Author: jackmartin

It is no longer news that the idea of blockchain is quickly spreading than most recent ideas in the tech world, as several governmental and non-governmental sectors are seizing the massive advantages of blockchain to enhance their output. However, blockchain was created solely to protect digital assets and data to ensure that it does not get reformed by any means or maneuvered. Instead, it keeps a record of duplicated transactions throughout a scientific network consisting of computer systems through the blockchain.

How the blockchain technology has transformed the travel industry

The prevalence of blockchain technology in most contemporary industries cannot be overemphasized as the uses for blockchain are more than meets the eye. It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that sectors that have adopted blockchain have experienced reasonably advanced progress when compared to those that are still lagging. The recognition of these noticeable advancements has been the leading factor that currently spurs most sectors of the economy to explore the idea of blockchain technology.

More specifically, the travel industry benefits significantly from blockchain technology. It definitely provides the optimum level of security and stability that the travel and tourism market needs, in that there is a guarantee that information stored using the blockchain technology can never be caught inside the pawns of external cyber-attack, neither can it be deleted mistakenly. Furthermore, it creates an avenue for automatic backup, meaning that they can always trace files even in cases of the apparent loss of files.

In the same vein, a very good example is in the aspect of financial services. While the travel industry is saddled with the responsibility of processing payments, the blockchain makes this process more efficient now than previously by making it easier for the industry to secure payments without any hassle, especially when it comes to international transactions. In addition, it increases the level of trust that potential customers are willing to deposit into a particular organization and gives room for traceable payments to protect the customers’ interests by ensuring due diligence in processing all information.

Also, when it comes to transportation, the travel industry makes use of a sizeable variety of companies when they seek to transmit information. A perfect example of this is that those in charge of processing customers’ flights juggle through the processes of providing their details to lodges and other companies, especially when it comes to the movement of customers’ luggage.

Moving customers’ luggage from one point to another would mean that this luggage changes hands multiple times in the course of the traveling. Hence, making use of a decentralized database system such as blockchain technology for these kinds of tasks helps the travel industry to keep a record of customers’ information safely. It also provides the means to easily access these files without the fear of accidental loss of files, which makes their belongings even more secure.

How Blockchain is Reworking The Travel Industry

In the past, the status quo for the travel industry was that there were too many complexities involved in successfully conveying customers to their desired destination, especially in terms of finances and luggage delivery. However, in recent times, the change in the perspectives of modern advancements such as blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has vastly improved the sector. The use of these innovative technologies has enhanced the growth of the travel industry and tourism market beyond expectations.

Initially, travelers were operating a kind of indirect system. But as it stands, the process of source travel has become relatively seamless, and the use of blockchain has given room for an increased level of transparency and safety, such that a number of individuals, groups, and organizations are involved in the transportation process at every stage including hotel check-in, boarding, and booking. This also improves the process of traveler’s identity verification.

Another major turnaround that blockchain technology has brought into the travel industry and that many travel and tourism companies are now enjoying is the issue of luggage tracking as travelers’ belongings are being transported from one place to another. Blockchain makes it possible for travel agencies to store data related to the luggage, which is reasonably accessible to the traveler as well, hence protecting traveler’s baggage from being misplaced or handled roughly.

The future of the Blockchain Within the Travel Industry

Most relatively new concepts usually have a bleakly potential in their respective functioning capacities, but this is not the case for blockchain technology; its future seems quite promising since it is getting relevance in much more than finance (buying and selling on redot.com, and other amazing platforms). The new travel blockchain system is pretty beneficial to travel agencies and tourism. One of its most pronounced potentials is that the decentralized nature of blockchain technology makes it helpful for the travel industry to expand as wide as it can without restrictions.

This is because the result of the combination of blockchain technology and AI that is fast-rising is quite formidable. Moreover, more critical innovations are coming up by the minute, revealing other uses for blockchain that one would not have ever conceived, and this is having a positively rewarding effect on the output of the travel industry.

Practical application of the Blockchain technology

Blockchain technology sometimes seems complex in theory, partly because most people have erroneously believed that it’s only through the use of cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc., that one can utilize blockchain technology, and a lot of people find the concept complex. However, when it comes to its practice, blockchain technology is not so daunting because it has other equally beneficial uses apart from the widely held opinions of most people to buy crypto dips and sell crypto.

