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Blockbuster’s been on death watch for quite some time as newbies like Netflix and Redbox trounced the company in convenience and innovation. It’s working hard to play catch up by placing Redbox-like Blockbuster vending machines throughout the country and by taking a ‘me too’ approach to rentals by mail in an effort to slow its demise. After a few test runs for their latest strategy, it’s time for nationwide deployment.
Taking after GameFly, Blockbuster has officially added video games to its Blockbuster by Mail service. With more than 3,000 titles available, Blockbuster customers can substitute video game titles for DVDs up to their plan’s limit with plans starting as low as $8.95 per month. Similarly, Netflix’s cheapest plan starts at $8.95 and GameFly jumps to nearly double that at $15.95 after your first trial month ($8.95). How much time will Blockbuster’s latest move buy them in the end?
Blockbuster continues to work its advantages where the competition can’t. On top of similarly priced DVD by mail offerings, Blockbuster customers can drop off their movies at a moments notice at any brick and mortar location for an instant swap, something that’d take Netflix subscribers days to do. It’s only a matter of time before Netflix jumps on the gaming bandwagon to compete with GameFly and now Blockbuster so this advantage isn’t likely to remove Blockbuster from its deathbed.
Are you a Blockbuster customer? Now that video games are part of the same $8.95 plan, would you consider switching from Netflix? Let us know in the comments.

