#Automated Article Writing Software

[topazadine]

Let's do another spicy writing take, one that is going to get a lot of people very mad. However, please note that I am saying this out of love and concern. This is not an attack on you personally or on your writing process.

Take a deep breath, prepare to listen with an open mind. Alright. Here goes:

Stop starting a million WIPs.

I am serious. Please. Do not do that. Do not start a million WIPs.

Why? Because then you won't get any of them done. And why is that? Because you'll lose motivation, get distracted, and hop on to the next thing, leaving a trail of heartbreak in your wake.

I have 131 stories on Archive of Our Own and have written over 2 million words of fiction. Two. Million. Words.

Don't believe me? Look.

And then there's more that is not accounted for here: a 110k novel, another 109k novel, and a 20k novelette, along with my current WIP which is currently around 10k. All told, I have written approximately 2,084,000 words.

Are they all perfect? No, of course not, especially the older stuff. But is it done? Yep.

And I did that by doing each project one at a time.

If I get another story idea while I'm in the middle of another story, I write a note in my WIP list, but I don't start it. Only when I'm letting a story "rest" before editing do I start outlining another book, but I still don't start. I wait until I've finished one entire project before I do another one.

Your brain does not actually multitask. Our brains aren't wired to do that. This article from Forbes explains:

You are highly unlikely to be part of that 2.5% even if you think you are. I'm not, and you're probably not either.

What you are really doing is task switching. Take it from the software management program Asana:

That article from Forbes elaborates:

And it is even worse when you are hopping from one WIP to another, essentially changing contexts.

Pleexy, another task automation company, continues by discussing 'context switching':

Every time you stop working on one WIP, you are switching contexts and pulling yourself out of the world you have created, jumping into another. Now your brain is struggling to reorient itself, and it's not going to do its best work.

"But I love writing different WIPs and I get some of them done!"

I am sure you do, but is it your best effort? Would you have been able to write faster, more coherently, better, if you had only worked on one? Probably. And don't you want to do your best?

"But I have ideas and if I don't do them right now I'll forget them!!!"

Then write them down. I have a whole WIP list of things I am intending to write later. Make a notepad document, a spreadsheet, whatever, for your different WIPs.

When you think of something interesting for that project, put down a small note underneath it, but don't start writing! Your brain will let it marinate and when you're done with your current project, you'll have a better idea of what to do with it.

I like to visualize things before bed, so a lot of the time, I will use that visualization for a different project as my way to calm down, but I'm not devoting too much attention to it before I'm ready to work. I've got some scenes and images that I have daydreamed about, but I haven't drawn attention away from my current WIP by actually beginning to write.

This way, I can devote all of my brainpower to my current project while reserving a little bit of attention and aspiration for the next one. I also avoid writer's block because I have my next WIP lined up, waiting for me, and I can transition to it almost immediately.

Generally, I don't go more than a few days without starting a new project (after completing one!!!!!) because I am prepared for it: I can give it my full attention. There's no sitting around and waiting for inspiration.

"But I have so much inspiration for this project and want to start right away!"

Something I am learning as a writer is delayed gratification. I am an impulsive person and I want to jump into things right away, but then I get disappointed with the results. For example, I released 9 Years Yearning before commissioning a really good cover. I regret that and I'm going to learn from that mistake with the next book in The Eirenic Verses.

By waiting, you get a better payoff.

I've got four different projects waiting to be released and one waiting for serious revisions. They are all finished, but they're not polished. It would be very easy for me to spend a few hours formatting them and then just throw them up, but I won't get the best payoff then.

Instead, I'll wait for a break between projects before turning back to them and fixing them up, giving them all my attention. Yes, it means I don't release a billion books a year, but it also means I release my best work.

Writing is not a sprint; it's a marathon. It's okay to give your projects a break.

By letting my stories rest, sometimes for entire months, I can come back to them with fresh eyes and make sure they're perfect. The same is true of your WIPs. Let them sit and marinate for a while.

How to avoid having a billion WIPs:

Make a list of future WIPs. Put it in one document. Add things as you think about them.

Put this list of WIPs away and ignore it.

Allow yourself to get some writer's block if you're struggling with your current project. Writer's block is okay sometimes. Don't use writer's block as permission to start something else.

Put reminders up that tell you not to start things. I like the phrase "bird by bird" which I got from the eponymous book by Anne Lamott (which is really good writing advice).

Read up on task switching and the myth of multitasking to show why having a million WIPs doesn't work.

Interrogate yourself. When you have a bunch of WIPs, do you actually get any of them done? Be realistic and ruthless with yourself.

Look back at how many WIPs you have in storage. Identify your WIP completion rate. It's probably lower than you think.

Read about the writing habits of other writers. You'll find most successful writers do not have a ton of different projects at once. They also go one at a time.

"No I'm going to write a million WIPs anyway! You don't know me!"

Okay, then go for it. You're not obligated to take my advice. I can only tell you that the science - and my personal experience - says that's not a good idea.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter to me if you continue to stop and start a gazillion different projects and get none of them done. That's your problem, not mine.

But I'd rather you be able to finish something you're proud of, because then you're growing as a writer, and I always encourage personal growth.

It honestly makes me sad when people go "teehee I have soooo many WIPs and I just started another one hehehe!" because I know, without a doubt, that almost none of them will see the light of day.

You deserve better than a bunch of unfinished projects. You can achieve more than that. Put down the WIP list, focus on your current story, and go for it.

[thekalpar]

This is a Grift and You Shouldn't Fall for It

I want to talk about an article I saw from thebookseller.com that came out Monday which talks about a new AI-powered publishing platform called Spines which wants to disrupt the publishing industry by providing a new platform. I encourage you to read the actual article here, but I want to address how they are, based on my own observation as an independent author, a grift and why you shouldn’t fall for it.

Let’s address the first concern which I and probably a few other people have when presented with Spines’s goal of publishing 8,000 books in 2025 alone. Doing a very quick, unscientific google search, we can find that of the biggest traditional publishers in the United States, only Penguin Random House and Harper Collins publish more than 8,000 books a year, and these are massive global corporations. The next two largest, Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster, publish only roughly 2,000 books a year and these are still some of the big boys on the block. So the goal of publishing 8,000 books a year is certainly ambitious for Spines. How is this going to be done?

There are two possibilities and one is that a lot of this is going to be books produced in part or entirely by plagiarism software (“AI”). I want to acknowledge that as a real possibility, but I want to go forward with the good-faith assumption that there will be a significant number of passionate people who have poured their heart and soul into writing a book and are going to be taken advantage of by these techbros. Even before plagiarism software became widely available, self-publishing on Amazon had exploded and we saw millions of books self-published in just an ebook form every year. So I imagine that these people, who are self-publishing on Amazon and other places, are probably the market for Spines.

Now how do I know this is a scam? I do not have a ton of experience is self-publishing because I’ve only published two books at time of writing, but I do have recent hands-on experience which makes me qualified. There isn’t a lot of info in the article on what services Spines is offering but we get an exact number on cost as well as types of services in the article. “Spines costs $1,200 to $5,000 to automate proofreading, cover design, metadata optimisation and limited translation services, starting with Spanish.” Now, this may, on the low end, be cheaper than hiring professionals to do this kind of work, but it’s still going to be a scam because you’re going to get a shoddy product.

Let’s start with proofreading, which is under the umbrella of editing but is one of several types of editing. As Reedsy explains, there are four distinct types of editing, all of which come with specific costs. First there is editorial assessment, which is when you have a very, very rough draft and need some direction on writing it. (I have not yet done editorial assessment because I have been fortunate enough to be plagued with the knowledge of what I’m writing.) This is very broad advice which an AI cannot provide but a human can. Second is developmental editing for a finished manuscript, which is where you have an editor go through, provide specific feedback on areas for improvement and suggestions, and point out any major issues. This is where you get into rewrites and polishing a manuscript to a finished product. Again, and AI cannot do this.

So we finally come to copy editing and proofreading. Now, I’m going to fold them together although they are technically distinct because copy editing includes proofreading as well as making sure capitalization is consistent, tenses remain consistent, you don’t repeat yourself too much, all the little things which help polish the rough edges off of your manuscript. Proofreading is checking for spelling and typos, as well as grammar issues and any formatting issues. AI can do this, as tools like Grammarly exist for this sort of thing for a couple years now. (I wouldn’t recommend using Grammarly, but that’s a separate rant for a separate day.) Plus, you know, spellcheck which has been around since the 1990s. Technically this is a task which AI can do, but it can still make mistakes such as with homophones (the train went threw the tunnel). And with so many free tools available if you’re going to have AI do this task, why pay someone else to do it? AI is not going to give you insightful, meaningful feedback on your manuscript, but it will do spellcheck for you and LibreOffice does that for free anyway. So paying to have AI proofread your manuscripts doesn’t make any financial sense.

