#FACTOR

[thugguzzler]

A few more of a local active factor and the Highlands biggest (and, unfortunately, fucking hot) scumbag that's also hung like a gas pump. These two things are his entire resume. And business is good.

[bambinamoon]

Mantener la muerte presente y no negarla, es muy importante.

BambinaMoon

[snappingthewalls]

[lawbyrhys]

The CrowdStrike Outage Impact on Law Firms

In case you weren't aware, late last night into early this morning, CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, sent out an update to Microsoft software which led to a global outage due to patch issues within their Falcon virus scanner platform. Many law firms around the world employ this software, with the relationship only growing since the partnership with Factor to assist in higher-stakes transactional legal work.

How did the outage actually impact the legal world at large, though? Let's break it down.

Lawyers and law firms were generally unaffected beyoind small-scale inconvenience—at least in the United States. For example, the New York Unified Court System was impacted, as were law publications like Law.com. As stated above, most law firms, courts, and tribunals nationwide were minority impacted or felt no impact whatsoever, as is the case with the Bar Council and sets of chambers. The extent of damages otherwise was limited to temporary disruption to operation, website glitches, and indirect impact on suppliers. UK law firms, though, experienced the bulk of the chaos as it concerns bank communications and payment transfer issues, particularly with staff who aren't member-facing. These issues also appear to have been mostly resolved quickly.

Internationally, impacted firms are using the outage as an opportunity to affirm contingency plans, and similar business continuing policies are in place, as well as

Alex Brown, the head of digital business for international law firm Simmons & Simmons, wrote the following on his LinkedIn: “As we rely more on digital infrastructure, ensuring robust and resilient systems is becoming paramount for companies and society. This event will likely draw increased regulatory and government attention to safeguarding our digital operations.”

It's obvious the outage has had a massively felt impact, but will anybody face consequences?

CloudStrike Holdings, Inc. could face related legal ramifications, as Pomerantz LLP is investigating whether various employees at CrowdStrike were engaged in illegal business practices, such as securities fraud, on behalf of CrowdStrike's investors and interested parties.

Needless to say, it's a technological shit show.

While this post is about the impacts on the legal world, CrowdStrike did release a statement on the situation that I will share here.

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, travellers, and anyone affected by this, including our companies." - CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz via NBC reports.

Was anybody impacted by the CrowdStrike Windows outage last night? Personally, I was not. I was working late and was on a midnight call with a client when I heard about it, but since I was using my work iPhone and wasn't actively accessing any systems at the time; I only found out last night from a friend of mine who works bank security on the East Coast. That said, though, when I walked into work this morning, conversation was ablaze on the topic; although none of us reall had any tangible harm done, it was still an interesting discussion over our morning coffee.

What about you, though? Were you affected?

[chronivore]

[jcmarchi]

The Importance of Investing in Soft Skills in the Age of AI

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-importance-of-investing-in-soft-skills-in-the-age-of-ai/

The Importance of Investing in Soft Skills in the Age of AI

I’ll set out my stall and let you know I am still an AI skeptic. Heck, I still wrap “AI” in quotes a lot of the time I talk about it. I am, however, skeptical of the present, rather than the future. I wouldn’t say I’m positive or even excited about where AI is going, but there’s an inevitability that in development circles, it will be further engrained in our work.

We joke in the industry that the suggestions that AI gives us are more often than not, terrible, but that will only improve in time. A good basis for that theory is how fast generative AI has improved with image and video generation. Sure, generated images still have that “shrink-wrapped” look about them, and generated images of people have extra… um… limbs, but consider how much generated AI images have improved, even in the last 12 months.

There’s also the case that VC money is seemingly exclusively being invested in AI, industry-wide. Pair that with a continuously turbulent tech recruitment situation, with endless major layoffs and even a skeptic like myself can see the writing on the wall with how our jobs as developers are going to be affected.

The biggest risk factor I can foresee is that if your sole responsibility is to write code, your job is almost certainly at risk. I don’t think this is an imminent risk in a lot of cases, but as generative AI improves its code output — just like it has for images and video — it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a redundancy risk for actual human developers.

Do I think this is right? Absolutely not. Do I think it’s time to panic? Not yet, but I do see a lot of value in evolving your skillset beyond writing code. I especially see the value in improving your soft skills.

What are soft skills?

A good way to think of soft skills is that they are life skills. Soft skills include:

communicating with others,

organizing yourself and others,

making decisions, and

adapting to difficult situations.

I believe so much in soft skills that I call them core skills and for the rest of this article, I’ll refer to them as core skills, to underline their importance.

The path to becoming a truly great developer is down to more than just coding. It comes down to how you approach everything else, like communication, giving and receiving feedback, finding a pragmatic solution, planning — and even thinking like a web developer.

I’ve been working with CSS for over 15 years at this point and a lot has changed in its capabilities. What hasn’t changed though, is the core skills — often called “soft skills” — that are required to push you to the next level. I’ve spent a large chunk of those 15 years as a consultant, helping organizations — both global corporations and small startups — write better CSS. In almost every single case, an improvement of the organization’s core skills was the overarching difference.

The main reason for this is a lot of the time, the organizations I worked with coded themselves into a corner. They’d done that because they just plowed through — Jira ticket after Jira ticket — rather than step back and question, “is our approach actually working?” By focusing on their team’s core skills, we were often — and very quickly — able to identify problem areas and come up with pragmatic solutions that were almost never development solutions. These solutions were instead:

Improving communication and collaboration between design and development teams

Reducing design “hand-off” and instead, making the web-based output the source of truth

Moving slowly and methodically to move fast

Putting a sharp focus on planning and collaboration between developers and designers, way in advance of production work being started

Changing the mindset of “plow on” to taking a step back, thoroughly evaluating the problem, and then developing a collaborative and by proxy, much simpler solution

Will improving my core skills actually help?

