In this weekly series on being productive with technology, authors Jess Stratton, Garrick Chow, and Nick Brazzi introduce tools and tips to help make today's software and devices work more efficiently and powerfully for you. With everything from pointers on using Microsoft Office and Google platforms to learning social networking skills and discovering the most useful apps for your iPhone or Android device, there's something for everyone.

Note: Because this is an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.

Confidence is consistently believing in your own ability. It gives you an edge, elevating your performance, personal effectiveness, and even the quality of your relationships. The good news is that it's possible to build this magnetic quality over time—and there's no better time to start than now. In this weekly series, individuals new to the workforce, returning after a hiatus, or making a career transition can find bite-sized confidence-building tips for the moments that matter. Leadership consultant Selena Rezvani provides tips on improving your self-image, cultivating a growth mindset, and focusing on small wins, as well as other techniques for improving your self-confidence—minutes at a time. Tune in every Monday for a new confidence-boosting tip and start every week off more poised and self-assured.

If you're designing metal parts, you'll need to do things differently than you would for other materials and processes. This course shows how to use Autodesk Fusion 360—the affordable cloud-powered CAD and CAM tool that works like more expensive, industry-focused tools—to build effective designs specifically for subtractive manufacturing in metal. Thom Tremblay shows how to build solid designs, simulate how the model will hold up to the stress of production and use, render the design for presentation, and finalize it for manufacturing. The workflows showcased in this course are tailored to help the nonprofessional CAD user, and the maker, to be more effective and quickly have access to the tools that a few years ago were only available to the few and at an astronomical price.

Construction personnel of all types need to understand the role that civil construction drawings, or blueprints, play in the construction process. In this course, Jim Rogers explains why civil construction drawings matter and discusses how to use them on construction projects and job sites. Jim digs into the common features of civil construction drawings, going over standard details, project specifications, how to find the scale information of each drawing, and how to measure dimensions on construction drawings. He then shows how to decipher different types of civil construction drawings, including site and plot plans that describe how to locate structures on a property; grading and drainage plans that capture existing ground conditions and help determine the extent of the construction work to be completed; street improvement plans; and more.

Companies often collect customer data with third parties to enable better products and growing engagement, as well as for safety reasons. But users expect—and deserve—that their information is handled with great care. In this course, instructor Nishant Bhajaria steps through how to create an architecture to manage data collection and measure risk, as well as afford privacy protections relative to that risk. This architecture—which is a combination of technology, techniques, and processes—can enable companies to be more disciplined with data while collecting and processing it. Nishant goes over the current privacy landscape, explains how classifying data can save you money in the long run, and shares what the data classification process should look like. He also takes a deep dive into the data inventory process, explaining how to best approach it and discern whether it is succeeding. Finally, Nishant provides context on executive communication on privacy governance.

Note: Want to continue learning how to strengthen your organization's privacy infrastructure? After wrapping up this course, check out the final installment in this series, Privacy: How to Share Data with Privacy Controls.

Want to learn more about Unreal Engine, but don't have time for a lengthy, in-depth course? In this weekly series, instructor George Maestri shares expert techniques tailored for artists and developers looking to build their Unreal Engine skills in their spare moments. Each week, George shares tips on everything from geometry to materials to lighting to interactivity. Discover how to create an architectural water effect, use vertex painting to interactively paint multiple materials, import specific terrain into Unreal, and much more. Tune in every Monday for a new tip.

Note: Because this is an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.

Plastic has unique properties not shared by other materials. If you're designing something that will eventually be created in plastic, considering the complexities of manufacturing in your design process is critical. In this course, learn how to design parts for additive manufacturing in plastic using Autodesk Fusion 360—the affordable cloud-powered CAD and CAM tool that works like more expensive, industry-focused tools. Instructor Thom Tremblay explains how to create a form, complete and visualize your design, and set it up for 3D printing, all while designing a ready-to-manufacture part. Plus, learn a more complex alternative modeling processes for creating a solid from surfaces and subdividing a solid model.

References, recommendations, and referrals are more than just flattery—they can change the trajectory of your career. Join Emilie Aries as she breaks down how to leverage these powerful endorsements to go further at work. Learn who to ask, when to ask, and how to ask—and how to follow up on requests without seeming pesky. Plus, discover a simple framework you can use to make sure you're giving as much as you're taking from your network of supporters.