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Volume 10, Number 1—January 2004
Ecologic and Geographic Distribution of Filovirus Disease
We used ecologic niche modeling of outbreaks and sporadic cases of filovirus-associated hemorrhagic fever (HF) to provide a large-scale perspective on the geographic and ecologic distributions of Ebola and Marburg viruses. We predicted that filovirus would occur across the Afrotropics: Ebola HF in the humid rain forests of central and western Africa, and Marburg HF in the drier and more open areas of central and eastern Africa. Most of the predicted geographic extent of Ebola HF has been observed; Marburg HF has the potential to occur farther south and east. Ecologic conditions appropriate for Ebola HF are also present in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, where Ebola Reston is hypothesized to be distributed. This first large-scale ecologic analysis provides a framework for a more informed search for taxa that could constitute the natural reservoir for this virus family.
The natural maintenance cycles of filoviruses (Order Mononegavirales, family Filoviridae) are unknown (1).1Although dynamics of filoviruses as causes of epidemic diseases among humans, great apes, and other primates have been described in detail (2–13), the natural reservoir, mode of transmission to hominids and pongids (humans, gorillas, and chimpanzees), and temporal dynamics remain unclear. Diverse taxa have been suggested as potential reservoirs, including bats, rodents, arthropods, and plants (14–18).
Two observations provide clues about the nature of the host-virus relationship. First, filovirus transmission to humans is not common, and most occurrences can be traced to a single index case (2,6,19) (exceptions occur—e.g., the Durba Marburg outbreak appears to have involved multiple independent infections of humans from a reservoir population presumably associated with a mine). We assume that introductions to nonhuman hominid populations also generally begin with single index cases, but this hypothesis is more difficult to investigate. This rarity argues against a common arthropod vector for transmission: if anthrophilic arthropod vectors were to carry filoviruses, multiple index cases would be more common, as many hominids in an area would have the opportunity for infection. In addition, filoviruses generally do not replicate in arthropods or arthropod cell lines, leading several authors to speculate on more incidental modes of transfer (e.g., direct contact) (20).
Second, filoviruses show clear geographically related phylogeographic structure. Viruses and subtypes from particular geographic areas cluster together phylogenetically, even when occurrences from different years are studied. This phylogeographic structure suggests a stable host-parasite relationship, in which viruses are maintained in permanent local-regional pools. This host would not experience high death rates, as primates do (7,9); evolution of avirulence in long-term host-parasite relationships is expected on theoretical grounds (21).
Searches for the natural reservoir of filoviruses have taken several paths. Epidemiologic studies designed to trace lineages of transmission in outbreaks have identified index cases but have not succeeded in specifying the mode of “jump” to hominids (2,6,19). Testing large numbers of organisms from the vicinity of outbreaks has failed to identify even a single nonhominid infection (14–16). Finally, laboratory tests of reservoir competence of species have documented the following: 1) no, or very limited, infection of plants or arthropods; 2) a single marginally successful infection of snakes but with very low levels of virus circulation; 3) successful infection of bats and possibly rodents; and 4) frequent successful, but fatal, infection in nonhuman primates (e.g., Chlorocebus, Macaca) (1,17,18). While these investigations have shed some light, they have not provided convincing evidence for a particular reservoir.
An unexplored approach to identifying the natural reservoir of filoviruses is large-scale ecologic and geographic comparisons to detect patterns of co-occurrence and codistribution of viruses with potential hosts. This approach has been applied successfully to identifying reservoir rodent species for Chagas disease (22). Our general approach is as follows: 1) to understand the large-scale ecology and geography of disease occurrences by using ecologic niche modeling (23), and 2) to compare these characteristics with ecologic and geographic patterns of potential reservoirs. Here, we address the first step and document broad-scale ecologic and geographic patterns in filovirus-associated HF occurrences.
Distributional data for filovirus-associated HF occurrences in hominids were accumulated from the literature (Table). Occurrences of unknown origin were excluded from analysis, but when reasonable guesses could be made as to point or general area of origin (e.g., 1995 outbreak of hemorrhagic fever due to Ebola Ivory Coast as originating at Plibo, Liberia), they were included. All occurrences were georeferenced (available from: URL: http://www.calle.com/world) to the nearest 0.001°. Although assigned geographic coordinates may not fix the exposure point precisely, they represent our best guess as to its position and are likely to be representative of the coarse-scale ecologic conditions. (The relatively crude spatial resolution at which analyses were conducted makes some error in georeferencing irrelevant.)
Ecologic niches and potential geographic distributions were modeled by using the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP) (30–32) (available from: URL: http://www.lifemapper.org/desktopgarp/). In general, GARP focuses on modeling ecologic niches (the conjunction of ecologic conditions wherein a species can maintain populations without immigration) (33). Specifically, GARP relates ecologic characteristics of occurrence points to those of points sampled randomly from the rest of the study region, developing a series of decision rules that best summarize factors associated with presence (23).
Occurrence points are divided evenly into training (for model building) and test (for model evaluation) datasets. GARP works in an iterative process of rule selection, evaluation, testing, and incorporation or rejection: a method is chosen from a set of possibilities (e.g., logistic regression, bioclimatic rules) and applied to the training data to develop or evolve a rule. Predictive accuracy is evaluated on the basis of the test data. Rules may evolve in ways that mimic DNA evolution (e.g., point mutations, deletions). Change in predictive accuracy between iterations is used to evaluate whether particular rules should be incorporated into the model; the algorithm runs 1,000 iterations or until convergence. Model quality was evaluated through independent test dataset reserved prior to modeling; a chi-square test was used to compare observed success in predicting the distribution of test points with that expected under a random model (proportional area predicted present provides an estimate of occurrence points correctly predicted, were the prediction random with respect to the distribution of the test points).
To characterize environments, we used 11 GIS coverages summarizing elevation, slope, aspect, flow direction, flow accumulation, and tendency to pool water (from the USGS Hydro-1K dataset [available from: URL: http://edcdaac.usgs.gov/gtopo30/hydro/), and climate characteristics, including daily temperature range; mean annual precipitation; maximum, minimum, and mean annual temperatures; solar radiation; frost days; wet days; and vapor pressure (1960–1990; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [available from: URL: http://www.ipcc.ch/]). These coverages are worldwide and provide a consistent view of ecologic variation across regions studied. GARP’s predictive ability has been tested under diverse circumstances (22,23,34–47).
To optimize model performance, we developed 100 replicate models of ecologic niches based on independent random subsamples from available occurrences. We chose a “best subset” of these models on the basis of optimal error distributions for individual replicate models (34): median area predicted across all replicate modes was calculated, and the 20 models with predicted areas closest to the median were chosen for further consideration. These geographic predictions were combined to provide a summary of potential geographic distributions. Projection of the Africa-based rule-sets onto maps of Asia and the Pacific provided hypotheses of potential distributional areas in other regions (46).
To permit visualization of the ecologic dimensions of models, we combined best-subsets predictions with maps of the ecologic parameters used to build them in a GIS environment (COMBINE in ArcView 3.2). The resulting dataset represents unique combinations of environments and predictions; its attributes table provides the model prediction for all environmental combinations to permit visualization of ecologic variation. We also compared ecologic conditions inside and outside of the modeled Ebola HF distribution within 11 regularly spaced circular windows (radius 50 km); comparisons were summarized through Mann-Whitney U-statistics, permitting a nonparametric visualization of the strength of association of each ecologic dimension (temperature, precipitation, elevation) with the range limit.
The geographic distribution of filovirus disease spreads generally across the humid Afrotropics (Figure 1A). Outlier occurrences lie at the eastern extreme of the distribution, consisting of occurrences associated with Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses. Preliminary analyses of these geographic distributions, based on random subsets of the few data points available, indicated high statistical significance to model predictions: predictions of the geographic distribution of filovirus HFs correctly included random independent subsets much better than random model expectations (all p < 10-7). Although subsequent modeling was done without subsetting to maximize occurrence data, these preliminary results nonetheless indicated excellent predictivity of our distributional hypoptheses.
Modeling the distribution of Filoviridae in general (all points in Figure 1A) produced a broad potential distribution across the Afrotropics, including areas from which filovirus HF occurrences have not been reported (Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar; Figure 1B). Predicted distributions of the two major Filoviridae clades—Ebola and Marburg viruses—showed different geographic patterns. When just the three African Ebola virus species were analyzed together, areas of overprediction in eastern Africa disappeared, and predicted distributional areas included only areas surrounding known occurrence points, except for a few small disjunct areas in West Africa (Figure 1C). The predicted distribution did not include all of the Afrotropics—coastal central Africa and most of West Africa appeared not to be included, although these models are based on very small samples of occurrences.
When we analyzed the relatively few Marburg HF occurrences for which distributional data exist (n = 4 occurrences), a complementary distributional area was predicted (Figure 1D). Marburg HF was predicted to be absent in the humid Afrotropics, rather appearing focused in drier areas in eastern and south-central Africa. In contrast to Ebola HF, Marburg virus appears to have the potential to occur in areas from which filovirus disease has not yet been described.
