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blastoisemonster · 3 years

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Introductory Post! :D

Welcome to BlastoiseMonster, Valyce Negative's gaming collection blog, bringing Game Boy shenanigans since November 21, 2012! To those cybernetic wanderers who have somehow stumbled upon this page and you're wondering what this is all about, allow me to disclose a little introduction, first regarding the blog itself, then regarding the author behind it (me!).

BlastoiseMonster is a game collecting journal: you might have seen a couple more sites like this around the web, either in video or written form, that are pretty much a personal diary in which the author not only keeps a list of their possessions, but also narrates their experience with reviews, impressions, memories, pictures, retrospectives and so on. My own gaming collection is, as I'm writing, still pitifully small, but that's exactly why I'm opening this blog now: as I plan to become a game collector, I want to start my journal during these “early” collecting years to register my first influences and experiences, and see how they evolve over time.

As I generally like to keep my webpages tidy, I'll manage my future submissions by tagging them into eight different categories, which will be explained later in a directory post; in short, though, you'll see pictures of my games being alternated with hindsight paragraphs, knowledgebase guides on hardware manteinance and restoration, and hopefully even a couple of videos or music! Amittedly the blog won't have a regular, daily flux of new posts, but will certainly be updated whenever I can, hopefully on a weekly basis.

And now let's shift the attention to me: hey there! Gaming and videogames in general have been one of my favourite hobbies since I was a little girl; I was born in 1991 and at home, the closest electronic machine that played videogames was our family computer, which at the time was a Windows 3.1... then upgraded to 95, then to 98, up until XP.

Although mom had always been rather contrary to such entertainment, my dad, who's a programmer, didn't mind them: my first electronic games came from the Living Books series, "point and click" styled graphic adventures for children based on short stories, labeled as edutainment titles. They're very simple, to say the least, but for a little kid they are indeed rather entertaining: I had several, though Sheila Rae The Brave was definitely the most complete, which had a maze game along with its interactive story.

With Internet starting to become more and more popular in workplaces, dad was able to bring home different MSDOS games, most of which in English! It isn't my first language, and despite I wasn't always sure of what was going on, they've certainly helped my foreign language skills while growing up. Some honorable mentions go to the fantastic The Incredible Machine series, of which I had the first title: it's a sandbox-like, wacky puzzle game mostly based on Rube Goldberg machines, and consisted in completing several absurdily convoluted "traps" in order to perform basic tasks. I've always been a fan of brainteasers: I remember watching the Tom & Jerry or Wile Coyote & Roadrunner toons and loving their crazy complex plans; my dad liked the creative aspect of these machines as well, and one of our favourite past-times way back then was getting ourselves a big sheet of paper and filling it with continuous contraptions and traps, planned to “catch” an hypotetycal, fictuous mouse named Hugh. I used to watch my dad draw and explain each part of the trap with such intensity and suspance: even though the drawing was a still image, in my head I could see it in action, moving towards its goal. I’ll never forget it's main theme, or that particular dark turquoise shade on the background that made you wonder if everything was set in real life or imagined on a blueprint. Forever and ever, that colour is the “TIM Colour” to me. The game itself is already pretty big with something like 100 puzzles, yet if that wasn't enough, another section of the game was dedicated to free building: all the items at infinite availability, setting one’s own goals, changing gravity and pressure (oh yeah, these adjustments were awesome! You could make a bowling ball floating around like a balloon, or a tennis ball so heavy like an anvil, playing with the actual laws of physics and creating one’s own world!). All in all, hours and hours could be easily spent on this game.

Among other English-speaking games, there was also the heavily-animated graphic adventure of Hyperman, which at the time I thought it was a legit cartoon that never aired in Italy! Too bad that the puzzles required a lot of intuition and understanding of what the characters were actually saying, so unfortunately I never progressed very far. Turns out, this game was actually fairly rare, and I may have been one of the few people who had played it.

Another honorable mention goes to some Disney games I got from Topolino, the weekly Mickey Mouse italian magazine. Most of which were exactly like Living Book's graphic adventures, others were minigame collections. I briefly remember Hercules and the Hunchback Of Notre Dame, but two titles have been stuck with me for the longest: Timon And Pumbaa’s Jungle Games, and Kiara And Kovu’s Gamebreak, both from the Lion King's franchise. The minigames were classic: jungle-styled Pinball, Frogger, Tetris, Pong, Maze, Snake and even Space Invaders. So yeah, not the most original concepts, but colorful, well made and fun: I remember finishing all the levels in the Kiara and Kovu games, and Conga Longa was among my favourite sections!

But despite all this, there's one particular MSDOS series that has influenced me the most... One day during the late 90's, a friend from school invited me to her house because she had a “game who just couldn’t complete”. It was Jazz JackRabbit 2's shareware demo, which consisted in three levels and a final boss: we spent an entire afternoon playing, and even if we were kinda new to run-and-guns, we finally succeded. I felt a new rush of adrenaline and fun coming out from this game that I’ve never had before! Jazz had something that was missing in my usual games- action, the thrill of danger, the need of keeping focus or else your character could get hurt for real, life bars, and, finally, bosses! Monsters you actually could kill in order to get a happy ending! What a surge of satisfaction! Dad brough me the complete game afterwards: I’ve spent weeks on it, learned what genuine frustration meant, and finally beaten it after polishing my platform skills; only then, I've discovered the FIRST Jazz JackRabbit, plus a special XMas edition I had never seen before! I got the games from another schoolmate of mine and had the occasion to play during the winter holidays. The games were harder to me than Jazz’s second chapter- I wasn’t used to his Sonic-like uncontrollable speed, and the whole game was more fast-paced and harder with the time limit, but most of all longer, with much more planets, chapters and levels. The reduced screen resolution also compromised the game visibility, and the levels appeared much more bigger. But in any case; this is a GOLDEN series that I still highly reccomend to anyone that ever used their keyboard to game and not to type. Jazz JackRabbit widened my horizons and my rose of interests: thanks to that game, I’ve started looking for more information about it online, and not only I discovered more games for the mean green hare (The Secret Files, Holiday Hare ‘98 and even the cancelled 3D sequel), but more info and art on the characters, creators, related games, community, and among many other things it actually made me discover the whole world and carreer option of comic book artists and cartoonists! In short, Jazz JackRabbit is probably one of the main reasons why I am what I am today, and I’m really thankful for that. :)

Of course, the advent of Internet also meant the possibility for gamers to share some titles which weren't exactly- ahem- made for computers... Emulators have also played a great role in my PC gaming experience, and it's safe to assume that each one of us has used one of these programs at least once for various reasons. My involvement with them started in the very early 2000, when dad bought home a ZSNES version with a whole lot of ROMs already installed and ready to use. The library was tremendously vast and thorough: it had famous games, obscure japanese titles, even some homebrews and certain things that aren't exactly suitable for kids... due to this, my approach was incredibly shy! Each time I started a new game, the slightest difficulty or challenge was enough for me to close it and pass on to another title, exactly because I had so many choices I didn't know where to start! At the same time, I wasn't keen on trying out stuff I wasn't familiar with for fear of having something unpleasant suddenly thrown at me. The only two games that I had completed through the ZSNES were Puzzle Bobble and Poko-Nyan!, a japanese platform game for children starring a transforming Tanuki protagonist. The adorable, candy-like graphics and colorful scenery attracted me a lot, and since the game was aimed at children, it was also very, very easy to beat; also very short, but a pleasant experience at least.

