Phrasly outputs

10 Tips to Fix Bad Wi-Fi Coverage at Home Let’s face it – bad Wi-Fi coverage at home can suck. Whether it’s endless loading spinners on YouTube or inconsistent coverage across your home, poor Wi-Fi is the epitome of a first world problem. But don’t stress – you don’t need to be tech-savvy to improve your Wi-Fi game. We put together a list of our top 10 ways to upgrade your home Wi-Fi network: 1. Place Your Router in the Middle of Your Home As odd as it may seem, don’t put your router in the corner of your closet. Wi-Fi routers send out radio signals in concentric circles. Having it in the middle of your home allows for optimal coverage. 2. Place Your Router Off the Ground As Wifi signals shoot out in circles, it only makes sense that the closer your router is to the ground, the shorter those signals will reach. Place your router on a shelf or securely mount it to the wall. 3. Keep Your Router Away From Other Electronics As noted earlier, your router sends out radio waves. When other electronics like microwaves and Bluetooth devices send out their own radio waves, they can interfere with your router signal. Move your router away from other electronics like baby monitors and cordless phones. 4. Update Your Router Firmware Speaking of logging into your router, did you know you can update it? Like any other piece of technology, your router releases firmware updates every now and then. Familiarize yourself with logging into your router and give it a look every few months. 5. Switch up Your Channel We’ve all heard people complain about their neighbors stealing their Wi-Fi. It’s not always fun and games — neighbors Wi-Fi can actually interfere with yours if you’re on the same channel. Head into your router’s admin settings and switch up your channel. You can check what channels your neighbors are on by doing a little internet sleuthing yourself! Remember: channels 1, 6, and 11 are typically your safest bet for 2.4 GHz routers. 6. Connect to a 5 GHz Network Did you know most routers offer 2 bands? If your router is dual-band, you can optimize your Wi-Fi speed by connecting to your router’s 5 GHz network. Caveat: the higher GHz network has a shorter range, so you’ll still want to place your router in a central location. 7. Invest in a Wi-Fi Extender or Mesh Wi-Fi System If you have a large home or a home with lots of walls, you might want to consider a mesh Wi-Fi system. Mesh Wi-Fi routers like Eero and Google Nest work together to create a whole-home Wi-Fi network. This basically means there are no more dead spots in your home! 8. Restart Your Router Ok, this one is more of a band-aid solution. But hear us out. Odd Wi-Fi issues can often be solved by simply restarting your router. Unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and watch those magic fingers spin. 9. Secure Your Network Okay, so this one is less “improve your Wi-Fi” and more “don’t let your neighbors steal your Wi-Fi.” But if your network isn’t password protected, someone else on your network probably is. Ensure your Wi-Fi is secured with WPA3 or WPA2 encryption and set a secure password. 10. Upgrade Your Router Last but not least, if your router is older than 5 years, it might be time to buy a new one. Newer routers come equipped with Wi-Fi 6 (or Wi-Fi 6E) technology, which allows for significantly faster speeds and can handle multiple devices connected at once. Give one of these tips a try (or try them all!) and say goodbye to bad Wi-Fi.

Abstract: Humanity’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change have necessitated a major shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy technologies. Much of the research and policy focus on climate action and fossil fuel reduction has concentrated on international treaties and global cities as targets for change. However, global cities have massive budgets and bureaucratic structures that may not translate to smaller areas. Recently, there has been a focus on cities of medium populations and sizes (mid-sized cities) as units of analysis to study the “energy transition” at a local level. While mid-sized cities’ populations are dwarfed by that of global cities, they still make up a significant portion of urban populations worldwide and contribute to overall municipal emissions. As a result, it is important to take a closer look at how renewable technologies are adopted and implemented at the local scale. Therefore, this literature review will focus on renewable energy adoption in mid-sized cities and break down the scholarly conversation around this topic into three categories. First, it will focus on why these cities may face unique barriers to adopting renewables. Many mid-sized cities do not have the same level of resources as that of larger cities and can struggle with limited city budgets, lack of trained workers, and inability to fund projects through municipal green bonds. Next, it will highlight the policy levers that can allow these cities to transition to renewables. Things like municipal ownership of electric utilities, city-level zoning restrictions, and community solar allow for local control of energy transition. Current literature points to the fact that mid-sized cities may have less bureaucracy than larger urban centers which can allow for more rapid implementation of policies. This stream of literature will be juxtaposed with literature focused on equity. Finally, this paper will focus on how energy transitions can affect low-income households. As renewable energy technologies and energy transitions can be costly, mid-sized cities must be careful not to place that burden on lower-income families. By using these three categories as lenses, this literature review will not only summarize the current state of literature on renewable energy in mid-sized cities but find gaps in current literature. There are enough examples of renewable-forward cities in Western Europe and North America but not enough that focus on mid-sized cities in the global south. While there are case studies, literature that attempts to quantitatively determine which policy levers have the highest effect based on a region is still missing.

Internet Should Be Considered a Public Utility Essay Internet access is becoming more and more crucial to our everyday lives. I believe that internet access should be considered a public utility such as water and electricity. When was the last time you didn’t use the internet? When applying for jobs, checking homework assignments, seeing the doctor, and even interacting with the government you need internet access. In today’s society if you do not have internet you are unable to work, complete schoolwork, or pay bills. During the pandemic millions of students couldn’t participate in online schooling because they didn’t have access to reliable internet. This is known as the homework gap. Making internet access a public utility would create more equality within our society. Rural areas and low-income households have fewer options when it comes to internet providers as well as slower speeds and higher prices. Private providers have little incentive to provide service to areas that they believe can not profit from. By making internet access a public utility providers will be required to provide service to everyone. Some may argue that the government shouldn’t regulate something that was not a necessity before. Telephone and electricity were also not considered necessities when they became regulated as public utilities. Regulating something as a public utility does not mean that they will not be allowed to improve their services. Just because something is required by everyone doesn’t mean that companies can’t find ways to get better with technology. Not only will this create more competition among providers but it will allow consumers to not be price gauged, kicked off of their service, or denied service. If internet is declared a public utility we will be able to keep net neutrality and stop providers from creating fast and slow lanes for certain websites. I believe internet service should be a public utility because in today’s world you need internet to function properly in society. If something is required to live a normal life then it should be regulated as a utility.

