#explain plan vs execution plan in oracle

[ocptechnology]

How to Generate Execution Plan in Oracle

Knowing how to generate an execution plan optimizer of the SQL statement is an important part of optimizing SQL performance. There are many methods for generating an execution plan. #oracle #oracledba #oracledatabase

Knowing how to generate an execution plan optimizer of the SQL statement is an important part of optimizing SQL performance. There are many methods for generating an execution plan. The best option that suits you should be your tuning tool. Execution plan with autotrace When you want to display the SQL execution plan and don’t want to execute the SQL query first, then you can use the autotrace…

[classpectcurse]

class pairs: seer - mage

key words: perceiving, knowing, understanding

(why bother with a preamble when i can just jump right in to the interesting stuff)

these things are monsters, watch out

seer: passive

they understand their class, can perceive it with greater clarity and thoroughness than others. this tends to be an intellectual, brainy sort of understanding. it errs on the side of theoretical rather than practical knowledge. seers are head thinkers: they are able to come up with plans, ideas, solutions, about their aspect that others might not. they understand and have a VISION of their aspect. they can be relied on to direct others, come up with the best strategy, to explain the topic clearly and make others understand the thing.

however, on the flip side, if unchecked, it makes them rather idealistic and naive, and often arrogant. they can be blinded by their own knowledge. because their knowledge has a limit.

as a passive class, they are best served in a passive role; they work best when guiding others, teaching, directing, or strategising, rather than putting themselves on the front lines. by being head thinkers, seers tend not to think emotionally, and thus end up lacking a sense of boundaries when it comes to executing their own plans. this can lead to them taking things too far, morally speaking, or failing to be cautious due to overconfidence in their own abilities.

in fiction, a seer that oversteps his role is often punished by the narrative. they go too far, and engineer their own downfall. their hubris brings their own demise. they must learn to step back, take on the guiding role for players better suited to direct action, and they will see the best results.

the seer class is obviously based on the mythological seer archetype. think, the oracle of delphi in greek myths. the seer’s role is often to passive guide, to direct the heroes towards what they need without directly interfering in events. seers are often used as a narrative device by authors to deliver exposition; occasionally this use might be so egregious as to change a character who is otherwise NOT a seer into a seer by function (looking @ u jkr :/).

(important note that in fiction/mythology, the seer role has an unpleasant gender aspect to it, in that seer is an easy role to shove a passive woman character into, to give her something to do/say in the plot without involving her in any action. this is still unfortunately true of a lot of fiction today, but this doesn’t work irl bc gender is fake. beware of assigning gendered fictional seer characteristics to descriptions of the seer class.)

a great example of a fictional seer arc is mdzs wei wuxian. (SPECIFICALLY the mdzs version, not the drama version. cql!wwx is a different story.) through his ingenuity and creativity, he becomes the founder of demonic cultivation. however, he is arrogant in assuming that he knows best, that he could control the yin tiger seal, that his path was the only path to follow. the result is, the narrative punishes him for his arrogance. he loses control. he watches his loved ones dies. he dies a horrible death.

but in his second life, after his resurrection, he properly steps into the seer role. he solves the mystery, he guides and teaches the juniors, he steps away from the demonic path. and through embracing his role as a seer, he is finally able to achieve his happiness.

emotionally speaking, seers aren’t very complicated? if the time is right and the circumstances align they’ll confess their feelings etc. they might lack a sense of shame about it, in fact that seems an alarmingly consistent pattern. they kind of just don’t place on the emotional constipation scale. though they might be bogged down by logic and stuff and won’t examine their own feelings properly until later.

identifying traits of a seer: - wordy. good at explaining things; smort - very much a head thinker as opposed to a heart thinker; likes to think of things intellectually - can seem a bit emotionally cold? not that they’re cold people but just that they tend to be a little less overtly emotional, simply due to the nature of their class

examples of seers: namjoon (RM) from bts, wei wuxian (MDZS only), jing beiyuan (qi ye), rose lalonde (Homestuck), terezi pyrope (Homestuck)

prospit/derse: fairly straightforward, both types of seers still tend to be up there in terms of energy and chattiness, but derse seers are just more pretentious about it ngl.

mage: active

on the flip side to seers’ cerebral understanding of their aspect, mages have an intuitive, experience-based understanding, and they function best by employing this understanding directly.

mages, in a team dynamic, essentially serve as the talented weirdo/grumpy uncle who is extremely competent at their job, as long as nobody asks them to explain what they’re doing. mages understand their aspect supremely well, but they CANNOT, for the life of them, explain what the fuck goes through their head. it just comes out a bunch of confused, jumbled rambling that doesn’t really help anyone else. everyone knows that, without a doubt, this guy is a genius, but it’s useless to ask them to teach you because they can’t. they can’t explain shit.

their understanding of their aspect is not, NOT intellectual. it’s just that it comes from a place of instinct, rather than of deliberate, calculated thought. mages work best when they don’t try too hard to rationalise their understanding, but instead allow themselves to operate according to how they feel is best.

mages don’t really have a specific character arc? it’s more just about consistently trusting their instincts, maintaining the relationships around them, and retaining the trust of the people in the team. mages really need to do their own thing, and so a team is best off when they point the mage in the right direction and let them do what they feel is best, because they���ll often do a better job going off instinct than any plan could.

mage characters often come with some kind of tragic or mysterious backstory. because mages learn from experience, this backstory often serves as an explanation for their level of expertise. but irl this isn’t strictly necessary for mages. nevertheless they retain an intuitive understanding of their aspect which can be traced to their personal experience of it.

the thing to know about mages to identify them is just, they give off weird gremlin vibes. like, weird cousin in the basement vibes. like, coffeeshop uncle yelling about the government vibes. like on the surface they might seem respectable and shit, but deep down?? they’re some weirdo gremlin and that cannot shake the weirdness even if they’re in a law firm or a full tailored suit.

i used to think mages were really emotionally constipated but honestly they’re not that bad? they like to put things off, emotionally speaking. like they want to just leave that stuff for later, maybe never, bye, but they do get to it eventually. there’s a lot less active agonising going on, they just don’t like to think about the Feelings thing. when they do confront it, it’s usually just a, OK I SAID HOW I FEEL, CAN WE SKIP TO THE PART WHERE THINGS AREN’T AWKWARD ANYMORE. it’s funny but it gets the job done i guess.

identifying traits of a mage: - grumpy, crabby, whatever you get the vibe - gremlin energy. they’re just kind of weird - know their shit but cannot explain it, like maybe they can explain it a bit but it’s really not their talent and they are more likely to confuse someone than teach them anything - don’t like talking about their feelings if they can help it, but they’re not like, awful at it ig

examples of mages: yoongi (suga) bts, edward elric, meulin leijon (homestuck), sollux captor (homestuck), zhou zishu (tian ya ke, word of honor)

prospit/derse: prospit is edward elric. derse is bts suga. idk what else to tell u. it’s angry weirdo vs vaguely apathetic weirdo. both are weird with gremlin vibes.

[quilandivy]

Halo Story vs. Cinematics

Just recently I was talking with someone in a heated discussion over the original trilogy of Halo’s story vs. the ones that came after. The whole time their whole argument was completely convinced that the games after did not have the interesting storytelling the original trilogy did, and i couldn’t understand that. This basically inspired this article, in it I want to describe why I think the original trilogy doesn’t have a good story, but highlight a reason why it might’ve been viewed that it did, and talk about Halo 4’s story and how it tackles this reason.

Firstly I need to reiterate what the story of Halo consists of. Across all three games, the story of Halo is very much standard space soap opera fare, you have a clear good side (humans) and a clear bad side (The Covenant). This is the basic structure that the first game starts from. Over time, other factors are brought in: a completely eldritch abomination known as The Flood acts as another threat for the humans to fight as well as other twists and turns, like the elites turning on The Covenant after their fealty is thrown out to be substituted as the Brutes, as well as their realization that The Covenant by in large is an illusion, and that the Halo rings that they are pushing towards for their Sacred Journey will actually wipe out all life in the galaxy. It’s a very simple structure right? Humans (and then elites) good, covenant and flood bad. This is the main rub of Halo storytelling, this is all that it is. None of the characters have particularly interesting motivations or nuance to them, there’s a clear line of black/white. The Covenant is made up completely under the guise of religion creating this dumb populace. There’s no fact-checking, only serious devotion to a cause. The villains don’t have any interesting backstories or motivations, they’re one dimensional “I want to keep my power in this classist society!” For my example, I’m going to use what I’ve often heard is the best story of the trilogy, Halo 2. Halo 2’s Covenant story starts out with this literally who, the only thing you know about them, the only thing that defines him, is that he was in charge of the invasion that found the first ring and couldn’t stop the Master Chief from destroying it. He becomes the Arbiter, not for anything specific to him, but because he’s a stand-in of elite loyalty, so he decides to be one for redemption’s sake. He’s sent to kill a heretic, a person spreading “false information that could be destructive of the sacred order”, being that he knows that the Sacred Journey is a lie perpetuated to keep the power contained. He goes to stop him, but not before he shows a “oracle” that being 343 Guilty Spark who begins to explain what the purpose of the rings are before the heretic stupidly shoots at the Arbiter while his guard is down which is still probably one of the stupidest plot contrivances of his game. Literally the chance was there for the Arbiter to be convinced that the thing he is following is a lie and he dumbly decides to just shoot first, it doesn’t make sense. Anyway continuing on, he begins to doubt the Covenant internally (or at least I assume he is, because the game certainly doesn’t show it! It’s all implied), but still continues to work for the leaders of the Covenant. One twist is pushed when one of the leaders is killed, and the others decide to swap out the elites with the brutes, as they do not trust the elites to keep them safe when they failed to do so with the one killed by Master Chief. This increases the tension as the elites are angry about their loss of position despite being incredibly devout and loyal. This comes to a head where finally the Arbiter is betrayed by a Brute leader during one of his missions, and the Arbiter is then told straight up by the gravemind that the prophets are wrong and the Halo will consume all life. This is passed on, infighting happens with the Covenant, etc. etc.

