What do you get when you combine Clash of Clans, Pac-Man, and Elden Ring? You get the Aavegotchi Protocol's flagship game, The Gotchiverse. It’s almost suspicious how the rise of cryptocurrency and NFTs has coincided with the financial emboldening of the Gaming community. Streaming services like Twitch and Hitbox have afforded their gamers consistent and substantial incomes, forcing the mainstream public to recognize Gaming as a respectable and lucrative industry. So, it’s no surprise that Gaming and NFTs have coalesced to conceive a GameFi baby, with countless developers laboring over play-to-earn dApps to capitalize on the growing sector. But the visionaries at Pixelcraft Studios’ premier game, The Gotchiverse, have created what could be the most ambitious and foundational GameFi ecosystem yet, a psychedelic amalgamation of DeFi and NFTs called The Gotchiverse. Founded by “gotchi summoners” CoderDan (CEO) and gldnXcross (COO), Aavegotchi is a NFT gaming protocol operating on the Polygon sidechain and based on the classic 90s concept, Tamagotchi. Within Aavegotchi’s MMORPG metaverse, players stake interest-generating tokens from the Aave protocol to their NFT avatars – adorable, albeit pixelated, ghosts named Aavegotchis. Each avatar accrues value through a combination of unique base traits, equipped wearables, and staked collateral (or aTokens). To level up their Aavegotchis, players can participate in various activities such as governance, meetups, and minigame XP events. Leveling up an Aavegotchi helps it climb the leaderboards during Rarity Farming, Aavegotchi’s original play-to-earn mechanism that rewards the most enthusiastic and engaged members of the Aavegotchi ecosystem with GHST, the protocol’s native governance token and base currency for purchasing on-chain assets. Since its initial launch in 2020, Aavegotchi has garnered a dedicated community of gamers and NFT enthusiasts. But the upcoming release of The Gotchiverse, set for March 31st, will introduce a scalable infrastructure capable of supporting countless users and thousands of transactions per second. Entering The Gotchiverse for the first time can be both daunting in its breadth and comforting in its nostalgia. Its 2D retro aesthetic will take gamers back to the simplicity of the late 80s and 90s, while its tokenomic intricacies may understandably intimidate some. That’s why we’ll be breaking down its many layers and components, so you can learn how to earn in this game-changing (literally) metaverse. GEOGRAPHY To understand how to earn in the Gotchiverse, one must first understand its geography. Once an Aavegotchi is purchased from a portal, it manifests within the Gotchiverse, a vast REALM comprising a network of zones and districts where players and their Aavegotchis can explore, build, and make new FRENS (yes, that’s spelt correctly). Its three distinct zones, the Citaadel, the Grid, and the Beyond, each host their own landmarks and exciting discoveries, though contents of the Beyond will remain ambiguous until the beginning of Act 2. The Citaadel provides the central forum and home base for Aavegotchis, protecting them from their creators and archnemeses, the Lickquidators, via the eternal Force Field. Within this haven, a key landmark called The Great Portal contains the spirits of all Aavegotchis and represents the bridge between the Gotchiverse REALM and its commanding blockchain. It is also the only area inside the Citaadel where players can build Installations (we’ll get to those). Outside the Citaadel, lies the Grid. Much akin to the Wild West, it’s a largely untapped region encompassing most of the territory within the Gotchiverse. The Grid consists of material-rich segments called REALM parcels, which players can build Installations upon and mine from while avoiding hostile Lickquidators eager to attack their Aavegotchi. Fortunately, those Lickquidators are barred from the Aarena, another key landmark located in the Grid, where Aavegotchis compete in epic Battle Royales for their opponent’s Spirit Force, or interest-bearing aTokens staked by the gotchi owner. Just as real nations are divided into provinces, states, or cities, the Gotchiverse is divided into numerous Districts, each comprising tightly packed groups of REALM parcels. Due to their consolidation of these valuable parcels, many districts have become home to certain Guilds, such as YGG, BlackPool, and CGU. These exclusive groups offer players the chance to socialize with other Aavegotchi owners, acquire rare NFT-instilled crests, and channel their unique abilities to conquer The Gotchiverse. CONQUERING THE GOTCHIVERSE Now that we’ve established geography, it’s time to learn how to survive and thrive in the Gotchiverse. While there are no “end of game” scenarios, one overarching objective is to collect Gotchus Alchemica and craft Installations in preparation for the Great Battle, a recurring event where the Citaadel’s Force Field is lowered and Lickquidators attempt to plunder the Great Portal. Gotchus Alchemica are ERC-20 tokens that represent the four elements of the Gotchiverse: FUD, FOMO, ALPHA, and KEK. They’re also one of the main factors that giveREALM parcels their value, as each parcel stores either a Humble, Reasonable, or Spacious sized concentration of Alchemica and building space. To make Alchemica hunting more convenient, every parcel contains a Token ID and a unique three-word combination, enabling players to filter for specific parcels by typing their keywords into the Gotchiverse search box. Once a player discovers and eventually purchases a parcel, Chainlink VRF randomizes and calculates the exact Alchemica amounts. They can then deploy their Aavegotchi to harvest the materials. Parcels adjacent to Alchemica deposits will display farming boosters on The Gotchiverse dashboard and when they’re listed on the Baazaar, Aavegtochi’s secondary NFT marketplace. After extracting Alchemicafrom a parcel, players can either trade them on the Gotchus Alchemica Exchange (GAX) or usethem to craft Installation NFTs like towers, reservoirs, aaltars, and even black holes. These special structures serve a myriad of purposes, from defending against Lickquidators and acquiring more Alchemica to constructing dApps and equipping in-parcel voice chat. They can even be upgraded and freely traded for GHST on the Baazaar. Though it takes a given number of blockchain blocks to finish constructing an Installation, players can reduce its block time by spending GLTR (GAX Liquidity Mining Rewards), an in-game currency that can be earned by providing liquidity on the GAX. During the crafting process, 5% of the Alchemica is burned forever, while the rest is allotted to three sources: 30% is distributed to the AavegotchiDAO, a reward for their participation in the Gotchiverse; 30% goes to the summoners, or The Gotchiverse creators at Pixelcraft Studios, for user acquisition, strategic allocations, and marketing initiatives; another 35% is sacrificed to the Great Portal, which recycles excess amounts back into the Gotchiverse through rewards activities like Alchemical Channeling. This distribution maintains the Gotchiverse by allowing inhabitants to share its spoils. As valuable as Gotchus Alchemica may be, there’s plenty to go around in the Gotchiverse, with various means for players to extract them from the REALM. The easiest is simply keeping your little ghost alive to receive a daily stipend through Alchemical Channeling. Roaming the map and collecting Alchemica from spilled mining can make for a real bullion, although it can be time consuming.. Reinvesting elements to build harvester and reservoir Installations is a more passive method to earn in The Gotchiverse. Finally, those lucky enough to have been accepted into a Guild can gather on any REALM parcel with a Gotchi Lodge Installation and engage in Communal Channeling to receive Alchemica, as long as they each bear their Guild’s Insignia Crest. Guilds might not be for everyone. But the Gotchiverse is a big place, and it can be lonely roaming the Grid solo, not to mention risky. That’s why it’s always a good idea to socialize with other Aavegotchis, which the game makes quite easy, even for the unaffiliated. Gotchis within proximity can automatically engage in text chat, while REALM parcel owners can craft Installations that enable voice chat for Gotchis occupying the same parcel and even upgrade them to support global voice chat. Those communication channels are particularly useful for Gotchis who want to band together and embark on Aadventures, special regions outside the Citaadel where players can put their Gotchi’s traits and wearables to the test as they explore dungeons, fight baadies, and gain XP. Ultimately, Aavegotchi’s metaverse is a highly inclusive one that strives to give anyone and everyone the opportunity to experience its play-to-earn ecosystem. The more players the better, which is why the generous summoners have instituted a Sharing Economy with two distinct ways for non Gotchi owners to participate. The first is through Gotchi Lending, a 100% on-chain model that allows users to borrow Aavegotchis from FRENS or strangers. Through the Aavegotchi Baazaar, Gotchi owners can advertise their ghosts on their own terms and conditions, such as lend time and rewards split, while backed by smart contracts and the security of the blockchain, so borrowers can never steal their NFT. The second and more nefarious entry point, coming soon, is to play as a Lickquidator. Players opting for this method are granted a one-time use NFT to enter the Gotchiverse and collect spilled Alchemica from the map’s surface. They can also battle Aavegotchis and their offensive Installations to acquire more of the elements. However, to play as the evil Lickquidators, users must possess Lickquidator Credits, which can be purchased with GHST or earned by referring friends, participating in airdrops, and completing tasks, among others. REALM TOKENOMICS Geography and gameplay aside, let’s go down the tokenomics rabbit hole. There will be a total supply of 420,069 REALM parcels constituting The Gotchiverse. The Citaadel and the Grid comprise the initial 155,069 REALM parcels, which will be unlocked and distributed over the course of two years, or Act 1. The remaining REALM parcels are presently obscured in The Beyond. However, each new Act and passing milestone will uncover more of the mysterious zone and unlock fresh gameplay experiences. In short, Aavegotchi is just getting started. The Aavegotchi team will distribute REALM parcels to players via two methods. Incentivized GBM Auctions will make up the predominant 80% of parcel distribution, through which players can select and bid on specific parcels within the Gotchiverse world map. First pioneered by Cryptographs in 2019, this revolutionary GBM is a patent-pending system, licensed to Pixelcraft, that allows participants to earn GHST even if they don’t win the auctioned NFT. The remaining 20% of REALM parcels will be distributed via a Chainlink-VRF powered Raffle system. To enter an NFT Raffle, participants must acquire and submit Drop Tickets, ERC-1155 tokens that represent one Raffle entry and are fully tradable on the Baazaar. Players can obtain these Drop Tickets by either converting 10,000 FRENS into a Drop Ticket or converting other Raffle Tickets. The days when we regarded gaming as a time-wasting hobby for slackers, stoners, and introverts are well in the past. With the inception of GameFi, gamers everywhere can play-to-earn the future of financial capital. Video game publishers and dApp developers know this and are eagerly striving to profit from the burgeoning industry by building the next great GameFi experience. But none are nearly as visionary, elaborate, and beautiful as Aavegotchi’s genre-bending metaverse. From an expansive geography and enthralling gameplay to a methodical token economy, the Gotchiverse could be the trailblazing play-to-earn ecosystem that the gaming and crypto communities deserve. And even if the breadth of its kaleidoscopic world appears initially daunting, the Gotchiverse is simple at heart – Buy a portal, summon an Aavegotchi, and have fun getting rich. To get involved and learn more visit . aavegotchi.com