Let’s move on to the next area they want to automate, cover design. Again, I have limited experience and I can say very definitively that you can get a good cover for about $750 USD from a professional artist who will produce what you want and will be able to keep things you like but change things you don’t with an incomplete project. Plagiarism software that creates images cannot do that. Unless they’re hiring artists to touch up and improve generated images (which I doubt), all Spines is offering is another service you can get for free or cheaper elsewhere online. I highly advise against generating your cover images, if only for the fact the computer cannot give you exactly what you want. You can feed prompts into it and maybe get something close enough, but if you have a specific image of what you want for your book cover you cannot get that from AI. There are a lot of ethical arguments against plagiarism software as well, but I won’t repeat those here just for brevity’s sake. Again, if you’re willing to use plagiarism software to make your book cover, which is what the guys at Spines are offering, then you can do that cheaper elsewhere.

The final one which I can speak with any authority on is metadata, which I’ve had to enter for my own books before and you can too. For those who don’t know, metadata is information attached to the book’s ISBN and publication info that provides info about the book. This can be basic info such as the intended audience, the genre, and the subject matter, but it can also be more granular like what type of fantasy novel you have (romantasy vs cozy). While it can be an annoying or frustrating task, such as when every word to describe my book flies out of my head when I have to actually describe it, it’s also fairly simple. And I’m going to be honest, I don’t expect the AI to do much more beyond algorithm scraping and suggesting metadata like “for you” and “trending”. (Sort of like those videos that spam every popular tag in the hope of getting traction.) So I seriously doubt that this will be a service worth any sum of money.

Finally I’m going to touch briefly on translation because I haven’t translated a book and I don’t know what goes into translating one either but I can make an educated guess that it’s going to be the equivalent of pasting your manuscript into Google Translate. If you’re willing to accept that level of quality, you can get it for free. If you want a good translation you’re going to have to shell out far more money to get an actual person to do it.

And all of this doesn’t even get to a very important part of publishing, ISBNs. If you’re self-publishing you absolutely want to buy your own ISBNs, and buy multiple because they cost less if you buy them in bulk and you will need separate ISBNs for both the print and digital editions of your books. I don’t know if Spines is offering ISBNs as part of their package, they certainly could, but for independent authors it’s best practice to use your own ISBNs because you can control those opposed to whatever platform you publish on.

So are the AI-powered services that Spines is going to provide be worth it? I highly doubt it. For the amount of money you’ll end up spending you’d be better off actually hiring humans to help you with your book and get it to a finished, polished state. I can’t see this company offering you anything that isn’t already available for free or nearly free elsewhere with the same lackluster quality. If you have something you’re writing, you’re passionate about it, and you want to publish it, I highly encourage you to get real human beings to help you improve it. Reedsy (which this is not an ad for) is the platform I have used to get in contact with editors and artists to help get my books out into the world. But I’m sure plenty of other independent authors can help you find all sorts of other people able and willing to help. Spines is merely charging you for the privilege of receiving substandard work spat out by a computer.

[eccentricbiseo]

The Rise of No-Code and Low-Code Mobile App Development

Are you trying to figure out how no-code and low-code mobile app development have gained popularity recently? You are on the right page. We understand the curiosity and are here to explain why these development methods are multiplying in popularity.

When it comes to app creation, businesses have had two options for years: either buy off-the-shelf software that might not entirely suit their needs or invest in costly, custom-built solutions that require trained developers. However, a new strategy called low-code and no-code development is changing the game today. These platforms are transforming the way companies develop apps by increasing accessibility, speed, and cost-effectiveness beyond all previous levels.                           

Introduction to Low-Code and No-Code Platforms

Low-code is a method of streamlining development through the use of minimum manual coding, drag-and-drop interfaces, and pre-built components. It significantly lowers the complexity, allowing developers to concentrate on functionality rather than creating infinite lines of code, even though some coding may still be required.

The No-Code method, on the other hand, goes much further. It makes it possible for anyone to create working applications using visual tools, even those without any programming skills. Even if you are not familiar with coding, there are no issues. Without writing a single line of code, business experts, entrepreneurs, and App Developers in Toronto may now work on their app ideas.

Why Are Companies Adopting No-Code and Low-Code?

The use of low-code and no-code platforms is revolutionizing the industry and is not merely becoming the latest trend. Businesses are impressed with these methods because of these reasons-

Cost Savings: It can be costly to hire experts to create and maintain custom applications. By removing the need for lengthy development cycles and a lot of code, LC/NC platforms help firms leverage resources more effectively while also lowering expenses.

Quick Development: It can take months or even years to develop an app using traditional methods. Apps can be developed and released in a matter of weeks or even days with the help of these tools. Low-code platforms can speed up the process of App Development in Toronto Firms up to 20 times when compared to traditional coding.

Scalability and Agility: It’s essential to have the capacity to promptly adjust to changes in the market and regulations. Applications can be more easily adjusted, scaled, and optimized with LC/NC platforms without requiring significant redesigns. 

The Future of App Development is Here!

A trend towards the world of App Development in Toronto that is a lot more convenient may be seen in the emergence of low-code and no-code platforms. With AI-driven automation, improved security, and increasingly complex integrations, LC/NC is anticipated to grow even more potent as technology advances.

Creating apps doesn’t have to be complicated or costly anymore. The future is here, and it’s simpler than ever to realize and work on your idea, whether you’re an individual with an app idea or a company trying to optimize operations. To make the process of Mobile App Development in Toronto more convenient for you, get in touch with the finest and most professional team of experts at Eccentric Business Intelligence. They are always available to help you.

The Article “The Rise of No-Code and Low-Code Mobile App Development” was originally posted Here.

[drillbit123]

Plagiarism Checker Software: A Vital Tool for Academic Integrity in Today's Generation

In today's fast-paced digital age, maintaining academic integrity has become more challenging than ever before. With an abundance of information available at our fingertips, students and researchers often struggle to ensure that their work is original and free from plagiarism. That's where plagiarism checker software comes in as a vital tool for academic integrity.

Plagiarism checker software empowers individuals to efficiently detect any instances of copied content by comparing it against a vast database of online sources. This not only helps to maintain academic honesty but also fosters a culture of credibility and innovation.

Additionally, plagiarism checker software offers numerous benefits, including the ability to detect unintentional plagiarism, improve writing skills, and save time and effort. Whether you're a student completing an assignment or a researcher publishing a paper, utilizing plagiarism checker software is an essential step in ensuring the integrity and originality of your work.

In this article, we will delve into the importance of plagiarism checker software, its benefits, and how it can be a game-changer in promoting academic integrity in today's generation. So, let's explore this essential tool together and discover how it can help shape the future of education and research.

Benefits of Using Plagiarism Checker Software

In an era where information is readily accessible, maintaining originality in academic work is more crucial than ever. One of the primary benefits of using plagiarism checker software is the ability to detect unintentional plagiarism. Many students and researchers may inadvertently paraphrase or replicate existing ideas without proper citation, leading to potential accusations of dishonesty. By employing a plagiarism checker, individuals can identify these instances before submission, allowing for necessary revisions and fostering a deeper understanding of proper citation practices. This proactive approach not only ensures academic integrity but also promotes a culture of respect for intellectual property.

Furthermore, plagiarism checkers can significantly enhance writing skills. When users receive feedback about copied content, they are encouraged to rephrase, summarize, or analyze their sources more critically. This process cultivates better writing habits, as individuals learn to express ideas in their own voice while maintaining the essence of the original material. Over time, this practice can lead to improved academic performance and a more confident approach to writing assignments, research papers, and other scholarly works.

Additionally, utilizing plagiarism checker software can save both time and effort in the long run. The manual process of checking for plagiarism involves extensive research and cross-referencing multiple sources, which can be incredibly time-consuming. With automated tools, users can quickly scan their documents against vast databases, receiving immediate feedback on potential issues. This efficiency allows students and researchers to focus on other important aspects of their work, such as refining their arguments and enhancing their analysis, ultimately leading to a more polished final product.

What is Plagiarism Checker Software?

Plagiarism checker software is a digital tool designed to identify instances of copied or improperly cited content within a text. These tools use advanced algorithms to compare submitted documents against extensive databases of existing literature, academic papers, and online content. When users input their work into the software, it generates a report highlighting any similarities with other sources, indicating the percentage of originality and pinpointing specific sections that may require citation or rephrasing.

The functionality of these tools goes beyond mere detection; they also provide educational resources that help users understand the nuances of plagiarism and citation styles. Many plagiarism checkers offer tips on how to paraphrase effectively, ensuring that users not only avoid plagiarism but also develop their writing skills. This educational component is particularly beneficial for students who may be unfamiliar with proper citation practices or the importance of academic integrity.

Moreover, plagiarism checker software is available in various forms, from free online tools to subscription-based services that offer comprehensive features. Some specialized software is tailored for academic institutions, providing educators with the ability to monitor student submissions across multiple assignments. This versatility makes plagiarism checkers accessible to a wide range of users, including high school students, university scholars, and professionals preparing reports or articles for publication.

How Does Plagiarism Checker Software Work?

Plagiarism checker software operates through a systematic process that involves several key steps. Initially, the user uploads or copies the text they wish to check for plagiarism into the software interface. Once the document is submitted, the software scans the text and breaks it down into smaller phrases or sentences. This segmentation allows for a more nuanced comparison against its database, which includes millions of sources, ranging from academic journals to websites and other published works.

