A NASA spacecraft successfully smashed into a small asteroid and changed its orbit: Should we all sleep easier at night?
+ Flavor- Carbon Print = Sustainability
A flavor revolution is underway in New Jersey, thanks to the Oishii, a Vertical Farm project, where “The strawberries don’t taste like typical strawberries: they’re sweeter, with a denser, juicier center”.
An article published on the Forbes site explains the origin of the curious name “Oishii, which means “delicious” in Japanese, Oishii currently grows its famous Omakase Berry in a warehouse converted into a vertical farm. The crop is pesticide-free, but pollinated by real bees, which live in hives on the premises, queen bees and all.
″[The strawberries] average somewhere between two to three times more in sweetness level, compared to what’s conventionally grown in the U.S.,” Oishii co-founder and CEO Hiroki Koga tells CNBC Make It. “Once you taste our berries, it’s simply a completely different experience.”
This wonderful flavor and its characteristics have allowed them to sell their products at high prices for the category. In principle, they sold 6 strawberries for $50, currently they position the same 6 units at $20.
oishii.com
The beginning of an idea
Hiroki Koga and Oishii co-founder Brendan Somerville, after graduating from their MBA, embarked on this project, spending hours consulting and YouTube videos to figure out how to grow the farm and maintain a suitable environment for both strawberries and for the bees that would need to pollinate the plants.
The future is now
Koga revealed for Forbes “the vertical farm uses both water and soil as growing mediums and that robots play an important role, some of them taking millions of pictures a day to provide a constant flow of visual data. Other machines monitor environmental data, such as temperature, humidity, CO2, wind speed and light to make sure the levels remain consistent. Human farmers, who are important, too, must go through three levels of decontamination procedures before entering the facility.
In fact, in the year 2021, they managed to raise “raised $50 million in a Series A round, bringing its total funding up to $55 million and positioning it for expansion into new crops and other metropolitan areas.
The funding round was led by SPARX Group’s Mirai Creation Fund II. Other investors include Sony Innovation Fund, PKSHA Technology, and Social Starts”, subscribe the article “Robots And Bees: High-Tech, Vertical Strawberry Farm In N.J. Raises $50 Million In Series A Round”, published by Forbes.
In this video published by Make It, as part of a special for the startup, called “These New Jersey farmers grow strawberries that sell for $20 a box: the taste is “a completely different experience” you can learn more about this fascinating project, which already has locations in New Jersey (original), New York City and Los Angeles.
What is a vertical farm?
It is about replacing the extensive traditional cultivation area with a vertical structure, sometimes with several floors, where vegetables and in some cases, meat, poultry and fish can be produced.
The future for farms
Oishii is the perfect example of what experts predict as a future of sustainable food, vertical farming that will allow local foods, without pesticides and whose production does not generate emissions, are now possible beyond small urban gardens.
Multiple benefits
These initiatives have numerous benefits, especially for the areas surrounding the farms, since they allow:
Reduce production space.
Save water, up to 95%
Produce all year round, regardless of the weather.
Achieve higher production in less time.
Reduce spending on transportation.
Reduce CO2 emissions.
Bringing agriculture closer to cities
In addition to enjoying an incomparable flavor and supporting the local economy
In addition, this project is closely aligned with some UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, such as:
Goal 6: Ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, secure, sustainable and modern energy
Goal 11: Make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, do not hesitate to visit the following links with useful information:
Engineering for all: a middle school program to introduce students to engineering as a potential social good.
Controlled environment agriculture poised to grow.
Vertical farming: Farms among the skyscrapers
THE VERTICAL FARM: The World Grows Up.
Digging the City : An Urban Agriculture Manifesto
Vertical Veggie Farm.
Advances in Renewable Energy and Sustainable Systems
GOING UP: After failures and losses, vertical farm operations expand on growing trend.
 |
Author : Vanessa D”angelo |
Choose Your Own Adventure
Tell us a story, real or made up, that is inspired by this illustration.
Word of the Day: promulgate
This word has appeared in 56 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
15 QA Interview Questions to Practice Before Your Next Technical Interview
Your technical interview is one of the most important steps in the job-hunting process. Not only is it your chance to show how your skills and experience match the position you’re applying for, but it’s also an opportunity for you to learn more about your potential future employer and the team you’ll be working with.