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Aavegotchi is Writing the Future of GameFi with The Gotchiverse

Build automation is an important aspect of software development. In this article, we will compare the two most popular build tools for Java development: and . Maven Gradle Make and Apache Ant Previously, developers used the Make tool for building Java projects, and the build process was not much different from building applications in any other language. Then in 2000, the (Another Neat Tool) build system was released. Ant Ant, like Make, uses an imperative style, but build scripts have XML syntax. Ant was developed as a build system specialized for Java projects. Ant is a Java-based build automation system and therefore it is much easier for a Java developer to extend its functionality. Maven However, already in 2004, a new Maven build system was proposed, which took a fresh look at the process of building Java applications. Previously, developers themselves organized the folder structure for storing source codes, resources, classpath directories, and output directories. And therefore, the build scripts for Ant for two different applications could be very different: compilation, assembly, copying files to the output directory, etc. were prescribed separately. In Maven, a Java project always has a deliberately defined structure. For example, the source codes should be in src/main/java, the resources for tests in src/test/resources. Maven allows you to create a file structure of a typical project with a single command. Maven also introduces the concept of "build lifecycle" with successive phases: ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ validate compile test package verify install deploy Now, thanks to a fixed folder structure and a set of goals, there is no need to write and maintain a large build script and build scripts have become declarative. It has become more convenient for developers to work not only with their own code but also with third-party projects because it is clear how the source code is organized and how to build it. There are quite a lot of libraries in the Java world, and a serious application uses hundreds of them. When using Ant, you need to add the necessary jar files to the project yourself. You also need to take care of the necessary transitive dependencies. Maven provides dependency manager functionality and Maven Central Repository. Now, when specifying a new dependency in the build script, Maven will automatically find the necessary jar of the appropriate version and all its transitive dependencies, download them, and make sure that they get into the classpath of the project. You can also raise your own closed internal repository, in which you can store your own or patched libraries, or standard libraries built manually. It should be noted that Ant can be used in conjunction with the project, which also allows you to manage dependencies and work with Maven repositories. Apache Ivy Despite all the advantages of Maven, its declarative approach can be a disadvantage in some situations. For example, when you need to change the build lifecycle and add new goals to the build process. Maven allows you to extend its functionality with plugins. There are many ready-made Maven plugins that solve various typical tasks, and these plugins are also available from the central repository. However, if for some reason it is necessary to slightly change the standard lifecycle, and there is no suitable plugin, the developer will have to create his own plugin on his own. Gradle In 2008, the first release of the Gradle build system was released, and version 1.0 was released in 2012. The goal of the Gradle project is to preserve all the advantages of Maven, but also to give the developer more opportunities to customize the build process. That is why Gradle build scripts are written in Groovy DSL. Gradle provides the ability to write declarative build scripts and more compact than Maven because XML is quite cumbersome. It's also easy to add non-standard logic to the build process in Gradle, it's enough to write a Groovy script, and you don't need to develop plugins. At the same time, you can easily debug the execution of build scripts, as they are regular Groovy files. Thus, Gradle combines declarative and imperative approaches. Since version 5.0, Gradle also supports Kotlin DSL. Gradle also supports plugins, which allows developers to exchange ready-made customizations. Also, one of the significant advantages of Gradle is an incremental build. When the assembly is restarted, Gradle determines whether the files that are the input data for the target have changed and if not, the execution of the target is skipped, because its output artifacts have already been collected. This gives a significant increase in build speed compared to Maven, especially on large multi-module projects. Gradle can also run Gradle daemon, a background process that avoids the cost of resources and initialization time each time the build is started. Gradle has a convenient Gradle wrapper feature – it is an opportunity to generate shell and Windows batch scripts that automatically download the Gradle distribution of the specified version and use it to build the project. This means that to build a Gradle project, you do not need to install Gradle separately, just installing Java is enough. And it is also quite easy to switch the project to another version of Gradle. Choosing between Maven and Gradle Despite the advantages of Gradle, quite a lot of projects use the Maven build system. The choice depends on the type of project and team. Maven has been in use since 2004, so more developers are familiar with it. In addition, Maven is stable, the last major version 3 was released in 2010. Gradle has already changed significantly several times without backward compatibility, and developers had to migrate their build scripts to new versions. In addition, not everyone is familiar with Groovy or Kotlin, so using Gradle requires additional knowledge, while Maven uses understandable XML. Therefore, the question arises, if the project began to be developed before Gradle became popular, does it make sense to migrate build scripts to Gradle. On the other hand, more and more developers are choosing Gradle. Spring, Hibernate, and LinkedIn use Gradle. Also, the Android assembly system is Gradle, and it is popular with Android application developers. All popular IDEs have integration with both build systems and support auto-completion when editing build scripts. A huge number of plugins have been developed for both Maven and Gradle, which allow you to add frequently used functions to the project build process. Conclusion From the pros and cons of each of the build systems described above, the following conclusion can be drawn. Maven is more suitable for small projects that do not require customization of the build process, and the build time of the project is not so critical. Gradle is more suitable for large-scale projects with a large number of modules, as well as for Android apps.