The problem with this story is that it’s a tale of motivations, not characters, and those motivations are one dimensional. Everyone is a stand-in, it’s a simple tale told in an incredibly black/white manner. There’s no interesting thing being told about the elite’s blind obsession with the religious order, it’s just a very black “obsessive religion bad, second guessing what you follow good”. There’s no nuance, the arbiter’s motivation is completely flipped. I said earlier that he started to doubt the Covenant implicitly? He didn’t, in fact when talking with the Gravemind he refuses to believe what he’s saying. He’s just completely convinced in the end, there’s no fallout, no grand shock to him or the other elites, there’s just a complete motivation switch. Elites go straight from loyal to fuck you I’m joining the humans now just to stop you. Events happen with scapegoats and power struggle, no personal or interesting reasons for why anyone in the Covenant does the things that they do. The prophets see the humans and heretics as threats to their power, nothing more. The elites just want to keep their position of loyalty, and when that’s tested seek solace in a more accurate truth so that they can betray the Covenant. That’s it, that’s the story of Halo 2 with the Covenant in-fighting. This problem is endemic of Halo 1 and 3 as well, in general the whole trilogy doesn’t have any themes to share, it just has a very “epic” space soap opera with a decent structure. It has its twists and turns but in the end it’s a very simple motivation-run story for events to unfold.

If that’s the case though, why do people like it so much? That gets me into my reasoning for why, the theatrics. Bungie knows their story isn’t particularly interesting, they know that their writing isn’t very good. What makes the story stand so high up in people’s heads is the overall tone, heart, and cinematic feel the game holds. What do I mean by that? Let me give a couple examples. Let’s start with this cutscene from Halo 3: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlMvje_e3ko

This is from the second mission, its opening cutscene. It starts with a dramatic sting in the soundtrack as the tone is set, Master Chief is setting down in one of humanity’s hideouts on the planet as they prepare themselves to defend on their last bastion, Earth. Master Chief walks by and the injured soldiers notice that he’s here, and it gives them hope, they’re sure they’ll be alright. They walk up to Miranda Keyes, the Sergeant cracks a quick joke, there’s a heartfelt hopeful tone, with a little bit of camp off the bat. Master Chief walks down the hall while he follows Miranda, looking to the left and right noticing all the injured soldiers, a real war is hell but they’re still fighting. Miranda gives the rundown and sets the stakes, capped off by Master Chief saying with a blunt “The rings will kill us all.” Miranda talks with Lord Hood to tell MC about what they plan to do in response, when they are cut off. Complete black frame, whole power in the facility goes down for a little. Cut to the tvs, showing the Covenant’s Prophet of Truth on every single one. Creepy track plays in the background as he gives a super chilling and strong monologue, no thanks in part to the terrific voice acting by Terence Stamp, ending with “Your destruction is the will of the gods. And I? I am their instrument.” Power goes back up, sergeant makes a quip in as well as MC, before Miranda under the realization that they’re about to get hit tells the soldiers to get ready. Whole scene ends with “Squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?” “To war.” All in all, it’s a very well done cinematic, it does a super good job selling the tone of the scene and it has a fantastic pacing. This coupled with a nice bit of camp and some solid quoteworthy lines. This is what I think people talk about when they think of Halo’s story, they don’t think of the underlying narrative, or the characters in detail. They’re thinking of how this story is told. Because despite being a super mediocre and underwhelming tale, the framing around it is well executed, Bungie is great at their craft of selling a scene.

But what about Halo 4? From the start, Halo 4 has an outright better narrative. The Didact has fully developed motivations, and the story has a theme to it, a message to take home. The Didact doesn’t want to kill humans for any sort of power struggle reason, he wants to use the humans as a tool to make an army, for him to stop the flood. It was an original plan he had before he was put into cryostasis, one he formulated around the humans because in short, he fought a war with huge amounts of losses that ended up with his children dying in the onslaught. He has no empathy for humans, he outright hates them, but he is using these humans for a greater good in his mind. As for the theme, the main concept is “letting go.” As I described above, this motivation the Didact has is one from a past now left behind him. He refuses to let go of this past, blindly continuing to follow it despite the fact he’s now in a reality where the flood threat, albeit a delayed not completely destroyed one, is no longer central and applicable. The Chief’s “letting go” is Cortana, his AI companion that he’s been venturing with for a while now that in the end, has to let go as she devolves due to rampancy. Where the Didact refuses to separate from his motivation, the Chief ends up having to give up his own, leading to a solemn ending of him overlooking the Earth he had to save while doing so. That’s great storytelling, clear theme, clear strong motivations to each character. Didact acts as a close parallel, and it leads to a satisfying conclusion. That being said, how is this story told? This is the cutscene that plays detailing the backstory of the Didact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4r_5AE6D4 Compare this to the Halo 3 scene above, see the problem? The whole motivation behind the didact is given by a complete long exposition to the Master Chief, it’s not told naturally at all, it’s told as a backdrop to a cliche chosen one the MC becomes, being immune to the Didact’s machine’s power. All done in a TV movie like cinematic, no interesting framing or tone. The only strong framing I could even give as a benefit here is that the leitmotif of Halo 4’s soundtrack is done in the background for a minute of the scene. But overall this scene is absolutely flat and lacks any of the emotional core the series was heralded on. Now, I’m not going to say Halo 4 in general is like this, there are great scenes that do get close to the ones above, specific examples being the goodbye to Cortana, and the ending cutscene in general. But for the most part, the way the story was told took a significant hit. With that, I hope I got across a good understanding of why I think people see Halo OT’s story in the way they do. And I also don’t want to imply that Bungie doesn’t know how to do good storytelling either, 3:ODST serves as a good example of how they combine the emotion they’re so good at conveying with a more interesting story with a team of legitimate personalities and character relationships, despite also not really having a clear message to give either, other than a vague notion of “don’t just shoot everything becuz these Engineers are actually enslaved creatures guys.” Although I don’t understand at all how they fucked up Reach so badly as they did after this with its completely cardboard cutout Noble Team all wrapped up in shitty tragedy bait with an even weaker emotional core than even Halo 4. I have an axe to grind on Reach so I’ll make a write-up on the story at a later time but I just wanted to leave this with a hot take if you want to see more of this writing.

[ericvick]

It’s ‘Dorsey’s Node’ as Bitcoin Marches Higher, DOGE Chokes

Bitcoin (BTC) was higher early Friday, pushing toward $38,000, around the highest levels in about three weeks. 

The news overnight was mixed, with an Australian central bank official telling lawmakers in the country that bitcoin is “not a payment instrument and it’s not even really money,” while Twitter and Square (SQ) CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted that he had set up his own bitcoin node.

Key price levels: “Should we go higher, we’ll be eyeing the $40,035 mark as the next resistance,” Matt Blom, head of sales and trading for the cryptocurrency exchange firm EQUOS, wrote early Friday in an emailed note. “Should we edge back down, the $34,855 mark will be the level to watch.”

Related: Arcane Crypto Lists on Nasdaq First North After Reverse Takeover

DeFi to the moon: CoinDesk’s Omkar Godbole reported Friday that some investors “look to be temporarily shifting focus away from bitcoin and toward crypto tokens associated with decentralized finance,” such as Compound’s COMP token and Aave’s AAVE. (Read more about this in Bitcoin Watch and Token Watch, below.) 

And dogecoin (DOGE)? The price of the token, symbolized by the dog breed Shiba Inu, was down 16% on Friday, after a brief rally late Thursday. The post below was representative of the flavor of the chatter on Reddit:

Market Moves: Bank of England takes baby step toward negative interest rates 

The Bank of England has asked British banks to prepare for negative interest rates within six months, opening the possibility the U.K. central bank could eventually join counterparts in Europe and Japan in pursuing ultra-loose monetary policy. 

Only an option, we swear: Officials were quick to note the central bank wasn’t signaling an intention to actually push borrowing rates below zero – just that option might be needed at some point. The main bank rate is currently set at 0.1%.  

Story continues

Related: China’s BSN Onboards EY for Ethereum Compliance Tools

“The BOE wants to have its cake and eat it, too: recognize that negative interest rates as a possible tool, which may help keep rates down without delivering what would appear to be a disruptive move,” Marc Chandler, a former head currency strategist for foreign-exchange giants Brown Brothers Harriman and HSBC, wrote Thursday on SeekingAlpha.   

Negative interest rates have always been a head-scratcher, given the prospect that borrowers in the country may at some point find themselves getting to take out loans, rather than forking over interest payments to their lenders. Or that savers might end up paying banks to hold their money, instead of receiving income on deposits.

Bitcoin’s validation? The announcement – made via a published letter that was sent to bankers, with a subsequent news conference held by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey – offers the latest validation of the economic scenario many bitcoin bulls are betting on: that despite the ongoing rollout of coronavirus vaccines, the world’s monetary authorities aren’t likely to stop stoking global financial markets with easy money anytime soon. 

More money printing: Economists are reading the tea leaves and coming to the conclusion the Bank of England may also opt to increase its £895 billion (US$1.3 trillion) target for asset purchases, a form of stimulus pioneered by the U.S. Federal Reserve in which central banks essentially pump new money into financial markets. Pantheon, the forecasting firm, predicted Thursday the U.K. central bank will increase the target by £50 billion later this year.   

