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Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Quran 9:30~31
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Which one is better? IELTS or TOFEL?
Originally Answered on Quora.com: Which is better: IELTS or TOEFL? IELTS & TOEFL both are English Proficiency test. Both tests are widely accepted by almost all universities across the world. Let’s see the difference between them: **IELTS** * First and foremost, IELTS is more comfortable than TOEFL. * It’s a paper-based exam. * Test duration is 2 hours 45 minutes. * There are four sections: Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading. * **Speaking Section** : Speaking test lasts for 11–14 minutes. It is face to face interview, and there are complete three tasks. 1. Task 1: In task 1, first of all, you will give your introduction and then you will be asked questions on familiar topics such as about family, hobbies, hometown etc. Task 1 lasts around 4–5 minutes. 2. Task 2: Task 2 lasts for 3–4 minutes. You have to talk on a manageable topic such as ‘Describe a place you have visited recently.’ or ‘what you did in your recent free time?’ Etc. You will be given 1 minute for preparation, you can make notes too. Then you have to speak 2 minutes continuously about a given topic. 3. Task 3: In task 3, you will be asked questions that are related to task 2 topic. Again this task is for around 4–5 minutes. The speaking test can be taken either before, after or on the same day as the other sections. * **Listening Section** : There is a total of 4 sections in the IELTS listening test. The best part is this listening test is similar for both Academic and General module. So this test is easy and scoring section as well. A 1st and 2nd section is based on the social situation while 3rd and 4th sections are academic. There is a total of 40 questions and test lasts for 40 minutes. You listen to the recording and answer the questions for 30 minutes. After that, you have 10 minutes to transfer your answer to the answer sheet. While listening you have question paper in front of you, so you know what answer you have to find and when you get your answer you can write it over there. * **Writing Section** : There are two tasks in this section. In task 1, you have to describe a pie chart/ bar graph/ line graph/ table or diagram. Task 2 is an essay. You have a total of 60 minutes for the overall writing task. In task 1, you have to write at least 150 words and in task 2 at least 250 words. If you write less than these, you will lose band 1. There are real sample answer sheets are available, you can download it, print it and practice on it. As it’s a paper-based test, you can write it either by using a pencil or pen. While in TOEFL you have to type your essay. * **Reading Section **: Reading test is also lasts for 1 hour. It comes directly after your test. There is no extra time for you to transfer your answers on an answer sheet, you have to write your answers while reading only. There are three reading passages in the academic module. These passages are usually taken from books, magazine, and newspapers, so they are easier than that of TOEFL reading section. I didn’t appear for TOEFL, so I don’t know much about it. I heard about it from my friends. So many of my friends gave TOEFL 2–3 times and scored low. Some people might not be comfortable with the computerized test. Even I heard during a speaking section in TOEFL, Other candidates are also speaking so one may not give that much concentration to one’s speaking. Sometimes there were some technical problems. Some topics or unfamiliar or not relevant, ambiguous. In the listening section, you first have to listen to a recording and then questions will appear, so that time it may difficult to answer some questions. Well, recently I have appeared for IELTS, and my experience with it was excellent. IELTS test conducts at hotels, so the environment was great. I was made comfortable by the examiner before my speaking test, so I didn't even feel like I am here for any test and all and I scored well in my IELTS test. I hope this information helps. Good luck, Thank you.