Sequential omission of Ebola virus species from analyses provided a view of ecologic similarity of species (45): if omission of a particular species causes little overall change, then its ecologic characteristics are not distinct from those of the remaining species. Omission of Ebola Ivory Coast had little effect on the prediction (Figure 2A; note predicted area in Ivory Coast); similarly, predictions omitting Ebola Zaire included at least part of the distribution of Ebola Zaire (southern portion omitted; Figure 2B). Eliminating Ebola Sudan, however, yielded a prediction completely excluding the distribution of Ebola Sudan (Figure 2C), which suggests that Ebola Sudan occurs under a distinct ecologic regime.
Inspection of niche models of Ebola HF occurrences (Marburg HF excluded) in ecologic space (Figure 3) provided insight into their ecologic distribution. Predicted Ebola HF occurrences were concentrated in regions presenting high precipitation combined with moderate-to-high temperatures (Figure 3A), coinciding with the ecologic distribution of evergreen broadleaf forest, although in specific cases that forest may be highly disturbed. In fact, >50% of African evergreen broadleaf forest is predicted to be within the niche of Ebola HF; no other land-cover type exceeded 5% within the Ebola HF niche (Figure 3B). In other dimensions, Ebola HF occurrences were distributed centrically in African environments and did not include extremes (Figure 3C–D).
Distributional limits are complex results of multiple causal agents. A species is seldom limited on all sides by a single factor; rather, distributional limits are the combined result of many such factors. Inspection of the ecologic dimensions coincident with modeled geographic limits of Ebola HF occurrences (Figure 4) showed some of this complexity. At points around the distributional limit of Ebola HF distributional areas in central Africa, precipitation dominates the range limit at point 11, but temperature and elevation dominate at points 2, 3, and 6. Moreover, gradients are steeper in some areas than others (e.g., point 6 vs. 3). This preliminary analysis thus illustrates the complex relationships between ecologic dimensions and distributional limits.
Given the mysterious origin of Ebola Reston virus (Ebola HF among macaques in a breeding facility on Luzon, Philippines) (9,13), a key question regarding Ebola HF distribution and ecology is whether similar ecologic conditions exist in Southeast Asia (e.g., Philippines). Projecting ecologic niche models for Marburg HF in Africa onto Asian environments identified few “appropriate” areas: only a few scattered areas in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (Figure 5A). Projection of Ebola HF models, however, identified broader potential distributional areas in Southeast Asia (Figure 5B), including the lowlands of Mindanao (Figure 5, inset), a finding that suggests that similar ecologic conditions exist in the Philippines.
Ecology and Geography of Filovirus Occurrences
The ecologic niche characteristics reconstructed for filovirus species disease outbreaks coincided closely with phylogenetic patterns in the group (1,48). That is, disease sites for Ebola Ivory Coast and Ebola Zaire coincided ecologically, and these viruses are phylogenetically sister taxa. Ebola Sudan is genetically and ecologically most distinct among Ebola virus species, and (with Ebola Reston) forms the sister clade to Ebola Ivory Coast + Ebola Zaire. Correspondence between phylogenetic and ecologic patterns suggests that ecologic distributions of Ebola Sudan and Ebola Reston may prove similar; hence, the ecologic characteristics of Ebola Sudan may provide clues about the origin of Ebola Reston.
Marburg HF occurrence sites are quite distinct, with minimal overlap with Ebola HF ecologic distributions, coinciding with Marburg virus’ distant position in the phylogeny of the Filoviridae. This pattern suggests that Marburg virus and the Ebola viruses may have host species with markedly different ecologic requirements.
The geographic origin of Ebola Reston virus has been subject of controversy (9,49). Although the Ebola virus-infected monkeys initially documented in Reston, Virginia, originated in the Philippines, whether Ebola Reston occurs naturally in the Philippines has been debated. Nevertheless, the virus is distinct, and its geographic distribution is otherwise unknown. Given the phylogeny-ecology correspondence documented above, the ecology of Ebola Sudan may prove key in predicting the distribution of Ebola Reston, but the scanty occurrence data make species-specific models difficult. Our results are relevant in that ecologic conditions under which Ebola HF occurs in Africa are also found in the Philippines.
In previous analyses of animals, the conservative nature of ecologic niches has been documented to lead to prediction into regions inhabited by congener species (45). To the extent that host-parasite codistribution and cospeciation may be involved in the virus-reservoir relationships of filoviruses, prediction of potential distributional areas in the Philippines may reflect conservative niche evolution in the host taxon. Of course, because of historical effects (e.g., limited dispersal) on species’ distributions, potential distributional areas are often predicted in areas not inhabited (44), so this evidence is not definitive.
Limitations of the Approach
Limitations of our approach should be recognized. First, small sample sizes become critical. Although predictive models can be developed with relatively small samples of occurrence points (39), sample sizes for filovirus HF disease outbreaks are so minimal that single data points can change overall results. Examples of this sensitivity include the Zimbabwe Marburg HF disease outbreak and the Booue, Gabon, Ebola Zaire HF outbreak; inclusion of these points causes geographic predictions to be expanded considerably.
Other limitations center on the ecologic dimensions in which the niche is modeled. If additional dimensions exist that limit species’ distributions (and they certainly do) , GARP predictions will be overly large. Jackknife manipulations (systematic omission of ecologic dimensions to assess sensitivity to coverage density) can, to some degree, help in assessing sensitivity to coverage completeness (42), but dimensions more important than the set actually used may exist. Particularly relevant is climate variability—extreme events such as droughts and heavy rainfall may prove particularly relevant to filovirus transmission but are not included herein; such more complex models are under development (A.T. Peterson et al., unpub. data). Spurious associations between occurrence points and ecologic dimensions, though usually detected through independent test datasets, can limit distributional predictions overmuch.
Natural Reservoirs for Filoviruses
Detailed understanding of the geography and ecology of filovirus HF outbreaks represents an underexplored avenue of investigation regarding natural transmission cycles of filoviruses. We assembled available information regarding filovirus HF outbreaks and used various analytical tools to arrive at a detailed understanding of geography and ecology of filovirus disease occurrences. Consequently, we can now assemble criteria by which potential reservoir taxa might be judged. If one assumes a fair degree of host specificity in this host-parasite system, patterns of codistribution and cophylogeny can be expected. Hence, criteria include the following: 1) African Ebola virus reservoirs would be distributed principally in evergreen broadleaf forest; 2) the main focus of the geographic distribution of the reservoir(s) would be in the Congo Basin; 3) a disjunct (allopatric) distributional area would be present in West Africa; 4) a related taxon in eastern Africa would range in more arid habitats; 5) the reservoir would belong to a clade more broadly distributed across Africa and Southeast Asia.
Assessment of potential reservoir taxa by using these criteria has begun (A.T. Peterson et al., unpub. data), with the idea of eventually testing hypotheses of host associations through ecologic niche comparison methods (22). The goal, to be explored in future publications, is to develop reduced lists of taxa of highest priority for virus survey.
Dr. Peterson is associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Curator in the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas. His research interests focus on the geography of species’ distributions
We thank David Vieglais, Ricardo Scachetti-Pereira, and David Stockwell for technical innovations; Rigoberto Esono Anvene for assistance with georeferencing localities; Emily Jentes for literature research; Tom Ksiazek, Pierre Rollin, Dan Bausch, and Darin Carroll for valuable comments on versions of the manuscript; and Ellen Salehi for the spark of interest in infectious diseases.
Much of the writing of this contribution was carried out at the Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental, funded by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
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- Stockwell DRB, Peterson AT. Controlling bias in biodiversity data. In: Scott JM, editor. Predicting species occurrences: issues of scale and accuracy. Washington: Island Press; 2002. p. 537–46.
- Stockwell DRB, Peterson AT. Effects of sample size on accuracy of species distribution models. Ecol Modell. 2002;148:1–13. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT. Predicting species’ geographic distributions based on ecological niche modeling. Condor. 2001;103:599–605. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Ball LG, Cohoon KC. Predicting distributions of tropical birds. Ibis. 2002;144:e27–32. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Cohoon KC. Sensitivity of distributional prediction algorithms to geographic data completeness. Ecol Modell. 1999;117:159–64. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Papes M, Kluza DA. Predicting the potential invasive distributions of four alien plant species in North America. Weed Sci. In press.
- Peterson AT, Sanchez-Cordero V, Soberon J, Bartley J, Buddemeier RH, Navarro-Siguenza AG. Effects of global climate change on geographic distributions of Mexican Cracidae. Ecol Modell. 2001;144:21–30. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Soberon J, Sanchez-Cordero V. Conservatism of ecological niches in evolutionary time. Science. 1999;285:1265–7. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Vieglais DA. Predicting species invasions using ecological niche modeling. Bioscience. 2001;51:363–71. DOIGoogle Scholar
- Peterson AT, Scachetti-Pereira R, Hargrove WW. Potential distribution of Asian longhorned beetles (Anoplophora glabripennis) in North America. Am Midl Nat. 2004. In press.
- Georges-Courbot M-C, Sanchez A, Lu C-Y, Baize S, Leroy E, Lansout-Soukate J, Isolation and phylogenetic characterization of Ebola viruses causing different outbreaks in Gabon. Emerg Infect Dis. 1997;3:59–62.PubMedGoogle Scholar
- Peters CJ, Johnson ED, Jahrling PB, Ksiazek TG, Rollin PE, White J, In: Morse SS, editor. Emerging viruses. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1993. p. 159–75.
TableCite This Article
1Although filovirus taxonomy undergoes frequent revision, we follow nomenclature most recently established by the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses in 2002. Filoviruses consist of two genera. The genus Marburgvirus contains one species, Lake Victoria marburgvirus, with several recognized strains, and Ebolavirus contains four species: Ivory Coast ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus. For simplicity, we refer to the viruses using the unitalicized vernacular (e.g., Ebola Zaire). We use “Ebola viruses” to refer in general to members of Ebolavirus and “Marburg viruses” to refer in general to members of Marburgvirus. The diseases caused by filoviruses are termed Ebola hemorrhagic fever (HF; diseases caused by Ebola viruses) and Marburg HF (diseases caused by Marburg viruses).
Table of Contents – Volume 10, Number 1—January 2004
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Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:
A. Townsend Peterson, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA; fax: 785-864-5335