The Federal Reserve, for what it’s worth, is currently buying $120 billion of assets a month, and Chair Jerome Powell has said there’s no need to cut interest rates to negative levels; currently, the key U.S. short-term rate is set at just above zero. But pressure might build on the Fed to experiment with more unconventional monetary policies if the world’s other major central banks keep moving in that direction.    

Bitcoin Watch

The path of least resistance for bitcoin appears to be to the upside, writes CoinDesk’s Omkar Godbole, as demand continues to outstrip supply.

The cryptocurrency has broken out of a descending channel on the daily chart, indicating scope for a re-test of record highs above $41,900, Godbole wrote Friday. The market focus may shift back to bitcoin if the cryptocurrency charts a quick move upwards. (See chart above.)

Stimulus plan moves forward: The U.S. Senate narrowly voted early Friday to adopt a budget blueprint for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 billion coronavirus relief package, a legislative track that’s being closely watched by bitcoin bulls betting the cryptocurrency can serve as an inflation hedge during an era of outsize government and monetary stimulus.

Dollar strength: The U.S. dollar is on track for its strongest weekly gain since October on investor optimism for a faster economic recovery. The greenback’s strength makes bitcoin’s 14% gain since Sunday look more impressive because the cryptocurrency’s price is denominated in dollars.

Token Watch

DEFI TOKENS MOON: In the past 24 hours, DeFi-linked tokens such as COMP, AAVE, KNC and ZRX leapt to fresh all-time highs. Compound’s governance token COMP clocked a new record of $500, taking the month-to-date gain to above 40%. Oracle provider Chainlink’s LINK token is also benefitting from the broad-based rally across DeFi. AAVE, the token of the DeFi lending protocol Aave, rose 21% to a record. ZRX, from the Ethereum-based decentralized exchange 0x, is up 60% in the past 24 hours.

ETHER GAS PRICE FALLOUT: Japan cryptocurrency exchange Liquid temporarily halted ether (ETH) withdrawals as gas fees hit new highs.

COMPOUND VS. AAVE: Aave has a “fighting chance” to the take the crown from Compound as “DeFi’s most popular lending protocol,” according to The Defiant.  

Celebrity Watch

Who ISN’T investing in crypto these days? LL Cool J, the Queens, N.Y.-born rapper and entrepreneur, is among a glitzy roster of limited partners backing North Island Ventures’ newly revealed $72 million fund, CoinDesk’s Zack Seward reported Thursday. Paul Tudor Jones II, the legendary hedge fund manager who last year was among the first big institutional investors to espouse bitcoin as an inflation hedge, is also involved. North Island Ventures is chaired by Glenn Hutchins, a co-founder of the technology-investment firm Silver Lake and until recently a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. 

Jack Dorsey has set up his own bitcoin node. The Twitter and Square CEO, who has used his posts to promote the cryptocurrency, shared an image Friday “showing the node in the action of synchronizing with the bitcoin blockchain,” CoinDesk’s Tanzeel Akhtar reported. In the latest post he wrote simply, “Running #bitcoin.”

What Else

$90M hedge fund deceit: Cryptocurrency hedge fund founder Stefan Qin pleaded guilty in New York Thursday to deceiving investors out of more than $90 million. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, Qin, a 24-year-old Australian national and founder of Virgil Capital, had been charged with a single count of securities fraud in Manhattan’s federal court.

Arcane stock goes live: Shares in the Norwegian cryptocurrency analysis firm Arcane Crypto started trading Friday under the ticker ARCANE on Nasdaq First North Growth Market, after completion of reverse takeover. According to this, the stock has a market capitalization of about 1.7 billion Swedish krona ($200 million). 

Move over, GameStop: Brokerage firms report boom in online bond trading, including corporate debt and mortgage-backed securities. 

Was anything wrong with the GameStop saga, or just markets being markets?

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigators are combing social-media and message-board posts for signs that fraud played a role in the recent GameStop (GME) stock-price pump, Bloomberg News reported. Regulators in Massachusetts are also looking into the case.  

Prosecutors reaching: The story shows how pressed the official overseers of traditional markets are to bring a solid case over the move, which appeared to be coordinated by retail stock traders on the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets. The basic defense is that they were just sharing their opinions publicly, perhaps less suspicious than the type of private information sharing and insider access that’s prized on Wall Street. 

What’s the big deal? Cryptocurrency analysts have noted the similarities between the GameStop saga and the type of anything-goes trading that happens every day in 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, international digital-asset markets, where no single exchange or country dominates the action and regulations seem to be constantly catching up to the industry’s fast-evolving growth. Coordination on social media? Check. Triple-digit percentage moves? Check. A sometimes complete lack of news to explain price pumps or price dumps? Check.  

So it’s perhaps not surprising some crypto-industry executives are using the opportunity to tee off on everything that’s wrong with the traditional financial system. Or maybe what’s wrong with believing there’s a right way to think about a trade and a wrong way. 

William Quigley, co-founder of WorldWide Asset eXchange, a decentralized video-game and entertainment network, said in emailed comments Thursday that “at its core, investing all about convincing someone else of the merits of buying a stock or other asset – or the opposite.”

Even in traditional markets, there are all sorts of reasons for getting in and out of the market – including “programmatic trading that pays no heed at all to underlying fundamentals.”  

“The notion that WallStreetBets is somehow illegitimate because it is encouraging going long GME without solid fundamentals to back it up there is irrelevant,” Quigley said.

The “pure speculation” in dogecoin recently is no different, he added.

Dogecoin, for those who haven’t followed the thread, is a “meme token,” symbolized by the Japanese dog breed Shina Inu, was launched in 2013 as a joke. Elon Musk, the electric-vehicle and private-spaceflight entrepreneur who’s reportedly the world’s richest man, likes to tweet about it. People are talking about it on the Reddit forum r/SatoshiStreetBets. 

“It has no fundamental value drivers,” Quigley said. “People buy dogecoin for one reason: pure speculation. They hope other people will buy it and pay a higher price.”

Quigley is giving his opinion. Just like the commenters on Reddit and Warren Buffett on CNBC when he talks about the virtues of his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway’s investments in railroads and Coca-Cola.

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[siva3155]

300+ TOP ERP Interview Questions and Answers

ERP Interview Questions and Answers for freshers experienced :-

1. What is ERP? ERP is a package with the techniques and concepts for the integrated management of business as a whole, for effective use of management resources, to improve the efficiency of an enterprise. Initially, ERP was targeted for manufacturing industry mainly for planning and managing core business like production and financial market. As the growth and merits of ERP package ERP software is designed for basic process of a company from manufacturing to small shops with a target of integrating information across the company. 2. Different types of ERP? SAP, BAAN, JD Edwards, Oracle Financials, Siebel, PeopleSoft. Among all the ERP’s most of the companies implemented or trying to implement SAP because of number of advantages over other ERP packages. 3. What is SAP? SAP is the name of the company founded in 1972 under the German name (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is the leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software package. 4. Explain the concept of “Business Content” in SAP Business Information Warehouse? Business Content is a pre-configured set of role and task-relevant information models based on consistent Metadata in the SAP Business Information Warehouse. Business Content provides selected roles within a company with the information they need to carry out their tasks. These information models essentially contain roles, workbooks, queries, InfoSources, InfoCubes, key figures, characteristics, update rules and extractors for SAP R/3, mySAP.com Business Applications and other selected applications. 5. Why do you usually choose to implement SAP? There are number of technical reasons numbers of companies are planning to implement SAP. It’s highly configurable, highly secure data handling, min data redundancy, max data consistency, you can capitalize on economics of sales like purchasing, tight integration-cross function. 6. Can BW run without a SAP R/3 implementation? Certainly. You can run BW without R/3 implementation. You can use pre-defined business content in BW using your non-SAP data. Here you simply need to map the transfer structures associated with BW data sources (InfoCubes, ODS tables) to the inbound data files or use 3rd part tool to connect your flat files and other data sources and load data in BW. Several third party ETL products such as Acta, Infomatica, DataStage and others will have been certified to load data in BW. 7. What is IDES International Demonstration and Education System. A sample application provided for faster learning and implementation. 8. What is WF and its importance Business Work Flow: Tool for automatic control and execution of cross-application processes. This involves coordinating the persons involved, the work steps required, the data, which needs to be processed (business objects). The main advantage is reduction in throughput times and the costs involved in managing business processes. Transparency and quality are enhanced by its use. 9. What is SAP R/3 A third generation set of highly integrated software modules that performs common business function based on multinational leading practice. Takes care of any enterprise however diverse in operation, spread over the world. In R/3 system all the three servers like presentation; application server and database server are located at different system. 10. What are presentation, application and database servers in SAP R/3 The application layer of an R/3 System is made up of the application servers and the message server. Application programs in an R/3 System are run on application servers. The application servers communicate with the presentation components, the database, and also with each other, using the message server. All the data are stored in a centralized server. This server is called database server.

