Awork

awork

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION It will naturally excite surprise that a preface by a female hand should accompany a work on such a subject as the present. For my friends no explanation of the circumstance is required; but I hope by a simple relation of the cause to clear myself of the appearance of presumption in the eyes also of those to whom I am not known. The work to which these lines serve as a preface occupied almost entirely the last twelve years of the life of my inexpressibly beloved husband, who has unfortunately been torn too soon from myself and his country. To complete it was his most earnest desire; but it was not his intention that it should be published during his life; and if I tried to persuade him to alter that intention, he often answered, half in jest, but also, perhaps, half in a foreboding of early death: “Thou shalt publish it.” These words (which in those happy days often drew tears from me, little as I was inclined to attach a serious meaning to them) make it now, in the opinion of my friends, a duty incumbent on me to introduce the posthumous works of my beloved husband, with a few prefatory lines from myself; and although here may be a difference of opinion on this point, still I am sure there will be no mistake as to the feeling which has prompted me to overcome the timidity which makes any such appearance, even in a subordinate part, so difficult for a woman. It will be understood, as a matter of course, that I cannot have the most remote intention of considering myself as the real editress of a work which is far above the scope of my capacity: I only stand at its side as an affectionate companion on its entrance into the world. This position I may well claim, as a similar one was allowed me during its formation and progress. Those who are acquainted with our happy married life, and know how we shared everything with each other—not only joy and sorrow, but also every occupation, every interest of daily life—will understand that my beloved husband could not be occupied on a work of this kind without its being known to me. Therefore, no one can like me bear testimony to the zeal, to the love with which he laboured on it, to the hopes which he bound up with it, as well as the manner and time of its elaboration. His richly gifted mind had from his early youth longed for light and truth, and, varied as were his talents, still he had chiefly directed his reflections to the science of war, to which the duties of his profession called him, and which are of such importance for the benefit of States. Scharnhorst was the first to lead him into the right road, and his subsequent appointment in 1810 as Instructor at the General War School, as well as the honour conferred on him at the same time of giving military instruction to H.R.H. the Crown Prince, tended further to give his investigations and studies that direction, and to lead him to put down in writing whatever conclusions he arrived at. A paper with which he finished the instruction of H.R.H. the Crown Prince contains the germ of his subsequent works. But it was in the year 1816, at Coblentz, that he first devoted himself again to scientific labours, and to collecting the fruits which his rich experience in those four eventful years had brought to maturity. He wrote down his views, in the first place, in short essays, only loosely connected with each other. The following, without date, which has been found amongst his papers, seems to belong to those early days. “In the principles here committed to paper, in my opinion, the chief things which compose Strategy, as it is called, are touched upon. I looked upon them only as materials, and had just got to such a length towards the moulding them into a whole. “These materials have been amassed without any regularly preconceived plan. My view was at first, without regard to system and strict connection, to put down the results of my reflections upon the most important points in quite brief, precise, compact propositions. The manner in which Montesquieu has treated his subject floated before me in idea. I thought that concise, sententious chapters, which I proposed at first to call grains, would attract the attention of the intelligent just as much by that which was to be developed from them, as by that which they contained in themselves. I had, therefore, before me in idea, intelligent readers already acquainted with the subject. But my nature, which always impels me to development and systematising, at last worked its way out also in this instance. For some time I was able to confine myself to extracting only the most important results from the essays, which, to attain clearness and conviction in my own mind, I wrote upon different subjects, to concentrating in that manner their spirit in a small compass; but afterwards my peculiarity gained ascendency completely—I have developed what I could, and thus naturally have supposed a reader not yet acquainted with the subject. “The more I advanced with the work, and the more I yielded to the spirit of investigation, so much the more I was also led to system; and thus, then, chapter after chapter has been inserted. “My ultimate view has now been to go through the whole once more, to establish by further explanation much of the earlier treatises, and perhaps to condense into results many analyses on the later ones, and thus to make a moderate whole out of it, forming a small octavo volume. But it was my wish also in this to avoid everything common, everything that is plain of itself, that has been said a hundred times, and is generally accepted; for my ambition was to write a book that would not be forgotten in two or three years, and which any one interested in the subject would at all events take up more than once.” In Coblentz, where he was much occupied with duty, he could only give occasional hours to his private studies. It was not until 1818, after his appointment as Director of the General Academy of War at Berlin, that he had the leisure to expand his work, and enrich it from the history of modern wars. This leisure also reconciled him to his new avocation, which, in other respects, was not satisfactory to him, as, according to the existing organisation of the Academy, the scientific part of the course is not under the Director, but conducted by a Board of Studies. Free as he was from all petty vanity, from every feeling of restless, egotistical ambition, still he felt a desire to be really useful, and not to leave inactive the abilities with which God had endowed him. In active life he was not in a position in which this longing could be satisfied, and he had little hope of attaining to any such position: his whole energies were therefore directed upon the domain of science, and the benefit which he hoped to lay the foundation of by his work was the object of his life. That, notwithstanding this, the resolution not to let the work appear until after his death became more confirmed is the best proof that no vain, paltry longing for praise and distinction, no particle of egotistical views, was mixed up with this noble aspiration for great and lasting usefulness. Thus he worked diligently on, until, in the spring of 1830, he was appointed to the artillery, and his energies were called into activity in such a different sphere, and to such a high degree, that he was obliged, for the moment at least, to give up all literary work. He then put his papers in order, sealed up the separate packets, labelled them, and took sorrowful leave of this employment which he loved so much. He was sent to Breslau in August of the same year, as Chief of the Second Artillery District, but in December recalled to Berlin, and appointed Chief of the Staff to Field-Marshal Count Gneisenau (for the term of his command). In March 1831, he accompanied his revered Commander to Posen. When he returned from there to Breslau in November after the melancholy event which had taken place, he hoped to resume his work and perhaps complete it in the course of the winter. The Almighty has willed it should be otherwise. On the 7th November he returned to Breslau; on the 16th he was no more; and the packets sealed by himself were not opened until after his death. The papers thus left are those now made public in the following volumes, exactly in the condition in which they were found, without a word being added or erased. Still, however, there was much to do before publication, in the way of putting them in order and consulting about them; and I am deeply indebted to several sincere friends for the assistance they have afforded me, particularly Major O’Etzel, who kindly undertook the correction of the Press, as well as the preparation of the maps to accompany the historical parts of the work. I must also mention my much-loved brother, who was my support in the hour of my misfortune, and who has also done much for me in respect of these papers; amongst other things, by carefully examining and putting them in order, he found the commencement of the revision which my dear husband wrote in the year 1827, and mentions in the Notice hereafter annexed as a work he had in view. This revision has been inserted in the place intended for it in the first book (for it does not go any further). There are still many other friends to whom I might offer my thanks for their advice, for the sympathy and friendship which they have shown me; but if I do not name them all, they will, I am sure, not have any doubts of my sincere gratitude. It is all the greater, from my firm conviction that all they have done was not only on my own account, but for the friend whom God has thus called away from them so soon. If I have been highly blessed as the wife of such a man during one and twenty years, so am I still, notwithstanding my irreparable loss, by the treasure of my recollections and of my hopes, by the rich legacy of sympathy and friendship which I owe the beloved departed, by the elevating feeling which I experience at seeing his rare worth so generally and honourably acknowledged. The trust confided to me by a Royal Couple is a fresh benefit for which I have to thank the Almighty, as it opens to me an honourable occupation, to which I devote myself. May this occupation be blessed, and may the dear little Prince who is now entrusted to my care, some day read this book, and be animated by it to deeds like those of his glorious ancestors. Written at the Marble Palace, Potsdam, 30th June, 1832. MARIE VON CLAUSEWITZ, Born Countess Brühl, Oberhofmeisterinn to H.R.H. the Princess William. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

