ChatGPT — has taken the world by storm, showing up in every interaction lately, social and professional. I’m amazed by how widely the tool is used — from writing code, drafting email responses, to even completing school homework — the uses seem endless. This impressive Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) language model comes from the research lab OpenAI, and at its very foundation, ChatGPT is based on Large Language Models (LLM) that’s designed to understand and generate human-like text.

ChatGPT does that really well. Statistics show that the number of ChatGPT users grew from 100 million in January 2023 to 180.5 million by August 2023. Recently, there have been advances from other companies such as Google (with PaLM) and Meta (LLaMA).

Research the phrase “origins of ChatGPT” and you’ll come across words such as perseverance, collaboration, and innovation. It remains undisputed that ChatGPT has brought to the forefront the immense progress made in the field of conversational and generative AI.

Generative AI tools like Bard (Google’s answer to ChatGPT), Synthesia (video generation), DALL-E (image generation), ChatGPT, and others have definitely changed the landscape paving the way for faster code submissions, quicker content development, video production with little effort, and a myriad of more wins.

But one question lingers on: Is Generative AI truly intelligent?

Perhaps we should start with what is intelligence? Shouldn’t it be more than just predicting the next word or action? Perhaps it is to mimic human behavior by taking a concept learned from one area and applying it to another. Perhaps, it’s reasoning out and explaining why a particular decision was made.

Even with our protagonist — ChatGPT — we witnessed the evolution of the version released in 2018 and it’s limitation with generating contextually relevant responses, to its current version that shows meaningful and coherent conversational capabilities.

Every AI tool relies on feedback from users. In the current form, AI is only trained for specific actions — to do a specific task, in ChatGPT’s case, to predict the next word or phrase. The scope of their decision-making is limited to the language they are trained on. An influential name in the field of AI, Jim the AI Whisperer recently wrote, “[Large-scale language models such as GPT-3] respond to questions but their ‘knowledge’ is limited to the datasets they were trained on and the algorithms used to process that information.”

While the more data these models are exposed to, the better they get at predicting based on user-provided prompts — they are not yet capable of the depth and nuance required to demonstrate true intelligence.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is still a hypothetical theory — one in which a machine can learn and think, reason and leap intuitively, and most importantly, create something novel like a human. While the efforts to make this a reality are ongoing, however, we are not there yet and it would be premature to confuse generative AI with Artificial General Intelligence.

Generative AI is prediction
Prediction is not intelligence
Prediction is not imagination

There are three things that you can unwaveringly lean on to keep your child engaged — Blippi, a jar of dried beans, and puzzles.

Introducing your toddler to the vibrant world of puzzles can be greatly beneficial. They explore and discover different shapes, colors, and themes. Puzzles challenge children to problem-solve while helping them build self-confidence. Along the way, they learn practical life lessons about how things fit together — like a fork into a strawberry or arranging books on a shelf.

sort. fit. solve.

Puzzles help your child recognize shapes, colors, and sizes. Before you know it, they will begin identifying which pieces go together.

breathe in. breathe out.

Tinkering with pieces to find those that fit, your little one is learning an invaluable skill — patience.

confident cookie.

Watch with wonder as your toddler grins from ear to ear for having set and accomplished little milestones (like matching a shape to the right slot).

When you develop a mindset of play — demonstrating creativity, flexibility and joyfulness — you’re not only being the perfect role model for these important skills, but are also providing your little one with a safe environment to express themselves freely and cultivate confidence. Through play, you’re exposing your child to ideas, complex concepts, problem-solving, creative thinking, and possibly the most important of all, humor.

And no, it isn’t too early to have your little one explore the world of learning through play. In fact, it’s highly recommended as your baby starts to lay the foundation for skills such as language, self-control, emotional regulation and fine-motor development.

Here are some tried and tested examples of learning through play:

1. When reading a book, go beyond what’s on written on the page and describe the pictures (feel free to push the boundaries of your own imagination and interpretation!)

2. Have a story time session with your child and all of his/ her animal toys, giving your child the feeling of being part of a group (maybe even leader of the group).

3. Teach your child parts of the body through song and dance. (Before you know it, your child will be able to tell you if their finger is hurting, or nose is stuffy — true story!)

Happy parenting! ツ

Originally published on Treniq

Would you jump at the idea of walking through your front door after work as dusk sets in, only to be greeted by a brightly lit living room beyond which you get glimpses of your lush green backyard? If that’s not welcoming enough a thought, then how about entertaining your friends in a vast great room that has a little bit of nature right in the middle of it? With that happy image, I welcome you into the bright, bright world of Eichler Homes.

