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Friday, February 28, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Special Thursday Edition): A New Update From GMAIL

We here at the Daily Outsider are a G-Suite Shop and Proud of it--we hereby report on the latest development:



Gmail for iOS now allows you to add attachments from the Files app
Posted: 12 Feb 2020 11:39 AM PST

Quick launch summary 

In the Gmail iOS app, when composing or replying to an email, you can now upload attachments from the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.



Getting started 


  • End users: This feature will be available by default. In the Gmail iOS app, when composing or replying to an email, click the attachment icon and scroll to the “Attachments” section. Then select the folder icon to select an attachment from the Files app. 

Rollout pace 

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Notations On Our World (Special Edition): #SmithsonianOpenAccess,

ImageWe look forward to leveraging this in our discourse throughout our platforms!!



https://www.si.edu/OpenAccess

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Education): On the Education Scene In California

Parcel Taxes: The California Way
On March 3, voters in fourteen school districts in California will consider whether to vote for a parcel tax. California is the only state that uses these taxes, for reasons wrapped up in the history of Proposition 13. They are really difficult to pass. Here's what you need to know.
View Lesson
En Español

Bonds: How Schools Get Built and FixedProp 13 has a New Meaning in 2020
Your March 3 ballot is even more likely to include a local measure for a school bond in your district. Want to understand more about how these measures work? Read this lesson.The school buildings standing in California today are the result of past school bond measures — a combination of state and local bonds. In March, voters will have their say on Proposition 13 (2020), a measure to match local school bonds with state bonds. Here's how this measure compares to others in the past.
View Lesson
En Español
Read Post
En Español

Reality check: Masdar City is supposed to be Abu Dhabi’s city of the future. Conceived in 2006, the masterplanned 2.5-square-mile neighborhood set out to be a showpiece of compact, energy-efficient urban development. Some 50,000 people would live there and take advantage of its walkable design and clean technology. To the rest of the world, Masdar City is intended to signal the United Arab Emirate’s commitment to becoming greener; the country currently emits 25 tons of carbon per capita annually.
Yet when World Urban Forum attendees toured the city earlier this month, there were signs of potential challenges to come. The current reality of the rest of Abu Dhabi keeps imposing in jarring ways, writes contributor Anthony Flint, including the lack of a light rail line connecting Masdar City to other parts of the city. The only way to get there is by car. Also notably missing were pedestrians. But Flint did find plenty of cats basking in the desert heat. Today on CityLab: What Abu Dhabi’s City of the Future Looks Like Now
-Linda Poon

Anthony Flint/CityLab

Friday, February 21, 2020

As We Go Dark For the Week-End: Please Enjoy the Following Inspirational Thoughts.....




Watch Video
Application Exercise
COACH'S
FAVORITE POETRY
AND PROSE

STICK IT OUT
 
 
When your world's
about to fall,
And your back's
against the wall,
When you're facing
wild retreat and utter rout;
When it seems that
naught can stop it,
All your pleas and plans
can't prop it
Get a grip on yourself and--
stick it out!
 
Any craven fool can quit,
But a man with pluck and grit
Will hold until the very final shout;
In the snarling teeth of sorrow
He will laugh and say;
"Tomorrow The luck will change--
I guess I'll stick it out."
 
The luck does change; you know it,
All the records prove and show it,
And the men who win are men who strangled doubt,
Who neither hesitate nor swerve,
Who have grit and guts and nerve,
And whose motto is;
play hard and stick it out.
 
And you think you can't last long,
Whenever things go wrong,
That you've got to quit
not wait the final bout;
Smile, smile at your beholders,
Clench your teeth
and square your shoulders,
and fight!
You win if you but STICK IT OUT!


Anonymous

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Mid-Week Edition): On the latest out of the ASUSA

As part of our on-going efforts, we hereby present the following courtesy the Association of the United States Army:


AUSA's Five Things: A Weekly Tip Sheet for AUSA Members
 
1  Space Force Aids Army
The U.S. Space Force, the newest branch of the American military, has at least one major mission that is vital to the Army. Maintaining superiority in space is the first Space Force priority, defense officials said. That includes protecting freedom of operations in space, countering any efforts by adversaries to deny space capabilities to U.S. forces, allies, partners and even commercial assets.

What to Watch: The U.S. Army is the Defense Department’s biggest user of space-enabled equipment that provides communications, navigation and intelligence information, capabilities that give the service an operational advantage in combat. A standard brigade combat team has more than 2,500 items of space-dependent gadgets and gear.
 