[Your Name] | [Your Phone Number] | [Your Email] | [Your LinkedIn URL or Portfolio URL] DATE: [DATE] [HIRING MANAGER NAME or HIRING COMMITTEE] [COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY ADDRESS] Subject: Application for Data Scientist Position. Dear [Hiring Manager's Name / Team], I am applying for the [Data Scientist] position at [Company Name]. I am a mid-career professional with over 5 years experience applying machine learning, statistical models, and predictive analytics to drive business value. My hope is to join [Company Name] as a Data Scientist and utilize my skills and expertise to support your team. Currently, I am a Data Scientist at [Current Company]. I own end-to-end data projects with a direct impact on company revenue. In my current role, I designed and deployed a model that predicts customer churn based on user activity and subscription levels. The model used gradient-boosted trees (XGBoost) and was implemented into the company CRM. As a result, customer churn decreased by 14%, keeping $1.2M in revenue in the company yearly. I also developed automatic ETLs to decrease data latency by 40% using SQL and Apache Spark. This provided our product teams real-time dashboard visuals. Some technical skills I possess include: Python, R, SQL. My expertise includes developing supervised and unsupervised ML models, NLP, and data visualization (Tableau, PowerBI). As a mid-career professional, I pride myself on my communication skills with stakeholders and clients. I understand the importance of translating your algorithms into an executive-level storytelling format. My team at [Current Company] and I have worked closely with members of Product, Marketing, and Engineering teams to develop our own data models. I believe [Company Name] would be a great fit for me because of your interest in [something specific you admire about the company, ex. providing users with free financial services]. I would love to help scale your data team and develop your predictive modeling skills. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss how I can be of value to [Company Name]. Sincerely, [Your Name]

Craft a morning routine that grounds you—without the stress.Click To Tweet Your morning routine impacts your entire day. Too often though, our mornings start with alarm snoozes, packing frenzies, forgotten lunches, and decisions…decisions that you just don’t have to make yet. Sometimes it feels like you’re never truly calm until long after your workday should’ve begun. That’s why we made Morningspace. We designed this lightweight SaaS app to help you craft, customize, and maintain a morning routine that works for you, not the other way around. And we do mean ROUTINE. Our mission is to make self-care easy by making it habitual. In minutes, Morningspace walks you through creating your perfect morning. Pick from our routine templates or customize your own. Add your habits, set reasonable time estimates, and schedule relaxed reminders that will encourage—not stress—you to keep your morning moving. Want to wake up earlier, spend less time scrolling, carve out time to journal, stretch before your workday begins, or leave the house feeling more centered? Morningspace can help you do that…daily. Beautiful, minimalist design keeps you focused on your routine, not apps. #### Reduce your stress—one morning at a time With Morningspace, you can: - Build morning routines that actually fit your busy life - Set relaxing notifications for each step in your routine - Track your routine progress guilt-free - Get smart recommendations to fine-tune your routine - Access your routine on all your devices Do you wake up already stressed about your day? Let Morningspace be the first thing you see. Our calming app and customized routines will prepare you to own your day—after you own your morning. Learn how to design a morning routine you’ll enjoy. Click here to start your free trial today!

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The standard workweek has remained at five days for about 100 years. But times are changing, and our concept of a “normal” workweek is broken. Enter the four-day work week. Instead of seeing the four-day work week as a luxurious benefit, it’s time we start looking at it as a way to be MORE productive. Shorter workweeks aren’t just good for employees, they’re good for employers and the economy. Don’t take my word for it. Look at the numbers. A study completed in 2022 allowed 61 UK-based companies to offer nearly 3,000 employees a 36 hour work week with no cut in pay. Guess what happened? 92% of the companies made it permanent. Employees suffered less burnout. And productivity? Businesses reported no loss – and in some cases an increase – in revenue. It’s not just the UK either. Iceland also conducted a similar large scale study from 2015-2019 with comparable results. Both of these studies are shining examples of real-world experiments that prove employees can do the same work in less time. Think about your average work day. How many of those hours are you ACTUALLY productive? Most studies find the average person is only productive for three hours of an eight hour workday. Yes, you read that correctly. You could argue that we shouldn’t expect employees to be productive for eight hours. However, the other five hours of the workday are usually filled with busywork. Back to back meetings. Internet rabbit holes. Exhaustion. By shortening the workweek, businesses will be forced to cut down on nonsense and focus on what actually needs to get done. Sometimes restrictions can create productivity. Shorter workweeks can also help curb burnout. Did you know businesses lose billions of dollars each year to burned out employees? Tired employees aren’t just sleepy-eyed zombies dragging themselves into the office. Less busy weeks mean employees will be able to take care of errands and run chores on their day off instead of during the workweek. They can relax or spend more time with their families. When employees are happier, they are more productive. And happier. They’re also less likely to call in sick or quit and need to be replaced. When given the option, many employees will accept a longer weekend over a pay raise. Which means companies that switch to four-day work weeks will have an advantage when it comes to hiring. I get it. You’re thinking of every business or job that wouldn’t be able to make this work. Newsflash: those jobs probably have shift workers already. But just because there are exceptions, doesn’t mean the majority of jobs shouldn’t make this change. Culture is the reason people resist switching to a four-day work week. Productivity shouldn’t be about how long you work. It should be about how much you get done. And studies have proven that employees can do that and more in four days.

Generative AI makes workers more productive. But its impact on jobs remains unclear Generative artificial intelligence is starting to change knowledge work. But as productivity increases, questions remain about how employees will build skills or advance their careers. Research published Thursday from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University shows employees perform tasks faster by an average of 14% when using generative AI tools. Workers with lower skill levels reported productivity boosts of up to 35%. The report corroborates findings from McKinsey & Company that generative AI could contribute up to $4.4 trillion to the global economy each year by automating parts of marketing, software engineering, customer service, and research. “This is different than past automation because now we’re starting to see AI take on white-collar work,” said Georgetown University labor economist Dr. Lena Martinez. “Writing reports, data analysis, coding. These things require expertise, but now we’re seeing AI models perform these tasks too.” Businesses large and small have begun deploying the technology in earnest. Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce have embedded AI assistants into workplace applications they sell. Consulting giants Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers are spending billions each to develop their own AI software in-house. According to a survey from Gartner released in 2024, 72% of large enterprises were using generative AI for at least one business operation, up from 33% in 2023. White-collar workers are reporting the effects of adoption. The World Economic Forum estimates 44% of employees’ core job skills will be disrupted by 2027. Professionals who traditionally enter jobs at junior positions, such as analysts, paralegals, content writers, and entry-level programmers say automation is eating into the work they once used to gain experience. “I don’t want to sound old, but there’s nothing wrong with typing out a spreadsheet report when you’re learning how to code,” said Marcus Chen, a software developer in Seattle. “If an AI program is writing the basic code juniors use to learn, where do we enter the workforce?” The speed of generative AI also has some companies struggling to verify its output. Because generative AI models often produce misleading but convincingly written text—a phenomenon known as “hallucinations”—businesses are struggling to work around the technology’s shortcomings. Law firms have been particularly humbled after partners submitted AI-generated legal briefs that cited fictional cases. Government officials are moving to regulate the technology. Europe’s artificial intelligence act, which requires businesses disclose when they’re using AI, took effect earlier this year. Congress is currently considering similar regulations. Still, the AI wave isn’t expected to retreat. Businesses and consumers have already integrated the technology into too many facets of life for that to happen. “There’s no turning back,” Martinez said. “What we need to figure out now is how to make sure workers aren’t left behind.”

