Diamonds are a staple in the jewelry industry and they are a consistent favorite among consumers, but purchasing these rare and precious stones come with a high level of risk. Blood diamonds, or diamonds that are unethically mined and produced to fund conflicts in war-torn areas, make up as much as 20 percent of the stones that are on the market today. This multi-million-dollar illicit business contributes to a human rights and public health crisis that is predominantly affecting poor areas in central and western Africa. However, there are ways to ensure that you’re buying a stone that was legally, ethically, and responsibly sourced.

Some of the most heavily affected countries are Botswana, Liberia, Angola, and the Central African Republic – among many others. Individuals from local, impoverished areas are commonly targeted and recruited by violent groups for their labor efforts. These workers often trade their freedom, health, and livelihood just to keep themselves and their families afloat – even though their revenue depends entirely on whether or not they’re able to find diamonds at all. For a diamond that’s about one carat in weight, a worker in Democratic Republic of Congo could make $100 USD. The amount of work that’s required to mine these diamonds by hand is grueling and debilitating, but it’s fueled by a worldwide demand for the precious stones. The generated revenue goes into the pockets of violent rebel groups who continue to exploit and indenture people from vulnerable communities.

In response to the damage caused by this underground trade, leaders in the diamond industry created a verification system called the Kimberley Process to evaluate diamonds for their origin and integrity. This certification process has reduced the purchase of blood diamonds since its inception more than a decade ago, but it’s not foolproof. Due to illegal smuggling and falsified reports regarding the origin of exported diamonds, many illegitimate stones still make their way onto the market. For this reason, it is imperative for buyers to conduct thorough research before purchasing a diamond from anywhere.

In order to ensure that the diamond you want to purchase was mined and processed legally and ethically, look for stones that have an extensive trail of recorded information. Traceability is key when it comes to purchasing diamonds, and there are a few reasons for that. One method to ensure that you’re buying a conflict-free diamond is to look for specific certifications, such as an endorsement from GIA diamonds. This authority uses a rigorous, multi-step verification process to determine the origin of each stone they accept. Certified stones come with an engraved inscription, or a printed and sealed certificate.

Another thing to consider when purchasing diamonds is environmental impact. While diamond mining is inevitably going to have an impact on surrounding ecosystems, buying a legally sourced stone that was mined from a responsible company is one way to refrain from supporting destructive labor mills. Reputable miners operate within the requirements of law, while also choosing sites that will have cause the least amount of damage to the environment. By default, you can also rest assured that illegal, inhumane labor wasn’t used for production in a heavily regulated mine.

To be completely sure that your diamond is conflict-free, opting for a lab-grown stone is an easy way to keep your peace of mind. While they are man made, lab-created diamonds have the same makeup and appearance of natural stones. Since they are created from start-to-finish, there is no risk that they were mined, sold, traded, or obtained from conflict-affected areas. Of course this isn’t required if you take the necessary precautions, but it’s an additional option for those who would like a real diamond without any chance of it being a blood diamond.

The process behind checking imported diamonds isn’t watertight, but many retailers can guarantee that their diamonds are conflict and guilt free. Regardless of a diamond’s place of origin, purchasing from reputable producers will prevent consumers from buying stones that were either mined by force, detrimental to the environment, smuggled to hide traceability, or all of the above. Even though the amount of blood diamonds on the market has lowered dramatically since 2003, it’s still a huge and influential business that has its hands in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable regions.

The United States is the largest consumer of diamonds in the world, contributing to nearly half of the diamonds industry’s annual revenue. Since about 80 percent of the world’s gem-quality diamonds come from Africa, there is a high probability that – without proper research and information – you could be purchasing a blood diamond and inadvertently helping to fund this violent and devastating underground industry. By remaining vigilant and confirming the identity and origin of every diamond we buy, we can help to quash a powerful business that has damaged the lives of millions and millions of people.

While 2018 has been The Year of Patience for cryptocurrency investors, the developers behind the world’s leading cryptocurrencies haven’t been sitting idle. The developers behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Ethereum aren’t waiting for prices to recapture their late-2017 glory. They’re working on new technology that will make cryptocurrency better, faster, more accessible, and more valuable to all.

