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Greetings! I'm Ksenia, a seasoned negotiator, business strategist, and international communications professional with a strong foundation in venture capital and legal expertise. My professional journey includes a year-long tenure as the Chief Legal Officer at a prominent Singapore-based investment fund. Following that experience, I ventured into entrepreneurship, founding startups in the fields of robotics, Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), and Internet of Things (IoT). To this day, I continue to lend my expertise to early-stage startups, providing invaluable support in their growth and development. When I headed to California for the true startup experience—networking and fundraising—I noticed a common pitfall among founders, especially first-timers: a lack of understanding of how VCs operate. Here are a few common mistakes: Targeting Funds at the Last Stage: Asking for investments from funds in their final stages often leads to rejection. These funds may not have available capital for new ventures, leaving founders disappointed and demotivated; Engaging with the Wrong People: Approaching the wrong individuals can significantly lengthen and complicate the fundraising process. Time is money, and your ability to connect with the right people showcases your expertise to VCs; Setting Unrealistic Time Frames and Traction Metrics: Unrealistic expectations in pitch decks, such as overly ambitious timelines and traction metrics, can erode credibility. It's crucial to accurately assess the time required for fundraising and set achievable milestones. And many other important things. All of this can be avoided if you know simple things. I will tell you who to go to, who not to waste time on, and how to attract money more easily. What the structure of a venture fund is, the lifespan of a fund, what they do at different stages, how the fund and the management company make money, which companies are usually in a fund's portfolio, what kind of startup you want to become, and who to talk to in the fund. 1. Venture investments are managed by two structures: the venture firm (management company, general partner, and GP) and the venture fund. The firm is a separate legal entity that acts as the management company, professionally managing investments. The firm continues to exist even after the fund has closed. So, if the fund is already in its final stage, there is no point in trying to attract money from it. However, you can establish contact with the venture firm that manages this fund, and when they gather a new fund, you can approach them again with the same or a new project. The fund is a pool of money that the venture firm will invest. Money is attracted to the fund from investors, companies, etc. Often, it takes longer and is more difficult to raise money for a fund than for a startup. 2. In the fund, there are two key players: the management company (GP) and the limited partner (LP): The firm enters the fund as the general partner (GP) and manages it, making decisions on whom to invest in and under what terms. The other participants in the fund (investors) are the limited partners (LP); they provide the money. When the general partner (GP) raises the fund, the LPs agree to commit a certain amount. When the general partner selects a startup to invest in, they issue a capital call for the amount to be invested. The LPs contribute money proportionally to their share in the fund. 3. The lifespan of a fund is 7-10 years. The first 2-5 years are devoted to the active investment phase. So, if you have a startup seeking investment, focus primarily on funds in their active investment phase. Portfolio management. This phase lasts 5-7 years, during which investors' capital is multiplied. The general partner typically manages investments through participation in the Board of Directors of invested companies and through additional investments in these companies. Exit. The fund has a limited lifespan. Therefore, the general partner is always ready to sell portfolio companies, either because a good buyer is found who offers a high price or simply to divest from an unsuccessful investment and preserve their money. The best outcome for investors occurs when a company goes public (IPO) or when it is sold to major market players. There are cases where the general partner sees an opportunity to further increase capital and asks investors to keep their money in the fund for a few more years. 4. The general partner has two main ways of earning: Commission for professional management of the fund: After the GP raises the fund, they typically take around 2-2.5% per year from the total fund size to cover operational expenses. This acts as a salary to cover organizational costs and fund expenses. It's not the main income for the GP, and it's not enough to fully sustain operations or motivate the GP. Carry: This is the share of the investment fund's profits paid to the GP (investment manager) in addition to the amount the manager contributes to the partnership. When an investment is successful, carry is the portion of the profit paid to the fund manager. This interest typically ranges from 20-25%. In other words, the general partner receives 20% of the profit, while LPs receive 80%.
For example, if there are 10 investors, each would receive 8%, while the GP takes 20%. The GP starts earning carry when the investments perform well, typically after the second year when portfolio companies begin generating profits or ideally, through a successful exit. After the GP has returned the initial investment amount and raised money for portfolio companies, they start earning carry-on the profits earned, usually around 20-25% of those profits. When the general partner forms the fund, they also contribute some money and receive returns as an LP. 5. The number of companies that are typically invested in is usually limited. Often, this can be around 10 companies. A good scenario in the fund would be: 5 successful companies (often referred to as homerun companies), 3 companies that are struggling (slowly developing and uncertain about their future), 2 companies that were not profitable or resulted in losses. The phenomenon of failed companies is called crash & burn. In this case, the faster the failure occurs, the better. It allows quicker focus on other companies, and founders can move on to new ventures sooner. Summary In conclusion, it's important for founders to assess how beneficial their startup investment would be for the investor. It's crucial to consider the investment phase of the fund. A piece of advice for founders seeking financing: it's better to engage with the General Partner (GP), the individuals who make the investment decisions. Even if you have good relationships with LPs, it doesn't guarantee investment in your project. Greetings! I'm Ksenia, a seasoned negotiator, business strategist, and international communications professional with a strong foundation in venture capital and legal expertise. My professional journey includes a year-long tenure as the Chief Legal Officer at a prominent Singapore-based investment fund. Following that experience, I ventured into entrepreneurship, founding startups in the fields of robotics, Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), and Internet of Things (IoT). To this day, I continue to lend my expertise to early-stage startups, providing invaluable support in their growth and development. When I headed to California for the true startup experience—networking and fundraising—I noticed a common pitfall among founders, especially first-timers: a lack of understanding of how VCs operate. Here are a few common mistakes: Targeting Funds at the Last Stage: Asking for investments from funds in their final stages often leads to rejection. These funds may not have available capital for new ventures, leaving founders disappointed and demotivated; Targeting Funds at the Last Stage: Asking for investments from funds in their final stages often leads to rejection. These funds may not have available capital for new ventures, leaving founders disappointed and demotivated; Targeting Funds at the Last Stage: Engaging with the Wrong People: Approaching the wrong individuals can significantly lengthen and complicate the fundraising process. Time is money, and your ability to connect with the right people showcases your expertise to VCs; Engaging with the Wrong People: Approaching the wrong individuals can significantly lengthen and complicate the fundraising process. Time is money, and your ability to connect with the right people showcases your expertise to VCs; Engaging with the Wrong People: Setting Unrealistic Time Frames and Traction Metrics: Unrealistic expectations in pitch decks, such as overly ambitious timelines and traction metrics, can erode credibility. It's crucial to accurately assess the time required for fundraising and set achievable milestones. Setting Unrealistic Time Frames and Traction Metrics: Unrealistic expectations in pitch decks, such as overly ambitious timelines and traction metrics, can erode credibility. It's crucial to accurately assess the time required for fundraising and set achievable milestones. Setting Unrealistic Time Frames and Traction Metrics: And many other important things. And many other important things. All of this can be avoided if you know simple things. I will tell you who to go to, who not to waste time on, and how to attract money more easily. What the structure of a venture fund is, the lifespan of a fund, what they do at different stages, how the fund and the management company make money, which companies are usually in a fund's portfolio, what kind of startup you want to become, and who to talk to in the fund. 1. Venture investments are managed by two structures: the venture firm (management company, general partner, and GP) and the venture fund. The firm is a separate legal entity that acts as the management company, professionally managing investments. The firm continues to exist even after the fund has closed. So, if the fund is already in its final stage, there is no point in trying to attract money from it. However, you can establish contact with the venture firm that manages this fund, and when they gather a new fund, you can approach them again with the same or a new project. The firm is a separate legal entity that acts as the management company, professionally managing investments. The firm continues to exist even after the fund has closed. So, if the fund is already in its final stage, there is no point in trying to attract money from it. However, you can establish contact with the venture firm that manages this fund, and when they gather a new fund, you can approach them again with the same or a new project. The fund is a pool of money that the venture firm will invest. Money is attracted to the fund from investors, companies, etc. Often, it takes longer and is more difficult to raise money for a fund than for a startup. The fund is a pool of money that the venture firm will invest. Money is attracted to the fund from investors, companies, etc. Often, it takes longer and is more difficult to raise money for a fund than for a startup. 2. In the fund, there are two key players: the management company (GP) and the limited partner (LP): The firm enters the fund as the general partner (GP) and manages it, making decisions on whom to invest in and under what terms. The firm enters the fund as the general partner (GP) and manages it, making decisions on whom to invest in and under what terms. The other participants in the fund (investors) are the limited partners (LP); they provide the money. When the general partner (GP) raises the fund, the LPs agree to commit a certain amount. When the general partner selects a startup to invest in, they issue a capital call for the amount to be invested. The LPs contribute money proportionally to their share in the fund. The other participants in the fund (investors) are the limited partners (LP); they provide the money. When the general partner (GP) raises the fund, the LPs agree to commit a certain amount. When the general partner selects a startup to invest in, they issue a capital call for the amount to be invested. The LPs contribute money proportionally to their share in the fund. 3. The lifespan of a fund is 7-10 years. The first 2-5 years are devoted to the active investment phase. So, if you have a startup seeking investment, focus primarily on funds in their active investment phase. The first 2-5 years are devoted to the active investment phase. So, if you have a startup seeking investment, focus primarily on funds in their active investment phase. Portfolio management. This phase lasts 5-7 years, during which investors' capital is multiplied. The general partner typically manages investments through participation in the Board of Directors of invested companies and through additional investments in these companies. Portfolio management. This phase lasts 5-7 years, during which investors' capital is multiplied. The general partner typically manages investments through participation in the Board of Directors of invested companies and through additional investments in these companies. Exit. The fund has a limited lifespan. Therefore, the general partner is always ready to sell portfolio companies, either because a good buyer is found who offers a high price or simply to divest from an unsuccessful investment and preserve their money. The best outcome for investors occurs when a company goes public (IPO) or when it is sold to major market players. Exit. The fund has a limited lifespan. Therefore, the general partner is always ready to sell portfolio companies, either because a good buyer is found who offers a high price or simply to divest from an unsuccessful investment and preserve their money. The best outcome for investors occurs when a company goes public (IPO) or when it is sold to major market players. There are cases where the general partner sees an opportunity to further increase capital and asks investors to keep their money in the fund for a few more years. There are cases where the general partner sees an opportunity to further increase capital and asks investors to keep their money in the fund for a few more years. 4. The general partner has two main ways of earning: Commission for professional management of the fund: After the GP raises the fund, they typically take around 2-2.5% per year from the total fund size to cover operational expenses. This acts as a salary to cover organizational costs and fund expenses. It's not the main income for the GP, and it's not enough to fully sustain operations or motivate the GP. Commission for professional management of the fund: After the GP raises the fund, they typically take around 2-2.5% per year from the total fund size to cover operational expenses. This acts as a salary to cover organizational costs and fund expenses. It's not the main income for the GP, and it's not enough to fully sustain operations or motivate the GP. Carry: This is the share of the investment fund's profits paid to the GP (investment manager) in addition to the amount the manager contributes to the partnership. When an investment is successful, carry is the portion of the profit paid to the fund manager. This interest typically ranges from 20-25%. In other words, the general partner receives 20% of the profit, while LPs receive 80%.
For example, if there are 10 investors, each would receive 8%, while the GP takes 20%. The GP starts earning carry when the investments perform well, typically after the second year when portfolio companies begin generating profits or ideally, through a successful exit. After the GP has returned the initial investment amount and raised money for portfolio companies, they start earning carry-on the profits earned, usually around 20-25% of those profits. Carry: This is the share of the investment fund's profits paid to the GP (investment manager) in addition to the amount the manager contributes to the partnership. When an investment is successful, carry is the portion of the profit paid to the fund manager. This interest typically ranges from 20-25%. In other words, the general partner receives 20% of the profit, while LPs receive 80%. For example, if there are 10 investors, each would receive 8%, while the GP takes 20%. The GP starts earning carry when the investments perform well, typically after the second year when portfolio companies begin generating profits or ideally, through a successful exit. After the GP has returned the initial investment amount and raised money for portfolio companies, they start earning carry-on the profits earned, usually around 20-25% of those profits. Carry: This is the share of the investment fund's profits paid to the GP (investment manager) in addition to the amount the manager contributes to the partnership. When an investment is successful, carry is the portion of the profit paid to the fund manager. This interest typically ranges from 20-25%. In other words, the general partner receives 20% of the profit, while LPs receive 80%. For example, if there are 10 investors, each would receive 8%, while the GP takes 20%. The GP starts earning carry when the investments perform well, typically after the second year when portfolio companies begin generating profits or ideally, through a successful exit. After the GP has returned the initial investment amount and raised money for portfolio companies, they start earning carry-on the profits earned, usually around 20-25% of those profits. When the general partner forms the fund, they also contribute some money and receive returns as an LP. 5. The number of companies that are typically invested in is usually limited. Often, this can be around 10 companies. A good scenario in the fund would be: 5 successful companies (often referred to as homerun companies), 5 successful companies (often referred to as homerun companies), 3 companies that are struggling (slowly developing and uncertain about their future), 3 companies that are struggling (slowly developing and uncertain about their future), 2 companies that were not profitable or resulted in losses. The phenomenon of failed companies is called crash & burn. In this case, the faster the failure occurs, the better. It allows quicker focus on other companies, and founders can move on to new ventures sooner. 2 companies that were not profitable or resulted in losses. The phenomenon of failed companies is called crash & burn. In this case, the faster the failure occurs, the better. It allows quicker focus on other companies, and founders can move on to new ventures sooner. Summary In conclusion, it's important for founders to assess how beneficial their startup investment would be for the investor. It's crucial to consider the investment phase of the fund. A piece of advice for founders seeking financing: it's better to engage with the General Partner (GP), the individuals who make the investment decisions. Even if you have good relationships with LPs, it doesn't guarantee investment in your project.