As an ardent fan of home decor, I’ve recently been drawn to these not-celebrated-enough modernist structures. Joseph Eichler, the man behind these almost industrial homes, and his team have built only about 11,500 of these homes in California — most of them in Northern California and a handful of them in the southern part of the Golden State, and just three in New York City!

The popularity of Eichlers rest in their exceedingly distinct features that take a little getting used to, such as flat roofs, walls that don’t meet ceilings, and in-floor radiant heating. Open floor plans are sought after no matter which corner of the globe you live in; and, Eichler — taking his cue from Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous American architect known for his philosophy of “organic architecture” — made open floor plans a prominent characteristic in affordable homes.

The fundamental concept of Eichler Homes is to “bring the outside in”, to create a unit where individual units are laid out such that they flow as one, harmoniously. The openness of the layout, floor to ceiling windows, the absence of interior walls when deemed unnecessary — all contributed to a brightly lit living space, filled with abundant natural light, allowing Eichler owners to enjoy nature even without stepping out.

Atrium Eichlers

Joe Eichler stepped away from the traditional style of construction where walls hold the roof of the house, and tried something radical for his time — post and beam construction. With that, houses had fewer interior walls, some of them glass walls, to give a sense of a lot more space. What strikes me as most fascinating is a particular style of Eichlers called Atrium Eichlers which include an inviting open-roofed section of the living room that embraces nature in all its glory.

But the truth about these homes is that they’re not appealing to everyone. You’re either an Eichler purist, or absolutely hate their aesthetic sensibilities; there are no in-betweens. I fall on the side of the admirer and lately I’ve been caught in the middle of an interesting thought: why haven’t more designers drawn influence from this style? I ask this question because the validation is there, I see a lot written about the greatness of Eichler Homes. I see many designers already, unwittingly, referencing the Eichler feel. Then, why aren’t there more Eichleresque homes?

The burgeoning middle class of India do have the spending power to enjoy the space that they live in, giving rise to experimental home decor and architecture. What I see is not a market that isn’t ready for something bold and unthinkable; I see an audience that’s hungry for change. I see a people who’re ready to transition away from their regular surroundings and give something completely new a standing chance.

Take for example Gurgaon-based interior design consultant, Shalini Pereira, winner of the Asian Paints ‘Indian Decor Influencer’ award 2016. Her work embodies some of the key Eichler concepts — an open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows. In her designs, you can immediately see a “less is more” philosophy, one that we millennials want in our contemporary homes. This minimalistic approach has recently become a must-have for young homeowners, whereas Joseph Eichler introduced the concept to an unprepared, and sometimes unwilling market, back in the 1960s.

Another designer whose work is unmistakably Eichleresque is Mumbai’s Puran Kumar. Puran, who literally requires no introduction, is an established designer since 1993 and has won several awards. His most winning work is “The Mango House” is, and I quote, “the physical manifestation of a quest to connect with the natural environment.”

Connecting with nature, encouraging a more interactive atmosphere, bringing the outside in — these are philosophies that every Eichler home aspires to and assertively stands for. Therefore, I end this piece with an invitation to Indian modernist interior designers; an invitation to embark on the Eichler journey, test the waters and see if it impresses you; make your next project an Eichleresque and share their glory with your prized clientele.

I moved to the United States in 2013 to be with my partner, an engineering manager on the worker visa called H1B. If you’re a Bay Area resident, chances are you live next door to an engineer or you share your workspace with a H1B visa holder — they’re everywhere, including the news. Since the Trump administration took office in January 2017, ‘H1B’ has taken up some significant real estate in the news, politicizing the fears that American citizens are losing their jobs to the immigrant workforce.

The lesser known counterpart of the H1B is the H4 visa — a visa granted to the spouse or dependant of the H1B. H4 visa holders are far more limited, lacking even the choice to earn a living for themselves. H4 visa holders are simply not allowed to get a paid job, they’re only allowed to volunteer for an otherwise unpaid job. The other equally unwelcome reality is the ineligibility to apply for student loans to pursue higher education. No amount of warning can ever prepare you for the blow of not being allowed to earn a living and monetarily contribute to your family.

Many people, both citizens and immigrants, are of the opinion that being married to an engineer, means that you are well off, so why bother earning an income. Shouldn’t one income suffice to support a modest lifestyle? I’ve even been asked the question — “Why would you want to work while your husband more than provides for you? Consider yourself lucky!” My reaction to this was stunned silence. My response should have been to quote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has the best challenge to such arbitrary reasoning. In her very first brief to the Supreme Court, she wrote,

“The pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, upon closer inspection, been revealed as a cage.”