There are plenty of good reasons to stay excited about cryptocurrency and new developments in blockchain technology. From what the leading cryptocurrencies have told us already, there appear to be 3 main themes emerging for 2019: scalability, usability, and speed, all while institutional investors hover just around the corner.

#1 Scalability

The biggest hurdle facing the mainstream use of cryptocurrency right now is scalability. Scalability is hampered by transaction speeds, transaction fees, database architecture, and tech literacy.

Ethereum is taking a proactive approach to scalability with its Constantinople hard fork, a move that’s driven ETH’s price recovery. Constantinople was designed to introduce off chain transactions such as BTC’s Lightning Network, reducing block reward and delays. The hard fork is being supported by major cryptocurrency exchanges.

#2 Usability

Bitcoin Cash has laid out a pretty clear road map that outlines what usability means in 2019:

• Instant security for merchants through pre-consensus
• Low fees for fractional satoshis
• Using CashAddr to differentiate Bitcoin Cash addresses from those used for Bitcoin

These are just some of the steps Bitcoin Cash is taking to become more user-friendly, and they’re not the only cryptocurrency taking usability seriously in 2019.

#3 Transaction Speed

Improving transaction speeds without resulting in higher transaction fees is crucial to making the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies more widespread. That’s why Bitcoin developers are rolling out an update called The Lightning Network, a solution to Bitcoin’s ongoing struggle with scaling and transaction speed. The Lightning Network will prove to be a big step forward for mass adoption – just in time to meet institutional investment dollars.

2019 will be another important year for cryptocurrency. Be sure to read about the latest cryptocurrency news to see where cryptocurrencies are headed. As they improve on these three cornerstones: scalability, usability, and transaction speed, you can expect usage to increase. With Bitcoin ETFs still on the horizon, there’s also the promise of a new wave of speculation and investment money.

Today, it’s easier than ever to buy cryptocurrencies for everyday use or investment on cryptocurrency exchanges like Bitbuy, one of the few exchanges that let you buy Bitcoin with Canadian funds directly from your bank account. Cryptocurrency exchanges are also evolving in an effort to make cryptocurrency more widely available.

In the long-run, skyrocketing prices may not be the best thing for cryptocurrencies. Finding more widespread use as everyday payment methods and in smart contracts, cryptocurrencies promise to become a permanent fixture in the everyday economy. Cryptocurrencies are maturing and developing the blockchain technologies needed to meet a broader audience.

As your business grows, you know you’ll need to expand and engage in the online market. Of course, with that being said, you’re going to need a functioning website. Perhaps you’re thinking of building your site or hiring a web developer to do the front-end and back-end work. Regardless of what you choose, you need to be aware of the five most common web design mistakes people make when creating a website. Whether you have experience with web design or not, these tips will either help refresh your memory or teach you something new.

Not mobile-friendly

Though it’s highly avoidable, if you make this mistake, it’ll drastically change the outcome of your site. You need to have your website mobile-friendly. In reality, 57% of web traffic is coming from smartphones and tablets. Which means if you snooze on this, you lose. Make sure your site is functional via smartphone and that it’s interactive for users.

Low-quality site

Your website is the face of your business which means you need to spend the money on making your website look good. If it’s not visually appealing, modern, functional, and interactive users are going to leave within seconds. Your goal is to keep them on your website for as long as possible. Invest in your site, and you’ll see the difference.

No analytics

A lack of analytics is a major problem with newly developed websites. If you’re uneducated in web design or hire a sloppy designer, you’re probably going to miss this crucial tool for your business. Using an analytic tool will help you measure your page views, users, demographics and more. This tells you who is going on your website and what they’re looking for. Shockingly, only 75% of small business websites are not using an analytic tool. Having analytic tool for your business is a game changer.

Lack of security and support

Building a website is one thing, but you do have the tools to support it? Are your devices adequately protected from external threats such as hackers? Do you back-up your business’s information? Do you have a tool which monitors your computers and servers? These are essential questions you should be asking yourself. Building a website is one thing but making sure it’s supported and protected is another. For example, server monitoring tools can check for issues with your server, memory usage, disk space, and more.