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Saturday, October 9, 2021
8 of the best free home and interior design tools, apps and software
Be your own interior designer and dream up your perfect home... BY THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL TEAM MAY 26, 2020 best free home and interior design tools, apps and software HOUSE BEAUTIFUL/MARK SCOTT Are you planning an extension, new kitchen or bathroom, or finally getting round to landscaping the garden? Or maybe you've just moved into a new house and are planning to embark on several renovation projects? Whether you’re doing everything yourself or turning to the pros, there's plenty of professional home and interior design software that's readily available, user friendly, affordable, and in many cases, free. Regardless of what home project you're working on, you’ll want to communicate your ideas with everyone involved as accurately as possible, and a room planner will help you do just that. It's the most accurate way of fleshing out your ideas visually, says Cory Powell from DBS Bathrooms, who talks us through some of the best free design software currently available to home designers and interior decorators. Dreaming up a new home has never been more fun... 1. SketchUp SketchUp is the most comprehensive free 3D design software you’ll find on the web, says Cory. This powerful home design tool is immersive enough to make it seem like you are moving through your future home, while being flexible enough to make it feel as if you’re working with pen and paper. The free version is perfect for hobbyists, while the pro version is more suited to professionals in architecture, construction, engineering and commercial interior design. Whether you’re building an extension for your home, a treehouse, or conceptualising your debut on Grand Designs, the thoroughness of this software will help you bring every aspect of your design to life. START DESIGNING WITH SKETCHUP 2. Floorplanner Floorplanner lets you design and decorate your space in 2D and 3D, which can be done online and without having to download any software. While its interior decorating function is an excellent feature, the strength of this tool lies in its functionality as a floor planner. Then, once the floor plan is completed, you can switch view and decorate the space in 3D mode. It’s simple to use and easy to get the hang of, so if you’re after something that doesn’t require a steep learning curve, Floorplanner is a good choice. START DESIGNING WITH FLOORPLANNER 3. SmartDraw SmartDraw is another powerful tool in the world of floor planning. It’s easy enough to learn so no one is excluded from using it, while being advanced enough to facilitate intricate designs for more advanced designers. With a seemingly endless selection of furniture, cars, building materials and thousands of templates and floor plan examples, you’ll be able to explore an infinite amount of possible designs and layouts for your new space. The only downside to this tool is that it’s only free for the first seven days, so if you plan on using it for longer or for multiple projects, it may be worth the upgrade. START DESIGNING WITH SMARTDRAW 4. Planner 5D Planner 5D is the best-looking home design tool. Like the free version of Sketch Up, this tool is immersive, which means you are able to explore your design with your feet virtually on the ground. With Planner 5D you’ll be able to start from scratch or use a template which is perfect for throwing together a quick floor plan if you don’t have the time or don’t want to make a complex design. What's especially great about this software is that it works on iOS, which means you can create plans on your phone or iPad while you’re on the move. Getting started couldn’t be easier. Start by adjusting the floor shape, size, materials and colours. Then add furniture and accessories, switch to 3D and add windows and doors. Add a second floor if you want to, and then the roof. The only downside is that if you want to use the in-app furniture, it can get expensive for anything other than the most basic beds, chairs or sofas. All aspects of the design can be changed in terms of colour and texture and, when you’re ready to share your plans, it can be printed in a photorealistic format. START DESIGNING WITH PLANNER 5D 5. HomeByMe HomeByMe is one of Cory's favourite home design tools. As far as we can tell, it’s genuinely free throughout and so are all its features. The way it works, is brands add their products to its catalogue, which means you’ll be using actual products to furnish and decorate your home. The perks of this is that you’ll be able to plan your design through to the very end and have access to the actual furniture and decorations you used to create your space imaginatively. Like with Planner 5D, you’re able to switch from 2D to 3D after you’ve finished your floor plan and designed the look and feel of each room. Or, you can start with the décor and hit 'summary' and the software will produce a floor plan with all your furniture and appliances in the right places. START DESIGNING WITH HOMEBYME 6. Roomstyler 3D Home Planner There’s a lot to like about Roomstyler. Like HomeByMe, it’s very easy to use. In fact, it’s so intuitive that there’s almost no need for the tutorial video’s available. Which is another plus for this software. Of all the home design tools, this one has a tutorial video available for every question you might have about the tool. The greatest perk about this software is that you can create a custom room in a matter of minutes. This app also allows you to furnish your space using products from real brands, meaning you’ll be decorating your plans with items you can purchase when you’re ready for your design to materialise. START DESIGNING WITH ROOMSTYLER You'll often find that some of your favourite brands and retailers have their own room 3D room planners online, which offers even more scope to visualise your space, and enables you to 'try before you buy'. Take a look at our top picks below... 7. DFS room planner A sofa is one of the most important investments you'll make for your home, so while browsing for your new sofa at DFS, you can also redesign your room – it's ideal if you're redecorating or moving into a new home. You can use a 2D view or 3D view and from there, choose a room shape, input measurements, and decide on a wall colour and floor covering. You can even add accessories to enhance the space, plus play around with decor to complement your chosen sofa. START DESIGNING WITH DFS ROOM PLANNER dfs room planner DFS 8. Carpetright visualiser If you're thinking about investing in new flooring, Carpetright's flooring visualiser will help you envision what your room will look like with carpet, vinyl, wood or laminate flooring. Simply take a photo of your chosen room (or select a sample room) and upload it onto the visualiser. You'll be able to customise the wall colour and flooring type. From there you can save your rooms and order swatches, bringing you one step closer to your dream room. START DESIGNING WITH CARPETRIGHT VISUALISER carpetright visualiser CARPETRIGHT
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Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Building the Empire