A preface by a female hand should accompany a work

A recent Threatpost poll percent of the companies transitioning to WFH experienced a spike in cyberattacks. The survey concluded that patching and updating are among the top challenges for employees when securing their remote footprint. found that 40 Even the world’s top technology companies are not immune. Microsoft warned Windows 10 users of “limited targeted attacks” that could infiltrate their operating systems using malware –– and worse, there's no patch to fix it. “Attackers are taking advantage of the current shift to remote work by promoting malware masquerading as VPN installers,” explains Vicarius co-founder Michael Assraf. The Types of Attacks Cyberattacks have surged in countries hardest hit by the virus, such as Italy. In late February 2020, Trickbot , primarily targeting Italian entities, according to Jim Walter of SentinelLabs. “This is dangerous as businesses make the transition to remote work and suggest best practices to employees, including the use of VPNs.” campaigns were tracked Some are referring to it as a ‘phishing epidemic,’ with more fake COVID-19-themed applications, advertisements and emails appearing each day. “We are now seeing that hackers view this pandemic as a great opportunity to ,” said a spokesperson for Check Point, an Israeli cybersecurity firm tracking the increase in attacks over recent weeks. “Just like Cyber Monday or Black Friday, our researchers have found several ‘coronavirus specials”. accelerate their business A lot of damage has already been done. According to experts since the beginning of January, the period where initial outbreaks were reported, there have been over 16,000 new coronavirus-related domain registrations. “A widespread -themed phishing campaign was recently identified targeting Italian organizations. These attacks were aimed at over 10% of all organizations in Italy, with the aim of exploiting concerns over the growing spike in confirmed cases.” targeted corona Another epicenter is Spain, where cybercriminals are using a banking Trojan coronavirus, called Ginp, to play on people’s fears. The Kaspersky Security Network notes that “as people all around the world started working from home and practicing social distancing, the latter in some cases may evolve into paranoia.” related to the Ginp opens a web-page called Coronavirus Finder and cons people into giving their credit card information in exchange for information about COVID-19 victims in their area. “Oh, what a relief for some people would it be to know whom to avoid!” “The technical challenges of working at home are enormous, and now I’m worried about hackers, too,” lamented one remote employee. “If it wasn’t for that, working from home would be way less stressful.” Reducing Exposure to Cyber Attacks The Internet can be a hostile environment. The threat of attack is ever-present as new vulnerabilities are released and commodity tools are produced to exploit them. Doing nothing is no longer an option. Protect your organization and your reputation by establishing some basic cyber defenses to ensure that your name is not added to the growing list of victims. “Attackers are taking advantage of the current shift to remote work by promoting malware masquerading as VPN installers,” say experts in Cybereason in a statement to the media. There are effective and affordable ways that organizations can reduce their exposure to cyber-attacks like using firewalls and internet gateways. Companies can establish network perimeter defenses, particularly web proxy, web filtering, content checking, and firewall policies to detect and block executable downloads, block access to known malicious domains and prevent users’ computers from communicating directly with the Internet.  Because of the scattered nature of the WFH workforce, and the fact that the organization no longer has a perimeter - some of those techniques are not effective anymore. : Most of the COVID attacks exploited existing software vulnerabilities. Having the ability to find and mitigate software threats on your WFH workforce is mandatory. Software threat tracking and patching : It is important to establish and maintain malware defenses to respond appropriately to an attack code that is known. Malware Protection : Make sure that an appropriate password policy is in place and it is followed. You will also need to include limits on normal users’ execution permissions and enforce the principle of least privilege. Password Policy If you feel that your organization could be attacked by technically advanced hackers, additional controls like security monitoring - to identify any unexpected or suspicious activity user training education and awareness. Also, it is a good idea to reach out to cybersecurity experts to help your organization deal with the threats. To deal with the escalation, some cybersecurity firms like Vicarius are offering their free assistance.  “The solutions to solve such problems are there in the market. You just have to find a company that can help you solve the problem for you,” says  Michael Assraf, the co-founder of . Vicarius