Nowadays I rarely use emulators at all; I've kept my ZSNES and sometimes I've taken advantage of BGB, Project64, ScummVM and the everpresent R4 flash cartridge for the Nintendo DS, but I've learned how to use them with discretion: playing with a ROM is certainly not the same as playing the same game on an actual console (especially if the controls are particular and it’s better to have them on a joystick than on a keyboard); bad dumps and glitches are always bound to occur, which definitely ruin one's own game experience, and of course, annoying anti-piracy protections should be mentioned as well. But emulators and ROMS also have a good side: a lot of Japan-exclusive classics have been translated for us all to discover and enjoy, therefore preserving their legacy, and players can use ROMs to test GameShark codes and hacks that would probably break their precious originals, so it’s sorta like a clone on which you can do safe experiments. These things aren’t done for fun: a lot of FAQ authors use cheatcodes in order to retrive special data that could be useful to write harder parts of the game.

BUT! My collection nowadays doesn't focus on PC games, and rather, it strands very far from it! To understand this, enter my first experience with actual gaming consoles, which occurred in Switzerland. I passed most of my childhood there and entire summer months were spent at my cousin’s place, who lives in Géneve, which at the time owned a big library of Game Boy and Nintendo 64 games. No need to say I was rather envious of his stash, especially whenever I went back home and compared all that he had to my lone computer.

With the Pokèmon craze bursting out during the mid 90s, I finally convinced my parents to buy Pokèmon Blue: my dream got real, and the first console I’ve ever owned was a Berry Game Boy Color. I liked it so much that I’ve eventually bought the sequels Gold and Crystal; I was a big Pokèmon fan in general, so aside the games, I loved pretty much everything else related to the cute monsters. I was in elementay school when I started playing my GBC games: I was pretty guillible, and when I discovered a couple of my classmates were interested in my games, in an episode that turned out to be rather tragic later on, I “lent” my Pokèmon Blue and my GBC to a classmate of mine, a few days before the secondary school started. I’ve never seen that kid again, and with him, my games. :C I eventually got other handhelds over the years, including a Glacier Game Boy Advance and a Pink GBA SP which I still have today and play my GB games with, but the good ol’ Color and the Blue cartridge really left a empty hole in my heart, and it’s partly the reason why nowadays I have a particular love for handheld consoles over the main ones.

And the rest is history. Years have passed but I've always had a special interest for Game Boy games: ironically, there don't even seem to be that many GB/GBC-centered collectors around! So I've decided to focus my collecting experience on these two small, prodigious consoles, also regarding their accessories and, to an extent, Generation 1-related Pokèmon content, as they were one of the main attractions for the Game Boy; because once you're born as a 90's kid, you never stop being one. Hope that my future ramblings will still entertain you! Now, onwards with the blog!

Edit 20/12/2020: As of this date, my old blog has been completely transferred to this new location; however, in order to fully preserve the experiences I’ve had throughout the years, I’ve decided to leave the past posts completely intact and to copy them as they are. There’s gonna be a bit of date incongruencies until I catch up on present posts, and a bit of flooding for whoever’s following me, but after this transferring is complete, posts will resume as usual. Enjoy!

#Diary

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henrynicholl7-blog · 5 years

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As a consequence, online drug dealers are somewhat more likely to want decent customer service abilities and a persuasive way with words than muscles and a difficult reputation. Internet freedom is getting a foreign policy issue. Any changes needs to be accomplished by the author.

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omgsparklycollectormoon-blog · 5 years

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10 Brainteasers To Test Your Mental Sharpness - OmgSparkly

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Can you solve this? IQ test Day 3

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unknought · 6 years

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I’m studying theoretical computer science (i.e. math) and TAing a computer systems course (i.e. actual computers), and sometimes it’s a bit of a culture shock.

“On later projects you’ll be able to help the students debug their code and understand what’s going on, but the first project is basically just a set of brainteasers, so there’s not much you can do to help them without telling them the answer outright.”

Excuse you, I am in theory, helping people figure out brainteasers is my greatest strength as a teacher and as a human being.

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allenmendezsr · 4 years

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Prove your IQ gain with scientifically valid IQ tests – taken before and after training in any order to maintain validity.

20 day basic training program

Only 20 day training, 15-20 minutes per day, guaranteed to result in a 10-20 point IQ gain

Unlimited training beyond first 20 days

If you want to try to exceed your training gains beyond 20 days, there is unlimited training, with unlimited user profiles.

Real time comparisons with other users

Performance comparisons with other users, as well as top 10 scores in 4 different training modalities, is an optional extra.

“I’ve used this software with great success, boosting my IQ at least 18 points (I took standardized IQ tests before and after)..”

A. Clark, Bulletproof Exec

“So I took the Anders Jensen’s IQ test and scored a 118. Pretty ok. Then I completed the 20 day training. Honestly I waited a couple weeks before I took the JCTI. It said my index is 138. Did I just raise my IQ by 20 points?!..”

Sean Tucker

Cross-platform

Desktop app compatible with both MACs and PCs

Installed app

You do not need to be online to train with HighIQPro

Online help

Help page online for comprehensive instructions for the app

Online tutorials

Additional online tutorials for IQ problem solving strategies

Improved n-back training

N-back training that prevents ‘chunking’ and other sub-optimal strategies

Authentic IQ problems

Systematic training with clinical standard IQ problems as an optional extra

Professional support

7 days a week support from a qualified cognitive neuroscience PhD

Age range: 13 plus

But combine your training with recommended children’s brain training

Join our IQ Mindware monthly newsletter subscription.

Frequently asked questions

The Jaeggi dual n-back has well-recognized limitations. Our unique n-back algorithm, performance indicators, user database and IQ brain teasers, significantly optimize training – substantially improving the Jaeggi method.

Affiliate program information

We offer 50% commission on any HighIQPro application sold via your website/s. Simply try the program for yourself and then set up a ‘hoplink’ from your website using the ClickBank. Contact us for further details via this link.

Features & System Requirements

Read the following information for your computer system requirements and terms and conditions for the HighIQPro application.

App features

System Requirements

Terms & Conditions

Two, scientifically valid, online IQ tests – for pre and post-training measures of your IQ score.

Scientifically valid measure of your working memory capacity.

Easy to use.

Scientifically selected program of IQ brainteasers for problem-solving IQ training.

Scientifically proven ‘dual n-back’ working memory training. Unlimited training time.

Original (Jaeggi) n-back method option – exact replication.

Advanced n-back algorithm that prevents ‘short cut’ (attention jumping) strategies, a major problem with the Jaeggi n-back, ensuring maximum training effects.

Feedback on N-back performance relative to other HighIQPro users – with ‘Hall of Fame’ option.

The HighIQPro software application runs on Adobe AIR and has the following system requirements.

WINDOWS

Intel® Pentium® III 1GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM

Recommended: Pentium 4 – 2GHZ or faster, 1GB RAM

Windows 7, Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise including 64 bit editions, Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition SP2 and SP3, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows 2003 Server

MAC OS X

Intel Core™ Duo or faster processor

Mac OS X 10.4.11 or Mac OS X 10.5.4, 10.5.5, 10.6 & 10.7 (Lion)

512MB of RAM

LINUX

Intel® Pentium® III 1GHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM

Recommended: Pentium 4 2GHZ or faster, 1GB RAM

Fedora 8 and later, Ubuntu 7.10 and later, OpenSuse 10.3 and later

xterm should be present on the system

Should you experience a problem with any purchased software, IQMindware Ltd offers support services to assist with any technical issues. To meet the requirements of the money back guarantee, simply record your pre and post-training IQ scores, and send support your 20 session performance chart (which is automatically generated by the software as you train).

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selfhelpskillss · 4 years

Text

12 Things To Help You Focus: Easy and Useful Tips That Actually Work

5 / 5 ( 1 vote )

It is not a boast to say that staying focused and determined contributes a great deal to our success, not just in our career but also in our life. It is the gateway to every desired cognitive ability, such as reasoning skill, perception, critical thinking, decision making, and many more. Yet, it is easier said than done to stay on track of your target in the world full of temptations.