Here is how it works: blockchain technology combines a trio-technology concept that includes a ledger of a peer-to-peer network, cryptographic keys (public and private), and a digital space for storing records and transactions. So, for example, if two people are in a state of conducting a transaction, the public key of the second person would be connected with the first party’s public key. Both information would be compiled into a “block”; it is always encrypted mainly to transmit it through a reliable network that would permanently protect such information.

Things Grow Where Our Minds Go

Anyone in the real estate market knows the name of the San Diego, California based Chris Heller as a real estate icon. Chris is the former CEO of Keller Williams and author of the new best-selling book, Dominant Thoughts. This dynamic book was co-authored by San Diego local Dr. Greg Reid, renowned speaker, filmmaker and he has published, been featured and co-authored over 100 books in 45 countries. He has had 28 best sellers, including Three Feet From Gold and Wealth Made Easy.

Their new book, Dominant Thoughts hit the market only a few weeks ago and is already hitting best-seller lists. Chris and Greg carefully detail the principles and practices to create success in sales and leadership relationships.

This book is filled with powerful messages to help everyone in every field to garner success.

-The one thing you can control that will have the biggest impact on your success
-The single most important principle to consider when making any decision
-The one strategy proven to wow clients and increase loyalty and retention
-How to strengthen your discipline muscle and break out of your comfort zone
-The key to effective communication and truly understanding what people are and are not saying
-How you can turn your dominant thoughts into unprecedented success and happiness!

Chris Heller includes a section in the book that brought tremendous success to he and his team and their road to success.

“I have been very fortunate to have had and earned some incredible opportunities to learn from some great mentors and leaders. Most people don’t get this type of exposure, especially men and women who are just starting out on their own. It would have been a great gift for me to have someone share these thoughts and ideas when I was young, Dominant Thoughts is the gift I now want to give, “Chris Heller

Throughout the story, Chris Heller and Greg Reid share the lessons they learned throughout their many years of experience. Their book will help you understand the one thing that you can control that will have the biggest impact on success, and the single most important principle to consider when making any decision, plus the one strategy proven to wow clients and increase loyalty and retention, among many others.

This book could change your professional life!

“Read this book if you want to do BIG things, read it and you’ll trust your gut, take more action, and be inspired to fulfill your potential, GO!” Tom Ferry- # 1 Real Estate Coach, NY Times Best Selling Author

 Learn more at:https://dominantthoughts.com/

Take a moment, and close your eyes. Think back to a simpler time in your life. You’re nine years old. It’s a hotter than usual morning in mid-May, and your dad has snuck you out of school to go see your favorite team play. You remember how excited you were when your dad told you the plan this morning. You remember how eagerly you sat in your morning math class. Waiting for your name to be announced over the intercom. To you, it was like winning the lottery. And when your name finally did get called up. You were so happy you could’ve just won the lottery! Now we flash forward. You’re at the stadium. It’s sticky outside from the humidity, but that just gets you more excited. It’s almost summer after all. You file into the stadium. Your seats are incredible. Overlooking right between home and first, you can hear the players grunt as they play as hard as they can. You watch inning after inning. The team has gone back and forth. In the red, sometimes trailing far behind. When all of a sudden it was late in the eighth, and your boys have loaded the bases. The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it. Everyone is holding their breath in anticipation. The pitch flies…and…It’s a hit! Your new favorite player just hit a triple, giving your team a jolt into its momentum that they capitalize on with a distinct lead for the rest of the game. For the next and final inning, you watch as your favorite players ostensibly take a victory lap over their opponents. Playing in a way that not only betrays their love of the support, but the vision etches itself across your memory like a carving on a stone tablet. It’s the perfect day, and nothing can ever tarnish that golden memory.

Now fast forward 20 years. You never miss a game, but sometimes you feel like something is missing. There’s some intangible thrill that has been absent lately, and you just can’t quite put your finger on it. Don’t worry that’s normal. You’re just at a point now where you want that little extra kick to keep things spicy. So when you’re getting those feelings and you feel like you need to stoke the fire in your belly. One thing I always suggest is adding a little wager to the game. Creating a small bet with your friends or at the office can be an excellent way to add a little excitement to the night’s proceedings, while also allowing you to show how much you love the team you are betting on! Now you might ask yourself. “Well that sounds like fun, but I just don’t know how to get started.” No problem my friends, as I have created this incredible guide of three things that you have to consider so that you can make the best bets possible!