As a financially independent, qualified and ambitious woman, I felt bound, particularly when I couldn’t pay for every day things like grocery shopping, couldn’t experience the freedom to apply my talent at a workplace, and couldn’t help my partner with the financial burden of bills and a mortgage.

I wasn’t alone in feeling that the H4 visa seemed more like shackles than a privilege. In 2014, 109,147 H4 visas were issued. More than a hundred thousand individuals were being prevented from applying their skills, earning a living and contributing not only to their household but to the American economy as well. A hundred thousand individuals in just that one year.

While citizens take for granted the basic right to employment, an immigrant on a dependent visa has to fight for it, demand it. Which is why individuals such as Rashmi Batnagar and Meghna Damini — two big names in this fight for work authorizations for H4 visa holders — and several others have tirelessly dedicated countless hours protesting this irrelevant law. Rashmi manages the Facebook group, H4 visa, a curse, where immigrants and citizens come together to form a unified voice. Meghna chronicles life as a H4 visa holder in her documentary, Hearts Suspended. The movement was joined by D.C. powerhouse, FWD.us — an advocacy group that sheds light on America’s broken immigration and criminal justice system and lobbies loud and hard for minority groups.

These groups collectively made enough noise for lawmakers and politicians to wake up and take notice; however, every time an immigration reform bill that included a provision for H4 work authorizations hit the floor for a vote, it hit a political impasse. Then, in 2015, after years of trying to get some kind of a compromise across the aisle, President Obama signed an Executive Action titled “Immigration Accountability” that addressed several points such as illegal immigration, background checks, and expanding existing laws for high-skilled workers and foreign entrepreneurs. My visa fell under that last category. It states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must “give certain H-1B spouses employment authorization as long as the H-1B spouse has an approved Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) application.”

With this executive action, a huge population of the H4 visa holders became eligible for work authorizations, provided they were on a path to citizenship. I read stories of H4 visa holders across the country breaking down with happiness and fumbling for words as they watched President Obama deliver the speech. Some of them had waited 12 years for this day! For some, this meant more than just the right to employment. With the ability to work and provide for their families, it meant that they could now make bigger life decisions such as having a baby or buying a home.

But the fight is far from being over.

The Executive Action didn’t cover every person on a H4 visa. Many are still not eligible for a work permit because the primary H1Bs (their spouses) haven’t been allowed to apply for a green card through their employers. Yes, you read that correctly, H1B visa holders can only apply for Green Cards through their employers discretion, which means that if they aren’t found to be productive enough or contribute enough to the bottom line, their time on the H1B visa will simply run out. In other words, they’re not on the path to citizenship yet.

In addition, the Trump Administration’s intent to revoke the H4 work authorization program causes us to live under the constant threat of that freedom being snatched from us. To take away that basic right to be financially self-reliant will be a blow not only to the immigrant community, but to the American ideal itself. “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” will become just words and not representative of “the land of opportunity”. Many, many immigrant families will choose to leave and move to more immigration friendly countries.

Is America prepared to lose so many high-skilled workers who are not just significant contributors to the economy, but also the reason for several advances. Is this what American idealism stands for?

The playing field is always evolving, always changing. Job profiles that folks from our parents’ generation were familiar with have now become more specialized. Back in the day, you had one software developer doing all or most of the development, commonly known as Full Stack today; whereas, now you have a C++ specialist, someone specializing in just Ajax, and so on. Salary structures are also changing and they vary across companies/ industries. Then there’s a company’s work culture to think about. Will you, with your idealistic views, be a good fit with XYZ company? Are you going to be the odd goat or will you seamlessly fit right in?

That’s a lot of information to gather — job profile, salary structure, work culture, the kind of management, etc. Imagine if you could get all of this information from just one source; picture yourself reading reviews about your dream organizations from employees from that very organization telling you the good and the bad. Reviews are a powerful tool; they tell you what the culture of a certain organization is, whether they’re the friendly, open to ideas and discussion kind or if they’re bureaucratic in their approach. Reviews tell you what the hiring process of a company is like, if the organization pays well or stiff its employees.

There are not many companies that come in to mind when we think about employer reviews. I prefer InsideLook.co to the others because their reviews are in-depth and written only by verified employees. Another interesting feature is that their review writing process is divided into various sections: company, supervisor, coworkers, HR policies, and salary. These sections have a set of questions each that help employees write detailed reviews very quickly, making the process less time-consuming.