Learning how to focus is not hard, yet it does require patience and willpower. In this article, I would love to share some simple things that guarantee to boost your concentration skills, which has proven useful for me until now.

12 Things To Help You Focus

Eliminate Distractions

The most obvious way to enhance your concentration is undoubtedly to keep yourself away from everything that can steal your attention.

Believe it or not, there are a variety of things that interfere with your ability to focus, such as phone notifications, noise, news, social media, and trivial programs on your computer. Also, your co-worker, friend, or family members may interrupt you without acknowledging it.

One recommended solution for this problem is to carry out your work somewhere unpretentious and quiet in nature , such as the library or a private room.

If not possible, at least try to tell the people around you not to disturb you for a while. Last but not least, avoid using phones as much as possible if it is not necessary for your work. It seems hard at first, but a small change leads to big progress, isn’t it?

Mindfulness Meditation

Not all distractions originate from external factors. Internal disturbances like exhaustion, fatigue, worry are unavoidable too. But don’t worry! There are many ways to overcome these nemeses from the inside, and mindfulness meditation is a highly advisable method that has been well supported by many researchers.

Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation does wonders for your mental health and your ability to focus. In theory, it means that you would become more mindful of your actions, which suggests that you pay extra attention to everything you do.

It will take some time, but eventually, the practice of mindfulness will train your brain to direct your attention back to the main subjects whenever your mind wanders off from it.

Have A Small Cup of Coffee

Several researches have proved the effects of caffeine on mental focus. It is a natural way to reduce fatigue, enhance alertness, and ultimately boost concentration. Therefore, having a small cup of coffee is one of the easiest ways to improve your mental focus.

However, you should keep in mind not to consume this liquid too much, as caffeine overdose may negatively lead to anxiety and insomnia. Healthy adults are advised to take 300 – 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Meanwhile, that for adolescents should not exceed 100 mg.

Apply Pomodoro Technique

Pomodoro technique is a popular time management method that was developed in the late 1980s. The goal is to minimize the influences of internal and external disruptions on your attention span and focus ability.

Basically, this technique uses a timer to break down your working time into short breaks. Here are the six steps of the process:

Pick out ONE most crucial task that needs to be done as soon as possible.

Set the Pomodoro timer for 25 minutes.

Focus and work on the task. If you are interrupted during the process, then you will have to end that Pomodoro and start a new one.

Work on the task until the timer rings, then put a checkmark on the paper.

Take a short break for around 5 minutes, you can indulge in your hobby or doing something relaxing.

Once you have earned four Pomodoros, extend your break time into 20 minutes. During this interval, your brain will assimilate new information.

Avoid Multitasking

Although multitaskers can perform several things at the same time, it does not mean that they can work as effectively as other people.

Scientists have proved that handling more than one job at a time increases anxiety and distraction, which eventually impairs work quality. Furthermore, the time spent on switching between tasks is longer than you may think since there are many distractions that can take your mind off your work.

Moreover, new studies have suggested that multitasking pose detrimental risks on brain health. Do you know that your brain can only focus on one thing at the same time? Forcing your mind to take on two tasks (or even more) all at once not only impairs your working memory, but it also reduces your IQ points.

Trying to overcome multitasking undoubtedly marks a significant step in improving your attention span. One recommended way is to prioritize your tasks, which means that should work on the hardest task first. It also allows you to be in a much better frame of mind for the following tasks.

Make A To-Do List

Though preparing a to-do list may seem a bit time-consuming, it offers more benefits than you think. This habit can save you a huge amount of time on figuring out what needs to be done now and then. Besides, it allows you to keep track of your work in an orderly way.

Yet, a to-do list is not just about listing all the tasks. For better efficiency, you should also categorize your tasks in terms of priority.

For examples, The “Musts” are the most important things that need to be finished as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the “Maybes” (or any names that you like) list other tasks that you can work on later if you have time.

Take Care of Your Diets

We all know that diets can have an immense impact on brain health. Therefore, consuming the right food can help to boost your concentration and enhance cognitive functions. However, not all types of food have that kind of effect.

In order to stay fueled, try to balance the healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and lean protein in your daily meals. Also, remember to stay away from fast food, processed food, and sugar overdose. Last but not least, don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated.

Here are some food that we highly recommend for your ability to focus and better mental health, such as:

Egg

Dairy food (not with high sugar intake)

Fish

Green vegetables

Nuts and chocolate

Fruits: avocado, blueberries

Tea and coffee

Sleep Quality

Obviously, sleep deprivation prevents your mind from working at its best. With the hectic pace of modern life, getting enough sleep seems like a faraway wish. Yet you need to keep in mind that the long-term lack of sleep negatively impairs your concentration and memory.

For the sake of your health and your productivity, hit the dreamland at least seven hours a day. But what if you find it hard to fall into sleep despite lying in your bed for hours? Here are some recommended options:

Avoid drinking coffee after lunchtime

Avoid using electronic devices (phones, laptops) one hour prior to sleeping time

Make sure your bedroom is cool and quiet to sleep

Do some light exercises in the afternoon

Try Doodle

The power of doodle to human’s concentration ability can take you by surprise Specifically, doodle helps people to stay focused better by gathering their thoughts together in a well-structured manner.

This method encourages our creativity and requires us to pay attention to the main points and come up with our own summary of the topic/ Furthermore, it is a key to big-picture thinking.

Brain Games

Brain games are a fun and simple way to reinforce your attentiveness and concentration. Many studies have suggested that engaging in brain games for approximately 15 minutes a day can have outstanding effects on human’s concentration.

Here are some recommended games to train your brain, which have been proved to work by studies and researches:

Sudoku

Scrambles

Word searches

Jigsaw puzzle

Crossword

Chess

Brainteasers

Breathing Techniques

One practical and quick tips to regain concentration is controlling your breaths. Not so many people know that breathing has a direct influence on human brain chemistry, which in turn builds up concentration and strengthens brain health.

If you feel that your mind starts to wander off, try taking some deep breaths to guide your focus back on track. On top of that, there are some simple deep breathing exercises that help with your mental focus:

Box breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Anapana method

Read Books

Another way to help you enhance focus is by reading books. Reading helps you to pay attention to details and improve your brain’s memory and cognitive functions.

Therefore, once you know how to focus on reading a book in an appropriate amount of time, practicing concentration at work will be a much easier task.

First, start with some easy-to-read books or books from your favorite genres to know how to recall information and link details. Then, try to level up your reading techniques with other book categories. Books on self-improvement are an ideal suggestion to try since they are highly practical and are usually written appealingly.

Conclusion

There are a variety of different things to help you focus, not just only the 12 tips mentioned above. In order to know which one works best for you, consider trying a few of them and checking on your results.

However, remember to be patient! The changes will not come overnight; they are the outcomes of your long-term efforts.

If you have further questions on this article, feel free to reach out to Self Help Skills. Thanks for reading!

source https://selfhelpskills.net/things-to-help-you-focus/

#selfhelpskills selfhelp selfhelpbook selfhelpbooks selfhelpsuccess

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mathematicianadda · 4 years

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There is a number divisible by all integers from 1 to 200, except for two consecutive numbers. What are the two?

To reiterate the question, basically there is some number, $n$ that exists that is divisible all the integers $1, \dots, 200$, except for two consecutive numbers in that range. The goal is to find what those two consecutive integers are. The answer isn't trivial though, since $n$ needs to be divisible by all those numbers, it is difficult to find two numbers next to each other such the multiples of those numbers aren't less than $200$ and such that those cannot be prime factorized into numbers that are in the prime factorization of $n$.

I have tried doing this computationally, but the LCM of all the numbers in the range (less two of them) is ginormous and checking the divisibility condition doesn't seem to work on my computer. The problem would be simple if the two numbers didn't have to be consecutive, since we could just select two prime numbers, but since one must be even, this is not possible.