The Growing Cyber Risks of a Work From Home  Workforce

Nir’s Note: Below is the transcript of an interview I did with David Burkus, an award-winning podcaster and author of Under New Management: The Unexpected Truths about Leading Great Organizations . This interview was part of a Heleo Conversation on the topic of technology obsession, work-life balance, and challenging assumptions in order to change behavior. I hope you enjoy it. When companies call me and say, “We want to make our product habit-forming,” about half the time I say, “Sorry, you don’t meet the test. Your product will never become a habit.” There is a list of criteria around what even has potential to become a habit-forming product. That doesn’t mean that they need to go out of business; there’s lot of businesses that are very successful without forming a habit. Do you [ever] look at a company and say, “Look, your workplace just isn’t going to be engaging. You’re not going to get high performance from people, this is just a standard, run-of-the-mill, do your job, go home, kind of gig.” Or do you think every company has the potential to become a more engaging workplace? Nir: There are definitely certain types of work that are never going to be the type of thing that kids at seven years old dream about growing up to be one day. Even inside that, you can find companies that do things to build the right workplace. From the organizational behavior standpoint, we have the father of scientific management, Frederick Taylor. He came up with all of these ideas about how to manage a factory, how to manage people who have to do the same repetitive task over and over. But most people don’t do that type of work anymore [and so] Taylorism has become this boogeyman: “Boring, dull, repetitive jobs are ones [where] scientific management still works, but [for knowledge work] we need to use lots of autonomy and talk about a great workplace.” Even in the industrial work setting, however, there are places that are creating a communal feeling, giving more autonomy and empowerment to the individual employee, creating great workplaces. David: The workplace has the advantage of, worst case scenario, at least people have the ability to form community, to build relationships. Even if the job itself sucks, maybe the saving grace is that the people care about you and you care about them. Nir: Right, or that we take responsibility for each other. It used to be in the Taylor days that there was labor and then there was management, and management’s job was to tell labor what to do. The idea that we’re all in it together and we collectively will figure it out, they’re not new concepts, but they’re kind of new in the world of management. David: How much do you think is autonomy? Think about the Hawthorne effect, where everything that’s supposed to improve workplace productivity somehow does. The Hawthorne effect is just that people will perform at a higher level when they feel like they’re being watched. What do you think about that? Nir: The Hawthorne effect, I think, is really a matter of connectedness. These people were varying a bunch of different things and productivity kept going up because they felt like you were paying attention, like you cared, like there was a connection. Workplaces often give these feedback surveys out to employees or customers that say, “We want to hear from you.” That only works if you then say, “Okay, we’ve heard from you, and here’s how we’re changing.” It’s a feeling that we’re listening to each other and making changes based on what you need, that the people in charge care about you. David: It’s feeling that I’m not being controlled; I’m exerting some kind of influence. Nir: Exactly. We were on this trend where the more frequent communication we had, the better people could collaborate. Now it seems like we’ve hit some sort of overload. Email, social media, and Slack seemed so habit-forming, and now it feels like we need to break these habits in order to focus again. If I’m reading your work right, these are natural things that happen because of the product, but how do we solve it? David: We live in a world where there are so many great products and services that sometimes they’re hard to put down. The miracle of the age is that so much of this is good, free, and readily accessible. In many ways, it’s a blessing, but Sophocles said, “Nothing great enters the life of mortals without a curse.” This happens with every revolution. Now, for the first time in history, , more people die of diseases of excess than they do of starvation. That’s the problem of agriculture. The industrial revolution gave us mechanization — nobody wants to go back to the age before the steam engine — but now we have problems from human-caused pollution. Now we see this with the information age, that the downside of all these products that are so good at connecting us instantly is that attention has become a scarce resource. That’s the price. We are the guinea pig generation that had to learn these technologies. Our kids and grandkids won’t think it’s all that amazing, they’ll adapt to it, but for us it’s still very novel, and we haven’t figured out how to put it in its place. We haven’t figured out this critical question: is the technology serving you, or are you serving it? The boogeyman of my industry is B.F. Skinner, and Skinner boxes that make people press buttons all day long. But the reality is that this stuff isn’t coercion. It’s not making people do things they don’t want to do, it’s how they get people to do things they do want to do. For the most part, these things are great. But when people say, “This is going a little bit overboard,” they can put it in their place. I find it much easier for people to get their personal technology under control — meaning Facebook, Snapchat. There are people who are actually addicted to technology as opposed to just habituated, [but] most people can put it away. Just like when we walk by a bakery and see some amazing desserts, we don’t blame the baker and say, “Why did you make that delicious dessert? It’s so hard for me to resist.” Most people moderate their behavior. The tricky part is that they can’t put away the work emails, the work Slack messages. It’s not that people are addicted to the technologies, people are addicted to work. The constraints of this 24/7 work life are taking a toll. Nir: more people die of an excess of calories than a shortage of calories What is it about work email that makes it so addictive? If you signed up in 2008 to get a smartphone, you didn’t think what you were signing up for was taking your work home with you every single night, but that’s what we’ve started to do. It used to be that there was a tier of employee that was so on-demand, we had to give them a Blackberry. They would joke and call it a CrackBerry. We should have thought of that as a warning. Do you think we’re actually addicted to working, so even if we did away with work email, we would still have this sense of needing to be working to be creating value, 24/7? David: Let’s say that tomorrow you win the lottery and win $20 million. You no longer need to spend a day in the office ever again. Do you still use Slack? Do you still use SharePoint or Salesforce? No, you stop using all that shit, because the only reason you’re using that is because the boss wants you to. Most people won’t say, “Oh my God, I can’t leave my job because I love using Salesforce so much.” It’s not the software, it’s the burdens of the job. It’s, “My boss is expecting me, my clients are expecting me. We’re a service business, we have to constantly respond all the time.” That’s the real source of the problem. The tools make the problem worse, but if you take out one of the variables, you’ll see that people very quickly will stop using this technology had it not been for the workplace. That’s not the case in the consumer web, when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. People generally like to use those products, so that’s another category where the product itself has perhaps a greater influence. When it comes to enterprise products, a lot of people, if they had $20 million dropped on them, would never check that work email account again. Nir: If I had $20 million, I definitely would still use Facebook, but only to tell everyone that I won the lottery. When we look at the research into what actually creates increases in performance, my mind goes to the K. Anders Ericsson study around deliberate practice. Everybody loves to oversimplify it and say it’s about 10,000 hours. One of the other findings was that the people who achieved world-class level mastery also slept more than your average person. They only worked for about 90 minutes at a time, and then they took a break. We’re realizing that less hours working means that the hours you are working are more valuable. In a 24/7 always-on culture, does it take top-down leadership saying, “Go home, be with your wife, kids, friends and loved ones”? Or is there something we can do on an individual level to protect our swim lane so that we only work a certain amount of hours? David: There’s a great book called . The author, Leslie Purlow, did this study at the Boston Consulting Group. She gave them a simple challenge: “What would we have to do to give each team member one night off?” A lot of the consultants in the firm said, “That would be impossible. We’re in the service business; our customers expect 24-hour service.” Then she said, “What would it take, how could you design that system?” She discovered in her research that it really wasn’t about the technology. It was about the fact that there were not open lines of communication within these consulting teams to raise issues. People felt like there was some sacred cow around, “This is the way things always need to be, and we’re not allowed to question that culture.” When people started questioning, “Why do we need to be 24/7, why can’t we have one night off? You cover me one night. When the customer calls at four in the morning, you’re going to be on call so I can have a good night’s sleep,” they discover not only is that possible, all these other things are possible. The technology obsession, the cancer of over-using technology, was actually just a symptom of this greater problem of, “Why is this a place where we can’t talk about our problems?” We see that same exact metaphor all over the place. We see it in the family. Why is it that dad watches football every night? Why can’t we get together and talk as a family, as opposed to watching television? Why is it that the teenagers are on the phone all day? Maybe it’s not because of technology, maybe it’s because they’re running away from something. Maybe because there aren’t lines of communication to actually address these issues. You can even go to the personal level. If one finds that they are truly addicted to technology, I don’t think it’s just the technology. It’s an opportunity for personal reflection. “What am I escaping from? Why do I have a discomfort with being bored for a few minutes?” This technology is the canary in the coal mine, whether it’s at the organizational, the family, or the individual level. Nir: Sleeping with Your Smartphone deals with a bunch of different practices. One is banning or severely restricting email. People ask, “These are great, but how do we add these onto our culture?” The truth is, they’re not practices of addition, they’re practices of elimination. They’re practices of questioning, of saying, “Wait a minute.” They’re people saying, “I want to do my best work, but this is standing in the way, so we need to eliminate them.” In some cases, that’s email, in other cases it’s the hiring process, in other cases it’s the performance review system. But the people who are doing the best work should have the right to kill sacred cows. Yet so often we assume, “That’s always the way we’ve done things, so we shouldn’t disrupt it.” David: Under New Management These habits of mind, ways of doing things just because they’ve always been done, pervade so many different aspects of our life. The worst thing we can do is to believe that these technologies control us. The data shows that addicts who believe that a substance controls them, that they’re powerless against those substances, have the highest relapse rate. When we believe, “Email is so addictive,” or, “The world’s going to fall apart if I don’t check this email and respond back to work,” — by believing that we are powerless, we are. The real challenge is how do we question, how do we build a culture of talking back. Nir: : The real challenge is feeling like these things control us. [And] the real challenge of organizations is buying into the lie that you control your people. We live in an era where especially talented employees know that everyone’s essentially a free agent, they have the ability to walk out and find different jobs. The assumption from an organization that you can control and modify behavior is dangerous, because the truth is most people are working for you as long as you’re working alongside the things that they want to do. When that breaks down, so do you. We’ve been talking a lot about questioning assumptions, changing behaviors. What’s something that you thought controlled you, or an assumption that you had, that when you questioned it, you ended up changing your behavior? David My greatest successes in life have come from questioning basic assumptions. Some of those are very personal. When I was 18, I took a year off between high school and college. This was in 1997. AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps, had just been created by the Clinton administration; I was the first or second class to ever try it. Everybody told me, “That’s a stupid idea, you’re never going to go back to college.” My parents pleaded for me not to do it. Now we call it a “gap year,” but at the time nobody did it. It was one of the best things I ever did. Nir: Yours is way more philosophical than mine. To the point about being addicted to these technologies, I have two devices. I have one that is work email, the professional author, social media. Then, at the end of the day, I switch that out for an iPad that just has my personal Facebook, Netflix, and entertainment. The two-device strategy for dealing with email is a great way to test whether or not you’re addicted to email, or whether it’s just the technology. Switch devices, and if you still find yourself running to the other one, it’s you, not the device. It’s helped me create a separation between the two mentally. David: That’s a really good one. Let me give you one more along those lines. I was finding a few years ago that every night at around 10 o’clock, when I should be going to bed, I was still on the web, reading articles, responding on Facebook, or emails, and I wasn’t getting to bed on time. I bought myself a $10 outlet timer, and I plugged this outlet timer into my router, so every night at 10 p.m., my internet shuts off. I could turn it back on if I wanted to, but the fact that I have to do extra work to do that uses this principle about shaping the environment to add a little bit more friction. Now I have to be mindful of, “Is this really what I want to be doing, or is this just a waste of time and mindless behavior?” Nir: For those reading, you now have two different challenges around this technology. Pick one of them and go for it. David: Originally published at www.nirandfar.com on March 16, 2017. _Nir's Note: Below is the transcript of an interview I did with David Burkus, an award-winning podcaster and author of U…_www.nirandfar.com Why Our Tech Obsession Might Be a Work Obsession If you found this post interesting, it would mean a lot to me if you could click on the “claps” icon below to let me know. That would really make my day — thanks! Nir Eyal is the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and blogs at . For more insights on using psychology to change behavior, join his newsletter and receive Nir’s . NirAndFar.com free list of research-backed tips and tricks to increase your personal productivity

Is Our Tech Obsession a Work Obsession?