Empathy helps managers and employees communicate and collaborate better. This skill is even more essential for HR professionals tasked with talent management—interacting with employees at some of the most emotionally charged moments of their lives. Join workforce innovation specialist Sophie Wade as she provides weekly tips for building empathy and practicing it in the workplace. Learn how to apply empathy in specific situations to improve communication, collaboration, productivity, and performance. Plus, find out how to leverage empathy to enhance employee experience, including engagement, leadership, and recognition. These tips are valuable for all interactions, including those with people inside and outside your company, and will provides you with the knowledge to improve company-wide relationships and results.



Note: Because this course is an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.

One way to learn animation is an all-in-one course, the kind you can find here in our library. The other path is on-the-job training, and involves picking up tips and tricks as you work. This course will give you that "on the job" experience in weekly doses. Every Tuesday, author Dermot O' Connor reveals a tip or trick that animation professionals use to save time and create more compelling characters. Learn to use delays, overshoots, and leading gestures to create looser, more realistic movement; draw different mouth shapes for male and female characters; create different styles of walks such as staggers; and more.

Note: Because this is an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.

What is a recession? How can it impact you? What can be done to make economic downturns more manageable? Join Jason Schenker as he describes an economy in recession, how recessions impact various industries, personal and business strategies to counter recession risks, and the drivers that bring an economy out of recession. He covers how recessions impact jobs, industries, and financial markets. He discusses consumer spending, real estate, stocks, interest rates, business strategy, and investments. Jason also shares what he considers to be the number one rule for workers to keep in mind.

Companies need DevOps professionals who can help their teams ship high-quality products and services quickly and reliably. Earning the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification validates your DevOps expertise, helping you become more competitive both within your current organization and in the job market at large. In this course, instructor Robby "Sap" Millsap helps you prepare for the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions (AZ-400) exam—the required exam for this certification—by exploring the concepts covered in the test's Implement Continuous Integration domain. Sap works through key exam topics, including strategies for managing code quality, integrating security analysis tools into your build process, and planning build dependencies. Whether you're studying for the AZ-400 exam—or you just want to take a deeper dive into continuous integration with Azure DevOps—this course can help you acquire the skills you need to be successful. (Author: Robby Millsap)

Do you feel like you're aligned with your highest potential? Breathwork is an ancient practice for quieting the mind and body. This breathwork course helps you clear, cleanse, and let go of heavy tension. Learn how to control your breathing to ease boredom, focus scattered thoughts, release pressure, decrease lethargy, ease sadness, and tame a distracted mind. Each exercise should help you improve your mental and physical well-being and achieve a clearer, more focused mental state—in just moments.

This course was created by Desk Yogi. We are pleased to offer this training in our library.

Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies v1.0 (ENCOR 350-401) is a 120-minute professional-level exam associated with the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certifications. The exam tests a candidate's knowledge of implementing core enterprise network technologies. This course helps candidates to prepare for the first three domains of this exam: Architecture, Virtualization, and Infrastructure. Instructors Kevin Wallace and Charles Judd show how to design enterprise architecture, including planning for all the necessary services and capacity. They also cover the various types of virtualization, from virtual machines and switches to entire virtual networks, and review the infrastructure technologies you typically see in enterprise networks, such as MSTP and RSTP, IPv4 and IPV6 routing, WLANs, Dynamic NAT, and more.

This course was created by Kevin Wallace Training. We are pleased to offer this training in our library.

Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies v1.0 (ENCOR 350-401) is a 120-minute professional-level exam associated with the CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certifications. The exam tests a candidate's knowledge of implementing core enterprise network technologies. This course helps candidates to prepare for the last three domains of this exam—Network Management, Security, and Automation—as well as general exam preparation. Instructors Kevin Wallace and Charles Judd show how to configure connectivity, monitoring, messaging, and authentication tools such as SNMP, syslog, NetFlow, and more. They also show how to secure a network from internal, unauthorized access as well as external threats, and automate networking. The course includes study strategies and exam prep tips to ensure you're ready for the real test.

This course was created by Kevin Wallace Training. We are pleased to offer this training in our library.