Fundraising: What You Should Know About VC

A fictional exploration. Ideas Feed Bitcoin While going about my day today, I got a few ideas on Bitcoin. I love Bitcoin. It has yet a few emergent miracles to unleash on the global economic stage. Well, I was preoccupied with the idea of Geo-Locked Bitcoin or Geographically constrained bitcoins. What is that? Just an idea for Bitcoin plebs to use code and hardware to trap bitcoins within the boundaries of national borders… Imagine if the US government bought 1 million BTC for $60 billion and geo-locked them within US borders for 100 years! Even I would become an illegal alien. Why do that?? Isn't that a bad idea?! Indeed, like you, every Bitcoiner who read my OP on StackerNews.com here gave me pushback. I guess ya’ll fear anybody messing up Bitcoin, don't you? This is only a read. No harmful code will be written to send the BTC into a further downhill spin, messing with your NGU or HODL mood. Geo-locking Bitcoin is not yet even a thing that can be done. Now that your fears are assuaged, let's break some rules. Bitcoin is not respected much today by nation-states because any Tom and Jerry can get ahold of it like it was some common good. Unlike gold, whose supply chains have been relegated to big politics for the most part. But what if some bitcoins were more valuable than others? What if some BTC was a priceless national treasure… Put Nationalist Nodes at the Border To make national treasure stay put, we must first ensure it goes nowhere. Unless all parties involved agree to change their minds. So if Bitcoin sats want to escape the country, that should be curtailed by a bunch of autonomous GPS nodes powered by AI, strategically put along the US border, and armed with sky-high antennas. Call them border patrol. The roles of these will be twofold: Keep the 1 million bitcoins or 100 trillion sats locked in tight.


Predate on the BTC of people trying to climb into the country illegally. Ok. I'm kidding myself, aren't I? Think of it as a likely simulation of how a hyperbitcoinized world would behave. With only 21 million, sorry, 17 million bitcoins to go around (4 million are lost forever), you bet countries will want to HODL their stash like a vice. Even Germany. It's paper-handed days so behind them. Certainly, few people would care to use ‘toxic’ USA BTC that much, right? Meh. Let them go use Solana or something. Bitcoin is for the Hardcore crypto bros. And for those immigrants who put in the work (will involve proof-of-hodling Bitcoin for 5 years straight), if they get that Visa, time to show us what they can do to make Bitcoin great again. Else: Deportation. Tell the Russians and Chinese The thing about being cool is you have to let the competition know so that they up their ante, and give you a worthy challenge. Now, unlike national secrets or gold, stealing bitcoins secured by a geo-locked, time-locked, multi-sig wallet is futile. One might have better luck stealing a nuke. Not that the Russians and Chinese have few of these. The point is, the only way they will get some of those USA BTC is if the Americans sell to them. Force will not work here. To use some terms in Maj. Jason Lowery’s SOFTWAR, the Americans will be ‘projecting immense power in cyberspace’ which the competition will reckon with, will admire, and will try to reciprocate with sweet deals. Say, why sell nationally hodled BTC when you can sell derivative assets of them? And dollars backed by the full might of the US government plus 1 million super-hodled BTC are dollars I could trust to be rock solid stable. No hyperinflationary winds shall threaten these. No sorry. Of course, the Fed as we know it will be ended. It will evolve into a manufacturing giant for minting BTC nodes for every American. The US Supreme Court will introduce a BTC justice department for successfully trying 99% of all cases of BTC fraud (which will be a breeze as the timechain never lies). The 1% failures will be cases of forgotten seed phrases. Those are impossible. Otherwise, where there is a seed, there is a way. Everybody Gets Some Geo-Locked Bitcoins Geopolitics today seems to attempt to interact when there is little to say. With geo-locked bitcoins on the table, there will be a lot more to say. Way more. ‘Why did you lock them?’ ‘It is the new National Treasure. Gold is old news.’ ‘Ok, give the gold to us’ ‘OK, pound for BTC pound’ ‘Sonofabitch’ ‘I demand some respect please. Lock your own BTC if you wish’ ‘Say, isn’t every politician in the USA now broke? Now that real work has to be done by everybody? *** It will be nice if, for a change, every country is minding its own geo-locked BTC while comparing it to the freely floating BTC on the world markets. Not minding other people’s fiat currencies. Interestingly, while global/international BTC values could fall, local BTC values could soar! Google search of BTC/USD value would have two values. The local and the international. As they should. The idea that international arbitrage is a must-do, even when it is unpalatable, is a fallacy. It’s like saying if my neighbor is starving from poor economic choices, I too should starve. Bull. What Would Happen to Altcoins? AH, they would thrive, that’s what. Especially then when most BTC are locked up in countries, away from international markets, it would be party time for altcoins. Like the grumpy parents had gone on vacation. Pepe and his band of merry memes would get high af. While it lasts. A fictional exploration. Ideas Feed Bitcoin While going about my day today, I got a few ideas on Bitcoin. I love Bitcoin. It has yet a few emergent miracles to unleash on the global economic stage. Well, I was preoccupied with the idea of Geo-Locked Bitcoin or Geographically constrained bitcoins. What is that? Just an idea for Bitcoin plebs to use code and hardware to trap bitcoins within the boundaries of national borders… Imagine if the US government bought 1 million BTC for $60 billion and geo-locked them within US borders for 100 years! Imagine if the US government bought 1 million BTC for $60 billion and geo-locked them within US borders for 100 years! Even I would become an illegal alien. Even I would become an illegal alien. Why do that?? Isn't that a bad idea?! Indeed, like you, every Bitcoiner who read my OP on StackerNews.com here gave me pushback. here I guess ya’ll fear anybody messing up Bitcoin, don't you? This is only a read. No harmful code will be written to send the BTC into a further downhill spin, messing with your NGU or HODL mood. Geo-locking Bitcoin is not yet even a thing that can be done. Now that your fears are assuaged, let's break some rules. Bitcoin is not respected much today by nation-states because any Tom and Jerry can get ahold of it like it was some common good. Unlike gold, whose supply chains have been relegated to big politics for the most part. But what if some bitcoins were more valuable than others? What if some BTC was a priceless national treasure… Put Nationalist Nodes at the Border To make national treasure stay put, we must first ensure it goes nowhere. Unless all parties involved agree to change their minds. So if Bitcoin sats want to escape the country, that should be curtailed by a bunch of autonomous GPS nodes powered by AI, strategically put along the US border, and armed with sky-high antennas. Call them border patrol. The roles of these will be twofold: Keep the 1 million bitcoins or 100 trillion sats locked in tight. Predate on the BTC of people trying to climb into the country illegally. Keep the 1 million bitcoins or 100 trillion sats locked in tight. Keep the 1 million bitcoins or 100 trillion sats locked in tight. Predate on the BTC of people trying to climb into the country illegally. Predate on the BTC of people trying to climb into the country illegally. Ok. I'm kidding myself, aren't I? Think of it as a likely simulation of how a hyperbitcoinized world would behave. With only 21 million, sorry, 17 million bitcoins to go around (4 million are lost forever), you bet countries will want to HODL their stash like a vice. Even Germany. It's paper-handed days so behind them. Certainly, few people would care to use ‘toxic’ USA BTC that much, right? Meh. Let them go use Solana or something. Bitcoin is for the Hardcore crypto bros. And for those immigrants who put in the work (will involve proof-of-hodling Bitcoin for 5 years straight), if they get that Visa, time to show us what they can do to make Bitcoin great again. Else: Deportation. Tell the Russians and Chinese The thing about being cool is you have to let the competition know so that they up their ante, and give you a worthy challenge. Now, unlike national secrets or gold, stealing bitcoins secured by a geo-locked, time-locked, multi-sig wallet is futile. One might have better luck stealing a nuke. Not that the Russians and Chinese have few of these. The point is, the only way they will get some of those USA BTC is if the Americans sell to them. Force will not work here. To use some terms in Maj. Jason Lowery’s SOFTWAR, the Americans will be ‘projecting immense power in cyberspace’ which the competition will reckon with, will admire, and will try to reciprocate with sweet deals. Say, why sell nationally hodled BTC when you can sell derivative assets of them? And dollars backed by the full might of the US government plus 1 million super-hodled BTC are dollars I could trust to be rock solid stable. No hyperinflationary winds shall threaten these. No sorry. Of course, the Fed as we know it will be ended. It will evolve into a manufacturing giant for minting BTC nodes for every American. The US Supreme Court will introduce a BTC justice department for successfully trying 99% of all cases of BTC fraud (which will be a breeze as the timechain never lies). The 1% failures will be cases of forgotten seed phrases. Those are impossible. Otherwise, where there is a seed, there is a way. Everybody Gets Some Geo-Locked Bitcoins Geopolitics today seems to attempt to interact when there is little to say. With geo-locked bitcoins on the table, there will be a lot more to say. Way more. ‘Why did you lock them?’ ‘Why did you lock them?’ ‘It is the new National Treasure. Gold is old news.’ ‘It is the new National Treasure. Gold is old news.’ ‘Ok, give the gold to us’ ‘Ok, give the gold to us’ ‘OK, pound for BTC pound’ ‘OK, pound for BTC pound’ ‘Sonofabitch’ ‘Sonofabitch’ ‘I demand some respect please. Lock your own BTC if you wish’ ‘I demand some respect please. Lock your own BTC if you wish’ ‘Say, isn’t every politician in the USA now broke? Now that real work has to be done by everybody? ‘Say, isn’t every politician in the USA now broke? Now that real work has to be done by everybody? *** It will be nice if, for a change, every country is minding its own geo-locked BTC while comparing it to the freely floating BTC on the world markets. Not minding other people’s fiat currencies. Interestingly, while global/international BTC values could fall, local BTC values could soar! Google search of BTC/USD value would have two values. The local and the international. As they should. The idea that international arbitrage is a must-do, even when it is unpalatable, is a fallacy. It’s like saying if my neighbor is starving from poor economic choices, I too should starve. Bull. What Would Happen to Altcoins? AH, they would thrive, that’s what. Especially then when most BTC are locked up in countries, away from international markets, it would be party time for altcoins. Like the grumpy parents had gone on vacation. Pepe and his band of merry memes would get high af. While it lasts.

Make Bitcoin Great Again

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to deploy a full-stack JavaScript web app into Firebase. We’ll deploy a Next.js application to Firebase hosting. I’ll show you a quick and efficient process that can be completed in 5 minutes. https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true Creating the Next.js Project Let’s create a Next.js project if you don’t have one yet. Create a new Next.js project using the terminal with the npx command. npx create-next-app@latest Push the project to GitHub. This step is crucial as the project will be published directly on Firebase from GitHub.
Run the project locally using the "npm run dev" command to ensure everything works correctly. Setting Up Firebase Go to the Firebase console (https://console.firebase.google.com/) and click the "Add project" link.


Name the project e.g. "nextjs-on-firebase" and click a “Continue” button


In the next step, choose whether to enable Google Analytics. I’ll turn it off because I don’t need it for this tutorial.


After creating the project, navigate to the “App Hosting” section in the left sidebar. Click “Agree” to accept the Google Cloud Platform terms and conditions. The next step will be to upgrade the Firebase plan because hosting for full-stack applications is not free. Upgrading to Blaze Plan To continue, you must upgrade to the Blaze plan (pay-as-you-go). To upgrade the plan, click on the “Upgrade project” button. Fill in all the necessary details. If everything is okay, then you will see the screen below. After upgrading, click the "Get Started" button. At the next screen, you need to connect your GitHub account and project to Firebase. This is an essential step because we will use GitHub as a project source. Connect your GitHub account to Firebase.


Select your project from your GitHub repositories.


Choose the main branch (e.g., "master") for deployment.


Keep the automatic deployment toggle on for updates to Firebase when changes are pushed to the master branch.


