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Preston City Council’s Labour members have called on the national party and the UK government to back growing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Gaza: Preston Labour councillors call for ceasefire, as Jewish community leader condemns banners in city march

Michael Lavalette Preston City Council’s Labour members have called on the national party and the UK government to

Preston City Council Labour members call for party and govt to back Gaza ceasefire

Maintaining peace and personable relations between its diverse communities is the best response Preston can mount to the conflict that continues to rage in the Middle East.

Maintaining peace in community ‘best response’ Preston can mount to Middle East conflict

Gaza war: Preston should channel peace in its own communities, faith leaders say

If you're planning a trip to European destinations like Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels, the Eurostar is a pretty hassle-free transport option. But while many of us have got savvy with finding cheap ...

Cost of living latest: Walkers scraps crisp flavour; Waitrose unseated as most expensive supermarket for big shop

Once again Ross sat waiting for others to decide his future

In 2021, hosted the first-ever awards!! HackerNoon Startup of the Year The goal of this campaign was to give recognition to the hardworking startups who pulled through the pandemic -- growing and thriving (despite all of the challenges). More than 44,000 startups were nominated all across the globe! They were selected from over 4,553 cities, with a total number of * cough * “4 billion” votes. Insane, right? To see who is a winner in each respective city, visit and pick a city. The name at the top of the list is the winner. (Compromised awards are under review. Cities with tie votes will be updated to have two winners!) startups.hackernoon.com The will announce the winners per region in their respective cities. Startups Winners Announcement series Here are the winners in the : Asia region Top Startup Cities in East Asia Seoul The Startup of the Year in is with 377 votes! Seoul dable Central is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 121 votes. UpNow Central Sheung Wan came out as the Startup of the Year in with 154 votes. Votee Sheung Wan Tokyo The Startup of the Year in is with 41 votes! Tokyo ACES Wan Chai The Startup of the Year in is with 54 votes! Wan Chai Zetl Osaka, Japan In , is the winner! Osaka Nanophoton Taiwan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Tico Taiwan Dongcheng, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dongcheng Waiju Taipei came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Tico Taipei Akasaka In , is the winner! Akasaka WAKUWAKU Chuo In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Chuo GO-NET Ginza came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Netyear Ginza Kanazawa In , is the winner! Kanazawa Granzella Minami-aoyama In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Minami-aoyama Tokyo6 Entertainment Shibuya came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Hupro Japan Shibuya Toranomon In , is the winner! Toranomon Small Worlds Toshima In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Toshima Altplus Guangzhou, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Leyaoyao Guangzhou Hong Kong, Hong Kong In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Hong Kong Episode Six Kunming In , is the winner! Kunming Green A Sapporo In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Sapporo Polar Star Space Shirokanedai came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Nupp1 Shirokanedai Wuhan In , is the winner! Wuhan CSICEE Baoan, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Baoan Jumper Baoshan, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Baoshan Renren Games Chengdu, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Ju You Xi Chengdu Fujisawa, Japan In , is the winner! Fujisawa Scohia Pharma Fukuoka, Japan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Fukuoka Kyulux Haidian, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! 51vv Haidian Hongkou, China In , is the winner! Hongkou Kidstone Jiading, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Jiading IMRobotic Kawasaki, Japan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! QD Laser, Inc. Kawasaki Kyoto, Japan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kyoto Hacarus Minato, Japan In , is the winner! Minato Visionary Fun Nagoya, Japan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Prodrone Nagoya Ningbo, China The winner in is . Ningbo OlymTech Corporation Aomori In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Aomori Forte Japan Bandai-cho In , is the winner. Bandai-cho Delta-Fly Pharm Changchun In , the Startup of the Year is . Changchun Kaidi Animation Fuchu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Fuchu TMS Fukuoka-shi The winner in is . Fukuoka-shi SkyDisc Fukushima In , the Startup of the Year is . Fukushima Matsuri Technologies Gotanda In , is the winner. Gotanda Basset Hachioji In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Hachioji Adriakaim Harbin The winner in is J . Harbin oining Technology Iwaki In , is the winner. Iwaki Tao Engineering Izumo In , the Startup of the Year is . Izumo PuREC Kagoshima