Know Your Team!

One of the most important aspects of any franchise is its team’s history. A coach’s decision-making is not just informed by his gut! There is a long line of context and variables that create the conditions for which a play can be made viable. To be able to anticipate this, one must have a vast knowledge of that franchise’s core philosophy and their play history when facing their opponent. No two teams are the same. Though they may have similar play styles, anyone who’s in the know; is aware that each franchise has its distinctive history, and those who are successful tend to prioritize that history!

Knowing Your Opponent’s Defense

Now, this next entry goes hand in hand with our last, but it is an important enough discussion that it bears its own entry. What I’m talking about of course is having a complete understanding of your opponent’s playbook but most importantly their defense. If you can stay a step ahead of the opposing team then you have a significantly increased chance of anticipating their moves, and creating a betting strategy that will promptly benefit you!

My Name is Momentum

Now for our final entry into this list, I’d like to forget about the facts and the figures for just a moment and focus on some of the superstitious and “softer” sciences regarding the world of sports. When a team has heat it’s undeniable. Something about winning in sports just begets more winning, and it’s important to recognize that. The human element is there, and sometimes the simplest answer is to just ride the wave!

When you’re making your first bets on games, it can be pretty daunting. The fear of failure is ever-present and there’s a lot of risk to what you’re doing. My advice is to stick to your guns, remember your fundamentals, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s only through trial and error that you can get a feel for your betting style, now it is just a matter of putting in the time and finding it!

One of the most common dilemmas in software development is deciding whether to outsource or keep development in-house. 

Most companies have either outsourced development at some point or are considering doing so. And there are good reasons for that! 

Many benefits come with outsourcing, but in-house development has its perks too. So, before you jump on the outsourcing bandwagon, make sure you fully understand the benefits and challenges of both options. 

In this article, we will share the pros and cons of both to help you make the best choice for your company. 

Outsourcing software development

Outsourcing means delegating the development process to a third party, such as a freelancer or a service provider such as Emphasoft.

There are many benefits of outsourcing. Here are the main ones:

• Shortcut to hiring high-quality developers. Hiring for your team takes time. From headhunting to onboarding, you might look at a 1-2 month time frame. And it gets worse if you need niche expertise. Outsourcing might only take a few days and require much less paperwork.
• Short-term commitment. Outsourcing is perfect for when your software development process is short and you won’t need the extra staff once it’s over. Scaling up or down is a problem with an in-house team because you will be hiring and letting people go constantly. That’s not effective and definitely not good for the morale of the team.
• Lower overall costs. Besides hiring, you will be saving on office space, coffee, and electric bills. 
• Flexibility. Have an urgent idea? Want to postpone development for later? An outsourced software development company will accommodate themselves to your needs.
• You’re not limited by your geography with outsourcing. Hire anywhere in the world and enjoy the best talent no matter where they are based.
• You can outsource lower priority things, keeping your in-house staff focused on key business initiatives.
• You reduce the time to market by skipping long hiring and training processes.

With all the great benefits that outsourcing provides, you might think it is the perfect choice for anyone. And while yes, many profitable startups and established businesses praise outsourcing, there are downsides to it too:

• Quality monitoring and management can be difficult because you have no full control over the outsourced team and can’t manage them as closely as your own team. That might lead to lower quality delierables, especially if you didn’t pay close attention to the application development company you’ve signed up with.
• Collaboration difficulties. If you and your outsourced colleagues don’t share the language, culture, or time zones, you can run into communication issues that can negatively affect the software development process.
• Commitment issues. Although not universally true, outsourced specialists can be less committed to the project than the employees who work for the company.
• Security and confidentiality risk. You can sign NDAs but the data can still be leaked or lost. However, this can also be a risk with in-house talent.  
• Lack of control can lead to dissatisfactory end results and pushed deadlines.

In general, a lot can go wrong, especially when you outsource with someone for the first time. However, you will avoid most of those risks by partnering with a trusted company, such as Emphasoft, that has proven experience and a good reputation on the market.

In-house software development 

In-house development is a more traditional route that implies you have an internal team that is hired by your company.

The benefits of in-house development:

 Good for long-term development because people are committed and motivated to do their best job when they’re a part of the permanent team.