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Maven vs Gradle: How to Choose the Right Build Tool

Source: Bored Ape Yacht Club The explosion of NFTs in the crypto scene has created incredible hype in 2021, with holders of images of digital apes or punks becoming crypto-rich almost overnight and a new wave of digital artists emerging to sell their work as . NFTs However, the NFT hype is slowing down, more and more copycat projects are emerging, and instances of wash trading are becoming increasingly more obvious, putting doubt on the ability of the NFT hype to continue much longer. At the same time, a number of NFT use cases will likely survive and could end up being integrated into the global digital economy. Read on to learn about seven NFT use cases that will likely outlive the NFT hype. Collectables ** ** NFTs can prove ownership of digital collectable items and memorabilia. Think of how convenient it would be to own a verifiable version of a unique baseball card instead of holding a physical baseball card. Sorare, a football fantasy game, has already been successful in designing player collectable card NFTs that can be used in the play-to-earn game. Moreover, the highly popular NBA Topshot NFT collectables have been one the best-performing NFT brands, enabling basketball fans to collect digital ‘Moments’ of their favourite basketball players. Chances are high that popular brands such as Pokemon, Star Wars, and Star Trek will start incorporating collectible NFTs as part of the merchandise and interaction with fans. Consumer Loyalty Programs **NFTs are poised to revamp consumer loyalty programs that have become outdated and often no longer appeal to the consumer. ** For example, the cosmetics brand Clinique rewards its loyal customers with NFT artworks, a radical shift from traditional shopping points. Moreover, Coca-Cola auctioned ‘virtual loot boxes’ and digital apparel that can be displayed in the Decentraland ** **to its most loyal fans.** ** metaverse NFT-based consumer loyalty programs enable brands to go digital and have a transparent record of their most loyal consumers. Community Building Brands and influencers can leverage NFTs to reach out to followers and fans who want to feel close to their idols. Holding a limited edition NFT of your favorite influencer is what many die-hard followers wish for, especially if it provides special privileges such as limited edition merchandise, tickets to live events, or meeting their idols. ** ** Moreover, brands can drop limited edition NFTs to reward community members as well as drive community engagement on social platforms. Brand Building One of the big promises of NFTs is that they could become the basis to build a digital consumer connection for brands. Pushing product lines into the digital economy is not the only use for NFTs. Companies that leverage NFTs exclusively for collectibles or digital art are missing a more important trend. Looking into the future, NFTs may be the focal digital anchor between brands and their customers.** ** Ralph Lauren is already selling branded digital apparel in metaverses like Zeppeto while Dolce and Gabanna over $6 million worth of NFT-based virtual couture. auctioned Brands can incorporate NFTs in their digital branding strategy to create more brand awareness in light of growing interest in web3 and the metaverse. Digital Art Even with the contraction of the crypto “art” market, digital art will likely remain one of the most popular NFT use cases. NFTs have democratized the digital art market, making it easier for artists to make money from their work regardless of where they are located. While the latest monkey-themed NFT drop will likely not result in 1000x gains for their holders, real artists selling digital art in the form of NFTs will likely remain a part of the global art market in the future. Gaming Skins & Other Items **The incorporation of NFTs into the gaming space will likely become the bedrock of future play-to-earn gaming. ** NFT technology can improve nascent play-to-earn gaming by offering in-game items that combine the utility and collectability of players. NFTs can enable gamers to buy and trade genuine in-game items, provide accurate transactional data, and show proof of ownership. While the gaming community at large is not a fan of NFTs as they consider them another form of in-game microtransaction created to make developers money, popular P2E games like Axie Infinity are proving the potential for NFTs in the P2E sub-sector of the gaming industry. Music NFTs As the NFT hype around JPEGs settles down, we will begin to see more creative ways for artists to monetize the use of NFTs. In the future, musicians will create NFTs to auction off different forms of digital media to their fan base. Their fans can pay for these using digital currency like . ether (ETH) They could also use NFTs to prove sole ownership or add several buyers to the NFT. Moreover, a music artist can receive royalties in perpetuity, particularly when a buyer of digital copy sells the file to somebody else. This way the process of music and monetary ownership is democratized, and the artist has more power over his art. Cases of music NFTs are on the rise. In February 2021, DJ and music producer made waves by selling over $10 million worth of music NFTs in a day. Moreover, Canadian musician Grimes sold $5.8 million worth of music NFTs in less than an hour. 3LAU Whether you are a fan of NFTs or think they are a scam, in all likelihood, they will remain a part of the digital economy.

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7 NFT Use Cases That Will (Probably) Survive the Hype

For the vast majority of organizations, it's necessary to have some form of round-the-clock cover to support the business. Whilst it's most commonly a concern for engineering, it's increasingly common to have folks from various disciplines available out-of-hours. Irrespective of role, compensating people fairly is an important factor of running a healthy and effective on-call system. In this guide, we'll cover the various options for paying folks who are on-call, along with some advice, trade-offs, and pitfalls to avoid. And ps, if happen to be on-call and dealing with incidents, check out --- out-of-the-box IR automation tool for on-call folks, that handles the tedious manual processes on Slack during an incident, making responding quick and easy so that you can focus on fixing the problem. you incident.io A couple of terms worth knowing Someone who's the first point of contact when something goes wrong. Most commonly on-call is linked to out-of-hours work. On-call: We used to carry actual pagers back in the day, but these days the phrase 'holding the pager' really means being the first person whose phone will be called when something goes wrong. Pager: Common Approaches to on-call Compensation There are a number of different approaches to on-call comp... 1. No pay for on-call Many organizations don't pay anything for on-call. The folks taking part in an on-call rotation are doing so out of the goodness of their heart, or because they've been asked (or forced!) to do so. This approach is particularly prevalent in smaller companies where incidents aren't especially severe, or the impact of downtime isn't considered a significant concern. It's also something we see in much larger organizations, where historical norms prevail and folks feel less empowered to ask for change. If you're considering this approach to compensation, it's worth keeping an eye on how people are feeling over time. There'll come a point where the impact on home life is meaningful enough that they expect to be compensated for the inconvenience. Left unchecked, it's easy to end up with burnt-out or undervalued people who may look for opportunities elsewhere. 2. Pay as part of your base salary In this model on-call compensation is positioned as part of your base salary, and is commonly combined with expectations around how often you'll be required to work out-of-hours. For example, you might have a base salary of $100k and an expectation that you'll be on-call no more than one week in eight. There's a clear appeal to this approach as it's a simple mechanic for paying folks without any complex monthly compensation calculations. There are a few trade-offs to consider, however. Firstly, this model prevents folks from trading time without feeling indebted to each other. Since everyone is compensated equally, overrides are highly transactional; "I'll take your week, if you take mine". Additionally, people have a tendency to forget these kinds of agreements exist, and over time they may forget that they are being compensated at all. And since it doesn't feel like they're being paid 'extra' for that out-of-hours time, there's a risk they'll begrudge doing it. 3. Pay per incident With a pay-per-incident approach, on-callers are paid a fixed amount for every incident they attend. Typically it'll apply to out-of-hours only, but every time you open your laptop to investigate an issue you were paged for, you get rewarded. It's clear to see where the positives are here: pay is correlated with the amount of active pain you feel, so the more you're disrupted the more you're compensated. A bad week of incidents is made a little less bad when you pocket a nice bump on your paycheck. There are clear drawbacks to this method though, and in the worst case you can end up disincentivizing work to make systems more reliable. If you're going to be paid every time an alert fires, and you don't mind being woken up, why take the time to fix things? This is clearly an extreme, and few people are likely to deliberately leave things in a poor state, but while the incentive structures are in place the risk is there. Another failure mode is the fact that no incidents mean no pay. It might sound reasonable on the surface, but when being on-call means you need to carry your laptop with you for a week, that's an inconvenience you're giving away for free. 4. Pay by time This approach works by paying folks solely for the hours they spend on-call. Most commonly this is run as a weekly rotation, where on-callers are paid a fixed amount for the time they're 'holding the pager'. In an ideal world, the compensation is worked out down to the minute taking overrides into account. In this world, when someone takes over part of your shift for you, they're automatically compensated for their time which removes the pressure to trade shifts. Ultimately this approach pays folks for the on their home life, rather than their time directly. If you're paid $300 for a full week of on-call, you're essentially being compensated at a rate of $1.78 per hour. Not an amazing rate by any standards, but if it's just covering you to carry a laptop around it's a pretty fair exchange. inconvenience As with the other approaches, paying by time also comes with some trade-offs. Firstly, it doesn't work well when someone is on the receiving end of a bad week of on-call: that $300 is going to feel like a rough deal when you've been woken several nights in a row. For this reason, it's helpful to pair it with an environment of proactive overrides: if someone's been up in the night, offer to give them a 24-hour break. The other failure mode is fairness when there's an imbalance of pager-load between teams. If I'm paid $300 per week and my team receives double the number of alerts of another, I'm likely to feel aggrieved. There's no easy solution here, but one option is to consider different rates for 'high' and 'low' load teams. Our advice on Getting Started There's clearly no shortage of options for compensating folks who are on-call, but you might be wondering which is best. As with most things, the most accurate answer is "it depends", but for the majority of people, paying by time is a sensible default. Below are a couple of example models which incorporate this approach. A single rotation in smaller Organisations In smaller organisations, like , it's likely that a single rotation will have you covered. In this world, you're in easy mode, and you can pick a compensation amount that feels fair based on the criticality of your service and the typical frequency of incidents. incident.io For us, we pay ~$350 per week and expect to be paged no more than once or twice (and sometimes never!). We've written about our setup in more depth in . On-call by default A more sophisticated Default for larger Organisations When I worked at Monzo -- a bank here in the UK -- a large proportion of the company was on-call. Things were a little more complex and we wanted to structure our compensation to cover a few different scenarios: Critical teams who needed to be available at very short notice Teams with lower alert load, or who could afford to respond with less urgency Fairly compensating folks who weren't on-call, but were opportunistically pulled into incidents To account for these we had two levels for weekly compensation; one where a team would be paid a higher rate in return for a stricter SLA, and another where a team would be paid slightly less in return for a slightly relaxed response time. Since you're paying folks for the inconvenience on the home life this approach feels justified. If you're on a critical rotation and need your laptop with you at all times, it's fair that you're compensated higher than someone who can leave it at home whilst they head out for groceries. To account for folks who were opportunistically pulled into incidents, we introduced the concept of 'sideways escalations'. If you were on-call and needed someone else who wasn't, you could page them to help out and they'd be paid a fixed amount in return. Since their involvement was opportunistic, and the only inconvenience was for this event in particular this approach felt fair. Moreover, it reduced social barriers to escalation as you knew the person you were paging would be compensated for their involvement. If you're interested in reading more, Monzo have written about their on-call setup and . here here ℹ️ If you're planning on implementing time-based compensation and you're using PagerDuty to manage your on-call, this API call can grab you all the time slots that folks were on-call on a particular schedule, taking overrides into account. From here's it's simple to import into a spreadsheet and multiply the time on-call by the pro-rated weekly amount. curl --request GET \\
  --url '<https://api.pagerduty.com/schedules/><SCHEDULE>?since=2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000&until=2022-02-01T00:00:00+0000' \\
  --header 'Accept: application/vnd.pagerduty+json;version=2' \\
  --header 'Authorization: Token token=<TOKEN>' \\
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' | jq -r '.schedule.final_schedule.rendered_schedule_entries[]|[.start, .end, .user.summary]|@tsv'