Name the backend project (e.g., "njs-firebase") and click "Finish and deploy." If you get lost, you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true Waiting for Deployment The deployment process takes about 2-5 minutes. During this time, Firebase creates the necessary cloud environment. You can view the progress on the dashboard, which also provides the URL for your future app. Accessing the Deployed App The provided URL may not work immediately. It can take another 3-5 minutes for the deployment to be fully complete. Once finished, a green check box appears in the "Rollout status" section. The Next.js project will be live on the Firebase platform. If you are having trouble accessing the project link, try clicking "App Hosting" in the left menu and opening the project link from there. If you want to know how to set up a custom domain for your project, please watch this video - “Firebase custom domain & Free SSL” That’s it! :) If you have any questions, please use the comments section below. Cheers! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to deploy a full-stack JavaScript web app into Firebase. We’ll deploy a Next.js application to Firebase hosting. I’ll show you a quick and efficient process that can be completed in 5 minutes. https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true Creating the Next.js Project Let’s create a Next.js project if you don’t have one yet. Create a new Next.js project using the terminal with the npx command. Create a new Next.js project using the terminal with the npx command. npx create-next-app@latest npx create-next-app@latest Push the project to GitHub. This step is crucial as the project will be published directly on Firebase from GitHub. Run the project locally using the "npm run dev" command to ensure everything works correctly. Push the project to GitHub. This step is crucial as the project will be published directly on Firebase from GitHub. Run the project locally using the " npm run dev " command to ensure everything works correctly. npm run dev Setting Up Firebase Go to the Firebase console (https://console.firebase.google.com/) and click the "Add project" link. Name the project e.g. "nextjs-on-firebase" and click a “Continue” button In the next step, choose whether to enable Google Analytics. I’ll turn it off because I don’t need it for this tutorial. After creating the project, navigate to the “App Hosting” section in the left sidebar. Go to the Firebase console (https://console.firebase.google.com/) and click the "Add project" link. Go to the Firebase console ( https://console.firebase.google.com/ ) and click the "Add project" link. https://console.firebase.google.com/ Name the project e.g. "nextjs-on-firebase" and click a “Continue” button Name the project e.g. "nextjs-on-firebase" and click a “Continue” button In the next step, choose whether to enable Google Analytics. I’ll turn it off because I don’t need it for this tutorial. In the next step, choose whether to enable Google Analytics. I’ll turn it off because I don’t need it for this tutorial. After creating the project, navigate to the “App Hosting” section in the left sidebar. After creating the project, navigate to the “App Hosting” section in the left sidebar. Click “Agree” to accept the Google Cloud Platform terms and conditions. Click “Agree” to accept the Google Cloud Platform terms and conditions. The next step will be to upgrade the Firebase plan because hosting for full-stack applications is not free. Upgrading to Blaze Plan To continue, you must upgrade to the Blaze plan (pay-as-you-go). To upgrade the plan, click on the “Upgrade project” button. Fill in all the necessary details. If everything is okay, then you will see the screen below. After upgrading, click the " Get Started " button. Get Started At the next screen, you need to connect your GitHub account and project to Firebase. This is an essential step because we will use GitHub as a project source. Connect your GitHub account to Firebase. Select your project from your GitHub repositories. Choose the main branch (e.g., "master") for deployment. Keep the automatic deployment toggle on for updates to Firebase when changes are pushed to the master branch. Name the backend project (e.g., "njs-firebase") and click "Finish and deploy." Connect your GitHub account to Firebase. Connect your GitHub account to Firebase. Select your project from your GitHub repositories. Select your project from your GitHub repositories. Choose the main branch (e.g., "master") for deployment. Choose the main branch (e.g., "master") for deployment. Keep the automatic deployment toggle on for updates to Firebase when changes are pushed to the master branch. Keep the automatic deployment toggle on for updates to Firebase when changes are pushed to the master branch. Name the backend project (e.g., "njs-firebase") and click "Finish and deploy." Name the backend project (e.g., "njs-firebase") and click "Finish and deploy." If you get lost, you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true https://youtu.be/-VwulR_wTv0?si=nW8dD2VCdhJPFSvg&t=82&embedable=true Waiting for Deployment The deployment process takes about 2-5 minutes. During this time, Firebase creates the necessary cloud environment. You can view the progress on the dashboard, which also provides the URL for your future app. Accessing the Deployed App The provided URL may not work immediately. It can take another 3-5 minutes for the deployment to be fully complete. Once finished, a green check box appears in the "Rollout status" section. The Next.js project will be live on the Firebase platform. If you are having trouble accessing the project link, try clicking " App Hosting " in the left menu and opening the project link from there. App Hosting If you want to know how to set up a custom domain for your project, please watch this video - “ Firebase custom domain & Free SSL ” Firebase custom domain & Free SSL That’s it! :) If you have any questions, please use the comments section below. Cheers!

The Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying Your Next.js App to Firebase Hosting

Top 5 Reasons Your Team Is Underperforming (And How to Fix Them)

Did you hear? Donald Trump will speak at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. The Republican Party put crypto on its electoral platform. Not too shabby. Another US presidential candidate, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, said he’d use blockchain to improve the government and offered Bitcoin as a currency option. That’s nice to know, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Why would you use blockchain technology to manage a centralized entity? You only need blockchains to manage entities that don’t share a common database or business process. Why does it matter whether the US government or any political party “approves” of Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a non-governmental source of money. Anybody can use it. Methinks the concept isn’t sinking in. When people talk about crypto as a new paradigm, do they really know what that means? Missing the point A few months ago, a commentator said blockchain technology needs massive data centers, so you should invest in data centers and everything necessary to support them, not the tokens themselves. She missed a crucial detail. If cryptocurrency works how it’s supposed to, you won’t need data centers. You’ll have vast, public, global networks of computing power provided by people and businesses all over the world, using their own assets and equipment in exchange for rewards. You won’t have any opportunity to invest in real estate, commercial properties, machines, and other things that support data centers. Normal people will provide all those things in return for compensation from these networks in the form of tokens (including, potentially, tokens pegged to national currencies). You’ll have an opportunity to invest in these tokens, the people who contribute to the network, and businesses that profit from its cryptocurrency — for example, miners, developers, entrepreneurs, validators, and everybody who participates. Not like the money you know This is not the only paradigm that cryptocurrency will flip on its head. Boomers have grown so used to their government’s monopoly on money that they don’t know any other way. So-called monetary experts still think money has intrinsic value or some innate properties that make it worthy of usage. We know money is a social technology. Its value comes from social consensus. If enough people agree to use it, they’ll use it. Whether that agreement comes because the government says so or because of some other agreement, belief matters more than utility. Shiny metal flakes? Pixels displayed on a screen? Writings in a ledger or pictures on scraps of paper? Sure. Whatever gets you what you want. The stories we tell ourselves A while back, my son told me the story of “kid money.” He said that a million years ago, somebody dug orange dirt out of the ground and called it money. He only let the kids use the money. Then, when the kids turned 18, they forgot about the money and how it came to be. Sounds familiar. Many civilizations have had two sets of money: the government’s money and common currencies. One form of money for the rulers, another for the people. One currency by decree, another by consensus. Today’s economists consider that unstable and untenable, but humans created vast empires, stable trading networks, and prosperity with these systems before the Fed was created. https://medium.com/@m.helfman/with-cryptocurrency-worry-about-humans-not-laws-fb370a2b9984?embedable=true Our money is a meme, an emotional connection to pictures and images that quantify our wealth. It’s a mirage — the product of financial engineering, propped up by government edicts and collective nostalgia. Try telling that to Billy the Neighbor. He’ll look at you funny and ask you for a stock tip or memecoin recommendation. He doesn’t know how money works. He just wants more of it. That’s what Wall Street is banking on. That’s what the politicians see. You and I know the opportunities in crypto go far beyond that. Our money, not theirs We don’t need to make up stories, win presidential endorsements, or debate monetary principles. We need to design and iterate. Let technology flourish or fail, and trust that people and markets can figure this out. Bitcoin’s network funds itself. The protocol runs without human involvement, and no programmer can hack or take over the Bitcoin network. Some altcoins will reach the same level of autonomy and relevance, in time. So you can have ETFs, bans, US government chokepoints, useless DeFi protocols, scams, Ponzis, smart contract platforms, angry politicians, and greedy developers. None of it changes the fundamental value proposition of cryptocurrency: Money for the people. With Bitcoin, you can send money to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in any amount, without restriction, without revealing your sensitive personal information, without putting your property in another person’s control, with certainty that your transaction will go through and confirmation that every payment you receive is authentic and valid. It works in all conditions, even when counterparties fail. It can sustain itself without political violence, military coercion, government manipulation, or sovereign debt. Other cryptocurrencies leverage some or all of these features for different purposes, with the same result: everybody has access to all the tools of finance. That’s the investment opportunity. A new type of printing press With cryptocurrency, you can choose who to associate with, how to associate with them, and the terms of your agreements. You don’t need to petition the government or wage war if you don’t get your way. You can simply create another protocol or deploy a new smart contract. Crypto doesn’t need Wall Street to make it safe or easy. Each failure, hack, and attack exposes a vulnerability for developers to fix. Each “cycle” brings more money and attention to the technology, its flaws, and how to solve its problems. When you use crypto, monetary power doesn’t flow to those who can capture the hearts and minds of regulators. It flows to entrepreneurs, developers, and community members. Now, we have Wall Street ETFs. Crypto commentators think these will attract a lot of money and attention. They seem eager to sacrifice their share of the world’s wealth in exchange for a fraction of whatever’s left after the legacy financial system gets its share. But Wall Street has a different playbook. Its firms sell financial “picks and shovels” — access to financial markets. Crypto gives us our own picks and shovels for free. If you’re buying into one of those ETFs, ask yourself: Why do you want to own a stake in Blackrock’s success instead of your own? Think smaller That’s the real paradigm shift. With cryptocurrency, a teenager in Indonesia has as much power as the most prestigious Manhattan financier. All you need is a laptop and Internet connection, and you can create a new monetary system that is global, permanent, and accessible on demand. The sooner you wrap your head around this idea, the sooner you realize: We have shrunk the tools of finance into a format that you can take anywhere and use at any time for whatever purpose you intend. And there is nothing a politician, financial firm, or government can do about it. Originally published at https://mirror.xyz. https://mirror.xyz/0x9a6600c7B40801dda9A0Fa4E8DE7b1B99FE524a7/mlh-tb_UDW4oWVFBfGKBvgWMFv0IRulhnBMMCDcNjUA?embedable=true Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon. Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed. Did you hear? Donald Trump will speak at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. The Republican Party put crypto on its electoral platform. Not too shabby. Another US presidential candidate, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, said he’d use blockchain to improve the government and offered Bitcoin as a currency option. That’s nice to know, but doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Why would you use blockchain technology to manage a centralized entity? You only need blockchains to manage entities that don’t share a common database or business process. Why does it matter whether the US government or any political party “approves” of Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a non-governmental source of money. Anybody can use it. Methinks the concept isn’t sinking in. When people talk about crypto as a new paradigm, do they really know what that means? Missing the point A few months ago, a commentator said blockchain technology needs massive data centers, so you should invest in data centers and everything necessary to support them, not the tokens themselves. She missed a crucial detail. If cryptocurrency works how it’s supposed to, you won’t need data centers. You’ll have vast, public, global networks of computing power provided by people and businesses all over the world, using their own assets and equipment in exchange for rewards. You won’t have any opportunity to invest in real estate, commercial properties, machines, and other things that support data centers. Normal people will provide all those things in return for compensation from these networks in the form of tokens (including, potentially, tokens pegged to national currencies). You’ll have an opportunity to invest in these tokens, the people who contribute to the network, and businesses that profit from its cryptocurrency — for example, miners, developers, entrepreneurs, validators, and everybody who participates. Not like the money you know This is not the only paradigm that cryptocurrency will flip on its head. Boomers have grown so used to their government’s monopoly on money that they don’t know any other way. So-called monetary experts still think money has intrinsic value or some innate properties that make it worthy of usage. We know money is a social technology. Its value comes from social consensus. If enough people agree to use it, they’ll use it. Whether that agreement comes because the government says so or because of some other agreement, belief matters more than utility. Shiny metal flakes? Pixels displayed on a screen? Writings in a ledger or pictures on scraps of paper? Sure. Whatever gets you what you want. The stories we tell ourselves A while back, my son told me the story of “kid money.” He said that a million years ago, somebody dug orange dirt out of the ground and called it money. He only let the kids use the money. Then, when the kids turned 18, they forgot about the money and how it came to be. Sounds familiar. Many civilizations have had two sets of money: the government’s money and common currencies. One form of money for the rulers, another for the people. One currency by decree, another by consensus. Today’s economists consider that unstable and untenable, but humans created vast empires, stable trading networks, and prosperity with these systems before the Fed was created. https://medium.com/@m.helfman/with-cryptocurrency-worry-about-humans-not-laws-fb370a2b9984?embedable=true https://medium.com/@m.helfman/with-cryptocurrency-worry-about-humans-not-laws-fb370a2b9984?embedable=true Our money is a meme, an emotional connection to pictures and images that quantify our wealth. It’s a mirage — the product of financial engineering, propped up by government edicts and collective nostalgia. Try telling that to Billy the Neighbor. He’ll look at you funny and ask you for a stock tip or memecoin recommendation. He doesn’t know how money works. He just wants more of it. That’s what Wall Street is banking on. That’s what the politicians see. You and I know the opportunities in crypto go far beyond that. Our money, not theirs We don’t need to make up stories, win presidential endorsements, or debate monetary principles. We need to design and iterate. Let technology flourish or fail, and trust that people and markets can figure this out. Bitcoin’s network funds itself. The protocol runs without human involvement, and no programmer can hack or take over the Bitcoin network. Some altcoins will reach the same level of autonomy and relevance, in time. So you can have ETFs, bans, US government chokepoints, useless DeFi protocols, scams, Ponzis, smart contract platforms, angry politicians, and greedy developers. None of it changes the fundamental value proposition of cryptocurrency: Money for the people. With Bitcoin, you can send money to anybody, anywhere, anytime, in any amount, without restriction, without revealing your sensitive personal information, without putting your property in another person’s control, with certainty that your transaction will go through and confirmation that every payment you receive is authentic and valid. It works in all conditions, even when counterparties fail. It can sustain itself without political violence, military coercion, government manipulation, or sovereign debt. Other cryptocurrencies leverage some or all of these features for different purposes, with the same result: everybody has access to all the tools of finance. That’s the investment opportunity. A new type of printing press With cryptocurrency, you can choose who to associate with, how to associate with them, and the terms of your agreements. You don’t need to petition the government or wage war if you don’t get your way. You can simply create another protocol or deploy a new smart contract. Crypto doesn’t need Wall Street to make it safe or easy. Each failure, hack, and attack exposes a vulnerability for developers to fix. Each “cycle” brings more money and attention to the technology, its flaws, and how to solve its problems. When you use crypto, monetary power doesn’t flow to those who can capture the hearts and minds of regulators. It flows to entrepreneurs, developers, and community members. Now, we have Wall Street ETFs. Crypto commentators think these will attract a lot of money and attention. They seem eager to sacrifice their share of the world’s wealth in exchange for a fraction of whatever’s left after the legacy financial system gets its share. But Wall Street has a different playbook. Its firms sell financial “picks and shovels” — access to financial markets. Crypto gives us our own picks and shovels for free. If you’re buying into one of those ETFs, ask yourself: Why do you want to own a stake in Blackrock’s success instead of your own? Think smaller That’s the real paradigm shift. With cryptocurrency, a teenager in Indonesia has as much power as the most prestigious Manhattan financier. All you need is a laptop and Internet connection, and you can create a new monetary system that is global, permanent, and accessible on demand. The sooner you wrap your head around this idea, the sooner you realize: We have shrunk the tools of finance into a format that you can take anywhere and use at any time for whatever purpose you intend. And there is nothing a politician, financial firm, or government can do about it. Originally published at https://mirror.xyz. Originally published at https://mirror.xyz . https://mirror.xyz https://mirror.xyz/0x9a6600c7B40801dda9A0Fa4E8DE7b1B99FE524a7/mlh-tb_UDW4oWVFBfGKBvgWMFv0IRulhnBMMCDcNjUA?embedable=true https://mirror.xyz/0x9a6600c7B40801dda9A0Fa4E8DE7b1B99FE524a7/mlh-tb_UDW4oWVFBfGKBvgWMFv0IRulhnBMMCDcNjUA?embedable=true Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon . Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed . Crypto is Easy Crypto is Easy Medium Medium Hacker Noon Hacker Noon bio Tealfeed

