#they CAN and SHOULD be instrumental to each other's growth as people. they should also kiss with tongue. do you understand my vision. POST.

[korrasamibottles]

Hmm. It's about growing up a creature of incredible self-control, repressed and wound bowstring-tight because it was the only way to ensure your (and your brother's) survival, and then meeting somebody so expressive, somebody who wants and desires so openly, that maybe it makes you stop and think about what you want for the first time in your life.

It's about growing up surrounded by people tripping over themselves to give you whatever you want, whenever you want it, to the point where you can't trust anything anyone says because it's literally their job to coddle you, and then meeting somebody who isn't afraid to give you their honest opinion (even if it's hard to hear) because his only obligation is to protect your life, not your ego. This is Wuko. To me.

[adeleidetheexplorer]

ᰋ  ׅ࣪   ꒰  tarot x zodiac signs ♡︎ a tarot reader predicting what each zodiac should expect before september ends  ꒱  

your sun, moon and ascendant or any significant signs on your birthchart can be use for this reading. ૮ . . ྀིა⁩

• masterlist. • tarot commission.

aries - knight of cups.

you're gonna feel confident about yourself before this month ends perhaps you may attract a lot of secret admirers or suitors. there may be someone who is gonna confess their love for you heartily, if not, you can expect an invitation from someone who is special to your heart and start dating. this can be one of your lucky months as well in case of your career, opportunities and offers will be left and right. just make sure to be open in any blessings you may receive. you can find yourself productive, inspired and creative too, you may start writing such as books and songs or play your favorite instrument again.

taurus - nine of swords.

you can't avoid stress before this month ends. the headache and neck pain are the causes of stress you are experiencing right now or may experience in the next few days. it's either you may hurt someone else's feelings or someone might hurt you emotionally. on the lighter side, you may find yourself traveling in a peaceful peace especially beaches and nature environment this can give your mind to avoid excessive thinking about your love life and work. also, there's a significant dream that may haunt you for days. the dream seems so real, clear and detailed. there is maybe someone, who might try to spread some gossip about your so be wary about sharing your ideas and opinions to others, remember that not everyone can be trusted.

gemini - nine of pentacles.

you may find yourself being independent before this month ends. what i meant is "independent" is financial and personal growth development independency especially budgeting and saving money up for the future. you may also meet new people that can help you to enhance your knowledge. you may also treat yourself a lot like you may buy a lot of your comfort foods to satisfy yourself. at work and school, your boss sees who improve a lot and do good job for their professionalism while if you are student, your teachers sees your improvement.

cancer - seven of swords.

you're gonna receive criticism and bullying for the work you are doing from other people. don't let these people take you down emotionally, take an action and call out these people. you may experience some unfairness and betrayal from people who are close to you. be careful about spending or investing your money as you may get scammed. you may also feel unworthy and insecure before this month ends which lead to low self esteem. argument with someone is coming too. there's also someone here who is stalking your account and keeping you on their tabs.

leo - the hermit.

if you are trying to enhance your spirituality there are changes and improvements about your spiritual self. you were also taking a break and cutting people off that drain your energy so much. you may also find yourself isolating yourself away from the others, you gonna what makes you happy. you may also be planning to take a break on social media before this month ends. if you are student, you gonna find yourself studying and reviewing really hard for the upcoming examination or test.

virgo - king of swords.

a father figure is gonna be significant to you before this month ends. you're gonna end up getting some good advice from this person or if not, someone else/a friend may need your logical advice. you may meet new people and these people may perceived you as someone mature, brilliant and intimidating.

libra - five of pentacles.

you might face some difficulty with your finances, it seems like you will get short in budgeting. while, when you are surrounded by your loved ones or the people who are close to you, you may feel unloved and unappreciated by them. as well as you may think that no one wants to be your lover or partner, yes you may meet new people but you may find it hard to find a best partner to meet your expectations when it comes to love so you think no one loves you. heavy rains may come so make sure to bring your own umbrella and jacket.

scorpio - strength.

you will be shocked by the influence you leave to people and in simple terms someone may try to tell the truth to you. this truth may be the one you are looking for answers for a very long time or you are waiting for this person to tell you the truth. you wouldn't believe too how much people think high of you. also, there maybe someone here is about to whammy your single life.

sagittarius - temperance.

great news for those single people, someone here is ready to fill your cup up. if you are worried about your health, spirit confirms that you are totally fine perhaps you may be trying to be healed for a very long time on a spiritual level because everything may be f*cked up on your spirituality. you may frequently sees the angel number 555 before this month ends.

aquarius - two of wands.

you might start doing a skincare routine before this month ends so keep on doing or continuing that. people may start to notice your glow up or changes in your appearance, you may also try mew hairstyle or in general dying your hair. people will notice the significant changes in your appearance, i also think that you will experimenting new ideas about your physical. a travel for job is significant too.

pisces - knight of wands.

before this month ends, you may be trying or planning to move to a new home or places. this changes the location and is gonna bring good freedom to you. you will feel very happy about its surroundings. a short trip will bring bliss and peace into your heart. there are more exciting events happening to you before this month ends. yellow, brown or orange is your significant color for this month theme.

© thecelestialperiwinkle

[shveris]

my jjk headcanons, part 4

some of these can be seen as modern!au AND canon universe things

part 1

part 2

part 3

when yuuji cries, it rains blood/red water (???) in sukuna’s inner domain

shoko can handle human bodies without issues but animal bodies? she tears up every time without fail

languages satoru is fluent in, besides japanese: english, korean, mandarin. he can also hold simple conversations in spanish, portuguese, italian, german, russian and ukrainian. he’s not sure if he should give french a try (because 1. it sounds awful, 2. it’s a difficult language, 3. he’s made too many “i hate the french” jokes and he’d feel low-key embarrassed if he ends up speaking it)

in addition to the hc above, satoru also regularly gets really confused about kanji & hanzi (iykyk, someone please end my suffering)

modern!au yuuji uploads song covers on niconico & youtube because gege said yuuji has the best singing voice + it’s canon that he likes to sing. his most popular uploads are deep coma, overdose, odoriko and asu no yozora shoukaihan

click the song names to get redirected to youtube in case you don’t know any of these

he’s an awful rapper though so whenever there’s rap parts, he makes sukuna record them since their voices sound almost the same

megumi cannot sleep unless it’s completely and utterly dark in his room. no LEDs, no lights coming through his blinds, no nothing. when he gets fed up with all the light sources, he just disappears into his shadow and sleeps in there

modern!au satoru can play a dozen of instruments (canon satoru can’t because his clan deemed learning those things as unnecessary for the holder of the six eyes)

modern!au sukuna would make those “cooking because murder is illegal” tiktoks

it’s a coping mechanism he copied from his twin because yuuji bakes when he’s in a bad mind space

suguru keeps a plethora of house plants and they’re all thriving (his place looks like a jungle)

satoru names his pets & suguru’s most used cursed spirits after characters from his fav movies & shows (click here for a more detailed post i did for this a while back)

sukuna can take control over yuuji's reflections and shadows (non-shamans can’t see it though)

sukuita twins in modern!au would be the same height until they hit 12 — sukuna gets a growth spurt because he eats his veggies. around 17 yuuji’s suddenly taller than him and he’s just “????!!!!”

adding onto that (cuz i love twins!au): sukuna buys lots of kirby merch because it reminds him of yuuji — he would never loudly admit it though. he just puts it in yuuji’s room and doesn’t talk about it ever

suguru has lots of things twice because shoko and satoru tend to accidentally buy him the same things for his birthday

shoko knows how to play the ukulele. it started out as a joke but she’s actually really good at it. she rickrolls people when asked to play something

modern!au sashisu would be like the plastics but they actually genuinely like each other and just dislike everyone else

suguru and shoko used to roll their cigs (it’s cheaper) until they befriended satoru. he uses his family’s assets very well by financing all their nicotine addictions

satoru only smokes cigs with those balls inside the filter — you have to break them before smoking — because they taste sweet(er). he dislikes the ones with menthol though

[beheworthy]

Jane, listen to me. You must not give up. You must finish what you've started. Why? Because you're right.

Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman's chemistry in Thor4 is unanimously hailed as the best thing about the film. While I absolutely agree with the consensus, for me, it started here with this scene 11 years ago.

This is the big romantic scene where the couple falls in love as they connect with each other. For example, Tony and Pep's dance in IronMan1: Pep is in a backless gown which she makes a point to mention and they almost kiss. Diana and Steve dance in the snow in Wonder Woman: they are also dancing close to each other, she even says so and it directly leads to them sleeping together. Arthur and Mera roam about in Italy in Aquaman: he catches her fall and they almost kiss as well.

These are all scenes I love from movies I love. I'm just using them as a reference to point out what director Kenneth Branagh does differently here. This scene is where his brilliance shines. He gives us romance without anything sexual or even sensual. It's just heartfelt sincere emotion between the two characters that elevates it to something more than just attraction.

It begins with Jane talking about the significance of the place she's brought Thor to, Thor thanking her for helping him, and her making a joke about hitting him twice in their aggressive meet cute, which he so graciously takes (post-Ragnarok Thor would never). He then gives her her notebook so she can continue her research. It's a humbling moment for the cocky Crown Prince as he'd so casually promised to bring everything back but all he could really bring was a notebook.

This is more than anyone has done for her because no one even believes in her research, let alone help her continue it. She understandably gets upset about having to start over with no support + with a hostile organization on her back now. And then comes the most important bit, he encourages her to keep going BECAUSE she is right. Not a cheesy 'I believe in you' or a fake deep 'believe in yourself' or even a superficial 'don't give up'. But keep going because you are right. Plain and simple. It gets through to her because it's straightforward and honest.

He then elaborates on it by explaining to her about the cosmos which directly furthers her research. He actively helps her research and supports her in the true sense, something she really needed and rarely got. And that becomes the foundation of their connection. The lighting is perfect, the ambiance is perfect. The actors do an admirable job. They don't touch at all, mind you. They're sitting with some distance between them. They don't even look into each other's eyes. Nothing romantic is said or done here. Yet, it’s romantic.

This scene is quite literally the reward of Thor’s hero’s journey: her. He learns kindness, sincerity, and humility from her and tries to emulate it going forward. She is his reward.

We get the emotional scene later when he dies for this town of 30 people. We get the big damn kiss. He literally gets her her research back. We get everything. Later. This scene was solely about the connection that sets the base for their relationship. It's the why of their love story. Both Thor and Jane are instrumental in each other's growth and make each other better people. She made him worthy and he made her believe in herself. I love the idea that love should be something that empowers and inspires you.

+

[accio-victuuri]

I was so curious about the red string bracelet ( clearly seen in airport photos shanghai > singapore ) and charm XZ is currently wearing. i’ve been using mine for more than 3 years now because of him among other “charms” here and there. i’m referencing this post by FlowerField_博肖拾光机.

The bracelet composition itself is a red rope, similar to his old one. This kind of red string has different meaning depending on the culture but for XZ i would think it’s more of having a personal instrument of luck and protection. tied to a belief in Buddhism that this bracelet can ward off evil spirits. These bracelets are handmade. While making knots, they ( buddhist monks ) repetitively recite mantras for the goodwill of the wearer.

now for the charm, there are two meanings as both sides have 2 different designs. the first one being “fu” which means luck. traditionally it symbolizes goodwill & happiness— placing the character upside-down symbolizes it 'pouring out' or 'arriving. ' and upside-down fu character on your front door is a clever way to invite luck's arrival at your home.

the other side is a horse. i was wondering why, cause i’m 90 ( year of the horse ) and ZZ is 91 ( year of the goat/sheep. literally greatest of all time lol. it suits xiao laoshi ) so he should not be wearing it.

the OP suggested to use the 十二生肖 3合6合生肖 查询表 table. as per the grids, the match for sheep for “6” is horse and this is possibly why the charm he uses is this.

okay, let me try and explain it further…

Ancient Chinese sages believed that human life is destined, but destiny can be changed. One’s fortune is closely related to the mutual growth and restraint of each person's zodiac signs. Therefore, there is also a mutually reinforcing relationship between people. Finding the zodiac who is compatible with your own sign will be helpful to your life's fortune, interpersonal relationships, marriage and family.

The so-called Sanhe (3) and Liuhe (6) are the attraction and concentration of the power of certain elements among the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). It can be seen from this that unity is the attraction, affinity and cohesion of the five elements. It is mainly based on the three combinations and six combinations of the earthly branches (i.e. "zodiac signs") of the year of birth.

In the 3 part of the table, for example in XZ’s case, sheep/pig/rabbit zodiac signs form a good triad together. Think of it as a kind of "bright combination", one that is fair and upright. It is the auspicious match of the three zodiac signs.

The three-in-one combination not only has a good fit, but also has thoughts, values, habits, actions. These people are usually so in tune with each other. The three-in-one zodiac signs are four years apart. As the saying goes, getting married four years apart is a match made in heaven. This is based on the "three-in-one".

As for the 6, known as your zodiac’s Liu He ( the six directions hence marked as 6 in the table even if there is just one match ). This is more of a secret alliance to that particular zodiac.

They may give strong support to the zodiac sign at work, or give timely advice/help the sign of the zodiac sign in terms of wealth, interpersonal relationships, or provide spiritual comfort. They co-exist harmoniously.

It makes sense. That luck charm added with the the strongest sign that helps the sheep which is GG ❤️

[lesbianslovebts]

I'm looking forward to your reviews on their individual albums/music etc

Okay, I will tell you as long as everyone promises to be nice!

First, I want to be upfront with the fact that I do not have the technical knowledge required to critique their individual singing or songwriting skills in depth, so this is not that kind of review. However, I believe that people should actively engage with art, be it music, painting, or writing, at whatever level of expertise they may have, rather than consume it mindlessly. The following are my personal opinions and observations as a fan since 2015. I will focus mainly on their Chapter Two individual works, but I will also reference their previous solo and group work. And as a friendly reminder, the members of BTS are not above criticism as artists or as people.

"Indigo" by RM

If I had to use one word to describe this album, I would use "growth." More specifically, I would classify the transition from "RM" to "mono." as linear growth, and the transition from "mono." to "Indigo" as exponential growth. This is a project that Namjoon worked on for several years, which is apparent by the way each song is like a chapter of the same overarching story. The diverse genres and moods depict the ups and downs of life really well, and listening to the entire album in one sitting is a cathartic experience for me.

When I first saw the tracklist and noticed how many other artists were featured, I was nervous because a lot of BTS' collaborations feel like forcing a puzzle piece into a spot where it doesn't fit. What I mean by that is, they either cut out a chunk of the original song or insert a blank space and then fill it with a clipping of what sounds like an entirely different song. A substitution rather than a collaboration, if you will. However, that was not the case here. I think Namjoon did an excellent job of blending his own sound, style, and emotion with that of the other artists.

The only thing that I actively disliked on this album is the beat in "Change pt.2" from about 0:49 to 1:00. It's grating on the ear, which might have been intentional given the content of the song, but it isn't pleasant to listen to, and I cringe every time I hear it. As for a favorite, I can't really choose, but I think the objective number of replays would point to "Lonely."

"The Astronaut" by Jin

This one is an outlier because it's only one song, but I will discuss it just the same. I really liked Seokjin's voice in this one. I don't know the official terms, but it's lower and less breathy than usual. To me, that makes his voice sound warmer. Overall, this was a soothing song that left me wanting more when he gets back. I am waiting (im)patiently.

P.S. I know people tend to love or hate Coldplay. I don't listen to them or know anything about them as people, so the fact that this was cowritten by them doesn't really factor into my opinion of the song, if that makes sense.