“We don’t do social media.”

What do you mean you “don’t do” social media? You’re running a business now; whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to jump on the bandwagon. Depending on your industry, you may need to open multiple accounts on various social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and, Facebook. Also, you need to have social media icons visible on your website and connected to all accounts.

Now that you know these mistakes avoid them at all costs. By following these tips, your website will automatically look more inviting and modern.

Steve Jobs once said, “Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer… because it teaches you how to think.” And much more, one may add. Programming is everywhere, right from using a smart phone and a chat app to unlocking a car and commanding a plane. A programming language is a set of grammatical rules that instruct a computing device to perform specific tasks. Computer programming bestows the ability to create absolutely anything and scale it instantly. For example, an application can be created to monitor a person’s heart rate in some part of the world and this can be immediately scaled up for the benefit of humankind all over the world.

Types of Programming Languages

Programming languages can be classified into two categories, viz. Low Level and High Level.

Low Level Languages

Low level Languages use the primitive operations of a computer. Machine Language and Assembly Language are Low level Languages as they write programs on the basis of a computer’s architecture. Machine languages are popularly known as first generation languages. In a machine language program, the computation is based on binary numbers and all instructions such as operations, data and memory locations are specified in those terms. Assembly languages are called second generation languages as they substitute the binary codes of machine language with alphabetic and numeric symbols.

High Level Languages (HLL)

High level languages are procedure-oriented and machine-independent. They are procedure-oriented as they use natural language-like structures to write the programs, which are then executed with the help of compilers and interpreters. They are machine-independent as they can be ported on any computer. Third generation languages such as C+, Java and APL are examples of high-level languages.

Top Programming Languages

JavaScript

JavaScript is the universal programming language of the web and the most sought-after programming language in the contemporary employment market. JavaScript works on both the client and server side, thus making it possible to build offline and desktop apps and run them on Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Python

Python is a popular programming language as it is incredibly beginner friendly and easy to master. It is also the language of choice for machine learning, which is becoming a ubiquitous reality of our times. It makes immense sense to pursue Certification Training and other Python Spark courses like this.

C#

C# was released way back in 2000, but is still one of the most liked programming languages in use today. It is easy to code and is deployed in all types of software development environments, ranging from writing web and mobile applications to 3-D games. C# is also a good starting point for learning other computer languages as it has conceptual and architectural similarities to Java and others.

To conclude, people get into programming for varied reasons spanning career, money, excitement of computers and challenge of building something new. Learning programming makes immense sense even for a person who does not wish to become a programmer. Computers are a part of life and learning to program will only make it better.

Travel is one of the most valuable things that a person can buy. While many have always had the urge to travel, it is more than fair to say that feats of technology like the internet and travel apps have heightened the increasing number of individuals who want to take to the skies to see the world. From dream Jordan vacations to white Christmases in New York, USA, there is a world of discovery and imagination out there just waiting to be captured. The introduction of technology into the travel industry is helping more and more eager travellers to be the ones to uncover it all. Travel technology is a relatively new concept, though the ideals have been around as long as technology itself. Wi-Fi connectivity and voice technology have helped companies connect with thousands of customers across the world.

In the past, the travel industry has relied on a few key technologies to keep it propelling forward. These few technologies include travel insurance and currency exchange. They still operate heavily in the travel industry today – they are even core technologies in the travel industry. The difference between then and now is that these traditional technologies are being utilised in alliance with new, transformative technologies, the biggest of them being the rise of digitalisation and the consequential development of social media as ‘#travelinspo.”

The very nature of social media is that it operates as a communication-based sharing network of platforms. For instance, Facebook is more written-focused, while Instagram and Snapchat are more visual-oriented. Regardless of the social media platform itself, there has been a rise in sharing about incredible locations (both hidden gems and renowned tourist destinations). This rise in sharing travel inspiration has inevitably led to a ripple effect of people becoming more interested in exploring the world and adding the destinations they see online to their own stories, pages, and news feeds.