CompTIA recognizes that cloud-based infrastructure services is an increasingly important piece of an organization’s IT systems. The CompTIA Cloud+ certification validates that you have the skills necessary to plan, implement, maintain, and deliver cloud technologies and infrastructure—it's a credential that can boost your career and your visibility to employers. This course helps you prepare for the first domain of the exam, Cloud Concepts and Models. Learn about the different types of clouds and the basics of a robust cloud architecture. Then review the system requirements for cloud deployments, and discover how to successfully create and execute a cloud deployment plan. Instructor Tom Carpenter also explains how to test your deployment and resolve common issues.

This course was created by Total Seminars. We are pleased to offer this training in our library.

They will critique your nachos.

Groundhog Day, Back to the Future, The Matrix, and more.

He launched Diddy’s career.

Ripped from the headlines, and inspired by this FPP, let's watch Contagion together on our own. It's widely available from US streaming services for under 5 US bucks. Youtube, Amazon (*not* on Prime Video), Google Play, Apple itunes, possibly available if you have Cinemax. We do not have the ability to share a stream.

. Fanfare
. IMDB
. Rotten Tomatoes
. Fact-Checking 'Contagion', npr

Thursday, March 19

Make popcorn, grab a beverage. Launch MeFi Chat, choose the LiveWatch tab (upper right), say hello. Please be ready to launch the film at 9.15 EDT; too early for the West Coast, too late for the East Coast, but whatevs. It will not be synchronized; we are resourceful. If you can't afford the movie, maybe I can screen share with 1 person? I'll watch my MeFi Mail, I have a gmail account in this name, also this page in case of issues. This is not a thing we've done before, but I've never had to avoid Covid-19 before, either. The unexpected is the new norm. This is only nominally hosted by MeFi, so if you want to complain, memail me, not the mods.

Thu March 19 at 6:00 PM,

Hey, guys. Struck me this morning that it's a good idea for MeFites in town to know where everyone is, what potential needs folks have, and how to help if things get much worse. I'm setting this one as a proposed meetup in Austin in the hopes of getting emails out to folks in town, but right now I have no intention of meeting in-person--just organizing folks in town so that we can set up a network we can use to help one another and familiarize ourselves with anyone who's local on the site. Anyway, here's a space. Thoughts?

Hi everyone, Who wants to get ironic and have an online Calgary IRL meetup sometime? Location: the internet! Might be good for sanity, who knows. Hope everyone is staying both safe and sane!

Sat March 28 at 7:30 PM,

Using the mighty combination of Discord and Steam, I will host a trial session where mefites can join my discord server, view my screen, and play Drawful 2.

Time: 8pm EST this Sunday, March 29. What: Drawful 2 -- https://store.steampowered.com/app/442070/Drawful_2/ How: Discord -- https://discordapp.com/ Where: The voice channel on my discord server -- https://discord.gg/MEcVs5S What you'll need: at the very least, a computer with a microphone, speakers, and connection to the Internet. Though if you wanted to connect without using audio, I think that should be fine too. A Discord account. Your very best drawing on a phone screen chops. A note on Drawful 2 -- it's designed for 3-8 players at a go, so depending on how many mefites show up, we may have to do some sharing. I'll be available on Mefi chat and on Discord from 7:30pm EST until the start time to assist with any technical or user set up issues. Discord can be confusing sometimes.

Sun March 29 at 8:00 PM,

Missing contact with fellow humans? How about a virtual happy hour? Now with date and time! Tuesday, April 7, at 7 PM. We can't really go to the 4th Avenue Pub, but let's pretend.

COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in my plan to have monthly NYC meetups. But perhaps we could get together virtually over drinks or dinner sometime? If you think this might be a good idea, please share your comments or suggestions! If it sounds like a terrible idea, feel free to let me know that too! (Non-NYC Mefites welcome too, of course!) I think we will use Zoom? Does that seem good? Or LiliaNic's WebEx account if we become a really large number of people? Looking forward to seeing y'all!