"D-DAY" by Agust D

The amount of money I spent to see him live in Chicago should tell you how much I liked this album. Similar to what I said about Namjoon above, there's tangible growth from his mixtapes "Agust D" and "D-2" to his studio album "D-DAY." It's to be expected that experience will improve the craft, of course, but I still have to say it.

Yoongi is my favorite composer of BTS, by far. "Interlude: Dawn" and "Snooze" give me goosebumps every time I listen time them. Also, I love it when he uses traditional instruments like the haegeum. There's just something about the emotions he conveys in his tone, lyrics and melody that made this album a nonstop repeat for me.

My complaints are few and small. The autotune gets to be too much in the song "D-Day," and I'm not crazy about "People Pt. 2." Personally, I am not a fan of IU's voice. I have nothing against her, by any means, and I know she can sing, but I prefer women with deep, husky voices. And for the life of me, I can't figure out what her part means. I'm guessing this was a direct translation from Korean that didn't really...well, translate.

"Jack in the Box" by j-hope

When I first watched the MV for "More," I stimmed for joy. I was rocking, flapping, and squealing. I braved Lollapalooza as an autistic person, surrounded by a hundred thousand people in the summer heat, wearing the denim jacket I painted and an N95 mask to hear this man live. Hoseok's personality shone through in the concept, the MVs, the music, and the lyrics. He burst out of the box to show who he is as an artist. Perhaps I am (Hobi-)biased, but I don't have much else to say other than that I love this album, and I'm excited to hear more from him in the future.

"FACE" by Jimin

"Set Me Free Pt. 2" was the first single that was released, and it thoroughly crushed my hopes for the rest of the mini album. Though I liked the melody of the chorus, the 9 repetitions of "set me free-e-e" left a lot to be desired lyrically. I think he was trying to portray the desperation he felt by repeating the phrase, but his voice didn't show a progression in emotion as he continued through the chorus. For comparison, in Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name Of," the last line "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me" is repeated 16 times, but the way it starts as a murmur and builds up to a scream is powerful; it hits you in the chest. "Set Me Free Pt. 2" didn't have that effect. Also, the autotune in the middle when he "raps" is awful. I saw people on here reaching to explain why the autotune wasn't actually that bad, but...it just doesn't sound good. And him saying "fuck all your opps"? Yikes.

The other single "Like Crazy" was much better and more in line with what I was expecting. Rarely do I like any of the excessive remixes they put out, but the deep house one is actually good. I liked the music video, too. But unfortunately, the mud on his hand after all that bathroom imagery was a...shitty decision. Overall, I don't go out of my way to listen to any of the songs but "Like Crazy" and "Letter," which is my favorite.

"Layo(v)er" by V

I was underwhelmed by this mini album. I expected R&B and jazz from him, and I think his voice suits those genres well, but none of the songs had a particularly strong impact on me. I would say I like "Love Me Again" the most, but it doesn't even compare to "Singularity" and "Stigma" for me. I have to be in a specific mood to listen to slow music in general, so the odds were stacked against this album from the beginning.

"Golden" by Jung Kook

This album was the biggest disappointment I have ever felt as a fan. Honestly, I didn't think it could get any worse than "Permission to Dance," but I was wrong. Before I continue, I feel like I need to offer some context on my general opinion of BTS' music from 2020 onward before I get too deep into the weeds. So let me start with that.

A lot of people think BTS peaked before or during the "Wings" era and sold out with the release of "DNA." I am not one of those people. Most of my favorite BTS songs come from the "Love Yourself" and the "Map of the Soul" eras. There are songs that tug on my heartstrings, songs that give me energy, and songs that are inextricably tied to certain memories from college and my first job. This was when I felt like I was changing and growing in a positive way thanks to BTS' message and music.

That changed with Covid-19. I loved "Map of the Soul: 7" and had tickets to see BTS in Chicago, but then the concert was postponed. Later, it was canceled. Half a year into the pandemic, BTS released "Dynamite" as a fun summer song to lift everyone's spirits. It was their first all-English song, which might've had more global appeal due to the number of people who speak English as a first language, second language, or lingua franca. Personally, I don't hate "Dynamite," but I do hate what it led to.

This was their first Billboard #1. It succeeded far beyond anyone's expectations, and I was proud of them for that. I was glad that more people were checking out their music because BTS is one of my main special interests. However, a lot of what followed felt like an attempt to recreate the success of "Dynamite" rather than an effort to grow as artists. Whether that desire for numbers came from the company or from BTS themselves, I'll never know. All I can say is, I'm glad DynaButterPTD did not get a Grammy. Let's continue.

"BE" came next, and if I had to describe it in a word, I would say "homemade." BTS were more involved in this album than any other, including the concept, the album design, the photoshoots, the music video, and the songs. Because of that, the overall vibe was different, and combined with the effects of the pandemic, the album gave me the feeling that the members of BTS were struggling with who they were as a group, as artists, and as people.

This continued into "Butter" and "PTD," two more all-English songs, and various collaborations of the puzzle-piece-that-doesn't-fit variety I mentioned above. It was an identity crisis. I can't think of another way to describe it. Eventually, BTS decided for themselves that they had to take a step back, spend some time alone, and regroup later. I was both sad and relieved to hear the news. Releasing "PROOF" was a good way to look back on what they'd accomplished so far and put an end to Chapter 1.

That brings us to Chapter 2. More specifically, "Golden." Now, I love Jungkook. Spend 5 minutes scrolling through my blog, and that much will be obvious. But this album was not it for me. First, I want to make it clear that the members of BTS can sing in whatever language they so choose. Having said that, I do tend to prefer their songs that are entirely in Korean or are a mixture of Korean and English. Why? Emotion.

BTS' all-English songs tend to be written by other people, and those people tend to be the ones who write the same bland, unoriginal songs for overrated American/Canadian/British pop singers. Although Jungkook sings the English lyrics of this album with excellent pronunciation and technique, it doesn't have the magnitude of emotion in songs that he participated in writing, such as "Your Eyes Tell," which is in Japanese and English.

I don't know a lot about song credits, but I've noticed the following pattern: the more the members' names show up in the credits, the more I like the song. Looking at the credits for Golden? Jungkook's name isn't listed on a single song. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of wonderful singers all around the world can take a song that is given to them and make it their own by contributing their own talent, their own voice. But frankly, Jungkook didn't do that with these songs. I didn't want to say it, but...these are Justin Bieber songs. Especially "Too Sad to Dance," which is nearly indistinguishable from Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself."

On episode 21 of Suchwita, Jungkook said he recorded five songs in a week, which amounted to one song per day in a 3-hour session, give or take. Yoongi said that was a sign of unbelievable growth, and for comparison, Taehyung said it takes him 3 days to record one song. If I remember correctly, Namjoon worked on "Indigo" for 3 years. So, it's really no wonder why this album is the music equivalent of fast fashion.

I've already talked about how much I hated "Seven" (the song and the MV) in other posts, I can't do it again. Jack Harlow's part in "3D" makes me gag. I can't take the lyrics for "Shotglass of Tears" seriously. I mean, "she the life of the party...42 in her body...tell me, am I ever gon' feel again?" Yikes! "Closer" is generic runway music. "Yes or No" is tolerable. The only song I really liked is "Standing Next to You." I'm just disappointed. I don't have anything else to say.

[jcmarchi]

Miniature Marvels: Wireless Millirobots Successfully Navigate Arteries - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/miniature-marvels-wireless-millirobots-successfully-navigate-arteries-technology-org/

Miniature Marvels: Wireless Millirobots Successfully Navigate Arteries - Technology Org

For the first time ever, wireless millirobots navigated a narrow blood vessel both along and against arterial flow.

Researchers from the University of Twente and Radboudumc inserted the screw-shaped robots in a detached aorta with kidneys where they controlled them using a robotically controlled rotating magnet. Health Holland recently awarded a grant to further develop the technology to be able to remove blood clots.