The power of reviews cannot be overstated enough, and that’s exactly why InsideLook decided to enter the playing field with its influential business model — employees write reviews about their organization and put a price on it. With the monetary value attributed to it, individuals will be motivated to write in-depth reviews that other people can benefit from immensely. Wouldn’t you say that the money aspect also makes an otherwise boring process of writing a review suddenly a lot more interesting?

Image credit: eMarketing Blog

If you’re an Internet of Things company looking for investment, chances are you’ll be given preference over a non-IoT venture. Of course, it absolutely depends on which investor you approach, so don’t quote us on this. Today’s buzzwords are IoT, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Big Data… you get the idea. This should give you an idea of just how much money is invested in such companies that are attempting to reshape the tech landscape. It’s too big not pay attention to, if we’re to go with the prediction that by 2020 there will be 200 billion devices connected to the Internet.

In light of this new interest, we’ve been giving you must-read “best of IoT” compilations (top IoT Events, Influencers and Accelerators). And today, we’ve dug up the from the Internet some of the best infographics on the topic of Internet of Things, because nothing screams “organized information” better than an infographic. Go ahead and help yourself to top-notch material!

‘What is the Internet of Things’ by Harbor Research Harbor Research is an internationally recognized research, tech and business development consulting firm which has been tracking and driving the development of the Internet of Things. This visual gives you the low-down on what IoT actually is. Call it a “IoT for the Dummies” sort of infographic. Date Published: March 2014 Popularity: 1500 views on Slideshare alone! View the entire infographic here.

‘How the Internet of Things is Transforming the Workplace’ by Power More (Dell) Dell contributor Megan Anderle outlines how IoT is changing the landscape for businesses and what that transformation translates to. Date Published: April 2015 Popularity: 14,344 views & shared 41 times on Twitter! Here’s the infographic in its entirety and the article with it.

‘The Marketing Power of the Internet of Things’ by Marketo
Dayna Rothman of Marketo educates us on how marketers can benefit from the Internet of Things as it provides them with vast opportunities to listen and respond to their audience based on their behavior. Date Published: April 2015 Popularity: 1.3K shares of which 369 are on Twitter! Worth your time? Check out the entire infographic here.

‘A Guide to the Internet of Things’ by Intel The Digital team at Intel wonders how long will it be before humans control computers at the same pace they do with their hands. Interesting question. And a very interesting infographic. They even suggest a “Facebook of Things”. Date Published: Unknown Popularity: No numbers BUT the graphics on this one shouldn’t be missed! Full infographic.

‘The Internet of Things’ by Cisco Cisco blogger Dave Evans gives us a visual representation of the rise of the number of “things” connected to the Internet along with very accurate predictions. Date Published: July 2015 Popularity: 84 Tweets & 488 shares on LinkedIn! Check it out.

‘The Future of the Internet of Things’ by Xively Xively predicts that by 2020, every human being will be connected to at least 10 devices, one of them being some sort of wearable tech. Heck, it’s only 2015 and that prediction is already a reality. But the question the infographic puts forth is: How ready is the world for the ‘Dawn of the Internet of Things’. Date Published: March 2014 Popularity: 1.5 views & tweeted 293 times! Full article: Here.

Why the ‘Internet of Things’ Hasn’t Really Caught On Yet by AdWeek While it is a whole lot of fun and all, the Internet of Things still hasn’t secured a foothold in the mainstream consumer market. Is it because there just aren’t enough early adopters? Or are privacy and security the primary concerns? Let’s take a look. Creator of Infographic: Carlos Monteiro Date Published: Jan 2015 Popularity: 611 tweets! Beat that! Step in here for the full spash.

“10 Cool Companies that are Already Monetizing IOT” by Aria Systems The future is here. Here are some of the coolest companies that are taking to the Internet of Things in exciting and profitable ways. Date Published: July 2014 Popularity: 189 Tweets! 130 LinkedIn shares! 700+ pins! Front row seats to the full show.

‘What Is The Value Of The Internet Of Things’ by Industrial IP How much of the global GDP will get impacted by the Internet of Things? A visual dive into the numbers of interconnectivity. Date Published: Sept 2014 Popularity: 1780 shares & 167 shares! Infographic in its entirety.

‘Explainer: What is the Internet of Things?’ by CNN Saving the best for the last. Here’s a super cool, interactive infographic that breaks it down for us. Date Published: June 2013 Popularity: Recommended on Facebook 943 times! Cool factor: An infographic that’s interactive!