After analyzing the text, the software generates a report that outlines the findings. This report typically includes a percentage score indicating the overall originality of the document, along with specific instances of matching content. Users can see which sections of their work correspond to external sources, making it easy to identify areas that need revision or proper citation. Some advanced plagiarism checkers even provide links to the original sources, allowing users to review the content and make informed decisions about how to adjust their own writing.

Additionally, many plagiarism checkers incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve their accuracy and efficiency over time. These technologies enable the software to continuously update its database, ensuring that users receive the most current and relevant comparisons. As a result, the accuracy of the plagiarism detection process is enhanced, giving users greater confidence in the integrity of their work. This sophisticated approach not only aids in preventing academic dishonesty but also fosters a greater appreciation for original thought and creativity in writing.

Conclusion: Emphasizing the Significance of Plagiarism Checker Software in Maintaining Integrity

In conclusion, plagiarism checker software plays a pivotal role in upholding academic integrity in today's fast-paced digital landscape. As students and researchers navigate an ocean of information, the risk of unintentional plagiarism becomes increasingly prevalent. By utilizing these tools, individuals can ensure that their work is original and correctly referenced, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of academic dishonesty. This commitment to integrity not only benefits the individual but also contributes to a culture of respect for intellectual property within the academic community.

Moreover, the educational aspect of plagiarism checkers cannot be overlooked. As users engage with these tools, they develop essential writing skills that extend beyond merely avoiding plagiarism. The process of analyzing and reworking content fosters critical thinking and creativity, ultimately enhancing the quality of academic work. This transformation is particularly important in an era where the ability to articulate ideas clearly and effectively is paramount for success in any field.

As we move forward in an increasingly interconnected world, the importance of plagiarism checker software in maintaining academic integrity will only grow. It serves as a safeguard against dishonesty and a catalyst for genuine intellectual engagement. By embracing this technology, students and researchers alike can contribute to a future where originality, creativity, and respect for knowledge are celebrated, ensuring that academic pursuits remain a true reflection of individual thought and effort.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

#20yrsago BBC affirms Creative Archive in Charter Renewal plans https://web.archive.org/web/20050308195821/https://www.bbc.co.uk/thefuture/pdfs/bbc_bpv.pdf #20yrsago How Free Software won the hearts of hackers, capitalists, commies and academics https://web.archive.org/web/20040701094054/http://www.media-culture.org.au/0406/02_Coleman-Hill.html

#20yrsago Toaster oven casemod https://web.archive.org/web/20040701051006/https://www.snapstream.com/Community/Articles/tvtoaster/

#15yrsago Automated shakedown racket sends legal threats, demands cash https://torrentfreak.com/automated-legal-threats-turn-piracy-into-profit-090628/,/a>

#15yrsago Honduran coup is the first successful military coup d’etat in the region since the Cold War ended https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE55R24E20090628/

#10yrsago Aaron Swartz documentary, The Internet’s Own Boy, out today https://web.archive.org/web/20140628031422/http://www.takepart.com/internets-own-boy

#10yrsago Horror movies and the Haunted Mansion https://longforgottenhauntedmansion.blogspot.com/2014/06/creepy-old-flicks-part-three-uninvited.html

#5yrsago Felony Contempt of Business Model: Lexmark’s anti-competitive legacy https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/felony-contempt-business-model-lexmarks-anti-competitive-legacy

#5yrsago Three Halflings in a Trenchcoat: a homebrew fighter class for D&D https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/c6fdw4/oc_introducing_three_halflings_in_a_trenchcoat_a/

#5yrsago Microsoft is about to shut off its ebook DRM servers: “The books will stop working” https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/microsoft-is-about-to-shut-off-its-ebook-drm-servers-the-books-will-stop-working/

#5yrsago Improving Q&As with peer-review https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/improving-qas-with-peer-review/

#5yrsago Howto: stay civil while discussing the children in America’s concentration camps https://www.theonion.com/tips-for-staying-civil-while-debating-child-prisons-1827147411

#5yrsago Rage Inside the Machine: an insightful, brilliant critique of AI’s computer science, sociology, philosophy and economics https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/28/rage-inside-the-machine-an-insightful-brilliant-critique-of-ais-computer-science-sociology-philosophy-and-economics-2/

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

[mercyjuliet1512]

Level Up Your Selenium Skills: The Ultimate Course for Test Automation

Are you looking to enhance your test automation skills and become a proficient Selenium user? Look no further! In this article, we will introduce you to the ultimate course that can help you level up your Selenium skills and take your test automation abilities to new heights. Whether you are a beginner or have some prior experience with Selenium, this course is designed to cater to all skill levels. So, let's dive into the details and explore the exciting journey of becoming a Selenium pro!

Why Test Automation Education Matters

In today's rapidly evolving IT industry, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. With software systems becoming increasingly complex, manual testing alone cannot keep up with the pace of development. Test automation has become a necessity to ensure the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of testing processes.

By investing in test automation education, you empower yourself with the knowledge and skills required to excel in the competitive job market. Test automation specialists are in high demand, and having expertise in Selenium can open numerous career opportunities. Furthermore, by leveraging Selenium, you can save time, reduce effort, and deliver reliable results, making it an indispensable tool for any software tester.

The Power of Selenium in Test Automation

Selenium is a powerful open-source framework that has revolutionized the world of test automation. It provides robust capabilities for automating web browsers and enables testers to perform cross-browser testing effortlessly. With Selenium, you can write automation scripts in various programming languages like Java, Python, C#, and more. Its vast ecosystem of plugins and frameworks further extends its potential, making it the go-to choice for many automation professionals.

Key Features of Selenium

Selenium boasts a rich set of features that make it highly suitable for test automation. Some of the notable features include:

Cross-Browser Compatibility: Selenium allows you to test web applications across multiple browsers, ensuring your website functions flawlessly regardless of the platform.

Multi-Language Support: Selenium supports multiple programming languages, enabling you to choose your preferred language based on your comfort and project requirements.

Fast and Reliable: Selenium empowers you to execute tests swiftly and consistently, providing accurate results while maintaining the integrity of your automation suite.

Flexible and Extensible: Selenium's architecture allows you to integrate it with various frameworks and tools, providing flexibility in designing automation solutions that fit your specific needs.

Parallel Execution: Selenium allows you to run tests in parallel, significantly reducing execution time and enhancing productivity.

Community Support: Selenium enjoys a vast user community, providing ample resources, tutorials, and support when encountering challenges during automation implementation.

The Ultimate Course for Leveling Up Your Selenium Skills

Now that you understand the significance of Selenium in test automation, let's explore the ultimate course that can skyrocket your skills in this domain. This comprehensive course is designed by industry experts with extensive experience in test automation using Selenium. It covers everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, ensuring a comprehensive and well-rounded learning experience.

Course Curriculum Highlights

Here's a glimpse of what you can expect to learn from this ultimate Selenium course:

Introduction to Selenium and its various components

Understanding Selenium WebDriver and its core functionalities

Hands-on exercises to master Selenium IDE and Selenium Grid

In-depth exploration of best practices for test automation using Selenium

Utilizing TestNG for efficient test case management and optimization

Advanced techniques for handling dynamic elements, AJAX, and other challenging scenarios

Integrating Selenium with frameworks like JUnit and Cucumber for improved test reporting and maintenance

Leveraging Selenium with Continuous Integration tools like Jenkins for seamless integration into the development pipeline

Exploring Selenium's compatibility with cloud platforms for distributed test execution

Target Audience and Prerequisites

Whether you are a beginner stepping into the world of test automation or a seasoned professional aiming to enhance your Selenium skills, this course caters to all skill levels. However, having a basic understanding of programming concepts and web technologies will be beneficial in grasping the core concepts effectively.

In conclusion, if you are looking to take your test automation skills to the next level, investing in the ultimate Selenium course at ACTE Technologies is the perfect choice. With Selenium's powerful capabilities and the comprehensive curriculum of this course, you will acquire the knowledge and expertise needed to excel in the field of test automation. So, why wait? Embark on this exciting journey and empower yourself with the skills that will set you apart in the competitive IT industry. Level up your Selenium skills and unlock endless opportunities!

[shemsuji432]

Exploring Python: Features and Where It's Used

Python is a versatile programming language that has gained significant popularity in recent times. It's known for its ease of use, readability, and adaptability, making it an excellent choice for both newcomers and experienced programmers. In this article, we'll delve into the specifics of what Python is and explore its various applications.

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted programming language that is high-level and serves multiple purposes. Created by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991, Python is designed to prioritize code readability and simplicity, with a clean and minimalistic syntax. It places emphasis on using proper indentation and whitespace, making it more convenient for programmers to write and comprehend code.

Key Traits of Python :

Simplicity and Readability: Python code is structured in a way that's easy to read and understand. This reduces the time and effort required for both creating and maintaining software.

Python code example: print("Hello, World!")

Versatility: Python is applicable across various domains, from web development and scientific computing to data analysis, artificial intelligence, and more.

Python code example: import numpy as np

Extensive Standard Library: Python offers an extensive collection of pre-built libraries and modules. These resources provide developers with ready-made tools and functions to tackle complex tasks efficiently.

Python code example: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

Compatibility Across Platforms: Python is available on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This allows programmers to create and run code seamlessly across different platforms.