UT-researchers navigate millirobots through ex vivo aorta model. Image credit: University of Twente

Each year worldwide, one in four people die from conditions caused by blood clots. A blood clot blocks a blood vessel preventing the blood from delivering oxygen to certain areas of the body.

Surgeons can use flexible instruments to remove the blood clot therefore allowing the blood to flow again, but some regions in the body are difficult to reach. Millirobots can overcome these limitations and remove blood clots from difficult-to-reach blood vessels.

Synergistic Triumph

The researchers showed that these millirobots were able to travel through blood vessels. But to do so, the millirobots need power, to travel up- and downstream and to accurately be controlled and localised. Last but not least, they need to be biocompatible and leave no further damage to the inside of blood vessels. At the Technical Medical Centre of the University of Twente, the researchers set up their experiment with a real aorta and kidneys.

“This required an interdisciplinary approach and the collaboration of many different departments. The Robotics Lab, Laboratory of biointerface, blood lab, DesignLab, LipoCoat, and MESA+ all helped us achieve this successful outcome”, explains researcher Islam Khalil.

Guided by Precision

In the experiment, the researchers used a robotically controlled rotating magnetic field to control the millirobots wirelessly. With an X-ray machine, they were able to localise the millirobot while steering through the aorta.

The researchers maintained a maximum arterial flow of 120 ml per minute inside the aorta. But with a stronger magnetic field, the millirobots should be able to overcome a greater blood flow. The millirobots performed stable straight runs with and against the flow, and also with multiple robots at the same time.

Miniature Marvels

The robots themselves are 3D-printed, screw-shaped objects with a small permanent magnet inside.

“This tiny magnet of just one millimetre long and one millimetre in diameter is placed in such a way that it can rotate the ‘screw’ in both ways. This allows for swimming against the flow and then turning around and swimming back”, explains Khalil.

The small size makes it possible to use several robots at the same time. And the screw shape makes it possible to drill through a blood clot.

Unlocking Potential

“These millirobots have huge potential in vascular surgery”, says Michiel Warle, a vascular surgeon at Radboudumc.

“Currently, we use blood thinners and flexible tools, but a millirobot can travel to hard-to-reach arteries while they only need minimal incisions to be inserted.”

In a new collaboration with Radboudumc and Triticum Medical (Israel), the researchers will further develop the millirobots to enable them to remove blood clots wirelessly. The consortium will look at ways to exploit this technology fostering collaborative growth in medical robotics and technical medicine.

Besides breaking up the blood clots to enable the blood flow of arteries, the technology can potentially be used for other targeted interventions. “The robots can deliver drugs to very specific places in the body where the drug is needed the most. That way we have minimal side effects in the rest of the body”, explains Khalil.

Power in Collaboration

This research is a collaboration between Radboudumc and the University of Twente. It received funding from the TURBO (Twente University RadBoudumc Opportunities) programme. With the TURBO programme, research groups from both institutions can expand an innovative idea into a large research project.

The researchers extended their collaboration with Triticum Medical (Israel) to further develop the millirobots. Health Holland recently awarded them a TKI-LSH (Topconsortia for Knowledge & Innovation – Life Science & Health) grant for public-private partnerships from Health Holland

Dr. Islam Khalil is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering (BE; Faculty of ET / TechMed Centre).  His research interests include the modelling and design of motion control systems for soft microrobots, biologically-inspired microrobots, mechatronic system design, and untethered magnetic micro/nanorobotics with applications to micro/nanomanipulation, micro-assembly, and targeted drug delivery.

Source: University of Twente

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[moonmoonthecrabking]

every so often i remember "skills" which was this thing my school introduced when i was like 13 that replaced scripture half the time for students in years 7-9. i thought this was fucking stupid because of something something state religion guidelines and everyone vehemently hated the concept. AND THEN they introduced "skills" 6/10 weeks a term and it made me want to commit arson. they were theoretically teaching us about "study skills" (which we had heard before and we not at all helpful) and "growth mindset" (my school was so focussed on growth mindset at the time it was hell and that was with the least growth mindset teacher it was nuts). these activities had very "don't be anxious" energy to children who were struggling with their mental health and teaching use language concepts we should have learnt in english class. thanks, i hate it.

so they were cycled in our "core classes" (the group of 30 we had for english, science, history/geography, and pdhpe). my class' first week was with the school's principal. you think this would be reasonable right? right? wrong. she taught us about "left brain and right brain". this was genuinely less accurate than the bo burnham song. it was some bullshit about which side is bigger and how you can tell which you are using your fingernails and are you more logical and creative.

here's what i find interesting. when i graduated, the school had a focus on "high potential learners" (i played egg shakers at the open day so i heard her 10 minute long speech). this was also at a time that there was a big risk of the top-level music class not running. i personally believe that logic and creativity are inextricably linked. you may not find the artistry in maths or science or economics, but there are people who do. you may not find the rationale behind paintings or songs or design, but there are people who do. logic and creativity are not contradictory. however, if you don't support the arts in schools, if you don't pay attention to the studies that indicate how playing an instrument improves mental function, if you don't see to how logic and creativity play into each other, what then?

i in no way hate my former principal, she was a lovely person and i do believe that she cared for her students. that being said, we aren't really two. we are wholly ourselves, and you can't suppress one part without it effecting the other. the less we valued the arts (and mental health but that's a whole other fucking story), the more our state ranks dropped.

logic and creativity matter. mental health matters. that's the moral of this story.

[stanbicibtcassestmanagement]

How to Open a Mutual Fund Account in Nigeria

Open a Mutual Fund Account in Nigeria is an excellent way to diversify your investments and grow wealth over time. Mutual funds pool money from several investors and invest in a wide range of securities, including stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to open a mutual fund account in Nigeria.

1. Research and Choose a Fund Manager

The first step is to research various mutual Fund Managers in Nigeria. Fund managers are institutions or companies that manage the investment portfolios of mutual funds. Compare the performance history, fees, fund types, and the asset management company’s reputation before deciding on a fund manager.

2. Select the Right Type of Mutual Fund

Mutual funds come in different types, each tailored to varying risk appetites and investment goals. The main types of mutual funds available in Nigeria include:

Equity Funds: Invest primarily in stocks and are suitable for investors with a higher risk tolerance.

Bond Funds: Focus on bonds, making them ideal for conservative investors seeking stable returns.

Money Market Funds: These are low-risk, short-term investments, perfect for people looking for minimal risk.

Balanced Funds: A mixture of stocks and bonds, offering moderate risk and reward. Your choice should align with your financial objectives, investment horizon, and risk appetite.

3. Complete the Required Documentation

Once you’ve chosen a mutual fund and a fund manager, the next step is to open an account by completing the necessary paperwork. You will be required to provide:

Proof of Identification (such as an international passport, driver’s license, or national ID)

Bank Verification Number (BVN)

Proof of Address (such as a utility bill or bank statement)

Recent Passport Photographs

Some mutual fund providers also offer online account opening options, making it easy to start your investment from anywhere in the country.

4. Deposit Your Initial Investment

Each mutual fund has a minimum initial investment amount, which can range from as low as ₦5,000 to ₦50,000 or more, depending on the fund manager. Once you’ve completed the documentation, transfer your initial deposit to the mutual fund account.

5. Monitor Your Investments

After making your initial deposit, you can start earning returns based on the fund’s performance. Most fund managers provide online portals where you can track the growth of your investment. It's essential to regularly monitor your portfolio and, if necessary, make adjustments based on your financial goals and market conditions.

Conclusion

Opening a mutual fund account in Nigeria is relatively straightforward with Asset Management Company in Nigeria. With a sound understanding of your risk tolerance, financial goals, and the different types of mutual funds available, you can make informed investment decisions. It’s a prudent way to build wealth and achieve long-term financial goals.