ERP Interview Questions 11. What should be the approach for writing a BDC program Convert the legacy system data to a flat file and convert flat file into internal table. Transfer the flat file into sap system called “sap data transfer”. Call transaction (Write the program explicitly) or create sessions (sessions are created and processed, if success data will transfer). 12. Explain open SQL vs native SQL ABAP Native SQL allows you to include database-specific SQL statements in an ABAP program. Most ABAP programs containing database-specific SQL statements do not run with different databases. If different databases are involved, use Open SQL. To execute ABAP Native SQL in an ABAP program, use the statement EXEC. Open SQL (Subset of standard SQL statements), allows you to access all database tables available in the R/3 System, regardless of the manufacturer. To avoid conflicts between database tables and to keep ABAP programs independent from the database system used, SAP has generated its own set of SQL statements known as Open SQL. 13. What are datasets The sequential files (processed on application server) are called datasets. They are used for file handling in SAP. 14. What are internal tables check table, value table, and transparent table? Internal table: It is a standard data type object, which exists only during the runtime of the program. Check table: Check table will be at field level checking. Value table: Value table will be at domain level checking ex: scarr table is check table for carrid. Transparent table: – Exists with the same structure both in dictionary as well as in database exactly with the same data and fields. 15. What are the major benefits of reporting with BW over R/3? Would it be sufficient just to Web-enable R/3 Reports? Performance Heavy reporting along with regular OLTP transactions can produce a lot of load both on the R/3 and the database (cpu, memory, disks, etc). Just take a look at the load put on your system during a month end, quarter end, or year-end — now imagine that occurring even more frequently. Data analysis — BW uses a Data Warehouse and OLAP concepts for storing and analyzing data, where R/3 was designed for transaction processing. With a lot of work you can get the same analysis out of R/3 but most likely would be easier from a BW. 16. How can an ERP such as SAP help a business owner learn more about how business operates In order to use an ERP system, a business person must understand the business processes and how they work together from one functional area to the other. This knowledge gives the student a much deeper understanding of how a business operates. Using SAP as a tool to learn about ERP systems will require that the people understand the business processes and how they integrate. 17. What is the difference between OLAP and Data Mining? OLAP – On line Analytical processing is a reporting tool configured to understand your database schema, composition facts and dimensions. By simple point-n-clicking, a user can run any number of canned or user-designed reports without having to know anything of SQL or the schema. Because of that prior configuration, the OLAP engine “builds” and executes the appropriate SQL. Mining is to build the application to specifically look at detailed analyses, often algorithmic; even more often misappropriate called “reporting. 18. What is “Extended Star Schema” and how did it emerge The Star Schema consists of the Dimension Tables and the Fact Table. The Master Data related tables are kept in separate tables, which has reference to the characteristics in the dimension table(s). These separate tables for master data is termed as the Extended Star Schema. 19. Define Meta data, Master data and Transaction data Meta Data: Data that describes the structure of data or MetaObjects is called Metadata. In other words data about data is known as Meta Data. Master Data: Master data is data that remains unchanged over a long period of time. It contains information that is always needed in the same way. Characteristics can bear master data in BW. With master data you are dealing with attributes, texts or hierarchies. Transaction data: Data relating to the day-to-day transactions is the Transaction data. 20. Name some drawbacks of SAP Interfaces are huge problem, Determine where master data resides, Expensive, very complex, demands highly trained staff, lengthy implementation time. 21. What is Bex Bex stands for Business Explorer. Bex enables end user to locate reports, view reports, analyze information and can execute queries. The queries in workbook can be saved to there respective roles in the Bex browser. Bex has the following components: Bex Browser, Bex analyzer, Bex Map, Bex Web. 22. What are variables Variables are parameters of a query that are set in the parameter query definition and are not filled with values until the queries are inserted into workbooks. There are different types of variables which are used in different application: Characteristics variables, Hierarchies and hierarchy node, Texts, Formulas, Processing types, User entry/Default type, Replacment Path. 23. What is AWB?. What is its purpose AWB stands for Administrator WorkBench. AWB is a tool for controlling, monitoring and maintaining all the processes connected with data staging and processing in the business information whearhousing. 24. What is the significance of ODS in BIW An ODS Object serves to store consolidated and debugged transaction data on a document level (atomic level). It describes a consolidated dataset from one or more InfoSources. This dataset can be analyzed with a BEx Query or InfoSet Query. The data of an ODS Object can be updated with a delta update into InfoCubes and/or other ODS Objects in the same system or across systems. In contrast to multi-dimensional data storage with InfoCubes, the data in ODS Objects is stored in transparent, flat database tables. 25. What are the different types of source system SAP R/3 Source Systems, SAP BW, Flat Files and External Systems. 26. What is Extractor Extractors is a data retrieval mechanisms in the SAP source system. Which can fill the extract structure of a data source with the data from the SAP source system datasets. The extractor may be able to supply data to more fields than exist in the extract structure. 27. Why implement an ERP system? ERP software integrates all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs. ERP combines finance, HR, manufacturing and distribution all together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database so that the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other. This integrated approach can have a tremendous payback provided the software is installed and used correctly. 28. How much does it cost to go for ERP? The cost of ERP project would vary significantly from one instance to other. The actual cost depends on the nature of the industry, the size of the firm, the geographical distribution of the organizational units such as offices, plants, warehouses and distribution points, the number of user licenses and the extent of ERP implementation (the number of functional modules implemented). A typical mid-size Indian company with about Rs 100- 300 crores of annual business will have to invest about five to twenty crores of rupees in the ERP project. This includes ERP software licenses, server cost, communication network cost and the cost of consultants who would do the implementation. Large corporations with Rs 1000+ crores of annual business might invest Rs 100+ crores in ERP project. A number of small companies have managed to implement ERP in about Rs 1 crore. It may be noted here that in a typical installation the cost of ERP software accounts for only about 20% of the overall cost. A major component in ERP project is the cost of the implementation consultant (both internal and external). 29. What is an ERP Project team? ERP project team would be charged with the responsibility of implementing the ERP for the specific organization. A champion, who is skilled in communication and understands the organization well should head the ERP team. The leader must be well accepted by the most employees of the organization. The leader also must be a person who can keep the motivation level of the implementation team at fairly high levels throughout the several months of implementation. The implementation team would consist of dozens of people. There will be a number of teams for each of the functional area with every team consisting of key users and IT personnel to provide technology support. 30. Is there a benchmarking tool to fine tune ERP performance? Every ERP vendor provides performance guidelines that can be used by system administrators to fine tune performance. Some of them are very comprehensive and address fine-tuning at the application, database, operating system, processor and even the network level. Other ERP vendors provide tools that can leverage the leading edge database tuning, operating system tuning and network performance tuning tools. 31. ERP being integrated software does one benefit by implementing only specific modules? Yes. The full benefit of ERP would accrue if all the ERP modules are implemented. However many organizations implement ERP only in those functions, which are, considered to be of strategic importance. Some of the modules, though they appear to be limited to specific functions, in fact integrate with many other functions indirectly. For example finance module primarily targets the accounting and finance functions. However the accounts payable module address all the material purchases and in turn impacts the entire materials management functions. Many more examples can be quoted to reinforce our viewpoint. The process orientation of ERP software definitely contributes to a better management of the organization. Even partial implementation of the ERP therefore leads to significant benefits. 32. What is the role of process-modeling tools ERP implementation? Process Modelling provides a means to map the organization processes and visualize it in a graphical manner. This helps in communication, clarification and documentation of the “AS IS” and “TO BE” processes. Process modelling can be used to reinforce the central theme of ERP, namely, a shift from function orientation to process orientation. 33. What is the ERP life cycle? The set of activities through which ERP is implemented in an organization constitutes the ERP life cycle. This can be compared to the well developed System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in the traditional Structured System Analysis and Design (SSAD). Typical ERP project consists of the following steps: Step 1: ERP readiness assessment Step 2: Preparing the organization for ERP Step 3: ERP Feasibility Study Step 4: Process modelling and documenting the “AS IS” processes & “TO BE” processes (along with BPR) Step 5: Detailed plan for ERP implementation (includes ERP software selection, selection of implementation partners, implementation methodology – “Big Bang” or Modular Implementation – and the final and precise extent of implementation) Step 6: Detailed implementation including development, quality assurance and production system Step 7: Preparing to “go live” including data migration Step 8: Going live Step 9: Performance assessment, documentation, training (continues in early stages also) and future plans. 34. What is customization in ERP? Customization is the job of fitting the ERP software to meet the demands of a particular organization. This would mean the mapping of the organizational structures, processes & environment of the organization into the corresponding model of the organization that is embedded in the ERP software. In other words, it is a mapping of the real world into the model world of the particular ERP software. The structure and processes represent one part of customization; the creation of master data, input-output forms, validations, reports, queries, formats, authorization, backup / restore procedures, data administration procedures, disaster recovery processes etc., represent the full gamut of customization. 35. What is the ideal background for ERP Consultants? An ideal background of ERP Consultants would be several years of domain knowledge (HR, Finance, Material etc) followed by extensive software training and implementation experience with at least a couple of real-world implementations. Technical knowledge by way of deep IT training helps but not mandatory. Knowledge of business process by way of formal business school education, once again is of help but not necessary. However business knowledge by the way of experience and consulting is a must. 36. Is there a benchmarking tool to fine tune ERP performance? Every ERP vendor provides performance guidelines that can be used by system administrators to fine tune performance. Some of them are very comprehensive and address fine-tuning at the application, database, operating system, processor and even the network level. Other ERP vendors provide tools that can leverage the leading edge database tuning, operating system tuning and network performance tuning tools. 37. Where do you get ERP software market information? Once again Gartner group and IDC, Data Quest are the prime sources of ERP market related information. India specific information is made available by IDC India. 38. Is there a segmentation of the ERP market? There is no easy way to segment the ERP market in a precise manner that can be readily adopted by an organization as a thumb rule. However SAP R/3, Oracle Applications, BaaN Series, People Soft & Ramco Marshall represent the high-end of the ERP market. SSA BBCS & JD Edwards represent the medium-end market. Scala, Intentia Movex & QAD MFG / PRO represent the low-end of the market. This division is generally based on past installation, pricing and positioning of the products by the ERP vendors themselves. It does not necessarily mean that low end products lack features or high end products have all features. It may be instructive to note that a large company HLL uses QAD MFG/PRO (a low end ERP) and a small company Microland uses SAP R/3 (a high end ERP). 39. Who is the market leader in ERP? Undoubtedly SAP is the market leader in ERP and has almost one-third the market share. Interestingly SAP has captured two thirds of the market share in India though ERP business is less than two years old in India. {2/3rds of market share in terms of revenues but not number of sites/organizations} 40. What is the role of process-modeling tools ERP implementation? Process Modelling provides a means to map the organization processes and visualize it in a graphical manner. This helps in communication, clarification and documentation of the “AS IS” and “TO BE” processes. Process modelling can be used to reinforce the central theme of ERP, namely, a shift from function orientation to process orientation. 41. Why should I choose Mosaic 21 Applications for my ERP solution? The four main reasons to choose Mosaic 21 Applications are: Software Functionality – superb user friendly functionality to meet all your business process requirements Technology platform – ensures the security and integrity of enterprise data while providing the lowest total cost of ownership Proven Implementation Control – with the Mosaic Implementation Methodology (MIM) you are ensured an expeditious and successful implementation Industry Knowledge and Expertise – Mosaic’s resources have real world experience in the manufacturing and distribution industries 42. What are the SAP upgrade options available and what are the recommendations to the present customers? The general SAP recommendation is to always upgrade to the latest SAP ERP release to be able to use the latest functionality SAP offers. SAP ERP 6.0 is the “go-to release” and the foundation for any future innovations. Use the Product Availability Matrix at http://service.sap.com/pam to find out about all SAP upgrade options. The Product Availability Matrix bundles technical and release planning information on SAP components for quick reference. You will find information on the availability of SAP component releases (product versions), maintenance end dates and upgrade paths, as well as technical release information (DB platforms, JSE platforms, operating systems, languages, countries, and so on). 43. What is new about SAP ERP 6.0? SAP ERP 6.0 provides more than 300 functional enhancements that can improve process efficiency. In addition, it integrates the functions of most SAP industry solutions so that these solutions no longer need to be installed and set up separately. The new software also simplifies daily business tasks through more appealing and integrated user-interface concepts that increase user productivity and satisfaction – for example, by enabling the use of Duet software for integrating Microsoft applications. Go to the solution browser tool for SAP ERP to find out more. This tool allows you to identify new features and functions and their business benefits in a given release of SAP ERP and enhancement packages. After you upgrade to SAP ERP 6.0, you can enhance the functionality of your applicationwithout performing a further upgrade thanks to a new deployment technology – the SAP enhancement packages for SAP ERP. The enhancement packages simplify the way you manage and deploy new software functions for SAP ERP. They enable you to take advantage of the latest software innovations while minimizing disruption to ongoing operations. You can implement selected components and then activate selected business functions and enhancements on demand to meet your business requirements. This unique delivery and deployment method for enterprise software, enabled by the flexibility of enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA), lets you access new ERP functions while holding on to your core functions. As a result, you can isolate the impact of software updates and quickly bring new functions online through shortened testing cycles without impeding core business processes. 44. Why should I choose Mosaic 21 Applications for my ERP solution? The four main reasons to choose Mosaic 21 Applications are: Software Functionality – superb user friendly functionality to meet all your business process requirements Technology platform – ensures the security and integrity of enterprise data while providing the lowest total cost of ownership Proven Implementation Control – with the Mosaic Implementation Methodology (MIM) you are ensured an expeditious and successful implementation Industry Knowledge and Expertise – Mosaic’s resources have real world experience in the manufacturing and distribution industries Mosaic Data Solutions offers the functionality, technology platform, industry knowledge and implementation expertise to help you realize the full benefits of an ERP solution. 45. What are the benefits of an ERP System? The benefits derived from ERP can far outweigh the costs of the system, providing that the system is selected carefully and is appropriate for your company from a feature, cost, and technology standpoint. Some of the benefits realized are: A single integrated system Streamlining processes and workflows Reduce redundant data entry and processes Establish uniform processes that are based on recognized best business practices Information sharing across departments Improved access to information Improved workflow and efficiency Improved customer satisfaction based on improved on-time delivery, increased quality, shortened delivery times Reduced inventory costs resulting from better planning, tracking and forecasting of requirements Turn collections faster based on better visibility into accounts and fewer billing and/or delivery errors Decrease in vendor pricing by taking better advantage of quantity breaks and tracking vendor performance Track actual costs of activities and perform activity based costing Provide a consolidated picture of sales, inventory and receivables An ERP system provides the solid operational backbone manufacturers and distributors need to improve the volume of production and fulfillment of orders while reducing costs. By optimizing your manufacturing and distribution operations with ERP, you’ll also be able to focus on new business opportunities. 46. What is the significance of ODS in BIW? An ODS Object serves to store consolidated and debugged transaction data on a document level (atomic level). It describes a consolidated dataset from one or more InfoSources. This dataset can be analyzed with a BEx Query or InfoSet Query. The data of an ODS Object can be updated with a delta update into InfoCubes and/or other ODS Objects in the same system or across systems. In contrast to multi-dimensional data storage with InfoCubes, the data in ODS Objects is stored in transparent, flat database tables. 47. What are the different types of source system? SAP R/3 Source Systems, SAP BW, Flat Files and External Systems. 48. What is Extractor? Extractors is a data retrieval mechanisms in the SAP source system. Which can fill the extract structure of a data source with the data from the SAP source system datasets. The extractor may be able to supply data to more fields than exist in the extract structure. 49. What are variables? Variables are parameters of a query that are set in the parameter query definition and are not filled with values until the queries are inserted into workbooks. There are different types of variables which are used in different application: Characteristics variables, Hierarchies and hierarchy node, Texts, Formulas, Processing types, User entry/Default type, Replacment Path. 50. What is AWB?. What is its purpose? AWB stands for Administrator WorkBench. AWB is a tool for controlling, monitoring and maintaining all the processes connected with data staging and processing in the business information whearhousing. ERP Questions and Answers pdf Download Read the full article