From Unsplash Aworker Protocol A company will be able to test candidates through an application connected to the . The company opens a site or application connected to the Aworker protocol and checks all information stored in distributed ledgers. Aworker protocol Aworker protocol will give complete information to companies when hiring employees. Lack of verified information about applicants is one of the significant problems in HR in our time. It is nearly impossible for one application with centralized servers to solve this problem. The protocol will unite the efforts of application developers and gather complete information about applicants. From another side, people can prove their competence without lengthy checks and information gathering. In this case, applicants will be able to manage their data and monetize it if necessary. Advantages for developers of HR applications from using the Aworker protocol Get access to a user database that may interest their clients (companies). Devs can immediately access the database of people’s data. They do not need to gather an audience from scratch. Developers will receive additional revenue in the form of commissions from the sold data through their application. All in all, in several different ways which helps them to create high-quality apps with verified data faster and with lower expenses. application developers can benefit from using Aworker Protocol You are a developer and want to know more? Drop me a letter at anton@aworker.io

Aworker Protocol (AWP): How Will Data Exchange Work?

On the commute to — you’re on your phone, in an uncomfortable subway seat. At the office — at least two monitors, and a chair that’s set up ergonomically… at least until your co-worker borrows it. Back home — in front of the TV, on the sofa after a long day at work. work We go from screen to screen, from chair to chair. It’s problematic, and we know it. Sedentary behaviour is associated with negative health outcomes that are different from the ones just resulting from lack of exercise — i.e., you cannot fix it with the occasional visit to the gym. So what do you do when the boss doesn’t want you to take a walk around the block on company time? It’s not easy to change the sedentary workstyle widely thought to be inherent to desk jobs. Ideally, you’d get rid of the monitors binding you to your desk, but that would mean losing sight of your e-mail inbox, IDE, or design tools too. Or would it? What if we tell you that you can do your job without your desktop computer, and transform your work tasks into ones that allow you to get up and move around? We’re Max Otten (22) and Anne Kok (22), interns at , and we’ve spent the past six months making this a possibility. Greenhouse Group How? With augmented reality glasses. Imagine coming into work in the morning, and instead of starting up your computer, you put on your AR headset. You’ll be able to see all the data you need right in front of your eyes, no matter where you are. And not only does this make it possible to move around while you work, we’ve integrated the essential physical activity into your daily routine, replacing traditional work tasks with active ones. This will give you all the health benefits you need without taking a toll on your productivity. AR is going to happen in a big way. “We will wonder, when it does, how we lived without it. Kind of how we wonder how we lived without our phones today.” — Tim Cook, Apple CEO We’ve drawn from the playful world of sports to shape the office of the future, for which we’ve augmented three common office activities: logging in, sending an e-mail, and lastly — for times when you’re still sitting down for too long — taking a short break. With a physiotherapist’s advice, we have ensured that the movements the new task designs elicit will be especially effective in preventing the physical complaints that office workers often fall victim to. The Active AR Workspace To realise all of this, we’ve used not just any AR glasses, but interactive ones; they allow you to use your hands to interact with all the AR elements you see around you, as if they were really there. This is still in its infancy, but already widely popular thanks to Microsoft’s and Metavision’s . The Meta 2’s unique 90-degree field of view lends itself especially well to creating a realistic, immersive experience, and along with its helpful online community and the fact that its interactions with AR objects are highly similar to those with real-world ones (encouraging intuitive understanding), we saw the most potential in this device for developing our active AR workspace. Here’s what it looks like. technology Hololens Meta 2 First things first: to get started in your new work environment, log in to the system by entering your password. Instead of using your keyboard, you’re going to score a hole-in-one by solving this AR combination lock. It’s at about eye level — so don’t sit down! 1/3: Logging in. Once you’re logged in, the workday starts. As what is perhaps the most often-used communication channel at the office, e-mail is the next task we’ve augmented, and we’re going back to the past with the technology of the future: grab a piece of paper, type up your message, get up and throw it through the AR basketball hoop to send it to your co-worker. 2/3: Sending an e-mail. Throughout the different tasks, an animated basketball character is there to guide you through it all, get you familiar with the new technology, and help you out when you need it. Once you get the hang of it, he’ll leave you to it. This may look like an exciting concept, but are you going to have to do this every single time you want to message someone? Well… that’s up to you. You can set your own goals and decide the frequency with which you want to get some movement in. If you’re not meeting your goal and have been sitting still for too long, we’ll let you know — not like the infamous Clippy, not like that annoying pop-up tool that comes preinstalled on so many company-issued laptops, but in a gentle, non-obtrusive way. And instead of forcing you to take a break, we’ll give you something fun to do for a minute or two: in a short AR game, you’ll be able to compete with your co-workers while getting the activity you need. 3/3: Taking a break. For the version of our product we’re showing you here, we’re staying in line with the core value and goal by giving it a sports theme — but once the hardware has become commonplace enough that an app like this can be brought to market, there will be a plethora of skins to choose from. Maybe you’ll make your office feel like outer space with a Star Wars theme, or find your inner peace with a calm and minimalist style. This customization is just one of the ways in which we want to keep users engaged. Throughout our prototype, we’ve incorporated familiarity and fun. Building on the Meta 2’s natural interaction style, we’ve made sure that the AR objects (like the clipboard and basketball post) look like the real thing, so users intuitively know how to use them. The gamification aspect also serves as a way to motivate users to keep using the technology to its full potential, and can be expanded in the future, for example by setting up competitions between departments. It’s Got Potential An augmented reality environment such as this offers an entirely new way of interaction, which makes the design a fun challenge. Apart from the resemblance of AR objects to their real-world counterparts, there are still few other design guidelines for the augmented world, and the technological limitations of AR glasses mean users need some guidance to execute actions in such a way that the device ‘understands’ them. Accordingly, much of the feedback from our user tests was about hand tracking accuracy, one of the technological challenges to overcome on the road to wide adoption. (Portability and form factor also need improvement, as the Meta 2 is currently tethered to a computer and, like the Hololens, rather bulky.) But looking beyond that into a future where the technology will inevitably be perfected, the feedback we received about our prototype itself was highly positive. Many people who tried out the AR workspace told us they would like to use it on a daily basis, and not just because it’s new and fun; they consider it a viable solution to the problem of their sedentary workstyle in the long term. So definitely at work, but everywhere else too, interactive wearable AR offers a hugely promising way of mixing the digital and physical environment, by using natural interaction to control digital elements. Along the way, design guidelines need to be determined and validated, technology needs to be improved, and social implications should also be considered (if everyone’s reality is augmented, this may change the way we interact not only with technology, but with each other). Eventually, we won’t even need screens anymore — not just the desktop monitor, but phones, tablets and laptops will become a thing of the past. Everything will be happening right in front of your eyes, as augmented reality changes the way we work, live, and play. We’ve started at the office — but prepare for it to take over the world.