Any cool infographic that didn’t make it to the list? Let us know in the comment section below!
Neura is simplifying lives by connecting people via automated interactions. If that sounds even remotely interesting, then you’re going to love the app. Get the Android version today and say goodbye to manual texts such as “I just got home”!

Originally published at www.theneura.com.

Best of IOT Infographics: Neura’s Top 10 Picks was originally published in Neura Inc on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Although this piece is a year old, it never stops being relevant — especially in a growing anti-immigrant climate that’s become the signature tone of 2016’s election campaign. More than ever before, what’s needed is for all immigrant groups across the board to come together and put up a united effort in this fight for common sense immigration reform.

ON a crisp Wednesday night, in the upbeat atmosphere of Red Rock Cafe in downtown Mountain View, CA, four participants for the pilot session of FWD.us Immigrant Community Project met to share their stories and to educate each other on the immigration issues they’ve faced and overcome. Oftentimes, immigrants from different backgrounds and statuses have no opportunity to meet. This night, a bridge was built between high tech and undocumented immigrants.

Isabel, a former undocumented immigrant and mother of two U.S. citizen children, came to the U.S. with her family at age 14. Her parents, looking to build a better life, brought her to the “land full of opportunities.” But Isabel always felt like she didn’t belong to either country — the U.S., which passed anti-immigration laws at the time, didn’t want her here; and Mexico, which she had left far too long ago, felt distant and foreign. After living in fear and uncertainty for 26 excruciating years, Isabel finally applied to become a citizen earlier this year.

Sonam, an MBA graduate from Santa Clara University, currently works on an Optional Practical Training (OPT) student visa. She came to the U.S. from India on a spousal visa in support of her husband’s career path. Not being able to work on the spousal visa, Sonam decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in hopes that upon graduation, a company would sponsor her H1B visa. This was a risky bet, considering there are just 85,000 H1B visas issued every year via a random lottery system; and last year there were over 230,000 applications.

Like this story? Check out this must-read suggestion from the Rover editors:

Lupita, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was brought to the country at age two. Growing up in the US, she was filled with despair when she considered her options after high school. In a word: limited. The benefit of college would be lost because she wouldn’t be able to get a job. While in public education, one of her teachers encouraged her to apply for college. Despite being accepted into her dream university, she chose a local one, due to lack of financial aid for undocumented immigrants. Her options after getting a BA degree in 2010 were still limited, adding to her frustration. She currently works as a legal assistant for an immigration attorney where she works hard to help victims of crimes, assisting them with their U (Victims of Crimes) visa applications, among other responsibilities. She’s also a recipient of DACA relief (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which is coming up for renewal in 2017, but she lives under the threat of an anti-immigration presidential candidate winning the election.

Aditya moved to the United States from India to further his career on an L1 (Transfer) visa. Being on an L1 meant that he was tied to a single company. He then decided to switch visas and found that being on a H1B still limited his options because only a few companies can afford to sponsor the visa and are willing to take the risk involved. Having gotten married in the intervening period, he saw first hand the effects that the H4 visa had on his wife (which, by the way, is me!) Not being able to work made her question her self worth and sense of identity.

As the participants exchanged their stories, a few common themes stood out.

Fear and uncertainty. A lot of the things we take for granted don’t come so easily to people who are undocumented. Isabel recounted the story of how she wouldn’t go to the doctor until the pain got unbearable out of fear that people would find out she’s undocumented. Sonam had to travel to her home county for an emergency but wouldn’t get a clear answer from several immigration attorneys if she would be able to enter the US again, despite having all of the proper documents. She finally didn’t go. Lupita spoke about driving in constant fear because she’s ineligible for a driver’s license.

Both Isabel and Lupita talked about people who were scared to report incidents to the cops after being victims of crimes.

Frustration. In 2013, Aditya applied for a Green Card, the wait for which is incredibly long. Despite having applied once, he now has to go through the Green Card process a second time because he moved to a different employer.

Lack of opportunity. Isabel and Lupita can only work with certain organizations. Their idea of the US being a “land of opportunity” may not be as picture perfect as they hoped it would be. Once the clock runs out on Sonam’s OPT, her employer will sponsor her H1B which may or may not get picked in the lottery. She will then have to revert back to the H4 dependent visa that comes with its own shackles. Aditya’s H1B binds him to his current employer, making switching jobs a very difficult task.