During a technical interview for a quality assurance (QA) position, you’ll be asked questions to test your knowledge about the software development process. Questions related to software testing, the different tools used for QA, and how to identify issues in the development life cycle are all fair game.
To help you prepare, here are 15 of the most common questions that are asked in QA interviews, and tips on how to answer them.
1. Is QA the same as software testing?
Your answer to this question can include the fact that QA focuses more on analyzing the process behind software creation, while software testing is more about examining how individual elements of an application function.
2. Describe the differences between the terms “build” and “release.”
In the context of QA testing, these two terms typically refer to numbers used to name software. A build number is provided by the development team for the testing team to label software that can be installed. A release number is provided to the customer by either the dev team or the tester.
3. What does the term “testware” refer to?
This is a term used by many QA departments, so you can expect a question like this during your interview. Your answer should cover that testware refers to artifacts people use to build and run tests, such as test cases, test plans, and test data.
4. What is meant by the terms “bug leakage” and “bug release?”
A bug release is intentional, while a bug leakage is accidental. A bug release refers to the transaction in which an application is sent to the testing team with the knowledge that it contains a bug. A bug leak describes the event in which a bug makes it past the testing team and to the end user.
5. What does “data-driven testing” mean?
This can be a tricky question because data-driven testing means something different in the context of QA interview questions. Data-driven testing refers to an automated testing framework that tests the results of different input values. These values are read straight from data files, which may include Excel files, CSV files, data pools, and many other formats.
6. What’s involved in test strategy?
Answering this question correctly demonstrates your knowledge of high-level testing concepts. When you answer, make sure you mention that test strategy involves forming an introduction, compiling a set of resources, deciding the scope, and setting a schedule for your testing and the tools involved.
7. What are some of the different types of software testing?
For this question, you could outline several of the following classes of testing to show you have a comprehensive understanding of software testing as a discipline:
- Integration testing. This involves figuring out how different components of an app work together.
- Regression testing. Regression testing assesses how new features impact the functionality of an app.
- Functional testing. With functional testing, you use real-world scenarios to check how well an app accomplishes what it’s designed to do.
- Stress testing. The objective of a stress test is to figure out how much an app can take before it breaks, whether the scenario is realistic or not.
- Performance testing. Performance testing is like stress testing, except you aim to see how much an app can handle in a real-life situation.
- Unit testing. A unit test involves testing the smallest unit of an app that you can test. This helps you see how elements of the app perform on their own.
- White-box testing. White-box testing focuses on examining how the internal structures of the app function.
- Black-box testing. Black-box testing refers to testing without looking at the internal functions of the app.
- Smoke testing. This is a set of preliminary tests to assess basic functionality, often in advance of a release or more extensive testing.
8. What do the terms “branch testing” and “boundary testing” involve?
Although branch and boundary testing sounds similar, they address different aspects of application testing. With branch testing, you test the different branches of code. On the other hand, boundary testing involves testing the limit conditions of an application.
9. What is involved in forming test cases and test plans?
This is an important subject to focus on while prepping for QA interview questions because it shows that you understand the principles that undergird this work. You should cover the following areas in your answer:
- Objectives
- Scope
- Environment
- Testing the frame
- The reasons driving your testing
- Risk factors
- Deliverables
- Criteria for entrance/exit
10. What is meant by Agile testing?
Agile is one of the more recent terms used in the dev world. Agile testing refers to testing that uses Agile methodologies. One of the primary differences is that you don’t wait for your development team to finish coding. Instead, coding and testing happen at the same time, which involves testers interacting with several different members of the team and customers.
11. What does the term “test case” mean?
A test case is one of the basic building blocks of the QA process. It refers to the steps, environments, outputs, and prerequisites involved in the testing environment.
12. What does the term “quality audit” mean?
A quality audit refers to the systematic evaluation of the quality control system’s effectiveness. You can think of a quality audit as a test of how well quality is maintained throughout the development process.
The tools a tester uses to do their job will vary according to the kind of project they’re working on. But some tools you can mention in your answer are Firebug, OpenSGTA, Web developer toolbar for Firefox, Selenium, WinSCP, and YSlow for Firebug.