Tue April 7 at 7:00 PM, home

Hey all. So, is anyone else hungering enough for social interaction that a Brady Bunch-esque layout of little video windows of friends seems like a really good idea? Any MIJ (Mefites in Japan)* up for a meetup over Zoom?**

I've only recently started using Zoom, trying to get ready for if I'll need it for the upcoming (in theory) school year, and Gotanda and I were talking about maybe doing a zoom-based nomikai/meetup. Update: Tonight (April 12th), 8:00 pm Tokyo time, over zoom. I'll memail links to people, so if you didn't get a link, send me a memail and I'll send you an invite. *Though, since this would be online, we could open this up to just about anyone, right? **I just went with zoom because it's literally all I know at this point, though I have heard about all the fun security worries and invasiveness it brings along to the party. If anyone has any other ideas, I'm totally open.

Sun April 12 at 7:00 PM,

Hey y'all - let's have a virtual meetup! The theme is "Quarantine Hobbies" - let's share our tales of dead sourdough starter, failed crops, ugly sweaters, bad television!

My preference is to do this on a weekend closer to the evening. I don't have one of those fancy upgraded Zoom accounts that lets you go more than 40 minutes, so please share if you do. How does April 18th at 4:00 PM (Eastern) sound?

Sat April 18 at 4:00 PM,

MeFites in Japan, unite! (While, of course, maintaining appropriate distance) This upcoming Sunday (April 19) at 19:00 we'll be meeting on Zoom to chat and conviviate (that's probably not a real word). You're probably at home, you're probably going stir crazy, you probably want to meet new people or see familiar faces again, so you should join us! If you want to attend, say the word and we'll send you the Zoom meeting invite link via MeMail.

Sun April 19 at 8:00 PM,

I'd like to use this thread to figure out if we should, can, or will play a game inside animal crossing. I've heard it's been done but I don't know any details. Would it be funny to play a version of d&d or a similar role playing game? I think maybe? Or keep it simple? Should we try it?

Sun April 19 at 8:00 PM,

I'd like to hang out with other MeFites online next weekend (April 24 or 25), from ca. 7pm PST. Not sure how (platform), so this and precise details would be yet TBD. 19+, your choice of food/drink (surprise us), your best hangout/bar attire, some warm (flattering) lights and funky decor, and some tunes (streamed with e.g. Watch2Gether or better).

I've never ever been to a meetup yet. I fact, I don't believe I've met a single MeFite in person yet. I haven't even managed to convince a real life person to join so please let's do this! Any interest? MeMail me or post here :)

Fri April 24 at 7:00 PM,

Hey all. I don't know if you noticed this, but we're in uncharted territory here. If you look at the sidebar, it has a list of "most active cities" for meetups, and we're essentially in second place (a couple cities have had four, sure), and if we have another meetup this Sunday, boom, we'll be one of the most active cities/amorphous regional groupings in all of Metafilterland! Can't you just feel those competitive juices flowing, urging you on to meet once again on Sunday night at 8 for some light chat, witty observations, and hilarious jokes? Edit: changed time to 8, longer explanation in the comments

I can set up the zoom thing again, and will mail invites out to anyone in the going or maybe fields. We managed about seven people last week, which was nice. I figure if we're going to do these things regularly, it might be nice to have a theme of some sort, something to get things going, and honestly, all I've got is jokes. Like, terrible jokes. Not offensive, just really, painfully unfunny jokes, the best kind! Please think up a terrible joke to share when we meet on Sunday, and from there, we can just sort of go wherever it takes us. I'd like to extend the invitation to Mefites around the world, as well, just on the off chance they're awake and up for meeting at 8pm Japan time on Sunday, but I'm not really sure how. I imagine posting in MeTa would get us more people than we could probably handle, and there's also a part of me that thinks 6-8 people is just about the upper limit for Zoom anyway. What do you folks think?

Sun April 26 at 8:00 PM,

People are getting out and biking more these days. Are you one of them, or do you want to be? I've been biking the streets of Portland for 7 years. I can look at Portland's bike maps with you and help you figure out the BEST route that will get you where you want to go.

time/date flexible

Mon May 11 at 8:00 PM,

A reworked entry porch adds curb appeal and character to a no-frills facade

Faith is essential in being saved. Do you have enough faith? Do you want more faith?

There will be many people in Heaven with different views on how to live but what we cannot get wrong is what is required to get saved. What does God want from us?

God became a man to save humanity. There are some things we cannot understand, like the mystery of the incarnation, but here are some points we can learn about this marvelous subject.

What weapons can we have in church? We trust the Lord but we must also be practical and protect each other in times of danger. The Bible is our most important weapon of all.

