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Experimental Biomass Harvest a Step Toward Sustainable, Biofuels-Powered Future

By Jeff Mulhollem Penn State News The first harvest of 34 acres of fast-growing shrub willow from a Penn State demonstration field this winter is a milestone in developing a sustainable biomass supply for renewable energy and bio-based economic development, … Continue reading




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Solar Surges: Renewable Energy Jobs Topped 8 Million in 2015

By Andrea Germanos Common Dreams On the heels of clean fuel milestones in Germany and Portugal , a new report finds that the renewable energy industry employed over 8.1 million people worldwide in 2015. According to the International Renewable Energy … Continue reading




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Closure of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant

By Lauren McCauley Common Dreams In landmark agreement, California’s last remaining nuclear plant will be replaced by greenhouse-gas-free energy sources A plan to shutter the last remaining nuclear power plant in California and replace it with renewable energy is being … Continue reading




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Future Bioeconomy Supported by More Than One Billion Tons of Biomass Potential

By The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Within 25 years, the United States could produce enough biomass to support a bioeconomy, including renewable aquatic and terrestrial biomass resources that could be used for energy and to develop products … Continue reading




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Energy Department Reports Show Strong Growth of U.S. Wind Power

By Energy.Gov Annual reports analyzing the wind energy industry released today by the Energy Department show continued rapid growth in wind power installations in 2015, demonstrating market resilience and underscoring the vitality of the U.S. wind energy market on a … Continue reading




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Study Links Texas Earthquakes to Wastewater Injection

By Joel Bahr Berkeley News A new study co-authored by UC Berkeley professor Michael Manga confirms that earthquakes in America’s oil country — including a 4.8 magnitude quake that rocked Texas in 2012 — are being triggered by significant injections … Continue reading




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I Took a COBOL Course and I Liked It

COBOL is in the news again. Millions of people are filing unemployment claims nearly all at once, and the systems to process them are failing. Why? They need to scale to unprecedented levels — they’re written in COBOL, and… we don’t have enough COBOL programmers.

Here’s a look at the increase in searches for “COBOL programmers”:




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Build a Real-Time Phone Conversation Analytics

What Is Real-Time Conversation Analytics?

In contrast to post-call conversation analytics, which provides insights after the fact, real-time call conversation analytics can point them out at present times.

In this blog, I will walk through the essential steps to build a web app that can analyze call conversations in real-time to assist an agent. Once we’re finished, we’ll have an app which will:




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A Different Approach to Coding With React Hooks

React Hooks, introduced in React 16.8, present us with a fundamentally new approach to coding. Some may think of them as a replacement for lifecycles or classes, however, that would be wrong. Like trying to translate a word from another language, sometimes you’re facing a completely new entity, which seems identical on the surface but is very different semantically and can’t be treated as equivalent. 

React not only changed the approach from OOP to Functional. The method of rendering has changed in principle. React is now fully built on functions instead of classes. And this has to be understood on a conceptual level. 




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Design Patterns Demystified - Template Design Pattern

Welcome to the Design Patterns Demystified (DPD) series, in this edition we are going to discuss Template Design Pattern. So let us understand the why, how, what, and where of Template Design Pattern.

The Why

Let us understand first, why we need this pattern with the help of an example. Let's you are building a reusable library which is orchestrating the operation of buying an item on an e-commerce platformNow, irrespective of what you are buying, you will follow the same sequence of steps like building your cart, adding an address, filling in payment details, and then finishing the payment. The details in these steps will vary based on what you are buying, how much you are buying, the delivery address, and the preferred mode of payment, but the complete orchestration of steps remains the same.



  • design patterns for beginners
  • design patterns uncovered
  • design patterns in java
  • template design pattern

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I Built a VS Code Extension: Ngrok for VS Code

Over the Easter weekend, a four day weekend characterized by lockdowns all over the world, I decided to use the extra time I had at home to start a new project and learn a new skill. By the end of the weekend, I was proud to release my first VSCode extension: ngrok for VSCode.