14. What is a use case?
Use cases are another central element of the QA process, so it’s good to have a solid answer ready for this question. A use case refers to a document that outlines an action the user takes and how the system responds. It’s used to examine how a specific element of application functions.
15. What does the term “ad hoc testing” refer to?
Ad hoc testing is a popular testing method that’s used by a lot of different QA teams, even though they may not use it all the time. It involves a tester trying to break a system by randomly executing different functions.
Looking for more interview prep?
Need a refresher on any of the concepts we covered here? You can learn what drives the testing process with our Learn Testing for Web Development course, and if you know JavaScript already, you can check out our Learn JavaScript Unit Testing course.
If you’re looking for more interview support, our guide to the technical interview can help you prepare for this important step in the job-hunting process, and check out these tips for answering behavioral interview questions.
You can access even more interview, resume, and cover letter advice at our Career Center, and be sure to check out our full course catalog if you’re looking to learn a new skill.
Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy
Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, the content in our Web Development domain will help you get there.
Teenagers Share Their Best Life Hacks
“Be kind to yourself.” “Make a plan first.” “If the weather permits, wear velvet.” And more.
Connecting Google certificates and university Specializations to help learners prepare for in-demand career fields
By Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer, Coursera
In a recent Coursera survey of university students from around the world, 86% of respondents said earning an industry microcredential would help them stand out to employers and secure jobs when they graduate – a testament to the importance of integrating industry-led learning into a degree curriculum. Historically, however, collaboration between industry and academia has been slow and piecemeal.
We’re partnering with Google to announce a curated offering on Coursera to prepare learners for entry-level roles in specialized and growing industries, such as construction and sustainability project management, finance and public sector data analysis, and health IT. Learners on Coursera can now choose from five university-taught Specializations in high-growth industries, each designed to align with an existing Google Professional Certificate.
By participating in university and industry learning programs, learners are exposed to both the practical and theoretical knowledge needed for one of these in-demand, specialized roles. The complementary offerings serve students and early-career learners, as well as those who may be further along in their careers and looking to switch to a new track. The curated pairings are as follows:
- Data Analytics in Finance from the University of Illinois and Google – Learn foundational skills for a variety of entry-level financial analyst and accountant roles.
- Data Analytics in the Public Sector from the University of Michigan and Google – Explore data analytics in the public sector, developing skills that can be used in entry-level jobs such as policy analyst and data analyst.
- Healthcare IT from Johns Hopkins University and Google – Examine the crossroads of healthcare and big data, preparing for an entry-level role such as health IT specialist or healthcare customer support.
- Project Management in Construction from Columbia University and Google – Help build tomorrow’s infrastructure by gaining skills and tools for entry-level construction management analyst and construction estimator jobs.
- Project Management in Sustainability from Arizona State University and Google – Prepare to enter the growing “green collar” industry with the foundational knowledge needed for entry-level roles such as sustainability analyst and sustainability coordinator.
“Google is thrilled to offer Google Career Certificate graduates additional pathways to great jobs through our collaboration with Coursera and some of the world’s leading universities,” said Lisa Gevelber, Founder, Grow with Google. “These new courses provide a unique opportunity for people to learn from experts at Google and renowned university faculty to learn the skills needed for growing industries.”
Upon completion of any of the Google certificates, learners will be able to apply for relevant jobs at 150 companies in the Google Career Certificates Employer Consortium, including Rocket Companies, Verizon, Deloitte, and of course, Google. The Google certificates also have ACE Credit Recommendation, so learners may be eligible to receive up to 12 credits at a participating college or university in the US, or the equivalent of four college courses at the associate’s degree level.*
We’re proud to partner with Google and leading universities to help learners quickly develop the skills needed to launch well-paying careers.
Launch your career today with Professional Certificates from Google and Specializations from top universities on Coursera.
* Each college and university has its own policies around credit for prior learning, including whether or not to accept certificates for credit toward a degree. The ACE Credit Recommendations mentioned here do not currently apply to any of the university Specializations listed above, nor do universities listed here necessarily accept ACE Credit Recommendations.
What Is Your Reaction to the State of Abortion Rights in 2022?
On June 24, the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years. How will the decision affect you and your community?
Clocks
What do you think this image is communicating?
Word of the Day: firmament
This word has appeared in 63 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