• The shared goals and interests of the in-house team make the workflow easier. Employees are not working on other projects on the side or looking to start something new soon. Plus, it is much harder for a freelancer to understand the business as well as a full-time team member does.
• Cultural fit is guaranteed by control over hiring, ensuring the same ethics and values across the team. 
• Better risk management because you can spot and fix issues quicker. With outsourcing, you might get the updates later when the problem has already become more pressing.
• Quality control is easier in-house because the alignment with coding standards is guaranteed. 

In-house development is not immune to challenges, so here are the main downsides you might face: 

• Hiring and onboarding are long and time-consuming, especially if you need experienced or niche specialists who are also recruited by hundreds of other companies. 
• You will be missing out on technical expertise because hiring top specialists across all development fields is unattainable unless you’re part of the FAANG group. In all other cases, your hiring budget limits will mean you’ll have to compromise.
• You will endure many additional costs associated with perks, taxes, medical insurance, office spaces, etc.
• Delays and low involvement with side projects. If your internal IT staff is asked to work on non-core requests, they are more than likely to either do less than perfect or push the deadlines beyond reason, arguing that they have too much Tier 1 stuff to work on.
• It’s (kind of) your duty to upgrade your team’s skills. IT is a very dynamic field and it takes constant learning to stay on top of trends. Having already invested heavily in the team, you will be interested in keeping your staff highly skilled. That might mean you’ll have to cover their education costs and conference tickets.

In general, the in-house route requires big (often upfront) investments and represents a huge management overhead in the longer term. The team takes forever to come together and then you’re always at risk of losing your key members. It can work great for some companies, but you need to make sure you can sustain this model before you commit. 

Choosing between outsourcing and in-house software development

Now that we’ve talked about both options and you understand each of them better, it is really up to you and your individual situation to decide what’s best.

To help with the decision-making, ask yourself the following questions:

• What problem am I solving? 
• How critical is it for the business?
• How does this problem compare to other business needs?
• Does it require unique skills and knowledge?
• How long do I estimate the project will last?
• What is my budget?
• How fast does the product/service need to be released?

By the way, you don’t have to choose just one or the other. You can always have the best of both worlds and combine an in-house team with outsourced specialists or have an outsourced team hired for particular projects, like web development, within your business. 

And if you decide to give outsourcing a try, the Emphasoft team is ready to become your trusted partner. With more than 170 employees that share different expertise and over 135 projects delivered within the last 2 years, we really know what we’re doing. We offer software development services and IT consulting, including MVP consulting for startups.

Reach out to us today, and we will start working on your project within 3 days. 

Ambery Vanilla opens with a pear hint mixed with a hidden note of licorice. Afterward, it is made into high-quality notes of orange blossoms and jasmine flowers, heated with deep vanilla and black coffee. Sensational and delicious, dossier.co is a versatile fragrance that starts with a bright and delicious, produced in the form of an intoxicating flower with heat.

Try your perfume:

Mix the two fragrances to create your dream mix. Use these guides for the best perfume combo, guided by our perfume experts in Paris.

How to apply: Apply one perfume after another on your skin.

Try Ambery Vanilla with Gourmand Patchouli:

Add complimentary fragrances to make this mix. Combine gourmand notes, such as licorice, coffee, cocoa, and honey, with a patchouli and vanilla base.

Try Ambery Vanilla with Gourmand White Flowers:

Harmonize these two fragrances to create a complementary blend. A typical white flower and a floral gourmandize consisting of licorice, caramel, and coffee on the eastern structure.

We’re good for you:

We offer an alternative to some of the most popular fragrances. We make our scents cheaper by removing brand and retailer markups, celebrity endorsement fees, etc. All our fragrances are made in Grass, France. We focus on creating perfumes with 100% clean ingredients and durability. The following are the mains:

• Colorant and UV filter free:

Fragrance fans now want natural, clean perfumes that are soft on the skin, even in color, and do not include UV fillers in the fragrance formula.

• Vegan & Cruelty-free:

It’s great for the environment, especially nowadays people are very interested in it, and when you look at the kind of brands that are free from veganism and cruelty, it creates interest.

Parabens and Phthalate free: While phthalate-free fragrances are not natural, they are considered safe for your skin and body.

• Inspiration for famous fragrances:

Our perfumes are very refreshing and got positive feedback.

• Reasonable price:

We offer you excellent quality perfume at a very affordable price.

• Formulas are 100% non-toxic:

We provide you with perfumes that contain a non-toxic formula.