[stallings-am]

NGE- Analysis Pt.2

When it comes to the second half of Neon Genesis Evangelion, it is easy to visualize what it means to be human. This is especially true in the last episode where the Instrumentality process gets enacted, and we see how Shinji interacts with the psychological torment of his two halves. There is a definitive true self, the voice that morphs into other characters to continuously probe him, and his ego, the voice of doubt. In this scenario, though, his true self is ironically what appears to be deceiving him to give into Instrumentality. The notion that Shinji can never be whole if he doesn’t connect with others to fill the void in his heart is reinstated. However, Shinji eventually learns that his heart is already made up of the people he interacts with. That he takes pieces of their identity to morph into his own, which creates his sense of self. That he should learn to love himself as he is made up of the people he cares for. This allows him to get the “happy” ending where he rejects Instrumentality and chooses the real world even with the heartache and pain it causes him.  

I also want to point out that the imaginary world that he delves into within the Instrumentality process, is his ideal society. It depicts a version of the world and him that he wishes was obtainable. In this altered reality, Shinji and Asuka have a legitimate relationship with each other that isn’t fueled by the desire to be a better Eva operator as to gain value. Shinji’s parents are alive and serve as a normal family. Rei is an individual with functional emotions and actually interacts with Shinji and Asuka. Finally, Shinji is a more masculine and confident person that can easily joke about and fall into childish, male fantasies with his friends. This is Shinji’s most optimal world, and yet he chooses to reject it. Thus, symbolizing Shinji’s growth as a character because he actively chooses an existence that will cause him pain at the expense of a “free” world. He wants genuine connections and relationships rather than the bleak, emptiness that Instrumentality would provide.  

The last couple episodes of NGE are some of the most symbolic pieces of art that I have analyzed. There are so many aspects of NGE that depict legitimate problems regarding connections between humans and how such relationships are fundamental for humanity’s existence. With these problems, we see the main character actually come to a solution, rather than finding some middle ground that lets down expectations to the audience. Consequently, demonstrating how NGE became such a focal piece of media in the Japanese pop-culture scene.  

[oiledlaser]

The Ultimate Guide to Laser Hair Removal Treatment

What is Laser Hair Removal?

Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that uses concentrated beams of light (lasers) to remove unwanted hair. The laser targets the melanin (pigment) in the hair, absorbing the light and converting it into heat. This heat damages the hair follicles, inhibiting or delaying future hair growth.

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

During the procedure, a laser emits a light that is absorbed by the pigment in the hair. The light energy is converted to heat, which damages the hair follicles that produce hairs. This damage inhibits or delays future hair growth. Laser Hair Removal Treatment Although laser hair removal effectively slows hair growth, it usually doesn't result in permanent hair removal. Multiple laser hair removal treatments are required for initial hair removal, and maintenance treatments might be needed as well.

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

Precision: Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.

Speed: Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.

Predictability: Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.

What to Expect During Laser Hair Removal

Before the procedure, the targeted area will be cleaned, and a numbing gel might be applied to reduce any discomfort. Everyone in the treatment room must wear protective eyewear to prevent laser eye damage. During the procedure, a hand-held laser instrument will be pressed to your skin. The technician will adjust the laser settings based on your skin color, hair thickness, and the area being treated.

Each laser pulse will feel like a hot pinprick or a rubber band snapping against your skin. After the procedure, you might notice redness and swelling for the first few hours. Applying ice to the treated area can help reduce discomfort. Over the next month, your treated hair will fall out.

Side Effects and Risks

Laser hair removal can cause temporary side effects, including:

Redness and Swelling: These are common and usually subside within a few hours.

Pigment Changes: Laser hair removal might temporarily darken or lighten the affected skin.

Skin Irritation: Temporary discomfort, redness, and swelling are possible after laser hair removal.

Preparation and Aftercare

Preparation for laser hair removal includes avoiding sun exposure for at least six weeks before treatment, as sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and increases the risk of complications after treatment. Avoiding other hair removal methods like plucking, waxing, and electrolysis is also recommended as they can disturb the hair follicle and interfere with the treatment.

Aftercare involves applying cool compresses and anti-inflammatory creams to ease discomfort. permanent laser hair removal You should also avoid sun exposure and use sunscreen on treated areas for a few weeks following the procedure.

Is Laser Hair Removal Right for You?

Laser hair removal is most effective for people with light skin and dark hair because the laser beam targets the pigment (melanin) in the hair. However, technological advancements have made laser hair removal safe and effective for a broader range of skin tones and hair colors.

[theaestheticqueenofbeauty]

Say Goodbye to Skin Imperfections with Mole and Wart Removal

Mole warts, also known as skin tags or acrochordons, are small, benign growths that typically appear in areas where skin rubs against skin, jewelry, or clothing. They often develop in skin folds, such as on the eyelids and armpits.

Mole or Wart Removal is a key service provided by Dr. Rinky Kapoor of The Esthetic Clinics.

What Causes Moles or Warts?

The exact cause of mole warts is not fully understood, but they are believed to result from a combination of hormonal changes, genetics, and friction. Skin-to-skin rubbing and friction from clothing or jewelry can lead to their formation.

They are more common in people who are overweight or have skin folds, and those with hormonal imbalances, such as pregnant women, may also experience them. Mole warts are not contagious and do not spread from person to person, but they can appear in clusters or multiple locations on the body.

Types of Moles or Warts

There are different types of mole warts, each with unique characteristics:

Filiform mole warts: Long, thin growths found on the face, neck, and around the eyes, resembling hanging threads.

Soft mole warts: Found in the groin, armpits, under the breasts, and other skin folds; soft and fleshy to the touch.

Hard mole warts: Firmer and more fibrous, typically located around the nails, hands, and feet.

Pigmented mole warts: Darker than the surrounding skin, ranging from light brown to almost black, and can appear anywhere on the body.

Irritated mole warts: Easily irritated by rubbing or scratching, becoming inflamed, red, and painful.

Mole warts are usually harmless but can be removed if they cause physical limitations, pain, or discomfort.

Importance of Treating Moles or Warts

Untreated moles or warts can lead to discomfort, cosmetic concerns, and in rare cases, skin cancer. Early Mole or Wart Removal can prevent complications and improve skin appearance.

Mole wart removal is not always necessary but can provide relief, improve appearance, and ensure accurate diagnosis.

Symptoms of Moles or Warts

While mole warts are usually harmless, they can cause discomfort if irritated. Symptoms include:

Appearance: Visible small growths, usually flesh-colored or darker, often with a stalk-like base, ranging from a few millimeters to a few centimeters.

Texture: Can be smooth or rough, with a soft, firm, or fibrous feel.

Location: Commonly found where the skin folds or rubs, such as armpits or under the breasts.

Sensations: Typically painless, but can become itchy and irritated if rubbed or scratched.

Changes: There may be changes in size, color, or shape; benign changes are common, but new or changing warts should be evaluated by a professional.

Diagnosis of Moles or Warts

Diagnosing mole warts involves a doctor examining your skin to look for visible signs of the warts on different parts of your body.

The doctor will check their appearance, location, and any other symptoms. They might ask questions like when the warts first appeared and if they’ve changed in color, shape, size, or location.

Sometimes, a biopsy is needed, where the doctor removes a small sample of the wart to look at it more closely in a lab. This is done if there’s a concern that the wart might be cancerous or if it’s causing a lot of discomfort or bleeding.

Who is a Good Candidate for Mole or Wart Removal?

Individuals with bothersome, painful, or suspicious moles or warts are ideal candidates. A consultation with a dermatologist will determine the best course of action.

Mole or Wart Treatments

The Esthetic Clinics offer various treatments for mole wart removal, tailored to the size, location, and type of the mole wart. Here are some common treatments:

Cryotherapy: The mole wart is frozen with liquid nitrogen, causing it to blister and fall off. This quick and painless procedure may require multiple sessions.

Curettage and Electrodesiccation: A sharp instrument scrapes off the mole wart, followed by cauterizing the area with an electric current. Performed under local anesthesia, it takes a couple of days to heal.

Topical Medications: Salicylic acid or imiquimod can be applied directly to the mole wart to dissolve or kill the cells. These medications are easy to use and may be prescribed or available over-the-counter.