Strong Community Support: Python boasts an active community of developers who contribute to its growth and provide support through online forums, documentation, and open-source contributions. This community support makes Python an excellent choice for developers seeking assistance or collaboration.

Where is Python Utilized?

Due to its versatility, Python is utilized in various domains and industries. Some key areas where Python is widely applied include:

Web Development: Python is highly suitable for web development tasks. It offers powerful frameworks like Django and Flask, simplifying the process of building robust web applications. The simplicity and readability of Python code enable developers to create clean and maintainable web applications efficiently.

Data Science and Machine Learning: Python has become the go-to language for data scientists and machine learning practitioners. Its extensive libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, and SciPy, along with specialized libraries like TensorFlow and PyTorch, facilitate a seamless workflow for data analysis, modeling, and implementing machine learning algorithms.

Scientific Computing: Python is extensively used in scientific computing and research due to its rich scientific libraries and tools. Libraries like SciPy, Matplotlib, and NumPy enable efficient handling of scientific data, visualization, and numerical computations, making Python indispensable for scientists and researchers.

Automation and Scripting: Python's simplicity and versatility make it a preferred language for automating repetitive tasks and writing scripts. Its comprehensive standard library empowers developers to automate various processes within the operating system, network operations, and file manipulation, making it popular among system administrators and DevOps professionals.

Game Development: Python's ease of use and availability of libraries like Pygame make it an excellent choice for game development. Developers can create interactive and engaging games efficiently, and the language's simplicity allows for quick prototyping and development cycles.

Internet of Things (IoT): Python's lightweight nature and compatibility with microcontrollers make it suitable for developing applications for the Internet of Things. Libraries like Circuit Python enable developers to work with sensors, create interactive hardware projects, and connect devices to the internet.

Python's versatility and simplicity have made it one of the most widely used programming languages across diverse domains. Its clean syntax, extensive libraries, and cross-platform compatibility make it a powerful tool for developers. Whether for web development, data science, automation, or game development, Python proves to be an excellent choice for programmers seeking efficiency and user-friendliness. If you're considering learning a programming language or expanding your skills, Python is undoubtedly worth exploring.

[dhanusagar]

What is Digital marketing and how can we earn from it?

According to me I can offer valuable insights into the field and lucrative earning opportunities. Digital marketing involves promoting products, services, or brands through various online channels, including websites, social media, search engines, email, and mobile apps. Here are some strategies and examples that are working well for freelancers in the digital marketing industry:

Content Creation and Marketing: Content remains king in digital marketing, and freelancers can capitalize on this by offering content creation services such as blog writing, article writing, video production, and infographic design. High-quality, engaging content helps businesses attract and retain customers while improving their search engine rankings.

Example: A freelance writer specializing in technology creates informative blog posts and whitepapers for software companies, helping them establish thought leadership in their industry and drive organic traffic to their website.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is essential for businesses to improve their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic to their websites. Freelancers can offer SEO services such as keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and SEO audits to help clients rank higher in search engine rankings.

Example: An SEO specialist helps a local bakery optimize its website for relevant keywords such as "best cakes in [city]," resulting in increased online visibility and more foot traffic to the bakery.

Social Media Management: Many businesses struggle to effectively manage their social media presence. Freelancers can offer social media management services, including content creation, posting schedules, community engagement, and paid advertising campaigns, to help clients grow their social media following and drive engagement.

Example: A freelance social media manager helps a small business owner create and curate engaging content for their Instagram account, increasing brand awareness and attracting new customers.

Email Marketing: Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to nurture leads, promote products or services, and maintain customer relationships. Freelancers can offer email marketing services such as email campaign creation, list segmentation, A/B testing, and performance tracking to help clients generate leads and drive sales.

Example: An email marketing freelancer designs and implements a series of automated email campaigns for an e-commerce retailer, resulting in higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: PPC advertising allows businesses to reach their target audience through targeted ads on search engines and social media platforms. Freelancers can offer PPC management services, including keyword research, ad creation, bid management, and performance tracking, to help clients maximize their return on investment (ROI) from PPC campaigns.

Example: A freelance PPC specialist helps a startup company launch and optimize Google Ads campaigns, driving qualified traffic to their website and increasing sales leads.

Affiliate Marketing: Freelancers can participate in affiliate marketing programs to earn commissions by promoting products or services through their website, blog, or social media channels. By partnering with companies as affiliates, freelancers can monetize their online presence and audience.

Example: A freelance blogger writes product reviews and tutorials on their website and includes affiliate links to recommended products, earning commissions for every sale generated through their affiliate links.

Ready to take your digital marketing skills to the next level? Enroll now in our comprehensive free online masterclass and unlock the secrets to success in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.

[apptagsolution]

Exploring Essential Laravel Development Tools for Building Powerful Web Applications

Laravel has emerged as one of the most popular PHP frameworks, providing builders a sturdy and green platform for building net packages. Central to the fulfillment of Laravel tasks are the development tools that streamline the improvement process, decorate productiveness, and make certain code quality. In this article, we will delve into the best Laravel development tools that each developer should be acquainted with.

1  Composer: Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that allows you to declare the libraries your project relies upon on and manages them for you. Laravel itself relies closely on Composer for package deal management, making it an essential device for Laravel builders. With Composer, you may without problems upload, eliminate, or update applications, making sure that your Laravel project stays up-to-date with the present day dependencies.

2  Artisan: Artisan is the command-line interface blanketed with Laravel, presenting various helpful instructions for scaffolding, handling migrations, producing controllers, models, and plenty extra. Laravel builders leverage Artisan to automate repetitive tasks and streamline improvement workflows, thereby growing efficiency and productiveness.

3  Laravel Debugbar: Debugging is an crucial component of software program development, and Laravel Debugbar simplifies the debugging procedure by using supplying exact insights into the application's overall performance, queries, views, and greater. It's a accessible device for identifying and resolving problems all through improvement, making sure the clean functioning of your Laravel application.

4  Laravel Telescope: Similar to Laravel Debugbar, Laravel Telescope is a debugging assistant for Laravel programs, presenting actual-time insights into requests, exceptions, database queries, and greater. With its intuitive dashboard, developers can monitor the software's behavior, pick out performance bottlenecks, and optimize hence.

5  Laravel Mix: Laravel Mix offers a fluent API for outlining webpack build steps on your Laravel application. It simplifies asset compilation and preprocessing duties together with compiling SASS or LESS documents, concatenating and minifying JavaScript documents, and dealing with versioning. Laravel Mix significantly streamlines the frontend improvement procedure, permitting builders to attention on building notable consumer reviews.

6  Laravel Horizon: Laravel Horizon is a dashboard and configuration system for Laravel's Redis queue, imparting insights into process throughput, runtime metrics, and more. It enables builders to monitor and control queued jobs efficiently, ensuring most beneficial performance and scalability for Laravel programs that leverage history processing.

7  Laravel Envoyer: Laravel Envoyer is a deployment tool designed specifically for Laravel packages, facilitating seamless deployment workflows with 0 downtime. It automates the deployment process, from pushing code adjustments to more than one servers to executing deployment scripts, thereby minimizing the chance of errors and ensuring smooth deployments.

8  Laravel Dusk: Laravel Dusk is an cease-to-give up browser testing tool for Laravel applications, built on pinnacle of the ChromeDriver and WebDriverIO. It lets in builders to put in writing expressive and dependable browser assessments, making sure that critical user interactions and workflows function as expected across exceptional browsers and environments.

9  Laravel Valet: Laravel Valet gives a light-weight improvement surroundings for Laravel applications on macOS, offering seamless integration with equipment like MySQL, NGINX, and PHP. It simplifies the setup process, permitting developers to consciousness on writing code instead of configuring their development environment.

In end, mastering the vital Laravel development tools noted above is important for building robust, green, and scalable internet packages with Laravel. Whether it's handling dependencies, debugging troubles, optimizing overall performance, or streamlining deployment workflows, those equipment empower Laravel developers to supply outstanding answers that meet the demands of current internet development. Embracing these gear will certainly increase your Laravel improvement enjoy and accelerate your journey toward turning into a talented Laravel developer.

[sablewing]

AI - Solving the Wrong Problems Because It's Cheaper - 325 - 15 February 2024

I've been reading the various opinion pieces on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and I definitely have opinions about what I've read. Here is a short list of some of the highlights of items I've found

AI is a public relations (PR) term for a predictive pattern generator, i.e. a text completion tool. The better term to use is Large Language Model (LLM) for language processing, and image generator for image generation.

AI is the latest attempt by the software industry to automate software development work and other jobs viewed as excessively expensive and easy to automate for businesses

The current models of AI available to the public are meant to present as pleasing eye candy to those who are inexperienced with different questions. When technical experts use the tools, the reports are about the lack of detail and deficiencies in the answers. The answers provide a starting place but not a complete solution for the questions.