I am trying to think of properties of divisibility that could help, but haven't found anything that worked yet. For example, I was looking for numbers that a prime such that a number before or after it is the square of a prime number. This way, we could say that the prime number itself is omitted from $n$ and that there is only one factor of the square root of the other number in $n$. I am not sure if that would definitely work, but regardless I couldn't find those numbers. I tried another perfect square and a prime number, $196$ and $197$, but there must be enough factors to make two $14$s in $n$, so that doesn't work either.

I am not experienced at all in number theory or discrete math, this is just a brainteaser I have heard. (Also for reference, I do not know the answer to reverse engineer something from). Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

from Hot Weekly Questions - Mathematics Stack Exchange from Blogger https://ift.tt/2NNRtjH

#Blogger

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billyagogo · 5 years

Text

32 Things Under $10 That'll Never Stop Being Useful

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2019/10/12/32-things-under-10-thatll-never-stop-being-useful/

32 Things Under $10 That'll Never Stop Being Useful

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

A squeezable bottle so you can drizzle the *exact* amount of olive oil, dressing, syrups, WHATEVER, instead of accidentally pouring the whole darn thing over your precious meal.

instagram.com

Promising review: “I bought this for using with canola oil with my cast iron. Pouring oil out of the container has always been tough, as you either get a drop or two in your pan, or you get way too much. This little bottle give you great control over how much oil you can put into your pan. The little cap looks too fragile at first, but actually functions really well. You just flip it open with your thumb, squirt your oil, and flip it closed again. I love it.” —Lewis WiseGet it from Amazon for $3.99+ (available in three sizes).

A bungee dog leash that’ll allow your pup to pull to their heart’s content without choking themselves. Now your walks won’t end with a dramatic power struggle.

amazon.com, amazon.com

It also has a soft, padded handle to give you a comfortable grip! Promising review: “I’m leash training my dog now and this is a great tool. The encased bungees cord has more value than I realized when I purchased it. It prevents your ahold from getting jolted if the dog pulls suddenly, and it’s also a more gentle pull back on him than a leash that doesn’t have any give. I love the handle down by the clip for leash training; it’s way easier on my hand than wrapping the old webbing leash around it. We’ve had to wash it at least twice and it’s held up great.” —JessicaGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in five colors).

A Hanes wire-free bra for enjoying bralette level–comfort alll day, but still having the proper support you need (we’re talking super soft material + gentle cup molding, lining, and padding). Reviewers with DD cups say this really gives them the best of both worlds!

instagram.com

Promising review: “I have A LOT of issues finding bras that fit me, being a 38DD-G, and bras that don’t cause me pain. Before buying this, I had one sports bra that I wore that was too small. I decided to take a chance and buy this bra and I’m so glad I did! It fits perfectly and doesn’t cause me any pain. It has just enough padding that your nipples won’t show throw if they get cold. Plus, you really can’t beat the price. I plan on ordering more.” —Kaitlyn NicoleGet it from Amazon for $7.53+ (available in sizes S–3X and six colors).

An in-flight stand because this’ll make sure you can watch movies on your phone or iPad, even if the plane doesn’t have an entertainment system (national flights…do better).

Amazon

Promising review: “This product is so simple, so inexpensive, and works so well. I’m writing this review at 34,000 feet and it has my iPhone 7 Plus perched comfortably and securely near eye-level. Watching movies has never been more convenient while traveling.” —Kristin H. HenryGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three colors).

A palette ring so you can create a ~custom palette~ while you do your makeup (or nails!). You can mix shades together, prevent product waste, and have everything you need *on hand* so you’re finished faster than usual.

amazon.com

Btw, the ring is adjustable! Promising review: “This ring is perfect for makeup application. I use it primary for my concealer, lips products, or to mix colors to achieve my desired shade. It is adjustable so can be changed to fit whichever finger you are comfortable with.” —That Girl TaraGet a pack of two from Amazon for $6.99.

A twist-lock wine stopper to ensure your opened vino stays fresh while *chilling* in the fridge. It’s leakproof, airtight, and even has a colored lock indicator so you know the bottle is actually sealed.

Amazon

Promising review: “This is the easiest opener I’ve ever used. With arthritis, removing corks was becoming very difficult. This is super easy and painless.” —pbGet a pack of two from Amazon for $9.99.

A pair of blackout curtains that’ll help you get some SLEEP for once past 6 a.m. Whoever says the morning bird gets the worm can HAVE IT. We just want complete darkness.

amazon.com

Promising review: “These are TRUE blackout curtains!!! FINALLY I found some curtains that you truly cannot see through. These are exactly what I was looking for! They really don’t let ANY light through, they’re fantastic for both my office, where I have to do minute color adjustments on architectural illustrations on my computer monitor, AND my bedroom, where the nearby train station’s blinding lights keep me up all night unless I wear one of those sleeping blindfolds, which are really uncomfortable.” —DotScott1Get them from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in three sizes and 18 colors).

A glass nail file with a convenient carrying case for shaping your nails with pro-level precision sans irritating scraping, like traditional files. This’ll make the whole process a heck of a lot more satisfying — and leave you with expertly-rounded manis.

amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: “WOW! I’ve gone through her share of nail files. Emery boards, boring cardboard boards you get at the pharmacy, you name it. THIS IS AMAZING! It files like a DREAM. It usually takes me 5-10 minutes to do a good job on my nails and this was over in moments, and my nails were smooth and wonderful. It’s quick, you’re actually using something wonderful other than sandpaper on your delicate nails, it ends up SMOOTH, not jagged like with an emery board, and not frustrating like a metal file where you can’t tell if you’re doing any damage at all. It’s fantastic.” —Jennifer A. MeldeGet it from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in seven colors).

A widely-loved Wet Brush to detangle BOTH wet and dry hair, minus any painful pulling or breakage. Aka you’ll still have every strand of hair you started with.

instagram.com

Promising review: “I used to fight with my daughter (who is five) to brush her hair, but this brush is amazing no matter how many tangles are in your hair. It slowly and gently glides right through them one by one. Great for sensitive scalps. I love using it, and so does my daughter on both wet and dry hair. It’s our go-to.” —Stephanie KingGet it from Sally Beauty for $8.99 (available in two colors)To learn more, check out “If Tangled Hair Is Your Worst Nightmare, This Brush Will Be Your Hero”.

10.

An egg spatula, because this’ll perfect your egg game without actually making you practice. The tip of its head is firm for better scrambling, its longest edge is soft and flexible for lifting and turning omelets, and its flat face makes lifting fried eggs so much easier. Translation: your breakfast will now always be in one piece.

Amazon

Promising review: “I bought this to match the other spatulas like it. Turns out it’s bigger compared to the other ones, but I’m glad, because it does the job better. And it washes well!” —amelia Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

11.

An adhesive LED strip to reduce your TV’s glare so the screen creates sharper images and increases color contrast — aka The Office will look better than ever as you non-stop binge before it’s removed from Netflix (😭).

amazon.com

It also helps your vision adjust between a bright screen and dark room to reduce eye strain!Promising review: “You will be surprised how well this works. I thought it was a gimmick — but then read several articles about the benefits of bias lighting and though I would give it a try. Setting it up takes about five minutes — very simple. The surprise comes when you turn on the TV with the bias lighting and the picture POPS! The contrast and the black level jumps and the picture looks significantly improved! ” —Rgd18Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in six sizes).

12.

A mini laptop cleaner with two sides: one a microfiber pad to keep screens smudge-free, and the other a retractable brush to sweep away dust and crumbs. Cleaner workspace = a higher chance you’ll actually answer some emails.

