Movies often flatten real African cultures into two-dimensional imagery—stereotypes in stereo, a quilt of clichés. But Wakanda, as everyone keeps reminding us, doesn’t exist. This gave Ryan Coogler free rein to create a country in the subjunctive mode: what if…? Given a blank canvas, he chose to sculpt and embroider various materials, genres, and tones. Black Panther is Shakespeare meets Shaka Zulu, Too $hort in Timbuktu.
Month: February 2018
Top 5 Things To Do In Las Vegas
Las Vegas is considered the entertainment capital of the world and it’s easy to see why. The city literally has something for nature enthusiasts to nightlife lovers. This is why there were and over 42 million the year before.
If you are thinking of visiting the place, here are the best things to do in Las Vegas to help you plan your trip.
Concert Residencies
Las Vegas is famous for its concert residencies from the world’s biggest superstars. Elvis Presley, Cher, and Prince have all headlined there in the past.
Nowadays, Sin City revelers have the chance to see stars like Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears perform sellout shows along the Las Vegas Strip at famous venues, like the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood Resort.
Lady Gaga recently sealed a deal that will earn her an impressive $1 million per show. It’s set with 74 dates in MGM’s Park Theater beginning late 2018.
One act that has been going strong for many years now is David Copperfield’s residency at the MGM Grand Casino. There, he captivates his audience with spectacular illusions.
The magician performs 15 incredible shows per week in a residency that has lasted 18 years to date.
Nightclubs
The nightlife in Las Vegas is one of the biggest attractions for young and old tourists. It has a wide range of bars and clubs that play host to the world’s most reputable music acts and DJs.
Venues like Hakkasan at the MGM Grand are the epitome of what nightlife is all about there. With a capacity of around 6,000 people, a mindblowing sound system, and the likes of Calvin Harris and Tiesto regularly headlining, it’s no wonder why tons of people gather there.
XS at the Wynn Encore has hosted EDM superstars like Skrillex and Diplo and features an outdoor pool which is perfect for cooling off from the stifling heat.
Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street Experience is an outdoor entertainment district that spans five blocks in downtown Las Vegas. It has countless free concerts people can enjoy all year.
It also has the world’s largest screen. It’s made up of 12.5 million energy-efficient LED lamps and accompanied by a 550,000-watt sound system.
You can find a number of bars and restaurants in the area. There are also a lot of games and various visual experiences. You can find a huge zipline, too!
17 million visitors per year see the free Viva Vision Light Show. This makes the place a must-see for any tourist.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A day trip is definitely one of the best things to do in Las Vegas.
More than 5 million people come each year to see the magnificent views filled with different types of terrain and inhabited by diverse wildlife. The Grand Canyon Skywalk is perched up over 4,000 feet above the surface, offering visitors the chance to dine in style with views of the Arizona sunset.
Spanning 446 kilometers in length and stretching 29 kilometers at its widest point, the Grand Canyon isn’t the deepest canyon in the world. It’s a title that goes to Peru’s Cotahuasi Canyon or Kali Gendaki Gorge in Nepal, depending on who you ask.
However, because of the spectacular view it offers, the place is definitely one of the most popular attractions in the United States. The Grand Canyon is located 200 km from the Strip, with multiple coaches and helicopter tours available daily.
Hoover Dam
Built in 1935, the Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark. It has enough water to irrigate up to 2 million acres of land. It’s a hugely popular tourist destination which you can find just over 30 miles away from Las Vegas.
There is a selection of tours that allow you to explore deep into the depths of the dam where you can marvel at the incredible engineering work. While you’re in the area, you can also take a relaxing boat tour to Lake Mead or the Colorado River.
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The Shoshone Mountains are one of the longest ranges in the…
The Shoshone Mountains are one of the longest ranges in the Silver State. Located in the vast, high-desert of central Nevada, this range stretches 66 miles long and encompass 400 square miles of public lands. Nearby is the Shoshone OHV trail system with about 50 miles of maintained routes for off-highway vehicles that are open year round. Photo by William O’Neill, Bureau of Land Management.
4 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Stop Avoiding Conflict
Every day, we are bound to face conflicts and many people shut down completely because of that. Although that sounds like the easy way out, it won’t help you in the long run. In fact, it’s the other way around. Facing conflicts offers a lot of benefits.
It Helps You Move Forward
The main problem with always veering away from any type of confrontation is that it denies you of opportunities for growth and improvement. Avoiding animosity stops you from moving forward in life and this is a huge problem. You won’t be able to fulfill your potential personally and professionally.
On top of that, holding grudges against people can put you at risk of mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
The simplest way to avoid all of those things is to face the issue. It will seem scary at first but its benefits far outweigh the initial difficulty.
It will pave your path towards self-improvement and also quiet down any negative and consuming thoughts you might have running around in your head.
Thus, if you feel things get too loud, you should try dealing with them directly every now and then. You’ll see that it can really work wonders.