[dozingcarbs]

FFXV-2 Ardyn Story

↼ Read Lunafreya story concepts

Ardyn Part 1

Ardyn’s journey won’t be solo. His companions could consist of all the guys that potentially betrayed him and were tying him up (as seen in the official Artbook).

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I wonder if those black hoods have any connection to the one you find in Pitioss Ruins. Ardyn’s era is after Solheim. But their technology should still be around and reinvented. Just like how Ardyn introduced Magitek Troopers to Niflhiem once he joins them.

I based Ardyn’s story mostly on what was available from the timeline released in the Ultimania. 

Let’s start with a timeline piece from the Ultimania:

Ancient History

Ancient civilisation of Solheim flourishes - Solheim, prospers in machine technology like Airships and Magitek Armor

The Six watch over everything

The Astral War breaks out due to Ifrit’s betrayal

Solheim falls

Humans are given special powers, granted to them by the gods. - These power included, “King” with the power to summon weapons, Oracle with the power to heal. - The Oracle is also granted power also commune with the Gods, serving as liaison between Gods and mankind.

2000 Years Ago

Before falling into eternal slumber, the Six bequeathed unto man the star’s Crystal and Ring of Light. The king at the time founds Lucis. - The Six create the Ring of Light. And grants the king the Crystal, which he was to guard at all costs.

12 Statues built in Lucis. - Each of the 12 is to serve as a coffin to hold the soul of a dead king. The successive kings, from these coffins, await the emergence of the Crystal’s Chosen king. Also, these kings will serve as a magical barrier (Knights of the Round) to protect the Kingdom.

The plague is suppressed through the efforts of the Lucian King.

2000 - 755 Years Ago

The world stabilises and new nations are founded. - Tenebrae where the Oracle’s family lives, the commercially prosperous parliament of Accordo, the Empire of Niflheim ruled by the Aldercapt family who try to reconstruct the ancient technology of Solheim.

See the fully fleshed out timeline here. It’s in more details than the above.

And yes it does say "Knights of the Round" 「 第一魔法障壁 ( ナイツ オブ ラウンド ) 」 even though there are only 12. And the barrier it is referring to is the Old Wall, not the magical barrier Wall protecting over Insomnia.

I’ve added a few of my own translations in the ancient era timeline piece above. 

Translations do vary slightly due to cultural differences. But the premise remains the same.

Ardyn Part 1.2

Eos' history implies there were other kings with the power to summon weapons. The Lucis were founded unknown years later. Ardyn Lucis Caelum is such a king, acknowledged by the Gods, he was given the Crystal and the Ring of Light, soon dubbed Ring of Lucii.

"12 Statues built in Lucis." We've seen a few of them in the Kingsglaive movie. And we've seen all 12 + Regis in Lucis/Astral form in the game. I think the 12 coffins do not represent the kings of Lucis but 11 kings of all around the world and former Solheim. (Implied that the nation of Lucis = Solheim before it fell. We've experienced Solheim dungeons first hand on Lucis before: Steyliff Grove, Costlemark Tower and Pitioss Ruins.)

The 12 coffins had an exception. One statue represented the Oracle as it held the Trident of the Oracle. We've seen her in the movie and in the game. The guide explicitly states the coffins house the souls of dead kings. So it can't actually be something like it holds the souls of dead Oracles. (It would've been ideal if it did state that one statue was for the Oracle. Would explain why Luna was kinda there in the Beyond too unless that was just Ardyn hallucinating.)

We know the souls of dead kings enter the Ring. The statues may have been a legend to tell the citizens of Insomnia. But it does look like Kings of old can temporarily enter those protective statues of them.

Ardyn Part 1.5

Keep in mind there were only 11 Royal Tombs built. There were no tombs for the Trident and Sword of the Father.