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Own Your Morning. Own Your Day. How did you wake up this morning? With sunrise meditation? A leisurely breakfast while reading the news? If you’re like most people, your mornings begin with your alarm blasting, checking your emails while downing coffee at lightning speed before sprinting out the door — already behind, already stressed. It doesn’t have to start that way. Check out Rise & Align, your mindful morning planner. We believe mornings shouldn’t suck. They shouldn’t make you stressed or groggy. Instead, they should kickstart your day so you feel motivated, grounded, and ready to take on your to-do list. Our product is simple: we help you design your perfect morning routine so you own your day. We don’t believe in the toxic hustle of waking up at 5 AM. We believe in *you*. That’ why Rise & Align is a personalized SaaS platform that allows you to design your own morning routine. We’ll take you through a short assessment to learn your chronotype, then provide science-backed suggestions for a tranquil flow of activities to match your schedule. Rise & Align will help you track and maintain a rewarding morning routine you’ll actually enjoy. ### Here’s how it works: * **Customized To *You***: Complete our quick questionnaire and we’ll match you with a morning routine that suits your energy level. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, Rise & Align will scale your “flow” to the time you have that day. * **Smart, Screen-Free Notifications**: Using our automated audio notifications and smart integrations with other apps, you’ll stay focused and skip the doomscrolling. We’ll seamlessly guide you from meditation to journaling to movement. * **Flexible Timing**: Stuff happens. If you sleep too late or want to take a mental health day, your flow will automatically adjust to a “micro-flow” so you don’t feel like you fell off the wagon. ### Discover your flow Rise & Align was designed to help *you* own your mornings and your day. Users of Rise & Align experience a **40% decrease in anxiety throughout their day** and report being much more productive in the afternoon. All by starting their day with a simple routine that gets their mind and body moving. You’ll never have to wake up on defense again. Our mornings are crafted to be intuitive and calming so you can feel grounded and energized to tackle everything your day has in store. [Start Your FREE 14-Day Trial](https://www.riseandalign.com/start-your-trial) *No credit card required. Cancel anytime. *

The internet should be legally defined and treated as a public utility. The internet has become an integral part of our lives; it’s as necessary as water, electricity, and phone service. Without reliable internet access, you cannot meaningfully participate in society. Students need internet portals to learn, patients need telehealth options, and people need to apply to jobs and work remotely online. If you do not have access to the internet, you do not have equal access to be a part of society. Defining internet access as a utility will fix two major issues with the privatized market: access and price gouging. Providers will not build out to low-income, rural areas because there is not enough monetary incentive, so they are currently “information deserts.” If internet was a public utility, the government could require providers to ensure universal service. In addition to service requirements, public utilities are regulated, which would instill net neutrality legislation that prevent providers from throttling internet speeds, or blocking content. ISPs would not be allowed to create “fast lanes” for certain websites and corporations. We should not have to pay more to stream our favorite show, just as we do not pay our electric company more to turn on a light bulb. It’s time we start treating internet access as a right, not a privilege.

It’s exciting to publish your own illustrated children’s picture book. Here is a step-by-step process to help you create a beautiful picture book that will captivate young readers. ### Step 1: Edit and create a dummy book Page count for standard picture books are 32 pages. Create a dummy book by sketching out your story on 32 sheets of paper. Remember to leave a couple pages for the title page and copyright page. Plan out how many pages each scene will take up. Children’s books are graphic-driven, so you don’t need a lot of text on each page. Use your storyboard to help pace out your text. When writing your story, keep your word count low. Great picture books have less than 800 words on average. ### Step 2: Complete your illustrations With your storyboard finalized, you can now illustrate your story. * Remember to leave space for your text. You want some pages to have areas with less detail where your text can easily be placed (like a white sky or an empty wall). * Avoid placing key details in the gutter. The gutter is the center seam where the pages will be bound together. * Final formatting. Make sure to scan your finished art at 300 DPI or higher and save as CMYK files. RGB files are used for digital images/screenviews, not print. ### Step 3: Decide How You Want to Publish Your Book Self-illustrators are often known as "author illustrators". There are two routes you can take. You can seek traditional publication or self-publish your book. * For traditional publication, look up children's book agents and publishers that accept un-agented submissions. You will need to provide publishers a "dummy book". A dummy book includes your final manuscript and storyboard along with 2 to 3 finished full color sample pages. * Self-publishing allows you to be your own boss. You’ll have full control of the creative process and layout of your book. You can use self-publishing platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing or IngramSpark. These print-on-demand companies allow you to upload your book files and will only print new copies when someone orders one. ### Step 4: Book Formatting for Self-Publishers If you choose to self-publish, download blank templates that match your desired trim size from your printer. * Add a “bleed” to your images. A bleed is when your image extends past the trim size by .125 inches. This allows for no white edges to occur when the book is trimmed after printing. * Add your text. Use easy-to-read, kid-friendly fonts. ### Step 5: Publish and Share Your Book Before sending your printer your final files, have them print you a physical proof copy to proofread your color accuracy and formatting. Purchase an ISBN (international standard book number) and voila! You have a new children’s picture book! Now go out and share it with the world. Try hosting your book at a local library, connecting with parents in local school Facebook groups, and reaching out to children’s book bloggers to send a free copy for review.

The primary reason that I want to study comparative literature is that literature itself has always fascinated me. Books, stories, myths, poems, and folktales traverse languages, borders, centuries, and forms; growing up, literature never seemed to me like a collection of national traditions but like a conversation that stretches across time and space. Writers respond to one another, reinterpret the myths they inherit, critique political realities, and imagine new ways of being human. Comparative Literature is a way to enter that conversation from many angles. I love that no two people can imagine studying this discipline in the same way. The one constant in Comparative Literature is its interdisciplinary flexibility. Any question – how do people understand exile, memory, identity, love, violence, justice? – can be addressed through literary works in almost any form. I want to learn how history and culture shape texts, but I am also fascinated by how themes, narratives, and tropes can span time and place. Comparative literature would allow me to think through how texts can be both different and connected to each other. How do languages carry specific cultural significance? How does translation recover as much as it alters meaning? In particular, I want to learn how translators operate in this conversation as not merely a practical necessity but as an ethical and creative force. Translation has had such a profound impact on my own understanding of literature because it forced me to realize that meaning is not static. Translation requires negotiation through language, culture, and interpretation. What I want to learn is how much is gained and lost and what can be completely reimagined in the process of moving a text from one language into another. This interest in translation has led me to grapple with voice and power. Whose stories get told? Whose are lost? How can literature challenge the forces of silence? I think Comparative Literature appeals to me because it demands that you become a curious, sensitive reader. It asks you to pay attention to language in order to understand culture. To compare is to acknowledge what you do not know and to approach other cultures with questions instead of assumptions. My dream is to use the analytical tools I gain from CL to read texts closely, connect them with care, and write about them with imagination and precision. I want to study comparative literature because it meshes with how I see the world. Books know no barriers. They are interconnected, complex, and often change our understanding of history, culture, and humanity. Studying CL will allow me to become a better reader, a more careful writer, and a stronger conversationalist.