Laser Therapy: A laser is used to destroy the mole wart, typically for larger or more difficult-to-treat cases. Multiple treatments may be necessary.

Excision: The mole wart is cut out with a scalpel, reserved for larger or more aggressive warts. This procedure may require stitches and a longer healing time.

Potential Side Effects of Mole or Wart Treatments

Side effects can include redness, swelling, scarring, and, in rare cases, infection. Our experts ensure minimal side effects with precise and advanced techniques.

How Long Does it Take for Moles or Warts to Go Away?

There is no set period of time for mole wart treatment to take effect. Different treatments provide different results and heal in different durations. Some factors that makes this difference include the type of wart, the location of the wart, and the individual’s immune system.

Generally, although it may take a couple of months or even years, most mole warts eventually go away.

Tips to Prevent Moles or Warts

Practice Good Hygiene: Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after touching mole warts or contaminated surfaces.

Avoid Touching Mole Warts: Don’t touch or pick at mole warts to prevent spreading the virus to other parts of your body or to other people.

Use Protection: Wear condoms during sexual activities to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading HPV.

Wear Shoes in Public Places: Use shoes or flip-flops in public areas like showers, locker rooms, and pool decks to avoid exposure to the virus.

Avoid Sharing Personal Items: Don’t share items like towels, razors, or clothing to prevent spreading the virus.

Boost Your Immune System: Maintain a healthy immune system with regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep to help prevent mole warts.

Conclusion

Don’t let moles or warts hold you back. Visit The Esthetic Clinics for the best mole or wart removal treatment in Mumbai. Our expert dermatologists are committed to providing safe and effective solutions, ensuring you achieve the flawless skin you deserve.

Book your consultation today and take the first step towards a confident, mole-free, and wart-free you!

[cloudairy]

Best Practices For AWS Cost Optimization

The Cloudairy Team brings readers tutorials and guides on producing video content at scale, as well as articles on independent filmmaking of all kinds. We'll soon have guides on everything from content strategy, storytelling, direction, cinematography, film theory, gig economy etc The articles on this blog will be based on studying the best creative minds out there, as well as out-in-the-trenches experience.

What is cost optimization in the cloud?

Cost Optimization refers to the ability to run systems to deliver business value at the lowest price point. It involves improving your overall business performance while conserving resources (time, money, personnel).

According to Gartner, cost optimization aims at standardizing, simplifying, and rationalizing platforms, applications, processes, and services provided by the cloud provider.

Are Cost Optimization and Cost Reduction the same?

People often think that cost optimization and cost reduction mean the same thing. But in reality, they are different from each other in approaches.

Cost reduction is a short-term practice where an organization identifies a specific amount of

money that needs to be cut. It includes moving all the infrastructure to the cloud to cut hardware costs, canceling unused applications, etc.

While in cost optimization, the organization isn’t focused on cutting costs by a specific dollar amount but instead tries to get the most out of what they are spending. It includes automating processes, reviewing and monitoring what’s already in place, etc. 

Why is Cost Optimization important?

By taking a strategic cost optimization approach, cloud users can make more informed budgeting and spending decisions while investing in growth and digitalization. We can eliminate cloud resource waste by selecting, provisioning, and right-sizing the resources you spend on specific cloud features. Every individual wants to pay only for those cloud resources that deliver the most added value for your business. 

Nowadays, many businesses are adopting cloud practices for upholding their product architecture. However, when they dive in and start implementing workloads, they don’t have any cost governance strategies in place. They don’t care about leveraging all the financial instruments that are available to control overall costs.

Cost Optimization Practices in AWS

According to AWS Documentation, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally.

Let’s have a look at the cost optimization services offered by AWS.

Track, Monitor, and Analyze Cloud Usage

Having an understanding of your usage will enable you to plan and budget accordingly. One such tool is Amazon Trusted Advisor. This tool runs configuration checks to identify unused resources while helping you optimize your resource usage by providing you with tips and best practices. It also identifies ways to optimize the AWS infrastructure, improve security and performance, and monitor service quotas.

RightSizing

Right-sizing is the process of matching instance types and sizes to your workload performance and capacity requirements at the lowest possible cost. You can optimize servers based on RAM, database, vCPU performance, graphic performance, storage, and network throughput. We should keep in mind the four important factors while acquiring resources: vCPU utilization, Memory utilization, Network I/O utilization, and Disk utilization.

Scheduling

It’s essential to schedule on/off times for instances used for developing, staging, QA, and testing. You can apply common weekday schedules or more vigorous schedules by analyzing utilization metrics to determine when the instances are used more frequently. The go-to metric to create a schedule is time.

A more automated & quick method is usage-based scheduling, where resources shut down based on idleness. You can use AWS CloudWatch for checking the usage and uptime of resources.

Using Reserved and Spot Instances

Reserved instances let you purchase a reservation of capacity for a one or three-year duration. 

For reserved instances, you save up to 75% on cloud computing costs. Spot instances are sold in an auction-like manner where one needs to bid on capacity in the EC2 service that is currently idle. Deploying a tool like Spot Instance Advisor gives you the benefit of being prepared to purchase the right Spot instance with the least amount of interruptions and fair pricing.

Storage Optimization

With S3, you can store and retrieve your data for many uses ranging from websites to IoT devices. With S3 storage classes, you get to choose the appropriate data access level according to your budget and resource requirements. AWS introduced the S3 Intelligent Tier class that can help inexperienced developers optimize the cost of cloud-based storage. This class places objects based on changing data access patterns, saving you the cost of hosting idle data. Keep tabs on your storage allocation and you can save up a ton. 

General cost optimization practices every organization should follow

Till now, we focused on the services provided by AWS for optimizing cloud and resource costs. Here are some points which every organization should keep in mind while working with the cloud:

🎯 Stay updated with all the latest innovations and improvements offered by the cloud provider. Upgrading to the latest generation of resources saves you money and gives you improved cloud functionality.

🎯 Tagging resources is another way to further separate your cloud costs and align them with your business.

🎯 Create and enforce cost governance policies that inform your team under what circumstances it should shut down workloads or flag instances as idle.

🎯 Any unused asset that contributes to your overall AWS expenses is a ‘zombie asset’. These resources include unused instances, obsolete snapshots, unused load balancers, unattached EBS volumes, and unattached elastic IP addresses among others. Anything you don’t use and isn’t planning to in the future should be deleted.

🎯 Implement cloud visibility by making the finance and engineering team work hand in hand. Engineering ownership of cloud costs will give you a better outcome. You can implement some FinOps culture. You need to invest time for both technical and non-technical people to address Inefficiencies.

What’s Next: Cloudairy Can Help

There are many great AWS tools to help you set up cost optimization practices but CloudAiry tools take you a step further and follow the FinOps path. We provide a visualized dashboard that categorizes the cost according to different parameters like types of services, resource uptime, etc.

Moreover, unlike AWS which only provides resource utilization metrics, CloudAiry also suggests you right resources and optimization practices to minimize the cost. With CloudAiry, you can generate your account’s ad-hoc report with just one click.

So, don’t spend another minute spending way too much on AWS; use our expertise and go all the way ahead in the cloud.

