All posts tagged: setting

What setting personal goals is really about

What setting personal goals is really about

Published by José

Ultimately, the point is to take more control of how you’re spending time. H. Armstrong Roberts / Retrofile / Getty December 28, 2024, 9 AM ET This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning. New Year’s might as well be called the Day of the Goal. In the coming weeks, conversations and social-media feeds will drift en masse to “What do you want to achieve in 2025?” But perhaps a better question is: “How are you spending your time now, and how do you want to be spending your time next year?” In 2019, my colleague Julie Beck spoke with Goodreads users who were imposing reading goals on themselves, often ones that proved hard to meet. She came into the conversations with a healthy dose of cynicism: “Why set yourself an unattainable goal? Why quantify your leisure reading at all?” I’m skeptical of these kinds of …

‘No evidence’ setting harms poorer pupils’ outcomes

‘No evidence’ setting harms poorer pupils’ outcomes

Published by skeptic

But study also finds ‘tentative signs’ primary teachers feel more comfortable supporting struggling students when ability grouping is used But study also finds ‘tentative signs’ primary teachers feel more comfortable supporting struggling students when ability grouping is used There is “no evidence” setting and streaming by ability in schools harms the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils, a new study suggests. Professor John Jerrim, from the UCL Institute of Education and Dr Luis Alejandro Lopez-Agudo and Professor Oscar David Marcenaro-Gutierrez analysed data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The paper concluded that its findings were “largely a story of null effects”. “No evidence is found that either ability grouping or mixed ability grouping is superior in terms of developing students’ academic self-confidence, enjoyment or test scores. “This holds true for young people across the socio-economic spectrum, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.” It also found there was “no evidence that teachers feel less time pressured when ability grouping is used (either in terms of lesson preparation or capacity to cover material in class)”. …

Avoid These 4 Mistakes When Setting Up a Password Manager

Avoid These 4 Mistakes When Setting Up a Password Manager

Published by skeptic

When setting up a password manager, there are certain things you should keep in mind to ensure you’ve set yourself up securely and efficiently to avoid frustration later on. 1 Using a Weak Master Password Okay, you’ve set up your password manager, but your master password is “p@55w0rd123”. Yikes! Remember, you’re setting up this password manager to store all your passwords—passwords to your bank account(s), social networks, and beyond. Your master password is essentially access to your entire digital life. You should treat it as something only you, in the entire history of the world, could create—a unique combination of letters, numbers, and those pesky special characters we often forget. Now, the only problem you might have is remembering this password (something that could be a bit tricky, although it can indeed be accomplished), but, of course, there are methods to ensure you never forget it. 2 Storing Your Master Password Insecurely So, you’ve crafted an exceptional master password. No one, now or later, will ever be able to crack your password. You’ve got that …

Trump is setting the stage to challenge the election

Trump is setting the stage to challenge the election

Published by skeptic

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. “Trump, enraged and rattled, is reverting to his feral ways,” Peter Wehner wrote in The Atlantic today. Among those is Trump’s insistence on refusing reality: This weekend, the former president pushed a bizarre conspiracy theory that the massive crowds at recent rallies for Kamala Harris were faked by AI. Apparently suffering from a severe case of crowd envy, Trump seized on right-wing social-media speculation and claimed that “NOBODY” had really shown up at Harris’s rallies. Despite extensive photographic evidence that thousands of supporters had turned out at an airport in Detroit, Trump insisted that the crowds “DIDN’T EXIST.” In fact, he declared, “there was nobody there,” and cited as evidence “the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane,” which did not reflect images of the crowd that was otherwise in plain sight. Trump’s claims were …

Commentary: Indonesia’s Prabowo is setting out an agenda for government, but his financial inheritance will be far from rosy

Commentary: Indonesia’s Prabowo is setting out an agenda for government, but his financial inheritance will be far from rosy

Published by Sam

FINANCE MINISTRY UNDER PRESSURE Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani is coming under pressure to act as the Indonesian rupiah continues its slide. The currency has depreciated by 5 per cent against the US dollar in 2024 alone, fuelling import inflation which has now surged back past 3 per cent in a blow to consumers. Markets had been expecting a cut in interest rates, which are contractionary at 6.25 per cent, but there is now a consensus that there won’t be a change until this summer. At least a depreciating rupiah has helped Indonesian exports, which rose for the first time in 11 months in April, by 1.72 per cent from a year earlier to US$19.62 billion. In terms of non-oil and gas exports, China remains the top destination for Indonesian goods (US$4.28 billion), ahead of India (US$1.81 billion) and the United States (US$1.75 billion). Nonetheless, economists had expected a much more significant increase in exports. The Finance Ministry has also faced criticism for a series of incidents perceived as stymying commerce, following complaints of seemingly …