Try, and then decide:

Perfumes are personal, so we allow you to try out the full-size bottle. If you do not like it, send it back to us for a refund. The return is donated to a charity, so no perfume bottle is ever lost.

Related Products:

• WOODY SANDALWOOD.
• GOURMAND WHITE FLOWERS.
• FLORAL VIOLET.
• FLORAL MUSK.

The Dossier was founded on the desire to make premium fragrances accessible to everyone. As perfumers themselves, it has become impossible for us to ignore the markup of prices traditionally seen in the industry. Whether it’s marking perfumes because of celebrity endorsement fees or expensive packaging, we realize that perfumes are being sold far beyond their value, long-lasting, high-quality perfume. We travel with you for those who feel neglected. It’s time to say goodbye to the lost feeling when it comes to experience pleasent fragrances and to welcome a new way to shop for your own. With Dossier, it’s within your reach to enjoy clean, ethically acquired d by the industry, who are tired of the perfumes of being an investor, or who are curious about stepping into a new way of using fragrance. I can’t wait to do it; Dossier gives you the best quality and ethics. Cheap perfume for everyone. Yes, it smells good. Don’t overpay. We see our customers as an essential part of our team, so we always look for new ways to connect. We listen to your suggestions, we create fragrances based on your preferences, and we are always open to helping you improve the dossier experience.

It’s a goal every year to live a healthier life, for most people anyway. But, what this means is that individuals must break the many negative habits that have built up through the years and, in turn, make serious lifestyle changes. These harmful habits take their toll on a person’s health, often leading to serious diseases. While it’s easy to just say, “I’ll stop these habits,” it’s not always that easy to stop smoking, cut out the fried foods or increase one’s exercise. But, it can be done. It’s your life at stake here. Following are some habits to attack this year and improve your chance at a longer, healthier life.  

1. Not Drinking Adequate Amounts of Water

Doctors recommend eating the right amount of dietary fiber each day to improve digestion and lower risks to the gastrointestinal tract, but if you don’t drink enough water, constipation is likely. Everyone should drink at least 8-8-ounce glasses of water each day. If a person is consuming a higher volume of fiber each day, they need an adequate amount of water to keep the gastrointestinal tract lubricated, or bulky stools cause abdominal distention bloating, and discomfort.

Frequent constipation could lead to Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticular disease. By drinking the right amount of water, poor gut health can be reversed and digestion improved without further health risks. 

2. Choosing Foods That Aren’t Really Healthy

Just because food sounds healthy doesn’t necessarily make it healthy, and fat-free choices aren’t always the best options. Even an all-organic diet isn’t completely healthy for everyone. The diet must be balanced between lean meats, vegetables, fruits, and grains. Further, healthy fats help balance blood glucose levels and nourish the body. 

When improving one’s health, it’s important to take any existing medical conditions into consideration, and a diet designed for these ailments balances out nutrition. The diet and meal plans can provide great strides toward becoming healthier. Proper health and nutrition require individuals to choose foods that are healthy for them, but, foods shouldn’t be added just because the foods seem healthy. A healthy balance of the right foods improves the body and well-being. 

3. Not Exercising Regularly

Regular exercise is a must to keep the body healthy, and this means choosing a plan that meets particular health needs. Doctors recommend exercising at least three times a week at 30-minute intervals. However, some plans may require more of a commitment, and you will need to balance your schedule to accommodate new exercise plans. If a person doesn’t exercise at all, this could increase a multitude of health risks and increase the probability of developing serious diseases and ailments. 

4. Inadequate Sleep Schedules

Irregular sleep schedules can cause a multitude of health risks and place a person at risk of serious accidents. Additionally, studies show that inadequate sleep levels cause cardiovascular disease. For those who experience sleep disorders such as insomnia, a trip to a sleep specialist helps find a better solution. By getting at least eight hours of sleep a night, you could see major improvements in one’s health and quality of life.  

Negative habits can lead to organ damage, diseases, and a diminished quality of life, and a person who doesn’t break these habits suffers for the rest of their lives. Lifestyle changes are certain to improve one’s health and decrease the risk of serious health crises. Simple steps such as drinking enough water every day, choosing healthy foods, and exercising regularly improve just about everyone’s health dramatically.  