**From                      To                        Person**
2022-01-01T00:00:00+00:00	2022-01-02T08:00:00+00:00	Pete Hamilton
2022-01-02T08:00:00+00:00	2022-01-03T08:00:00+00:00	Chris Evans
2022-01-03T08:00:00+00:00	2022-01-04T08:00:00+00:00	Sophie Koonin Getting started There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to on-call compensation. What you pay is heavily context-dependent and will vary based on your business, your incident load, the people who'll be on-call, and a number of other factors. Overall, you'll struggle to go too wrong if you keep things simple, pay people fairly, and remain cognisant of the impact out-of-hours work can have. In 2019, @evnsio and @spikelindsey surveyed over 300 people to understand how they're compensated for on-call. The full dataset of responses can be found . here Also Published here

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Image Credit: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic On a chilly winter morning in 2021, I sat hunched over my laptop, scrolling through article after article, trying to decide if I should invest in Bitcoin. Bitcoin was having a moment. After three years of trading more or less flat, the cryptocurrency had quadrupled in value over the past six months, climbing from just over $9,000 per coin in July of 2020 to a peak of $40,287 on January 8th, 2021. This wasn’t the first time I’d considered investing in Bitcoin. Three years earlier, I’d watched the first Bitcoin frenzy with more curiosity than anything else. I briefly considered chucking a few dollars in to see what happened, but I thought better of it. I didn’t have much cash to invest, and Bitcoin seemed like a fad that would pass. I felt vindicated when the bubble popped in early 2018, and many went so far as to triumphantly declare it dead and buried. Now, I felt like I was experiencing déjà vu. Major news outlets ran story after story about Bitcoin; sites like Reddit and Twitter were awash with hype and optimism bordering on euphoria; it wasn’t uncommon to read about people doing crazy shit, like taking out mortgages, to go all-in on crypto. Except that this time around I intrigued. was In contrast to 2017, I did have some money available to invest. And, this price surge seemed to indicate that Bitcoin was more than a momentary trend. But how much higher would it go? Where were we on the price curve? And also: was there anything you could actually with it? do The more I read, the few things become clear. . The cryptocurrency was a new asset class that, prior to Bitcoin, had never experienced popularity on this scale. You could find proponents for a wide range of outcomes: there were people who argued that Bitcoin would replace the dollar; others argued that it was worthless and would be worth little more than pennies by the end of the year. There was no clear consensus. For one, no one had any idea what was going to happen And, . You couldn’t really buy anything with it, and even if you could, it was impractical as a currency because it can take as much as an hour to complete a transaction. Bitcoin can handle 4–5 transactions per second; by contrast, Visa can handle up to 65,000. despite lots of buzzy talk about blockchain technology and the merits of decentralized finance, there weren’t any practical uses for Bitcoin Super volatile and no clear utility… got it. So, why was I thinking about buying this stuff? For one, volatility gets a bad rap. ‘It isn’t a bad thing,’ I told myself, ‘if you have the time and stomach to ride out the highs and lows.’ I didn’t have any fixed timeline for turning a profit. I could afford to buy, hold, and wait to see how things played out. necessarily Another argument for Bitcoin that I found compelling was that Bitcoin, similar to gold, could serve as a hedge against inflation. Here’s how a put it in March 2021: Nasdaq report “Cryptocurrencies are designed to be a store of value, like gold, that are resistant to depreciation or inflation, unlike fiat currencies. In economic downturns, governments print money to offset the imbalance, resulting in inflation, which can quickly get out of control like it has in Argentina and Venezuela.” Because there are a fixed number of Bitcoins in circulation (by design, there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoins), the argument is that Bitcoin is protected from devaluation in a way that traditional currencies are not. ‘Great,’ I said, ‘I can balance out my portfolio and mitigate some risk.’ Ultimately, Bitcoin’s potential was the most compelling reason to buy it. Sure, it might tank. It might end up as #1 on a Buzzfeed listicle, published 30 years from now, titled “10 things that defined the 2020s.” But… it might not. The odds of success might be very low. No one knew for sure. But it was clear that the potential upside was incredible. The 4x price spike over the last few months showed as much, and institutional investors like were beginning to get on board too. To me, this made Bitcoin a logical, if asymmetrical, investment. Fidelity So the bottom line was: Bitcoin was an extremely volatile speculative investment that had delivered massive returns over the last few months. If inflation spiked, or there was a major shock to the financial system, Bitcoin would retain its value. And, though it had no practical use, it might one day. I was ready to give it a go. How did I approach investing in Bitcoin? In general, I’ve learned (the hard way) that it’s wise never to invest money that you can’t afford to lose. With Bitcoin, this maxim seemed especially critical because I knew it could very well be worth nothing in the near future. I decided I’d buy $10,000 worth of Bitcoin, which, if it came to pass, I could stomach losing. I used Coinbase because the fees were relatively low and the interface was simple and easy to use. This was when I made two mistakes. I won’t lie: after weeks of research and deliberation, I was excited and eager to board the crypto hype train. I therefore tried to time the market and pick my entry point based on, in hindsight, some harebrained data points I skimmed from various articles and crypto “experts” on Twitter and Reddit. I bought $5,000 worth of Bitcoin in February 2021. The price dropped by $10k a few weeks later. Stupid. This was an emotional decision, my somewhat understandable first mistake. Also, I outsourced too much thinking to strangers on the internet, my somewhat unforgivable second mistake. Going forward I used dollar-cost averaging. If I can offer you one piece of advice about investing in crypto, it would be to use DCA. This means that you invest your money in equal portions, at regular intervals, regardless of the ups and downs in the market. Sometimes you’ll buy when the price is higher, and other times you’ll buy when it’s lower. But over the long run your average purchase price is much lower than if you had tried to time the market. This, in my opinion, is a must for something as volatile as Bitcoin. What was my experience buying Bitcoin like? Starting in April, I made 36 individual purchases for a total of $5,000. DCA was a low stress and low maintenance strategy. Coinbase would automatically buy BTC for me every Sunday. Because I was committed to this approach for the rest of the year, I never had to sweat about whether I should make a purchase or not based on the current price. As the weeks went by, I watched the value of my crypto “wallet” slowly rise. Bitcoin reached just over $61,000 per coin in March, before dropping precipitously back down to $31,000 in July. This was a time of pants-shitting terror. At that point, I was ready for the floor to fall out and to lose everything. However, I stuck to my guns, and watched Bitcoin bounce back over the next few months, eventually peaking at an all time high of $68,990 in November. This, in contrast to the summer, was a time of pants-shitting joy. I felt heady, like I’d cracked some sort of code. At the peak, I was up nearly 50% on my initial investment. Opening the Coinbase app felt nice. And then, of course, the music stopped. Why I stopped investing in Bitcoin… for now In 2022, inflation became an unavoidable topic. February’s consumer price index showed an increase of 0.6% in January and an annual inflation rate of 7.5%, much higher than expected, and the largest increase since 1982. The Fed’s long-anticipated interest rate hikes were on the horizon. Meanwhile, it began to look like Russia might do the unthinkable and invade Ukraine. This, I thought, was crypto’s moment. was what the technology had been invented for. Rampant inflation, the outbreak of war, wild swings in markets around the world: people would want a secure store of value — digital gold in a chaotic and turbulent world. This But the boom has not arrived. The price of Bitcoin is down 10% over the last month. Ethereum, the second most popular cryptocurrency, is down 15%. Aside from a spike immediately following the invasion of Ukraine, trading volume has stayed , meaning that people are not rushing to convert their dollars into Bitcoin. relatively flat And as opposed to acting like digital gold, Bitcoin’s correlation with the stock market has , meaning that Bitcoin is behaving more like an index fund than an investment safe haven. reached record highs What’s happening with Bitcoin? There are several theories. TechCrunch’s Kay Khemani that: suggests “Bitcoin ‘whales’ are known