What’s That Now?

ngrok is a command-line tool built by Alan Shreve that you can use to expose your localhost server with a publicly available URL. It’s great for sharing access to an application running on your own machine, testing web applications on mobile devices, or testing webhook integrations. For example, I’m a big fan of using ngrok to test my webhooks when I am working with Twilio applications.




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Xamarin Native vs. Xamarin.Forms: How to Choose

As Android and iOS continue to dominate the mobile market, businesses need to develop applications that meet the diverse requirements of each operating system. Launching native mobile applications for Apple App Store and Google Play Store is going to be a long and expensive process. Not every business has adequate time and funds for developing native mobile applications. That is why cross-platform app frameworks have been rising to popularity.

Choosing cross-platform mobile app development services enables organizations to add their presence to both Android and iOS markets. Xamarin, recently acquired by Microsoft, is one of the best frameworks for cross-platform mobile app development. Rich features, agility, and cost-effectiveness make it an ideal choice for building cross-platform apps.




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The Complete Tutorial on the Top 5 Ways to Query Your Relational Database in JavaScript - Part 2

Welcome back! In the first part of this series, we looked at a very "low-level" way to interact with a relational database by sending it raw SQL strings and retrieving the results. We created a very simple Express application that we can use as an example and deployed it on Heroku with a Postgres database.

In this part, we're going to examine a few libraries which build on top of that foundation, adding layers of abstraction that let you read and manipulate database data in a more "JavaScript-like" way.




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Go Visitor Pattern

Summary

One feature that Go does not offer that is really useful in visitor patterns is overriding methods. The basic idea is to write a concrete class that contains all the VisitX methods with empty implementations, and a subclass can choose to only override the methods it cares about, ignoring the rest.

We'll see an example of how to implement this pattern in idiomatic Go code.




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Destination Heroku

[In the second part of his series, a Zone Leader begins the process of using Heroku for the very first time. In this article, he walks through the new account process, then performs the necessary setup of a database and RESTful API for use with the application built for a family member.]

In the "Moving Away From AWS and Onto Heroku" article, I provided an introduction of the application I wanted to migrate from Amazon's popular AWS solution to Heroku. While AWS is certainly meeting the needs of my customer (my mother-in-law), I am hoping for a solution that allows my limited time to be focused on providing business solutions instead of getting up to speed with DevOps processes.




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Let's Discuss Memoization, or Should I Say Memoisation

“In computing, memoization or memoisation is an optimization technique used primarily to speed up computer programs by storing the results of expensive function calls and returning the cached result when the same inputs occur again” — Wikipedia article on memoization

I've written a two part article in Memoization in JavaScript. The first part explains the concept with basic implementation in JavaScript code. It details a way to apply the technique on function calls. It is generic to handle most JavaScript functions.




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Syncing Local Alexa Skills JSON Files With Alexa Developer Console Settings

In the Alexa Skills for Node.JS ASK SDK development world, the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) Command-Line Interface (CLI) is one of the most overlooked tools.

Boosting Developer Productivity

With proper use, one could really increase productivity when developing Alexa Skills. This is especially so if you are creating many Alexa Skills, either because you are in the learning process or you are just managing multiple Alexa Skills projects for yourself or your clients.




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.NET Development Tools for Smart Development in 2020

.NET is indeed an important application development platform, as it's secure, robust, and quite easy to learn and implement. Developers are widely using the .NET framework to build web applications and even modernize legacy programming based applications into .NET-based ones. .NET developers also use many third-party tools to carry out development. These tools have proven to provide the best support for development.

Here are some of the top useful tools being used by many.NET development teams, .NET developers, individual .NET programmers, etc.




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Beginners Guide to CSS Flexbox With Examples

Flexbox is not a single property; it's a complete module that comes with a number of features. In this article, we will look at a complete guide for CSS Flexbox.