One thing AI cannot do — and (hopefully) never will be able to do — is be human. Core skills — especially communication skills — are very difficult for AI to recreate well because the way we communicate is uniquely human.

I’ve been doing this job a long time and something that’s certainly propelled my career is the fact I’ve always been versatile. Having a multifaceted skillset — like in my case, learning CSS and HTML to improve my design work — will only benefit you. It opens up other opportunities for you too, which is especially important with the way the tech industry currently is.

If you’re wondering how to get started on improving your core skills, I’ve got you. I produced a course called Complete CSS this year but it’s a slight rug-pull because it’s actually a core skills course that uses CSS as a context. You get to learn some iron-clad CSS skills alongside those core skills too, as a bonus. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are interested in developing your core skills, especially so if you receive a training budget from your employer.

Wrapping up

The main message I want to get across is developing your core skills is as important — if not more important — than keeping up to date with the latest CSS or JavaScript thing. It might be uncomfortable for you to do that, but trust me, being able to stand yourself out over AI is only going to be a good thing, and improving your core skills is a sure-fire way to do exactly that.

[persimmonlions]

Founded in 1982, FACTOR supports Canada's English-language music industry by offering a wide range of grants for musicians, record labels, event organizers, awards shows and others in the industry, with funding from the federal government and private radio broadcasters.

The organization has helped artists achieve success beyond Canada's borders — from rising stars like tenor and composer Jeremy Dutcher and musician Debby Friday to international success stories like Nickelback and Tegan and Sara, who were buoyed by funding early in their careers.

In the 2022-23 fiscal year, FACTOR offered more than $51 million in total funding to more than 3,000 projects across Canada.

[thismachinekillscobbles]

[cerebrodigital]

Esta condición afecta entre el 5% y el 10% de las personas y sigue siendo un enigma para los médicos.

Te dejamos el estudio científico:

[ladyphantasm]

Exploring the Solo Careers of Little Mix

As Little Mix members pursue their solo careers, each has taken a unique path. While some have thrived, others face challenges in finding their identity outside the group. In this post, we’ll explore the journeys of Jesy, Leigh-Anne, Perrie, and Jade, highlighting their strengths and struggles as they carve out their own spaces in the music industry.

Jesy has a unique and powerful voice, which she showcased in her debut single featuring Nicki Minaj and Diddy. However, there are concerns about cultural appropriation in her style, as it seems misaligned with her identity. The themes of her music, particularly her portrayal of relationships with "bad boys," feel out of place given her age and background, making the concepts seem odd. While her music has a genuine quality, it lacks artistic coherence and direction. Although her second single represented a shift in style, it appeared reactive to public reception, which may overshadow her future releases. Overall, her cultural representation and portrayal of identity don’t resonate as authentic, leaving listeners questioning her artistic integrity.

Leigh-Anne has clearly defined her artistic vision and sound, producing catchy and diverse music that aligns well with her vocal range and personal style. She has consistently demonstrated growth in her skills over the years, and her artistic expression is complemented by her top-notch fashion sense. Leigh-Anne’s confidence in her identity as an artist translates into her work, creating a cohesive and appealing brand that resonates with her audience. Her ability to maintain a clear vision allows her music to feel authentic and purposeful, setting her apart in the industry.

Perrie made a strong impression with her first single, which showcased a departure from her previous sound in Little Mix, offering a refreshing change. However, her second single lacked cohesion, raising concerns about her musical direction. The shift to a different genre felt disconnected from her established image, and while she possesses a remarkable voice—arguably one of the best of her generation—her music sometimes lacks a distinct signature. Although her third single mirrored her debut, it still didn’t quite capture the attention it deserved. I wish she would cultivate a more unique style, as her immense talent has the potential to take her far.

Jade stands out as a true artist, deeply involved in the writing, singing, and overall creation of her music. She has a clear vision and demonstrates a strong artistic identity, making her work feel authentic and engaging. Jade’s comfort in her own skin shines through, creating an emotional connection with her audience. Her distinctive sound and aesthetic set her apart in the industry, and her artistic versatility is compelling. It’s evident how much she influenced Little Mix, and her growth as an artist is remarkable. While her vocal range may not be the widest, she excels at utilizing her strengths effectively, solidifying her status as a unique and valuable artist.

In conclusion, Leigh-Anne and Jade have forged the most successful solo careers, as they possess a clear understanding of their identities as artists, which is reflected in their music. Jesy, while showcasing a powerful voice and initial promise, seems lost and lacks a distinct identity, struggling with authenticity and a coherent artistic direction, which may impact her long-term success. Perrie, despite her incredible vocal talent, also appears to be navigating her path without a definitive direction, leaving her potential somewhat untapped. Together, their journeys highlight the diverse challenges and opportunities each artist faces in establishing their solo careers.

[xmencovered]

X-Factor Annual Vol 1 4 / Published: June 29, 1989 / Artist: John Byrne

[nofatclips]

Blue Sunshine by Ghost Twin from the Artoffact Records 2021 sampler

[thesuperheroesnetwork]

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[i-scavenger]

A lot of Factor meals found on a bench.

[ridochi]

Outside Factor - Chemtrails: Deadringer