Cover Letter for Mid-Career Data Scientist Position Dear Hiring Manager, I am applying to your organization for the role of Senior Data Scientist because I have learned how to turn data into business decisions throughout my seven years of experience. The opportunity to work on your team excites me because I thrive on utilizing my technical skillset and innovative mindset to develop machine learning solutions that create business value. In my current role as a data scientist, I take pride in being able to complete end-to-end implementations of data science initiatives. One recent project I spearheaded developed a machine learning model that analyzes customer data to predict churn. Based on the predictions from the model, we were able to reduce churn by 23%, providing a projected $4.2 million increase to annual revenue. Additionally, I have built and deployed a recommendation engine for our website. Using a collaborative filtering model and various deep learning architectures, we were able to provide highly rated and personalized content to our users and saw a 35% increase in user engagement. As a Data Scientist, I have deep knowledge of the data science stack. My strongest programming languages are Python, R, and SQL. I have worked with TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn to produce production-ready models. Furthermore, I am comfortable deploying my solutions on AWS and GCP with Docker, Kubernetes, and MLflow. My previous positions have allowed me to gain experience in statistical modeling, natural language processing, time series analysis, and A/B testing. I believe what sets me apart from other applicants is my passion for connecting data science to real-world business needs. I have presented my analyses to C-level executives, helped teach and mentor aspiring data scientists, and collaborated with product, engineering, and marketing professionals to meet business objectives. In my previous position, I developed a best practices document for my data science team. This has allowed my team of five data scientists to reduce time to production by 40% while working on five major projects concurrently. I am interested in joining your team because your organization seeks to use data science to drive innovation in your industry. I am eager to apply my machine learning skills and advance your growing machine learning infrastructure. I have a Master’s degree in Statistics from State University. Since graduating, I have earned certifications in Deep Learning and Cloud Architecture. I frequently collaborate on open-source data science projects and share my findings with the community through blog posts and conference speaking opportunities. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, [Your Name]

The idea of a four-day work week is not just an employee benefit–it’s a legitimate productivity solution. Organizations have operated under the mentality that more hours equal more productivity for years. But countless workplace studies and experimental trials have concluded that well-rested, focused, and driven employees perform better work. By shortening the work week, companies have an opportunity to operate more efficiently, support employee well-being, and out-recruit competitors while maintaining (if not increasing) productivity. Here are four reasons why the four-day work week is an effective productivity strategy. One reason productivity increases when organizations implement a four-day work week is because employees are forced to be more intentional with their time. Many offices have incredibly lazy workflows. Hours of the day are wasted on meaningless meetings, distractions, and low-value work. When given only four days to do the work of five, employees will be pushed to focus on high-priority tasks. Communication will be more streamlined, inefficient meetings will be cut, and employees will trade lazy habits for productivity. Many organizations have found that productivity doesn’t decrease with a four-day week—it increases. A four-day work week also allows employees to rest and recharge. Burnout has a significant impact on productivity and employee turnover. Tired employees are stressed employees. But when employees are given an extra day away from work to rest, handle childcare, work out, and spend time with friends and family, they return to the office happier and more productive. Workers can spend that extra day recovering from stress, allowing them to be more focused and dedicated when they clock back in. Some argue that less weekly work time could compromise customer service or create bottlenecks. While this is a fair point, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. Work schedules can be staggered, technology can be leveraged, and workflows can be redesigned to support a shorter work week while maintaining the same level of customer service. There is nothing that says four condensed days of chaos will increase productivity. But if an organization can trim fat from their processes, they can give employees an extra day while maintaining the status quo. Another benefit of a four-day work week is that companies will have an advantage when trying to recruit top talent. If your business can offer a potential employee a better schedule than your competitor, you have a better chance of landing that person. Additionally, employees are less likely to search for a new job when they’re happy with their current work-life balance. A four-day work week allows employees to be more productive during their allotted hours and can increase employee satisfaction. Taking care of your employees’ well-being will take care of your business’ productivity.

How to Publish an Illustrated Picture Book – Step-by-Step Guide Do you want to publish a picture book yourself? While self-illustrated children’s books are harder to place than prose-only novels or stories, they’re not impossible. Here’s how to get started. 01. Finalize Your Manuscript If you already have artwork in mind for your picture book, complete the writing first. Most picture books range from 200–800 words and will fall between 32 pages (including front matter and back matter). Read your story out loud, test it on kids, and revise until your stomach turns. Remember that successful picture books DON’T illustrate every detail of the story; leave white space for the artist to expand upon the story! 02. Make A Dummy Next, construct a dummy of your book. A dummy is essentially how your text and art work together throughout the entire picture book over spreads. You can sketch thumbnail art for each page. Think about page turns and how you want to leave kids wanting more – as well as make sure your pacing is not too rushed. Consider this your blueprint to find problematic pacing before you spend hours working on final art. 03. Illustrate, Illustrate, Illustrate Pick your style/medium and stick with it. Whether you use watercolor or digitally, collage or mixed media, keep your illustrations consistent. Complete 2-3 sample spreads with final art (you’ll provide these to showcase your style along with your dummy). Keep an eye out for consistent characters, color palette, and composition. For your final files, most industry professionals require images at 300 DPI at your trimmed size + bleed. 04. Pick Your Path to Publish Traditional: Research agents/publishers who are currently seeking picture book submissions (*hint* author-illustrators have somewhat of an easier chance because you are submitting your art/story as a complete package.) Follow their submission guidelines to a tee—some may want the manuscript and dummy only, while others will ask you to include your art samples. Self-Publishing: Research self-publishing companies like IngramSpark, Amazon KDP, and Blurb. These companies will allow you to upload your files and print on demand, but you’re in charge of EVERYTHING your publisher would typically do. You maintain creative control and earn higher royalties, but you’re solely responsible for production costs, marketing, and distribution. 05. Prepare Your Files For Production Whether you choose to go the traditional route or self-publish your children’s book, you’ll need to know how to prepare your files for print. (Hint: enroll in a children’s book printing workshop to learn the basics.) Set up a file in InDesign with proper bleed (usually .125"), color mode is set to CMYK, and all fonts are embedded or outlined. Hire an editor and hire someone to proof. don’t risk your reputation and money on spelling and grammatical errors that could’ve been caught before you go to print. 06. Prep for Launch Months before your book’s release, create an author website and get social media accounts ready to promote. Contact your local bookstores, libraries, and schools to schedule book readings. Send out review copies to bloggers and book reviewers (such as Kirkus, School Library Journal). Plan your release date around seasonality. Fall and Spring are typically big seasons for picture books to release. 07. Market, Market, Market Don’t expect celebrities to fawn over your newborn picture book—I repeat, NOBODY will know you published a children’s book until YOU tell them. Share your art process on Instagram, offer classroom visits, and create activity sheets for teachers to use in the classroom. The more you network with your readers, the longer your book will sell.