domain: geography


The history of computing is full of generational battles in which innovators and companies fought to shape the future. In the early era of computing, debates over the ideal architecture of systems with less power than most modern watches established the standards that exist today. From the late 1970s to early 1990s, the recognition of the personal computing market saw early computers like the Radio Shack TRS-80 and Commodore 64 transition into more widespread PC platforms like the Apple Macintosh and Windows-powered PCs.
The end of Moore’s Law is ushering in another such upheaval, though one which is seeing a renewed interest in entirely new approaches to computing. These new approaches include quantum computing and neural-inspired computing, both which have significantly risen in popularity in recent years. Already, the first large-scale neural chips, such as IBM TrueNorth, are being produced with commercial intent, and early indications are that the technology can be entirely compatible with modern fabrication capabilities. Thus, the question is not whether industry can provide neural platforms on systems from mobile phones to supercomputers, but whether their promise will be realized.
While interest in the brain as a source of inspiration goes back to early computing pioneers, it is only now that the prospect of true brain-inspired computing capabilities is really on the horizon. While approaches differ, neural-inspired computing ultimately comes down to looking to the brain for inspiration on several facets of computing: cognitive function (the ‘algorithm’), the brain’s circuitry (the ‘architecture’), and the unique properties of neurons and synapses (the ‘devices’).
Recent advances in each of these domains has made brain-inspired computing more attractive, particularly in light of the growing demands for computing to analyze and interpret vast amounts of data. First, the revolution in machine learning, particularly deep learning methods, has renewed excitement in neural network algorithms and other algorithms inspired by the brain. Second, the potential broad applicability of these machine learning applications has encouraged the development of new architectures that can accelerate these functions, particularly for smartphones and other embedded platforms. Finally, the increased need for low-power devices has encouraged looking to non-silicon based modes of computation and memory storage, some of which have analog behaviors similar to those seen in neurons. While these developments provide an opportunity for the neural computing community, several challenges must be overcome if neural-inspired computing is to truly impact computing.
The challenges facing neural computing
Despite the common perceptions that computers ‘think’ and brains are our bodies’ ‘computers,’ the gap between neuroscience and computer science is daunting. It goes without saying that the brain is a very different system from digital computers. At almost all scales one wants to consider, brains and computers differ significantly. Brains are comprised of neurons filled with salt water and organic compounds such as proteins and fatty acids, whereas computer hardware consists of conductive metals and semi-conductors like silicon. Neurons communicate with sharp pulses of electrochemical activity known as ‘spikes,’ whereas computers represent information electrically in synchronized ‘1s’ and ‘0s.’ Neurons in the brain are organized in complex circuits that more closely resemble highly interconnected graphs like airline routes or the internet, than any electronic circuit typically used in computing.
For this reason, many of the underlying research questions around neural computing center around what aspects of biological neural computing should be emulated, as how to build neural architectures is increasingly well understood. This is a stark contrast to quantum computing, where the math is well understood yet the implementation is an engineering challenge. To a large extent, advancing neural-inspired computing depends on progress from the broader neuroscience community studying what the brain’s computational mechanisms are.
The fact that we are still learning about the brain underlies the uncertainty about which aspects of the brain we want to incorporate into computing. Some scientists look to the brain for hints on how to achieve new cognitive capabilities in computers. Indeed, neuroscience offers potential solutions to many of the artificial intelligence challenges being faced by those developing self-driving cars and smart phones. Alternatively, many engineers are attracted by the brain’s apparent low power consumption relative to conventional systems and take less inspiration from its algorithmic function. These differences of perspective have led to ongoing debates about whether the analog-level computation of individual neurons or the higher level circuit connectivity should be central to a neural computer design.
To witness these debates, one may come to the conclusion that neural-inspired computing is still many years away from making a broad impact. This sentiment is likely incorrect, however, because the field has finally begun to forge ahead without waiting to develop a consensus around what the words ‘neural-inspired’ mean. Neural chips focused on low power exist now, and computer scientists are forging ahead developing algorithms without regard to who wins these debates. As a result, the field is diverse in its approaches and is bursting with a renewed enthusiasm. There are effectively many different approaches that take inspiration from the brain, and the result will likely be a race to provide capabilities we can all benefit from going forward.
Will neural computing be limited to only machine learning?
The communities looking to the brain for algorithmic inspiration and for architectural inspiration have remained somewhat distinct. Nonetheless, there is a growing appreciation in the field that machine learning represents the domain where neural hardware should shine first. Data analytics algorithms such as deep learning are loosely neural-inspired, and thus they architecturally fit many of the neural hardware platforms being developed. Interestingly, it is in the domain of machine learning that neural computing technologies face their biggest competitor, and their biggest role model, the graphics processing unit (GPU).
For many years, sophisticated GPUs were developed primarily for graphics intensive tasks, such as video games and graphic design. GPUs were thus considered a specialized platform and the ability to program them was restricted to those applications. However, in recent years, the general purpose abilities of GPUs have become increasingly appreciated, suggesting that a small-scale supercomputer resided within many desktop machines. Companies such as NVidia and AMD have successfully pivoted their technology to go far beyond these limited markets to show a general applicability of GPUs to tasks such as machine learning.
Today, many computationally intensive tasks are performed with the aid of GPUs, particularly tasks highly dependent on linear algebra. It is not unreasonable to predict that neural-inspired computing technologies will have a similar trajectory, where the first generation of users relies on neural chips to perform specialized tasks, and subsequent generations recognizing that their utility is far broader than originally considered. Therefore, as with GPUs, it is worth considering whether neural hardware will be destined to serve as simple ‘accelerator’ chips for a handful of important but limited applications, like machine learning, or if it will be suitable for a broader set of applications. Some recent results suggest that the latter may actually be true. At the recent Neuro-Inspired Computing Elements (NICE) Workshop, held at IBM Almaden, researchers not only described the use of neural computers for machine learning applications like deep learning, but also highlighted potential roles in computing tasks as conventional as solving optimization problems and matrix multiplication.
Can neural computing replace Moore’s Law?
Is it worth asking whether neural-inspiration can lead computing in the post-Moore’s Law era? On this front, neural-inspired computing methods, and particularly those approaches that look to the brain, have an ace up their sleeve compared to other methods. While Moore’s Law directly described the scaling of transistors, it also reflected a strong cross-industrial technological revolution in which smaller devices led to improved computing capabilities that in turn led to better engineering capabilities that allowed, among many other things, improved devices. As long as power was not a limiting factor, this cyclical process was the engine that kept Moore’s Law going for over fifty years.
Among new approaches to computing, neural approaches are almost uniquely situated to have a similar type of positive feedback loop. Most researchers in neural-inspired computing would agree that the incorporation of neural principles into computing is in its early days. Not only is there a lot of potential in the design of neural hardware platforms, but there is similarly much to be learned from the brain regarding algorithmic approaches. Thus neural computing has room to continue developing even if power considerations prohibit further miniaturization of silicon devices. The fuel for this innovation – our knowledge of the brain – is increasingly accessible as well. The neuroscience community’s understanding of the brain is itself thought to be at a critical point, wherein major initiatives such as the EU Human Brain Project and the US BRAIN Initiative are rapidly incorporating the best technology available – including cutting-edge computing and data analytics methods – to bring about deeper understanding of the brain.
Meanwhile, the broader science and engineering communities can simply prepare themselves for computers to look different in the future. Gone are the days when the only difference between a computer and its previous generation was more RAM and a faster CPU. For many reasons, computing of the future, be it on GPUs or on a neural chip, will likely look more like Google’s TensorFlow than FORTRAN. However, it is far too early to know exactly who will be the winners and the losers; we simply know that in terms of neural-inspired computing we are still in the infancy of the explosion to come.