Making Work A Work-Out: AR At The Office

According to the average American, remote is an essential part of , which gives them more time for friends and family, as well as independence from dress-codes and freedom from public transport in the peak hours. Unfortunately, the number of legitimate positions which make it possible to work from home is quite low compared to the demand for them. For instance, Flexjobs, a website for remote and flexible work, shows that for every real telecommuting job, there are designed to steal money, or even involve candidates in criminal activities. To find out more about spotting typical ‘job from home’ scam schemes, as well as how to find real job opportunities with flexible hours, keep reading this page. work their perfect life scheme job 60–70 scam postings identity Signs of a ‘Work from home’ fraud Fake remote job opportunities often promise victims to get rich easy, fast, and explain that anyone can do it. Postings that include 100% guarantees of , or highlight making a lot of money in only a few hours of work are likely . You can spot a fraud if it involves you sending money up front, as Other suspicious features include a lack of specific job responsibilities in the job description, generic qualifications for candidates and an interview that is conducted only via online chat, with no calls or in-person meetings. easy money scams no legitimate employer will charge you any fees before giving a job. Work from home scams that are attempting to steal your identity can be a bit trickier to detect, as it’s common for employers to ask new and potential employees for personal information. Many companies like to run background checks on prospective hires, and they to report your wages to the government. However, it’s unusual for a lawful company to ask for your social security number as part of your job application, or immediately after you get hired before any paperwork is presented or signed. You should only give your social security number to a company , signed new hire paperwork and begun some kind of onboarding process. If you’re still suspicious, you can try to verify a company’s legitimacy by asking for its official IRS employer identification number, or EIN, and . You should be wary of any companies that ask for more information than necessary, such as your driver’s license number or credit card number, as well as those that hire you immediately after inquiry without much of an interview process. need your social security number after you have accepted an offer researching it Common ‘Work from home’ scams While work from home scams can take many forms, most scammers like to stick with the same handful of tricks because they reliably fool people. These are some of the most common kinds of work from home scams you might encounter. Mystery or secret shopping can be a legitimate part-time job, where you work for a company that is contracted by a business to evaluate its quality of service. However, it’s also a that exploit the way money moves to steal from people. As a rule of thumb, do not deposit money sent from a stranger into your bank account as part of a job — or any other reason. Some scammers will also try to get you to pay for some kind of mystery shopping directory or certification, but these are almost always worthless. A legitimate source for finding mystery shopping jobs is the , which is free to access. Mystery shopping: very popular subject for scams Mystery Shopping Professionals Association Business opportunities, essentially sell prepackaged businesses to aspiring entrepreneurs. This can take the form of , Internet commerce sites or , just to name a few examples. The best way to sort honest bizopps from ripoffs is to ask to see the bizopp’s disclosure document and earnings claim statement. The Federal Trade Commission has regarding the information bizopps are required to give you, and by reading over these documents for inconsistencies and contacting the listed references, you can make an informed decision that cuts through the flash the bizopp salesperson is trying to pitch you. Fake business opportunities: video rental machines envelope-stuffing businesses very strict rules Many people make money on craft marketplaces like Etsy, so the idea of assembling crafts as a job isn’t far-fetched. However, assembly job scams require workers to pay for the materials they’re sent, promising payment when the worker sends in completed crafts that pass a rigorous quality inspection. As you may have guessed, no craft is good enough to pass the quality inspection, the workers never get paid and the scammer encourages them to purchase more materials to try again. Assembly jobs: We’ve , specifically how they share similarities with legal multi-level marketing companies. In both cases, you are encouraged to recruit new people to join the organization, which often entails them paying money for a license or starter kit. The person who recruited you earns a commission from the money you make, and the people who you recruit earn you a commission for money they make. The key difference between a pyramid scheme and a multi-level marketing company is that, in a multi-level marketing company, you are encouraged to sell a product as well as recruit. Pyramid schemes heavily emphasize recruitment overselling, or may not even have a product to sell at all, and are eventually . It should also be noted that many of the more popular multi-level marketing companies skate the line between legitimacy and pyramid scheme, and some have for predatory business practices. Pyramid schemes: written about illegal pyramid schemes before doomed to collapse recently come under fire On the surface, money mule scams seem like simple jobs where you just get paid to conduct money transfers. You give someone your personal information, they set up a financial account for you and you forward any funds that get transferred to that account in exchange for a percentage of the money. In actuality, the transfers you’re making are , and they’re only involving you so they can deny culpability. If the authorities start investigating the criminals, you may be implicated in their crimes and prosecuted, which could result in your personal bank account being frozen, or your bank for paying back the illegally-transferred money you received. Money muling: laundering money for criminals holding you personally responsible Spotting a legitimate ‘Work from home’ opportunity Even with all the scams lurking out there, it’s still possible to find that let you work from home or work according to your own schedule, but many of them require specialized skills or training. Accountants, web developers and IT specialists all have a for finding remote work, those jobs require degrees, certifications or extensive self-motivated training to attain. Virtual assistant, virtual call center and translation jobs are easier to get, though they require expertise in administration, customer service and fluency in multiple languages, respectively. While you can sometimes find these jobs using social media or Craigslist, you have a much better chance of finding legitimate opportunities if you research established companies that hire workers and contract them out, such as for transcribers and translators. As noted above, if you’re interested in being a secret shopper, you can contact the MSPA to find legitimate mystery shopping companies and networking conferences. real jobs high capacity American High Tech Transcription and Reporting Incorporated Ultimately, it comes down to trusting your gut and checking the info about the company online. . Don’t be afraid to do your research and take time to think through a decision, and avoid any potential employer that puts pressure on you to make an instant decision. If working from home is your goal, stay sharp and don’t let scammers take advantage of your dream. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is Thanks to the new era of technologies we can stop worrying about being lied to or being caught into the scamming scheme. For instance, is the platform that helps to prevent frauds in the recruitment and help people find the most suitable company and job position based on their professional skills and achievements. Decentralization provides the best opportunities for creating a new professional ecosystem. It makes it easier to pay people for their actions in Aworker platform: with the power of smart contracts payments for acquaintance’s recommendation or coming to the job interview by yourself are automatic. Also, all information is securely stored, and all the actions are transparent which exclude the chances of getting trapped with expensive yet unnecessary obligations. Aworker

Is Your Job From Home a Part of a Work Scam?

team is happy to announce that Keith Wareing, a successful entrepreneur and with popular Youtube channel, became a part of the Aworker Advisory Board to help the project build the most powerful ecosystem in the recruitment industry. Aworker crypto-enthusiast has more than five years of experience in the Recruitment industry and he is the owner of a successful Youtube channel about cryptocurrency industry and the most promising blockchain powered projects. He is a CEO of ERA Media Online agency which is aimed to bring expertise in social media management to a range of clients through the world. Keith Wareing With Keith’s expertise, Aworker can improve the online presence of the project and get valuable pieces of advice in recruitment, digital marketing, and other sides of the project development. Aworker is a next-generation recruitment platform based on Blockchain with an outstanding purpose to disrupt the HR industry. We strive to create new opportunities for job hunt and career development. Aworker develops a disruptive solution by putting blockchain-driven technologies at the core of the Work 2.0. Now each person will receive a reward for his job-related recommendation. Remuneration is paid automatically with the help of a smart contract to all participants in the hiring process. Aworker is created in order to solve problems: 1) People will find a job that suits them more psychologically 2) Reducing the cost of hiring 3) Control of personal data