[digitalwithme]

Unlocking the Power of Personalization: Strategies for Tailoring Customer Experiences in the Digital Age

With the digital revolution in full swing, where the market is thoroughly saturated and consumer’ expectations are improving with each coming day, firms need to generate ideas, which will add some value to their business and talk to the hearts of their potential clients. The most suitable strategy for that task can be named as personalization which in other words indicates the uniqueness of the product. If only business personalize the experiences they create to customer‘s special preferences and behaviors this will provide them with the chance of contact, encourage engagement and strengthen customers‘ been to visit the business in future. Introduction of Personalization as an instrument of Digital Era. Personalization is a process of creating an individual communication, product or a service, how an individual is unique using customer’s attributes, behaviors and preferences. Digital age is full of content and advertisements and the consumers are bombarded with the same on a continuous basis. However, in this era, where consumers are always looking for something new, personalization acts as a great tool, which helps organizations to cut through the noise and grab the attention of the prospective customers. Understanding Customer Behavior Certainly, one of the core components of successful personalisation involves the acquirement of in-depth knowledge about customer behavior. By means of data analysis that includes criteria such as browsing history, purchase patterns, and demographic information, the businesses can obtain critical information about why the customers are motivated and also help them undertake engagement with the clients more effectively. Pros of Personalization for Industries Personalization brings numerous benefits to business both on the physical and contextual level. The delivery of custom-made experiences allows companies to build customer welfare and boost consumer loyalty thus making it possible for the companies to record robust growth in revenue. Personalization not for consumers to own the same kind of experience with their competitors, but also to multiply their ability to remain the most trusted advisor in their industry.

Challenges in Implementing Personalization Even though personalization produces obvious advantages, the process of the realization of making strategies highly effective is marred with obstacles. The main concern here is privacy of data of the people. There may be unauthorized access by government organizations or corporations which can lead to serious ramifications affecting the mental wellbeing of an individual. The age of mass collection of customer data by business only heralds the era of the need for caution and proper balancing, the delicate and the altar of customer confidence should not be ignored. Strategies for Effective Personalization Companies which struggle to address the issue of personalization can take recourse to a wide range of options. Connecting both AI and machine learning algorithms to big data analysis allows firms to describe structures and detect the main tendencies. The custom content will speak to the specific interests of customers by using the appropriate medium and that content will be delivered in real-time. The trend of personalization has gained immense popularity in different types of digital channels. Personalization is not confined to only one digital platform but can be implemented on any of the wide range of touchpoints such as interaction via messaging, voice, email, and SMS. From individualized web experiences to segmented email marketing and social media programs, businesses now have a high degree of exposure to their customers and have so many different ways to present their products and services. Cases of Illustrated Successful Personalization A broad range of cases – ruling from personalization to real success – have been recently observed. Amazon to the best of small niche startups can very fast become vivid examples of businesses engaged in personalization to enhance customer engagements and drive revenue growth.

AdxVenture: Let's have a story about an individual who created a website all by himself. One of the organizations in web development companies that have been at the helm of making personalized web development a reality is AdxVenture a web development company based in Dehradun. AdxVenture is a company that is known for its ability to come up with targeted sites, which are equally developed in a way that the preferences of their customers are met. Through the lean of up-to-date technologies and utilizing a group of tech proficient web developers, AdxVenture offers web experiences of very high personalization which are also getting the expected results. Conclusion Amidst the digital universe where everyone else is trying to do the same things, personalization has proven to be a powerful flag that shows the way for businesses that are struggling to get noticed and build an audience. Through research on customers’ behaviour, overcoming the implementing of barriers, and following effective strategies, business can virtually tap into the power of personalization and succeed in establishing rapport, building relationship as well as loyalty that will ultimately lead to their business success.

Web Development Company in Dehradun

[instantpay]

How To Improve Your Business Payout Process: A Complete Guide 

In the contemporary business landscape, the pursuit of process improvement is ubiquitous, with a particular emphasis on the automation of payments. This isn't confined solely to inbound transactions; the significance of automating outward payments is equally paramount, especially for the growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The cornerstone of this evolution lies in cultivating an efficient payout process that is indispensable for the expeditious disbursal of funds. Such efficiency is instrumental in fostering and enhancing the relationships businesses share with their crucial stakeholders—be it vendors, suppliers, or customers. In this blog, we delve into pivotal solutions that empower businesses to not only streamline but also elevate their accounts payable, ensuring they remain at the forefront of financial management practices. 

Understanding the Payout Meaning 

Gaining a foundational understanding of payouts is the first step for any business looking to optimize its financial processes. In contemporary business banking, payouts encompass much more than simple transaction processing. Payout solutions today provide financial insights, instant beneficiary authentication, bulk payout capabilities, and more.

What are some examples of payouts?

Payouts cover various credit-based disbursements for your business. You can establish payout procedures for:

Procurement of raw materials

Travel-related expenses

Petty cash transactions

Subcontracted work

Transportation and logistics

Software licensing

Office leases

Acquisition of equipment

Miscellaneous expenditure account

What are payouts in business? 

Essentially, "business payouts" encompass almost any outbound payments from a business to other parties. Improving the speed and efficiency of making these payouts is important for optimising cash flow. A streamlined "payout process" allows businesses to pay people they owe money easily and quickly. 

What are the different types of payouts? 

Some of the most common payouts made by businesses include:

Vendor Payments - Money owed and paid to suppliers and vendors for goods/services rendered. Fast vendor payments are crucial for maintaining positive business relationships.

Payroll - Regular wage, salary, commission, and bonus payments made to a company's employees. Payroll payouts are essential for talent retention. Interesting Small Business Payroll Statistics You Should Know

Refunds - Money paid back to customers in the event of returns, cancellations, complaints, etc. Efficient refund payouts minimise disputes.

Contractor Payments - Money paid to independent contractors for work performed, like freelancers, consultants, and temps. Quick contractor payouts secure qualified talent.

Rebates/Incentives - Monetary rewards are paid to customers for promotions, referrals, reviews, etc. Timely rebate payouts drive engagement.

Claims - Money paid out for insurance, benefits, damages, compensation, etc. Prompt claim payouts maintain trust.

Prizes/Winnings - Monetary awards paid to contest/sweepstakes winners. Fast prize payouts excite participants.

As we can see, there are many types of payouts, each serving an important business purpose. Optimising the payout process provides benefits across a company's financial ecosystem. 

Also Read: ​​Automating Payments with Payout Links: A Guide to Streamlined Operations

The Need for Payout Process Improvements & Automation

Managing payouts is a demanding task, and the manual activities of a typical accountant take more than 80% of the time, which affects the overall performance of any business. 

Some key challenges faced by businesses regarding payouts include: 

Visibility Issues - Business owners/managers need clear visibility into employee spending and payout patterns. Lack of visibility leads to missed opportunities for optimisation. Multi-Channel Payments - Businesses require support for convenient payout options - bank transfers, mobile wallets, UPI, NEFT, IMPS, RTGS, etc. Limited payment channels inhibit payout speed and convenience. Integration Challenges - Difficulty integrating effective payout systems with existing accounting, ERP, and payroll software. Disconnected systems create data gaps.

User Experience - Ensuring a smooth, secure, intuitive online payout experience for admins and recipients. Poor experience diminishes user adoption of payout solutions.

Receipt Management - Manual collection and management of bills, invoices, and receipts are time-consuming and error-prone. Automation is needed.

Security Concerns - Businesses demand advanced, integrated security like 2FA, encryption, user roles, etc., to prevent fraudulent payouts.

Status Tracking - Real-time tracking of payout status through the processing lifecycle is a must. Lack of visibility leads to recipient complaints.

Reconciliation - Reconciling payouts across customer invoices, vendor bills, payroll, etc., is challenging without automation. This causes reporting errors.

The above challenges highlight the need for payout processing improvements. Digital transformation through financial automation is key to overcoming these roadblocks.

Overcoming Challenges & Accelerating Payouts

Maximise the advantages for your business by consolidating payment management into a single, centralised platform. Leveraging state-of-the-art business banking platforms, such as Instantpay, grants you the capability to seamlessly navigate through multiple bank accounts within the same interface. This versatility empowers you to execute timely payments to your beneficiaries with utmost precision. Whether you're aiming for swift vendor payments or efficient bulk payouts, Instantpay's payout solutions provide a user-friendly and streamlined process, simplifying your financial operations.

The Payoff of Streamlined Payouts

Reduced Costs: Streamlined processes minimize manual tasks, saving time and money. Automation eliminates human error, reducing rework and costly corrections and freeing up valuable resources for growth.