You’ve probably heard about the importance of a morning routine, and it’s true that starting your day off in a positive and productive way can set you up for success. But when you’re making a morning routine with yoga, it’s important to choose something that you’ll be able to stick with—even on those days when you don’t feel like doing anything at all. We recommend keeping it low-key. You don’t have to force yourself out of bed to run five miles at 5:00 a.m. in order to “earn” your breakfast (and even if you do get up that early, keep in mind that everyone else is sleeping, so no one will see your sweat). Instead, try something simple that will prepare you mentally and physically for your yoga session—something that doesn’t require any extra effort or expense on your part.

If you can’t attend a yoga studio in Bozeman or you’re feeling tired and unmotivated, there’s no excuse not to try these simple morning routines:

Practice gratefulness while still sitting in bed

Before you get out of bed, take a few minutes to reflect. Think about what you have to be grateful for in your life, and think about what you hope to do today. By taking the time to appreciate what’s good in your life and setting the tone for a positive day, you’re more likely to be in the right mindset when you get up and begin your yoga session.

Ten minutes of meditation or prayer.

Starting the day with a ten-minute meditation or prayer can calm your mind and set you up for a peaceful day. There are several apps that can help you with the process, but the key is to simply sit somewhere quiet and focus on your breath. In order to keep your mind from wandering, count your breaths (1-10), and when you get to 10, start over again. If thoughts come into your head, which they inevitably will, let them pass through like clouds floating through the sky, and then go back to counting your breaths. Even just ten minutes of this practice can help calm an anxious or busy mind, and it’s something that anybody can do.

Light stretching.

Start your day with a few minutes of stretching. It’s the best way to get your body moving, get the blood flowing, and wake up the muscles so you can take on the day. Even if you’re not a morning person, getting up a little early to start your day with five or ten minutes of gentle stretches can be a great way to ease into your day.

A 15-minute walk in the morning sun.

Sunlight is an essential ingredient to any morning ritual, and one of the easiest ways to get a healthy dose of it is to take a walk. Exercise, in general, can do wonders for your mental wellbeing, but sunlight has its own range of benefits including building up your immune system, improving your mood, and even helping you sleep better at night. As part of your morning routine, find some time (even if it’s just 15 minutes) to go outside and get some fresh air. It’s the perfect way to start off any day.

A few minutes of deep breathing exercises.

Take a few minutes to get yourself in the right headspace for the day ahead. Start by sitting comfortably, with your back straight but not stiff. If you’re at home, turn off the TV and phone. Close your eyes and let your breath flow slowly through your nose. As you inhale, feel a cool breeze pass through your nostrils and down into your lungs.

Your lungs are two of our most important organs, so it’s easy to forget how vital they can be for our physical well-being. If we don’t breathe correctly, we can develop an irregular heartbeat that can make us feel dizzy or lightheaded as well as cause various other health problems if left untreated.

To help keep breathing exercises like this one simple while still being effective:

• Sit comfortably
• Close eyes (or use meditation techniques to focus on a single object)
• Take slow breaths through your nose (as you inhale, feel air flowing in; when you exhale, see the air flowing out).

Take it slow: Start with some gentle poses.

You probably wake up tired and groggy, so don’t dive right into an intense yoga routine first thing—it might feel good for a minute, but you’re risking injury and burning yourself out for the rest of the day. Instead, start with some gentle poses like cat-cow, walking lunges, or hip openers; these will help get your body warmed up without overstressing your joints or muscles.

After working on some stretches, take some time to add in a few minutes each day working up to more intense poses like wheel pose or crow pose that are often difficult at first. This will not only help you gradually grow stronger over time, but it will also give you an added sense of accomplishment as each pose gets easier to achieve.

Mantras to deepen your yoga practice.

As you begin to incorporate these mantras into your daily practice, remember that there is no rush. Perfection comes through repetition and dedication, so there’s no need to feel like you have to master them on day one. The more often you say them to yourself, the more meaning they’ll have for you. When you’re in a situation where you’re finding it difficult to stay present because of stress or tension, repeating one of the above mantras over and over can be incredibly helpful in centering your mind and body back on the mat.

Strengthen your yoga practice and mind by getting into a healthy morning routine

If you’re busy, it can be hard to get into the routine of a morning ritual. But even if you feel like there isn’t enough time, adding in just a couple of minutes can make a huge difference in your day and help you to remain focused and awake throughout the day. Do not just say that you are going to do something; doing so is simply not enough. You have to actually follow through with what you are saying.