Aworker welcomes Keith Wareing in the Advisory Board

Until recently, when I needed a break I’d grab my phone. Whether I was bored, mentally fatigued, or just wanting a pick-me-up, I felt relief checking the news, Facebook, or Instagram. However, new research suggests there are good ways and not-so-good ways to spend our break time. While some breaks can leave us refreshed and reenergized, others tend to leave us depleted and drained. In their book “ ” Dr. Gazzaley, a neuroscientist, and Dr. Rosen, a psychologist, that good breaks can reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function, and keep us on-task for longer periods. But Gazzaley and Rosen forewarn that taking the wrong sort of breaks might make us more susceptible to boredom and may actually backfire by making us want to take breaks more often. The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World explain From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World: “…technology may be decreasing the time associated with the onset of boredom when single tasking as a result of our ever-escalating exposure to pervasive, high-frequency feedback…” In other words, repeatedly checking our phones when we get a tad bored can train us to check more often throughout the day. From : The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World “From decades of research on learning and behavior, we know that the shorter the time between reinforcements (rewards), the stronger the drive to complete that behavior and gain the reward.” The rapid rewards we get from skimming our newsfeeds alleviate boredom for a few moments, but they also teach our brains to seek out blips of joy the next time we feel a twinge of fatigue, Gazzaley and Rosen explain, “[…] the next time we are bored, our past experiences, having gained reinforcement from our smartphone, will drive us to self-interrupt…” So by reaching for our phones when we want a break, we may be training ourselves to do it again and again. In order to resist the onset of boredom and self-interruption at work, Gazzaley and Rosen suggest we avoid our smartphones and instead take breaks that restore the part of the brain we use to keep focused on our goals. Located right behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex is considered the most evolved portion of the human brain. Although it has many functions, goal management is its main business. The prefrontal cortex orchestrates attention, working memory, and other cognitive resources in order to help us get what we want. For example, if my goal is to cook dinner tonight, my prefrontal cortex will help coordinate my brain functions to guide me through the actions needed to complete the meal like navigating the grocery store, following a recipe, and cooking the meal, all while making sure I don’t get sidetracked. When we work, our prefrontal cortex makes every effort to help us execute our goals. But for a challenging task that requires our sustained attention, briefly taking our minds off the goal can renew and strengthen motivation later on. Doing activities that don’t rely heavily on prefrontal cortex function but rely on different brain regions instead, is the best way to renew focus throughout the work day. research shows Before we take a look at a few of Gazzaley and Rosen’s recommendations for how to take better breaks, I’ve assembled 7 more science-supported breaks that will improve your focus. Click the button below and discover more unique break ideas: 1) Go Natural Research shows that nature exposure is restorative for the mind. One study reported better working memory scores after a walk in a natural environment, but not in an urban environment. From The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World: “Natural environments capture our attention in a bottom-up fashion because natural stimuli are so inherently compelling to us (presumably owing to evolutionary factors). They draw us in but generate minimal [prefrontal cortex] responses.” Work in a city? You don’t have to go far to benefit from nature. Just noticing the sights and sounds of natural features around you can help you recharge. Find plants, fresh air, a fish tank, or a fountain. Sit down, take a deep breath, and notice the details of nature. Point out as many as possible: “The left leaf is smaller,” or “There’s a bruise on the third petal,” or “It’s off center in planter box,” or “I wonder how many bugs are on it?” If you are stuck indoors, look at some instead, as shows they work too. Or try tuning into nature videos on your computer for a few minutes; like a or a . pictures of nature research tropical beach mountain creek 2) Doodle and Daydream Having a moment with ‘nothing to do’ is rare these days. We dodge even the briefest moments of potential boredom with just a few swipes. However according to Gazzaley and Rosen, avoiding occasional periods of ‘nothing to do’ downtime may have some unintended effects. From : The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World “This leaves little time for reflection, deep thinking, or even just simply sitting back and letting our random thoughts drive us places we might not have gone while immersed in directed thinking.” When we let our without focusing on a certain goal, the brain’s default mode network takes over. Daydreaming and doodling tap into default mode network activity and may give some prefrontal cortex functions a rest. minds wander Sit alone, set an alarm for 10 minutes, take a deep breath and be patient. If you need a little help, try the website for a quick session. Do Nothing for 2 Minutes You can also practice mind wandering in your daily life by keeping your phone in your pocket and letting your mind drift while you wait at a crosswalk, a train station, or in an elevator lobby. 3) Exercise Your Eyes Our eyes bear the burden of our tech-charged lives. Fortunately, doing 20–20–20 eye breaks is a straightforward way to alleviate eye strain and fatigue. Every 20 minutes, stare at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds. Gazzaley and Rosen explain the reason why this is beneficial is that it “…requires blood flow to brain areas that are not related to sustained attention.” The shift in blood flow across certain brain regions may be the reason why eye exercises are restorative. 4) Laugh Laughter packs a punch. It increases heart rate, respiration, and it gets our blood pumping as our upper body muscles are recruited into the action. Although evidence of long term benefits of laughter is debated, short term effects show some improvements on memory tests. From : The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World “ … older adults who watched a funny video scored better on memory tests and showed reduced cortisol and increased endorphins and dopamine, meaning less stress and more energy and positive feelings.” Spontaneous crack-ups, and forced giggles from or cheesy jokes by , all have the same perks. laughter yoga google assistant Listen to a or a stream a station. Read the comics section in the newspaper in the breakroom. Or keep a at the office to help you get through the next afternoon slump. comedy podcast comedy radio funny book 5) Exercise We all know regular exercise the body and the brain. The good news is that even short bursts of exercise are helpful for cognition. of physical activity can boost attention and memory performance. benefits Just 10 minutes Find a secluded space to do a , do some pushups or planks, or just take a brisk walk around the block. A little physical activity is a r a a to rev-up your brain without breaking a sweat in your work clothes. 7-minute workout g e tw y The bottom line is breaks should make you feel better by providing a renewed sense of focus and concentration. As digital detoxes and rise in popularity, we are beginning to value the benefits of removing technology every now and then. Taking better breaks can encourage creativity and increase focus by relieving the prefrontal cortex of some goal management duties for a while. tech-free zones From : The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World “Whatever relaxes you and takes you away from your over stimulating technological environment will help you re-engage with greater arousal, more capacity for attention, and less susceptibility to being interrupted” The next time you need to take a break at work, ignore your smartphone and skip the newsfeeds. Choose an activity that is restorative so you feel refreshed and more prepared to tackle the rest of your day. Note: This post is co-authored by Nir Eyal and Chelsea Robertson, PhD The Gist: Taking good breaks is important for your daily productivity. Breaks reduce fatigue, alleviate boredom, and can restore attention. Using tech during our breaks may backfire and make us more susceptible to boredom and want more breaks, more often. Restorative breaks can improve attention and refresh our focus. Break ideas based on research include: Nature exposure Doodle and daydream Eye exercises — 20/20/20 Laugh Brief exercise If you found this post interesting, it would mean a lot to me if you could click on the “claps” icon below to let me know. That would really make my day — thanks! Nir Eyal is the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and blogs about the psychology of products at NirAndFar.com .For more insights on changing behavior, join his free newsletter and receive a free workbook.