AI is being used to solve the wrong problems It's being used this way because it is cheaper and easier than using it to solve the right problems

There are benefits to the current set of AI software models, if they are viewed as tools that need to be mastered instead of replacements for employees

AI is a public relations (PR) term for a fancy search engine

As I've gotten older and perhaps somewhat wiser, I've finally realized that the latest and greatest tech is often referred to using terms that are a good fit for marketing and may or may not be a good fit for the actual technology described. With the latest hullabaloo about AI I have found the same type of hype, that seems meant to better generate buzz and eyeballs on companies instead of describing the technology.

After reading a bit about AI and trying out one of the engines, here is how I would describe this new technology, which isn't all that new. The actual name of the technology, as used in the industry, is Large Language Model (LLM). A LLM is software that is used to predict what the next word, paragraph or other content based on a very large collection of data that has been organized. The software is used to process many various inputs and it is trained to emulate human behavior and write new content based on the information it has organized. For example, if someone asks the question, "What could I eat for breakfast?", the LLM might answer 'cereal', 'bacon and eggs', or 'fruit and roll', based on the dataset it has gathered.

There are problems that can occur when trying to use an LLM to write something like a blog article or a short story. At the current state of the software, it is creating a work based on the probability of the words and without a context that is tied to the real world. The only input is text and guidance from the LLM developers. A human has additional inputs through their senses, and their experiences in addition to information they have read or heard. A human also receives inputs from multiple humans of varying ages and backgrounds, while an LLM would receive limited input from a select set of humans, software developers specializing in the creation of neural networks.

In summary, LLMs are used to predict a probably outcome, not to use knowledge to generate an outcome. This means that the outcome is not original content but a result based on sifting through multiple sources to come up with what appears to be the best fit. As such, an LLM can at best emulate human intelligence in a very limited way. And if it receives new input in the form of questions, it will have limited context to process to find an answer. For example, for the question about breakfast, I asked what it would recommend, I got a fairly complete list of breakfast foods that seem centered on United States cuisine. I had to ask for breakfast and specify a different location in order to get different lists. A human might first ask, "Where do you want to eat breakfast?" before answering so they could have a context for the question. There are factors that we perceive, such as clothing, skin tone, gender and other physical characteristics that might change our answer. With a test LLM, it seems very sure of itself and if it can find an answer, it will provide one, even if it might be wrong.

Which to be fair, humans will also do this. People want to be helpful and it feels better to provide information instead of saying "I don't know." In the end, my assessment is that LLM's or AI as they might be called, are fancier search engines that can find existing data to answer questions, even if the information they provide is incorrect.

AI is the latest attempt by the software industry to automate software development work

Another feature I've seen recommended for AI is writing software. People are worried they might lose their software development job to an AI as they continue to improve in functionality. Based on trends I've seen in my career, I wouldn't be too worried about this as a problem. Here are some examples of attempts to automate software development that are no longer used or only used as a tool by software developers.

Have a few software architects design and write pseudo code that can be implemented by developers. The pseudo code will work perfectly so people with minimal skills can be used at a cheaper cost to implement the software.

Object oriented code will be added to libraries and create a foundation that only a few developers will need to use to develop software programs

Code will be designed to work in modules that do not require integration testing before they are deployed

A high level language will be used that will remove all possibility of errors introduced by developers. (This is a popular theme and based on articles about a new language, seems like it still occurs.

Eventually each language settles down into its niche usage or fades away from lack of use due to complexity/still requires debugging that outweighs its features.

App creation tools for phones will open up programming to anyone who is interested.

I've seen each of these trends come and go, and each one of them was supposed to reduce the number of developers required or reduce the skill level required to create good quality software programs. I'm still waiting for this to work and I don't think software development as a profession is going away any time soon.

AI is being used to solve the wrong problems and It's being used this way because it is cheaper and easier than using it to solve the right problems

Right now AI is used to reduce the time required to search large amounts of stored data. The search results are based on answers that are guessed due to the quantity and context of possible answers. The data itself is not organized, it is left as is and the AI builds a model to use when searching it.

These searches are based on the assumptions that The data is complete

The data is of high quality and covers the majority real world use cases

This model can be used to find data with accuracy approaching 100%

When looking at data that is not clean, it becomes easy to find examples where these assumptions fail. While this sounds like a worthwhile problem, it is also an easy problem for computers to solve, compared to other real world problems. Computers are very good at repetitive functions and searching for matches in an optimized matter is a core part of software development. But these searches are not generating new information, they are only allowing people to be somewhat more efficient at finding data. And if a person does not have skill or experience in generating good questions for AI, even this function is questionable.

There is a lot of money getting spent on this development so it sounds like it is a very expensive pursuit. However, there are other real world problems that would be of greater benefit, in my opinion, that are making little or no progress. Two examples of very hard problems to solve are sewing clothes and harvesting crops. Both activities are low paying and considered to require very little skill. It seems like they would be fields ripe for disruption and replacement by automation.

The reality is that both activities require things that automation does not have, such as

Vision

Manual dexterity

Ability to work in very bad conditions

Judgment

Current automation techniques are building machines that do have a type of vision and which can manipulate objects in the real world. Those machines are not paired with software that can also make quick and correct judgments and work in very bad conditions. If a machine is set to work in a wet, dirty and unsafe environment, it will eventually shut down or possibly break down. The machines have to operate in a very specific set of conditions and require monitoring to ensure they continue functioning. This monitoring is less labor intensive than the labor but it still requires human input. Sadly, a machine has to work in better conditions than a human or it will break down and lose the investment dollars. There are reports that describe the difficulty of generating profit when using technology to farm indoors.

In my opinion, the current efforts of AI are focused on the following goals:

Scrape existing data from as many on-line sources as possible Store the data in a database that is easily searchable Pair it with software that parses questions to search the data for the most populated result which may not be the correct result

This set of goals can easily make use of existing infrastructure and does not require any great innovation to gather data or organize the data for the search results. By great innovation, I am looking at discoveries like the creation of HTML, the microcomputer and other inventions that were a unique combination of existing technology that required insight and experience to develop. AI engines appear to be, in my opinion, simply refinement of existing search methods that is assembled in a user friendlier format to reach a broader audience.

If I were going to develop new tools that I think might be useful, here are a couple of my suggestions

Human reviewed data that is organized by categories. The categories are used to provide context for performing a search. For example, if searching for the word 'tile', there is a context of buying tiles for the kitchen, gaming tiles, historical tile work, or the manufacturing process for kitchen tile. Current search engines will provide the most asked for searches and depend on the user to come up with the correct context to find the term they want. There could be multiple filters selected, such as business versus educational, to help narrow down the results. AI might be used to search and suggest organization, humans would use this as a tool to review and approve/change the suggested categories. I think of this as a role for a type of librarian, one who manages on-line data instead of physical books.

Building algorithms that parse real world data based on input from various sensors. The algorithms would gather data and have self-modifying algorithms to organize the data in some method. Humans would be involved in guiding the algorithms towards societally and morally acceptable methods of parsing the data. The algorithms would have attachments that could interact with the environment that it is gathering data in. If this seems complicated, human children are performing these same activities from birth. Yet we seem to have a lot of difficulty training machines to do the same things that human children learn in the first five years of their life. I would not attach this type of software to the internet, it would be too easy for it to devolve and revert to the current level of AI algorithms that simply search and repeat back what they find. The intent is to have a machine experience parts of the world in the same way as living beings to see if they can respond back in a similar way.

Summary

The latest artificial intelligence algorithms are simply the latest of a set of tools that high level managers and investors see as a way to make money in the short term and not necessarily as tools for long term use. There are long term uses for this type of software, if in my opinion it is viewed as a tool and not a replacement for people and their experience. There are harder problems that if solved could be of great benefit. However, these uses of software would not yield returns as quickly as the current set of short term goals. Even with this short turnaround of return for investment, the software is advertised in ways designed to engage emotions and short circuit rational thought about the use of AI. My recommendation is to wait and see what companies survive the current advertising and pump cycle before investing or predicting how AI will change the world.

References for this article, including opinions from others who write more concisely than I do about AI and its possible impacts.

[mailandprintletters]

Top Benefits of Using a Cheque API for Businesses and Financial Institutions

In an era dominated by digital transactions and automation, the need for efficient, secure, and scalable payment solutions has never been more critical. While electronic fund transfers and real-time payments are becoming increasingly popular, cheques still play a vital role in business and financial transactions—especially for high-value payments, vendor settlements, and B2B operations. A Cheque API offers a modern solution to automate and streamline cheque issuance, processing, and management for businesses and financial institutions.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top benefits of using Cheque APIs, how it enhances operational efficiency, reduces costs, improves compliance, and integrates with modern financial systems. Whether you're a small business owner, fintech startup, or enterprise-level financial institution, this article will help you understand how Cheque APIs can future-proof your payment workflows.

What is a Cheque API?

A Cheque API (Application Programming Interface) is a software interface that allows businesses to automate the process of creating, printing, mailing, tracking, and managing cheques through a secure and programmable platform. It integrates with accounting software, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, or custom applications to offer seamless cheque-related functions.

Instead of manually writing cheques or relying on traditional banking channels, a Cheque API enables you to send payments with a few lines of code—reducing human errors, speeding up payment cycles, and ensuring full traceability.

1. Automation of Cheque Printing and Mailing

✅ Why it Matters:

Manual cheque writing and mailing can be time-consuming, error-prone, and resource-heavy. By using a Cheque API, businesses can automate this entire process—from payment approval to cheque dispatch.