Assuming one statue is supposed to represent Ardyn, the remaining 10 honour the kings and queens (star and shield). They're foreign kings; their weapon descriptions may allude to such. They all just feel like they're from different cultures or regions:

A king performed great feats of arms, expanded his realm, and made his people prosper. This was his halberd.(Conqueror)

A queen spurned the public eye and took to the shadows. This was her shuriken. (Rogue)

A king was built like a mountain, towering over all others. This was his greatsword. (Tall)

A king was quick like the wind and went where no man had gone before. These were his blades. (Wanderer)

A king rose to protect the world with the Oracle. This was his sword. (Mystic)

They just strike me as if they were kings or leaders of a group at the time before Lucis and were given the power to summon weapons. Each befitting their title. No weapon states "Lucis King/King of Lucis" either.

The story could go in a way of the kings all sharing a comradery over time. But Ardyn will trick and kill them, for their power is needed to eradicate the Starscourge.

Ardyn was Chosen. He had the power of the Crystal and the Ring. He would use their souls. This may be the first time a king initiated the Power of Light (Noctis vs Leviathan in XV), absorbing each of their weapon and soul into the ring.

Ardyn Part 2

A piece from the Ultimania:

The Power of Kings ——The mighty ability bestowed to modern kings. The power of newer kings is derived from the spirits of the line of kings. Essentially, this refers to the Royal Arms (the Armiger) of the ancient kings enshrined in the Royal Tombs scattered throughout the world. Most of the Royal Tombs are located within Lucis, but they are occasionally, if rarely, found constructed in foreign lands. Weapons favoured by those of the royal line house special abilities, and they once also had the function of sealing out daemons in the vicinity of the tombs. Still yet, if the combined Power of Kings and the Crystal are unleashed, they should exhibit power enough to eradicate even the scourge eroding the planet.

The power of the kings at the time was not enough. Around that period could be when Ardyn became corrupt. He had absorbed too many Deamons. The Crystal or Bahamut deemed him no longer worthy. Perhaps it could have gone like: Ardyn was explained about the plan to accumulate Kings with Power of Kings, and how many generations it would have to take. Ardyn wanted to accelerate the process by slaying and absorbing those with power already present. This very action was his downfall.

The jealous king who is likely related by blood took this opportunity and shamed Ardyn's despicable act to the public. Ardyn was stripped of his weapons and ring, he was powerless. His execution followed.

Who knows, maybe his execution was at the Stone Prison, chained up and left to rot.

Just giving that island more relevancy as to why Noctis miraculously appears in that specific location 10 years later. And in the loading screen after Noct leaves you can see a crystal-like rock spire with what rods that resemble Bahamut's swords. Nothing is explained but maybe it's like a warp for the Crystal. My guess is Ardyn’s powers were sealed by those rods and his powers of Light were being sapped out, returning to the Crystal, which formed the spire above the Stone Prison. Unfortunately, we have no way of ever knowing unless a dlc explains it.

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Up to par with Bahamut’s swords size wise I’d say.

Strange Crystalite strings?

To add to the above theory, Ardyn could have had entered the Crystal before. But the Crystal's Light harmed him because of all the Deamons inside of him. He started to reject the Crystal as well and was thrown out. Based on his quote "Unharmed by the Light. Chosen King, indeed." and "Come back soon." was as if he knew it would take a while to absorb the Crystal's Light.

Knowing he could not use the Crystal's Light, he sought for a different method which led to the absorbing the power of other Kings.

Ardyn Part 2.5

As for why Ardyn can still use the Power of Kings. It’s probably because nobody knew, including himself, that he became immortal. He “died”. Maybe with his body rotting and starving. But the scourge resurrected him along with the Power of Kings, whether intentional or not. He then escapes. It could be a weird mutation caused by the Crystal’s Light. No other daemon was ever immortal. For a virus that eats light, it wouldn’t be surprising the ones within Ardyn mutated into something more advanced. 

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I've seen theories of Ardyn suffering from a split-personality. But it's not that cartoonish split-personality where you are completely different this one time and back the other time. Ardyn's a lot more realistic. He gets evil but has still a good side. He gets good but still has an evil side. One overpowers the other every now and then, but it's still Ardyn; one individual.

The Deamons absorbed and formed inside of Ardyn shouldn't be sentient. It's technically not the Daemons that are absorbed, it's the scourge; the virus itself. It's a parasite, they do not have sentience and act only on instinct. In this case, the scourge's instinct may have been something like to eat light and disseminate; infect others.

Ardyn has always been in control. The only time I can think he let the scourge take him over completely was the ending of XV. He was at peace and all that was left was eradicating the exposed Starscourge.

Ardyn Part 3

Ardyn's place then got stolen by the jealous king, including his royal arm and his place in the KotR.

There was one specific Royal Arm that was quite intriguing to me: The Sword of the Wise.

A king built a mighty wall and protected the realm. This was his sword. 

Could this be Ardyn's sword? The wall it is referring to can not be Insomnia's wall, which erected only at the year M.E. 606 (150 years ago). And yet all 12 statues were built 2000 years ago which already had their Royal Arms (+ Orcale's Trident) replicated onto them. The Kingsglaive movie shows the first statue with this exact sword briefly before it focuses mostly on the king wielding Sword of the Mystic (the one that follows Nyx the most.)

I believe when the Wise was bestowed upon the power of King to summon weaponry, he did not solely fight the daemons. He used that power for summoning building material. (Noct has a fishing rod, Gladio a shield, neither are really weapons, so it's not limited to that). The Wise built a mighty wall quite literally. He perfected the warp-strike by doing this. (The Sword of the Wise has several warp-strike attributes in-game.) The wielder was then dubbed the "Wise" because of this.

His sword got upgraded blessed by the Divine. All the Royal Arms have a similar design to them. One of such is having angelic wing aesthetics attached to them. 

The Gods acknowledged this and chose him for his peculiar act and achievement. He was given the Crystal and the Ring of Light. The Crystal has chosen this King to purge the Sarscourge.

That could be why the first statue had a design with 12 wings. The only statue with wings and chosen king. A Warrior of Light healing and saving people. He was Chosen King and brought other Kings of Power together.

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The jealous king who was the closest relative to the Chosen took his place, however. He may not have been necessarily malicious but he was jealous. (In chap 13 cutscene, Ardyn mentions the jealous king not yet chosen.) Perhaps the relative had an opportunity to be chosen soon as well. Unfortunately for him, that ended up never happening. 

He was gifted power of kings but not blessed with a title. He was jealous of the Wise and other kings from other lands. But, he had the chance to inherit the Crystal’s power because of his relation to the Wise. However, such reasoning is unasked for. Or so that’s how I imagine the story of the jealous king.

Also, in the final battle against Ardyn, the first weapon he uses is the Sword of the Wise. Though, that could be just because it's the first Royal Arm. But at the final phase, Noct is left with only his Father's sword for a while. And Ardyn can only use Sword of the Wise until the final barrage. Perhaps that could serve as a little connection why they only had that specific weapon after they were fatigued from using the Crystal Armiger.

(Not sure what to call the "Super Armiger", Power of light, Light Armiger, Complete Armiger, Crystal Armiger, etc.)

Ardyn Extra: 13th Statue

And regarding the Sword of the Father, Ardyn did not once use it. However, you can see it in phase 2 albeit in Crystal/Light form. Which could be either a design flaw or it's just part of the Light Armiger now because Regis had become the 13th Knight. Same goes for the Trident not being seen. And we know that you don't need to have the weapon physically to use the complete Armiger as shown by the Leviathan battle.

As for why Regis got to be the 13th knight instead of any other Lucis King. It could be because they preserved the 13th spot specifically for the Chosen King's father or mother. There was never a 13th statue built. The kings of old knew of the day when there would be enough souls of kings absorbed. The Crystal would decide and gauge so. The Crystal then chooses a king who would have to fight the Accursed and sacrifice his own, ridding the star of its scourge. Who else would suit the role of the 13th knight other than this chosen king's very own parent?

I believe Noctis was chosen simply because it was time. He would become the King of Kings. Regis was the last king of Lucis needed. He knew of this and mourned for the fate of his son. Which gave him the reason to raise Noctis not as king, but as a father.

Inspired by: -The Dawn Trailer which could imply the Old Kings told Regis. -The Omen Trailer's ending when Regis talks to Bahamut via the Crystal. -Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII (loading screen) stating he spent the next 15 years nurturing Noctis not as the future king, but as his beloved son.

From the Ultimania: Regis was told Noctis is the Chosen King by old kings of Lucis 15 years ago. (Noct was 5 years oldthen.)

Including Noctis, there were 114 Kings of Lucis. I suspect that all other dead kings' souls are not in control when their souls are absorbed. It can't be the last 13 either. It has to be first kings as they are called the "Old Wall" or "Original Wall" in Japanese. The souls and power of successive Lucis Kings become part of them and divided among them.

In Kingsglaive, when Nyx called forth the Kings of Lucis, they did not care for Insomnia. You'd think if it were the last 13 kings they would at least mind its fate. Regis' father specifically scaled back the Wall to only protect the Captial: Insomnia. But the old kings only fight for the future which is the theme.

I'd like to add that Nyx and Noctis both called them Kings of Lucis. I'd say these Ancient Kings of past times becoming part of the Ring of Light are technically Kings of Lucis in the truest sense, even if they weren’t born after Lucis was found. Perhaps when all kings came together in Lucis, the kingdom was temporarily shared amongst them and not just Ardyn. 

The Lucian King then founds the Kingdom of Lucis.

The daemon plague started from a meteor shower ifrit (impliedly) brought down. It wouldn't be odd for Kings of Power to settle near an active one and investigate the meteorite Titan caught. Still burning at that. They could not get rid of it.

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Official art of Titan catching the meteorite. He held it since Ancient Era which is way before the 2000 years ago, Ardyn’s era.