 
2  Back for Retirement Benefits
Staff Sgt. Monte Gould left the Army Reserve in 2009 after a deployment to Afghanistan, just three years short of earning retirement benefits, a decision he now regrets. At age 59, he wants back in, losing 45 pounds to meet height and weight standards and applying for an age waiver.

What to Watch: Gould has been accepted on the condition that he make it through basic training, something he’ll attempt in June at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He made it through Marine basic training in 1978 when his military service began.
 
3  Housing Progress
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy says “positive steps forward” are being made to improve living conditions in installation housing, including finalizing a new fee structure for payments to the private housing companies that control most of the housing, giving them an incentive to put families first.
What to Watch: McCarthy pledges there will be quarterly town hall meetings at every installation so residents can raise concerns. Plus, he says the Army will hire 100 additional staff who will be responsible for overseeing maintenance.
 
 
4  Battle Buddies
In fast-moving battles, soldiers could benefit from sensor-laden manned and unmanned systems that provide real-time analysis of various threats and suggest recommended responses. These threat-recognition autonomous systems will require fast and secure mobile communications so soldiers can make the best use of the information.
What to Watch: The Army’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force is working on threat recognition from mobile sensors so it can team soldiers with air and ground vehicles as their battle buddies. AUSA will host an AI/Robotics Hot Topic event May 4-5 in Pittsburgh, where the task force is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University. For more information, click here: https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/events-ai-robotics-hot-topic/dcrr/87530290?h=Slbb4viNNlpgpofrcoxLapoQCpzMRpeBoxv1maFtnWw.
 
5  2021 Budget

The Army’s $178 billion budget request for fiscal year 2021 includes a 3% pay raise for soldiers and an emphasis on the service’s six modernization priorities. In addition to more than $12.7 billion for research, development, testing and evaluation, the Army also has realigned $2.4 billion through reforms and savings to invest in its cross-functional teams.

What to Watch: Lt. Gen. Thomas Horlander, military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller, will discuss the Army’s budget and its plans for the future during an AUSA breakfast event tomorrow at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. For more information or to watch the livestream, click here: https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/nts-breakfast-series-horlander/dcrt/87530290?h=Slbb4viNNlpgpofrcoxLapoQCpzMRpeBoxv1maFtnWw.

Monday, February 17, 2020

On this #PresidentsDay2020: Out & About in California

California is our home state--and March 3 is the Primary.     We wanted to feature guidance sent forth by the California Secretary of State's Office as March 3 looms:

March 3, 2020 Primary Email Header
Dear California Voter,
You are receiving this email because you are registered to vote with No Party Preference.
If you want to vote for U.S. President in the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election, you must request a ballot with presidential candidates.
If you have already requested a ballot from your county elections office no further action is needed. You will be mailed a ballot with presidential candidates from the party you selected.

Political party rules…
Three parties allow No Party Preference voters to participate in their Presidential Primary Elections:
  • American Independent Party
  • Democratic Party
  • Libertarian Party
If you want to vote for the Green, Peace and Freedom, or Republican Parties' presidential candidates, you must re-register with that specific party.
NOTE: The political parties decide if they will allow No Party Preference voters to participate in their presidential primaries.

If your vote-by-mail ballot does not have presidential candidates…
The default ballot for No Party Preference voters has no presidential candidates on it. If you want to a vote for a presidential candidate, do NOT cast this ballot. You can request a replacement ballot with presidential candidates from your county elections office by:
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Fax
To contact your county elections office, visit our County Elections Offices page.
You can also bring your vote-by-mail ballot to your local polling place or vote center and exchange it for a ballot with presidential candidates.

If you vote at the polls…
Ask the poll worker for a ballot with either American Independent, Democratic, or Libertarian Party presidential candidates when checking-in at a polling place or vote center.
If you want to vote for Green, Peace and Freedom, or Republican Party presidential candidates you can complete the 'Same-Day' voter registration process at the polling place or vote center.

To re-register to vote...
You can re-register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov. If you need to re-register after February 18, 2020, you can do so in person at a polling place, any vote center, or your county elections office

For more information, visit howtovoteforpresident.sos.ca.gov

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Week-End Edition): Out & About....

Please Enjoy:

The February 13, 2020 digital issue of AUSA Extra is now available.