Literature has always felt communal to me. As someone who was raised bilingual, I learned at an early age that words carry different meanings within different cultures. There is politics to translation. This appreciation of language turned me into something of a story-obsessive: I love tracking novels as they cross borders, adapting to new contexts andlanguages and text-types. When I read fiction, I want to understand how its themes speak to or against works in other countries. I want to understand how stories connect us as humans. That is why I want to study Comparative Literature. My main area of interest is the intersection of postcolonial lit and translation theory. Reading Gabriel García Márquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude in my Spanish class right next to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’ s Children in English class got me thinking about how the two authors from opposite hemispheres both independently employed magical realism to wrest history away from imperial narratives. Yet as I began thinking critically about these novels, more questions emerged: How does the process of translation change the politics behind a novel? How are marginalized voices amplified within the language of the hegemonic “center”? To explore these questions, I need a structured, interdisciplinary environment like Comparative Literature. This is why I want to attend your school. Your program’ s focus on cross-cultural communication and theory will allow me to pursue my strengths in French and English literature. I am excited to learn about how literary devices shift when placed in the context of different languages, and I hope to work with professors who specialize in translation theory and world lit. Literature helps me visualize empathy. In our politically divided world, the ability to think comparatively is essential. By learning how to read across cultures, we can more easily identify shared experiences between people of seemingly different backgrounds. Comparative Literature will allow me to find these connections.

Climate change, energy security, and other environmental concerns have led countries all over the world to shift to renewable energy sources. While much research has focused on renewable energy adoption in larger urban areas and rural regions, less attention has been paid to renewable energy adoption in mid-sized cities. Mid-sized cities account for a large share of the world’s urban population and energy consumption. This niche in research is essential to understand since mid-sized cities can be pivotal in reaching countrywide and global climate goals. In the literature surrounding mid-sized cities’ renewable energy adoption, a few commonalities have been presented. On one hand, Bulkeley and Betsill (2013) found that due to smaller size and quicker response times, mid-sized cities are able to experiment with policies at a faster rate. On the other hand, barriers such as less available capital and renewable industry standardization make renewable energy adoption more difficult for mid-sized cities (Hoppe et al., 2015). With both advantage and disadvantage existing for mid-sized cities, there has been growing research interest in when and how these cities are able to transition to renewable energy. Some of the more recent studies have found that although these cities lack capacity to act on their own accord, many are able to shift to renewable energy with the support of multi-level governance systems (Kern & Rogge, 2018). Other literature has focused on energy at the community level, finding that in smaller, more local communities social ties have an increased impact on energy decisions (Seyfang et al., 2014). While these studies have presented valuable insight into renewable energy adoption by mid-sized cities, there is still much to be answered. A majority of these studies use case studies from Western Europe and North America. While there is literature on renewable energy adoption in mid-sized cities in developing countries, comprehensive comparisons between Western and non-Western cities are seldom made. This paper will review literature regarding renewable energy adoption in mid-sized cities. Through understanding the commonalities between political, social, economic, and technological factors among these studies, this literature review will attempt to present how mid-sized cities are able to contribute to the worldwide transition to renewable energy and where there is room to further research this topic.

Poor Wi-Fi is an epidemic sweeping across the nation, and it’s horrible. But don’t give up on Wi-Fi just yet! If you’re experiencing wireless woes, don’t jump to conclusions and accuse your ISP of terrible service. Try these tips first to get your Wi-Fi back on track. 1. Place Your Router in a Central Location Keep your router out in the open. Don’t shackle it to your desktop or hide it under your bed. If it’s tucked away, your Wi-Fi can’t spread around your home like it should. Feel free to keep it in the middle of the living room if you want—RouterHub has tips to make it look nice as a house plant. 2. Keep Your Router Off the Ground Everything on your router points outward so it can broadcast your wireless signal to all of your devices. Because Wi-Fi signals tend to broadcast down from your router, if you keep it on the ground, you’re only sending strong signals to your wood floors. Place it on a shelf or table to open up signal range. 3. Move Away from Obstructions Dense materials can impede your Wi-Fi signal. This includes walls (the thicker, the worse), appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, and anything metal. Water can also absorb your signal, like fish tanks. Avoid all these if possible and never place your router in the kitchen. 4. Point Those Antennas in Different Directions Most routers have external antennas that you can aim vertically or horizontally. Point them in different directions so you can cover all ranges. Wireless signals are received best when the receiving device’s internal antennas are lined up with your router’s antennas. 5. Kick Wifi “Stealers” Off Your Network Crazy neighbors can sneak onto your Wi-Fi without you knowing it (yes, even if you password-protected your network), and slow down your internet speeds. Pop into your router’s settings via your browser, find your Wifi password, and change it to something secure. All unauthorized users will be kicked off, and you can restart your_wifi_nation with your neighbors. 6. Use Your Router’s 5GHz Band Did you know most routers have two bands? Two. BANDS. They each broadcast the same Wi-Fi signal but on separate frequencies. The 2.4GHz frequency penetrates further but offers slower speeds. The 5GHz frequency is faster but has shorter range. Most devices will auto-select the best band for your situation, but you can manually switch if your router gives you the option. Your Xbox One, PS4, and smart TVs will likely have a setting to switch bands. Try throwing Batman on that 5GHz frequency and watch it run smoother than Jesse James. 7. Keep Your Router Away from Microwaves Microwave ovens, baby monitors, portable phones, and Bluetooth devices can all operate on the same frequency as your Wi-Fi router. A wall usually separates these devices from your router, but if you experience internet dropouts every time you heat up some leftovers, try moving your router. 8. Update Your Router’s Firmware Yes, your router has software that requires updating. Out-of-date firmware can cause security vulnerabilities and degrade your network’s performance. Check your manufacturer’s website on how to to update your router’s firmware (it will typically come through your web browser). You’ll thank us later. 9. Consider a Wi-Fi Extender Wi-Fi extenders are great for large homes, particularly older homes with thicker walls and more obstructions. A Wi-Fi extender can broadcast your signal further, pushing your Wi-Fi into the dead zones of your garage, backyard, and upstairs bedroom. 10. Get a Mesh Wifi System Mesh Wi-Fi systems are different from traditional routers because they use multiple nodes around the house to create a triangle of coverage. Since all nodes are connected and repeating the Wifi signal, they essentially cover your whole house in Wi-Fi. Installing a mesh system is like dropping crumbs for Wi-Fi coverage all over your home. Think of it like buying that dream home cheeseburger. Get one with cheese.