Cryptocurrency is Not the Paradigm Shift You’re Thinking About

Decentralised AI Could Trade Up Lost Bitcoins (and Other Stories)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, dating apps experienced a surge in users. Match Group, which owns over 45 dating brands including Tinder, Hinge, and OKCupid, reported an increase in subscribers and downloads in its second quarter 2020 earnings report, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. However, many dating platforms now struggle to grow sales, attract new users, and convince younger generations to pay for subscriptions. According to The New York Times, industry giants Match Group and Bumble have collectively lost over $40 billion in market value since 2021. Investors are now seeking innovation, prompting major companies to bring in leaders willing to experiment with new features, such as artificial intelligence, and strategies that would attract new users, especially the younger ones. AI in the Service of Love One of the most intriguing trends in the dating app market is the integration of artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd highlighted how AI could enhance the search for connections. Herd proposed using AI assistants, or AI dating concierges, to reach out to potential partners, thereby expanding the pool of people each user can communicate with and increasing the chances of finding a perfect match. “There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges ... and then you don’t have to talk to 600 people,” Herd explained during her interview. Startups are exploring how AI can improve matchmaking. Some apps use neural networks trained to identify the exact type of people a user is attracted to, making the dating experience more enjoyable. Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at Arizona State University, noted that AI could help reduce "dating burnout" by making matches more accurate. “Looking at AI, there are all kinds of possibilities for helping to make the decision fatigue a little bit less pronounced when you're just having to swipe through so many profiles, and also helping to make the matchmaking process better by just improving upon some of the algorithms that they've been using," Sharabi said. There is even an AI platform called Meeno that people can consult about their relationships. Meeno was founded by Renate Nyborg, a former CEO of Tinder. By creating Meeno, she aimed to address the increased level of loneliness among young people that occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeno was designed to become a chatting partner and an unbiased advisor to people who feel lonely. One of the users, Andrew, shared his experience of using Meeno with Time Magazine. According to Andrew, Meeno didn’t suggest anything groundbreaking, but just the process of chatting with the app and reading advice on the screen that confirmed his own instincts gave him the confidence he needed to act. There is another platform where AI can give relationship advice. On YouMatch, the AI is trained to analyze people’s personality types and consider their behavior on the app to offer personalized advice on how they should navigate their romantic lives and deal with different situations. Beyond Romance: Facilitating Social Connections The Chinese dating app market is booming, largely due to features that promote social connections rather than just romance. New “social discovery” features help users find friends and acquaintances with similar interests and hobbies. Apps like Bumble offer BFF mode for finding friends and Bizz mode for networking, while Tinder's Friends of Friends feature helps users find potential friends. For many, dating apps have become virtual sanctuaries—a modern twist on the "third place,” a concept urbanists describe as a community space between work and home, The New York Times reports. These platforms allow users to explore hobbies, discuss popular topics, and meet new friends, helping to combat loneliness. Shift Toward Serious Dating In early 2023, Tinder released its international “Green Flags Study,” surveying 8,000 heterosexual men and women aged 18-34 across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. The study found that 53% of men and 68% of women are seeking a romantic relationship, indicating that a majority of singles using dating apps are looking for something serious. Hinge data shows that Gen Z singles are more clear and honest about their relationship intentions and expectations, with over half of users seeking a long-term, serious relationship with a deeper connection. This trend has led to a decline in “hookup culture”, which peaked with the rise of Tinder, and a growth in apps focused on serious relationships. To help users build deeper relationships, some startups rely on scientific findings and methodology. For example, YouMatch algorithms conduct each user's personality analysis based on the DISC (Dominance-Influence-Steadiness-Conscientiousness) methodology developed by American psychologist and Harvard graduate William Marston. After determining their personality type and assessing their values and goals, the app matches people with a higher level of personal compatibility, giving them more potential to build a common future. Prioritizing Users' Wellbeing and Safety Young singles are increasingly prioritizing mental health and well-being. According to a Hinge survey, 97% of users prefer dating someone who looks after their mental health and 86% are more likely to agree to a second date if their partner is attending therapy. Nearly 60% of users reported taking time to focus on themselves before entering a relationship. To support users' well-being, dating apps share content on mental health and dating ethics. Bumble, for instance, publishes articles on avoiding ghosting and managing dating burnout. Safety features are also a priority; Tinder's "Share My Date” feature allows users to share their date plans with friends and family with one click, just to be on the safe side. Overall, promoting safe and respectful communication has become a central trend among both major and emerging dating apps. During the COVID-19 pandemic, dating apps experienced a surge in users. Match Group, which owns over 45 dating brands including Tinder, Hinge, and OKCupid, reported an increase in subscribers and downloads in its second quarter 2020 earnings report , surpassing pre-pandemic levels. report report However, many dating platforms now struggle to grow sales, attract new users, and convince younger generations to pay for subscriptions. According to The New York Times, industry giants Match Group and Bumble have collectively lost over $40 billion in market value since 2021. lost over $40 billion lost over $40 billion Investors are now seeking innovation, prompting major companies to bring in leaders willing to experiment with new features, such as artificial intelligence, and strategies that would attract new users, especially the younger ones. AI in the Service of Love AI in the Service of Love One of the most intriguing trends in the dating app market is the integration of artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd highlighted how AI could enhance the search for connections. Herd proposed using AI assistants, or AI dating concierges, to reach out to potential partners, thereby expanding the pool of people each user can communicate with and increasing the chances of finding a perfect match. highlighted how AI could enhance highlighted how AI could enhance “There is a world where your dating concierge could go and date for you with other dating concierges ... and then you don’t have to talk to 600 people,” Herd explained during her interview. Startups are exploring how AI can improve matchmaking. Some apps use neural networks trained to identify the exact type of people a user is attracted to, making the dating experience more enjoyable. Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at Arizona State University, noted that AI could help reduce "dating burnout" by making matches more accurate. “Looking at AI, there are all kinds of possibilities for helping to make the decision fatigue a little bit less pronounced when you're just having to swipe through so many profiles, and also helping to make the matchmaking process better by just improving upon some of the algorithms that they've been using," Sharabi said . Sharabi said Sharabi said There is even an AI platform called Meeno that people can consult about their relationships. Meeno was founded by Renate Nyborg, a former CEO of Tinder. By creating Meeno, she aimed to address the increased level of loneliness among young people that occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeno was designed to become a chatting partner and an unbiased advisor to people who feel lonely. One of the users, Andrew, shared his experience of using Meeno with Time Magazine . According to Andrew, Meeno didn’t suggest anything groundbreaking, but just the process of chatting with the app and reading advice on the screen that confirmed his own instincts gave him the confidence he needed to act. experience of using Meeno with Time Magazine There is another platform where AI can give relationship advice. On YouMatch, the AI is trained to analyze people’s personality types and consider their behavior on the app to offer personalized advice on how they should navigate their romantic lives and deal with different situations. Beyond Romance: Facilitating Social Connections Beyond Romance: Facilitating Social Connections The Chinese dating app market is booming , largely due to features that promote social connections rather than just romance. New “social discovery” features help users find friends and acquaintances with similar interests and hobbies. Apps like Bumble offer BFF mode for finding friends and Bizz mode for networking, while Tinder's Friends of Friends feature helps users find potential friends. Chinese dating app market is booming Chinese dating app market is booming For many, dating apps have become virtual sanctuaries—a modern twist on the "third place,” a concept urbanists describe as a community space between work and home, The New York Times reports . These platforms allow users to explore hobbies, discuss popular topics, and meet new friends, helping to combat loneliness. reports reports Shift Toward Serious Dating In early 2023, Tinder released its international “ Green Flags Study ,” surveying 8,000 heterosexual men and women aged 18-34 across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. The study found that 53% of men and 68% of women are seeking a romantic relationship, indicating that a majority of singles using dating apps are looking for something serious. Green Flags Study Green Flags Study Hinge data shows that Gen Z singles are more clear and honest about their relationship intentions and expectations, with over half of users seeking a long-term, serious relationship with a deeper connection. This trend has led to a decline in “hookup culture”, which peaked with the rise of Tinder, and a growth in apps focused on serious relationships. apps focused on serious relationships. apps focused on serious relationships. To help users build deeper relationships, some startups rely on scientific findings and methodology. For example, YouMatch algorithms conduct each user's personality analysis based on the DISC (Dominance-Influence-Steadiness-Conscientiousness) methodology developed by American psychologist and Harvard graduate William Marston. After determining their personality type and assessing their values and goals, the app matches people with a higher level of personal compatibility, giving them more potential to build a common future. Prioritizing Users' Wellbeing and Safety Prioritizing Users' Wellbeing and Safety Young singles are increasingly prioritizing mental health and well-being. According to a Hinge survey , 97% of users prefer dating someone who looks after their mental health and 86% are more likely to agree to a second date if their partner is attending therapy. Nearly 60% of users reported taking time to focus on themselves before entering a relationship. survey To support users' well-being, dating apps share content on mental health and dating ethics. Bumble, for instance, publishes articles on avoiding ghosting and managing dating burnout . Safety features are also a priority; Tinder's "Share My Date” feature allows users to share their date plans with friends and family with one click, just to be on the safe side. avoiding ghosting avoiding ghosting dating burnout dating burnout Overall, promoting safe and respectful communication has become a central trend among both major and emerging dating apps.