Amazon

Promising review: “This is an ingenious product. I find that my keyboard is always accumulating dust and all kinds of other stuff I usually drop or spill onto it. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or home, they both somehow get the same amount of dirt onto it. I put it to use with my work keyboard and I noticed it cleaned between the grooves and under the keys. You can clean the keyboard, monitor, glasses and not have to need three different items.” —DaveSincereGet it from Amazon for $9.95.

13.

A metal brainteaser puzzle so you can keep your hands busy (goodbye, picking your cuticles), stimulate your mind when work. is. so. BORING, and stay entertained really wherever you go.

amazon.com

Basically, it’s a challenge to take the cylinder puzzle apart and put it back together! It sounds simple enough — until you read the reviews that this is h a r d.Promising review: “Wonderful quality construction. This was my first Hanayama metal puzzle. I have purchased a few more since. You can’t find a better quality, longer-lasting puzzle in my opinion. Very happy with the purchase. It wasn’t too difficult to figure out for me, but a few other people I let try it struggled quite a bit. I would say putting it back together proved more difficult than taking it apart the first time. Once you figure it out it becomes easy, but is still fun to take apart and put back together.” —RippGet it from Amazon for $9.70.

14.

A multifunctional opener that’ll help you get a ~grip~ and tackle just about everything that has a lid: jars, bottles, cans, nail polish, you name it. Pickle jar — our war has finally come to an end.

Amazon

Promising review: “This thing is really neat! I love kitchen gadgets and this is definitely a great add to my utensil drawer. It’s multi functional so I don’t have to have too much cluttering up the kitchen drawer. Plus, it is easy to use and really works well. Very happy with my purchase and if you like useful kitchen gadgets, you will too!” —GypsyGet it from Amazon for $8.97.

15.

A four-way cleaning brush for making worn-out boots (why do salted sidewalks punish us so) look brand-new just in time for ~fall outfits~. Plus! It works on just about every surface, like sneakers, leather coats, and furniture, so you can erase damage 👏 all 👏 year 👏 long.

amazon.com

It has four sides: one to clean heavier scuff marks and stains, one to gently clean fine suede and light scuff marks, one to clean rounded corners, and one to clean hard-to-reach crevices and grooves. Promising review: “I was really sad when I thought my bucks were at the end of their road, because I had always heard that suede couldn’t be cleaned. With this brush and a little elbow grease my bucks are looking great again! I didn’t use any water or cleaner, I just kept wiping the brush off on my jeans to keep the brush clean, then hit the shoe again with a clean surface. It even brightened the leather up a bit.” —RobertoGet it from Amazon for $6.99.

16.

A pair of high-waisted leggings, because reviewers RAVE that these are every bit as soft (if not softer!) than high-end leggings — including LuLaRoe and Lululemon! Welcome to year-long snuggles for your bum.

Amazon, amazon.com

AND reviewers swear they’re not see-through (even when you squat)!Promising review: “Let me start by saying that I never take the time to write reviews — and I purchase half of everything we buy on Amazon. However, as a former LuLaRoe-obsessed mom, I felt compelled to make time to review these leggings. If you are reading this and wondering how these compare to LLR leggings, I am here to tell you I am confident LLR is ripping loyal customers off by charging $25-30+. These leggings are just as soft. They fit the same, if not better. They do NOT PILL if you wash cold and hang dry. I truly feel like I’m wearing ‘butter leggings’. The price is obviously better and more fair in my opinion.” —Jen WolfeGet them from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two size ranges: S–L and XL–3X and 23 colors).

17.

An edge dish brush so you can say so long to washing dishes with bacteria-filled sponges. This’ll drain excess water directly into the sink so mold can’t build up the minute you walk away. AND it saves space!

instagram.com

And it’s scratch-resistant! Promising review: “Sometimes it’s the little things that make you happy — like the fact that the dish brush can sit up out of the sink, not get gross when you accidentally throw greasy dishes on top, and it’s attractive! If the edge of your sink is, it stays up.” —JazzmineGet it from Amazon for $6.90+ (available in two colors).

18.

An adjustable blind duster that’ll clean your window blinds and car vents faster than you can complain — just a few swipes, and it’s back to the couch. I promise.

Amazon, amazon.com

It comes with five washable microfiber sleeves.Promising review: “OK I’ll be honest, I ordered this because of the price. After reviewing several other options and having been disappointed with previous dusters I’ve had, I figured why spend more money on something that isn’t going to work? So I ordered the least expensive option but WOW does this little tool rock!!!! It’s very easy to use and clean. It does a fantastic job of cleaning and dusting the blinds and gets ALL of the crud off of them. My blinds haven’t been this clean since the day they were first installed. VERY happy with purchase.” —Amazon ShopperGet it from Amazon for $7.99 (available in two colors).

19.

An adorable wireless earbuds case for never losing your EXPENSIVE Airpods — a big, big fear of…everyone’s? Basically, it’ll relieve that constant ~pit~ in your stomach that they might have gone missing.

amazon.com

Promising review: “I get so many compliments on this little avocado! It makes it so much easier to carry my AirPods wherever I go, as well.” —Amazon CustomerGet it from Amazon for $9.98.

20.

A monthly bill planner, because this’ll help you manage all your scary expenses instead of avoiding the thought of them and accidentally forgetting about them entirely (a no-no). It helps break everything down (including a debt payment log, daily and weekly expense tracker, and budget worksheet) to make finances feel more maneagble. Phew.

Amazon, amazon.com

Plus it’s dateless, so you can start whenever! Promising review: “I really like this planner. I’ve been saying I’m going to get my life together and get out of debt. So in order to do that, I need to keep track of my budget. When I saw this I said let me just see it’s less then $10 so I’m sure it’s not gonna work for me!!! Boy was I surprised. It’s super big; it has enough space for me to write. The lines are separated very well. It has my budget for the month, then a page for weekly activity. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s thick not thin like a $1 store book it’s sturdy. Folks let me tell you. Order this and save yourself some money and enjoy this. I can’t wait to order more.” —NiaGet it from Amazon for $6.89.

21.

An on-the-go snack container so you can bring ~full~filling yogurt parfaits to work, instead of settling for the boring pretzels in the break room. It’s spill- and leak-proof, and has two separate compartments to keep food fresh and dry!

Amazon

Promising review: “I loved this container so much that I bought a second the next day after receiving it. I love that I can put my fruit in the bottom of the container and then my granola in the top bowl, and they stay safe, protected, and do not leak. The clips are a secure fit, too.” —Kelly VGet it from Amazon for $9.99.

22.

A multi-purpose spray bottle that’ll not only cut down on waste when you refill this, but also make doing your hair (or chores!) more satisfying. Its mist is continuous *and* super fine, so you pump less and apply just the right amount of water or product to your tresses — aka it’s exactly like going to the hairdresser.

Amazon

You can use this for your hair, gardening, or chores! Promising review: “Love this product; it’s definitely comparable to high-end salon-quality products for a great price. I love the pressurized mist that comes out of the nozzle. As opposed to drowning my hair in water and having to leave the house with extremely wet hair, this product gives me nice, even coverage (just enough to dampen my hair)!” —AliyaGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three sizes).

23.

A set of bag sealer sticks for making sure your cereal, snacks, pet food, etc. is sealed 👏 tight 👏 and will actually stay fresh. They’re super easy to apply and will end up saving you money when you don’t have to keep replacing less-than-crisp chips.

amazon.com

And they’re dishwasher-safe!Promising review: “I will never use a regular chip clip again! I received one of this style bag sealer as a promo item from a local company, and it was the greatest design I’d ever seen. They work 100% better than a traditional clip! You can open a bag, seal it with one of these bad boys and open it again two months later and the chips taste exactly the same as day one! Your pantry will never be the same!” —MatthewGet a pack of 16 from Amazon for $8.49 (available in two color combinations).

24.