Sense of not belonging. The hard-to-understand and convoluted immigration laws give all four participants the impression that they aren’t welcome in this country. Yet, they are contributing to this country. They all expressed their reluctance to establish a permanent home in the United States, while also being apprehensive to go back to their home countries, and giving up on the dream for a better life.

Our goal was to bring the two immigrant communities together in conversation; sensitize them to the issues the other community faces; show them those issues are not so different from their own. But I think we accomplished more than that. We created a microcosm where the high tech and undocumented worlds come together to celebrate their successes and shun anti-immigration sentiments.

My mission was to unite our voices in this fight for comprehensive immigration reform. And while that overarching goal was accomplished with this small and amicable group, there’s still a lot of work to be done, a lot of minds to change.

Join us by lending your voice to this fight for comprehensive immigration reform. Come to our next meetup and share your story to make the immigration narrative stronger than ever.

Shilpa is a writer, activist and music enthusiast. When she’s not furiously typing away at the computer, the grand outlet for everything she disagrees with, she hikes — exploring nature with a soul playlist on the headphones. You can follow Shilpa on her Instagram at @shilpstered and her Twitter at @shilpstered.

The Immigration Story from the Other Side was originally published in ROVER on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Movies are, they say, food for the soul; they make us laugh, cry, jump up with joy, or weep in reminiscence. Some of them have a way of reaching inside us and stirring up feelings we were unaware of! Remember Home Alone and the adorable little boys in the original and the sequels? Such movies can be watched repeatedly and still we don’t tire of them. I’ve put together a not-so-exhaustive list of timeless movies that center around women. Some portray our race as demi-gods who carry the world on their shoulders, while some show women as victims of unfortunate circumstances. Yet, there are others that reveal our very human side, perhaps even rebellious, our harmless deeds frowned upon by an unforgiving society. Here are some of these iconic films.

Mona Lisa Smile

Named after Da Vinci’s famous painting, Mona Lisa Smile takes us back to 1953, to Wellesley College, a conservative academic institute for girls. The proud Wellesley girls knew their books down to the last letter; they knew their history and what war was fought when and why. What lacked was a drive to be more than a doting homemaker, until Miss Katherine Ann Watson (played by Julia Roberts) arrived and no class was ever the same again. Inspiring and formidable, she taught the girls of Wellesley college what “living” meant.

Bridget Jones Diary

Keep the kids away for this one as you enter a land of alcoholic binges, chain-smoking and a hearty indulgence in pro-overweight food! Well, that’s not what ALL the movie is about; we’re treated to Bridget Jones’ (Renee Zellweger) private world, complete with broken hearts, rebounds and regrettable sex.

Lajja

A movie with four big Bollywood names can only be one thing: seat-gripping! From one of the most versatilee directors, Rajkumar Santoshi, comes yet another tale about the ungrateful way women are treated by society and the numerous restrictions they’re faced with endlessly. Fun fact about Lajja: The main actors, Manisha Koirala, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, and Mahima Chaudhry, all bear names that are synonyms of Hindu mythology protagonist, Sita. Well-done, Mr. Santoshi!

Million Dollar Baby

It’s one of those films that couldn’t bag enough Oscars, this one is certainly not for the faint-hearted. An amateur boxer (Hilary Swank) and a veteran boxing trainer come together to tell us a story about the kind of resolve it takes to win an almost impossible fight, about the courage it takes to survive the hardest battles, and finally, the meaning of mortality.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

One of those classics that could never gather enough dust on the shelf! Breakfast at Tiffany’s is every girl’s dream: to live a life full of wild parties and fashion escapades, while waiting for prince charming to sweep by and reveal to them their well-hidden vulnerabilities. When a man can tell you what your deepest fears are — there’s something strangely charming about it, isn’t it?

Fiza

Bollywood’s best-kept secret: Fiza, which surprisingly didn’t do well at the Box Office. Blame it on the film’s lack of a happy beginning, middle or end; or on junta’s lack of readiness for such morbidity. Either way, this tale has etched itself in the hearts and minds of those who resonate with the film’s subject: the 1993 Mumbai riots. Karishma Kapoor plays Fiza, a desolate sister in a relentless search for her lost brother.

The Color Purple

You have a Pulitzer Prize winning story, penned by Alice Walker in 1982; you have the quintessential director, Steven Spielberg who brought The Color Purple to the big screen and to a wider audience in 1985; then, you have two most influential people playing lead roles: Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. Add to this starry, starry mix a story that begs to be told over and over again — the undesirable treatment meted out to countless black women in early 20thcentury. This film rudely awakens the feminine in you, so go grab the comforter and the popcorn; watch and weep!