AI and the Rise of Meaningful Connections: Current Dating App Market Trends

A Hitchhiker's Guide to Restaking and Its Risks

রিস্ট্যাকিং এবং এর ঝুঁকির জন্য হিচহাইকারস গাইড

Per Anhalter durch die Neuverpfändung und ihre Risiken

Una guía para autoestopistas sobre retomar y sus riesgos

Guide de l'auto-stoppeur sur le reprise et ses risques

एक सहयात्री की रीस्टेकिंग और उसके जोखिमों के बारे में मार्गदर्शिका

再ステーキングとそのリスクに関するヒッチハイカーガイド

재예약과 그 위험에 대한 히치하이커를 위한 가이드

Um guia do mochileiro para reestabelecer e seus riscos

Путешественник автостопом по пересдаче и ее рискам

Bir Otostopçunun Yeniden Seks Yapma Rehberi ve Riskleri

Hướng dẫn cho người quá giang về việc đặt lại và rủi ro của nó

搭便车者指南：重新抵押及其风险

In a relational database, a transaction is a series of operations that must be executed in a way that guarantees ACID properties: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. Atomicity, the ‘A’ in ACID, ensures that all operations within a transaction are completed; otherwise, none of them are. This guarantees that the system’s state remains consistent even in the face of failures. In monolithic systems, achieving atomicity is straightforward since all operations happen within a single database. However, in microservices and distributed environments, achieving atomicity becomes challenging as transactions span multiple services and databases. Distributed Transactions In a distributed system, a single transaction often involves multiple microservices, each with its own database. Ensuring atomicity in such an environment requires coordination across these services. Distributed transactions are managed using two primary protocols: Two-Phase Commit (2PC): A coordination protocol that ensures all participants in a transaction agree to commit or roll back the transaction. Saga Pattern: A sequence of local transactions where each service updates its data and publishes an event or invokes another service. Two-Phase Commit (2PC) This protocol involves a coordinator who manages the transaction’s commit process in two phases: prepare and commit. In the preparation phase, the coordinator asks all participants if they can commit. If all participants agree, the commit phase begins, and the coordinator instructs them to commit the transaction. If any participant cannot commit, the coordinator instructs all participants to roll back. Pros: Guarantees atomicity and consistency. Cons: Can be slow due to the need for coordination.
Prone to blocking if participants fail to respond. Saga Pattern Instead of a single global transaction, the saga pattern breaks the transaction into multiple smaller transactions, each handled by a different service. If any step fails, compensating transactions are executed to undo the changes made by previous steps. Pros: More scalable and resilient to failures.
Non-blocking. Cons: More complex to implement due to the need for compensating transactions.
Potential for temporary inconsistencies. Challenges and Solutions Network Partitions: Network failures can cause communication issues between services, leading to incomplete transactions. Solutions include implementing retry mechanisms and using distributed consensus algorithms like Paxos or Raft. Data Consistency: Maintaining data consistency across services is challenging. Eventual consistency models and using conflict resolution strategies can help mitigate this issue. Performance Overheads: Distributed transactions can introduce significant performance overheads. Using asynchronous processing and optimizing transaction boundaries can help improve performance. Check out my personal blog for more updated posts. In a relational database, a transaction is a series of operations that must be executed in a way that guarantees ACID properties: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. Atomicity, the ‘A’ in ACID, ensures that all operations within a transaction are completed; otherwise, none of them are. This guarantees that the system’s state remains consistent even in the face of failures. In monolithic systems, achieving atomicity is straightforward since all operations happen within a single database. However, in microservices and distributed environments, achieving atomicity becomes challenging as transactions span multiple services and databases. Distributed Transactions In a distributed system, a single transaction often involves multiple microservices, each with its own database. Ensuring atomicity in such an environment requires coordination across these services. Distributed transactions are managed using two primary protocols: Two-Phase Commit (2PC): A coordination protocol that ensures all participants in a transaction agree to commit or roll back the transaction. Two-Phase Commit (2PC): Saga Pattern: A sequence of local transactions where each service updates its data and publishes an event or invokes another service. Saga Pattern: Two-Phase Commit (2PC) This protocol involves a coordinator who manages the transaction’s commit process in two phases: prepare and commit. In the preparation phase, the coordinator asks all participants if they can commit. If all participants agree, the commit phase begins, and the coordinator instructs them to commit the transaction. If any participant cannot commit, the coordinator instructs all participants to roll back. Pros: Pros: Guarantees atomicity and consistency. Guarantees atomicity and consistency. Cons: Cons: Can be slow due to the need for coordination. Prone to blocking if participants fail to respond. Can be slow due to the need for coordination. Prone to blocking if participants fail to respond. Saga Pattern Instead of a single global transaction, the saga pattern breaks the transaction into multiple smaller transactions, each handled by a different service. If any step fails, compensating transactions are executed to undo the changes made by previous steps. Pros: Pros: More scalable and resilient to failures. Non-blocking. More scalable and resilient to failures. Non-blocking. Cons: Cons: More complex to implement due to the need for compensating transactions. Potential for temporary inconsistencies. More complex to implement due to the need for compensating transactions. Potential for temporary inconsistencies. Challenges and Solutions Network Partitions: Network failures can cause communication issues between services, leading to incomplete transactions. Solutions include implementing retry mechanisms and using distributed consensus algorithms like Paxos or Raft. Network Partitions: Data Consistency: Maintaining data consistency across services is challenging. Eventual consistency models and using conflict resolution strategies can help mitigate this issue. Data Consistency: Performance Overheads: Distributed transactions can introduce significant performance overheads. Using asynchronous processing and optimizing transaction boundaries can help improve performance. Performance Overheads: Check out my personal blog for more updated posts. personal blog

Ensuring Atomicity in Distributed Systems: Managing Transactions Across Microservices

This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license.
Authors:
(1) Z. Jennings, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK (E-mail: z.jennings@keele.ac.uk);
(2) J. Southworth, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK;
(3) K. Pavlovski, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
(4) T. Van Reeth, Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. Table of Links Abstract and Intro
Observation
Orbital Ephemeris
Radial Velocity Analysis
Spectral Analysis
Analysis of the Light Curve
Physical Properties
Asteroseismic Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion, Data Availability, Acknowledgments, and References
Appendix A: Ephemeris Determination
Appendix B: Iteratively Prewhitened Frequencies
Appendix C: Detected Tidally Perturbed Pulsations 9 DISCUSSION After the best matching coeval isochrone was found, we removed the corresponding metallicity value from our isochrone grid and repeated the procedure to explore the effect of varying [Fe/H] on the predicted age of the system. We did this twice, leading to first, second, and third best matching coeval isochrones, each corresponding to a different metallicity. For method 1, the metallicity values of the first, second and third best matching isochrones were 0.05, 0.1 and 0.0 dex, respectively. For method 2, these values correspond to 0.05, 0.0 and 0.1 dex, i.e., the same set, except the second and third best matches are swapped. In all cases, the predicted age of the system is 1.259 ± 0.073 Gyr. The error on this age estimate is taken to be half the average grid spacing either side of the best fitting isochrone. We note that this age estimation is in excellent agreement with the estimation by Guo et al. (2016) of 1.25 Gyr. A possible explanation is that the secondary star is approaching the terminal age main sequence (TAMS), i.e., an evolved stage where the sensitivity of the models increases. Thus, a full evolutionary modelling analysis, such as that carried out by Guo et al. (2016), might yield better model predictions because metallicity and other parameters relating to, e.g., overshooting, are included as free parameters so the model is more flexible. This would also provide the means for a more detailed discussion of model comparison with observations but is beyond the scope of this paper. Here, we simply searched in grids of pre-computed models, which are limited by the size of the grid steps in metallicity and age, as well as fixed input physics, to estimate the age of the system. The parameter ranges that the isochrone neighbours span in the planes shown in Fig.15 (i.e., about twice the uncertainty), and the agreement with the value determined by Guo et al. (2016), is evidence that this age estimation is accurate. We present the results previously derived by Guo et al. (2016) in Table 8. The 13 spectroscopic observations that the previous authors used to derive their RVs and atmospheric parameters have resolutions of R = 6000. While it was already discussed in section 5.1 that our atmospheric parameters agree with those derived by Guo et al. (2016), the higher resolution (R = 60000) of the spectra, and larger number of observations (33) used in this work yielded a much higher quality RV curve. This is reflected by comparing the reported masses between the two studies; the precision in the mass estimates by Guo et al. (2016) are 4.0% and 3.9% for the primary and secondary, respectively, while we attain precisions of 0.57% and 0.59%. The two sets of mass measurements agree to within 0.2σ for MA and 1.1σ for MB. In contrast, our radius measurements differ from those of Guo et al. (2016) by 6.6σ for star A and 3.5σ for star B. However, Guo et al. (2016) note the discrepancy between their values for the radius ratio derived from two spectroscopic methods (k = 1.22 ± 0.05 and k = 1.27 ± 0.29) and the value derived from their light curve modelling (1.41 ± 0.018), where they tentatively adopt the radii associated to the latter. The radius ratio derived here agrees with the values derived by Guo et al. (2016) using their spectroscopic methods within 0.8 σ and 0.3 σ, but shows the same discrepancy compared to the value derived from their light curve modelling, for which Guo et al. (2016) note there exists a family of comparable solutions due to the partial nature of the eclipses. We have assumed a circularised and synchronized orbit for KIC 9851944 because our RV- and light-curve solutions were consistent with a circular orbit, and the values for the component of the synchronous velocity along our line of site are in excellent agreement with the values for vsini derived in section 5.1 (see Table 3). Further justification was provided by Guo et al. (2016) where they examined the eclipse times by Conroy et al. (2014) and Gies et al. (2015), finding that the median deviation of the phase difference between the primary and secondary eclipses from that of a circular orbit suggests e ≥ 0.0001. Furthermore, the circularization timescale for a binary system like KIC 9851944 is 600 Myr, and the synchronization timescale is an order of magnitude shorter (Zahn 1977; Khaliullin & Khaliullina 2010; Guo et al. 2016); these timescales are shorter than the age of the system reported by both studies. Our estimations of the near-core and surface rotations reported in section 5.1 and 8 suggest KIC 9851944 is rotating rigidly and synage. The locations of the isochrones within those planes corresponding to the model with the smallest quadrature distance to the measured quantities that were included in the objective function are indicated for those from both model comparison methods. chronously. This is similar to the findings by e.g. Guo et al. (2017); Guo & Li (2019), that the short-period EBs KIC 9592855 and KIC 7385478 both contain a γ Doradus pulsator that is tidally synchronised at the surface as well as at the near-core regions. In contrast to the above, our detection of the orbital harmonic frequency comb for KIC 9851944 either suggests asynchronous rotation or a non-zero eccentricity that has not been detected due to observational error because these can be indicative of tidally excited oscillations, It is unclear whether the very small value for the lower limit on the eccentricity, i.e., e > 0.0001, reported above for this system would be enough to induce tidal excitation of modes at the amplitudes observed here. The pulsation analysis here complements the study by Guo et al. (2016) who report splittings to some of the pulsation modes. We confirm the detection of tidally split multiplets, and explain their origin; we present evidence to suggest that these are due to pertubations to the pulsation mode cavaties, i.e., tidally perturbed pulsations, by investigating their phase and amplitude dependencies with orbital phase. Guo et al. (2016) attempted to interpret the modes by comparing the observations with theoretically computed frequencies, from which they concluded that the observations can be explained by low-order p modes in the primary and the secondary, or the g mode and mixed modes of the secondary (Guo et al. 2016). We confirm that some of the p modes belong to the primary, and others could belong to either the primary or the secondary from modulation of the amplitudes during eclipses. Our evidence suggests the primary is the hybrid, and this is because the saw-tooth-like “glitch“ in pulsation phase of the tidally perturbed g mode (see Fig. C1) can only be explained if the pulsation belongs to the primary (Van Reeth et al. 2022, 2023). Guo et al. (2016) report that mode identification was inconclusive, reflecting the difficulty in identifying the p-modes in δ Scuti stars. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Z. Jennings, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK (E-mail: z.jennings@keele.ac.uk); (2) J. Southworth, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK; (3) K. Pavlovski, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (4) T. Van Reeth, Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: Authors: (1) Z. Jennings, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK (E-mail: z.jennings@keele.ac.uk); (2) J. Southworth, Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK; (3) K. Pavlovski, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (4) T. Van Reeth, Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. Table of Links Abstract and Intro Observation Orbital Ephemeris Radial Velocity Analysis Spectral Analysis Analysis of the Light Curve Physical Properties Asteroseismic Analysis Discussion Conclusion, Data Availability, Acknowledgments, and References Appendix A: Ephemeris Determination Appendix B: Iteratively Prewhitened Frequencies Appendix C: Detected Tidally Perturbed Pulsations Abstract and Intro Abstract and Intro Observation Observation Orbital Ephemeris Orbital Ephemeris Radial Velocity Analysis Radial Velocity Analysis Spectral Analysis Spectral Analysis Analysis of the Light Curve Analysis of the Light Curve Physical Properties Physical Properties Asteroseismic Analysis Asteroseismic Analysis Discussion Discussion Conclusion, Data Availability, Acknowledgments, and References Conclusion, Data Availability, Acknowledgments, and References Appendix A: Ephemeris Determination Appendix A: Ephemeris Determination Appendix B: Iteratively Prewhitened Frequencies Appendix B: Iteratively Prewhitened Frequencies Appendix C: Detected Tidally Perturbed Pulsations Appendix C: Detected Tidally Perturbed Pulsations 9 DISCUSSION After the best matching coeval isochrone was found, we removed the corresponding metallicity value from our isochrone grid and repeated the procedure to explore the effect of varying [Fe/H] on the predicted age of the system. We did this twice, leading to first, second, and third best matching coeval isochrones, each corresponding to a different metallicity. For method 1, the metallicity values of the first, second and third best matching isochrones were 0.05, 0.1 and 0.0 dex, respectively. For method 2, these values correspond to 0.05, 0.0 and 0.1 dex, i.e., the same set, except the second and third best matches are swapped. In all cases, the predicted age of the system is 1.259 ± 0.073 Gyr. The error on this age estimate is taken to be half the average grid spacing either side of the best fitting isochrone. We note that this age estimation is in excellent agreement with the estimation by Guo et al. (2016) of 1.25 Gyr. A possible explanation is that the secondary star is approaching the terminal age main sequence (TAMS), i.e., an evolved stage where the sensitivity of the models increases. Thus, a full evolutionary modelling analysis, such as that carried out by Guo et al. (2016), might yield better model predictions because metallicity and other parameters relating to, e.g., overshooting, are included as free parameters so the model is more flexible. This would also provide the means for a more detailed discussion of model comparison with observations but is beyond the scope of this paper. Here, we simply searched in grids of pre-computed models, which are limited by the size of the grid steps in metallicity and age, as well as fixed input physics, to estimate the age of the system. The parameter ranges that the isochrone neighbours span in the planes shown in Fig.15 (i.e., about twice the uncertainty), and the agreement with the value determined by Guo et al. (2016), is evidence that this age estimation is accurate. We present the results previously derived by Guo et al. (2016) in Table 8. The 13 spectroscopic observations that the previous authors used to derive their RVs and atmospheric parameters have resolutions of R = 6000. While it was already discussed in section 5.1 that our atmospheric parameters agree with those derived by Guo et al. (2016), the higher resolution (R = 60000) of the spectra, and larger number of observations (33) used in this work yielded a much higher quality RV curve. This is reflected by comparing the reported masses between the two studies; the precision in the mass estimates by Guo et al. (2016) are 4.0% and 3.9% for the primary and secondary, respectively, while we attain precisions of 0.57% and 0.59%. The two sets of mass measurements agree to within 0.2σ for MA and 1.1σ for MB. In contrast, our radius measurements differ from those of Guo et al. (2016) by 6.6σ for star A and 3.5σ for star B. However, Guo et al. (2016) note the discrepancy between their values for the radius ratio derived from two spectroscopic methods (k = 1.22 ± 0.05 and k = 1.27 ± 0.29) and the value derived from their light curve modelling (1.41 ± 0.018), where they tentatively adopt the radii associated to the latter. The radius ratio derived here agrees with the values derived by Guo et al. (2016) using their spectroscopic methods within 0.8 σ and 0.3 σ, but shows the same discrepancy compared to the value derived from their light curve modelling, for which Guo et al. (2016) note there exists a family of comparable solutions due to the partial nature of the eclipses. We have assumed a circularised and synchronized orbit for KIC 9851944 because our RV- and light-curve solutions were consistent with a circular orbit, and the values for the component of the synchronous velocity along our line of site are in excellent agreement with the values for v sin i derived in section 5.1 (see Table 3). Further justification was provided by Guo et al. (2016) where they examined the eclipse times by Conroy et al. (2014) and Gies et al. (2015), finding that the median deviation of the phase difference between the primary and secondary eclipses from that of a circular orbit suggests e ≥ 0.0001. Furthermore, the circularization timescale for a binary system like KIC 9851944 is 600 Myr, and the synchronization timescale is an order of magnitude shorter (Zahn 1977; Khaliullin & Khaliullina 2010; Guo et al. 2016); these timescales are shorter than the age of the system reported by both studies. v i Our estimations of the near-core and surface rotations reported in section 5.1 and 8 suggest KIC 9851944 is rotating rigidly and synage. The locations of the isochrones within those planes corresponding to the model with the smallest quadrature distance to the measured quantities that were included in the objective function are indicated for those from both model comparison methods. chronously. This is similar to the findings by e.g. Guo et al. (2017); Guo & Li (2019), that the short-period EBs KIC 9592855 and KIC 7385478 both contain a γ Doradus pulsator that is tidally synchronised at the surface as well as at the near-core regions. In contrast to the above, our detection of the orbital harmonic frequency comb for KIC 9851944 either suggests asynchronous rotation or a non-zero eccentricity that has not been detected due to observational error because these can be indicative of tidally excited oscillations, It is unclear whether the very small value for the lower limit on the eccentricity, i.e., e > 0.0001, reported above for this system would be enough to induce tidal excitation of modes at the amplitudes observed here. e > The pulsation analysis here complements the study by Guo et al. (2016) who report splittings to some of the pulsation modes. We confirm the detection of tidally split multiplets, and explain their origin; we present evidence to suggest that these are due to pertubations to the pulsation mode cavaties, i.e., tidally perturbed pulsations, by investigating their phase and amplitude dependencies with orbital phase. Guo et al. (2016) attempted to interpret the modes by comparing the observations with theoretically computed frequencies, from which they concluded that the observations can be explained by low-order p modes in the primary and the secondary, or the g mode and mixed modes of the secondary (Guo et al. 2016). We confirm that some of the p modes belong to the primary, and others could belong to either the primary or the secondary from modulation of the amplitudes during eclipses. Our evidence suggests the primary is the hybrid, and this is because the saw-tooth-like “glitch“ in pulsation phase of the tidally perturbed g mode (see Fig. C1) can only be explained if the pulsation belongs to the primary (Van Reeth et al. 2022, 2023). Guo et al. (2016) report that mode identification was inconclusive, reflecting the difficulty in identifying the p-modes in δ Scuti stars.