A heat-resistant glove, because you do NOT need an explanation if you’ve ever burned yourself with your straightener or curling iron. This’ll help you style your mane sans fear of hurting your fingers.

Amazon

Promising review: “It protects my hands well from curling iron and curling wand burns. I am disabled and my hands shake a bit, this helps me curl my hair without hurting myself. I am pretty young so I love anything that helps me do these kind of everyday things I would otherwise have to give up! It helps me not feel-so-different. I like it so much I may get another in the near future so I have one for each hand.” —clynhGet it from Amazon for $4.98.

25.

A non-drip ice cream scoop with a textured surface to release ice cream more easily *and* a handle that lets it stand up straight and collect any melting. Somehow eating ice cream just got even more rewarding.

Amazon

Promising review: “I bought this for my mother and now I want one for myself! It works great! It solves the problems of traditional scoopers and stands up and doesn’t drip. It makes it so much easier when making an ice cream cone! It also has a good grip and easy scoop shape.” —MommaeagleGet it from Amazon for $5.79 (available in two colors).

26.

A drip-catching bib so your bb doesn’t make ~quite~ as big a mess as usual when they manage to get crumbs just about everywhere imaginable. You are so cute, but so MESSY! Now food will be *collected*, not found under the sink three months later.

Amazon

Promising review: “These bibs are my absolute favorite. They’re great quality, clean easily with soap and water, and save my baby from being a total mess after mealtime. The bibs pretty much catch everything because the pocket at the bottom keeps its shape, unlike some of those softer, more fabric-like versions by other companies. I had one pair for my first son, and ordered this pair to make sure I had enough for my second son. I love these bibs so much that I’ve given them as gifts to new moms several times.” —TheBjaminGet a pack of two from Amazon for $7.60 (available in two colors combinations).

27.

A padded console rest that’ll protect your car’s armrest from pet claws, dirt, and sticky fingers (v important for leases) and make driving a little more ~comfortable~.

amazon.com

You just tie it directly onto your armrest with its bands!Promising review: “I bought this for my Honda CRV to provide protection from my dogs when in the car. I have a small dog that likes sitting on the console, and another large dog that rides with her paws on the console. I definitely didn’t want scratches on it, and this solved the problem perfectly. I leave it on always, and enjoy the soft comfort of it when I’m able to use it.” —SyoungGet it from Amazon for $9.79 (available in 20 styles).

28.

An egg timer for knowing *exactly* when your poached eggs are ready, instead of risking a tragic ending. When placed in the water with the eggs, it turns red to tell you breakfast is SERVED.

amazon.com, amazon.com

It also marks the stages of the eggs’ “readiness”: hard, medium, and soft, so you can take them out when they’re your definition of ~just right~!Promising review: “I am very picky about getting my eggs a certain way for certain uses. The consistency of the yolk, from liquid to gel to dry, is important for different uses. In the past I have had to really watch the clock and temperature of the water. This little drop-in doneness indicator is absolutely tremendous and dead accurate. I am free of the clock!” —A.M. BarnardGet it from Amazon for $6.99.

29.

An over-the-door rod, because this’ll save you so much space if you’re the proud owner of a teeny-tiny apartment with teenier-tinier closets. Or! You can use it to plan out ~tomorrow’s outfit~, or even just to hang drying laundry.

Amazon

Promising review: “My closet can be a mess and I use it to store things I use year-round. What I love about this product is that I’m able to organize what I wear for the week and just have it sit there on my door. It doesn’t get in the way. Definitely would purchase it for anyone who needs a something more to organize their clothes but not another wardrobe.” —Apple JessGet it from Amazon for $9.89+ (available in two colors).

30.

A set of silicone stretch lids to nix wasteful plastic wrap (which doesn’t work as well, anyway) and keep opened jars, cans, or even half-drunk cups airtight and perfectly fresh.

Amazon

They’re dishwasher- and microwave-safe, and heat-resistant up to 450°F.Promising review: “These are awesome! We use canned dog food to mix in for one of our older dogs, and we only use a few tablespoons each time. These are perfect to seal up the can after use to prevent the whole fridge from smelling like dog food. They’re quite simply perfect. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done without these covers before now.” —J.M.C.Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.97.

31.

An extra-affordable Oral-B electric toothbrush so you can clean your teeth more thoroughly than a regular toothbrush without paying the price. Plus! It’s travel-friendly so you can keep your pearly whites just as polished wherever you go.

Amazon

This bb polishes stains away with ~14,000~ strokes per minute. Promising review: “Great toothbrush. I originally had one with a charger, but it was getting old and I wanted a replacement. I couldn’t find one with a charger but instead found this one that takes a battery, instead. I like this better since I don’t have to find a place to plug up my toothbrush. It uses the same changeable toothbrush head. It feels like it really cleans and polishes my teeth . After using this, I feel like a regular toothbrush is doing nothing at all.” —WillowGet it from Amazon for $4.99.See what won best electric toothbrushes on BuzzFeed Reviews.

32.

A colander spoon that’ll strain water ~while~ you scoop, aka you won’t need to transfer your pasta to the sink (more dishes, more problems). It also works with fried foods, veggies, or really anything that needs to be removed from water!

instagram.com

It’s nonstick, dishwasher-safe, and heat-resistant up to 392°F. Promising review: “I love this thing! It is quite sturdy and has no issues holding lots of ravioli, tortellini, or any other shaped pasta. It is also great for grabbing veggies out when I blanch them in water, or chicken breasts I have poached. I was injured in an automobile accident and my hands are not in great condition. It has — almost totally — made lifting heavy pots full of liquid, unnecessary. Cooking is therapy for me; and, to find any tools which make it easier for me, is fantastic! I highly recommend this scoop to anyone needing a little help in the kitchen, or who just wants to not have to pull out strainers all of the time.” —Kayce Cawthon McCartyGet it from Amazon for $5.79 (available in four colors).

You upon hearing the rumors that you’re trying to marry your wire-free bra:

NBC

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.

Check out last month’s edition of ~things under $10 that’ll never stop being useful~ here!

Looking for more great Amazon finds? Check out some of our favorite cheap things to buy on Amazon, some of the weirdest things on Amazon you might actually want, or read through all the rest of our incredible Amazon product recommendations.

Shopping for something specific? Check out BuzzFeed Reviews to find the best things for every budget!

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ronnykblair · 5 years

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Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: How to Pick the Best Internship or Job

A long time ago, we used to receive many questions about sales & trading vs investment banking.

But as “public markets roles” have declined over time, so too have these questions.

Still, many readers are interested in both fields or don’t yet have a strong preference.

Given the massive industry changes since the last time we discussed this topic, we wanted to revisit it, update everything, and put the full comparison in one spot:

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: What Do You Do?

In both investment banking and sales & trading, you act as an intermediary or broker.

You facilitate transactions, such as helping a company raise debt or equity, or helping an institutional client buy and sell securities, and you earn commissions on those transactions.

Beyond that high-level description, however, the fields are very different.

Investment banking is concerned with large, corporate-level transactions such as buying or selling an entire company, restructuring a company, or helping a company raise debt or equity to pay for a major expansion or acquisition.

By contrast, the transactions in sales & trading are much smaller and are placed by hedge fund and asset manager clients that want to trade stocks, bonds, FX, derivatives, and commodities.

Salespeople build relationships with these clients and encourage trades, and the traders execute the trades by making markets for clients and getting them the best prices.

Traders earn money from both commissions and the bid-ask spread, which is the price difference between securities purchased and sold if they’re making a market.

S&T professionals help institutional investors earn money and deliver returns, while IB professionals help company management improve their businesses, expand, and adapt.

For more, please see our articles on mergers & acquisitions investment banking, fixed income sales & trading, and equities sales & trading.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Skill Sets

You need good academic credentials, mathematical ability, and “drive” in both fields, but the required personalities and skill sets differ substantially.