Enhanced Efficiency: Faster processing times, accurate data, and timely payments improve overall business efficiency. You'll be able to focus on core tasks instead of chasing invoices or resolving discrepancies.

Stronger Relationships: Positive interactions with vendors, contractors, and employees foster trust and loyalty, leading to stronger partnerships and better collaboration.

Improved Reputation: A reliable and efficient payout process builds trust with your partners and enhances your brand image, attracting top talent and potential business opportunities. 

Also Read: Mastering Business Payouts: Navigating Modern Finances with Instantpay

Instantpay Payouts: For All Your Business Needs 

In the realm of business, the significance of timely payments cannot be overstated. Instantpay's technology-driven solution stands as a testament to its commitment to efficiency, offering a fully automated payment process that facilitates swift and precise transactions. This transformative approach extends beyond mere transaction execution, empowering businesses to comprehensively track, analyze, and exert real-time control over their payments—all conveniently accessible through a unified dashboard. Instantpay Payouts not only optimises financial processes but also enhances overall operational agility, ensuring businesses stay ahead in the dynamic landscape of modern commerce.

Unified Payment Management with Instantpay

Automating the payout process with Instantpay mitigates many of the challenges outlined earlier. Payments become faster, cheaper and more transparent. This directly improves supplier relationships, employee satisfaction and customer retention. 

Manage all payouts conveniently in one place through a unified dashboard.

Access multiple bank accounts simultaneously for quick, easy fund disbursement.

Instantpay's automated solutions enable fast, secure payouts with minimal manual work. Smart payment insights and real-time tracking support data-driven financial decisions.

Instant payee validation and the ability to schedule future payouts aid planning.

Bulk payout capability processes high payment volumes quickly.

Dashboard alerts flag upcoming liabilities, delays, and reconciliation issues for rapid response.

Auto-reconciliation saves massive time/effort compared to manual methods.

This integrated approach optimises end-to-end payout workflows - from initiation to reconciliation. Businesses gain enhanced control, convenience and automation.

Plug & Play Payouts APIs for Payment Automation 

To embed payout automation within their own platforms, Instantpay offers innovative fintech and enterprises modern payout APIs: 

Sandbox testing environment allows seamless integration testing before going live.

Detailed documentation and sample code accelerate development.

The microservices-based architecture enables easy integration via REST APIs.

Scheduled settlements optimise liquidity management.

Best-in-class support and issue resolution for smooth deployments.

Instantpay's payout APIs power numerous fintech innovations, helping companies digitally transform their financial operations using cutting-edge solutions.

5 Tips for Effective Payouts

As your business expands, your payout process will become more intricate, with a growing number of vendors, creditors, and subcontractors. When payouts become challenging to manage, the risk of missed payments increases.

Here are some tips to navigate the escalating complexity of your payout process and prevent errors:

Implement robust security measures and payment approval processes to thwart fraud.

When delegating staff to handle your payouts, it's crucial to establish security measures to prevent fraud. Ensure proper approval measures for payments and avoid having the same individual create new vendors and execute payments.

Be proactive in renegotiating payment terms during challenging periods.

Don't hesitate to renegotiate payment terms, especially during tough economic times. Proactively contact your vendors to discuss adjusting payment terms. Many vendors may be willing to accommodate your request, understanding that your business stability is in their best interest.

Regularly review financial data.

Take the time to regularly review your financial data, at least on a monthly basis. Assess indicators of fraud, such as double payments or vendor entries, engage in cash flow planning, identify opportunities for discounts, and scrutinize audit trails. Regular review allows you to identify trends and areas for improvement.

Opt for a last-minute approach to paying invoices.

While it may seem counterintuitive to maintain good vendor relationships, many businesses wait until the last day to pay their invoices to optimize cash flow. Keeping funds in your bank account for as long as possible is a strategic move, provided you are budgeting effectively and not forgoing any early payment discounts.

Promptly address disputes with vendors and contractors.

In case of payment disputes with vendors or contractors, address the issues promptly. Recognise that most late payments result from miscommunication rather than malicious intent. A timely phone call and a well-thought-out plan to resolve the matter can make the difference between salvaging a crucial relationship and potentially losing an ally.

Remember, there is nothing more critical than preventing a strained relationship from becoming associated with your business.

In Conclusion

Today's business environment demands efficient, automated payout processes. By addressing common payout challenges and embracing modern payment strategies, companies can accelerate their financial workflows. This builds stronger relationships with vendors, suppliers, partners, contractors and customers. Financial automation also provides data-driven insights to inform smarter payout decisions. By leveraging Instantpay's comprehensive solutions, businesses can truly elevate their payout operations, unlocking significant gains in process efficiency, cost savings and customer/partner satisfaction.

[financialbizy]

Maximizing Your Wealth: The Art of Money Investing

Introduction

A crucial component of financial planning is money investment, which enables people to create wealth, safeguard their future, and meet their long-term financial objectives. While the thought of investing money can seem scary or confusing, it is crucial to recognize that there are different investment options and methods available to suit your financial objectives and risk tolerance. We will go into the realm of financial investing in this blog, going over important ideas, tactics, and advice to assist you in making wise financial decisions.

Understanding the Basics of Money Investing

Investing money entails distributing your money among different assets or financial instruments in the hopes of earning a profit. The main objectives of investing are as follows:

Wealth accumulation is putting money aside for future needs, such as retirement, a down payment on a house, or college expenses for your kids

2. Investing helps your money grow at a rate that outpaces inflation and preserves your purchasing power when living expenses rise over time.

3. Income Generating: Dividends from stocks and bond interest are examples of investments that can augment your earnings with regular income.

Types of Investments

There are many different investing options, and each has unique features and hazards. The following are a few of the most typical investment categories:

Stocks: Purchasing shares of a business makes you a part owner. Although stocks have a bigger potential for return, they also have a higher level of volatility.

2. Bonds: Issued by firms or governments, bonds are debt securities. They are typically viewed as less hazardous than equities and provide a fixed interest rate.

3.Mutual funds are financial vehicles that combine the capital of several participants to purchase a variety of stocks, bonds, and other assets.

4. Real estate investing can be done through buying individual properties or through investing in REITs, which are trusts that own and manage properties that generate income.

5. Investments in tangible items, such as gold, oil, or agricultural products, are referred to as commodities. You can use commodities as a hedge against inflation.

6.Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Offering liquidity and diversification, ETFs are comparable to mutual funds but trade on stock exchanges like individual stocks.

Investment Strategies

Your time horizon, risk tolerance, and financial goals will all influence which investing plan is best for you. Here are a few well-liked tactics:

Buy and Hold: In this approach, assets are bought with the goal of hanging onto them for the long run, regardless of changes in the market. It’s a methodical approach that capitalizes on compounding gradually.

2. Dollar-Cost Averaging: This strategy lets you purchase more shares at low prices and fewer at high ones by allowing you to invest a certain amount of money on a regular basis. By using this tactic, market volatility is lessened.

3. Diversification: To lower risk, diversify your portfolio by distributing your investments among several asset types. A variety of stocks, bonds, and other assets can be found in a well-diversified portfolio

4. Value Investing: Value investors seek out inexpensive stocks or other assets, intending to purchase them at a loss in the hope that their value would increase later on.

5. Growth investing: Despite what may appear to be high current valuations, growth investors concentrate on businesses with significant room for expansion. They think these businesses will eventually perform better.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Investing

Your financial objectives and time horizon will determine whether you should invest for the long term or the short term. While short-term investing usually focuses on making rapid profits, long-term investing involves owning assets for several years or even decades. Investing over the long term has a higher potential for compounding wealth and is often less hazardous.

Conclusion

Investing in money can help you achieve your financial goals and secure your future. You can make your money work for you by learning the fundamentals of investing, looking into different investment alternatives, and creating a sound strategy. Never forget that there is no one-size-fits-all method to investing; instead, you must customize your strategy to match your unique set of circumstances. Regardless of your level of experience, making wise decisions and being up to date on market trends are essential for success in the financial world.Post navigation