Before going into detail, I just want to answer why we should use flexbox layout instead of a traditional way of doing layout webpage using display properties, float properties, positional properties




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What’s New With Node? Interview With Bethany Griggs, Node.js Technical Steering Committee

Node.js 14 is available now. We wanted to get more context and details about the state of Node, and why developers should care about Node.js 14. We talked with Bethany Griggs, Node.js Technical Steering Committee member and Open-source Engineer at IBM, to find out more. 

Bethany has been a Node Core Collaborator for over two years. She contributes to the open-source Node.js runtime and is a member of the Node.js Release Working Group where she is involved with auditing commits for the long-term support (LTS) release lines and the creation of releases. 




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Using Heroku for Static Web Content

In the "Moving Away From AWS and Onto Heroku" article, I provided an introduction of the application I wanted to migrate from Amazon's popular AWS solution to Heroku.  Subsequently, the "Destination Heroku" article illustrated the establishment of a new Heroku account and focused on introducing a Java API (written in Spring Boot) connecting to a ClearDB instance within this new platform-as-a-service (PaaS) ecosystem.  My primary goal is to find a solution that allows my limited time to be focused on providing business solutions instead of getting up to speed with DevOps processes.

Quick Recap

As a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) to the original article, I built an Angular client and a Java API for the small business owned by my mother-in-law.  After a year of running the application on Elastic Beanstalk and S3, I wanted to see if there was a better solution that would allow me to focus more on writing features and enhancements and not have to worry about learning, understanding, and executing DevOps-like aspects inherent within the AWS ecosystem.




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Use Of Ngx-Bootstrap Typehead In Angular 8

Introduction

Ngx-Bootstrap has released a package of open-source tools which are native Angular directives for Bootstrap 3 and 4. It contains all core components powered by Angular. In this article, we will learn about the Typehead component which is a cool feature of Ngx-bootstrap.

What Is Typeahead?

Typeahead — Also known as autocomplete or autosuggest is a language prediction tool that many search interfaces use to provide suggestions for users as they type in a textbox. This is a method for searching and filtering through text. It is also sometimes known as autocomplete, incremental search, search-as-you-type, and inline search.




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Getting Started With Angular Reactive Form Validation

Handling user input with forms is the cornerstone of many common applications.

Applications use forms to enable users to log in, to update a profile, to enter sensitive information, and to perform many other data-entry tasks




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All About Lambda Functions in C++ (From C++11 to C++17)

Lambda functions are quite an intuitive concept of Modern C++ introduced in C++11, so there are already tons of articles on lambda function tutorials over the internet. But still, there are some untold things (like IIFE, types of lambda, etc.) left, which nobody talks about. Therefore, here I am to not only show you lambda function in C++, but we'll also cover how it works internally and other aspects of Lambda.

The title of this article is a bit misleading. Because lambda doesn't always synthesize to function pointer. It's an expression (precisely unique closure). But I have kept it that way for simplicity. So from now on, I will use lambda function and expression interchangeably.







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Gradients

See the Code - See it Full Page - See Details

Playing with non -intersecting circles and gradients. Sometimes gives an impression of relief. When clicking, mouse horizontal position chooses hue and vertical position chooses with or without nested circles.

This Pen uses: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and




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CSS Only, Content Overflow Shadows

See the Code - See it Full Page - See Details

Horizontal and Vertical scrolling with faded out content. **Please note:** I have not cross browser tested this, however this method leverages `background-attachment: local`, currently usable in everything except Android Browser & Opera Mini according to <a href="https://caniuse.com/#feat=background-attachment" target="_blank">caniuse.com</a>, meaning there is great support across devices and many Android devices use Google Chrome for Android rather than the OS browser. **Additional note:** There is a bug when previewing this pen on mobile, due to loading the example within an `iframe`. The shadow rgba values are read as a non transparent, this does not happen when previewing locally not in an iframe :-)

This Pen uses: HTML, SCSS, JavaScript, and





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Google meets Portfolio

See the Code - See it Full Page - See Details

After seeing the amazing [pen](https://codepen.io/oliviale/full/GRpvNBa) from [@Olivia Ng](https://codepen.io/oliviale/pen/GRpvNBa) this is my attempt on the google meets interface. You can "send me" messages in the chat tab. Warning: You won't actually be sending me any messages.