Investment banking favors high-achieving students who can work long hours, “grind it out” to complete deals over months or years, and make sure all the i’s are dotted and all the t’s are crossed on long documents and presentations.

By contrast, sales & trading is more about quick reactions, a solid “market instinct” and the ability to assess risk and reward and make calculated bets.

This explains why many athletes end up in sales & trading: similar skills are needed on the field and on the trading floor.

Sales & trading is becoming increasingly automated and technology-driven, which means that computer science and math skills are more valuable there.

Many products are now traded electronically, and eventually, trading will be electronic for all but the most complex and customized products.

That creates an interesting mix in sales & trading, where some roles are quantitative and programming-focused, while others, such as sales, are more relationship-driven and intended for outgoing, social people.

By contrast, professionals in investment banking tend to be more similar to each other at the junior levels (“nose to the grindstone” types), and little real math is required.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Recruiting

At a high level, the recruiting process for entry-level candidates is similar in both fields:

Network via alumni or LinkedIn/email to win interviews, and use on-campus recruiting if you’re at a target school.

Complete an online application, which may include items like competency questions or math/verbal/logic tests if you’re in Europe.

Complete an initial video-based interview through HireVue.

Then, complete a phone-based or in-person interview (this one varies and may not happen if the firm uses all video-based initial interviews).

Finally, attend a Superday if you’re in the U.S. or an assessment center if you’re in EMEA. If you’re in another region, such as Hong Kong, you’ll do something in between the two.

One process difference is that MBA-level recruiting is far more prevalent for investment banking roles, especially in the U.S.

Some S&T groups recruit from business schools, but the percentages are far lower, and it tends to be more difficult to break into the field as a career changer.

You generally do not pick a specific group upfront in either IB or S&T recruiting, so the assignment process happens along the way or when you win an offer.

The main differences between recruiting in both fields lie in the details:

Resumes

To have a realistic shot at an internship in either field, you’ll need a sequence of previous internships.

These might be at boutique banks, PE firms, or VC funds, or in wealth management, corporate finance, or anything else that’s related.

Then, you need to present that experience effectively on your resume by focusing on the 3-4 most important internships and activities.

You can get our investment banking resume template here and our sales & trading template here.

The key difference is that in sales & trading, they want to see more evidence of passion for the financial markets rather than just “business” or “finance.”

It’s also more important to show evidence of quantitative/analytical/math/coding skills because S&T has become more tech-driven.

There is some controversy over whether or not you should list mock trading accounts on your resume.

The short answer is that they tend not to be taken seriously, and you shouldn’t even consider them because you need to list previous finance internships on your resume/CV.

But if you are a very young student and you have absolutely nothing else, then yes, you could list mock trading accounts or, better yet, real personal accounts and your results.

Networking

The article about investment banking networking also applies to sales & trading.

However, there are a few differences:

Do NOT bother traders or salespeople during market hours, and especially not around market open or close. It’s best to ask for informational interviews 1-2 hours after the close, or, in London, go for after-work drinks.

Since the large banks dominate sales & trading, cold emails and especially cold calls won’t work as well; they can still be effective at boutiques and smaller prop trading firms.

It’s slightly better to discuss work and market-related topics in S&T informational interviews because traders enjoy talking about those subjects.

Interviews

In an S&T Superday, you’re more likely to get a mix of interviewers from across different desks, and potentially even some who work in middle-office roles like risk management.

By contrast, IB interviewers tend to come from the specific group you’re interviewing with, or at least closely related groups.

Both types of interviews usually start with the “Walk me through your resume” question, and the fit questions about your strengths, weaknesses, leadership experience, and previous internships will be similar as well.

Beyond that, though, almost everything else is different:

IB Interviews: You’ll get questions about recent deals and your own deal experience, and the technical questions will cover accounting, valuation, DCF analysis, M&A and merger models, and LBO models.

S&T Interviews: Questions about the markets and investment/trade ideas are far more important, and you won’t get technical questions about accounting, valuation, or deals; math and brainteaser questions are likely, and even coding questions could come up. You should also know a specific product, such as equity derivatives, very well.

For more, see our coverage of sales & trading fit questions, sales & trading technical questions, and investment banking interview questions and answers.

For sales roles, you’ll get questions about difficult client situations and how to pitch trade ideas, and you’ll be less likely to receive math/brainteaser questions.

You can “prepare your way to success” in IB interviews because you need to study specific material, practice, and produce answers to fairly standard questions at the large banks.

Our IB Interview Guide helps you do just that, which is why it’s popular year after year:

It’s more difficult to “prepare your way to success” in S&T interviews because interviewers care more about your math skills, market knowledge, and ability to think on the spot.

It’s also one major reason we never ended up releasing an S&T Interview Guide.

Assessment Centers

If you’re in the EMEA region, you will have to complete an assessment center instead of the Superday interview.

In both S&T and IB, these assessment centers involve additional interviews, verification of online tests to make sure you didn’t cheat, group exercises, presentations, and case studies.

The difference is that S&T ACs are more trading-focused, with exercises such as trading games where one group makes a market and the other buys and sells.

Presentations involve investment pitches rather than advising companies on acquisitions or capital raises.

You’re less likely to get report writing or e-tray/in-tray exercises in S&T ACs because you rarely write long documents in S&T, but you do so frequently in IB.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Careers

That’s about it on the recruiting front.

Next up are the career differences, and we covered the basics above: IB is concerned with longer-term projects such as major M&A deals and pitching for those deals, while S&T is more about the “day-to-day” of making markets and placing trades.

To get a sense of an average day, take a look at the “Day in the Life of an Options Trader” article.

Note that not everything in S&T focuses on short-term, day-to-day activities.

For example, if you’re on the exotics desk and you create custom financial products for clients to trade, you’ll spend your time on longer-term projects.

The more you do that, the more the role starts to resemble investment banking, though it’s still different because you will not work on deals involving entire companies.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Hierarchy and Promotions

On the surface, the investment banking hierarchy is the same as the sales & trading one: Intern or Summer Intern, Analyst, Associate, VP, Director or Senior VP, and Managing Director.

It takes a few years to get promoted from one level to the next in both IB and S&T, assuming you perform well enough to justify a promotion.

However, there is one big difference: in sales & trading, the work itself does not change that much as you move up the ladder.

You’ll start out assisting the traders, you’ll then get more client or trading responsibility, and then you’ll get higher and higher risk limits as you prove yourself.

But even as an MD, you’ll still be trading – the job remains similar unless you move to the managerial side and stop trading (in exchange for lower bonuses).

This is also true on the sales side – senior salespeople simply sell more and work with more important clients.

By contrast, the work changes significantly as you move up in investment banking.

Analysts and Associates do mostly grunt work, such as Excel, PowerPoint, deal process tracking, and pitch book creation.

VPs spend more time on “project management” and begin to develop client relationships.

Bankers at the Director or SVP level do even more of that, and at the MD level, it becomes a near-100% sales job where bankers meet executives and wine and dine them to win deals.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Hours

Investment banking hours are legendary for their awfulness: Analysts expect to be in the office for 80+ hours per week, they need to be “on call” when they’re away from the office, and unpredictable pitches and deals often result in canceled personal plans.

People often claim that sales & trading offers “better hours” because:

You work slightly more than market hours, coming in before the market opens and leaving after it closes.

Your schedule is more predictable because you do mostly day-to-day work and do not have to stay up all night closing multi-billion-dollar deals or pitching for them.

Weekend work is rare, so you can usually “unplug” for two days each week.

These points have some validity, but they’re a bit deceptive as well.

First off, you may be in the office for less time, but you still need to follow news and market events when you’re away.

And keep in mind that some markets, such as FX, trade round the clock.