for their ability to manipulate prices by selling or buying in large quantities, meaning that bitcoin can be dictated by speculative forces, not solely the money-supply rule. Another key consideration is regulation: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are still at the mercy of regulators and wildly varying laws across jurisdictions. Anti-competitive laws and shortsighted regulations could significantly hamper the adoption of the underlying technology, potentially depreciating the asset’s price further. All this is to say one thing: It’s far too early to be making judgments on bitcoin being an effective hedge.” If Bitcoin isn’t a safe harbor for investments during inflation and moves in line with broader economic conditions and indices, how was it unique? Was it time to revisit the assumptions I made when I started investing? At the beginning of the year, I turned off automatic BTC purchases in Coinbase. My return (so far) is -19%. I don’t have any plans to buy additional Bitcoin, and my investing journey over the last year has left me less enthusiastic than when I started. Why is this? First, Bitcoin has so far failed to act as a hedge against inflation and political and economic instability. Professor Nicholas Nassim Taleb has that Bitcoin actually dropped further than the stock market in March 2020, and mirrored the market’s recovery following massive injections of cash throughout 2020 and 2021. pointed out It seems, like me, people were stuck at home, forgoing vacations and restaurants, with extra money to spend. Some of that money went into things like cryptocurrency (and GameStop, but that’s a story for another day). A second contributing factor to Bitcoin’s diminished appeal is that it has yet to make progress towards becoming an actual currency. In fact, it remains pretty much useless, other than as a vehicle for speculative investment. As time goes on this makes Bitcoin’s longevity more dubious to me. If we can’t actually anything with this stuff then what is the point of it? Sure, gold and diamonds have no objective value either, but at least you can wear them. do If Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) are just insanely volatile speculative assets with no utility, then what’s the point? To me, Bitcoin looks overvalued and overhyped. And if I have a choice between investing in a useless digital token and a company with products and people that deliver actual value, why would I pick the former? What’s next for Bitcoin? Please allow me to be the first to tell you that I may be wrong. This is a nascent technology and it’s still early days. I’ve also focused on Bitcoin in this article because that’s what my experience has been with, but there are thousands of cryptocurrencies in circulation. Many are attempting to address Bitcoin’s shortcomings as a currency and may hold more promise for practical application in the short term. All to say, Bitcoin (or some other cryptocurrency) may indeed replace the dollar someday. Maybe my grandkids will be taunting me, decades hence, with an article I wrote on some archaic site called Medium expressing skepticism about the world’s reserve currency. Only time will tell. While we wait, here are three questions that I have: How will the ongoing struggle against inflation impact the price of Bitcoin? Bitcoin does not seem insulated from the effects of inflation, as previously theorized, and it would stand to reason that its value will be dragged down. Will the price of Bitcoin continue to rise when the US and other governments are not injecting trillions of dollars into the financial system? It seems clear that people around the world used the excess disposable income to buy cryptocurrency. With the end of stimulus checks and a resurgence in travel and restaurant spending, will we continue to see the level of demand for crypto that we have over the last two years? Will anyone develop a practical use for Bitcoin? It’s been suggested that cryptocurrencies will be the money of the metaverse. Will we finally see a “place” where we can use Bitcoin? However, let me be clear: I’m not selling my Bitcoin. I see them as a lottery ticket, though nothing more. But, if it turns out I bought a winner, then maybe my grandkids will mix some gratitude in with the taunts. This article was first published here

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Outside The Bitcoin Echo Chamber: Here's Why I'm Not Stacking Sats

You can’t have missed all the bad press NFT and blockchain has been getting of late. And while mainstream media and FUD is normal and entirely keeping in line with how crypto is initially viewed in various shades of misunderstanding, those in the industry shouldn’t dismiss this as “expected behaviour”. This is because most of the criticism has come directly from the heart of many gaming communities -- straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. I’ve written about the bungled NFT attempts of Ubisoft and others and when Steam firmly opted to from its platform, the move was roundly welcomed and applauded by gamers themselves. The only ones left irked, understandably, were the blockchain developers themselves, supported in loud protests only by crypto buyers and NFT speculators themselves. ban all NFT and blockchain games So when Valve co-founder Gabe Newell fielded media questions about NFTs during his press tour for his company’s new Steam Deck software this month, it should have come as little surprise for him to back the decision. As reported by Eurogamer, Newell : said "The things that were being done were super sketchy. And there was some illegal shit that was going on behind the scenes, and you're just like, yeah, this is bad. Blockchains as a technology are a great technology, that the ways in which has been utilised are currently are all pretty sketchy. And you sort of want to stay away from that.” Blockchain thrives when listening to the critics As a supporter of blockchain gaming and NFT development, I hope that developers everywhere sit up and take note of his comments. For sure, his words aren’t actually explicitly pointing out what exactly was “pretty sketchy” about the implementation of blockchain elements in gaming, but if you’re truly active in the industry or have yourself played any of the blockchain games out there and participated in the token economy, either by trading NFTs or minting them in games, then you know he’s right. a. Blockchain games have little playability Blockchain games in the “Play to Earn” or P2E sector are especially guilty of this. As I wrote in a previous , it’s hard to imagine a single P2E title that would ever win a gaming award or to ever make it into a gamer’s cherished list of all-time greats. They don’t introduce new ways to play, they are hardly original, they simply don’t engage and enthral the way games are supposed to. post The only incentive, it seems, for anyone to ever pick up the game to play, would be to try and earn some income from it. b. NFT games are pay-to-win Never mind that most blockchain games require a huge initial investment just to gain access, typically through the enforced purchase of NFTs to start the game. We’re talking about hundreds of dollars just to be able to play the game. But when you center an economy around token scarcity, demand, and supply, then you attract all kinds of market manipulation from crypto speculators. c. They are too many bad actors Newell said there was too much fraud and bad actors -- and that’s not just words. Valve experiences found half of crypto-related purchases to be fraudulent. And all we need to do as blockchain users is look up every legitimate token there is to find at least one attempted copycat or scam tryiing to fool people into buying your token. We also can’t ignore that the reasons are interlinked -- most P2E games aren’t even playable simply because they’re just copycat code to quickly churn out a new token and rug pulll as soon as investors start pouring in money. This is also related to the next and final point. d. There aren’t enough gamers Look, I’ll be the first to say that we can’t let one rotten apple spoil the rest. But if you allow that one drop of ink fall into the tub of milk, it’ll spoil the entire thing (to paraphrase another saying). So there is an urgent need for blockchain game developers to focus on what matters: the game. Build a good game and it’ll do the rest for you. Gamers want to play good games and if they like what they see, you’ve got your own team of marketeers, influencers, promoters, ambassadors. Happily, willingly, organically talking about your game. So the takeaway I guess I’m trying to elucidate here is that, maybe NFTs and blockcain developers shouldn’t be whining about the FUD from the gaming community. There may be a true case for groundbreaking innovation and disruptive models for blockchain technology in gaming and I truly believe in this myself. But perhaps we all have to earn that right to make our case. And we do this by making great games and proving blockchain makes games great. But if blockchain games insist on a crypto-first, token-first, earning-first mentality, then your users will reflect that. And that creates an environment ripe for all the above problems. Demand for earning models rather than playability. A landscape filled more with scams than with real games. A condition that attracts bad actors rather than good ones.