It Relieves the Stress of Daily Life
If you’re the type of person who keeps his emotions inside all the time, then you already know how hard it gets after a while. Every day, life becomes a lot more stressful because of that. You might even start feeling anxious all the time.
Now, if you stop keeping your emotions bottled up, you’ll soon realize that your fear is getting you nowhere and that it’s actually making your life harder.
See Also: 12 Stressful Things To Let Go Of If You Want To Live A Calm Life
It Mends Your Relationships
The Balance author Rhonda Scharf exemplified this situation best by illustrating it with the story of one of her former co-workers. According to Scharf, this one colleague of hers had a particularly unhealthy mechanism for coping with conflict. He would carry out an entire conversation with the people who made him angry but just inside his head.
He started doing the same thing whenever he and his wife encountered marital problems. Instead of talking to his spouse, he chose to keep it all in. The situation escalated to such a point that it almost tore apart their marriage. That is when he finally expressed his emotions directly.
There is one important lesson that we all can learn from this: confrontation leads to communication and proper communication can mend any relationship, including romantic partnerships.
It Boosts Your Self-Confidence
One of the main reasons why people choose to bottle up their problems and avoid any form of confrontation is their lack of self-confidence. When faced with such situations, most of us think that there’s nothing we can really do about it.
Nevertheless, you can’t know for sure until you try it. And when you finally do, you will realize that it’s not really that hard after all.
See Also: 7 Powerful Habits To Skyrocket Your Self-Confidence
Final Thoughts
While conflict seems like a negative thing, it’s actually highly beneficial when approached right. Therefore, if you stop running away from it, you’ll be able to give yourself enough chance to grow both personally and professionally.
The post 4 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Stop Avoiding Conflict appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
6 Things Successful People Refuse To Do
You’re reading 6 Things Successful People Refuse To Do, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
I like to think that there is a meaning to life, in the sense that finding purpose and striving to reach that level of fulfillment becomes part of daily routine. Living just for the sake of it, without wanting to reach greatness will lead to regret later in life when you realize that so much time has passed without doing nothing.
When thinking about successful people, it doesn’t necessarily translate to “industry big-shots”. People that have discovered their life purpose and stick to it are already walking “the road of success”. I would like to point out the I have purposefully used “of” instead of “to” in order to point out that success is not a destination, but rather a path. Something that sticks with us.
Indeed, successful people constantly enrich their lives, but there’s more to that: knowing what to include, when to exclude and how to control their inner voice. Let’s see a few examples of situations in which saying no is beneficial.
They don’t allow other people to drag them down
You won’t get far surrounded with the wrong people. When choosing to make a change, some people in your life can be a hinderance and distract you from reaching your goals.
Colleagues, friends and even family can negatively impact your motivation when you express your dreams and aspirations. They may say things like “You can’t do it” or “Others have tried and failed”. Being surrounded with people that don’t believe in you will ultimately lead to you not believing in yourself, which will sabotage your endeavors. That doesn’t mean that you must cut them out. Simply drawing a line between them and “the road” will do.
On the other hand, having around positive people that share your vision and support your ambitions is great and will make your life happier.
They don’t allow other people to dictate their path
As long as you don’t have a purpose or a dream to follow, you’ll surely be part of other people’s plans. Successful people follow their own road and aren’t caught up in activities that have nothing to do with their own purpose.
The main reason for not getting caught up in activities that aren’t worth it is quite simple. It’s because time is our most valuable resource and, unfortunately, is quite limited.
They don’t give up on their dreams, even when faced with failure
Oftentimes, the fear of failure can make lots of people give up what they’re doing.
Unfortunately, most of us are programmed by school and society to feel ashamed whenever we fail. Thus, the fear of failure dictates our choices and reduces our willingness to face the risks that come with embarking on the road of success.
Failure is, in fact, the natural way of growing. Successful people are aware of this and view failure as a stepping stone.
They refuse to limit their dreams
Setting high expectations will give you a vision regarding how your life will look like if you take the right steps. This trait is obvious in many people that have excelled and achieved truly great feats in life. Freddie Mercury knew that he won’t be merely a rock star, “I will be a legend”, as he famously stated. Steve Jobs knew the power of high expectations and used this idea to craft one of the most famous ads that reflect Apple’s mission, famously stating that “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
They refuse to get caught up in insignificant tasks
Successful people know what’s important for them and don’t work just for the sake of it. This can be tricky because it’s easy to lose sight and get caught up in repetitive tasks. Successful people prefer finding ways to boost productivity or delegate when things get too crowded.
They never stop learning
Successful people are aware that knowledge is power. Your level of expertise regarding a topic is very important if you are to achieve something truly great. Also, being knowledgeable regarding a wide range of topics will boost your chances of
Michael Schoeff is an entrepreneur involved in a significant number of projects. Writing about success helps him be in tune with his purpose.