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North Manhattan Beach Holiday Open House and Walk About
Get in the holiday spirit with Santa Claus, elves, carolers, and fun festivities in quaint, seaside North MB!
Annual holiday festivities in North Manhattan Beach are set for Saturday, December 6 from 4-9 p.m. Carolers, Santa, and businesses on Highland Avenue from 32nd Street to 42nd Street will get in the holiday spirit with libations, food samplings, discounts, specials and more. The Annual Holiday Open House and Walk About is organized by the North Manhattan Beach Business District and will include face painting, balloon art, and popcorn. Santa will be flying in from the North Pole, landing at the "Miracle of 34th St." where he'll be from 6-9 p.m.
Date & Time
December 6, 2014
4:00PM - 9:00PM

domain: travel


text:
“Building Season” 5.5”x 5.5” (artwork) 11” x 11” (framed) gouche paint on Arch Paper, 2020-2021
This is a series of paintings I made during this turbulent year in America. I call it "Proof of Life” because during the heavy days I needed to create hope out of ash in order to fuel my own action towards change and these paintings became both for me. I am still here! - Jesse Silver
May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny but useful. - Mary Oliver
Shipping is not included. If you would like a estimate for shipping cost before purchasing please email us firstname.lastname@example.org Otherwise once purchased we will send you a separate invoice for shipping cost. We prefer in-store pick up.Artwork will be available for pick up or shipment early August after the show is done.

domain: artistic


When a sprint feels like running: Terminology in Scrum
No doubt: Scrum comes with a lot of great ideas – and even better: They are applicable on a product development process. But on the other hand, there are some strange terms and metaphors which may lead to misunderstandings in the Scrum process – at least they were ...
Xtext Usability: Hovers on keywords
Xtext has become a framework not only for domain specific languages spoken, authored and read by programmers, but also by real (business-) domain experts themselves. Sometimes these people have reservations such as “a (textual) editor can never provide as much ...
CFEngine workbench based on Eclipse and Xtext
If you're fed up with the bad usability of your server maintenance tool then this may just be the thing for you: itemis Xtext expert Boris Holzer came up with an idea of a more usability-friendly tool and prepared a screencast showing you what it's all about.


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The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 2 ruled that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point may continue to consider race in its upcoming admissions cycle, a rare victory for advocates of inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D). But new research indicates that many Americans do not consider IE&D in the workplace to be a highly important issue.
In an emergency decision, the court denied a request brought by Students for Fair Admissions, the same conservative group that brought the cases that led to the end of affirmative action in higher education in June 2023.
"The record before this Court is underdeveloped, and this order should not be construed as expressing any view on the merits of the constitutional question," the court said in its unsigned order, which came without any noted dissents.
The news comes as IE&D in the workplace continues to receive backlash from conservative groups, politicians and business leaders. But a recent report has showed that people in the U.S. largely do not place great importance on IE&D in the workplace when compared with other societal issues.
A survey of 1,668 people in the U.S., by stakeholder intelligence firm Caliber, found that just 9 percent of respondents viewed IE&D in the workplace as a top priority when asked to pick the most important issues to them from a list of issues affecting the U.S.
They were more concerned with gun violence (33 percent), job opportunities (31 percent), immigration (30 percent), access to affordable health care (30 percent) climate change (26 percent) and the rise of artificial intelligence (15 percent).
“Many of the other possible answers are literally life-and-death issues,” said Shahar Silbershatz, CEO and co-founder of Caliber. He added that diversity and inclusion in employment is more of a “would like to have” than a “must have” for survey respondents.
Just 2 percent of people ages 65-75 said IE&D in employment was their top issue, compared with 21 percent of respondents ages 18-24—although even the younger age bracket didn’t view it as important as issues such as gun violence and climate change.
The three issues deemed the least important by Americans of all ages are all currently causing social discord in the U.S.: racial inequality (13 percent), gender inequality (10 percent) and IE&D in employment (9 percent).
Is IE&D Losing Its Luster?
The waning popularity and rising backlash against IE&D have caused many HR professionals to keep their IE&D efforts “under the radar” and broach the topic in subtler ways, according to The New York Times.
Frank Dobbin, an IE&D expert and professor of sociology at Harvard University, told The Times that many companies have explored moving away from IE&D initiatives that attract public attention, such as mandatory anti-bias trainings, in favor of lower-profile strategies, such as diversity task forces that bring together leaders from different corporate departments.
Some leaders, including SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, have said that IE&D will continue to be a hot-button issue. IE&D policies will “come under full-out attack in 2024,” Taylor said in an article in The Guardian.
Lauran Star, an IE&D expert and author of Evidence Based Inclusion: It’s Time to Focus on the Right Needle (LS Publishing, 2022), believes IE&D is “losing its luster” because it has become so stigmatized in recent years.
“Many places are dumping the DEI label altogether in favor of titles like ‘VP of people and culture,’ ” Star said.
She added that some companies have scaled back their public IE&D proclamations because they are embarrassed by their own IE&D failures. Conversely, other companies that are implementing IE&D correctly refuse to concede to the backlash because they understand and are enjoying the benefits of inclusion.
“If you're doing DEI right, it should never lose its luster,” she said. “It becomes part of company culture. It's something to be proud of, and the impact of having effective DEI programs cannot be understated.”
The Stakeholder Component
Based on the Caliber survey, Silbershatz surmised that employers addressing IE&D in the workplace are less likely to “ruffle feathers” than if they speak out on certain other social or political issues, such as gun violence or immigration.
“In that respect, we think companies are on relatively safe ground if they address diversity and inclusion in employment,” he said.
However, Silbershatz didn’t dismiss the possibility that IE&D initiatives could still be a potential minefield for companies. As backlash against IE&D continues, employers are learning they can’t please all their stakeholders all the time.
Anheuser-Busch can attest to the reputational cost of appearing “woke” after losing billions of dollars in response to partnering with a transgender influencer and activist in 2023. Some LGBTQ+ people and allies then criticized the company for its tepid response to the backlash.
Some organizations can safely address IE&D through their HR practices, but they should still track stakeholder perceptions and get insights that “allow them to hit the gas, pump the brakes or course-correct, if need be,” Silbershatz said.
“However they address the thorny issue of diversity and inclusion in employment, [HR’s] chosen position or policy should be authentic—as in, clearly aligned with their values and purpose,” he explained. “And they should articulate their position or policy in as honest and human a manner as possible.”


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Landlords who are open to renting to tenants with pets can earn more money and reach a bigger pool of potential tenants. The American Apartment Owners Association (AAOA) estimates that approximately 90% of renters have pets.
However, if a landlord agrees to grant permission for a tenant to own a pet, a proper Pet Addendum to a lease agreement is essential.
Pet AddendumGive a written permission for tenants to have a pet.
Generate a document with our document builder
Customize it using auto-fill elements if needed
E-sign and require signatures from tenants
What you need to know
What should be included in the Pet Addendum?
A Pet Addendum requires the correct identification of the pet’s species and breed by the landlord. It allows the landlord to evaluate if the type of pet the tenant owns is permitted in the property, as well as provides confirmation that the landlord has physically seen the actual pet itself. This can protect landlords from situations where a small dog is replaced for a larger one.
If the pet listed in the Pet Addendum no longer lives at the property, the tenant must inform the landlord immediately. If the tenant intends to obtain a new pet - a new Pet Addendum should be signed.
The following provides a list of information that should be included in a simple Pet Addendum:
The date on which the Pet Addendum was created
Mention of the original lease (if being added)
Name of the landlord or property management
Names of tenants (including all responsible parties on the lease)
The pet's breed, gender, age, weight, and name
License number required by the city
The date of the pet’s most recent rabies vaccination
Contact information for the veterinarian
The pet fee is a one-time, non-refundable application cost for bringing a pet into your home
Pet rent is the extra monthly rent charged to a tenant who has a pet
A pet security deposit is a refundable deposit that is refunded to the renter if the pet does not cause any damage other than to be expected by regular wear and tear (note: a pet deposit cannot be charged for tenants who require a service animal)
Can landlords change the pet policy?
Contracts, such as leases, cannot be amended unless both parties agree or unless the lease already contains wording that permits the change.