On a Work Break? Don’t Turn to Your Phone

Gamification and the future of culture. Memecoins are cryptocurrency tokens inspired by internet memes. By now, you’ve probably heard of $DOGE coin, the first-ever memecoin launched in 2013 as a joke about Bitcoin. Billy Markus, the co-creator of Doge, sold his holdings for a modest $10,000. Today, the market cap of DOGE is $52 billion. If Billy had held onto his DOGE coins, they’d be worth almost $20 million today. Dare I say, memecoins are here to stay. There are probably hundreds of thousands of unique memecoins in existence today — some have gone to zero, others are dormant, some are still in flux, and a few are seeing steady growth. I have done freelance work in the crypto industry since 2018, but I never fully ventured into memecoins. I thought Bitcoin, a more established cryptocurrency, was volatile enough. When you’re just getting used to the concept of volatile markets and digital, invisible money, diving into something even less established, more volatile, and based on a meme seemed reckless. Why invest in a joke? At the time, it all seemed shady. It took me a few years to truly understand the appeal of memecoins. The surge in Bitcoin that followed Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election gave me perspective. BTC hit $67,000 on November 5th, 2024. After Trump, a self-proclaimed pro-Bitcoin president, was declared the winner, the price shot up over 39%, currently sitting at $94,000. This is an insane amount of growth — a new all-time high for Bitcoin. As the crypto surge unfolded, I noticed that memecoins were surging alongside Bitcoin. Google trends for crypto-related searches were going up, and people were claiming massive 300x returns on memecoin investments — truly life-changing money. The prices of these alternative coins are incredibly volatile. For example, take $PNUT, which is based on an internet-famous squirrel that was confiscated and euthanized by the New York government. Its price has shot up 1692% since November 4th, after Elon Musk tweeted about the late squirrel, saying, “America was saved by a squirrel and a meme coin!” Of course, the tweet boosted the price even further. I decided to buy some Solana since many memecoins use the Solana blockchain due to its fast transaction speeds. Hundreds of coins are created every minute on the Solana ecosystem. You can easily and quickly send and receive Solana to buy many popular and rising memecoins. I traded, made some money, and lost some too. But I learned something that, perhaps, many already in the trenches of memecoin trading have long known: there is an insane amount of money to be made very quickly with memecoins — along with a ton of risk. Trading these tokens so quickly, tokens that are so widely volatile, is essentially a game. It’s a competition between those with insider knowledge, those without, the holders with the most assets, chart analysts who can buy or sell at the right time, those with proper exit strategies, those using bots and AI to immediately purchase new tokens upon launch, and those who can tell which memes are here to stay and which are fleeting. Memecoin trading is, at its core, about trading memetic culture. To me, this is the future of gaming and finance — an intersection that will be the bedrock of Web3, the future of the internet. Blockchain technology allows for instant transactions and trading of digital assets. This opens up the possibility for the auctioning and trading of in-game assets. I believe that Artificial intelligence will serve as the automation layer to facilitate the development of assets and process transactions. AI will make scouting for tradable items intelligent and efficient — essentially gamifying economics. Gaming will be the activity, AI will be the processing mechanism, and together they will bridge the gap to massive cryptocurrency adoption. In the future, assets and money will be tokenized, and blockchain will facilitate the movement of massive amounts of data, making NFTs more accessible. Gaming is key because people already collect digital assets in video games. If these in-game assets could be traded for currency or used to bid on other tangible and digital items, we’d see a more rapid flow of money throughout the industry and some incredible “gamer to investor” stories. What we’re seeing now are the foundational elements of a world similar to Ready Player One (2018), where the line between the digital and real world is blurred. The world is increasingly gamified. What will this mean for the future? How will people understand culture when trading culture is the future? This is not financial advice, but I urge you to research memecoins and cryptocurrency. The world is being digitized as we speak. I believe the players need to invest and the investors need to play. Is it crazy that we may be witnessing a collision of the serious and the unserious, the comedy meme and the business world? Could this explain the relaxed attire of business moguls due to the influence of tech industry CEOs? Will high fashion and sartorial works be that of memes? Will everything of timelessness become a meme? Is becoming meme the mummification of great ideas? Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex, and involve high risks. This can mean high prices volatility and potential loss of your initial investment. You should consider your financial situation, investment purposes, and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information stated in this article. #DYOR Gamification and the future of culture. Memecoins are cryptocurrency tokens inspired by internet memes. By now, you’ve probably heard of $DOGE coin, the first-ever memecoin launched in 2013 as a joke about Bitcoin. Billy Markus, the co-creator of Doge, sold his holdings for a modest $10,000. Today, the market cap of DOGE is $52 billion. If Billy had held onto his DOGE coins, they’d be worth almost $20 million today. $DOGE Dare I say, memecoins are here to stay. There are probably hundreds of thousands of unique memecoins in existence today — some have gone to zero, others are dormant, some are still in flux, and a few are seeing steady growth. I have done freelance work in the crypto industry since 2018, but I never fully ventured into memecoins. I thought Bitcoin, a more established cryptocurrency, was volatile enough. When you’re just getting used to the concept of volatile markets and digital, invisible money, diving into something even less established, more volatile, and based on a meme seemed reckless. Why invest in a joke? At the time, it all seemed shady. It took me a few years to truly understand the appeal of memecoins. The surge in Bitcoin that followed Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election gave me perspective. BTC hit $67,000 on November 5th, 2024. After Trump, a self-proclaimed pro-Bitcoin president, was declared the winner, the price shot up over 39%, currently sitting at $94,000. This is an insane amount of growth — a new all-time high for Bitcoin. As the crypto surge unfolded, I noticed that memecoins were surging alongside Bitcoin. Google trends for crypto-related searches were going up, and people were claiming massive 300x returns on memecoin investments — truly life-changing money. The prices of these alternative coins are incredibly volatile. For example, take $PNUT , which is based on an internet-famous squirrel that was confiscated and euthanized by the New York government. Its price has shot up 1692% since November 4th, after Elon Musk tweeted about the late squirrel, saying, “America was saved by a squirrel and a meme coin!” Of course, the tweet boosted the price even further. $PNUT I decided to buy some Solana since many memecoins use the Solana blockchain due to its fast transaction speeds. Hundreds of coins are created every minute on the Solana ecosystem. You can easily and quickly send and receive Solana to buy many popular and rising memecoins. I traded, made some money, and lost some too. But I learned something that, perhaps, many already in the trenches of memecoin trading have long known: there is an insane amount of money to be made very quickly with memecoins — along with a ton of risk. Trading these tokens so quickly, tokens that are so widely volatile, is essentially a game. It’s a competition between those with insider knowledge, those without, the holders with the most assets, chart analysts who can buy or sell at the right time, those with proper exit strategies, those using bots and AI to immediately purchase new tokens upon launch, and those who can tell which memes are here to stay and which are fleeting. Memecoin trading is, at its core, about trading memetic culture. To me, this is the future of gaming and finance — an intersection that will be the bedrock of Web3, the future of the internet. Blockchain technology allows for instant transactions and trading of digital assets. This opens up the possibility for the auctioning and trading of in-game assets. I believe that Artificial intelligence will serve as the automation layer to facilitate the development of assets and process transactions. AI will make scouting for tradable items intelligent and efficient — essentially gamifying economics. Gaming will be the activity, AI will be the processing mechanism, and together they will bridge the gap to massive cryptocurrency adoption. In the future, assets and money will be tokenized, and blockchain will facilitate the movement of massive amounts of data, making NFTs more accessible. Gaming is key because people already collect digital assets in video games. If these in-game assets could be traded for currency or used to bid on other tangible and digital items, we’d see a more rapid flow of money throughout the industry and some incredible “gamer to investor” stories. What we’re seeing now are the foundational elements of a world similar to Ready Player One (2018), where the line between the digital and real world is blurred. The world is increasingly gamified. What will this mean for the future? How will people understand culture when trading culture is the future? Ready Player One This is not financial advice, but I urge you to research memecoins and cryptocurrency. The world is being digitized as we speak. I believe the players need to invest and the investors need to play. Is it crazy that we may be witnessing a collision of the serious and the unserious, the comedy meme and the business world? Could this explain the relaxed attire of business moguls due to the influence of tech industry CEOs? Will high fashion and sartorial works be that of memes? Will everything of timelessness become a meme? Is becoming meme the mummification of great ideas? Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex, and involve high risks. This can mean high prices volatility and potential loss of your initial investment. You should consider your financial situation, investment purposes, and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information stated in this article. #DYOR Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex, and involve high risks. This can mean high prices volatility and potential loss of your initial investment. You should consider your financial situation, investment purposes, and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information stated in this article. #DYOR Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex, and involve high risks. This can mean high prices volatility and potential loss of your initial investment. You should consider your financial situation, investment purposes, and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information stated in this article. #DYOR