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My name is Oleksandr Yaroshenko. I am Ukrainian, Kyiv-borne, and I work on investor relations and strategy development for tech product startups with Ukrainian roots. Like many of my Ukrainian colleagues, I woke up on February 24, 2022, not to the alarm clock but to the sounds of bombing and air raid sirens. Russia had started a full-fledged war against my country, destroying our civilian districts, entire villages, and children and maternity hospitals. Though my life and the lives of all Ukrainians have drastically changed, we all stay strong and fight for our country on various fronts — from military to informational and cybersecurity. And what is more, the majority of Ukrainian tech businesses keep on with their work. In this article — I’m writing it between my apartment and a bomb shelter in Kyiv — . I will tell you how my life and the lives of my Ukrainian colleagues have changed and how we manage to carry on business during these turbulent times The day that changed everything For the last three years, I have been working at the largest startup ecosystem of Ukraine called Genesis. And for about a year, as a Head of Investor Relations, I have been fully focused on , a global EdTech startup with Ukrainian roots, with the R&D department in Kyiv, and the recently opened office in London. 2021 was remarkably fruitful for our startup — Headway had x2 year-over-year growth, the number of paid subscribers of our app has increased three times, and our team grew more than twofold. We have been on a steep growth trajectory, starting a non-deal roadshow for investors and entering new markets while maintaining profitability. Headway On February 24, I was supposed to go to work, finalize our usual update on the financial model, and transfer the data into the pitch deck. After work, I planned to get a ride on the bicycle to prepare for the IronMan 70.3 this summer. But that day went totally different. Many people were talking about how Russia was ramping up its forces near the Ukrainian borders over the past several weeks, but nobody believed they would start bombing Ukraine. Therefore, the beginning of a full-scale invasion caught us all by surprise. We kept on working and joined the fight Headway developed a contingency plan prior to the Russian invasion, so the company helped our team with relocation to safer places. As for me, I stayed in Kyiv, a decision I made primarily because of my parents, who were against leaving their house in these uncertain times. My family bond is strong, and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to focus on work if I left them behind. The feeling of safety is quite relative in Kyiv, but I believe people can adapt and overcome nearly everything. Just take a look at how my house is constantly transforming into a light fortress. On the first day of the war, I managed to grab my work set up, including my laptop, two screens, and the mount for them. So now I can keep working comfortably, except that work is accompanied by the "soundtrack" of air raid sirens and explosions outside my window. My colleagues were lucky to escape the great danger just in time, especially those who lived in small villages in the suburbs of Kyiv, where thousands of young families have settled in recent years. The Russians demolished nearly all the houses there, left people without food, water, heat, and connection, and killed some civilians on the streets. Fortunately, none of our team was there, and nobody was hurt. Finally safe, our Ukrainian unit was divided and settled in different parts in the west of Ukraine and abroad. Some people were relocated in organized groups, some went to their relatives in locations without active hostilities, and others went abroad. We are now physically apart but act as one. As soon as the company secured our safety, we all teamed up to resume our work to ensure business continuity and development. Readily-available emergency plans and established operations enabled Headway to conduct business as usual and fulfill previously set KPIs. From the first days, we created a collection of content about the war in a new format, which we were to launch later in 2022. This new type of content on hot topics generated a boost in users’ engagement in our app. So, it not only spreads the truth about current events but also has a positive impact on business and product metrics. Also, as a business, we have donated UAH 1M to support Ukraine. Ukrainian tech companies don’t stop The startup scene of Ukraine is underrepresented in the global arena, but Ukrainian IT talents are already well known and hunted by the world’s dominant tech players like Meta and Google. The IT industry is the third-largest category of foreign exchange earnings in Ukraine and has generated more than $6 billion in export revenue in 2021. There are some success stories, like the unicorn with Ukrainian roots — , the viral face-wrap app — , which has been famously tweeted by Elon Musk and Hollywood superstars, the security hardware company — formerly known as purchased by Amazon for $1 billion, — a leading pan-African classified that conquered markets from OLX and my personal source of pride — an EdTech company providing fun and easy educational content suiting busy adults’ lives. Grammarly Reface Ring Jiji Headway Many of these startups became global IT companies with teams distributed across several countries but leveraging the access to tech talent and maintaining development R&D centers in cost-efficient cities of Ukraine. Having an R&D center in Ukraine has already become an “efficiency rule” for global tech companies. with headquarters in Tel Aviv, with their head office in San Francisco, from Montreuil, and from Paris are among them. Wix JustAnswer Ubisoft Gameloft CEOs of these companies condemn the war, focusing on the security of their employees over the past few weeks. Many IT businesses in Ukraine established temporary offices in the west of Ukraine or started relocating their employees to EU countries. For example, , a company developing Mac utility apps, ensured its infrastructure, user data, and cloud operation were outside Ukraine, their team was safe, and the business would operate uninterrupted. Ukrainian security systems company is relocating not only its team but the whole factory to continue fulfilling its obligations to customers and partners. Even those companies whose employees stayed in Kyiv continue working, like , turning from a fun face-swapping app into a tool of information resistance. MacPaw Ajax Systems Reface Now all Ukrainian IT companies are among the leading domestic financial guardians of Ukraine. They have already to support the Ukrainian Armed forces and the whole country. donated almost $25M When even the war does not interfere with business results, the situation shows that Ukrainian businesses focused on international markets can be lucrative in terms of risk/return investment and, after the breakout of the war, can be considered even with the ESG-angle. I believe that in the upcoming weeks and months, more and more investors will try to approach our “tech gems” — Ukrainian startups. Moreover, a range of world-known investors has already expressed their stance supporting Ukraine. The world stands united against the Russian aggression Ukraine has clearly won the information side of the war. The world is watching a real representation of the ongoing events in my home state. , this victory became possible primarily due to the vast presence of reporters from the leading world media who have been in Ukrainian cities starting from late 2021, allowing the reality to be truthfully depicted in news outlets free from “pro-Russian narratives.” According to Anders Åslund The international community reaffirms its support for democratic values and peace and continues giving . generous donations to humanitarian, military, and infrastructure-rebuilding charity funds supporting Ukraine On the other hand, Russian affiliation is becoming a tremendous reputational risk for businesses. Therefore, more and more companies are cutting their ties with the aggressor state. Leaving Russia is a part of the necessary Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) factors compliance and is simply a matter of ethics. Corporations are taking care of ESG, and investors are increasingly applying these non-financial factors as part of their analysis process to identify material risks and growth opportunities. And in this case, I believe that the weights have significantly shifted to the ban of Russian ties sending this country ages back in its development. “As an investor, you have to consider not just the company, but the environment in which they operate” — said , managing partner at research firm Sustainable Market Strategies in Montreal. Felix Boudreault The balance should be restored in terms of investment for the sustainable future of Ukrainian companies. It's not only about donations but also about that can be considered part of the ESG mandate from the perspective of the investment funds. taking a closer look at the Ukrainian gems Ukrainian unity and the world’s support will help Ukraine thrive Though the life of each Ukrainian was separated into “before” and “after” the Russian invasion, the “after” doesn’t mean the devastation, decline, and stagnation of Ukraine. The unity and power of Ukrainians fighting against the enemy will indeed transform into unity and power for rebuilding the country and its rapid and steady development. We’ve already seen such a tendency after the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014. It became a robust push for the flourishing of Ukrainian business in various sectors — from tech to hospitality — providing a lucrative risk/return ratio for investments. So, after the war, Ukraine will expectedly experience an even stronger boost for the future development of businesses and the economy. As Ukraine has been brought to the spotlight, funds are being gathered to rebuild its cities and combat the humanitarian catastrophe taking place in a range of Ukrainian cities. , , , , , , and have also joined to support Ukrainian startups and IT specialists. Index Ventures BlackRock Mirova Insight Partners Flyer One Ventures Atmos Ventures s16vc Donations from all over the world are flooding into Ukraine and already total hundreds of millions of dollars, ensuring everything will be restored after the war, and Ukrainian cities will return to everyday life with even more energy to overcome new daily challenges. You can also support Ukraine via the following initiatives National Bank of Ukraine Humanitarian aid to Ukraine: https://bank.gov.ua/en/about/humanitarian-aid-to-ukraine You can find more international initiatives to help Ukraine and our people in tough conditions via this link: https://how-to-help-ukraine-now.super.site

