Social Media Marketing and Online Shopping: March 2020

Tuesday, 31 March 2020

Indian cricketers may face pay cuts: ICA president

Former India batsman and currently the president of the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) Ashok Malhotra feels that in the present grim situation, where there is a huge uncertainty around the cash-rich IPL, India's cricketers, some of them the richest in the sport, could soon face a pay cut.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/3dPVP5d

Banks to roll out EMI waiver options soon

Banks will soon come out with the operational procedure for retail borrowers to avail a three-month moratorium on their loans. Most lenders plan to send out text messages and emails allowing borrowers to avail the facility, while some have already done so.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/3dEpyxP

Meet India’s lockdown heros

Men and women who continue to do their work to keep life under lockdown smooth

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2WWHa1N

Coronavirus: Mandatory quarantine in a five-star Sydney hotel

Australians who return from overseas are now required to spend 14 days in quarantine in hotels.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2xBZLFS

Shoot the Moon with this Homebrew Hardline RF Divider

You can say one thing for [Derek]’s amateur radio ambitions — he certainly jumps in with both feet. While most hams never even attempt to “shoot the Moon”, he’s building out an Earth-Moon-Earth, or EME, setup which requires this little beauty: a homebrew quarter-wave hardline RF divider, and he’s sharing the build with us.

For background, EME is a propagation technique using our natural satellite as a passive communications satellite. Powerful, directional signals can bounce off the Moon and back down to Earth, potentially putting your signal in range of anyone who has a view of the Moon at that moment. The loss over the approximately 770,000-km path length is substantial, enough so that receiving stations generally use arrays of high-gain Yagi antennas.

That’s where [Derek]’s hardline build comes in. The divider acts as an impedance transformer and matches two 50-ohm antennas in parallel with the 50-ohm load expected by the transceiver. He built his from extruded aluminum tubing as the outer shield, with a center conductor of brass tubing and air dielectric. He walks through all the calculations; stock size tubing was good enough to get into the ballpark for the correct impedance over a quarter-wavelength section of hardline at the desired 432-MHz, which is in the middle of the 70-cm amateur band. Sadly, though, a scan of the finished product with a NanoVNA revealed that the divider is resonant much further up the band, for reasons unknown.

[Derek] is still diagnosing, and we’ll be keen to see what he comes up with, but for now, at least we’ve learned a bit about homebrew hardlines and EME. Want a bit more information on Moon bounce? We’ve got you covered.

from Hackaday https://ift.tt/2JvqiY4

Are the Extroverts OK?

Staying in isolation can’t be very energizing for them.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/344xyDY

Some Suggestions for the NFL On Nickelodeon

A playoff game will be broadcast on the kids cable network. Time to bring in the slime.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/2ypg5dz

Cuomo Is a Coronavirus Star, but Newsom Is Quietly Bending the Curve

In recent days, it’s become clearer and clearer that Cuomo’s initial response to the crisis lagged behind that of some of his fellow Democratic governors.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/3bED1DL

As Furloughs Grow, Kennedy Center Defends Use of $25 Million in Aid

By BY JULIA JACOBS from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2UVbJlS

Las domadoras de leones de Egipto dominan el negocio

By BY DECLAN WALSH from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2UOz3St

$30 Million in Illegal Drugs Seized From Cross-Border Tunnel in San Diego, U.S. Says

By BY NEIL VIGDOR from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2UyBfhU

'Beauty and the Beast' parody stresses the importance of social distancing

Belle's introduction in Beauty and the Beast now has a pandemic twist in a parody version that emphasizes just how fast the coronavirus can spread if people don't take precautions.

Much like the original, Belle starts off her day by greeting her fellow villagers also living dull, provincial lives. But in this version, Belle isn't the protagonist. Instead, she's the one who won't wash her hands, isn't self-quarantining, and won't keep the CDC-recommended six feet of space between herself and other villagers.