In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kagoshima Farmers Support Kamakura In , the Startup of the Year is . Kamakura KAYAC Kami-meguro The winner in is . Kami-meguro Buzzreach Kanagawa In , is the winner. Kanagawa LoiLo Kashiwa In , the Startup of the Year is . Kashiwa Intelligent Surfaces Kita In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kita Ax Robotix Kobe The winner in is . Kobe Coconomi Koriyama In , the Startup of the Year is . Koriyama Tocoton Kumamoto In , is the winner. Kumamoto Bloom Technology Kunitachi In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kunitachi Trys Liaocheng The winner in is . Liaocheng Jinzheng Animation Minami In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Minami ATLAB Miyazaki In , is the winner. Miyazaki Caster Nagano In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Nagano Precision Forestry Nagaoka The winner in is . Nagaoka Plant Form Nihombashi-hamacho In , the Startup of the Year is . Nihombashi-hamacho Shizen Energy Niigata In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Niigata UniBio Japan Nishi-shinagawa In , is the winner. Nishi-shinagawa Play Heart Okayama In , is the winner! Okayama Arch Farm Okinawa In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Okinawa BlogNinja Otemachi In , the Startup of the Year is . Otemachi beBit, Inc Qingdao Shi In , is the winner! Qingdao Shi Manyoubang Quanzhou In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Quanzhou KungFu Animation Group Roppongi The winner in is . Roppongi Holo-X Saitama In , the Startup of the Year is . Saitama GameTector Sendai In , is the winner! Sendai Sendai Smart Machines Setagaya In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Setagaya Skyestate Shenzhen In , the Startup of the Year is . Shenzhen Aiator Shinjuku In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Shinjuku Scalar Shizuoka In , is the winner! Shizuoka PiPhotonics Sumida The winner in is . Sumida Holotch Tachikawa In , the Startup of the Year is . Tachikawa PlusOne Takamatsu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Takamatsu Ken Robotec Tokushima In , is the winner! Tokushima DennoKotsu Toyonaka In , the Startup of the Year is . Toyonaka FISH BIOTECH Tsukuba In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Tsukuba WARPSPACE Wakayama In , the Startup of the Year is . Wakayama 4D Sensor Xiangzhou In , is the winner! Xiangzhou ALLiN Edutech Group Xianyang The winner in is . Xianyang TONLY Xiaoshan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Xiaoshan GONGHUI Yamaguchi In , the Startup of the Year is . Yamaguchi Archis Yangpu The winner in is . Yangpu Tmxmall Yau Tsim Mong In , is the winner! Yau Tsim Mong Airnugget Yeoksamdong In , the Startup of the Year is . Yeoksamdong WizSchool Yichang In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Yichang Hubei Kento Electronic Yokohama In , is the winner! Yokohama Next Innovation Yubei In , the Startup of the Year is . Yubei Ophiux Network Yueqing The winner in is . Yueqing Yueqing Easythink Media Zhuhai In , is the winner! Zhuhai Aijuba Hongo In , the Startup of the Year is . Hongo Smile Robotics, Inc Admiralty In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Admiralty BUNCH Southern In , the Startup of the Year is . Southern Retykle Yongdungpo In , is the winner! Yongdungpo Push News Taichung In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Taichung Wondercise Cyberport, Hong Kong In , the Startup of the Year is . Cyberport Animoca Brands Hefei, China In , is the winner! Hefei Tsinglink New Territories, Hong Kong The winner in is . New Territories, Hong Kong Zeek Dezhou In , the Startup of the Year is . Dezhou Dezhou Baji Kitakyushu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kitakyushu Reif Seongnam In , is the winner! Seongnam EOFlow Yanshi In , the Startup of the Year is . Yanshi CASI Vision Top Startup Cities in South Asia Hyderabad, India The Startup of the Year in is with 962 votes Hyderabad Quixy Lahore, Pakistan is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 186 votes. SmartWindows Lahore Bangalore, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 210 votes! Bangalore vBridge Hub Pune, India couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in , it won with 129 votes! InfraCloud Pune Jaipur, India The Startup of the Year in is with 166 votes Jaipur Emizen Tech Lucknow, India is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 279 votes. Keeros Superfoods Lucknow Noida, India came out as the Startup of the Year in with 156 votes! Bagisto Noida Mumbai, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 96 votes! Mumbai Sequretek Sylhet couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in , it won with 122 votes! DataXpie Sylhet Mylapore, India In , is the winner! Mylapore Yalimart Goa, India In , the Startup of the Year is Goa Filter Coffee Delhi, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Delhi EkAnek Networks Karachi, Pakistan The winner in is Karachi Bykea Ahmedabad, India In , is the winner Ahmedabad MageComp Dhaka, Bangladesh The winner in is Dhaka SOLshare Islamabad, Pakistan In Islamabad, is declared the Startup of the Year! TAG Gurgaon, India In , the Startup of the Year is Gurgaon ixigo Bengaluru, India In , is the winner! Bengaluru Prakshep Private Limited Haryana, India couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in ! Footprints Childcare