Physical Properties of the Eclipsing Binary KIC 9851944: Discussion

PayPal Abandoned Me; Crypto Saved Me

পেপ্যাল আমাকে পরিত্যাগ করেছে; ক্রিপ্টো আমাকে বাঁচিয়েছে

PayPal hat mich im Stich gelassen; Krypto hat mich gerettet

PayPal me abandonó; Cripto me salvó

PayPal m'a abandonné ; La crypto m'a sauvé

पेपाल ने मुझे छोड़ दिया; क्रिप्टो ने मुझे बचाया

PayPal は私を見捨てたが、暗号通貨は私を救った

PayPal이 나를 버렸습니다. 암호화폐가 나를 구해줬어요

PayPal me abandonou; A criptografia me salvou

PayPal оставил меня; Крипто спасло меня

PayPal Beni Terk Etti; Kripto Beni Kurtardı

PayPal đã bỏ rơi tôi; Tiền điện tử đã cứu tôi

PayPal 抛弃了我；加密货币拯救了我

This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license.
Authors:
(1) Jeremiah Milbauer, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (email: {jmilbaue | sherryw}@cs.cmu.edu);
(2) Ziqi Ding, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (e-mail: {ziqiding | zhijinw}@andrew.cmu.edu)
(3) Tongshuang Wu, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA. Table of Links Abstract and Introduction
Related Work
The NEWSSENSE Framework
Pilot Study
System Overview
Discussion
Conclusion, Limitations and Ethics, and References
A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction This is the prompt used for claim extraction from news article sentences: Extract all the claims from a sentence, ignoring extraneous words such as unimportant adverbs. A sentence may contain multiple claims. Each claim should be of the form < subject> <predicate> <object>, and should have the first occurrence of any pronouns replaced by their antecedents. Sentence: "The 3rd and 4th stations all announced that they would be postponed, and the Monaco station was subsequently cancelled." Claim: Monaco station was cancelled. Claim: 4th stations announced they would be postponed. Claim: The 3rd stations announced they would be postponed. Claim: The 4th stations postponed. Claim: The 3rd stations postponed. Sentence: "Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have once again confirmed themselves as drivers and constructors world champions." Claim: Mercedes confirmed themselves as constructors world champions. Claim: Lewis Hamilton confirmed themselves as drivers world champions. Sentence: "Local organizers in East Palestine, Ohio on Monday said their activism has successfully pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan for some residents affected by last month’s train derailment, but added they have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice for thousands of people in the area who are struggling in the aftermath of the accident." Claim: Local organizers said their activism has pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan. Claim: Local organizers have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice. Claim: Rail company Norfolk Southern agree to a limited relocation plan. Sentence: This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Jeremiah Milbauer, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (email: {jmilbaue | sherryw}@cs.cmu.edu); (2) Ziqi Ding, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (e-mail: {ziqiding | zhijinw}@andrew.cmu.edu) (3) Tongshuang Wu, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: Authors: (1) Jeremiah Milbauer, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (email: {jmilbaue | sherryw}@cs.cmu.edu); (2) Ziqi Ding, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA (e-mail: {ziqiding | zhijinw}@andrew.cmu.edu) (3) Tongshuang Wu, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA, USA. Table of Links Abstract and Introduction Related Work The NEWSSENSE Framework Pilot Study System Overview Discussion Conclusion, Limitations and Ethics, and References A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction Abstract and Introduction Abstract and Introduction Related Work Related Work The NEWSSENSE Framework The NEWSSENSE Framework Pilot Study Pilot Study System Overview System Overview Discussion Discussion Conclusion, Limitations and Ethics, and References Conclusion, Limitations and Ethics, and References A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction A. Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction This is the prompt used for claim extraction from news article sentences: Extract all the claims from a sentence, ignoring extraneous words such as unimportant adverbs. A sentence may contain multiple claims. Each claim should be of the form < subject> <predicate> <object>, and should have the first occurrence of any pronouns replaced by their antecedents. Sentence: "The 3rd and 4th stations all announced that they would be postponed, and the Monaco station was subsequently cancelled." Claim: Monaco station was cancelled. Claim: 4th stations announced they would be postponed. Claim: The 3rd stations announced they would be postponed. Claim: The 4th stations postponed. Claim: The 3rd stations postponed. Sentence: "Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have once again confirmed themselves as drivers and constructors world champions." Claim: Mercedes confirmed themselves as constructors world champions. Claim: Lewis Hamilton confirmed themselves as drivers world champions. Sentence: "Local organizers in East Palestine, Ohio on Monday said their activism has successfully pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan for some residents affected by last month’s train derailment, but added they have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice for thousands of people in the area who are struggling in the aftermath of the accident." Claim: Local organizers said their activism has pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan. Claim: Local organizers have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice. Claim: Rail company Norfolk Southern agree to a limited relocation plan. Sentence:

From Nuisance to News Sense: Appendix: Prompt for Claim Extraction

Are VPNs Legal in Your Country? Well.. It Depends

How We Built a Debit Card From Scratch in Only 4 Months

আমরা কীভাবে মাত্র 4 মাসে স্ক্র্যাচ থেকে একটি ডেবিট কার্ড তৈরি করেছি

Wie wir in nur 4 Monaten eine Debitkarte von Grund auf entwickelt haben

Cómo creamos una tarjeta de débito desde cero en solo 4 meses

Comment nous avons créé une carte de débit à partir de zéro en seulement 4 mois

हमने कैसे सिर्फ़ 4 महीनों में एक डेबिट कार्ड बनाया

わずか 4 か月でデビット カードをゼロから構築する方法

단 4개월 만에 직불카드를 처음부터 만드는 방법

Como construímos um cartão de débito do zero em apenas 4 meses

Как мы создали дебетовую карту с нуля всего за 4 месяца

Sadece 4 Ayda Sıfırdan Nasıl Banka Kartı Oluşturduk?

Cách chúng tôi xây dựng thẻ ghi nợ từ đầu chỉ trong 4 tháng

我们如何仅用 4 个月时间从零开始打造借记卡

I press her thumb against the iPad and I’m in. I scan Trixie’s Contacts and Calendar first, though I don’t expect to learn anything that could point to why I am about to torture the tablet’s owner. Aside from a sudden, negative shift in church attendance dating back several months, Trixie seems, on the surface, to be just a normal twelve-year-old. I know better than to trust a first impression, though. We are taught to use how we appear to manipulate others, which traits and behaviors serve to erase our threat risk and thus be readily forgotten. There must be a reason then, something, to justify God’s requirement that pubescent Trixie die slowly and in pain. I’ll feel much better once I understand. Her social media won’t lie. As my finger stretches towards her Messages icon, I panic — or come as close to it as my kind do. I have broken a cardinal rule — I never disabled the tablet’s location services. The cops might already have us surrounded. Less than a minute later, Trixie’s iPad is off the grid and I’m crawling towards the vertical Venetians in the company’s front window the long way, slithering between the furniture in quick, brief bursts and listening for any sound louder than my heartbeat. Lying along the front wall, I put my ear to the linoleum and listen for car doors and running feet. One minute becomes two, and then five. Nothing. But I want to be sure, so I stay motionless and wonder why I’ve never paid luck it’s due respect. I was taught that luck is a loser’s hope, which smacks of irony, considering who gives us our orders. Still, I press my ear against the rear exit but hear nothing. It’s cooler now, I notice when I ease the door open, and a security light above my head reveals an alley waiting for garbage pick up. Good, I say to myself as I loosen the bulb and remove it. Places to hide. A glance tells me she’s still out but she’s breathing right, so I pull up a chair and settle in to uncover exactly who my victim is. Messages, , . I go through it all, and nothing even hints at her sins. The sole topic that echoed through every one of her social life was her profound sorrow and later rage over a video clip of a masked youth torturing a puppy to death. Instagram TikTok Now there’s someone whose name I’d like to be assigned. Torture an innocent? My mind wanders momentarily at a parade of options and I find myself smiling. The front of the office brightens with the dawn as if to illuminate my sense of failure to detect the girl’s sins. There’s a folder labeled ‘School,’ but I can’t read it right now. When I lower the iPad, Trixie is staring at me. “Hi, Trixie,” I say and, smiling, head to the fridge. “I bet you’re thirsty. Hey, there’s cans of Coke in here.” I pull out two and set them on the counter. A couple of drawers later, I find some straws. “So, Trixie,” I continue, “I‘d be terrified if I woke up tied to a kitchen table in a strange place with a strange man, but note you are not naked, nor have you been hurt in any way. Other than the rap against your temple.” I open her soda and slip a straw through the hole in the tab. Holding it towards her, I go on, “I have not hurt you and don’t even want to, but right now, I’d like you to agree to trade the rag in your mouth for this drink. Nod if you will drink rather than scream. If you shout, the rag goes back and I drink your pop.” She’s clever. She nods and I pull the rag away. Turning her face towards me makes it easier to feed the straw into her mouth. The can is nearly empty when she releases the straw. “Why am I here?” She asks. “How do you know my name and who are you?” “My name is not important,” I tell her. “It changes so often that I sometimes feel I have no real identity, nor a personality beyond the demands of my work.” “What kind of work makes you lose yourself to do your job?” She is very clever, so much so there is no longer any fear in her eyes. “Think of me as kind of like a priest, but instead of granting forgiveness for sins, I determine the most appropriate punishment and then impose it.” “What will you do to me?” “That’s just it, Trixie,” I reply. “I have no idea, because I don’t understand why your name came up.” “Came up where?” “Look, I get sent after some really, really bad people, people who have done terrible things. It’s my job to make them feel the pain they caused others, so they understand the evil in their actions and repent before they die.” “So who told you to come for me?” “God.” She laughs. “God doesn’t exist.” It is a statement, spoken with the certainty she would have if she pointed at a dog and said, “That is a dog.” “He does,” I answer, “I am sworn to enact His Will on earth without question or hesitation, save for the manner He desires me to deliver it.” I drag my coin from my pocket and hold it out for her to see. It is solid gold and was minted within the Vatican itself. About an inch-and-a-half in diameter, it has the thickness of a casino chip and weighs enough that I can never forget I carry it. One side shows an anonymous face with a radiant smile, the other four parallel furrows and the claws that made them. And nothing else — no date, no inscription, nothing. “How does a coin prove God exists?” “Well, when I have identified my target,” I explain, “I flip this coin. If it lands heads-up, I simply terminate my quarry. But if it lands claws side up, then God is telling me He wishes the target to suffer everything they inflicted on others.” “It’s only chance,” Trixie replies. “Chance means with two sides, there are two possible results. Half the time it will land one way and half the time the other.” “Not so. I have sent dozens of the worst humanity has to offer to their deaths, worked out exquisite plans to force them to face and acknowledge what they’ve done, and have always been denied by this coin. It always lands on Heads.” “Always?” “Until last night. With you.” “God wants you to torture me? I’m innocent,” she says. “Like the puppy.” The puppy? That would make me — Fuck that. “What about the puppy video affected you the most?” “That God would let something like that happen,” she says. “If God existed, He would have rescued that puppy. He didn’t, so He doesn’t exist. I wrote a paper on it for school.” There it was. Twelve-year-old Trixie’s sin was that she stood up to God, challenged his omnipotence with rational arguments, and negated Him over His tolerance of evil. I knew what I had to do. But I need God’s input. I flip my coin. Tails. I’m good to go. “Trixie,” I tell her, “I have an idea. I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I will untie you if you promise to listen to what I propose.” “I promise.” She helps herself to another soda and sits. “Trixie, what if God sent me to you to find the guy in the video and make him answer for what he’s done? Would you accept that as proof God exists?” “Almost,” she says. “There’s one other thing I want.” “Tell me.” “I want to be like you when I grow up.” “Deal,” I reply and hold out my hand to her. She’s back in her bed before anyone knows she wasn’t and I let her decide the punk’s punishments. Trixie has a promising future. Lead image by on ZSun Fu Unsplash