This Pen uses: Pug, SCSS, JavaScript, and




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Elantris

PRINCE Raoden of Arelon awoke early that morning, completely unaware that he had been damned for all eternity. What a way to start a novel. As a reader, I don’t think about the first words of a book when…




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Writing again

The mid-year slump hit hard this year. I’m rarely a prolific writer or blogger during the summer. Perhaps it’s the heat down here in south Alabama. It makes you want to sit under the shade of an old…




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2019-2020 network TV schedule

It’s that time of the year again. A new TV season is upon us. With some shows beginning to air this week, I thought it best to post my “to watch” schedule for the fall. Unlike last year, I…




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(Probably) No NaNoWriMo This Year

I’ve been getting the itch again. For the better part of this year, I’ve been looking forward to tackling National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) once again this November. I’ve been running over plot scenarios in my head…




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Writing a WordPress book. Again.

TL;DR: Brad Williams, John James Jacoby, and I will be publishing the 2nd edition of Professional WordPress Plugin Development this year. It is hard to believe, but it has been nine years since I was approached by Brad Williams…




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Like a Tree

Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all…




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4K UHD Collection: April 2020

I am back in the collecting game. After several months of work and keeping an eye on deals, I am now inching closer toward 100 titles and have built a pretty nice 4K UHD collection. It started with my first DVD…




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Thirty-Six

13,149. That’s the number of days I have been living and breathing on this world thus far. In years, that number is 36. Happy birthday to me. I recently saw a tweet from someone announcing they had reached their 15,000th day…




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A toker's musical guide through pop history

The Cannabis Issue People have been enjoying cannabis for recreational purposes for centuries, including in the United States since the early 1900s. That means weed was in America a good 50 years or so before the invention of rock 'n' roll.…




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Weed can help your anxiety - or make it a ton worse

The Cannabis Issue Times are stressful, what with a virus rampaging, people dying, hospitals being overloaded, the economy imploding and unemployment soaring.…




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In Washington's rural pot shops, the effects of the coronavirus scare can be dramatic

The Cannabis Issue During normal times, I-90 Green House is like a destination resort for marijuana lovers.…




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From culinary arts to binge-watching, here are some weed-friendly activities to get you through your isolation

The Cannabis Issue It's been almost a month since the COVID-19 pandemic forced folks inside and made "social distancing" part of our daily lexicons.…




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So it's your first time trying CBD...

The Cannabis Issue Search online for information on CBD (cannabidiol), one of the main active components in marijuana and hemp plants, and you're likely to come across claims that it can help with everything from curing cancer to helping you sleep a little better.…




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Melt your problems away with this cannabutter ice cream

The Cannabis Issue As we look ahead to sunnier days, few things are as satisfying as a scoop of nice, cold ice cream.…




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Weed-friendly movies to make you feel a little better about your own isolation

The Cannabis Issue So many of us are stuck inside right now, and that lack of socializing means we're all probably going a little bit stir crazy.…




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Regional summer camps hope the pandemic doesn't put activities on pause, but have backup plans ready if it does

[IMAGE-1]After having their school year totally disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, a return to some semblance of normalcy come summer is all many school-age kids and their families are looking forward to. For many, this anticipation includes annual summer camp traditions, from sleep-away adventures on the lake to fun-filled day camps for arts, learning or team sports.…




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Resident

Summer Camps 2020 Boy Scouts Camp Easton Spend a week on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene at camp, which offers activities like swimming, water-skiing, boating, sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking and more.…




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Education

Summer Camps 2020 ACT/SAT Prep Camp Students can use their free time this summer to get ready to take the ACT or SAT test with educational staff at Gonzaga Prep.…




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Creative Arts

Summer Camps 2020 A Good Impression Camp Split light and splatter color; from prisms to paint this camp has kids constructing, drawing, painting and playing with color.…