Haryana Kolkata, India In , is the winner! Kolkata Wow! Momo New Delhi, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! New Delhi Rusk Media Indore, India The winner in is Indore Chattar Patar Kormangala In , is the winner Kormangala Sanctum Technologies Ghaziabad came out as the Startup of the Year in Craftfurnish.com Ghaziabad! Mohali In , the Startup of the Year is Mohali DataKund Mysore The Startup of the Year in is Mysore Excelsoft Karnal came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Dunar Karnal Kolhapur In , is the winner! Kolhapur Zanvar Group Patiya In , the Startup of the Year is Patiya Kloud Project Kathmandu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kathmandu Vairav Technology Bangalore City, India In is the winner! Bangalore City, PagarBook Ernakulam The winner in is Ernakulam Epixel Solutions Colombo, Sri Lanka couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in MAs Foods Colombo Andheri, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Andheri DoorMint Kanpur, India came out as the Startup of the Year in ! ServiceWalaa Kanpur Faisalabad In , is the winner! Faisalabad DigiKhata Nasik The Startup of the Year in is Nasik Sahyadri Farms Patna came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Asvin Tech Patna Chennai, India In , is the winner! Chennai Agnikul Cosmos Faridabad, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Faridabad UClean Panjim, India The winner in is Panjim TempoGO Ranchi, India In , is the winner Ranchi Osam Dairy Surat, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Surat Wishbook Thane, India In , is the winner! Thane Delight Foods Trivandrum, India came out as the Startup of the Year in ! GenRobotic Trivandrum Vijayawada, India In , the Startup of the Year is Vijayawada Eruvaka Technologies Visakhapatnam, India In , Ltd is declared the Startup of the Year! Visakhapatnam Greenline Labs Pvt Ahmadabad In , is the winner! Ahmadabad KiwiQA Services Bandra came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Car Club Bandra Bombay In , is the winner! Bombay Locobuddy Mobile Technology (Sportobuddy) Cochin In , the Startup of the Year is Cochin Tuttifrutti Interactive Gandhinagar In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Gandhinagar Kroop AI Guwahati In , the Startup of the Year is Guwahati GNRC Hospitals Jamshedpur In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Jamshedpur Intelliber Kabul The winner in is Kabul Miracle Shop (Vocinno Technology) Karur In , is the winner Karur Karur Vysya Bank Kochi The winner in is Kochi BestDoc Kozhikode In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kozhikode OfficeKit HR Ludhiana In , the Startup of the Year is Ludhiana Trendy Beat Network Madhapur In , is the winner! Madhapur Head Digital Works Mangalore When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year Mangalore Hangyo Nagpur came out as the Startup of the Year in ! UPrudence Agro Nagpur Rawalpindi The Startup of the Year in is Rawalpindi Pro Options Marketing Rishikesh came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Descatuk Rishikesh Secunderabad couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in Prakriti Biosystems Engineering Secunderabad Tirupur In , is the winner! Tirupur Tubeknit Fashions Udupi The winner in is Udupi Krishitantra Top Startup Cities in Southeast Asia Singapore, Singapore The Startup of the Year in is with 6556 votes! Singapore Cake DeFi Hanoi, Vietnam is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 683 votes. DeFi For You Hanoi Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia came out as the Startup of the Year in with 109 votes! Trambellir Kuala Lumpur Pasig, Philippines When it comes to , . is the Startup of the Year with 110 votes! Pasig Quickreach Inc Bangkok, Thailand couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in , it won with 60 votes! Perception Codes Bangkok Johor Bahru In , the Startup of the Year is . Johor Bahru AGR1 Bandung, Indonesia In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Bandung Prosa Portugal The winner in is . Portugal SCEMAI Tangerang, Indonesia In , is the winner Tangerang Yummy Corp Jakarta, Indonesia In , is the winner! Jakarta Tokocrypto Dki Jakarta, Indonesia In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dki Jakarta Limakilo Bangkok Metropolis In , is the winner! Bangkok Meticuly Medan The winner in is ! Medan DIKA Manila, Philippines In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Manila PawnHero Phnom Penh, Cambodia In , the Startup of the Year is Phnom Penh vKirirom Bali In , is the winner! Bali Radius App Penang When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year Penang EasyParcel Surabaya came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Super Surabaya Setiabudi, Indonesia The Startup of the Year in is Setiabudi Chilibeli Cebu City came out as the Startup of the Year in MiCab Cebu City! Jawa couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in DAUR Jawa Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam In , is the winner! Ho Chi Minh City Pharmacity Selangor, Malaysia is the Startup of the Year! BabyDash Selangor Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia In , is the winner! Jakarta Pusat StickEarn Semarang When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Semarang Food Bear Petaling Jaya, Malaysia The winner in is . Petaling Jaya