There are mechanisms and ways of thinking to how large fortunes are put together. We are going to kick the tires on Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Mike Novogratz, and a few others. At certain levels of scale, a number of strategies just stop working. For example, financial literacy and responsible budgeting is going to get you out of debt and into a reasonable personal situation. This will work for millions and billions of people. But if you want to generate empire-building cashflow, there is not enough coffee in the world you can choose to not buy (e.g., $4.00 times 365 is $1,460). Next up is the advice of the venture capitalist. Remember, a venture investor is taking portfolio bets on highly concentrated positions, of which 90% will fail and 10% will return billions of dollars. In such a world, the investor wants each bet to have the highest expected return. A 5% chance of $1 billion is worth $50 million. A 25% chance of $100 million is worth $25 million. The lower probability event will be preferable, because you just structure the portfolio with moon shots. If an entrepreneur is lowering their personal risk, or spreading out their own bets, for many investors that is simply not “focused” enough. And so the advice is to build that one single business with that one single mission. That’s sort of right. But it’s the wrong place to stop, and it will lead one to internalize an incorrect lesson about being the good portfolio company. You don’t want to build the good portfolio company. You want to be the strategic portfolio itself. Here’s Elon Musk as Wario. Musk is one of a few mega-entrepreneurs that runs several high profile companies (Tesla, SpaceX), while founding several other large ones simultaneously (Neuralink, The Boring Company, OpenAI). Jack Dorsey runs Twitter and Square. Sundar Pichai runs Alphabet, which is composed of Google and multiple other operating companies across industries. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is well known to be a conglomerate, which wholly owns about a dozen companies. Notice the pattern? The goal, and the training to accomplish the goal, is not to hit one particularly amazing home run. Selling YouTube to Google ($1.6 billion) or Instagram to Facebook ($1 billion) would be an example of the thing you do not want to do, despite it being good for your venture investor. This is why at any level of price, it is possible to exit too early. Rather, the goal is (1) to maximally leverage your impact using third party capital, and (2) deploy that capital according to your internal judgment, re-investing the gains into your multi-variate vision of the world. No alt text provided for this image The first point is simple and well known. In order to make outsize returns, you have to take on risk — which comes with a chance to make nothing and embarrass yourself. Or perhaps even to annihilate the self and ruin your life, which can happen too. Choosing exposure to risk is a half step; the other half step is getting other people’s money. Financing a small business, or a start-up, or an investment portfolio all require financial leverage from others. In this way, your judgment is amplified in both directions of wrong and right. The second point is straight from Buffett’s playbook. Marc Rubinstein pens a great narrative about the capital strategy that led Buffett out of the fund structure, and into an insurance company structure here. Unlike a fund, where performance fees max out at to 20-30% of the upside, you can keep 100% of the performance less your expenses and underwriting risk in an insurance company. It is the great arbitrage. No alt text provided for this image We can see Elon Musk doing a modern version of this with crypto assets. No alt text provided for this image Yes, Musk has lots of companies. But even in Tesla itself, there are some fun empire-building things going on. Instead of just making and selling cars — which is very quaint and not particularly popular on the Internet — we also see a regulatory credits and crypto currency trading business. A more traditional CEO would *not* be thinking about electric cars as a portfolio of (1) the vehicle and its consumer use, and (2) a liquid government-supported financial derivative. They would not be thinking of their treasury, funded by public equity investors turned social media meme lords, as a Bitcoin buy/sell operation. They would be afraid of these sentiment driven assets. But for Musk these are natural allies, as the operating business is merely a key that opens the lock for opportunities adjacent to a futuristic vision of the future. His social media nativeness, combined with a broad and uncorrelated view of the world, generates serendipity. The idea of serendipity, and the algorithm for such outcomes, is best explored in the book Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned. The short of it is that the path to amazing outcomes, like the pictures generated through selection in the below video, is through surprise and unlikely roads, rather than through clear aiming at goals. This is the algorithm of guided novelty search. So what we have described so far is maximal levered exposure to your internal judgment about the future of the world — i.e., what is novel and valuable — using other people’s money, and a mechanism by which one re-invests into that judgment. That re-investment is counter to the traditional corporate finance advice that benchmarks all return to some risk free rate using the capital asset pricing model. A company should always have a stronger point of view on where to spend through acquisitions and building, rather than just allocating savings into market-tracking asset allocations. If you don’t have a view, you are not taking a risk. And the risk you are taking likely doesn’t show up in return averages, but in the shape of the probability distribution of those returns. Nothing, until everything. To close out this section, let’s highlight a couple more examples of cash flow, capital leverage, and lateral strategy. Galaxy just bought BitGo in a $1.2 billion deal, of which over $200 million is in cash. The custodian adds a strong prime brokerage and technology line to the crypto investment bank. We interviewed the CEO last year here, double clicking on what types of other business lines custody can unlock. No alt text provided for this image Galaxy now looks like a full-service institutional player, with asset management, capital markets, and investment banking. It is well positioned to compete with Coinbase and Gemini around institutional funds, as well as with Fidelity on third party wealth management, as well as Grayscale on asset management. This entire business exists because of Mike Novogratz’ bet on crypto assets, and it grows up and out of that bet like a vine. Another empire to watch is being built by Sam Bankman-Fried. SBF used the cashflow (i.e., leverage from other people’s money) from Alameda Research, a quant trading and market-making shop, to start a crypto derivatives exchange, which in turn created another cash cow. Then, he bought Blockfolio for $150 million, the Ren protocol for an undisclosed amount, launched a $500MM+ DEX token on the Solana blockchain, and made another 37 investments.