Second, your hours in the office will be more intense because there is very little “downtime” where you’re waiting for people to submit comments or respond to emails.

Finally, banks have implemented “protected weekends” and other schemes to give junior bankers more scheduled time off, which has arguably improved the IB lifestyle a bit.

So, yes, you can have more of a normal life in sales & trading, but do not assume that the job is “easier” just because you’re in the office for fewer hours.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Job Stability

There’s no such thing as “stability” in the finance industry, but it’s fair to say that sales & trading jobs are less stable than investment banking jobs.

That happens because S&T is 100% performance-based, and it’s very easy to measure your performance: Did the client place the trade? How good was the bid-ask spread? What was your P&L?

By contrast, it’s harder to measure performance in IB, especially at the junior levels, because it’s not always clear who contributed what.

Just think about how everyone in group activities in university received credit even if one person did all the work and someone else did almost nothing.

Even at the senior banker level, it’s harder to judge near-term performance because it might take years or decades to build the relationships required for a single deal to come together.

As a result, upper management can’t necessarily write off a new MD just because he/she doesn’t do well in Year 1.

If there’s a financial crisis or other market disruption, many people in both S&T and IB will lose their jobs.

But outside of that, you’re more likely to stick around in IB as long as you’re not terrible, while you’re more likely to be cut for under-performance in S&T.

Sales & Trading vs Investment Banking: Salaries and Bonuses

Investment banker salaries + bonuses progress similarly to sales & trading salaries + bonuses, at least at large banks.

Junior-level employees (Analysts) tend to start with total compensation in the $100K – $200K range.

Then, Associates move up beyond that level, and mid-level employees such as VPs will earn a total closer to the mid-six-figure range (e.g., $400K – $500K).

SVPs and Directors will move up once again, and, at the top, MDs often have base salaries in that mid-six-figure range, with highly variable bonuses that might take total compensation to $1 million+, or even the low millions – but in a bad year, the bonus could also be $0 or close to it.

As you move up in both fields at large banks, the majority of your bonus will be deferred or paid in stock rather than cash (producing one big advantage for elite boutiques, prop trading firms, and hedge funds).

Once you dig into the compensation data, you’ll find significant differences between the fields. from ronnykblair digest https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/sales-and-trading-vs-investment-banking/

#ronnykblair digest

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djgblogger-blog · 6 years

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The everyday ethical challenges of self-driving cars

http://bit.ly/2GiyCHG

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Decisions made by engineers today will determine how all cars drive. Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA

A lot of discussion and ethical thought about self-driving cars have focused on tragic dilemmas, like hypotheticals in which a car has to decide whether to run over a group of schoolchildren or plunge off a cliff, killing its own occupants. But those sorts of situations are extreme cases.

As the most recent crash – in which a self-driving car killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona – demonstrates, the mundane, everyday situations at every crosswalk, turn and intersection present much harder and broader ethical quandaries.

Ethics of extremes

As a philosopher working with engineers in Stanford’s Center for Automotive Research, I was initially surprised that we spent our lab meetings discussing what I thought was an easy question: How should a self-driving car approach a crosswalk?

My assumption had been that we would think about how a car should decide between the lives of its passengers and the lives of pedestrians. I knew how to think about such dilemmas because these crash scenarios resemble a famous philosophical brainteaser called the “trolley problem.” Imagine a runaway trolley is hurling down the tracks and is bound to hit either a group of five or a single person – would you kill one to save five?

However, many philosophers nowadays doubt that investigating such questions is a fruitful avenue of research. Barbara Fried, a colleague at Stanford, for example, has argued that tragic dilemmas make people believe ethical quandaries mostly arise in extreme and dire circumstances.

In fact, ethical quandaries are ubiquitous. Everyday, mundane situations are surprisingly messy and complex, often in subtle ways. For example: Should your city spend money on a diabetes prevention program or on more social workers? Should your local Department of Public Health hire another inspector for restaurant hygiene standards, or continue a program providing free needles and injection supplies?

These questions are extremely difficult to answer because of uncertainties about the consequences – such as who will be affected and to what degree. The solutions philosophers have proposed for extreme and desperate situations are of little help here.

The problem is similar with self-driving cars. Thinking through extreme situations and crash scenarios cannot help answer questions that arise in mundane situations.

A challenge at crosswalks

One could ask, what can be so hard about mundane traffic situations like approaching a crosswalk, driving through an intersection, or making a left turn. Even if visibility at the crosswalk is limited and it is sometimes hard to tell whether a nearby pedestrian actually wants to cross the street, drivers cope with this every day.

But for self-driving cars, such mundane situations pose a challenge in two ways.

Easy for humans often means hard for computers. XKCD, CC BY-SA

First, there is the fact that what is easy for humans is often hard for machines. Whether it is recognizing faces or riding bicycles, we are good at perception and mechanical tasks because evolution built these skills for us. That, however, makes these skills hard to teach or engineer. This is known as “Moravec’s Paradox.”

Second, in a future where all cars are self-driving cars, small changes to driving behavior would make a big difference in the aggregate. Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. Algorithms become policy.

Engineers teach computers how to recognize faces and objects using methods of machine learning. They can use machine learning also to help self-driving cars imitate how humans drive. But this isn’t a solution: It doesn’t solve the problem that wide-ranging decisions about safety and mobility are made by engineers.

Furthermore, self-driving cars shouldn’t drive like people. Humans aren’t actually very good drivers. And they drive in ethically troubling ways, deciding whether to yield at crosswalks, based on pedestrians’ age, race and income. For example, researchers in Portland have found that black pedestrians are passed by twice as many cars and had to wait a third longer than white pedestrians before they can cross.

Self-driving cars should drive more safely, and more fairly than people do.

Mundane ethics

The ethical problems deepen when you attend to the conflicts of interest that surface in mundane situations such as crosswalks, turns and intersections.

For example, the design of self-driving cars needs to balance the safety of others – pedestrians or cyclists – with the interests of cars’ passengers. As soon as a car goes faster than walking pace, it is unable to prevent from crashing into a child that might run onto the road in the last second. But walking pace is, of course, way too slow. Everyone needs to get to places. So how should engineers strike the balance between safety and mobility? And what speed is safe enough?

There are other ethical questions that come up as well. Engineers need to make trade-offs between mobility and environmental impacts. When they’re applied across all the cars in the country, small changes in computer-controlled acceleration, cornering and braking can have huge effects on energy use and pollution emissions. How should engineers trade off travel efficiency with environmental impact?

What should the future of traffic be?

Mundane situations pose novel engineering and ethical problems, but they also lead people to question basic assumptions of the traffic system.

For myself, I began to question whether we need places called “crosswalks” at all? After all, self-driving cars can potentially make it safe to cross a road anywhere.

And it is not only crosswalks that become unnecessary. Traffic lights at intersections could be a thing of the past as well. Humans need traffic lights to make sure everyone gets to cross the intersection without crash and chaos. But self-driving cars could coordinate among themselves smoothly.

Traffic control for the future.

The bigger question here is this: Given that self-driving cars are better than human drivers, why should the cars be subject to rules that were designed for human fallibility and human errors? And to extend this thought experiment, consider also the more general question: If we, as a society, could design our traffic system from scratch, what would we want it to look like?

Because these hard questions concern everyone in a city or in a society, they require a city or society to agree on answers. That means balancing competing interests in a way that works for everybody – whether people think only about crosswalks or about the traffic system as a whole.

With self-driving cars, societies can redesign their traffic systems. From the crosswalk to overall traffic design – it is mundane situations that raise really hard questions. Extreme situations are a distraction.

The trolley problem does not answer these hard questions.

Johannes Himmelreich spends part of his time at Apple University, where his work focuses on issues at the intersection of ethics and technology, with a particular focus on the ethical considerations that arise from automated systems and machine learning.

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