💡 Benefit:

Reduces manual workload: No need for printing, signing, or envelope stuffing.

Improves accuracy: Eliminates data entry errors.

Enhances scalability: Process thousands of cheques with minimal overhead.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A payroll department can integrate a Cheque API to automatically send out physical paychecks to remote employees or contractors who prefer non-digital payments.

2. Improved Security and Fraud Prevention

✅ Why it Matters:

Cheque fraud is still a significant concern, especially in sectors like real estate, finance, and healthcare. A Cheque API offers advanced security measures such as encryption, digital signatures, audit trails, and secure printing practices.

💡 Benefit:

Encrypted data transmission ensures sensitive information is secure.

Secure check stock and MICR printing reduce the risk of forgery.

Tamper-evident envelopes and tracking enhance trust.

🧠 Example Use Case:

Financial institutions can use a Cheque API with built-in fraud detection tools to screen unusual payment patterns and prevent unauthorized disbursements.

3. Cost Reduction and Operational Efficiency

✅ Why it Matters:

Manual cheque issuance involves multiple steps—paper, ink, envelopes, postage, and labor. These costs add up quickly, especially for companies processing large volumes.

💡 Benefit:

Eliminates hardware needs: No printers, ink, or paper inventory required.

Saves on mailing and postage: Outsourced mailing via API providers can be cheaper.

Reduces administrative workload: Free up staff to focus on strategic tasks.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A medium-sized law firm can save thousands annually by automating settlement cheque distribution using a Cheque API service.

4. Real-Time Tracking and Reconciliation

✅ Why it Matters:

Traditional cheque systems often lack transparency. Tracking a payment involves calling banks, emailing support, or manually checking account statements.

💡 Benefit:

End-to-end cheque tracking from dispatch to delivery.

Automated reconciliation with financial software.

Digital audit trails for every payment.

🧠 Example Use Case:

An accounting team can reconcile issued cheques with invoices in real-time using API-generated status updates and webhook notifications.

5. Integration with Accounting and ERP Systems

✅ Why it Matters:

Modern finance teams rely on tools like QuickBooks, Xero, Netsuite, and SAP. Manual cheque issuance disrupts workflow continuity.

💡 Benefit:

Seamless integration with platforms like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Zoho.

Triggers and webhooks automate actions like status updates and reporting.

Custom API endpoints for different departments and use cases.

🧠 Example Use Case:

An e-commerce business can integrate their ERP system with a Cheque API to issue vendor payments automatically after fulfillment or invoice approval.

6. Enhanced Compliance and Record-Keeping

✅ Why it Matters:

Regulatory bodies like FINTRAC, SOX, and PCI-DSS require transparent and auditable payment records. Manual cheque systems lack this granularity.

💡 Benefit:

Timestamped records for each transaction.

Digital backups of issued cheques.

Easier audits and regulatory compliance with financial laws.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A healthcare organization ensures HIPAA-compliant financial documentation by using a Cheque API with encrypted storage and secure audit logs.

7. Faster Payment Turnaround Time

✅ Why it Matters:

Delayed payments can strain vendor relationships, lead to penalties, or disrupt service continuity.

💡 Benefit:

Same-day cheque processing and dispatch.

APIs trigger payment workflows instantly.

Reduces cheque issuance time from days to minutes.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A construction company can instantly issue urgent payments to subcontractors through an API-based cheque dispatch after milestone approval.

8. Customization and White-Labeling

✅ Why it Matters:

Maintaining brand identity in all customer and vendor communications is essential for trust and professionalism.

💡 Benefit:

Custom-branded cheque templates with logos and brand colors.

White-labeled envelopes for uniform correspondence.

Personalized messaging for recipients (e.g., payment notes).

🧠 Example Use Case:

A fintech startup uses a white-labeled Cheque API to build trust with customers by sending branded refund cheques.

9. Remote Access and Cloud-Based Control

✅ Why it Matters:

With hybrid work models and distributed teams, cloud-based cheque issuance is more critical than ever.

💡 Benefit:

Issue cheques from anywhere, anytime.

Role-based access control for teams.

Admin dashboards for real-time visibility and management.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A nonprofit can issue grant cheques remotely to global recipients without relying on in-office staff.

10. Scalability for Growing Businesses

✅ Why it Matters:

As businesses grow, cheque volume may increase exponentially. Manual systems can’t keep up.

💡 Benefit:

Elastic infrastructure to support 10 to 10,000 cheques per day.

API rate limits and batching options for high-volume sending.

Support for recurring payments, bulk uploads, and templates.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A franchise business uses a Cheque API to handle royalty payments to 200+ locations every month automatically.

11. Global Cheque Delivery and Cross-Border Capabilities

✅ Why it Matters:

International vendors or clients may require physical cheques due to local banking practices or legal requirements.

💡 Benefit:

Supports multi-currency cheques.

Global printing and mailing via local facilities.

Compliance with international postal and cheque standards.

🧠 Example Use Case:

An educational publisher sends royalty cheques to authors in different countries using a global cheque API provider.

12. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

✅ Why it Matters:

In the event of office closures, natural disasters, or pandemics, having off-site cheque management is critical.

💡 Benefit:

Redundant infrastructure ensures cheque issuance continues uninterrupted.

Cloud backups protect data and transaction records.

Business continuity planning becomes seamless.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A university finance department continues to issue scholarship cheques during lockdowns through cloud-integrated cheque APIs.

13. Eco-Friendly and Paper Reduction Options

✅ Why it Matters:

Many businesses are focused on sustainability. Cheque APIs can offer hybrid solutions to reduce waste.

💡 Benefit:

Eco-certified printing options.

Digital delivery tracking minimizes duplicate printing.

Option to transition to e-cheques or EFT gradually.

🧠 Example Use Case:

A government agency reduces environmental impact by using APIs to issue only essential physical cheques, while others are handled digitally.

Choosing the Right Cheque API Provider

When selecting a Cheque API solution for your business or institution, consider these key factors:

Security compliance (PCI-DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA if applicable)

Ease of integration with your current systems

API documentation and developer support

Customization and branding options

Global coverage and multi-currency support

Delivery time and tracking capabilities

Pricing and scalability

Some popular Cheque API providers in 2025 include:

Lob.com

Checkflo

PostGrid

Print & Mail APIs by Click2Mail

Online Check Writer

Final Thoughts

A Cheque API transforms traditional cheque processing into a modern, efficient, and secure operation. For businesses and financial institutions, it enables streamlined payments, minimizes errors, reduces operational costs, and ensures compliance—all while maintaining the flexibility of cheque-based transactions.

Whether you’re managing payroll, vendor payments, customer refunds, or disbursements, automating the cheque issuance process through an API is a strategic move that drives digital transformation while respecting legacy systems.

Start by exploring providers that match your industry needs, test API integrations with your software stack, and scale your cheque operations with confidence in 2025 and beyond.

SITES WE SUPPORT

Mail & Print Letters – ​​​Wix

[smartcitysystem]

The ROI of Partnering with a Professional HR Management Firm

In today’s competitive business landscape, every dollar spent needs to contribute to growth, productivity, and sustainability. As companies aim to streamline operations, reduce overhead, and focus on core activities, many are turning to professional HR management companies to handle their human resource functions. However, achieving a genuine return on investment (ROI) is more important than simply reducing expenses.

HR is at the heart of every business. From recruitment and payroll to compliance and employee engagement, effective HR practices directly impact performance, culture, and profitability. In this article, we’ll break down how partnering with a professional HR management company delivers measurable ROI and why it’s a smart strategic move for businesses of all sizes.

1. Cost Savings on HR Infrastructure

There are substantial expenses associated with hiring and sustaining an internal HR staff, including office space, technology, training, benefits, and compensation. When you outsource HR functions to a professional firm, these costs are either eliminated or significantly reduced.

For example, instead of hiring a full-time HR manager, payroll specialist, recruiter, and compliance officer, you gain access to a complete team of HR professionals at a fraction of the cost. You also save on expensive HR software, legal consultations, and compliance tools—because the HR company already has them in place.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Lower overhead, reduced administrative costs, and no investment in HR infrastructure or tech platforms.

2. Improved Hiring Quality and Speed

Hiring the wrong person is expensive. Research indicates that, excluding wasted time and interruption, a poor hire can cost businesses more than 30% of the worker's yearly compensation.

HR management organizations specialize in strategic hiring and talent management. They leverage best-in-class tools, networks, and screening techniques to find the right fit for your roles. From writing compelling job descriptions to background checks and onboarding, they handle the entire process efficiently, often filling positions faster and with better candidates.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Faster hiring cycles, reduced turnover, and better cultural and skill fit—translating to long-term performance gains.

3. Enhanced Compliance and Risk Management

Staying compliant with labor laws, workplace policies, and industry regulations is a complex task, especially when regulations differ by country, state, or even sector. A single payroll or personnel classification error might result in expensive fines and legal problems.

A professional HR management company ensures your business remains compliant with:

Employment laws and labor standards

Tax and payroll regulations

Health and safety requirements

Anti-discrimination and harassment policies

They also keep you updated on legislative changes and conduct audits to prevent potential liabilities.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Avoidance of fines, lawsuits, and reputational damage—plus peace of mind that your HR processes meet legal standards.