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IESLTS TESTS ADVICE
Chris Jim · June 17, 2017 CEO at Hustlr | Oxford | Engineer at Amazon, Ex-Facebook I am sitting for IELTS test this Saturday, what advice would you like to give? Take a good rest and Do NOT cram the night before. Here are some tips and advice from my own personal experience taking the IELTS test. Listening Section: Make sure for the listening section you pay attention to every detail of the conversation. Often it isn’t that you didn’t hear the conversation, it’s just that u aren’t focused. Reading Section: You will have a lot of time for this section generally speaking. Be sure to make the most out of it. If you are stuck on one question go to the next. And i’m sure you are troubled by the fact that not given/false are extremely similar. The truth is, it isn’t. Don’t interpret the passage. Rather, look for evidences as questions are always evidence-based. If u can’t figure out why the statement is right or wrong 90 percent of the time the answer is not given. Writing Section: I’m not well qualified to speak for this section. However, you should definitely spend more time on Task 2 than Task 1. For task 1, don’t write down every detail. Be sure to note down the significant trends and relationships between two graphs if there are two graphs/diagrams. Also, use a variety of vocabulary when describing degrees of change. Here’s a list of words that you can use: minimal , slight, gradual, moderate, considerable, significant, substantial, enormous, dramatic. Speaking Section: Practice by recording yourself and at the end listen to your own recording to notice the inconsistencies and errors. Then you will gradually improve. I suggest u videotape yourself( it may seem like a stupid thing to do but it is an effective way). On the test day, go in the testing room with an assuring smile and be confident. Some extra tips… It’s ok to lie in the speaking section. This way you will be able to speak at length. The examiner will be grading your English ability and not on your honesty. For certain questions if you find yourself not speaking too much you could add this at the beginning “I love/enjoy many types of ____, but if I had to choose one I would choose ______ because _______” (slot in and alter it as you see fit). Keep these four criteria in mind: - Fluency and Coherence - Lexical Resource -Grammatical Range and Accuracy -Pronunciation Use discourse markers (Ex: oh well, right, so, okay, you know, actually, well in fact, you see, at least) Remember, confidence is your best makeup. It is the key to great communication and impression. I wish you the best of luck!
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Monday, December 7, 2020
100 Superb Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lives
We all have a few books that we especially love and appreciate. We keep coming back to them for comfort and wisdom. But every once in awhile, it’s good to branch out and try adding a few new volumes to your collection. Look no further. We brought you a list of 100 of the most extraordinary books, compiled by the BBC. Get ready, aim, read! A The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison B Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson The Beach by Alex Garland Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson The BFG or Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks C Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome David Salinger Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White D Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl The Dare Game by Jacqueline Wilson David Copperfield by Charles Dickens The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham E East of Eden by John Steinbeck Emma by Jane Austen F Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews G George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson Girls in Tears by Jacqueline Wilson Girls Out Late by Jacqueline Wilson The Godfather by Mario Puzo The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Great Expectations by Charles Dickens H The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson It by Stephen King J James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy K Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer Katherine by Anya Seton Kim by Rudyard Kipling L Les Misérables by Victor Hugo The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Clive Staples Lewis The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson M Magician by Raymond E Feist The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton The Magus by John Fowles Man and Boy by Tony Parsons Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov Matilda by Roald Dahl The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy N The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Night Watch by Terry Pratchett Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman O Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway On the Road by Jack Kerouac P Papillon by Henri Charriere Perfume by Patrick Süskind Persuasion by Jane Austen The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett R The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier River God by Wilbur Smith S Secrets by Jacqueline Wilson The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher The Shipping News by Annie Proulx Shogun by James Clavell Silas Marner by George Eliot Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome T A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy They Used to Play on Grass by Terry Venables and Gordon Williams Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough U Ulysses by James Joyce The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera V Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson W War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks Watership Down by Richard Adams The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Winnie the Pooh by Alan Alexander Milne The Witches by Roald Dahl Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins The World According to Garp by John Irving Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett 1-9 1984 by George Orwell
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Saturday, May 9, 2020
The Most Beautiful Flower Garden in the World, Without People
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