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Ukrainian Tech Startups Carry On: How We Are Enduring The Invasion

According to Oxford Dictionaries’ definition of meta, the term “verse” has become a common suffix in the technology field when used in conjunction with “meta” to describe something conscious of itself or its genre. According to tech giants, the future lies in the “metaverse,” which refers to an autonomous and self-contained digital universe. One of Facebook’s major investments in the construction of the metaverse has been to rename the firm “Meta,” the New York Times reports. Digital reality will be used to engage people from all around the world, according to the corporation. A person who doesn’t know much about computers might think the term is too vague and doesn’t make sense. An idea is known as “the metaverse” has already been flourishing and fast-developing long before Facebook changed its name to Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked extensively about it. The metaverse has arrived, and it is most likely here to stay. A lot of people don’t know what the metaverse is. How great of an impact does it have, or is it merely a fad that will fade away in the blink of an eye? The metaverse is a hot topic right now, but do you need to know everything there is to engage? Throughout this post, we’ll take a deep dive into what the metaverse is and how it’s evolved through time. Metaverse Is an Imaginary World The metaverse is a virtual reality, but not quite like the ones in science fiction movies. Although Meta’s conception of the metaverse is relatively recent, the concept itself precedes even Facebook. While looking at the web, you’re “within of it, not simply gazing at it,” Zuckerberg said. When it comes to Zuckerberg’s ambiguous description of the metaverse, the underlying meaning is equally as wide-ranging. Virtual reality allows people from all over the world to interact with one other and with the metaverse as a whole, but the metaverse goes far beyond that. A lot of the time, users can get things that stay theirs between sessions, or even land in the metaverse. To be sure, there are numerous interpretations of this idea, and it has undergone considerable development over time. Whether it’s a website, a game, or chat software, we’re continually communicating with something on the internet. It goes a step further in the metaverse, allowing users to be directly involved in the action themselves. A more immersive experience may be had by using this technology, which is not possible when browsing the internet or watching a movie. Metaverse and VR In the metaverse, both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) concepts exist, but they are different. The best way to think about them is to think of them as independent entities that complement each other, rather than as multiple versions of the same thing. A virtual environment can be created using VR and AR technology. An entirely new world is shown to us when we use virtual reality. Virtual reality (VR) lets you engage with the changing environment around you, whether it’s in the form of a game or a movie. This is different from augmented reality, which adds features to the real world and enables you to interact with them in a variety of different ways. The purpose makes a difference. At any given time, you can play a VR or AR game, but the cornerstone of the metaverse as envisioned by Meta and other firms is the interaction with other people. Finally, the metaverse is the playground for both of these activities – it is a method for individuals to collaborate and share a virtual universe, whether for business or education or exercise or simply for entertainment. Expanding the metaverse and making it feel like a real experience rather than a video game with additional steps can be achieved through the use of VR and AR capabilities. While virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are important components of the metaverse, they are only a small part of it. Because of this, there is plenty of room for development. What Does The Metaverse Look Like? First, let’s clarify the difference between “the metaverse” and “a metaverse.” Even while they all make use of the internet to link their users to one another, there is no single metaverse that joins all of the other universes into a single unified whole. So, any universe in the metaverse can be unique. Everything about the appearance of a metaverse is determined by its developer. It doesn’t matter what you build in some metaverses, because there’s a lot of room for you to do so. Rather than relying on a single server, the entire planet is accessible to everyone. Depending on the setting, a metaverse might take on many different forms. Rules of the real world continue to apply in a metaverse. Aside from the sky, buildings, and the natural world, you’re almost certainly going to see other people. The metaverse influences the art style, which can be cartoony, realistic, or somewhere in the middle. The metaverse, on the other hand, does not suffer from the same limits as the real world does. It’s possible to travel to space with your complete family in the metaverse if the architects of the virtual world allow it. A metaverse can appear like a classroom, a street, a dream forest, or the bottom of the ocean. But the most popular examples of it deliver something that’s a blend of all those qualities, all because of the freedom they give their users. Chances of a Metaverse Taking a breather, let’s recap where we are. We now have a virtual world where the only restrictions are in the hands of its developer. We have a virtual representation of ourselves. To participate in this shared universe, of course, we have an internet connection. What is our next step? It all depends on what you’re looking for. The metaverse should, in an ideal world, connect every user to every other user. You should have the ability to communicate with everyone else who is online when you join a public server. The fact is frequently quite different. As the popularity of certain metaverses grows, the servers that host them are unable to handle the demand. Users are effectively separated from one another by multiple levels that some developers design. This may be avoided in the future, but for the time being, the metaverse is often divided — not to mention that people use various platforms, effectively choosing their universe. Every business has a unique take on this technology, as previously mentioned. There are much smaller fish in this very large pond who are also getting in on the action, including Facebook, Nvidia, and others. Blockchain technology has its metaverse. It is now difficult to have a single huge metaverse, because these metaverses are disjointed, operate on multiple platforms, and have no common purposes or goals. People who make metaverses would have to work together to make it a big, shared virtual world, so they would have to work together. Getting there would necessitate collaboration between these companies and quick advancements in server technology. Server loads would be unbelievable for both the host and end-user if all these distinct metaverses were hosted on one platform. Before being able to connect to the shared reality, users will have to choose their universe before connecting to the metaverse. What You Can Do with Metaverse Technology? As a notion, it is difficult to define because it appears to be infinite. Individual users are also able to identify the overall objective of the product, not just the firm or group of people that created it. As a general rule, the metaverse’s goal is to link people through a shared virtual world. It doesn’t matter if it’s for employment, self-improvement, or just for fun, the metaverse exists to link people from across the world. In a virtual environment, a user’s avatar can interact with the world at large without being given any specific aims. On the idea that you can do everything you set out to do in the metaverse, Meta has crafted its big reveal. Consider a few of the more frequent activities you can do with this technology: Owning your property. Invest in property. Work and study. Communicate with the world. NFTs, Cryptocurrencies, and The Metaverse It’s hard to discuss the metaverse without mentioning cryptocurrency. The decentralized architecture of cryptocurrencies, the blockchain, is at the heart of many of the largest examples of this phenomenon. This means that the worlds that are built around cryptocurrencies are frequently decentralized. As a result, the currency, virtual land, or the entire metaverse is not held by a single entity and cannot be sold, pulled down, or otherwise destroyed at will. Contracts are sent to a network of users, and a majority vote is required for decentralization to take place. There’s a good chance the metaverse will remain available to everyone unless the majority of the network chooses to shut it down. NFTs can be as simple as an 8-pixel avatar or as complex as a work of art. NFTs are fundamentally a decentralized method of assigning ownership of virtual products. To claim ownership of an NFT, a user must have bitcoin and a contract that binds them to a certain user. This creates a whole new level of economics in the metaverse, allowing people to make (or lose) actual money through this imaginative concept. With bitcoin, users can buy virtual plots of land and avatars, as well as a hat for their metaverse avatar. When it comes to the cryptocurrency market and popular metaverses, it’s impossible not to draw parallels between the two. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, the end product can either be fantastic or disturbing. How It Will Evolve in The Future? The Meta team is aiming for a quick start with Horizon Worlds, but even Zuckerberg acknowledges that we’re not quite there yet. A decade or more will pass before the metaverse gains the kind of visibility and accessibility that its developers at Meta envision. Seeing this as a shared space where people from different continents can play, learn, exchange, and even collaborate is both idealistic and futuristic. It is possible to re-create bustling city streets with shops, parks, and people in the metaverse, but the technology to sustain it is currently beyond the reach of most people. As the metaverse experience becomes more realistic, public acceptance will follow. Using VR and AR in combination with a metaverse keyboard and mouse will make the experience more lifelike than ever before. The Meta team is aiming for a quick start with Horizon Worlds, but even Zuckerberg acknowledges that we’re not quite there yet. A decade or more will pass before the metaverse gains the kind of visibility and accessibility that its developers at Meta envision. Seeing the metaverse as a shared space where people from different continents can play, learn, exchange, and even collaborate is both idealistic and futuristic. It is possible to re-create bustling city streets with shops, parks, and people in the metaverse, but the technology to sustain it is currently beyond the reach of most people. As the metaverse experience becomes more realistic, public acceptance will follow. Using VR and AR in combination with a metaverse keyboard and mouse will make the experience more lifelike than ever before. Conclusion: The Future of The Metaverse When it comes to virtual reality, the metaverse is no longer a sci-fi fantasy that can only be imagined in the movies. A few years from now, we may see the metaverse used in ways we never imagined conceivable thanks to Facebook/addition Meta’s of fuel to an already burning flame. As the metaverse expands, it will continue to rumble across the globe. However, with its potential to revolutionize the world’s perspective of reality as well as how we interact with society and the Internet, it might likely become as widespread and vital as the Internet. Also published here Stay Connected!