Slow Wi-Fi can make you late for meetings, interrupt your Netflix binge sessions, and cause major frustration. So what can you do when your Wi-Fi network just isn’t fast enough? You don’t always need to upgrade your internet service to get better Wi-Fi speeds. Positioning your router correctly and tweaking your network can go a long way. Try these 10 tips to improve your home Wi-Fi coverage. ## Move your router to a central spot Your router provides the best coverage when it’s evenly distributing Wi-Fi signals across your home. Don’t stack it with other electronics, shove it in a closet, or hide it behind your TV. Instead, try to find a central spot that doesn’t have a lot of obstacles around it. ## Keep it up high Wi-Fi signals broadcast in a circular pattern, so placing your router on a shelf or cabinet can help project the signal outward. Ideally, don’t place your router directly on the floor, or against walls surrounded by furniture. ## Avoid interference Devices like microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, and even some Bluetooth devices can interfere with your Wi-Fi signal. Try to keep your router away from electronics and thick metal objects as much as possible. ## Restart your router regularly This tip can’t be stressed enough. You’d be surprised how rebooting your router fixes lots of temporary connection issues. So next time you’re experiencing dead zones or slow speeds, unplug your router, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. ## Update your router’s firmware Router companies release firmware updates that can help improve your speed, security, and reliability. Check your manufacturer’s app or your router’s admin page to see if a firmware update is available. ## Pick the right frequency band If your router is relatively new, it will offer both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. The 2.4GHz band covers a larger range, but has slower speeds. The 5GHz band is faster, but doesn’t transmit as far. Connect to the 5GHz network when you’re close to the router, and use the 2.4GHz network on far-away rooms. ## Change your Wi-Fi channel When you live in a crowded apartment or neighborhood, your Wi-Fi may conflict with your neighbors’. Try changing the channel your router broadcasts on to avoid interference. You can do this through your router’s settings page. ## Use a Wi-Fi extender Wifi extenders help broadcast signal to hard-to-reach places in your home. Ideally, you should place your Wi-Fi extender halfway between your router and the area with weak signal. ## Upgrade to mesh Wi-Fi Mesh Wi-Fi routers are generally more effective than traditional routers at covering your entire home. If you have a large home or a weird layout, a mesh Wi-Fi system might be right for you. ## Upgrade old equipment Older routers can struggle to keep up with newer internet speeds and devices. If your router is more than a few years old, you might see a noticeable difference by upgrading your hardware. Try these tips next time you run into Wi-Fi woes. You can often optimize your Wi-Fi network by moving your router and reducing interference. But if you’re still having issues, new equipment can help give you the boost you need.

Join us on a coffee adventure with our **Small-Batch Single-Origin Coffee Subscription**. Each month you’ll receive freshly roasted, small batch coffee sourced from independent, family-owned micro-lots around the world. Whether it’s from the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro or the volcanic slopes of Guatemala, we scour the earth to find amazing tasting 100% Arabica beans.Inside every lid is that month’s featured single-origin coffee. Since we buy directly in micro-batches (small quantities), we never have to roast coffee we won’t sell. Our master roaster carefully roasts each coffee to order to highlight each coffee’s distinct, terroir-Driven flavors. From a bright and floral honey-processed Gesha to a rich chocolatey natural-processed bean, we brew up the goods and ship within 24 hours to ensure you’ll receive coffee at the peak of its freshness. Say goodbye to blends and hello to freshly roasted, small batch coffee that’ Bursting with flavor and complexity—just the way coffee ought to be. Not to mention, you’ll be supporting responsible, direct trade practices that pay farmers well above fair-trade rates. Select your grind preference, frequency, and get ready to taste the world, one cup at a time.

Generative AI is transforming knowledge work — and stoking questions about productivity and jobs Generative artificial intelligence is transforming how knowledge workers write, research, code, analyze data and make decisions. Overwhelmed by the possibilities? You’re not alone. Businesses large and small are experimenting with AI systems that can spit out text, images, code, summaries and more in minutes or seconds. Many businesses began experimenting with AI chatbots and tools soon after they were released to the public. Today, law firms use AI to summarize legal contracts and case law. Marketing departments use AI to write ads, emails and social media posts. Software developers are leveraging AI writing assistants to create code. Consultants and analysts are using the tech to sift through notes and research and write draft reports. Boosters believe the technology can dramatically improve productivity. By handling repetitive tasks, they say AI can help knowledge workers operate faster, flowing from ideation to completion with ease. Tasks that once took hours — like writing a memo, creating a presentation or searching for a document — could take minutes. Small businesses gain newfound access to tools and capabilities — from graphic design to translation to data analysis — that might have required hiring more workers in the past. “For many knowledge workers, generative AI is quickly becoming a general-purpose technology for white-collar work,” said Vincent Fang and Brian Wu of the Stanford Workplace Learning Research Network. But adopting the technology isn’t free. Employees must learn new skills to command AI effectively. They must know how to craft good “prompts” that tell AI systems what they want. They must fact check AI-generated summaries and remember to apply human judgment. Companies must establish policies around what employee can access public AI platforms and how confidential data can and cannot be used. Questions about safety and ethics linger too. While AI tools can save workers time, they can also produce false information without warning. They can coduplicate biases found in their training data. They can cause pesky copyright issues. If misused, companies risk exposing proprietary data and intellectual property. In knowledge-intensive industries — think medicine, law, finance — many workers will still be needed to review AI output. Executives are also grappling with how the technology will affect jobs. Will AI technologies render certain types of administrative, writing, customer service and entry-level analyst positions unnecessary? Or will the technology simply change the nature of jobs, freeing workers to focus on higher-level skills like strategy, business judgment and interpersonal communication? Economists generally say both are true — depending on the job and company. Generative AI is likely to make some knowledge workers more productive, while others will experience sharper changes to their daily responsibilities. The early-stage response has been to experiment. A number of organizations are running pilot programs, training workers on AI tools and measuring how productivity is affected. As generative AI tools become more powerful, their impact on white-collar work is expected to accelerate.

Maintaining a constant level of productivity in business can feel like an uphill battle. Between quiet quitting, burnout, and lack of engagement from team members, business leaders are scrambling to find solutions to motivate their employees. The answer isn’t always more money, but rather less time in the office. Contrary to what you may believe, shorter weeks lead to higher productivity. Read on to find out how a four-day work week can help increase productivity at your company. The five-day, forty-hour work week has been the standard for over 100 years. When it was first implemented, its purpose was to avoid workplace abuse of factory employees during the industrial revolution. But times have changed, and this schedule is no longer feasible nor ideal for knowledge- and technology-based positions. While it seems that working less will yield less productivity, a four-day work week has been proven to do the exact opposite. Why? Simple. The traditional work week is flawed because of Parkinson’s Law. This adage states that “work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion.” In other words, when you have a lot of time to do something you make work for it. People spend way too much time in unproductive meetings, browsing Instagram, and doing needless administrative work. When you’re forced to fit your work into 32 hours, instead of 40, everyone is a lot more efficient. Meetings are shorter with clear agendas and actionable takeaways. Employees take on less low-value work and focus on high-impact deliverables. Companies force smarter, not longer, hours when the work week is shorter. Now let’s talk about mental health. Stress and burnout are massive productivity drains. Tired employees aren’t thinking as clearly and are more prone to mistakes. They tend to take sick days more often, which ultimately costs the company more money. When someone has three full days to recover from work each week, they have more time to relax and take care of things outside of the office. Family time, hobbies, errands… people are doing it all on Sundays. When Monday rolls around, employees are well-rested, excited, and ready to work. Studies all over the world, including one from nonprofit organization 4 Day Week Global, have concluded that working less actually does not lead to creating less. Companies see about the same or significant increases in revenue. Not only that, but they also experience lower levels of sick days being taken. Some may say that work feels more rushed on a tighter schedule. Sure, employees may feel more stressed about getting their work done in less time. But happy employees are productive employees. When you give your employees an extra day away from the office, you’ll notice their work gets done faster and with less mistakes. If your business is looking to hire new talent, offering a four-day work week is sure to entice higher performing employees. The four-day work week is the new competitive edge for attracting top-performing employees and maintaining their high productivity levels. The five-day work week needs to go. Spending less time in the office doesn’t mean you’ll get less done. If anything, your team will be more productive than ever when you let them work a four-day schedule.