4. Efficient Payroll and Benefits Administration

Processing payroll isn’t just about paying employees—it includes tax filing, deductions, superannuation (or benefits), bonuses, and leave calculations. In addition to depressing staff morale, payroll irregularities may draw attention from the authorities.

HR outsourcing firms automate and streamline payroll processing, ensuring timely and error-free payments. They also handle employee benefits administration—from health insurance and retirement plans to wellness programs—negotiating better rates due to their scale and vendor relationships.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Reduced payroll errors, higher employee satisfaction, time savings, and potential benefits of cost reduction.

5. Increased Focus on Core Business Operations

Every minute you or your managers spend on HR tasks is time taken away from revenue-generating activities. Outsourcing HR functions frees up internal resources to focus on core business operations, such as product development, sales, and customer service.

Especially for small and mid-sized businesses, partnering with an HR management company means you no longer need to spend hours dealing with policies, grievances, or compliance issues. You gain strategic clarity and operational efficiency.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Increased productivity across departments and better use of executive and managerial time.

6. Access to Advanced HR Technology

Most HR management companies use modern HR tech platforms to manage recruitment, payroll, employee records, performance reviews, and reporting. As a client, you benefit from these systems without the capital expenditure or licensing fees.

Features like self-service portals, mobile apps, and real-time analytics improve employee engagement and operational transparency. These tools also generate actionable insights to drive better workforce decisions.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Digital transformation of HR functions without the cost of developing or maintaining systems in-house.

7. Better Employee Experience and Retention

Employees are more likely to stay with companies that offer clarity, support, and growth opportunities. HR partners ensure employees are:

Onboarded smoothly

Informed about policies and benefits

Regularly evaluated and recognized

Supported with training and development

An outsourced HR team ensures your workplace culture remains positive and your people feel valued, leading to higher employee retention and lower absenteeism.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Improved performance results, lower turnover costs, and more employee loyalty.

8. Scalable HR Support for Growing Businesses

As your company expands, your HR needs get more complex. What works for 10 employees may not work for 100. Expert HR management firms provide solutions that are scalable and may expand with you.

Whether you're expanding into new markets, adding remote employees, or dealing with restructuring, an HR partner provides the flexibility and expertise to adjust HR strategies accordingly, without needing to rebuild internal capabilities.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Scalable HR support without long-term commitments or constant rehiring/training.

9. Strategic Workforce Planning and Analytics

Managing people is only one aspect of modern HR; another is using data to inform smarter choices. HR companies provide insights on:

Workforce costs

Talent gaps

Hiring effectiveness

Employee engagement trends

Training ROI

They help you align workforce planning with business goals, forecast staffing needs, and optimize team structures—all backed by data.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Smarter, data-driven HR strategies that improve productivity and profitability.

10. Peace of Mind and Professional Support

Finally, outsourcing HR provides you with peace of mind. Instead of worrying about whether your policies are compliant or your contracts are up to date, you have a professional partner handling these critical aspects.

You also have access to HR consultants who can advise on sensitive issues—disciplinary action, restructuring, diversity initiatives, or conflict resolution—ensuring best practices are followed.

📈 ROI Benefit:

Reduced risk, better decisions, and expert support during critical business moments.

Final Thoughts: It’s Not a Cost—It’s a Smart Investment

Partnering with a professional HR management company is more than just outsourcing—it’s a strategic investment with measurable returns. From cost savings and compliance to better talent and productivity, the benefits compound over time.

For startups, SMEs, and even large enterprises, the ROI lies in:

Lower HR-related overhead

Improved operational efficiency

Increased employee satisfaction and retention

Better business agility and scalability

In an age where agility, talent, and culture are critical to success, having a trusted HR partner by your side is a game-changer.

[mercyjuliet1512]

From Beginner to Pro: Dominate Automated Testing with Our Selenium Course

Welcome to our comprehensive Selenium course designed to help individuals from all backgrounds, whether novice or experienced, enhance their automated testing skills and become proficient in Selenium. In this article, we will delve into the world of Selenium, an open-source automated testing framework that has revolutionized software testing. With our course, we aim to empower aspiring professionals with the knowledge and techniques necessary to excel in the field of automated testing.

Why Choose Selenium?

Selenium offers a wide array of features and capabilities that make it the go-to choice for automated testing in the IT industry.

It allows testers to write test scripts in multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, C#, and more, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with various project requirements.

Selenium’s compatibility with different web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer makes it a versatile choice for testing web applications.

The ability to leverage Selenium WebDriver, which provides a simple and powerful API, allows for seamless interaction with web elements, making automating tasks easier than ever before.

Selenium’s Key Components:

Selenium IDE:

Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a Firefox plugin primarily used for recording and playing back test cases. It offers a user-friendly interface, allowing even non-programmers to create basic tests effortlessly.

Although Selenium IDE is a valuable tool for beginners, our course primarily focuses on Selenium WebDriver due to its advanced capabilities and wider scope.

Selenium WebDriver:

Selenium WebDriver is the most critical component of the Selenium framework. It provides a programming interface to interact with web elements and perform actions programmatically.

WebDriver’s functionality extends beyond just browser automation; it also enables testers to handle alerts, pop-ups, frames, and handle various other web application interactions.

Our Selenium course places significant emphasis on WebDriver, equipping learners with the skills to automate complex test scenarios efficiently.

Selenium Grid:

Selenium Grid empowers testers by allowing them to execute tests on multiple machines and browsers simultaneously, making it an essential component for testing scalability and cross-browser compatibility.

Through our Selenium course, you’ll gain a deep understanding of Selenium Grid and learn how to harness its capabilities effectively.

The Benefits of Our Selenium Course

Comprehensive Curriculum: Our course is designed to cover everything from the fundamentals of automated testing to advanced techniques in Selenium, ensuring learners receive a well-rounded education.

Hands-on Experience: Practical exercises and real-world examples are incorporated to provide learners with the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a realistic setting.

Expert Instruction: You’ll be guided by experienced instructors who have a profound understanding of Selenium and its application in the industry, ensuring you receive the best possible education.

Flexibility: Our course offers flexible learning options, allowing you to study at your own pace and convenience, ensuring a stress-free learning experience.

Industry Recognition: Completion of our Selenium course will provide you with a valuable certification recognized by employers worldwide, enhancing your career prospects within the IT industry.

Who Should Enroll?

Novice Testers: If you’re new to the world of automated testing and aspire to become proficient in Selenium, our course is designed specifically for you. We’ll lay a strong foundation and gradually guide you towards becoming a pro in Selenium automation.

Experienced Testers: Even if you already have experience in automated testing, our course will help you enhance your skills and keep up with the latest trends and best practices in Selenium.

IT Professionals: Individuals working in the IT industry, such as developers or quality assurance engineers, who want to broaden their skillset and optimize their testing processes, will greatly benefit from our Selenium course.

In conclusion, our Selenium course is a one-stop solution for individuals seeking to dominate automated testing and excel in their careers. With a comprehensive curriculum, hands-on experience, expert instruction, and industry recognition, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle any automated testing challenges that come your way. Make the smart choice and enroll in our Selenium course at ACTE Technologies today to unlock your full potential in the world of software testing.

[keploy]

Test Case Generation: Accelerate Your API Testing Workflow

In modern development workflows, automated testing is essential to ensure fast releases and robust APIs. But writing test cases manually can be time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to maintain. That’s where test case generation comes in—automatically producing reliable tests that save time and boost coverage.

In this article, we’ll explore test case generation, why it’s important, how it works, and the tools that can help you implement it effectively.

What Is Test Case Generation?

Test case generation is the process of automatically creating test cases for software applications based on various inputs like:

API specifications

Recorded traffic

Code analysis

User behavior patterns

Instead of writing test cases manually, developers can use automation tools to generate them, especially for repetitive and data-driven tests.

Why Is Test Case Generation Important?

Saves Time: No more hand-writing hundreds of test cases.

Increases Coverage: Uncovers edge cases you may miss manually.

Reduces Human Error: Automation ensures consistency and reliability.

Faster Feedback Loops: CI/CD pipelines benefit from ready-to-use tests.

Improves API Quality: Automatically tests against real-world scenarios.

Manual vs Automated Test Case Generation

Feature

Manual Test Cases

Automated Test Case Generation

Time-consuming

Yes

No

Prone to human error

Yes

Minimal

Scalability

Limited

Highly scalable

Maintenance

Needs frequent updates

Easier with auto-update features

Coverage

Often partial

Higher and more systematic

Types of Test Case Generation Techniques

1. Model-Based Testing

Generates tests based on UML diagrams, finite state machines, or workflows.

2. Specification-Based Testing

Uses API specs like Swagger/OpenAPI to auto-generate test scenarios.

3. Record and Replay Testing

Captures real API traffic and reuses it for test generation. Ideal for integration and regression testing.

4. Code-Based Testing

Generates tests by analyzing code structure, function paths, and logic branches.

5. AI-Powered Generation

Uses machine learning to analyze past user behavior and generate smart, context-aware tests.