Don’t get discouraged if you miss one day. If one day goes by where you didn’t practice your morning routine, don’t sweat it! Everyone has off days and just because this happened doesn’t mean that your goal is unattainable or that the benefits won’t occur over time. It may take longer than 30 days for some people, so try again tomorrow!

One of the most affected activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic is the fundraising efforts through auctions by charitable institutions and others. Complete lockdowns and strict social distancing norms in recent times have hit on-premises auctions very hard.

This is primarily because of the nature of traditional auctions. Visualize one and you will see hundreds of people interacting in a closed hall lined with tables where the auction items are displayed. An auctioneer motivates bidders to raise the bids higher and higher and there is a general atmosphere of fun and excitement with people close to one another.

This is exactly the scenario that is considered as a Covid spreader and it is not surprising that when the pandemic restrictions were implemented, the usual auctions were among the first activities where the ax fell. Fortunately, the vacuum left behind by the fall in the popular auctions of yesteryears was quickly filled by Internet bidding sites and the rise of online bidding.

Comparatively, the experience of online bidding from an Internet-enabled device like a smartphone, tablet, or laptop can seem dull and listless for the die-hard regular auction fans. There are no gala dinners, movie shows, or keeping a keen eye on the auctioneer’s paddle. But even though the entertaining atmosphere is missing, safety concerns and the need to ward off Covid-19 have led to an exponential growth in Internet bidding sites and the acceptance of online bidding as the best option for fundraising through auctions.

This post will take you through the many facets of online auctions including the benefits and the process of holding one.

Charges of Internet-based auction websites

But first a word of the fees of the Internet-based auction sites. Most charge an administrative fee for the software, use of the site for displaying photos of the items, conducting the bidding and declaring the winners, and use of the payment gateway services. Some sites levy a commission on the total sales.

On the other hand, you will also get online bidding websites that promise services free of any charge. But even then, certain fees for third-party services have to be paid like that charged by payment gateways and others. Hence, before choosing a site for holding online auctions go through the fine print carefully.

Benefits of online bidding websites

Online bidding websites offer a host of benefits and this is the main reason why the transformation from an on-premises auction environment to an online one has been so smooth and seamless.

Here are some of the benefits of online bidding websites.

• A mix of participants from all niches: Participants are drawn from all sections of the society regardless of sex, age, class, or ethnicity. Even people who are quite old take part in online bidding as they can do so from the comfort of their homes from any Internet-enabled device. This is a great advantage of online bidding.
• Wide global reach: As a fundraiser, you would want to reach out to as large an audience as possible and Internet-based auction sites are an ideal platform to do so. Provided you promote your auction very well through email campaigns and on social media platforms, you will get bidders from all corners of the globe. Your items will be fiercely bid for and hence the bids will be higher, increasing your profits from the auction.
• Bidding convenience: In Internet auctions, bidders are not tied down to a specific venue. Once they decide to take part in the auctions they can do so from any remote location while on the go. This is the primary reason why online bidding attracts greater participation.
• Faster engagement: In the traditional auctions, the whole day is spent by the bidders at the venue with commuting to and from being a major time taker. But in Internet-based bidding, there is scope to take part in the auctions while engaged in some other work. All it takes is a click of a button to interchange from the auction site to other work and back. Hence, bidding is higher, and participation is more in online bidding.
• No time restrictions: It is up to the organizers of the auctions to keep an event open as long as they want. Bidding sites generally do not have any restrictions on when the bidding should end. This is a boon for the participants as they can study the items carefully before making a decision. On-premises auctions, on the other hand, are more tension-filled events with the auctioneer rushing the bids through.
• No items in transit: In the usual auctions, all items are taken physically to the venue for display. Apart from the time taken to do so, transportation charges can be quite high. In online auctions, the items remain with the sponsoring merchants, donors, and board members. Only the photos of the items included in the auction are uploaded on the websites. Once the winners are declared, the items are shipped directly from the merchantswhere the goods are sourced. Substantial amounts are saved in moving and shipping charges.

Because of the wide global audience and the convenience of online bidding, Internet-based bidding always attracts more participants and higher winning bids when compared to on-premises auctions.

Holding an online auction

The key to successfully holding online auctions is to select a site that has credibility and long experience in conducting auctions. Even though you are not limited by space, keep the number of items reasonable as the logistics of handling too many items can mar the auction.