Travel is all about wandering, exploring, and adventuring. At the heart of it all, people travel to see more of the world they come from. People have travelled as long as planes have existed, but the rise of social media technology means that there are more people than ever trying to give themselves a stronger sense of their place in the big, wide world. We crave beautiful things, and Earth is the biggest, most beautiful thing there is to discover and explore. All it takes is a passport and a plane ticket, and the rest becomes our history.

Thanks to the technology behind social media domination in this modern era, we are more focused on creating our own memories by scattering our presence around the globe. Travel today is one of the most exciting things that a person can do for themselves, and we are more driven to push ourselves and accomplish more thanks to the rise of the social media digital network. More than ever, this is a world worth travelling. More than ever, we are a species of individuals who are impassioned and driven to see it all. Thanks to travel technology like social media influence, we can.

Travel companies use various technologies to interact and engage with customers. In the past few years, travel and tourism companies have increased their dependency on Augmented and Virtual reality. The trend continues, and these technologies help companies to enhance the customers’ experience and even aid in content marketing. For example, airlines invest in VR technology to share visuals of the cabins to travelers in advance. This is done to increase ticket sales and ancillary services sales. Along with this, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been helpful in the evolution of technologies and innovations in the tourism sector. AI has helped the industry in three major categories: ChatBots or TravelBots, Machine Learning, and Robots. Using AI has helped in cutting down on human intervention significantly. With automation, we can speed up processes, improve quality and performance, and decrease costs.

Concluding, we’d like to say that the advent of technology is changing the travel and tourism industry, but we’re not entirely dependent on technology in the travel and tourism sector. We have the liberty to make necessary modification whenever required.

Finding a job these days can be an incredibly stressful process. Not only can it take weeks, even months or years, to find the perfect fit, but it also takes a lot of mental and physical energy and effort to remain steadfast in the pursuit of the dream career. Joining a company that specialises in debtor finance or modern marketing can be made all the more difficult when you are competing against a hundred other capable applicants for a coveted spot in an established company. Small businesses are often overlooked in favour of larger, more established companies when it comes to seeking employment, but there is in fact many benefits to joining a small business as opposed to a larger business.

The dream career can come at quite a cost, but it ultimately costs more when an individual puts more face value on established companies. A small business can provide a candidate with the perfect opportunity to be a part of something that yields and shows them the tangible results of their hard work. At a big company, it can be easy to be seen as just a number, with a person being seen largely as a spinning cog in the machine that is this huge company. If you are looking to be a part of a company that truly values you and your personal and professional contribution, then a small business is the way to go.

Additionally, small businesses tend to market themselves better than their large-scale competition, and this is an excellent insight into how those small business operate. Small companies tend to put more effort into everything, from marketing and the hiring process, to the inner workings and moving pieces of the business, because they have more to prove. They are thirsty to prove themselves, and as a result they try harder and put more blood, sweat, and tears into every aspect of their company. Bigger companies tend to just hire people to do half-wit jobs on a lot of aspects, ultimately weakening their resolve as titans of industry.

At a smaller company, you are more likely to get more face time with the boss. While it can be easy to view this as a downside, it is inherently more productive to view it as an opportunity to further your personal and professional development. When the boss knows who you are, and you develop a working relationship with them, they are more likely to spend time listening to you or teaching you, which ultimately works out tenfold for you as a professional, as you can learn more and use those lessons to strengthen your performance and skillset.

Ultimately what it all comes down to is effort. Smaller businesses are more likely to put more effort into every aspect of the company, they are more likely to be environments where you can have more face time with the upper management, and they are workplaces that you can grow and develop your professional skills without feeling like just another number in the factory.

The automotive industry has quite literally carried us from A to B for years. Transportation has been one of the greatest innovations at the hands of mankind since the first vehicle prototype was rolled out. These days, the automotive industry is amid a revolutionary transition, with the development of the electric vehicle being propelled forward and showing promise of a cleaner, more healthy future.

In this future, it is not only extremely likely but almost certain that electric vehicles will be rolled out on a global scale, with resident vehicles, business cars, and even significantly-sized corporate vehicle management companies going electric. The revolution is sparking right now, and the future is bright. But realistically, what is the current trajectory of the electric vehicle looking like?