domain: pet


text:
Apr 5, 2018
Facebook has been in the news lately and not for good reasons.
The Cambridge Analytica Scandal as it is also known. This data firm
Cambridge Analytica had illegal access to over 50 million accounts
because of Facebook’s lack of governance on their user’s data.
Facebook’s stock has taken quite a hit as well.
Cern hates the people that cover their webcam up and then Chip
admitted that he covers his webcam. All during the #DeleteFacebook
trending on Twitter (and Facebook ironically) Chip and Cern don’t
know anyone who actually deleted their Facebook
The data breach feels really dirty because the info wasn’t
used to target you for shoes or clothes, but to influence the way
you voted in the very polarizing 2016 Presidential
Cern cleans his browser history, cookies and all that jazz
every few months, but not for privacy concerns, but for performance
issues. Chip does the same.
This is going to start kicking off the conspiracy theories
that your TV is listening to you and people with the impression
that there is someone in the FBI or the government the is listening
in on your every conversation that you have.
Chip’s opinion is that this type of data helps with your day
to day life. Amazon Echo is supposedly listening in on every convo
you have having. Chip and his wife did a test with the Facebook app
open, saying Playstation, but no Facebook ads for
Chip and Cern take an online privacy quiz and they score a
Cern likes the Google location tracking because it really is
convenient to have that enhanced experience.
Cern has started up with a salt water fish tank. He has to do
tons of research and finds that when Google remembers his searches
and what he has looked at.
How concerned are you about your online privacy? Let us know
on Twitter at @chipandcernshow. Speaking of plugs, pick up your
Chip and Cern Show swag (hats, shirts and stickers) at www.chipandcernshow.com/shop
Be sure to spread the word around and tell your friends about
the Chip and Cern Show. The radio is dying and podcasts are coming,
so be ready. You can plug your phone into your car and listen when
As always we appreciate you spreading the word with your
friends, coworkers, family and churchgoing community members.
are a great into to the
and Cern Show
, so share those!


text:
The Ramblers’ Association recently met with Environment Minister Miriam Dalli and Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi to advocate for the thousands of walkers who are finding previously accessible footpaths obstructed with gates and no-entry signage.
For a long time now, the public has used many footpaths to walk in the countryside. Some footpaths pass through public land while others pass over private land but access was tolerated.
Many of the latter are documented in a 1968 survey used by public authorities, showing that public access has been an established fact for many years. We maintain that the public has gained a right of transit over these ancient footpaths as reflected in various court rulings.
Indeed, the PA has policies intended to safeguard the accessibility of the countryside by denying planning permission for gates and other obstructions. These policies were recently used to refuse the sanctioning of an illegally installed gate at Blata tal-Melħ, which would have obstructed the accessibility of the coast from the village of Baħrija.
The ability of the PA to use its policies to protect the accessibility to the countryside was recently challenged in a case involving Ta’ Ċenċ. Although several factors were case specific, the court seemed to suggest that such regulations were in conflict with the right to private property. However, this ignores the fact that, in the final analysis, all planning and land use regulations are restrictions of private property.
The case at Blata tal-Melħ promises to be an important one, pitting against each other conflicting jurisprudence involving the right to private property and collective rights to access the countryside which may have been established over the course of time.
The Ramblers’ Association is urging the government to work to resolve this impasse by ensuring that ancient rights of transit are not lost.
The meeting also discussed the abuse of the sanctioning procedure to defer enforcement against illegalities almost indefinitely. Typically, the association will report an illegal gate blocking access to a footpath. Instead of taking action, the PA will ask the contravenor to obtain permission for the illegality through sanctioning.
Might is right’ is codified in our planning system- Ingram Bondin
Months of hearings result in the sanctioning application being rejected because the gate was against policy. At this point an enforcement notice is issued asking the contravenor to remove the gate.
This is not the end of the story as the contravenor will appeal both the notice and the refusal to sanction the illegality in front of the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT). Once again, enforcement is put on hold.
Should this fail, enforcement can be delayed even further through a second appeal in court. Once years have passed and the proceedings have run their course, the enforcement notice is reactivated and the case is put on a list for ‘direct action’.
But direct action is always subject to the ‘available resources’. No time frames are given and there is no clue on how cases are prioritised. Indeed, the enforcement action may be left languishing on the list forever.
In this way, the person who installed the gate illegally obtains an indefinite stay from enforcement action while walkers are unable to use the footpath for years on end. This travesty can be contrasted with the cavalier treatment third party objectors to development receive at the hands of the EPRT.
When a planning application is granted by the PA, objectors can also appeal in front of this tribunal. In the vast majority of cases, the tribunal will not suspend the planning application. The developer is simply allowed to develop the area irreversibly, making the ongoing appeal pointless.
So, while the PA will not take action against a self-confessed illegality because of a pending appeal, objectors appealing against development find their right to a fair hearing completely denied.
The unassailable conclusion is that the principle of ‘might is right’ is codified in our planning system. An act of courage and justice is required to reverse this degeneration of our institutions.
Ingram Bondin is president of the Ramblers’ Association of Malta.
Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.Support Us

domain: politics


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Unlike Traditional western dating, Hard anodized cookware dating customs are somewhat distinct. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you should not choose a kiss in public places. This may seem like a no brainer, but in reality, it really is one of the most common mistakes made by guys.
Asian women are extremely family oriented. They benefit family as being a central area of their lives, and expect kindness and meekness from their potential suitors. This is especially authentic of girls exactly who are raised with parents. Therefore , if you are looking for your partner, it may be far better court your parents first.
Besides out of being a attractive thing to do, displaying a keen affinity for your potential partner’s lifestyle may also be a good idea. A large number of Asian women aren’t at ease with strangers, and in addition they appreciate a man exactly who shows interest in their life. If you are a good listener, you are able to win her over by simply telling her interesting experiences about her life. This is also a good way to demonstrate your Hard anodized cookware girl that you’ll be interested in her culture and therefore are not just looking for a quick date.
Obtaining to be aware of your potential Asian partner is not merely important for your own state of mind. Cookware women often be shy and delicate, and that means you have to be careful if you want to begin a romance with her. Therefore , avoid areas like pubs and eateries, along with discos.
Ways to impress the https://themailorderbrides.com/bride-country/asia/ potential Asian spouse is to reverence her relatives. You don’t want to be considered a snob by looking into making fun of her parents. Getting her parents’ acceptance for a time is important, as this will likely ensure that you get their blessings and will also be in a great place once the both of you are ready to get married to. If you are eager to do this, you may be ready to produce your Oriental girl land deeply in love with you.
Cookware women have got https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1580&context=msw_papers various dating traditions, http://corpalimi.com/index.php/2020/07/31/local-women-going-out-with/ and you should be aware of them before you jump into a relationship. You may be surprised to understand that there is an enormous difference between Western internet dating and Asian dating. Cookware women often expect a man as the main gentleman, so you is probably not able to impress the potential Oriental girlfriend should you aren’t willing to take the plunge. This might be a good thing, since it will show that you will be serious about the relationship, but it can be an uncomfortable problem for you.
The most crucial thing to not overlook when internet dating an Hard anodized cookware woman might be patient and kind. She will not tell you if she actually is disappointed instantly. You can make her feel special by displaying a bit of your sensitive part, such as dancing to music while you are walking, or spending her to a special place. You can even make her feel important simply by showing her that you care.