Perhaps Ardyn invented a new magic that absorbs daemons into him. Inspired by how one's own weapons can be summoned once they claim it. And believing the light of the Crystal could purify it. Ardyn would then live up to the name of the Wise again. But alas that's how he got corrupted.

However, that same act of Ardyn's may exactly that what made the Crystal realize its current power was not enough. Which led to the act of absorbing other kings of Lucis' nurtured powers.

From the Ultimania: 

Obtaining the Power of Kings is also a duty assigned to a king. As he acquires the power within the various Royal Tombs, Noctis’s fighting ability also dramatically increases.

Perhaps successive kings have to clear the tombs as if they were trials, hence most of them being built inside dungeons and other dangerous places like a volcano. (Reminder that Costlemark is not a Royal Tomb, Deamons stole the Sword of the Tall from its tomb.)

Modern kings absorb the strength of past kings, that strength returns to the Ring as ruled by their Lucis bloodline, and then possibly multiplying its essence. I can only imagine this is how the Providence can surpass the Six as stated by Bahamut.

I think absorbing all of the Crystal's Light into the ring, which had to take 10 years, was required to deliver Providence. Perhaps a Ring of Light waxed full of Light, allowed the Knights of the Round to manifest for a short time. This is the "Providence". The Glaives of Rulers past = Power. But they are dead. Crystal's Light = Manifestation, a temporary resurrection of all the power nurtured over 113 kings. Together, it brought power greater than the Six to purify the Starscourge.

Ardyn Part 4

Two descriptions of two Royal Arms could debunk my ancient kings of the same generation theory:

A king rose to protect the world with the Oracle. This was his sword. (Mystic).

A king ruled the realm according to divine law and worked hand in hand with the Oracle. This was his staff. (Pious).

However, I do not think it's entirely debunked yet. We can think of both Mystic and Pious had their own relationships with the Oracle. Mystic and Pious could be father-son or brotherly rivals (more likely). Nothing alludes to the kings all being of similar age and vice versa.

We've had a similar FF story before where two of our heroes are crushing on one girl. I think Mystic won in this scenario but they both get murdered so it don't really matter now. Just from their descriptions, I feel like Pious was flamboyant or overly religious douche, but still righteous.

And then Mystic was the main hero. We see him the most Kingsglaive. And the camera follows Mystic's sword first in the ending cutscene when they were summoned in the "Beyond". You see Pious is right behind Mystic. Mystic's tomb is also located in an unusual but also an honourable spot: at the Archaean, right in front of the meteorite. His ambitions sound bigger too by protecting the world, instead of just ruling the realm like Pious.

The Trident is also nearby, top right between Pious and Mystic.

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For some reason, Mystic is the only one who descends from above rather than from the ground like all the others during the summoning scene. And the camera follows his sword first during the Beyond scene before showing all the KotR. I guess he was just an amazing hero.

There should only be one Oracle at a time. Ardyn can’t be the first Oracle either. His power of "healing" the scourge is his own version of it but still similar by absorbing. And the Cosmogony refers to the first Oracle as she.

If we go by the theory of the King on the Cosmogony book truly being Ardyn, then we see an Oracle right in the corner too. Which many believe to be Gentiana since her eyes are closed and holds a bouqet of sylleblossoms (fictional flowers) which are based on gentiana flowers.

However, there was a cutscene in chapter 4 that shows a page of the Cosmogony with both the Oracle and Gentiana present. On that same illustration, you see the chosen king, and five other Messengers/Angels besides Gentiana. Two of them being Pryna and Umbra. The remaining three look like humans.

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Ardyn Extra: Cosmogony's false history

A page from the Cosmogony:

The Oracle (found at Wiz Chocobo Post): In the distant past, Bahamut, the Draconian, descended to the mortal realm and graced the people of Tenebrae. From among them, he handpicked a pious maiden and bestowed upon her the power of the Stars and his trident. Using these gifts for the good of all, she became the first Oracle - she who joins heaven and earth.

However, this can not be. According to the Ultimania, an Oracle was chosen since the Ancient Era. Tenebrae was only founded in the "2000-755 Years Ago" era, governed by the Fleuret Oracle family when the world stabilized thanks to the efforts of King and Oracle.

The Cosmogony tells Legends concerning the origins/structure of Eos A book that speaks of the legends of the Six and the Oracle. In addition to the original, it has been republished in various forms, such as an annotated version and a picture book for children, and is familiar to many people living in Eos.

I do not think the Cosmogony we read in the game is a false publication. Rather, it is the author who wrote a false legend. Whoever that was, there is no way of knowing. Could be Bahamut, or maybe the Fleuret family. The tale of the Accursed is nowhere known except for Ardyn himself and the Gods.

They practically wrote Ardyn out of history. Preventing the world from finding out the Gods were fighting with -and responsible for such an impure Chosen King.

Ardyn Part 5

From the Cosmogony: "It is said that, in the beginning, the six fought side by side with mankind."

From Ignis: "Legend has it the King once stood alongside the Six in the battle to banish the darkness."

Either way, the beginning the Cosmogony is referring to is most likely the Ancient Era when Ifrit betrayed the other Gods and released the Starscourge (not create). It laid the old civilization Solheim to waste. And we've seen in-game what the aftermath of the Astral War was like around the Disc of Cauthess (Titan's area, meteorite, and all those impossible arching rock formations).

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And Taelpar Crag (A giant ravine or rift in the earth starting from down near Lestallum to... Well, quite far and deep.)

The meteor the Titan caught wasn't the only meteor, but it can be assumed that it was the most destructive one. It is said it broke pieces too when it was caught. There are small craters around it as you can see. But there are other areas a meteor fell too.

Lestallum is built on a crater. Which may be a larger piece that fell off theone Titan caught.

Altissia is built on a water crater.

Gralea is built on a crater in the desert.

Except for Tenebrae, everything else used to be pure desert but it’s now covered in snow by a perpetual snowstorm thanks to Shiva.

If the Astrals fought with mankind once, it must have been during the Astral War (Ancient Era). But Ignis' quote doesn't necessarily have to refer to the same era. He could be referring to the 2000 years ago era. A king at that time stood beside the Gods against darkness. He was then found worthy by the Gods and given the Ring and the Crystal. He founds Lucis. He was the Chosen King to save Eos from the Starscourge. The Gods went to sleep soon after.

"The Six bring the ring of light, King of men at the time founds kingdom of Lucis".

The quote implies that Ardyn has always been king or at least a leader of a group that had to fend for themselves. The Gods deduced him a worthy king and bestow upon him the Ring of Light and the Star/Planet's Crystal.

The Ultimania does use 6 Gods, which in English localisation translates to "The Six"

"六神 が 光耀 の 指輪 を 作り 、 星 が 生み出し た クリスタル とともに ルシス の 王 に 授け 、 王家 に クリスタル の 守護 を 命じ た 。"

So did Ifrit join in for the Ring's creation? Wouldn't really make sense if he's not fond of humankind. Then the Ring of Light had to be created a time before Ifrit's betrayal.

A stretched out idea of mine is that the Astrals had always tested humans with trials, but one day they decided they should stop it and leave humankind alone. Ifrit wasn't fond of that. FFXV's Ifrit also reminds me of an Ancient/Tribal Warrior with his top naked body, large sword, long hair, and gold jewelry on his wrists, ankles, bicep, and crown, and even two on his horns. A God of war has no desire in bidding farewell to the battlefield. And thus betrayed the other Gods by drawing in a foreign object; a meteoroid. He may or may not have known about the parasitic virus; the Starscourge. I am leaning towards incidental effect.

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Also, the left side of Ifrit’s body is “scorched”. It could have happened during the Ring’s creation -when it yet had to become a human sized ring- and he wanted the Crystal’s power for himself but it denied him. 

Or it was simply just Shiva’s magical ice during the Astral War.

It could be pretty cool to have all the Six except for Ifrit come and join Ardyn's fight against Deamons in human form via Messenger hosts while still able to be summoned as Astrals. But they went to sleep shortly after finding a king worthy of the Ring and protecting the Crystal. So it would have to be before that. Though, I'd imagine Bahamut is the only one not truly asleep with him being in the Crystal and all. Has "seen many deaths". So he knows what's going on.

Nearing the end of Ardyn's past story is where the Gods went to sleep. The ending is his banishment and execution.

One little detail that could be implemented is that Ardyn's Armiger, over the course of his story, transitions from blue to purple to red the more daemons he absorbs.

Ardyn Part 6

Ardyn became Accursed from the countless absorbing of Deamons. The Crystal deemed him no longer pure, Bahamut finds him no longer worthy, and his own brethren betray him. Ardyn's story could very well be similar to Jesus Christ.

Had a brotherhood, communes with godly figures, healing people, getting betrayed, "crucified". Now that reminds me, did Ardyn tie Prompto in a crucified state for a reason other than just a twisted look?

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Probably just the contraption.

I feel like Ardyn and Noctis' stories are complete parallels. Noctis' brothers stood by him no matter what while Ardyn got betrayed. Noctis' dad tries to save his son. We don't know who Ardyn's father is, or if he even is relevant in any way since the first Chosen King; Ardyn founded Lucis.

But it could still be symbolic seeing how those closest to Noctis never left his side. Going off Ardyn = Jesus-ish, then maybe Bahamut could be a fatherly figure in the sense of God. Obviously, Bahamut would never be anything like a father but just a Godly figure. It's not like Jesus' God was much of a typical fatherly figure either.

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Reminder, that Lucis is that entire continent, not just Insomnia. When Solheim had fallen, it wasn’t really Solheim anymore. So a king at the time named it Lucis. The 12 statues built are located in Insomnia. If you’ve watched Kingsglaive then you may have noticed they’re just all over the place.