"I've yet to see a reckless fool quite like her," the villagers croon. "Without a mask or gloves she goes?...She's gonna get us all infected, that is Belle." Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Beauty And The Beast, Coronavirus, Culture, and Web Culture

from Mashable https://ift.tt/2xDOpkR

‘Never Thought I Would Need It’: Americans Put Pride Aside to Seek Aid

By BY CARA BUCKLEY from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2Uygm6p

Human Rights Group Says Two U.S. Strikes Killed Somali Civilians

By BY CHARLIE SAVAGE AND HELENE COOPER from NYT World https://ift.tt/3dFYDSa

Hellmut Stern, 91, Dies; Violinist Returned to Germany After Fleeing

By BY KATHARINE Q. SEELYE from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/2R0fBku

Coronavirus Spreads in Veterans’ Home, Leaving ‘Shuddering Loss for Us All’

By BY ELLEN BARRY from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dLIbQg

Before You Adopt: Planning a Lifelong Commitment to Your Pet’s Health

By BY SASSAFRAS LOWREY from NYT Smarter Living https://ift.tt/2UvKNdC

How to Touch Up Your Roots at Home

By BY CRYSTAL MARTIN from NYT Style https://ift.tt/3bE2NIq

Coronavirus May Kill 100,000 to 240,000 in U.S. Despite Actions, Officials Say

By BY MICHAEL D. SHEAR AND JAMES GLANZ from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2JwnJVP

¿Quién iba a decir que ir al supermercado sería tan estresante?

By BY TARA PARKER-POPE from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/2WVd9Q5

Coronavirus: Stock markets suffer worst quarter since 1987

The Dow Jones and FTSE 100 have fallen more than 20% since the start of the year.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39wrB3M

Fauci and Birx’s Tactics Can Help Us Survive

How the doctors are akin to hostages in the Trump administration.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/2xzoeeZ

Forget Zoom: Use these private video-chatting tools, instead

Zoom is so last week — which, in the time of coronavirus, might as well be last year.

The videoconference tool that's captured the nation's attention as it socially distances and shelters in place has won legions of converts for its easy-to-use interface and fun backgrounds. It also happens to be a privacy nightmare. Thankfully, there are other options that cybersecurity and privacy experts say will get the job done — without the baggage.

And yes, Zoom has a lot of baggage. Let's start with the fact that the company has misrepresented the security of its videoconferencing serviceThe Intercept reported today that, despite telling users that "Zoom is using an end to end encrypted connection," the company does not in fact end-to-end encrypt calls on its platform. Read more...

More about Privacy, Cybersecurity, Zoom, Coronavirus, and Tech

from Mashable https://ift.tt/2UQBROL

Monday, 30 March 2020

An Easter Egg From Beverly Hills

By BY FLORENCE FABRICANT from NYT Food https://ift.tt/2Ut4P8s

For Your Quarantine Pizza Cravings

By BY FLORENCE FABRICANT from NYT Food https://ift.tt/33Xc5fR

Tempting Pastas and Sauces From Sicily

By BY FLORENCE FABRICANT from NYT Food https://ift.tt/39yA9XI

A Knife to Add Flash to Your Kitchen

By BY FLORENCE FABRICANT from NYT Food https://ift.tt/2JtgGgq

A Haggadah for Seders Near and Far

By BY FLORENCE FABRICANT from NYT Food https://ift.tt/2QWTSd0

Coronavirus: Italy extends lockdown amid hopes of turning corner

The number of new daily coronavirus infections is 1,648, down from 3,815 on Sunday.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2QVwbBS

The Fight to Suspend Rent Payments in Seattle

In December, council member Kshama Sawant introduced a winter ban on evictions in Seattle and won. Then the coronavirus happened.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/2ylThLL

Federal Judges Block Texas and Ohio Coronavirus Abortion Bans

There was bad news on Monday for states trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to halt abortions.

from Slate Magazine https://ift.tt/3aGYyMl

Banks yet to act on EMI relief, spark confusion

With just two days left for the next EMI cycle to begin, most big lenders are unprepared to follow the Reserve Bank of India’s blanket order allowing borrowers to hold back from paying instalments for the month. Top lenders such as State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank and Axis Bank have not activated any channel for customers to exercise an option.

from The Times of India https://ift.tt/2X6CLd1