Real-World Example: API Test Case Generation

Let’s say you have an API endpoint /user/register that accepts a POST request with name, email, and password.

With automated test case generation:

Positive test: Valid input returns 200 OK

Negative test: Missing email returns 400 Bad Request

Edge test: Very long password returns 422 Validation Error

You can generate all of these variations instantly, without writing a single line of test code.

Tools for Automated Test Case Generation

1. Keploy

Open-source

Generates test cases and mocks by recording real API traffic

Achieves >90% coverage with no manual scripting

Integrates easily with CI/CD pipelines

2. Postman

Test generation from API schema

Good for basic request validation

Limited logic coverage

3. Swagger/OpenAPI Tools

Tools like Swagger Codegen or Dredd can generate test cases from OpenAPI specs

4. REST Assured / JUnit Generators

Code-based generators for Java APIs

Benefits for API Testing

Faster onboarding for new developers

Regression testing with live traffic

Simplified test maintenance

Continuous testing in DevOps workflows

Best Practices for Effective Test Case Generation

Start with high-traffic endpoints

Use real data from staging or production (with masking)

Review and customize generated tests periodically

Use assertions to validate key business logic

Final Thoughts

Test case generation is a game-changer for teams looking to improve API quality without slowing down development. Whether you're building microservices or large platforms, automatically generating tests saves time, boosts coverage, and reduces bugs in production. If you want to accelerate your testing process, reduce developer toil, and integrate automation into your CI/CD pipelines, try a tool like Keploy—the AI-powered, open-source platform for smart test case and mock generation.

[buildapersonalbrand]

Is AI Replacing Digital Marketers? Here's the Truth You Need to Know

Is AI Replacing Digital Marketers? Here's the Truth You Need to Know

(Before It's Too Late)

AI is omnipresent—creating content, serving ads, forecasting customer behavior.

So, the million-dollar question doing the rounds in the marketing sphere is this: Is AI replacing digital marketers?

The short version? Not yet—but it's changing rapidly. If you're thinking of a career in digital marketing or already in play, this article will show you the realistic picture of how AI is changing digital marketing, what roles are safe, what's changing, and how to future-proof your career.

The Emergence of AI in Digital Marketing

Let's be honest—AI is no longer a futuristic buzz term.

It's now part of your daily scroll, search, and play.

The worldwide AI software market is projected to reach $900 billion by 2026, amitysolutions forecasts. And much of that technology is aimed head-on at marketing automation tools.

From robot customer service through chatbots to real-time campaign performance analysis, AI in digital marketing is an established norm and not a fad anymore.

How AI is Transforming Marketing Strategies

AI can:

• Personalize email based on user behavior

• Target audiences with laser accuracy

• A/B test ads at scale

• Forecast customer lifetime value

• Automate SEO work (yes, even bits of keyword research!)

Marketers with AI can spend more time on strategic and creative choices instead of wasting hours on tedious tasks. But here's the thing.

Is AI Replacing Marketers or Just Changing the Game?

Think of it like a co-pilot—not the pilot.

For instance, platforms such as Jasper, ChatGPT, and Surfer SEO are able to write content and process SEO metrics, yet human oversight is still required for tone, strategy, brand voice, and context.

So, if you're wondering, Is AI replacing marketers? the real answer is—AI is substituting tasks, not positions.

AI's Role in Marketing Jobs

Let's discuss jobs.

Yes, automation is cutting fat here and there—simple ad copywriting, data reporting, customer service chat. But the need for creative strategists, data-analytical marketers, content experts, and marketing technologists is on the rise.

While AI might displace 45 million workers globally, it will also create up to 97 million new roles—many of which involve advanced digital skills.

So no, AI isn't stealing your job. It's reshaping it.

________________________________________________________________________

Digital Marketing Automation: What’s Already Replaced?

Automation is already doing the following:

• Email triggers: Sent based on user action (open, click, purchase)

• Ad bidding: Platforms like Google Ads use AI for real-time bidding

• Chatbots: Available 24/7 to handle FAQs

• Social listening: Brands such as Brand24 monitor and analyze brand mentions

These platforms manage execution, allowing marketers to focus on planning and strategy.

________________________________________________________________________

Future of Digital Marketing Careers: What's Next?

Now this is where it gets interesting.

Digital marketing careers are shifting from execution-dominant to strategy, analytics, and innovation-driven roles. Marketers who can manage AI tools instead of fighting them are what employers need.

Future skills are:

• Prompt engineering (how to communicate with AI)

• Data storytelling

• Creative strategy

• UX & behavioral psychology

• Mastery of AI tools (ChatGPT, Jasper, SurperSEO)

We even go deeper into this within our Digital Marketing Certification Program —a necessity if you want to stay ahead.

________________________________________________________________________

How to Remain Relevant in an AI Market:

1.Be Curious – AI tools evolve quick. Get updated.

2. Continuously Learn – Keep updating yourself with latest Digital Marketing and related Courses.

3. Acquire Hybrid Skills – Blend technical and creative.

4. Practice Human Skills – Empathy, storytelling, leadership—AI can't do that.

5. Certify Yourself – Upskilling with AI-based marketing programs keeps you future-proof.

________________________________________________________________________

The Bottom Line

AI is a tool, not a takeover. The digital marketing landscape is changing, but humans bring the strategy, emotion, and creativity that algorithms can't match.

So don't dread the change, adopt it, study it, and drive it. For the future of digital marketing professions lies with those who create, not copy.

It is now the ideal time to take an AI course and get ready to tackle tomorrow's careers.

•Find out more about - Why Every Digital Marketer Needs to n AI in 2025?

•Have a look at our comprehensive guide: Top 10 Digital Marketing Skills to Learn ––––––––––

________________________________________________________________________

FAQs

1. Will AI totally replace digital marketing positions?

No. AI replaces tasks, not jobs. Human strategy, creativity, and empathy cannot be replaced.

2. What types of marketing positions are most impacted by AI?

Repetitive tasks such as email automation, simple copywriting, and data entry are already being replaced.

3. Can studying AI enhance my career as a marketer?

Yes. Knowledge of AI tools can greatly enhance your worth as a digital marketer.

4. AI or human marketers: which is better?

Better doesn't come into it—it's about working together. Data is handled by AI; humans deal with creativity and strategy.

5. Where do I learn to apply AI to marketing?

You could begin with our "AI in Digital Marketing Course" at "School Of Digital Marketing"

_______________________________________________________________________

Conclusion:

AI isn’t replacing digital marketers—it’s reshaping the role. It handles the repetitive tasks, while you bring creativity, strategy, and emotion.

The future belongs to marketers who work with AI, not against it. Upskill now to stay relevant and lead the change.

👉 Join our AI in Digital Marketing Course at School of Digital Marketing and future-proof your career.

[slyfluxavenue]

Building Blocks: The Foundation of Modern Construction and Learning

Building blocks are fundamental components used in various fields, from construction to education. These versatile elements serve as the foundation for creating complex structures, developing cognitive skills, and fostering creativity. Whether made of concrete, plastic, or digital code, building blocks play a crucial role in shaping our world.

In this article, we will explore the different types of building blocks, their applications, and how they contribute to innovation and learning.

1. Physical Building Blocks in Construction

1.1 The Role of Concrete Blocks

Concrete building blocks are among the most widely used materials in modern construction. They provide durability, strength, and thermal insulation, making them ideal for residential and commercial buildings.

Advantages:

High load-bearing capacity

Fire-resistant properties

Cost-effective compared to other materials

1.2 Modular Building Systems

Modular construction relies on prefabricated building blocks that can be assembled quickly on-site. This method reduces construction time and waste while maintaining structural integrity.

Applications:

Temporary housing

Office complexes

Disaster relief shelters

2. Educational Building Blocks for Cognitive Development

2.1 Toy Blocks for Early Learning

Children’s building blocks, such as wooden or plastic interlocking pieces, enhance motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving abilities.

Benefits:

Encourages creativity and imagination

Improves hand-eye coordination

Teaches basic engineering concepts

2.2 Digital Building Blocks in Coding

Programming languages like Scratch use building blocks (visual coding blocks) to teach children and beginners how to code.

Why It Works:

Simplifies complex programming concepts

Encourages logical thinking

Makes learning interactive and fun

3. Technological Building Blocks in Software Development

3.1 APIs as Digital Building Blocks

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) act as building blocks for software, allowing developers to integrate functionalities without writing code from scratch.

Examples:

Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal)

Social media integrations (Facebook, Twitter)

3.2 Microservices Architecture

Modern software systems use microservices—small, independent building blocks—to improve scalability and maintenance.

Advantages:

Easier debugging and updates

Faster deployment cycles

Better fault isolation

4. The Future of Building Blocks

4.1 Sustainable Construction Blocks

Eco-friendly building blocks, such as hempcrete and recycled plastic bricks, are gaining popularity for reducing environmental impact.

Innovations:

Self-healing concrete

3D-printed modular homes

4.2 AI and Machine Learning Building Blocks

Artificial Intelligence relies on algorithmic building blocks like neural networks and decision trees to create intelligent systems.

Impact:

Automation in industries

Enhanced data analysis

Personalized user experiences