Follow these guidelines to hold a successful online bidding Internet-based auction.

The modern business environment is fully data-driven and enterprises today are moving away from traditional databases to platforms that power growth and help to make key operational decisions based on cutting-edge analytics.

Organizations have to process data drawn from various sources both external and in-house departments and to optimize this activity, it is necessary to shift from existing databases to ones that offer several cutting-edge advantages. One of the tried and tested methods of doing so is migrating databases from Microsoft SQL Server to Snowflake.

To understand the process better, a look at the attributes of Microsoft SQL Server and Snowflake individually will be in order.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server has been the preferred database platform of businesses for decades with several leading features. One of them is that it merges quickly and seamlessly into the Microsoft environment. It is a relational database management system providing support to various applications wherever they might be located. For long, SQL Server has been considered among the leaders in database management systems along with IBM DB2 and Oracle Database. Based on the programming language SQL, it is mostly used to query data in databases.

Snowflake

The many benefits of Snowflake make it an ideal option for migrating databases from SQL Server to Snowflake. The features of Snowflake will now be examined in detail.

Snowflake is a cloud-based platform and is a highly optimized and advanced data warehousing solution. It provides support to a wide range of cloud vendors and hence users can work on Snowflake with the same tools they are already aware of.

Here are some of the advanced features of Snowflake.

• All types of data – unstructured, semi-structured, or structured – can be loaded natively into Snowflake, an attribute that is not available in other leading databases such as SQL Server or Oracle. This makes moving data from SQL Server to Snowflake a preferred option for businesses today.
• Snowflake is a very powerful data warehouse system. There is no lag or drop in performance even when multiple users simultaneously execute intricate and complex queries.
• The storage and computing facilities in Snowflake is placed in different silos. Hence, users can scale up or down in either of them by paying only for the measure of resources used. Hence, Snowflake is a more affordable system than traditional databases where the two could not be differentiated, making the calculation of costs of each facility very difficult.
• As Snowflake is based in the cloud, it offers users almost unlimited computing and storage facilities. This is a critical reason by businesses for wanting to migrate databases from SQL Server to Snowflake as they do not have to invest in additional hardware and software whenever there is a spike in demand for data management resources.
• Comprehensive services are offered by Snowflake. This includes automatic clustering of data without defining indexes and encoding of columns. Users have the option to co-locate data through cluster keys when very large tables are being worked on.

With these advanced features, it is natural for businesses to migrate databases from SQL Server to Snowflake.

Choosing the right tool for SQL Server to Snowflake migration

Even though the complete process of migrating databases from SQL Server to Snowflake is fully automated, choosing the right tools makes the process a quick and seamless activity.

Select tools that have the following features.

• Can migrate large databases without any drop in performance or speed degradation, an aspect that is vital for major organizations with voluminous databases.
• Should be able to fully automate the migration activity without any human intervention by DBAs. Automated tools can quickly and effectively merge, transform, and reconcile data accurately.
• Must reconcile data continually in Snowflake between the source and the target databases in pre-determined periods. For this to happen, though, the two should always be kept in sync.

By using the precise tools, loading databases from SQL Server to Snowflake will be a smooth and seamless process.

Database Migration from SQL Server to Snowflake – the Process

There are four stages in migrating databases from SQL Server to Snowflake.

• Data Extraction: The process starts with extracting data from the Microsoft SQL Server. It is done through queries for extraction with the in-built SQL Server Management Studio tool being used to extract bulk data. The tool also extracts entire databases in CSV, SQL queries, or text format.
• Data formatting: Before loading this extracted data into Snowflake, it has to be processed and formatted so that it matches the data structures that are accepted by the Snowflake architecture. However, this is not necessary when JSON or XML data has to be migrated into Snowflake.
• Data staging: After processing and formatting the extracted data during SQL Server to Snowflake migration, it has to be kept temporarily in an internal or external staging area. An internal staging location has to be created with a specific name and file type allotted to it. For the external stage, Snowflake presently supports Microsoft Azure and Amazon S3.
• Data loading: This is the final stage where data is loaded into Snowflake from the staging area it is located. For large databases, the Data Loading Overview tool of Snowflake may be used. For small databases, the data loading wizard of Snowflake is used.

While the main SQL Server to Snowflake migration process is over, provision should be made to continually load incremental data and changes made in the source database to the target database. A script should be designed for identifying new data and updating it to the target database.