Dirty Picture

Fame in the hands of an unseasoned celebrity can be a very dangerous thing. So was the case with South Indian actress, Silk Smitha who succumbed to the lethal combination of alcoholism and a broken heart. Her sad story, struggle to fame and untimely death, is the underlying story in Dirty Picture with Vidhya Balan playing Silk. Not really a family-that-sits-together kind of movie, but watch it if you have an activist in you that screams, “My body belongs to me, and is not your commodity!”

Lolita

Directed by Stanley Kubrick and originally written by Vladimir Nabokov — that ensemble in itself speaks volumes about the fineness viewers will see onscreen. Kubrick, who added to the story his magical aura, picked up the most controversial novel in not just its time, but even for generations after. Lolita follows a middle-aged English professor who is sexually obsessed with nymphets. His latest victim, muse, unwilling travel companion is twelve-year old, Dolores Haze.

Dor

Fate has a good laugh when it brings together a widow and the wife of her late husband’s accused murderer in this film about relationships and sisterly bonds. Aisha Takia plays the woeful widow, shackled by tradition; and Gul Panag portrays a woman from the free world with a very different take on existence.

Erin Brockovich

I close this list with one of the most inspiring stories from the American film industry. Julia Roberts, in her award-winning (Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors’ Guild) performance, plays a single mother, working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Erin Brockovich is a story about determination and resilience, while also revealing man’s devious methods to achieve success.

There are many more soul-searching films from both, Indian cinema and Hollywood, that shows women as the ultimate hero, capable of summiting the toughest mountains. Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth (1982), The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), and more recently Precious (2009) are just some of the films that don’t even begin to scratch the surface. As writer Ness Wadia aptly says, “[We look forward to more such films that will] take us on a wonderful journey that explores hidden avenues of a woman’s resilience and reaches the darkest recesses of her heart and soul.”

Timeless Movies for the Feminist Soul was originally published in Applaudience on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This compilation of successful accelerators has been put together by the ever-enthusiastic and curious Neura team. Neura revolutionizes the way people communicate and our goal is simple: Simplify YOUR life. Get our app and see how it changes the way you communicate!

Locations: Boston and San Francisco Program duration: Minimum 6 months Expertise: Hardware Website: https://bolt.io/

Bolt, self-proclaiming themselves to being the ‘one-stop-shop’ for early stage hardware startups, is a Boston based accelerator started by Ben Einstein, Axel Bichara and Scott Miller bringing together a few decades of product design, manufacturing and investing experience. The Bolt process is fairly hands-on all the way from putting money into your company (up to $500K) through prototyping and manufacturing. They’ve partnered with YCombinator to try and bring the best alleged dealflow pipeline with their hardware touch but so far it doesn’t seem to be extremely impactful. Nonetheless, Bolt is one of the best choices in our opinion. For you Bostonian hardware people — worth checking out!

Locations: San Francisco, US and Shenzhen, China Programs: HAX Accelerator (111 days) and HAX Boost (42 days) Expertise: Hardware Website: http://www.hax.co/

The media and the startup world consider Hax to be the “most prolific accelerator program for hardware.” Their claim to fame is their unique laser-focus on hardware startups with a portfolio of about 80 startups from industries including smartphones, IoT tools, and medical devices. Their programs cater to early-stage startups still figuring out direction as well as startups with a ready go-to-market product. Hax’s success rate looks pretty good to us (over 90% survival rate with 100% crowdfunding success) making them a stiff competition for other hardware accelerators on this list.

Location: San Francisco (they’re space is subbed “The Forge”) Program duration: Anywhere between 6 to 15 months Expertise: Hardware Website: http://lemnoslabs.com/

In 2011, MIT graduates Jeremy Conrad and Helen Zelman Boniske put together their skills and knowledge to start Lemnos Labs to help hardware companies build great products. The idea was to “catch them early”, work with startups while they’re still in the prototyping stage by giving them relevant industry knowledge, access to a network of engineers and mentors, and an office space to work from, apart from an initial investment (up to $200K). Here’s what we think makes Lemnos stand out from the rest: they don’t have fixed program durations. Companies work with Lemnos Labs for about a year and decide to graduate based on how ready they are.