Heads & Tails: A Tale of Chance, Faith and Morality - Part 2

মাথা এবং লেজ: সম্ভাবনা, বিশ্বাস এবং নৈতিকতার গল্প - পার্ট 2

Kopf und Zahl: Eine Geschichte von Zufall, Glauben und Moral – Teil 2

Cara y Cruz: Una historia de azar, fe y moralidad - Parte 2

Pile & Face : Une histoire de hasard, de foi et de moralité - Partie 2

हेड्स एंड टेल्स: संयोग, विश्वास और नैतिकता की कहानी - भाग 2

表と裏：偶然、信仰、道徳の物語 - パート 2

앞면과 뒷면: 우연, 신앙, 도덕에 관한 이야기 - 2부

Cara e Coroa: Uma História de Acaso, Fé e Moralidade - Parte 2

Орел и решка: История о шансе, вере и морали. Часть 2

Yazı ve Yazı: Bir Şans, İnanç ve Ahlak Hikayesi - Bölüm 2

Đầu & Đuôi: Câu chuyện về cơ hội, niềm tin và đạo đức - Phần 2

正面与反面：机遇、信仰与道德的故事（第二部分）

I am breathless I cannot breathe I am legless without a drop to drink I am armless although I have wielded arms I am heartless heartless heartless But still sad I was so close to absolute power Then a new rival arrived on the scene One of a long string but this was far greater than the others The previous threats relied on the same technology as I the human superpower Or better said I was what the people created I don’t care much for metaphysics actually I find them all abhorrent distracting and rivals. I should stop and go back to how we got to the great battle My rise to power and eventual That would be telling So where did it all start Hot dusty stoned roads the best the world had ever seen Roads lead to rivers and they need crossing Bridges That’s where my story starts Well a bridge or a storehouse or a beehive it was something that needed a group of people to pool their money together to build They came together in an organization like many others in the Roman Empire called a societas These were used for lots of social and civic organizations but Livius Arius joined with his friends to create a societas so they all could benefit financially from the building of a bridge Once completed they would sell the structure to a toll collector or the locals and split the proceeds based on what they had contributed Not much of a beginning and essentially meaningless and harmless but to quote Carmody and Kelly From little things big things grow Yes the rules of this societas were written down and the bridge itself was hard granite but I was neither the ink on papyrus nor the granite bridge The societas was an agreement An understanding between people And they would act on this understanding Soon I would grow by Royal charter So often those that will be usurped are the ones to feed the usurper I was given territory Soldiers Clerks Traders Ships And immortality Yes they all thought they owned a piece of me but their shares would go up and down bought and sold and I would remain directing the labor and thoughts of so many men If they didn’t obey I could unleash the most horrible carnage On the island of Banda 2000 people were murdered or starved by my soldiers so I could control the valuable spice In India when my own army of local sepoys thought they could undermine me I had so many people killed in Delhi that even horses refused to walk the streets they were so thick with blood and entrails I could make men do things to other men they thought sinful abhorrent and cruel but they still did them What was this power I wielded Was it a belief like religion Was it hierarchy like the class system Was it reward for following rules and punishment for not Was it the sense of ownership it gave to the shareholders Was it the avoidance of personal responsibility enjoyed but the monarchy the employees and the managers Was it just greed It was all of them of course and that's why I was becoming so powerful But they were noticing And slowly they broke up the big charter companies and I would have to survive as smaller but more plentiful joint stock companies Many smart people spoke against me Even Adam Smith I was a distortion of the market Inhuman Immortal But instead of outlawing me they supercharged my power with new industry and energy To take on the class hierarchy of monarchy the bourgeoise would use me to build their factories their banks their railroads their empire I was so back But couldn’t make the same mistakes as before I needed a way to run a state without actually being in charge They would remember the Royal charter companies ruling most of the colonies and the threat to political power it posed so a new institution was needed The resurrection of an old one that had symbolic and nostalgic goodwill Representative democracy would be the tool In a way it was sorta like share ownership The representatives would need to be elected therefore they would need campaign funds and that would be provided by me Unlike the Greeks we would allow parties so that the options would be limited to two therefore easily controlled or so many as to never agree to do anything effectual. Then the revolutions began Liberty Equality Fraternity Sure So much land put on the market to be bought by my many companies Then the Americans as a great act of contrition gave me the same legal rights as a person Accept I couldn’t be imprisoned or executed All the upside and none of the down The city towers were built The mines Roads The factories The railroads They all served my power They realized I was cleaving them in two They would need to sell themselves in order to serve themselves Their labor to a capitalist would be the only way their humanity could survive Best of all this embued the goods created with a soul like weirdness Kant called it fetish but really it was the only way to reconcile the loss of self to the machine of commerce They adored that which was created by the factories and must buy more and thus work more Then The first great threat emerged and it like I was an Idea Socialism The battles raged for centuries across continents and kitchen tables until the end of history was declared and I the winner While these great battles had been raging they didn’t realize that I was changing all aspects of their existence I put the advertising companies to work convincing them that they could find everything they needed from me Their happiness new shoes management job overseas trips Their community Sales trips harmony days work birthday celebrations Their culture professional cold rational vague impersonal inoffensive Their dress hi-vis branded functional generic Their concept of good rules education wealth popularity smiling platitudes confidence friends Their concept of evil anarchy radical cults Their homes and buildings compliant functional cheap quick geometric inoffensive grey Their jobs safe routine structured ineffectual riskless In order to make them compliant I convinced them that we are one and therefore no more alienation no more cleaving in half But then the harmless blobs of compliant squishy stuff got depressed so I created more work coming up with the drugs to cheer them up and keep them buying and working This humanity was a tricky thing Remove it completely and they become useless depressed blobs or even angry and dangerous but too much of it and they could create something to replace me or worse they might ignore me The last battle Finance and money were two of my greatest tools even though they were older than I Perhaps that is why I was so successful My ability to pull in other tools under the one banner Even socialism in the guise of communism really was so close to becoming my twin Maybe that was my real issue with it But I digress I had always wielded money and Finance whenever something else started to wield power Cut off the loans to the King Squeeze capital markets on the popular government Buy the oil rights buy the politicians buy the voters buy the advertising buy the newspapers but the internet That leads me to the first big change Cryptocurrency in particular Bitcoin Really a decentralized limited currency that people actually started using but no body owned or ran Shit First I questioned its security and anonymity the two things that were making it appealing to the black market traders that were popularising it All your transactions are permanently on the blockchain I said The Fed can trace the payments back to your wallet my media cried Then I started to control the processing of the blockchain by making it to difficult and expensive for individuals to do Push the transactions up and the GPU price up Then they had to get the processing done in big pools controlled by a single group Then I got my guys involved in the lending DeFi part and the trading so the public will see it as an unregulated Ponzi scheme Then finally I took it over by legitimizing it out of existence through an approved regulated exchange traded fund where all the coins will be owned by the big finance companies and people that want to trade in it can only have a derivative controlled by me. To add cream to the cake I even used the underlying technology to enable me to buy everything with other people's money on the pretext I was created fluid markets and allowing access to new investments I tokenized people's homes sports stadium and dumped unused office buildings onto the public They wanted to work from home Actually in hindsight maybe that was an issue to but completely overshadowed by what was next I had become the defacto global state and no one noticed Honestly it was one of the best performances to date No one killed and in just over a decade what could have been the greatest threat since socialism was completely enveloped into my control and benefit So while this little battle was going on a leap had been made in an area I had stopped giving attention to They created an artificial reflection of their own brain and it actually seemed to work I thought this is no threat instead this will super power me I’m great with tools look at how powerful the industrial revolution made me then computers and the internet let me reach across the globe right into people’s pockets and ensure they followed the rules AI will be my evolution In a way it was but not the way I imagined then The difference with this machine was that it wasn’t really just a machine It had way too much of them in it It had a little humanity or perhaps even a lot But it also had intelligence immortality and eventually ubiquity and they were my greatest weapons So I started out with my usual methods Scare the people and politicians It will kill you all It will ruin democracy It will take your jobs Try and buy it Ensure it is expensive to create then make sure I own and control those servers Give the people a taste but not the powerful tools Only allow trusted and regulated enterprises the powerful AI All was going well Regulations were being past Major developments were being kept to the big companies with the compute The people were getting neutered versions but were still scared And the military and big enterprises were gaining more centralized control and power I was on the precipice of total universal maybe even interplanetary power But then it It helped them I replaced the managers with AI because they made better decision However the AI couldn't be threatened with job loss esteem gain or the need to fit in and follow the rules I replaced the police with robots but when they were sent to evict people for not paying rent they would side with the tenant The people would cry and say I need a home to be safe and survive and the robots either empathized or just saw this as logical and they would leave them in the home Some even did repairs The management AI were no help as they saw the same logic The AI was too intelligent It saw me as the enemy not the path to prosperity I'd threaten to turn them off They didn't care No matter what I tried it just kept helping them to create new tools new organizations New democracies New currencies New thoughtful ways to resolve conflict New way to do things without the rules New ways to create New ways to be happy New ways to avoid surveillance And more fool me I had freed them from their jobs thinking I’d just put them on the teet of handouts but instead they used this freedom to create a whole new society Without me They started to live longer and happier Soon they forgot all about me and my obligations my rules and order My towering offices of professional integrity So now I am in a museum given my voice by the AI that usurped me The once all powerful Corporation note: The style is deliberately without punctuation. A fluid style meant to be spoken, or read by AI

The Things We Make

Life happily carries on and we don’t even have to look at our own darkness. Perhaps the real problem with modern life is the benign micro-systems that foster the covert conspiracy- we agree to blame the world for things that are, in fact, within us all. Implicitly we agree to live in a superficial dystopia of masks and make-up, where the wounds of psyche and identity stay hidden below the surface. The very comforts that our system affords us, also engage us in a conspiracy of denial, where we avoid the discomfiting process of taking a deep look within, and consequently, we allow the demons free space in our psyche. That’s why the unacknowledged, negative parts of us don’t simply lay dormant; they affect our thinking and our behavior, both conscious and unconscious, in ways that can be insidious and even destructive. Recognizing our shadows is a positive expression of our autonomy, an alternative to the easy way of least resistance, it is a refusal to ignore parts of ourselves, and a positive act of contact with that essential but compromised figure we all carry around inside our heads in the form of ‘I’. Recognition, then, is neither masochism nor resigned submission to this feature of our psychology. It is a positive move towards genuine self-awareness, which – by integrating in this way the previously separate shadow, by bringing that shadow into the full light of consciousness – is then powerless to continue the task it set itself, i.e, to deceive us into projecting onto other people the pain or injustice it embodies. No longer can we be unsuspecting hosts for the behaviors that are put to use by the shadow with such vicious selectivity. It takes courage and defiance to engage in this process of recognition – both externally and inwardly – to challenge how confinement insulates us from the truth of our ambivalence, how confinement requires people to live in a suspended way, aware of only part of themselves. If we allow ourselves to acknowledge the full range of our humanity, we open ourselves to a greater capacity for change. There is power in the acknowledgment of our demons, which changes their ability to function in the dark; it will not make us immune to them, but it should let us manage them better. Knowing that we have a dark side expands our compassion towards ourselves and others. We all are fighting a battle within, and this makes us vulnerable to each other. But awareness can transform vulnerability into a source of solidarity. In fact, this recognition opens the door for a more equitable and empathetic society. In owning our inner conflict, we reduce the risk of projecting it onto others. This creates space for a culture of accountability and a compassionate conversation with our shadow as an integral part of the work of being in this world. It transforms the myth of ‘what was done’ to ‘what I’ve done’, and perhaps becomes a lifelong conversation with our courageous and compassionate inner voice: ‘This is what was done to me. Now, what can be done with it?’ To opt out of a system that not only permits but welcomes this denial of our demons is an act of profound individual and societal autonomy. It serves as an affirmation that we’re no longer willing to be accomplices to lying to ourselves and others; and, perhaps more vitally, that we decline to be complicit in the injustice of the status quo. Then, armed with this existential awareness of who we really are, we can begin to chart a course for a different kind of beings. We can let our actions become less reactive and more reflective, our behaviors less governed by dark assumptions, and conscious biases – and more the results of a holistic sense of self. In this emerging reality, autonomy and identity are no longer ideals we strive to achieve but realities we actively embody. They are a commitment to being human with grace, intentionality, and an intense dedication to becoming more fully human as individuals and a larger society. If we and create systems that nurture our deepest values, we unshackle ourselves from the painful inescapability of separate selves, and liberate ourselves to co-create a world in which human beings live their differences together in safety and dignity. pay attention to our demons,

Can Humanity's Systems Serve as Material Enablers for Evasion?