Personal Statement: Comparative Literature When I first read One Hundred Years of Solitude in translation, then later struggled my way through portions in Spanish, I recognized that something had been lost—but that something else had been gained. The Macondo of the English version was not the same place as the Spanish novel’s Macondo. That revelation disturbed me. And then it fascinated me. It put me on the road that has led me to apply to graduate school in comparative literature. I love this field because it refuses to fetishize literature as the property of any one nation. Literature crosses borders. A Persian ghazal finds an echo in a German Romantic poem; a Japanese novel is rewritten in a Colombian author’s imagination; a Greek tragedy finds new life in a Nigerian play for the stage. Comparative literature allows me to track these movements across space and time; to analyze not just what literary texts say, but how they speak to each other. I know that I want to focus my studies on translation and questions of untranslatability: What happens to metaphor when it migrates between languages? How do translators function as authors in their own right? Literary studies have given me a foundation on which to build my graduate research: reading Baudelaire with Eliot allowed me to think about modernism as global phenomenon rather than a sequence of national narratives. A seminar on postcolonial fiction taught me to approach writers like Achebe and Rushdie not simply as commentators on empire, but as writers infiltrating and reworking the European novel from inside. These and other courses convinced me that literature’s most important questions are the ones that can’t be contained by a single language or tradition. I would like to pursue these questions through twentieth-century fiction, with particular emphasis on Latin America and Francophone Africa. During graduate school I hope to build my reading competency in additional languages. To me, comparative literature isn’t just an academic discipline; it’s how I understand the world around me. Globalization is not new, but neither have our stories ever existed inside national borders. Literature reminds me that cultures have always been in conversation with one another, even in times when nationalists pretend otherwise. Now more than ever, the slow, careful work of reading across traditions seems not only intellectually generative but morally imperative. I want to be a part of that work not just as a student and scholar, but as a teacher.

Internet access should be considered a public utility because access to the internet is crucial to participating in society these days. Electricity, running water, and transportation are utilities that we can no longer imagine living without. The internet is quickly reaching that point. Most people use the internet as much for necessary tasks like applying for jobs, going to school, or accessing government services as they do for watching videos and browsing social media. When a person cannot get online or cannot afford to get online, they lose access to essential services. Making internet access a public utility would be an important step toward equity. Broadband service is expensive, too slow, or simply unavailable to many people who live in rural areas or in low-income communities. Private companies have little financial incentive to create networks that only turn a small profit. Regulating internet access as a public utility would open the door for requirements around universal service, fair pricing, and minimum standards for reliability and speed. This allows for anyone—whether a student in a small town or a wealthy city—to have basic equality of access to the educational and informational resources they need. Opponents of this view may claim that regulating internet service would stifle innovation or dissuade private companies from investing in broadband infrastructure. However, designation as a public utility does not require government ownership of the internet or the elimination of competition between providers. Regulating this industry simply means that those who provide internet service must be required to adhere to rules that are in the public’s best interest. Basic regulations can prevent price gouging, monopolistic markets, and discriminatory practices while still allowing providers to innovate their technology and compete with each other. In today’s world, the internet is required to access education, job opportunities, healthcare, and even participate in civic life. Internet access should be treated like other utilities.

Illustrating and publishing your own picture book can be an exciting and fulfilling process. It involves many steps from writing and illustrating to design and marketing. Follow these instructions to create your own picture book. Brainstorm an idea. Picture books are typically short (around 300-1,000 words) and rely on a balance of text and illustrations to tell a story. Decide what age group you want to target (toddlers, preschool, beginning reader, etc.) Write your story. Keep it simple! Make sure there is a beginning, middle and end. Edit by reading your story out loud multiple times. Consider rhythm, pacing, and readability. Create a dummy book. Most picture books open to double-page spreads and come in the size of 32 pages (cover, title page, copyright page, and end matter included). Draw thumbnails on each spread to plan out where your text will go and how your illustrations will progress your story. Plan to not have repetitive spreads and make each page turn count. Illustrate. Once your dummy is finalized, you can illustrate your story. Decide on your style, palette, character designs, etc. Then create your final illustrations. Whether you work traditionally or digitally, scan or save images in high resolution. Images for print should be created at 300 dpi at the final trim size of your book. If any of your art will bleed past the edge of the page, include bleed in your document. This is typically an additional .125 inches of canvas on each side of your page. Design your book interior. You can use programs like Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher, Canva, or similar programs to create your book interior. Typography is important! Make sure your text is readable, not placed awkwardly on the page, and that it doesn’t get lost next to large areas of detailed artwork. Create your cover. Make sure readers will know what your book is about at least at thumbnail size online. Edit, edit, edit. Your book should be professionally proofread and polished, regardless of length. Hire a children’s book editor, proofreader, or book designer if you are able to. But make sure to have someone else read your book as well! Parents, teachers, librarians, and children in your target age range are great resources to provide feedback. Decide how you’d like to publish your picture book. If you’d like to self-publish, print-on-demand (POD) is a popular option. There are several POD book printers to choose from. Many self publishers use Amazon KDP, but printing through them means your prints will be sold on Amazon exclusively. IngramSpark is another option that allows you to distribute to bookstores and libraries. Research your trim size options, color printing costs, royalties, and distribution to other retailers. Design and prepare your files. Once you have decided on your printer, upload your PDFs and create your print-ready book. Order a proof copy. When your book arrives. Check everything! Margins, page numbers, colors, page order, text placement, binding. Correct any errors before approving your proof. Market and celebrate your achievement! Create an author website or a landing page. Share your illustration process on social media. Contact local bookstores and libraries to stock your book. Ask for reviews. Do school visits or host storytime events. Even the most beautiful book won’t sell if nobody knows about it, so take steps to market your book before and after you hit publish!