Location: New York City, NY Program duration: 3 months Expertise: Hardware & Software Website: http://rgaaccelerator.com/connecteddevices/

The origins of the R/GA accelerator are rather amusing. RGA, a well-known digital agency, was losing its talent to young disruptive startups; so they came in with the attitude, “If you can’t beat them, join them” making way for one of the most sought-after accelerators on the east coast. The accelerator was born of a partnership between mentorship-driven startup accelerator Techstars and the R/GA, digital agency with a focus on connected devices. As of earlier this year, their focus expanded to also include enterprise and business uses for IoT. There’s a reason they’re on our list, check them out.

Location: San Francisco Program duration: 3.5 months Expertise: Wearables & IoT Website: http://wearableworldlabs.com/

They’re a relatively hot name in Silicon Valley with a portfolio including innovative brands that are successfully carving out a name for themselves, like Skully (they make smart helmets) and Sensum (emotion based software solutions). Other than the accelerator program, Wearable World is the successfully building strong brand presence by spearheading events such as Wearable Wednesdays, the e2e Conference and Wearable World Congress — all names we’ve come across at one point of time or another. Earlier this year, they also joined forces with tech news site, ReadWrite. Quite a repertoire that may make them worth your while if you’re a wearable play looking to join an accelerator.

Location: Burlingame, California Program duration: 6–12 months Expertise: Hardware & Software Website: http://tandemcap.com/

Tandem Capital is a Burlingame seed-stage venture fund founded by two tech heavyweights, Doug Renert and Sunil Bhargava — both come with extensive experience working in the technology space for 20+ years. Earlier this year, Tandem raised $100 million to help startups it takes in to go beyond the seed phase. Tandem onboarded some big fish — an alum of Google and Yahoo! and the co-founder of Couchsurfing — to help guide early-stage startups. A noteworthy differentiator is their relatively generous capital stake in their portfolio companies which is a good indication of them having serious skin in the game, other than just providing mentorship and office space. It also announced a pivot in it’s approach — they’re more of a pre-seed investor than just an accelerator, stating that the term “accelerator” doesn’t do justice to its involvement (read investment + hands-on mentorship) with its startups.

Location: San Francisco Program duration: 4 months Expertise: Hardware Website: http://highway1.io/

Founder and CEO of PCH, Liam Casey says his accelerator, Highway1 is “looking for inexperience.” The manufacturing bigwig earned himself quite a reputation in the late 90s when he cracked down the fortress that is China’s supply chain system. Today, PCH brings in a staggering revenue of over $1 billion, manufacturing high quality products for tech giants across the globe.

Highway 1, PCH’s investment arm and accelerator, offers entrepreneurs a small investment in exchange for 4–7% equity. Selected startups are enrolled in a 4 month program where the goal is simple: help get their products to the market. Highway1 boasts a pretty nice portfolio — Drop, a connected kitchen scale, Ringly that makes smart jewelry, 3D Robotics that makes drones, and Blaze that makes cyclists safe with laser lights. Adding them to your resume may be a smart thing to do.

Location: Milpitas Program duration: TBD Expertise: Hardware Website: labix.io

Flextronics International, the supply chain solutions company, reinvented itself as Flex recently and said they’re making some big changes in their focus, apart from shaving off some letters from their name. The company said it’s moving towards more profitable efforts like engineering design and IP, and that they’re now a “sketch-to-scale” industrial design shop. As part of this reinvention, Flex also launched an accelerator, Lab IX which mentors the startups along with an initial investment. Some of their success stories include Muse, they make headbands that monitors brain activity during meditation; NextInput, a sensor company; and Atheer Labs, a 3D augmented reality platform. They may be young blood, but their portfolio sure does make them worth considering.

Location: Berlin, Krakow Tel Aviv Program duration: Berlin (6–12 months); Krakow (12 months) Expertise: Hardware & Software Website: https://www.hubraum.com/

hub:raum — a European touch to this list — is Deutsche Telekom’s accelerator program focused on the Internet of Things. Their mandate, other than the usual “we’ll give you office space and some mentoring”, is easier (not “easy”… “easier”) access to European telcos and Deutsche Telekom’s far and diverse reach. They’ve also began a small expansion with offices in Berlin, Krakow and Tel Aviv, so if you plan on a pan-European reach, their network will likely become more and more relevant (not to mention meeting spaces…). All in all, we’re fans of the hub:raum program — great team, a lot of willingness to help and a worthy attempt to mitigate the shadowing corporate behemoths and provide a true early stage working environment, clean from corporate distractions. Worth checking out!

Originally published at www.theneura.com.

9 IoT Accelerators That Are Changing the Tech Landscape was originally published in Neura Inc on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.