domain: sociology


said: “The German economy is maintaining its momentum, the upswing is continuing. Our exports are performing well in a rapidly growing world economy. Companies are investing heavily in new machines and plant and our citizens are participating in the upswing: incomes will continue to rise significantly in the coming years. Employment will increase by another million people in 2019 and unemployment will fall to a new record low. These are important steps towards full employment.”
- The global economy is likely to develop rapidly, even though - according to estimates by international organisations - the momentum in our sales markets will somewhat weaken next year. Exports of goods and services are therefore expected to grow considerably.
- Imports will also increase significantly due to strong domestic demand. In purely arithmetical terms, therefore, no significant contributions to growth are to be expected in foreign trade.
- Germany's current account balance will continue to fall, albeit only slightly, to 7.5 % of the GDP in 2019.
- Corporate investments, which recently have already risen sharply given the strong global economy and well utilized capacities, will remain dynamic.
- Construction investments remain strong in view of low interest rates and high demand on the market. However, the construction industry is increasingly reaching its capacity limits.
- Employment will increase by nearly 1 million people in 2019 and unemployment will fall to a new all-time low. At the same time, income levels will rise significantly. This also lays the foundation for dynamic consumer demand.
- Consumer prices will return to normal after the oil-price-induced downturn. They will increase at rates of 1.8% this year and 2.0% next year.
- Overall, the level of capacity utilisation in the German economy is excessive, but there is no sign of the economy overheating.
The final consultations on the Federal Government’s spring projection were concluded on 25 April 2018 within the framework of the Interministerial Working Group on Macroeconomic Forecasting, which is chaired by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The Federal Statistical Office and the Deutsche Bundesbank were also involved.
The key macroeconomic figures contained in the spring projection form the basis for the tax revenue forecast, compiled in Mainz on 9-11 May 2018. These figures provide a general framework for drafting the budgets of the Federal Government, the Länder, municipalities and social insurance funds.


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Over 700 entries
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History offers a record of the nation’s values, aspirations, anxieties, and beliefs as expressed in both everyday life and formal bodies of thought. Over the past twenty years, the field of cultural history has moved to the center of American historical studies, and has come to encompass the experiences of ordinary citizens in such arenas as reading and religious practice as well as the accomplishments of prominent artists and writers. Some of the most imaginative scholarship in recent years has emerged from this burgeoning field. The scope of this work reflects that development: the encyclopedia incorporates popular entertainment ranging from minstrel shows to video games, middlebrow ventures like Chautauqua lectures and book clubs, and preoccupations such as “perfectionism” and ‘wellness’ that have shaped Americans’ behavior at various points in the past and that continue to influence attitudes in the present. The work also make available recent scholarly insights into the writings of political scientists, philosophers, feminist theorists, social reformers, and other thinkers whose works have furnished the underpinnings of Americans’ civic activities and personal concerns. Anyone wishing to understand the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of the United States from the early days of settlement to the twenty-first century will find the encyclopedia invaluable.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History expands and updates the coverage of this subject found in The Oxford Companion to United States History, the award-winning 2001 publication edited by Paul Boyer (Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison).

domain: library


There are many web design companies out there and choosing the best one for your needs can be a daunting task. To help you make the best decision, here are 10 mistakes to avoid when selecting a web design company:
1. Not doing your research.
It’s important to take the time to research various web design companies before making a final decision. Read online reviews, check out their portfolios, and compare prices. 2. Not knowing what you want.
Before meeting with potential web design companies, it’s important to have a good understanding of what you’re looking for in terms of website design and functionality. Having a clear vision will help ensure that you find the right company for your needs. 3. Not considering your budget.
Be sure to consider your budget when meeting with potential web design companies. While you may be tempted to choose the cheapest option, keep in mind that quality is important too. Get quotes from several companies before making your final decision.
4. Not asking enough questions . When meeting with potential web design companies, be sure to ask plenty of questions about their experience, process, and pricing structures . This will help you get a better sense of whether or not they’re the right fit for your project .
avoid these common mistakes ,you’ll be on your way to finding the best possible partner for developing an effective website that meets all of your needs .
No matter what industry you’re in, your website is one of the most important pieces of your business. It’s often the first impression potential customers or clients have of you, and it needs to be a good one. That means working with a web design company that can create a site that’s not only visually appealing, but also user-friendly and informative.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad web design companies out there. Hiring one of them can end up costing you time, money, and customers. To avoid making this mistake, here are 10 things to look for when choosing a web design company:
1. A Good Portfolio When looking at a web design company’s portfolio, pay attention to both the overall aesthetics of the sites as well as the specific features and functionality included on each one. Do they seem to have a good understanding of branding?
Do their sites use modern technologies? Are they easy to navigate? 2. Solid References
In addition to looking at portfolios, be sure to ask for references from past clients. A reputable web design company should have no problem providing you with contact information for some happy customers. Once you have these references, give them a call or send an email asking about their experience working with the company.
5 Most Common Web Design Mistakes to Avoid
What are the 10 Principles of Effective Web Design?
The 10 principles of effective web design are:
1. Keep it simple
3. White space 4. Contrast 5. Fonts
6. Images 7. Navigation 8. Credibility
9. Calls to action
How Can You Avoid 10 Common Web Design Mistakes That Hurt Seo?
When it comes to web design, there are a few things that can hurt your site’s SEO. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid:
1. Not using responsive design – With more and more people using mobile devices to access the internet, it’s important that your site is designed responsively.
3. Poorly written code – In order for search engines to properly crawl and index your site, your code needs to be well-written and clean. Any errors or messy code can make it difficult for search engines to understand your site, which can hurt your ranking. 4. Using Flash – Flash is not supported by all browsers and can’t be read by search engines at all.
Avoid using Flash on your website if you want good SEO results. 5. Overusing keywords – Keywords are important for SEO but stuffing too many of them into your content will actually do more harm than good. Use keywords sparingly and focus on creating quality content instead.
6. Not optimizing images – Whenever you upload an image to your website, be sure to include relevant keywords in the file name and fill out the alternate text field with a brief description of the image. This helps search engines understand what the image is about and how it relates to the rest of your page content. 7 .
Failing to update regularly – A stale website is bad for business! Make sure you’re regularly adding fresh content (blogs, new products, etc.) so that users have a reason to keep coming back.
What are the Flaws That a Good Website Designer Should Avoid?
There is no one perfect formula for designing a website that will guarantee success. However, there are certain flaws that should be avoided in order to give your website the best chance for success. Here are four common mistakes to avoid when designing your website:
1. Lack of focus It’s important to have a clear focus when designing your website. What is the purpose of your website?
Who is your target audience? Once you know the answers to these questions, you can design a site that appeals to your audience and meets their needs. A lack of focus will result in a scattered and confusing website that visitors won’t know how to navigate or use.
2. Poor navigation An effective website must be easy to navigate so that users can quickly find what they’re looking for. Navigation should be intuitive and logical, with clear labels and links placed where users would expect them to be.
A confusing or cluttered navigation system will frustrate visitors and cause them to leave your site without exploring it further. 3. Unattractive design First impressions are important, and your website’s design is often the first thing potential visitors will see and form an opinion on.
Make sure your site has a professional-looking design that is visually appealing and easy on the eyes. Avoid using too many colors or font types, as this can make your site look busy or unorganized. Stick with a simple color scheme and layout that allows users to focus on the content of your site rather than its appearance.
What are the Common Mistakes in Website Design?
There are a number of common mistakes that can be made when designing a website. Here are some of the most common:
1. Not having a clear purpose or target audience for the site.
It’s important to know who you want to reach with your site and what you want them to do once they get there. Without this focus, it’s easy to end up with a site that is all over the place and doesn’t really serve any purpose. 2. Making the site too complicated or cluttered.
A website should be easy to navigate and understand. If it’s full of too much information or difficult to use, people will likely just give up and go somewhere else. Keep things simple and straightforward for the best results.
3. Failing to optimize for search engines. If you want people to actually find your site, you need to make sure it is optimized for search engines like Google. This means using the right keywords, having quality content, and more.
Without this optimization, your site may never be seen by anyone outside of your immediate circle of friends and family members. 4. Ignoring mobile users . More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet these days so if your site isn’t designed with them in mind, you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic (and customers).
Make sure your site looks good on all devices by using responsive design techniques .
Web Design Jobs
Web design is one of the most in-demand jobs in the tech industry. And it’s no wonder — as the internet continues to grow, so does the need for talented web designers. If you’re thinking about a career in web design, there’s good news: it’s a field that offers plenty of opportunity, great pay, and flexible work hours.
There are two main types of web design jobs: front-end and back-end. Front-end designers focus on creating the visual elements of websites, while back-end designers build and maintain the code that makes websites function. Both roles are essential to create a successful website.
If you want to become a web designer, you don’t need to have a college degree — although many employers prefer candidates who do. The most important thing is to have a strong portfolio that showcases your skills and talent. Once you have that, you can start applying for jobs at web design firms or online companies.
The average salary for a web designer is $75,000 per year. But experienced designers can earn much more than that — some make over $100,000 per year! So if you’re looking for a well-paying job with good job security, web design is a great option.
There are also plenty of opportunities for freelance work in web design.
1. Not Checking the Company’s Work Samples and Portfolio
When you’re looking for a web design company, always ask to see their work samples and portfolio first. This will give you a good idea of their design style and skills.
2. Not Asking for Referrals or Recommendations If you know someone who has recently had a website designed, be sure to ask them for referrals or recommendations. This can help you narrow down your choices and find a reputable company to work with.
3. Not Reading Online Reviews Another great way to learn about potential web design companies is by reading online reviews from past clients. This will give you an idea of what others thought about their experience working with the company, which can be helpful in making your decision.
4. Not Considering Their Location When choosing a web design company, it’s important to consider their location as well. If they’re located in another country, there could be communication barriers that make working together difficult.
Additionally, if they’re not located near you, it may be more difficult to meet in person to discuss your project needs. 5. Not Knowing Your Budget Ahead of Time Before meeting with any potential web design companies, it’s important that you have a budget in mind for your project so that there are no surprises later on down the road.
Be upfront about your budget when speaking with different companies so that they can let you know what services they can provide within your price range. 6 .Not Understanding Your Project Needs It’s also vital that you take the time to understand your own project needs before meeting with potential web designers .
What is the purpose of your website? Who is your target audience? What features do you need on your site? Once you have answers to these questions ,you can start narrowing down which companies are best suited to help bring your vision to life . 7 . assuming all Web Design Companies offer the Same Services Many people assume all web design companies offer the same services but this isn ’t always true . For example ,some companies may specialize in eCommerce websites while others focus on designing simple informational sites . It ’ s important that you find a company whose services align with your specific project needs so that they can provide the best possible results . 8 Choosing Based Solely on Price It ’ s understandable that cost is often a deciding factor when choosing a web designer but it shouldn ’ t be the only one .