You’ve read 6 Things Successful People Refuse To Do, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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Trump makes Obama’s star shine brighter each passing day…
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. -Mark Twain
Layered rock formations rise like islands in an ocean of fog at…
Layered rock formations rise like islands in an ocean of fog at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. From golden sunrises to star-filled nights, Badlands offers terrific chances to explore ancient fossil beds, observe a variety of wildlife and learn about the park’s fascinating cultural history. Young visitors, don’t forget to get your Junior Ranger badge! Photo by Barry Castetter (www.sharetheexperience.org).
5 Top Technology Trends That Will Shape 2018
Groundbreaking steps are happening in the technology industry all the time. In the past couple of years alone, leaps and bounds have resulted in better augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, speech recognition, and more. This year, you can expect more tech innovations to enhance our lives.
Here are the top technology trends you need to watch out for this year.
Augmented Reality
We’ve already seen what today’s AR mobile apps can do and games like Pokémon Go are a far cry from it, to say the least.
The AR technology from companies like the startup DAQRI, however, extends well beyond a mobile game experience. Its technology is found in other products, like its $15,000 AR helmets.
You can wear those helmets entirely hands-free and it can work for hours. A requirement for its primary users: industrial workers, sailors, and soldiers.
Take note that these headsets aren’t quite full-scale AR because they suffer from the common problem of most AR headsets. It’s the narrow rectangular view that cuts off images when the user moves.
Now, as the company has partnered with Two Trees, a holography specialist, and is working on developing new dynamic holography technology, it could possibly revolutionize AR.
See Also: How Augmented Reality Is Changing The Game
Google RankBrain
One of the biggest contributors to the advancement of search algorithms in recent years has been Google’s machine learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, RankBrain.
Since its inception over two years ago, Google continues to embrace RankBrain, using it to return the best results that match a Google user’s query. It has gone from being used in 15% of Google search queries to now being used in all of them.
Google has also been dabbling in other AI interests. This includes the development of a Cloud Vision API, which has the capability to recognize a huge number of objects. Plus, its Google Brain division has reportedly been developing an AI that can build AI better than humans can.
Artificial Intelligence
Google RankBrain aside, artificial intelligence isn’t only found in data. It’s in just about every industry. Journalism, financial services, video gaming, gambling, automotive, the military, and even healthcare are just some examples.
Currently, the vast majority of AI systems function as a supportive tool that can make certain processes more simplified, effective, and faster.
That said, as AI enters more and more fields, people like Jack Ma question what impact the future of AI will have on society as a whole. The concerns of Alibaba’s founder and Executive Chairman were made known earlier this year during the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos.
“The AI, Big Data is a threat to human beings. The AI and robots are going to kill a lot of jobs because, in the future, these will be done by machines,” Ma stated during a discussion panel.
He believes that AI should be used to support people and added that tech giants, like Alibaba, Amazon, and Facebook, need to be responsible and “should spend money on technology that enables people, empowers people, and makes life better”.
See Also: 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider AI Automation for Small Business
Smart speakers
Forget about talking to your smartphone. The future is all about voice-controlled smart speakers now.
This technology perfectly fits into the ecosystem of a smart home as smart speakers can function as the main control hub. They can answer questions, set timers, play music, and control other devices at home.
As you might imagine, there is a fierce competition between market leaders. Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft aim to develop and sell the most sought-after smart speakers.
Today, the competition is tight between Amazon and Google. These companies are leading the market with smart speakers that are affordable, accessible, and superior to Apple’s Siri.
And once Apple’s smart speaker (HomePod) is out later this year, fans will still flock to buy it despite the high price tag. That only reflects people’s desire to always get their hands on the latest technology.
Speech recognition
Speech recognition is another tech that has recently advanced both in its capabilities and its use. Whether you’re asking your smartphone a question or your smart speaker, speech recognition is at play.
While there has always been a lot of kinks to work out when it comes to this technology, last August, Microsoft claimed a new speech recognition record. It was able to reduce its error rate to an amazing 5.1%.
This percentage matched the error rate of multiple human transcribers in a well-known accuracy test.
Microsoft’s continued improvements in speech recognition technology are a part of its wider effort to advance state of the art AI and bring these new innovations to the market.
Conclusion
Of course, no one really knows what the future holds for these top technology trends. Maybe full-scale AR will eliminate the need for mobile phones. Perhaps, speech recognition may prove to be superior to human transcribers- or maybe not. Only time will tell where these innovations might take us next
The post 5 Top Technology Trends That Will Shape 2018 appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
Words to Live By
From the moment of my diagnosis, I pondered the nature of love: Had I left my sons enough of it? Does love endure? Is love bankable? I stumble upon the answer courtesy of an illness that forced me to look back on a childhood marked by loss and love’s absence. In an orphan’s life such as my own, I only now see that if you’re parentless and live on your wits, you look out for love, take it if you find it, look out for more. But you don’t bank the love; you live off reserves, and do not accrue funds. My sons, by contrast, are emotionally entitled; they default to a state of happiness whose roots reach deep, deep into the constancy of love.
Sig Nordal 