Deemples Kebayoran Baru, Indonesia couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Yogrt Kebayoran Baru Kuningan The winner in is . Kuningan Prinzio Bukit Merah came out as the Startup of the Year in ! DC Alliance Bukit Merah Huai Khwang In , the Startup of the Year is . Huai Khwang AppMan Co.,Ltd Kuta In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kuta Gringgo Mandaluyong came out ahead as the Startup of the Year! Work Inspire Mandaluyong Midview City In , is the winner! Midview City BioMers Phuket The Startup of the Year in is ! Phuket Sapahn Yangon, Myanmar The winner in is . Yangon Wave Money Denpasar When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Denpasar Revasi Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand The winner in is . Nakhon Ratchasima Siam Lottery co., Ltd Taguig, Philippines In , is the winner! Taguig PayMongo Bogor came out as the Startup of the Year in ! TIRANYX Bogor Senai, Malaysia won as the Startup of the Year. Nutrition Technologies Senai Bekasi Kota couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! 8villages Bekasi Kota Top Startup Cities in Middle East Tel Aviv, Israel The Startup of the Year in is with 1,065 votes! Tel Aviv hyro Beirut, Lebanon is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 1,276 votes. Hovi Digital Lab Beirut Riyadh, Saudi Arabia With 350 votes, came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Flicron Riyadh Tel Aviv-yafo, Israel When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 167 votes! Tel Aviv-yafo Cymbio Haifa, Israel couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in , it won with 183 votes! Pico Haifa Amman, Jordan In , with 141 votes, is the winner! Amman Edexy Dubai, United Arab Emirates In , the Startup of the Year is with 74 votes. Dubai Ziina Doha, Qatar In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Doha SkipCash Tehran, Iran The winner in is . BeyondBoard AR Tehran Jerusalem, Israel In , is the winner! Jerusalem SolidBlock Rishon Le Zion The Startup of the Year in is ! Rishon Le Zion Passparto Ness Ziona, Israel is the Startup of the Year! Soapy Ness Ziona Kuwait, Kuwait came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Brapper Shop Kuwait Manama, Bahrain couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Doctori Manama Lod, Israel is the winner in ! Phinergy Lod Agudat Israel, Israel When it comes to is the Startup of the Year with [vote ] votes! Agudat Israel, Aqaurius Engines Beersheba, Israel In , the Startup of the Year is . Beersheba Visual Estate Ltd Giv'atayim, Israel In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Giv'atayim WSC Sports Modi'in, Israel The winner in is . Modi'in Loginno Nazareth, Israel In , is the winner! Nazareth AR Guide In Medical Ramat Gan, Israel The Startup of the Year in is . Ramat Gan Datos Health Baghdad When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Baghdad Mishwar Khobar In , the Startup of the Year is . Khobar Garage Misgav couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Eden Shield Misgav Sharjah came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Bookends Sharjah Affula In , the Startup of the Year is . Affula eMotion Technologies Bene Beraq, Israel In , is the winner Bene Beraq Reflectiz Caesarea, Israel In , the Startup of the Year is . Caesarea CardiacSense Dubayy In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dubayy North Ladder Muscat couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! iLab Marine Muscat Tirat Carmel In , the Startup of the Year is . Tirat Carmel PassCall Advanced Technologies Hod Hasharon, Israel The winner in is . Hod Hasharon Idomoo Holon, Israel came out ahead as the Startup of the Year! OptimalPlus Holon Jeddah, Saudi Arabia When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Jeddah Arabian Combustion Technologies Ramat Hasharon, Israel is the Startup of the Year! Lumen Ramat Hasharon Al Khobar came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Swyft Al Khobar Bet Shemesh In , is the winner! Bet Shemesh Degania Medical Binyamina When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Binyamina OncoHost Makkah In , the Startup of the Year is Makkah Scimagine Or Akiva Last but not least, couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in the city of ! WMT Or Akiva More Information: If you’re a winner, please answer ! If you’re a reader, participant, just a curious individual, consider answering one of our interviews . this interview here Read the FAQs about or . Startups here here To see all of the winners you may visit , pick any city and view the name that appears at the top. this site If you’re interested in partnering with us, we invite you to look through some of these or reach out to our business department. unique sponsorship options Perhaps creating your very own tickles your fancy or maybe you have a whole new idea for how we can partner! writing contest Thank you to all of our sponsors! We truly appreciate your contribution to the tech world and thus the future! The Startups Awards are sponsored by: , , , , , , , , , , Blockster Brex FreeCodeCamp LaunchDarkly Coil Udacity Udemy Vercel Asia Pacific Transgender Network Bybit Everscale Network The post was written by Kushal Tamrakar and Valerie Ejegi, edited by Hang Ngo. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to report a discrepancy please email ellen@hackernoon.com.