The electric vehicle today

The development of the electric vehicle (EV) has brought with it a promising future, but in terms of where the electric vehicle sits currently, its grasp on modern consumers continues to tighten all the while. Electric vehicles on the road today are mostly powered by Tesla, the pioneering car manufacturer first responsible for making the dream a reality.

Today, there are just four million electric vehicles on the road – a miniscule number when one considers the fact there is currently over a billion petrol and diesel vehicles on the roads around the world. The adoption of the electric vehicle has excelled at an astronomical rate. In twenty years, the first million electric vehicles were sold. Today, a million of them are sold within a matter of four to six months.

The future of the electric vehicle

The changes to the automotive industry that are already in motion, as well as the changes that will soar into motion as the technology continues to evolve, are exciting, to say the least. While today the electric vehicles on the market are impressive and pioneering models of technological genius, the EV models of the future are likely to boast completely self-driving imbedded computer systems, smart awareness, and even hovering vehicle mechanisms in the distant future.

All the scenes we once saw in movies are coming to life before our very eyes, and the development of the EV is arguably the most innovative of all the dreams to come true. In a world where our impact on the planet has been so devastating, this kind of movement for change is not only welcomed, but enthusiastically encouraged.

Luxury carmakers join the revolution

Previously slow to gain favour in the industry, the evolution of the electric vehicle is expected to be the life-changing on an unparalleled scale. While Tesla has remained the definitive front runner in EV technology, companies like Volvo and Ford are coming out of the woodwork and pledging their ceasing of producing fuel-ran vehicles.

The truly unexpected source of support, however, comes in the form of the luxury car makers of the world. Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Range Rover are among the vehicle manufacturers who have openly committed to their support of an automotive industry that thrives on the development of electric vehicles.

Today’s generations are so used to having ready and available access to vehicles that they often have little to no appreciation of the great strides that earlier generations took to bring automobiles to fruition. Everything from the way the steering wheel shifts the car’s position, to driver navigation work together to forge a driving experience that is smooth, effective, and timely. So often, we become rapidly accustomed to the luxuries that are afforded to us, and we do not often enough appreciate how those luxuries came to be. It is a unique trait that is inherently human, and it is one that we would do well to improve upon. This is very much the case when it comes to automotive transport – as once-brand-new features become the norm, their relevance falls further into the background.

The automotive industry has been through many “revolutionary” movements, all of which have come to be regarded as baseline staples in vehicles today. Vehicles are designed and manufactured to get us from A to B, but amid vehicle design, development, and evolution, we have gotten lazy in our pursuit to understand the latest developments in the technology that literally drives us. In-vehicle technology, for example, is one of the most incredible feats of automotive development. This technology literally makes driving even easier, with built-in GPS tech and distance calculation models ingrained in the average vehicle.

Despite this relative ease in automotive transparency, there is a lack of understanding about the direction that the automotive industry is gravitating towards. The vehicles of today are easy to understand – after all, we are so used to them these days. However, the vehicles of future generations will likely be more difficult to understand so easily, because they will be largely (if not completely) removed from human control. The driverless vehicle is well on the way to becoming a stark reality, but it also has a way to go before it achieves this grand feat of technological advancement in the automotive industry.

Years ago, the mere concept of a driverless car seemed impossible, a pipe dream that would never evolve to be more than the dreams built from the movie screens for entertainment purposes. These days, however, this assumption could not be further from the truth. Technological advancement and innovation in the field have resulted in what can only be described as an extraordinary feat of evolution in the automotive industry. Autonomous vehicles are being developed as we speak, and they are closer than most of us think to fruition on the streets. In fact, by 2020 it is expected that autonomous vehicles will have made their way into the market in exceptional ways, bringing to life a concept that was once deemed to be capable of nothing more than simply being a dream.

Technology has disrupted practically every industry in the modern world, but the automotive sector is one of the industries that has the most to gain (or lose) with the relative improvement and innovation of its field at the hands of technological advancement and digitalisation. As the appeal of autonomous vehicles grows stronger and stronger, the likelihood of a future with driverless vehicles has evolved from being an assumption to a near certainty.