To view, click the cover image or copy and paste the following link into your browser:
https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/02-13-2020-/cxwx/84715695?h=P-PiyyOj6S13Q3YgvV6rAncApA2YWJ3h30Gi89sdpT8
Click this icon to download a .pdf copy of the digital magazine. File may be large in size.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Special Edition): On Being Safe Online

 We here at the Daily Outsider take online safety very seriously.     Our banking partner, Wells Fargo Bank, shared this guidance which we hereby present as a special edition to all our Platforms so that all are aware and take the necessary precautions.   We implore all to be careful out there:


Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Mid-Week Edition): Out & About

 
 
1  Medical Transformation
Speaking at a conference on Army medical transformation, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin expressed concern that a consequence of medical downsizing is sending beneficiaries to get treatment from doctors who are part of an outside network. That means the quality of their care is outside of the Army’s direct control.

What to Watch: Martin sees medical care as an important part of the Army’s renewed emphasis on people. He also wants Army medicine to maintain its high profile to aid in recruiting the best medical talent.
 
 
2  Clearing Clearances
There has been a dramatic 70% reduction in the security clearance backlog since the Defense Department took responsibility for the process. This is good news for industry and good news for the government, declared Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman. In 2018, the backlog stood at 725,000 applications. Today, it is about 200,000.

What to Watch: Reaching what the intelligence committee views as a “steady state” considering the volume of federal and civilian workers who need clearances, the reform effort is considered a big success that helps fill jobs. Burr said long delays that lasted years for some people requiring a clearance to start a job led them to get discouraged and find other employment.
 
3  Handling Rejection
Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, Army Recruiting Command commander, said he knows it is hard to be a recruiter. “They swim in a sea of rejection,” he said, noting that 40 prospects will say no for every person who enlists. “It is ‘no, no, no’ until one ‘yes,’ ” he said. “Emotionally that takes a huge amount of strength.”
What to Watch: In his remarks at a ceremony recognizing the Army’s top 16 recruiters, Muth praised their hard work. Despite the rejection, “they are still winners and still accomplish the mission."
 
4  Cross-Domain Tech Tests
Fort Benning, Georgia, will be the site of joint U.S.-British testing of cross-domain maneuver prototype weapons, scopes, sensors and soldier performance equipment. Called the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment 2020, the idea is to use the items in realistic scenarios.
What to Watch: Squad- and platoon-level maneuvers will run through March 17. The Maneuver Battle Lab staff will write a report on the results that will help determine future requirements.
 
5  Budget Today
 
The fiscal year 2021 defense budget will be released today at the Pentagon, revealing what new steps are planned under a National Defense Strategy focused on the challenges posed by China and Russia. As part of a budget deal reached last year, the fiscal 2020 budget signed into law in December provides $738 billion with $740 billion allocated for fiscal 2021.

What to Watch: The Army is expected to unveil some of the trade-offs it is making to fund modernization programs. Lt. Gen. Thomas Horlander, military deputy to the Army comptroller, will speak at AUSA on Feb. 18 about the budget. Advance registration for the event closes Feb. 13. For more information, click here: 
https://info.ausa.org/e/784783/nts-breakfast-series-horlander/cf4v/81624779?h=7AvOpoUVb45uxEYQPiyCC-pR-HgHrsJMM0vi9sGA4UY

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): On Our World

Please enjoy the following courtesy of the Team at the Visual Capitalist:

 

Meet China’s 113 Cities With More Than One Million People
China has the same amount of 1 million+ population cities as both North America and the EU combined. Here they all are, from biggest to smallest.
The World's Projected Energy Mix, 2018-2040
See how the world's future energy mix is expected to change by 2040, using projections based on two different policy scenarios.
Visualizing the 700-Year Fall of Interest Rates
Could interest rates enter negative territory permanently? This chart plots trend data over 700 years, showing that it could be a possibility.
Top Countries by GDP and Economic Components
This animation looks at the top countries in the world by GDP, while also showing the components that comprised economic activity at the time.
Ranked: The Social Mobility of 82 Countries
This chart ranks 82 global economies based on social mobility, the extent to which citizens can move up and down the socioeconomic ladder.
A Map of Every Object in Our Solar System
Our solar system is a surprisingly crowded place. This incredible map shows the 18,000 asteroids, comets, planets, and moons orbiting the Sun.
This Week's Flashback Favorite:

Ranking the Top 100 Websites in the World
The top 100 websites ranking reveals how people around the world search for information, which services they use, and how they spend time online.

Originally from August 2019