Dear Hiring Manager, Data Science Professional with applied machine learning and analytics experience. Passionate about using data to improve decisions, products, and outcomes. I’m interested in your mid career Data Scientist role. My experience ranges from statistical modeling, machine learning, and experimental design to general data-driven decision making. I’m particularly passionate about end-to-end thinking and working with product managers and other cross-functional partners to deliver value to our customers and business. As a Senior Data Scientist, I have developed production models and applications that helped customers with segmentation, demand prediction, anomaly detection, and improving operational efficiencies. Most of my work translates into an ambiguous business question that needs to be explored or tested. My experience involves pulling large sets of messy data, understanding the problems and customers needs, finding signals in the noise, and helping the right people understand these insights. In one example, my model, which used machine learning to identify customer priorities, improved prediction accuracy by 18% over the previous model and helped the stakeholders focus on the highest value customers. This work not only included hands on development (Python, SQL, Machine Learning), but also placed emphasis on documenting my findings and working with the team to make sure my solution would be trusted and adopted by others. I also feel very comfortable with my breadth of skills across statistics, experimentation, machine learning, and data visualization. My hands on machine learning experience includes both supervised and unsupervised learning. I’ve conducted randomized controlled experiments, done time series modeling, extracted meaning from text data through natural language processing, and validated my models through experimentation and evaluation. Lastly, I’m experienced with working in large cloud data environments and producing code (with production oriented mindsets like version control, collaborative editing, and reproducible analysis) that can easily be handed off to engineering teams. If you’re looking for someone with just over 5 years of professional experience who is also excited to contribute as a leader and mentor to more junior data scientists, then I’d love to talk with you. On my team, I’ve reviewed code, discussed analysis approaches, and taught others about tooling that can help them not only become better analysts but develop reliable data products that “just work”. When not building models or leading projects I enjoy helping others think about how to use data science to improve decisions, not simply create models. Best regards and thank you for your time, [Your Name]

Cities have made transitioning to renewable energy sources a top priority in recent years as they pursue goals related to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, energy security, and sustainable economic development. Research on renewable energy transitions in urban contexts has tended to focus either on global megacities or country-scale policy trends. However, mid-sized cities have emerged as important arenas for renewable energy development. Mid-sized cities vary, but generally have populations between roughly 100,000 and 1 million people. Mid-sized cities often have sufficient energy demand to make renewable energy projects meaningful, while also having simpler administrative structures that may allow more nimble governance than larger cities. For these reasons, renewable energy transitions in mid-sized cities may provide important insights into how renewable energy policy, technology, and social practice translate into local action. Research to date has illuminated several factors that influence renewable energy transitions in cities. Technology, institutions, economic incentives, and social practice all play important roles. Scholars studying sustainability transitions in cities have shown how municipal leadership can facilitate transitions by setting ambitious climate targets; implementing renewable energy procurement policies; simplifying permitting and siting processes; and directly purchasing renewable energy technology for public buildings and infrastructure (e.g., solar rooftops on city halls or EV charging stations). Other work has found that municipal governments in mid-sized cities can be key actors precisely because of their size; they are often local enough to form partnerships with key residents and businesses, but also large enough to bring together actors working on energy, transportation, housing, and land-use planning within the same jurisdiction. Much of the literature also emphasizes the influence of resource endowments and local economics. Solar, wind, biomass, or geothermal resource availability can create opportunities for cities to transition to renewables. However, local resources are not destiny. Economics and financing play large roles; incentives, utility regulation, availability of grid capacity, availability of capital, and availability of skilled labor all influence whether and how renewable energy technology is deployed. Some studies have explored the promise of community energy structures, public–private partnerships, and municipal aggregation to help cities overcome these barriers. But mid-sized cities can face challenges as well, including limits on municipal staff capacity, reliance on regional utility providers, fractured policy authority across energy-related areas, and competition with other municipal spending priorities. Many studies have also highlighted the importance of social acceptance of renewable energy projects and technology. Municipal renewables projects can accrue public support by tying renewable energy to job creation, savings on energy bills, and/or local environmental quality. On the other hand, if renewable energy projects are not planned with all community members in mind, researchers warn that uneven access to renewable technology or burdensome infrastructure could exacerbate inequalities. For instance, low-income households and renters may be unable to participate in homeowner-centric solar programs, or may bear a disproportionate burden of energy infrastructure. Research from the last several years has explored these themes further, emphasizing the need to consider issues of procedural justice and community ownership. Taken together, academic literature suggests that mid-sized cities represent an understudied but important context for renewable energy transitions. They are not blank canvases influenced only by local conditions; neither are they megacities that command extraordinary policymaking and financial resources. Instead, their adoption of renewable energy is likely due to a unique combination of governance capacity, local partnerships, and socio-economic factors.

**THE ALGORITHMIC COLLEAGUE: GENERATIVE AI IS REVOLUTIONIZING KNOWLEDGE WORK** METRO SILICON VALLEY — From rewriting reports to coding at scale, generative artificial intelligence is transforming white-collar jobs overnight. What was once science fiction is quickly becoming an office reality for many Americans as tech companies release powerful AI tools that act as advanced writing assistants for any task. For decades, white-collar professionals known as “knowledge workers” were insulated from automation. Unlike manufacturing and blue-collar jobs before them, professional jobs like lawyers, software developers, marketers, and financial analysts were believed to be safe from AI automation. Then along came the algorithms. Modern AI tools, fueled by LLMs, can write legal contracts, code, and entire reports in mere minutes. According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, generative AI has the potential to automate tasks that currently make up 60 to 70 percent of people’s workday. But professionals in the know are clearer: generative AI isn’t creating mass unemployment. Instead, it’s transforming jobs as we know them. “This isn’t about eliminating knowledge work, its about changing it,” Dr. Aris Thorne, Labor Economist told Skai. “G AI will automate the tasks we currently associate with entry level positions. Everyone will have to become AI-literate, and that starts with knowing how to prompt these tools.” Lawyers are using AI to write first-drafts of legal contracts. Instead of spending hours crafting initial code, software developers are finding that AI writes better code than they can. And marketers are leaning on AI tools to generate masses of ads at scale. The truth is, no job is safe. “As much as we build these tools to automate tasks, they’ll require just as much maintenance,” Thorne added. “Data security, privacy, and IP risk, not to mention the phenomenon of AI ‘hallucination’ will force IT and legal teams to walk the tightrope of AI deployment.” Along with the risks come growing pains. Businesses are facing an “entry-level gap.” If AI is going to automatically complete entry-level tasks, how will young professionals enter the professional world and learn these tasks? Schools and businesses are currently hard at work trying to keep up. “Once useful majors like English and Philosophy are being pivoted into ‘prompt engineering,’ because unless you know how to communicate with AI, you’ll have trouble getting hired,” Thorne said. Despite these growing pains, there’s no denying the productivity increases these tools will provide. Hours of busy-work will become a thing of the past and knowledge workers around the world can look forward to less burnout from rote tasks. The future is here, and it’s working alongside us.

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