God is our safe shelter in the last days. We don't have to be afraid. God loves us and He will welcome us and protect us.

Wir zeigen euch anhand von Opta-Daten die bisherige Top-Elf der Bundesliga. Neben den üblichen Verdächtigen gibt es auch die eine oder andere Überraschung in der Aufstellung.

Jetzt ist es offiziell: In der 1. und 2. Bundesliga wird der Ball wieder am 16. Mai rollen. Dies verkündete DFL-Geschäftsführer Christian Seifert auf einer Pressekonferenz.

Die Bundesliga startet nach fast zweimonatiger Pause am 16. Mai mit dem 26. Spieltag. Wir blicken auf die verbleibenden Spiele und schauen, welche Partien besonders brisant werden.

"Iron Mike" lässt wieder die Fäuste fliegen, bisher nur im Training. Nach Berichten könnte es aber ein Box-Comeback von Mike Tyson gegen Rugby-Spieler Sonny Bill Williams geben.

25 Spieltage werden in der Bundesliga absolviert, bevor der Spielbetrieb wegen des Coronavirus unterbrochen werden muss. Bis dahin wird aber bereits so mancher Rekord gebrochen.

DFL-Geschäftsführer Christian Seifert bedankt sich bei allen Beteiligten, dass die Bundesliga am 16. Mai starten kann. Zudem zeigen andere Ligen Interesse am erstellten Konzept.

Brasilien leidet schwer unter der Corona-Pandemie. Die Zahl der Infizierten steigt nach wie vor stark. Beim Topklub Flamengo, Meister und Copa-Libertadores-Sieger, gib es nun besorgniserregend viele Fälle.

Farid El Melali onanierte vor dem Fenster einer Nachbarin. Kurz zuvor hatte er seinen Vertrag beim französischen Erstligisten SCO Angers unterschrieben. Seine Entschuldigung ist wenig überzeugend. Es war nicht seine erste Tat.

Seit seinem Wechsel von Eintracht Frankfurt zu Real Madrid ging es für Luka Jovic bergab. Der Stürmer steht vor einem Wechsel. Nun zog er sich eine schwere Verletzung zu. In den eigenen vier Wänden.

Am nächsten Wochenende setzt die Fußball-Bundesliga ihre Mitte März unterbrochene Saison fort. Für den Torjubel und auch andere Abläufe im und vor dem Spiel gibt es von der Deutschen Fußball Liga exakte Vorschriften.

Bei Olympia 2016 avancierte Schwimmerin Yusra Mardini zum Gesicht des Flüchtlingsteams. Die junge Syrerin war übers Mittelmeer geflüchtet – ihre neue Heimat damals: Berlin. Wie sie nach dem Krieg die Krise erlebt.

President Trump's depiction of urban life in America is often grim, and the tension between the president and big city mayors is often filled with name-calling and lawsuits. For many mayors who end up in the president's crosshairs, it's a balancing act as they try to determine how to ward off criticism, as well as Trump administration policies they think may be harmful, while not jeopardizing federal funds earmarked for city projects. For example, Trump raised plenty of hackles with his recent comments about the homeless in California hurting the prestige of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Darrell Steinberg, chairperson of California's State Commission on Homelessness and Supportive Housing, calls the president's statements hypocritical. "This is a president who is calling for the elimination of the Community Development Block Grant Program, which is a primary source of funding for affordable housing," says Steinberg, who is also the mayor of Sacramento. Last week, Steinberg signed a

A white police officer fired through the window of a black woman's home early Saturday and killed her after responding to a call that a neighbor placed about an open front door, authorities in Fort Worth, Texas, say. Around 2:25 a.m., officers responded to an "open structure call" made by a neighbor to the police department's nonemergency number. Inside the home, Atatiana Jefferson, 28, and her 8-year-old nephew were playing video games. Body camera footage released by the police shows the officer outside the home, looking into Jefferson's bedroom window and shouting, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!" before firing a single bullet that killed Jefferson. Kyev Tatum, a pastor and community activist who was on the scene shortly after the shooting, told NPR that the neighbor who called the police was worried about the welfare of Jefferson. He said Jefferson may have had her front door open for a reason. "This was probably one of the first days that we had cool weather in Fort Worth.