Built in something that could be an old church. Can’t make out which king this is supposed to be Those are not wings but just flairs like you see on the back of the wall and at the bottom. The picture comes from the Kingsglaive Art Book Program. Perhaps it was an old scrapped concept of having more than 12 statues, as it doesn’t even mention 12 statues for the description. 

The closest one to it is the statue with the Trident which has a similar helmet.

Built just standing there. Everything else built around it comes from a king’s decision of the modern era.

Ardyn Extra: Wall

The magical barrier wall we see above Insomnia did not come from the Chosen King.

 A little bit from the Ultimania timeline:

M.E. 606 (150 years ago) - King of Lucis erects a magic wall around the kingdom. 

M.E. 722 - Ardyn joins Niflheim and introduces Magitek technology.

M.E. 729 - King Mors dies, Regis is coronated King.

M.E. 736 - Noctis is born, Luna (4).

That's only 150 years ago.

Going by the history, we learn that the power of Kings has existed before the Lucis were founded. Maybe people who have a special affinity with magic like the Kingsglaive from the movie are descendants of these unknown kings. That could be what Ardyn was doing for over the 2000 years he was absent and borrowing different names. Killing anyone with any affinity to magic abilities, while waiting for when the Crystal was ready to choose. Magic never existed on Eos before the gift of King and Oracle. Ardyn's spite could span to even their descendants. Leaving no trace of a King's power behind for the new era after the Starscourge. (I mean, why did Crowe from Kingsglaive have to die just like that and so mysteriously. Only Ardyn can use magic from the Empire's side.)

Ardyn killing off the Empire could make sense in the way of him not wanting to leave information behind of ancient Solheim technology. It was as if Ardyn wanted to erase the past and let the people start anew once the Starscourge has been eliminated.

Ardyn Extra: Kingsglaive

An alternative setting for the other kings of power gathering concept is that just like the Oracle, there is only one King with the power of kings a generation.

The Chosen King set out to travel the world fighting daemons and saving those in need. Along the way of travelling to these foreign lands, he finds potential in certain men, women, and even youngsters. They follow the king on his journey.

Each and every one of them, they have come to admire the king’s wisdom and power. They had become brethren and sistren. Their faith unwavering, the king had once more realized a new method of using the Power of Kings. Living up to the name of the Wise, indeed.

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Read Concepts Part 4 ⇀

[vividads]

Twitter vs LinkedIn for B2B Trade Show Marketing

  When it comes to business-to-business marketing, LinkedIn is everyone’s go-to social network. With more than 500 million registered business users, choosing LinkedIn for B2B seems like a no-brainer. But this can be a dangerous misconception that may result in misspent marketing dollars and lost leads.

ENGAGEMENTOf LinkedIn’s 500 million users, only 250 million are monthly active users, and only 3 million of those share content on a weekly basis. Which means that of those business contacts you believe are eagerly awaiting you on LinkedIn, most are people who actually never log into their accounts. Even among the active users, most typically log in quickly to accept a connection request, and then log out—missing your promotion entirely. Those that do see your promotion often behave with this same type of “click and then quickly leave” behavior, as evidenced by the high bounce rate you’ve likely seen if you’ve ever executed a LinkedIn promotion.

If you receive comments, this shows a more interested viewer and liking and/or replying will help with your SEO and engagement. The comment may be a potential new customer, so you want to be sure to actively engage. Being present is absolutely important when engaging on social media. Posting and not following your posts for communication is a big downfall to your social media presence as it can ruin a reputation as fast as it can build one.

In contrast, even passive Twitter users spend a lot of time reading and liking other people’s content. Active B2B Twitter users rely on the network as their industry news reader–regularly monitoring the businesses, trade media, and key personalities in their sector, closely watching everything that is being said. Twitter engagement is a great tool as it is not meant to be wordy and will get to the point. This platform is a good engagement tool to keep relevant and consistent.

TARGETINGWith the ability to select audiences by industry, job title, company size, and more, LinkedIn appears on the surface to offer the most granular targeting of all social platforms. In comparison, Twitter’s seeming lack of structural organization makes it seem like utter anarchy, with no clear delineation between consumer and industry users. I once asked a Twitter advertising representative to explain the platform’s ad targeting to me, and his response was “Well, I’m not going to explain how we do it.” Gee, thanks — way to inspire confidence in your platform! For those of us who spent years pouring over nuanced list selects for direct mail marketing, the inability to know exactly who will see our digital promotions can be more than a little off-putting.

A common mistake is to get caught up in engagement with your own peers and industry and while it is great for encouragement and post boosts you want to be sure to focus on hitting your own target market as the bottom line is we all want to increase our industry knowledge and show we are the expert. One way to keep in with your peers is by sharing information with your target market that is relevant that someone else may have shared first.

You have to rely more on your own common sense with Twitter. For example, I’ve had amazing success reaching CEOs on Twitter by setting up campaigns that target users similar to the followers of various nonprofit trade associations. Why? Because it’s typically only the executive leaders (along with allied industry professionals) that follow trade associations on Twitter. Similarly, the IT professionals most likely to follow Twitter accounts such as Oracle or PeopleSoft are the CIOs and systems administrators at large corporations who use these ERP platforms. If you think hard about the types of Twitter users that speak directly to your audience, you can see how you can quickly identify key Twitter accounts to use when creating and testing look-alike audiences.

COST PER CLICKThe average LinkedIn cost per click (CPC) or cost per thousand impressions (CPM) on average ranges from $5.00-$7.00. For some targeting selects, those numbers can go higher than $12.00. In contrast, Twitter CPCs are often well under $1.00. Combine a higher engagement rate with a lower CPC, and you begin to see how Twitter campaigns can likely earn you a better ROI than campaigns on LinkedIn.

TWITTER’S DOWNFALL IS ALSO ITS STRENGTHYou’re no doubt thinking: “But neither I nor my colleagues ever really use Twitter.” You’re not alone: Twitter ranks far below Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other social networks in terms of regular users. But the key thing to focus on is who IS using it: Twitter tends to be the go-to platform for a select niche of business users who want to stay abreast of timely happenings. As a marketer of time-sensitive events, you no doubt can see how influential these people can be in spreading news of your trade shows, expos, conventions and other private events. By using Twitter’s unique engagement, targeting, and cost structure to your advantage, you can get attract these influencers and get them to jump-start the registrations for your next event.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON TWITTER & LINKEDINIn today’s “hype” of social media, we all want to make sure we are there and present and that we are sharing valuable information. After all, the first place many employers (and our prospects) look is through a search on LinkedIn. Also, from the experiences (and discovery meetings) I have had with clients, I have found that many times they have looked up my LinkedIn profile to learn more about my work experience. Keep your profile up-to-date and relevant. Another BIG factor is consistency. If you are going to be on these platforms then be on them and be engaging. You need to protect as much as you do share as this is also a space where people like to complain and be negative so you want to be sure you reply professionally and timely whether a good comment, a negative one or an inquiry. Social Media platforms are necessary but approach with caution and a plan.

from Skyline Trade Show Tips http://bit.ly/2WJQm7d via IFTTT

[ateengirlneedsbooks]

Introduction to Blockchain - Blockchain 101 - Research and Markets

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Introduction to Blockchain Blockchain 101 - Part 1" report to their offering. Recognized as an authoritative and comprehensive report that provides an enterprise-focused, unique step-by-step guide for business executives, managers and decision makers to identify, plan and implement Blockchain, The Definitive Guide to Blockchain Technology was based on extensive primary research which included surveying a network of over three thousand global Blockchain tech experts and cross-industry business leaders. This report introduces Blockchain and provides a primer on the underlying technologies. The report covers: - Technology options - Deployment pros and cons - Technology challenges and risks for enterprise - Trends and Interests in Blockchain - Common elements in all Blockchains - Structure of Blockchain technology - Demonstrating Blockchain technology with Bitcoin Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Research Methodology & Analyst Briefing 3. Key Blockchain Market Dynamics - Why Blockchain? - Blockchain is a Major Game Changer - What can Blockchain Enable? - Global Interest in Blockchain - Interest in Blockchain vs Other Popular Technologies and Trends - Blockchains' Far-reaching Impact 4. What is Blockchain? - An Introduction to Blockchain - How Blockchain Value Transfer Occurs without Corruption - Blockchain Can Unlock New Revenue Streams - The Blockchain Construct - Four Common Elements of All Blockchains - Top 10 Things You Need to Know about Blockchain 5. What are the Types of Blockchain? - Public Blockchain - Private Blockchain 6. The Structure of Blockchain - What is Proof-of-Work (PoW) - Blockchain Structure Explained - Four Key Technologies that Blockchain Uses - Smart Contracts and Smart Oracles in Blockchain 7. How Blockchain Works? Illustrated using Bitcoin - Bitcoin has been the Primary Blockchain Platform - Value Transfer Illustrated using Bitcoin - Bitcoin is one of the First Blockchains - Where Do Bitcoins Come from and Who Controls Them? - How Blockchain Works - Evolution of Blockchain - 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 - Bitcoin and Blockchain Have Their Share of Challenges and Risks 8. Concluding Remarks Companies Mentioned: Sample List - 2WAY.IO - ABN Amro - ANZ - Accenture - AirBnB - Airbus - Amazon - Augur - BBVA - BITSE - BMO - BNP Paribas - BNY Mellon - Bancorp - Bank of America - Barclays - BigchainDB - Bitcoin - Bitmiles - Bitpay - BlockAuth - BlockCrushr Labs - BlockCypher - BlockVerify - Blockchain - Blockstream - Boardroom - Bolq - Bubi.cn - CIBC - CISCO - CME Group - Calastone - Case - Chain Inc For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/87rhbl/introduction_to