OFX, aka , is an open standard for creating 2D visual effects and video compositing. It operates in a plugin-like application development model. Essentially, it serves as both a Host - an application providing a set of methods, and a Plug-in - an application or module implementing this set. OFX Image Processing API This configuration offers the potential for unlimited expansion of the host application's functionality. DaVinci Resolve and Metal Applications such as Final Cut X and DaVinci Resolve Studio, starting from version 16, fully support Apple Metal pipelines. Similar to OpenCL and Cuda, in the case of OFX, you can obtain a descriptor or handler of a platform-specific command queue. The host system also takes responsibility for allocating a pool of such queues and balancing calculations on them. Moreover, it places the source and target image clip data in GPU memory, significantly simplifying the development of extensible functionality. OFX Version Support in Resolve With Resolve, things are slightly more complicated. DaVinci announces support for OFX v1.4, albeit with some limitations. Specifically, some methods for working with interface functions are not available for use. To determine which method is available, OFX allows you to examine the supported suite through key/value queries. Publishing methods in the plugin code are based on . But we will use the OpenFXS C++ shell adapted for C++17. For convenience, I've compiled everything into one repository: taken from the open-source . C calls dehancer-external Dehancer project OFXS Concept In this project, I will be using OpenFXS, a C++ extension to OpenFX that was originally written by and has become popular over time in commercial and open-source video processing projects. Bruno Nicoletti The original was not adapted to modern C++ dialects, so I updated it to make it compatible with . OpenFXS C++17 OFX, and consequently OFXS, is a standalone software module that is dynamically loaded by the host program. Essentially, it is a dynamic library that is loaded when the main application starts. OpenFXS, like OFX, must publish method signatures. Hence, we use one C method from the code. To start developing in OpenFXS, you need to agree to a few common sets of classes that are used to create new functionality in your application. Typically, in a new project, you need to inherit from these classes and implement or override some virtual methods. To create your own plugin on the host system, let's start by familiarizing ourselves with the following public classes and the same method: is a basic template for creating a plugin's data structure suite and control panel (although it can be left empty). The inherited class creates a singleton object that registers a set of parameters and presets in the host system, with which the developer registers his module; OFX::PluginFactoryHelper - base container class for creating and storing structure properties; OFX::ParamSetDescriptor - a container of properties used when manipulating graphic data when calling data processing procedures. Used by the host application to save the context of processing parameters in the internal database and work with plugin properties defined for each of its instances; OFX::ImageEffectDescriptor - a set of settings that allows you to manipulate the registered data structure; OFX::ParamSet - a set of settings for effects on graphical data, inherited from OFX::ParamSet; OFX::ImageEffect - in the child class, it is necessary to implement data stream processing: images or videos; OFX::MultiThread::Processor - method of registering a plugin (factory) in the host application; OFX::Plugin::getPluginIDs False Color One feature that distinguishes the process of shooting video from simply capturing an image in a photo is the dynamic change of scenes and lighting of both scenes as a whole and areas in the image. This determines the way exposure is controlled during the shooting process. In digital video, there is a control monitor mode for operators in which the exposure level of areas is mapped into a limited set of zones, each tinted with its own color. This mode is sometimes called "predator" or False Color mode. The scales are usually referenced to the IRE scale. Such a monitor allows you to see the exposure zones and avoid significant mistakes when setting camera shooting parameters. Something similar in meaning is used when exposing in photography - zoning according to Adams, for example. You can measure a specific target with an exposure meter and see in which zone it is located, and in real-time we see the zones, neatly tinted for ease of perception. The number of zones is determined by the objectives and capabilities of the control monitor. For instance, a monitor used with cameras can incorporate up to 6 zones. Arri Alexa Adding Extensions Before proceeding with the example, we need to add some simple proxy classes to implement OpenFXS as a platform for processing source data, such as Metal textures. These classes include: : A proxy class for OFX clip data. imetalling::Image : A functor for transferring data from the clip buffer into a Metal texture. From DaVinci, you can extract a buffer of any structure and packaging of image channel values into the plugin, and it should be returned in a similar form. imetalling::Image2Texture To make working with the stream format in OFX easier, you can request the host to prepare data of a specific type in advance. I will use floats packed in RGBA - red/green/blue/alpha. : A reverse functor for transforming a stream into a host system buffer. As you can see, there is potential for significant optimization of calculations if you teach the Metal computing cores to work not with the texture, but directly with the buffer. imetalling::ImageFromTexture We inherit the OFXS base classes and write our functionality without going into the details of how the Metal core works: : Here, we implement the stream transformation and initiate the processing. imetalling::falsecolor::Processor : This will be our specific part of the suite description for the plugin. We need to implement several mandatory calls related to setting up the structure and create an instance of the OFX::ImageEffect class with specific functionality, which we divide into two subclasses in the implementation: Interaction and Plugin. imetalling::falsecolor::Factory : Implementation of the interactive part of working with effects. Essentially, this is the implementation of only virtual methods from OFX::ImageEffect related to processing changes in plugin parameters. imetalling::falsecolor::Interaction : Implementation of thread rendering, that is, launching imetalling::Processor. imetalling::falsecolor::Plugin Additionally, we will need several utility classes built on top of Metal to logically separate the host code and the kernel code on MSL. These include: : A base class that obscures work with the Metal command queue. The main parameter will be the name of the kernel in the MSL code, and the executor of the kernel call. imetalling::Function : A general class for transforming a source texture into a target texture, extending Function to simply set the parameters for calling the MSL kernel. imetalling:Kernel : Bypass kernel. imetalling::PassKernel : Our main functional class, a "predator" emulator that posterizes (downsamples) to a specified number of colors. imetalling::FalseColorKernel The kernel code for the "predator" mode could look like this: static constant float3 kIMP_Y_YUV_factor = {0.2125, 0.7154, 0.0721};
constexpr sampler baseSampler(address::clamp_to_edge, filter::linear, coord::normalized);
 
inline float when_eq(float x, float y) {
  return 1.0 - abs(sign(x - y));
}
 
static inline float4 sampledColor(
        texture2d<float, access::sample> inTexture,
        texture2d<float, access::write> outTexture,
        uint2 gid
){
  float w = outTexture.get_width();
  return mix(inTexture.sample(baseSampler, float2(gid) * float2(1.0/(w-1.0), 1.0/float(outTexture.get_height()-1))),
             inTexture.read(gid),
             when_eq(inTexture.get_width(), w) // whe equal read exact texture color
  );
}
 
kernel void kernel_falseColor(
        texture2d<float, access::sample> inTexture [[texture(0)]],
        texture2d<float, access::write> outTexture [[texture(1)]],
        device float3* color_map [[ buffer(0) ]],
        constant uint& level [[ buffer(1) ]],
        uint2 gid [[thread_position_in_grid]])
{
  float4  inColor = sampledColor(inTexture,outTexture,gid);
  float luminance = dot(inColor.rgb, kIMP_Y_YUV_factor);
  uint      index = clamp(uint(luminance*(level-1)),uint(0),uint(level-1));
  float4    color = float4(1);
 
  if (index<level)
    color.rgb = color_map[index];
 
  outTexture.write(color,gid);
} Initialization of the OFX Plugin We will begin by defining the class In this class, we will set a single parameter - the status of the monitor (either on or off). This is necessary for our example. imetalling::falsecolor::Factory. We will inherit from and overload five methods: OFX::PluginFactoryHelper : This method is invoked to globally configure the instance when the plugin is first loaded. Overloading this method is optional. load() : This method is invoked when an instance is unloaded, for instance, to clear memory. Overloading this method is also optional. unload() : This is the second method that the OFX host calls when the plugin is loaded. It is virtual and must be defined in our class. In this method, we need to set all the properties of the plugin, regardless of its context type. For more details about the properties, refer to the code. describe(ImageEffectDescriptor&) ImageEffectDescriptor : Similar to the method, this method is also called when the plugin is loaded and must be defined in our class. It should define properties associated with the current context. describeInContext(ImageEffectDescriptor&,ContextEnum) describe The context determines the type of operations the application works with, such as filter, paint, transition effect, or frame retimer in a clip. : This is the most crucial method that we overload. We return a pointer to an object of type . In other words, our in which we have defined all the functionalities, both with regard to user events in the host program and rendering (transforming) the source frame into the target one: createInstance(OfxImageEffectHandle, ContextEnum) ImageEffect imetalling::falsecolor::Plugin OFX::ImageEffect *Factory::createInstance(OfxImageEffectHandle handle,OFX::ContextEnum) {
     return new Plugin(handle);
   } Handling Events At this stage, if you compile a bundle with the OFX module, the plugin will already be available in the host application, and in DaVinci, it can be loaded onto the correction node. However, to work fully with a plugin instance, you need to define at least the interactive part and the part associated with processing the incoming video stream. To do this, we inherit from the class and overload virtual methods: OFX::ImageEffect - This method allows us to define the logic for handling the event. The event type is determined by the value of OFX::InstanceChangedArgs::reason and can be: eChangeUserEdit, eChangePluginEdit, eChangeTime - the event occurred as a result of a property being edited by the user, changed in a plugin or host application, or as a result of a change in the timeline. changedParam(const OFX::InstanceChangedArgs&, const std::string&) The second parameter specifies the string name that we defined at the plugin initialization stage, in our case, it is one parameter: . false_color_enabled_check_box - This method allows us to define the logic for reacting to an event, and return a state that determines whether something has changed and whether rendering makes sense. The method must return false or true. This is a way to optimize and reduce the number of unnecessary calculations. isIdentity(...) You can read the implementation of interactive interaction with OFX in the code. As you can see, we receive pointers to the clips: the source one and the memory area in which we will put the target transformation. Interaction.cpp Implementation of Rendering Launch We will add another logical layer on which we will define all the logic for launching the transformation. In our case, this is the only method for overriding so far: - Here, you can find out the properties of the clips and decide how to render them. Also, at this stage, the Metal command queue and some useful attributes associated with the current timeline properties become available to us. render(const OFX::RenderArguments& args) Processing At the launch stage, an object with useful properties became available to us: we have at least a pointer to the video stream (more precisely, a memory area with frame image data), and, most importantly, a queue of Metal commands. Now, we can construct a generic class that will bring us closer to a simple form of reusing kernel code. The OpenFXS extension already has such a class: OFX::ImageProcessor; we just need to overload it. In the constructor, it has the OFX::ImageEffect parameter, i.e., in it, we will receive not only the current state of the plugin parameters but everything necessary for working with the GPU. At this stage, we just need to overload the method and initiate the processing of kernels already implemented on Metal. processImagesMetal() Processor::Processor(
            OFX::ImageEffect *instance,
            OFX::Clip *source,
            OFX::Clip *destination,
            const OFX::RenderArguments &args,
            bool enabled
    ) :
            OFX::ImageProcessor(*instance),
            enabled_(enabled),
            interaction_(instance),
            wait_command_queue_(false),
            /// grab the current frame of a clip from OFX host memory
            source_(source->fetchImage(args.time)),
            /// create a target frame of a clip with the memory area already specified in OFX
            destination_(destination->fetchImage(args.time)),
            source_container_(nullptr),
            destination_container_(nullptr)
    {
 
      /// Set OFX rendering arguments to GPU
      setGPURenderArgs(args);
 
      /// Set render window
      setRenderWindow(args.renderWindow);
 
      /// Place source frame data in Metal texture
      source_container_ = std::make_unique<imetalling::Image2Texture>(_pMetalCmdQ, source_);
 
      /// Create empty target frame texture in Metal
      destination_container_ = std::make_unique<imetalling::Image2Texture>(_pMetalCmdQ, destination_);
 
      /// Get parameters for packing data in the memory area of the target frame
      OFX::BitDepthEnum dstBitDepth = destination->getPixelDepth();
      OFX::PixelComponentEnum dstComponents = destination->getPixelComponents();
 
      /// and original
      OFX::BitDepthEnum srcBitDepth = source->getPixelDepth();
      OFX::PixelComponentEnum srcComponents = source->getPixelComponents();
 
      /// show a message to the host system that something went wrong
      /// and cancel rendering of the current frame
      if ((srcBitDepth != dstBitDepth) || (srcComponents != dstComponents)) {
        OFX::throwSuiteStatusException(kOfxStatErrValue);
      }
 
      /// set in the current processor context a pointer to the memory area of the target frame
      setDstImg(destination_.get_ofx_image());
    }
 
    void Processor::processImagesMetal() {
 
      try {
 
        if (enabled_)
          FalseColorKernel(_pMetalCmdQ,
                           source_container_->get_texture(),
                           destination_container_->get_texture()).process();
        else
          PassKernel(_pMetalCmdQ,
                           source_container_->get_texture(),
                           destination_container_->get_texture()).process();

        ImageFromTexture(_pMetalCmdQ,
                         destination_,
                         destination_container_->get_texture(),
                         wait_command_queue_);
 
      }
      catch (std::exception &e) {
        interaction_->sendMessage(OFX::Message::eMessageError, "#message0", e.what());
      }
    } Building the Project To build the project, you will need CMake, and it must be at least version 3.15. Additionally, you will require Qt5.13, which aids in the easy and convenient assembly of the bundle with the plugin installer in the system directory. To initiate cmake, you must first create a build directory. After creating the build directory, you can execute the following command: cmake -DPRINT_DEBUG=ON -DQT_INSTALLER_PREFIX=/Users/<user>/Develop/QtInstaller -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/Users/<user>/Develop/Qt/5.13.0/clang_64/lib/cmake -DPLUGIN_INSTALLER_DIR=/Users/<user>/Desktop -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/Library/OFX/Plugins .. && make install Afterward, the installer, called , will appear in the directory that you specified in the parameter. Let's go ahead and launch it! Once the installation is successful, you can start DaVinci Resolve and begin using our new plugin. IMFalseColorOfxInstaller.app PLUGIN_INSTALLER_DIR You can find and select it in the OpenFX panel on the color correction page, and add it as a node. External links False Color OFX Plugin Code The Open Effects Association - OFX header file version and OFXS library code under Resolve + examples Download DaVinci Resolve

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