Minnesota woman accused of killing 2 kids, leaving with another, setting house ablaze

Minnesota woman accused of killing 2 kids, leaving with another, setting house ablaze

Published by skeptic

BLACKDUCK, Minn. — A woman killed two children in northern Minnesota, set a house on fire and left with another child, according to an indictment announced Monday. Jennifer Marie Stately, 35, was indicted on counts of premeditated murder, murder while committing child abuse, arson, murder while committing arson, and felony child neglect. Her attorney, Paul Engh, said in an email to The Associated Press that there is a “firm basis” for a not guilty plea, but did not elaborate. Authorities did not name the victims, but the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that they were Stately’s children, ages 6 and 5. The indictment said Stately attacked the children with a knife on March 15 at the Red Lake Indian Reservation, set fire to the home, then left with a third child. The Star Tribune said the third child was her 3-year-old son. One of the children died from a stab wound. The other died of smoke inhalation from the fire, according to the indictment and a news release from U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. An Amber Alert was issued …

Gaze at the gregarious sea lions setting records in San Francisco

Gaze at the gregarious sea lions setting records in San Francisco

Published by skeptic

Nothing prepares you for mating like a seafood buffet. Well, at least if you’re a sea lion. A massive school of anchovy in the San Francisco Bay has lured approximately 1,700 sea lions to Pier 39 near the city’s Fisherman’s Wharf district. Not since the early 1990s has the area seen this many sea lions, Sheila Candor, Harbormaster at Pier 39, told the Associated Press. In recent decades, less than a thousand sea lions flopped onto the pier each spring. Pier 39 is a sea lion rest stop of sorts, a place to fill up on anchovies and herring before heading south to the Channel Islands for mating season. The pier docks use three times the floatation support as normal docks to support the weight of the blubbery sea beasts. If you’re planning to visit this year’s herd of sea lions, prepare for a chorus of loud barking and frequent displays of sun-basked lounging and fin-slap bickering. And if you can’t make it to San Francisco, enjoy these photos we collected. There’s no better time …

Final Arguments in Google Antitrust Trial Conclude, Setting Up Landmark Ruling

Final Arguments in Google Antitrust Trial Conclude, Setting Up Landmark Ruling

Published by skeptic

A landmark antitrust trial against Google concluded on Friday after a federal judge heard final arguments, setting the stage for a ruling that could fundamentally shift the tech industry’s power. “The importance and significance of this case is not lost on me, not only for Google but for the public,” Judge Amit P. Mehta said in the final moments of the proceedings on Friday. He thanked the lawyers who argued the case, and then added, “I guess you’ve passed the baton to us.” Now, he must decide the case in which the Justice Department and state attorneys general say that Google has abused a monopoly over the search business, stifling competitors and limiting innovation, something the company denies. During two days of closing arguments, Judge Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia did not reveal how he planned to rule. He grilled both sides, frequently referencing testimony and evidence from the 10-week trial last year to poke holes in their arguments. He also demanded that they explain how their positions fit …

Fans praise Anne Hathaway for ‘setting boundaries’ with paparazzi and fans

Fans praise Anne Hathaway for ‘setting boundaries’ with paparazzi and fans

Published by Sam

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Anne Hathaway takes a calm but firm approach when addressing the paparazzi. Between the New York premiere of The Idea of You to a Today Show appearance this week ahead of the release of her new film, the 41-year-old was jam-packed with press events. The actress was spotted stepping in and out of her hotel, shuttling from one end of Manhattan to another. At each stop, Hathaway was greeted by a group of exuberant fans, begging for her autograph, and persistent paparazzi, requesting her photo. And while the Hollywood star was always willing to oblige, she insisted on settling the often impatient groups first. In videos uploaded to TikTok, The Devil Wears Prada lead is seen standing in front of begging fans, pushing past security barriers asking her to acknowledge them. One post showed her outside the Kelly and Mark Show …

The WiFi Setting To Check In Your Home For Security

The WiFi Setting To Check In Your Home For Security

Published by skeptic

We love the internet. Whether we’re placing insomnia-fuelled eBay bids on action figures from our childhoods, emailing the latest Taylor Swift conspiracy theory to our best friend, or just paying our electric bill, being online makes our lives more fun, more connected and a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, there are countless creeps who love that we love the internet — and who would love to swipe our personal information. Last year saw a record-breaking number of data breaches, which increased 20% between 2022 and 2023, so, if we’re going to live digitally (and how can we not?), we need to be vigilant about protecting our privacy. We can start locking down our information by looking at how secure the internet in our own homes is. “You will probably not be shocked to hear that we’re the problem on this one,” Alysa Hutnik, a privacy lawyer with Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP in Washington, D.C., told us — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast. “It’s usually human error …