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There are many different countries to consider when it comes to finding a wife. It is typically difficult to find out out of the many options. additional resources Probably the most popular alternatives include Asia, Far eastern Europe, Latina America, and more.
If you are considering marriage in Latin America, there are numerous options available to you. But the finest country to get yourself a wife is determined by your individual needs. You might like to consider South america, Peru, Republic of colombia or Brazil.
If you are considering adventure and excitement, you should consider Brazil. Costly enticing destination to live. This Latin nation is also residence to the best life expectancy in every of Latina America.
When you are more traditional, you might want to look for a partner in Argentina or Uruguay. These countries are known for the beautiful women.
If you want a girl who will always be devoted to you, you should consider Republic of colombia. The women are exceedingly affectionate and possess great cooking skills. Also, Colombia possesses a low cost of living.
If you’re trying to find a partner, Asia is actually a good place to start. Women here include similar attributes to those from the other parts of the earth. These qualities consist of intelligence, loveliness, and effort. However , there are differences which might be worth considering.
There are many different Asian countries, and each has its own exceptional dating troubles. Ultimately, the best country to marry is determined by your individuality and romance goals. You should contemplate whether or not you can meet your future wife in her country. Several Parts of asia present mail order brides.
In Asia, you will find women who happen to be beautiful and intelligent, and who are willing to help you. They may be loyal, supportive, and dedicated. They are also wide open and genuine.
There are two countries in Asia which might be considered the best to date a woman from: Vietnam and Thailand. Thai females are known for the beauty. The land has a numerous women.
If you are searching for a better half, Eastern Europe is definitely the place to end up being. It has a whole lot to offer, particularly women who discover to cook. Females from the Czech Republic are believed to be to be the wisest of the lot. They are also one of the most educated.
Several women by these countries are looking for a much better life, and perhaps they are prepared to make the step of faith derived from one of country to another. Some might choose to move to some other country to escape the dommage of conflict, but many will be willing to immigrate to nation.
One thing that every Eastern Western european girls have in common is certainly their absolutely adore of baking. They can whip up a hundred food with straightforward ingredients. One of the most popular foods to serve in dinner happen to be potato and buckwheat.
Traditional western culture is certainly popular in China
Various Chinese have become more and more influenced by Traditional western traditions. The influx of American brands into the country in the last decade made a big impact. Yet there are pros and cons to the West lifestyle. Let’s examine some of the main differences amongst the two ethnicities.
The Western world focuses on personal freedom and individualism. They will value encounters and accomplishments rather than celebrity and standing. People inside the Western world tend to be skeptical of authority amounts and their thoughts.
Westerners as well value personal privacy. There exists an inbuilt admiration for family and home.
Americans tend to have a very good sense of right and wrong. They defend their particular opinions is to do their best to get other folks to consider them.
When both nationalities are good, Developed and Chinese thought processes are different. Chinese thinkers are more vulnerable to accepting specialist figures’ phrases and pondering it is polite to keep disagreements to themselves.
Beliefs about Thailänder women
Various people believe Thailand is a good country to find a wife, because it’s a country where most likely more likely to marry. However , in reality, it’s less simple as it sounds.
Firstly, Thai females may not be allowed to marry Western men due to cultural judgment attached to being foreign wife. It’s also important to understand that Thai ladies may confront significant pressures and demands from family and expanded families.
Furthermore, many women had to take severe measures to escape a life of impoverishment and deprival. Some experience moved in another country for several years, while other people have become house owners and businessmen.
In addition, while some could have made the transition to the material secureness and autonomy that come with marital relationship, many do not.