Memecoins May Be Giving Birth to a Future Where The Lines Between Digital and Real Are Blurred

Tech professionals face heavy workloads and tight deadlines, which can take a serious toll on their well-being. Recent data from Blind, an anonymous community of tech professionals, reveals that 57% of tech employees report feeling burned out, with common stressors including long hours and constant pressure to maintain operational reliability. While top tech firms like Google and LinkedIn have implemented Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices to address system reliability and minimize burnout, there’s a growing consensus that more must be done to support developers on an individual level. This is where Alexandr Hacicheant, who is in charge of Reliability Engineering at Mayflower, steps in with a solution that prioritizes people first. “We often think of engineers as endlessly resilient problem-solvers, but they’re also people who need balance to thrive,” Alexandr explains. By focusing on developer well-being, Alexandr’s methods aim to build healthier, more sustainable tech teams, positioning work-life balance as a business imperative rather than an afterthought. A major part of Alexandr’s journey at Mayflower has been related to creating a workplace where developers could excel without sacrificing their well-being. “My goal wasn’t just to solve system reliability issues; it was to provide engineers with a supportive environment where they felt valued and balanced,” he shares. His approach centers on enhancing productivity through team autonomy, clear performance metrics, and streamlined workflows, helping engineers stay engaged and focused without constant firefighting. For Alexandr, preventing burnout starts with giving developers the resources and structure they need to manage their time effectively. “By reducing the amount of reactive work and empowering engineers to work on high-impact projects, we’re creating a space where they can actually enjoy the work they’re doing,” he adds. One of Alexandr’s key initiatives has been to address one of the most common sources of burnout in tech: the on-call shift. “On-call duty can be incredibly stressful for developers, especially when it disrupts their time off,” he explains. At Mayflower, his team implemented automated systems that handle routine maintenance and alert engineers only for critical issues, allowing them to have uninterrupted downtime. “Reducing unnecessary disruptions lets engineers fully recharge, which is crucial for both their health and productivity,” Alexandr notes. This approach has proven successful in decreasing stress levels among Mayflower’s engineers, enabling them to return to work with renewed focus and motivation. For Alexandr, the reduction of burnout isn’t simply a benefit to individual engineers; it’s a core business strategy. “Healthy engineers are productive engineers, and productive engineers drive a company’s success,” he emphasizes. While Alexandr’s efforts at Mayflower have yielded tangible improvements in both system reliability and employee satisfaction, he believes the industry as a whole needs to prioritize developer well-being. “If we’re going to make tech sustainable, we need to make engineers’ well-being a priority, not just system uptime,” he argues. By adopting a “People first” philosophy, Alexandr has set a standard that other leaders can look to, creating a more supportive environment for developers across the industry. Alexandr has begun sharing his insights more broadly through industry discussions, workshops, and publications. His message is simple but powerful: focusing on work-life balance isn’t just a perk; it’s an essential part of building resilient teams that can meet modern tech challenges. “When we put people first, we create a work environment that supports engineers and business success alike,” he says. Looking forward, Alexandr envisions a tech industry where developer well-being is a primary focus. “We have to shift our thinking from ‘What’s the latest tech trend?’ to ‘How do we create a sustainable workplace for our engineers?’” he reflects. His future goals include refining his “People first” approach further within Mayflower and encouraging its adoption across the industry. As Alexandr puts it, “The future of tech depends on more than innovation—it depends on creating environments where people can thrive.” By championing a work culture that respects work-life balance, he aims to inspire leaders across the industry to foster not just productive, but genuinely healthy, teams. Tech professionals face heavy workloads and tight deadlines, which can take a serious toll on their well-being. Recent data from Blind, an anonymous community of tech professionals, reveals that 57% of tech employees report feeling burned out, with common stressors including long hours and constant pressure to maintain operational reliability. While top tech firms like Google and LinkedIn have implemented Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices to address system reliability and minimize burnout, there’s a growing consensus that more must be done to support developers on an individual level. This is where Alexandr Hacicheant, who is in charge of Reliability Engineering at Mayflower, steps in with a solution that prioritizes people first. “We often think of engineers as endlessly resilient problem-solvers, but they’re also people who need balance to thrive,” Alexandr explains. By focusing on developer well-being, Alexandr’s methods aim to build healthier, more sustainable tech teams, positioning work-life balance as a business imperative rather than an afterthought. A major part of Alexandr’s journey at Mayflower has been related to creating a workplace where developers could excel without sacrificing their well-being. “My goal wasn’t just to solve system reliability issues; it was to provide engineers with a supportive environment where they felt valued and balanced,” he shares. His approach centers on enhancing productivity through team autonomy, clear performance metrics, and streamlined workflows, helping engineers stay engaged and focused without constant firefighting. For Alexandr, preventing burnout starts with giving developers the resources and structure they need to manage their time effectively. “By reducing the amount of reactive work and empowering engineers to work on high-impact projects, we’re creating a space where they can actually enjoy the work they’re doing,” he adds. One of Alexandr’s key initiatives has been to address one of the most common sources of burnout in tech: the on-call shift. “On-call duty can be incredibly stressful for developers, especially when it disrupts their time off,” he explains. At Mayflower, his team implemented automated systems that handle routine maintenance and alert engineers only for critical issues, allowing them to have uninterrupted downtime. “Reducing unnecessary disruptions lets engineers fully recharge, which is crucial for both their health and productivity,” Alexandr notes. This approach has proven successful in decreasing stress levels among Mayflower’s engineers, enabling them to return to work with renewed focus and motivation. For Alexandr, the reduction of burnout isn’t simply a benefit to individual engineers; it’s a core business strategy. “Healthy engineers are productive engineers, and productive engineers drive a company’s success,” he emphasizes. While Alexandr’s efforts at Mayflower have yielded tangible improvements in both system reliability and employee satisfaction, he believes the industry as a whole needs to prioritize developer well-being. “If we’re going to make tech sustainable, we need to make engineers’ well-being a priority, not just system uptime,” he argues. By adopting a “People first” philosophy, Alexandr has set a standard that other leaders can look to, creating a more supportive environment for developers across the industry. Alexandr has begun sharing his insights more broadly through industry discussions, workshops, and publications. His message is simple but powerful: focusing on work-life balance isn’t just a perk; it’s an essential part of building resilient teams that can meet modern tech challenges. “When we put people first, we create a work environment that supports engineers and business success alike,” he says. Looking forward, Alexandr envisions a tech industry where developer well-being is a primary focus. “We have to shift our thinking from ‘What’s the latest tech trend?’ to ‘How do we create a sustainable workplace for our engineers?’” he reflects. His future goals include refining his “People first” approach further within Mayflower and encouraging its adoption across the industry. As Alexandr puts it, “The future of tech depends on more than innovation—it depends on creating environments where people can thrive.” By championing a work culture that respects work-life balance, he aims to inspire leaders across the industry to foster not just productive, but genuinely healthy, teams.

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