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Software prototyping is a well-known term that is associated with a number of myths and misconceptions. This description of a software prototype is clear and removes any confusion about what a software prototype is and what it isn’t, so let’s get started. Before moving on to the final product you have high-fidelity (HiFi) prototypes that accurately depict what it will seem like when it’s finished. With only a few small alterations, HiFi prototypes demonstrate the program in a way that is both apparent and useful to potential users. There is only one drawback to high-fidelity prototypes: longer development cycles, which means greater development expenses. In the next step, you make low-fidelity prototypes (LoFi) that are just two-dimensional figures or charts. LoFi prototypes do the best they can to list and describe features in black and white rather than recreating the software’s functionality. These prototypes are meant to show other stakeholders how a particular feature of the application would benefit them, and so help them buy into the project’s goals. However, the final product may or may not follow the same logic as a prototype based on how the program is developed. If you’re an entrepreneur starting a new product or business, prototype software should be complete enough so that you can show it off to customers, potential investors, and clients. Purpose of a Software Prototyping Software prototyping models can be used for a wide range of purposes, including: Assess The Creation of New Apps You can use software prototypes to assess the progress and direction of applications that are still in the early stages of development. Without requiring substantial additional resources, they illustrate incremental capabilities and the direction the final software product will be heading.  You should use them at every step of software development to keep tabs on the progress of your project and its direction (such as for an MVP, a first iteration, and so on). Participation Of Third-party Parties, Such as Shareholders, Investors, Or Clients Various stakeholders, investors, and customers are required to participate in some software development initiatives. It is particularly beneficial for third-party involvement when a prototype is used to show off in-progress software. A company’s ability to secure outside finance can be strengthened by the input of customers and other stakeholders. Before Deadlines or Resources Run Out, Modifications Can Be Implemented Any last-minute adjustments to the SRS (software requirement specifications) can be evaluated using the software prototype models as well. Checking if new needs can be met before deadlines or resources are spent is made easier by using models. Prototypes of software can also be used to verify the state of the software when all resources have been exhausted. The Various Models of Software Prototyping Software prototyping models can be categorized in four ways: Rapid Prototyping A prototype is often necessary for the software development life cycle (SDLC) for a variety of reasons, regardless of how little the source code changes may be. In order to meet such testing needs or to demonstrate tiny modifications, rapid prototyping is the best option. Rapid prototyping is most commonly employed in the agile development technique, in which small modifications are made and executed quickly during each sprint of the development process. It becomes increasingly difficult to employ earlier prototypes as the software development process progresses. So rapid prototyping is also known as throwaway prototyping because each previous prototype is rendered inapplicable to the present state of development when used non this manner. Evolutionary Prototyping At the beginning of a project, software requirements might be ambiguous and require modest to substantial changes as the project progresses. Such situations call for the creation of evolutionary prototypes that only comprise features that are already known. Stakeholders will be able to help define and refine previously undefined criteria once the evolutionary prototype is displayed. As new requirements are introduced, evolutionary prototyping uses an interactive approach to apply external feedback, identify the new requirements, and check their compatibility. This approach is comparable to a minimal viable product or MVP, but rather than starting with the most basic functionality, the development process begins with those elements that are clearly defined. Incremental Prototyping Because enterprise systems are often modular and require major integrations, incremental prototyping is the only viable strategy for enterprise software. Multiple, smaller prototypes are created for each feature of the full software solution in this sort of prototyping. Prototypes are assembled into a single large prototype that symbolizes the actual software when all of them have been developed. The fact that all developers and development must be synchronized is a significant differentiator in incremental prototyping. Other than that, each smaller prototype may appear to be part of an entirely other computer-software product, and the final result may appear disconnected. Extreme Prototyping In web development, there are three steps to extreme prototyping, the most essential of which is the second stage. The presentation layer or user interface and service layers – communication, business logic, and authorization – are critical to these levels. Extreme prototyping has three stages: Start by putting together an HTML construct that represents the presentation layer. By linking the prototype to the service layers, you may make it completely functioning. Service layers must be implemented at this point in order to complete the production. Choosing the Right Software Prototyping Model In spite of the information provided, you may still have difficulty deciding on the best model for your needs. A basic, straightforward website can use extreme prototyping, but a large business software application must use incremental prototyping. You can also use rapid prototyping, evolutionary prototyping, or extreme prototyping to generate full-fledged solutions if you like. Even if the software development project is vast and complex, incremental prototyping can be used to keep things manageable. A different approach would be to use quick prototyping when working with an agile methodology, which divides software development into multiple sprints. There are times when evolutionary prototyping is useful, but only when the software requirements aren’t clear or aren’t clear enough. Steps To Create a Highly Effective Prototyping Model To create a highly efficient prototype, a company or entrepreneur can follow these steps: Define All of The Essential Features The entrepreneur must begin by specifying all of the software’s major feature needs. There is no limit on how far he or she can dig into the most critical features essential for the product to function. Secondary functionality like software security, settings, and a user-friendly interface can be introduced at a later date. Make the First Interface An easy-to-use interface is created to highlight the features of the software once the criteria are established. While it may not be fully functional, the initial prototype attempts to address important issues and provide a framework similar to that of a user interface. Do Some Testing After You’ve Finished Configuring the Interface? Create a variety of views of the interface when it has been set up. All stakeholders should be shown the new features and functionalities to ensure the project is moving on the right path. Your prototype should be inspected by actual users who may point out missing features and assist you in improving them. The cost and time of gathering early adopter feedback can be prohibitive in the case of incremental prototypes, so you may wish to skip it altogether. Improvements Made Based on Feedback from Stakeholders and Testers Prototypes that accurately exhibit targeted application functionality should be built by iterating on what you’ve learned from stakeholders and testers. For public demonstrations and product development, the final prototype must also be sound and capable. Conclusion An entrepreneur at any level can make a software prototype model to show or test how their idealized product would work in real life. To satisfy investors and speed up the time to market, prototypes can also illustrate the software’s actual functionality, which can help speed up development time. Finding the correct prototype for your project is crucial. Other options for entrepreneurs and business owners include MVPs (minimum viable product) and proof of concept (POC). Prototyping software development companies that also generate MVPs and POCs may potentially be an option to save total costs. Originally published . here Stay Connected!

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