reflects on giving to the needy, countering the cultural beliefs that the poor have nothing to offer, that it is okay to be consumers and not producers, that we must despise the wealthy, and that charity must go through an established organization.

On March 25, exactly 9 months before Nativity, the Church celebrates the Annunciation to the Theotokos that she will be the Mother of God. God's declaration through the angel Gabriel, however, had a contingency attached. Listen to find out what it was.

Dr. Constantinou discusses how the clergy are both different and not different from the rest of us and what happens in a parish when a priest's corruption is revealed.

Dr. Constantinou looks at why and how clergy corruption happens.

Dr. Constantinou describes the reasons some corrupt clergy form inappropriate relationships with parishioners, and how they can take steps to prevent this kind of corruption of their life, ministry, and parish.

Dr. Constantinou reflects on the failure to guard oneself against temptation that leads to a corrupt clergy, from On the Priesthood, Book 6 by St. John Chrysostom.

Dr. Constantinou talks about what will happen to a clergyman who is corrupt, and what if he repents of his sins?

Dr. Constantinou concludes her series of special lessons by praising the good, hard working clergy who serve our the Church.

Fr. John shares his homily from the Feast of the Annunciation and the Sunday of the Holy Cross.

Fr. John shares from St. John Climacus and 1 John 2:15-17.

Fr. John Whiteford's sermon from April 7, 2024.

Exploring what the Sacrament of Confession teach us about the dangers of popularity and hero-worship in this age of social media.

Unnatural Associations (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)