Meet the Winners of Startups in Asia

“Never Invest In Something You Don’t Understand” This quote is one of the Gems by Warren Buffet and pretty much applies to all investments and across all the times. Without understanding what you are getting into don’t risk your hard earned money. Get to know the pros and cons of investing in cryptocurrencies. Only after your understanding the risks and rewards fully you should consider looking at dos and don’t of investing. Once you know the dos and don’ts then finally start investing. Do read this article completely before investing. I am sharing the relevant links at the bottom of this article, so that at-least you scroll down to the bottom of this article. Research, Research and Research If you are planning to invest in cryptocurrencies make sure to spend at-least 24 hours of effective reading time understanding what is blockchain, what are cryptocurrencies, security measures you should take before investing in cryptocurrencies and so on. Please remember that no research is enough and you need to keep updating yourself constantly. What could have been true a couple of months ago might be completely wrong now. Technology, Finance, Investment strategies, Regulation and every other thing about cryptos is changing at such a fast pace that you need to update yourself on a daily basis. In crypto lingo it is called DYOR : Do Your Own Research Get your hands Dirty A lot of people suggest to spend a lot of time understanding blockchain, cryptocurrencies and trading. I would suggest an alternate approach where you play around with a small amount so that you get your hands dirty and learn to play with real money and real exchanges. My suggestion is to play around with a small amount that you consider meagre. Create accounts, buy bitcoin, buy altcoins, do some trading, participate in a good ICO and so on. You can do all these with a small amount and once you are comfortable then you can bring in the big money. Know what FUD &FOMO means; Make sure not to be influenced by either of them These will be the two words that you will hear most frequently in the crypto markets. You resolve not to be influenced by either of these is what will give you peace of mind. FOMO : Fear of Missing Out. There were hordes of people who joined cryptocurrencies between November 2017 and and Jan 2018. Most of this crowd driven by FOMO. It was such a bull market that none of the new entrants had enough time to know the market before investing. It was one crazy bull run where some people doubled and tripled their money in less than a weeks time. Hearing such stories people didn’t want to miss out the opportunity. Today many of them will be wrecked as Bitcoin is at $6787 as of writing this article. Compared to the BTC all time high of $20089 this is 66% correction which most of them were not ready for. If they had done enough research either they would not have entered at such high levels or if they had decided to enter at such high levels they would have been prepared for the lows. But this doesn’t seem to be the case as many people are selling at losses and exiting the cryptocurrencies FUD : Fear, Uncertainty and Disinformation. This is one of the banes of social media and internet in general. Most of the time you will keep coming across fake news, manipulated images, tweets from fake accounts and likes. There will be interested parties who will spread Fear, Uncertainty and Disinformation to dump some coins. Learn to separate the fake news from the real. Trust but verify is the mantra to counter the FUD. If you hear something on these lines discuss it in the groups that you are part of so that you can verify the sources and intentions of any news item. Please be advised that even big institutions, new organisations, investment funds and governments can also be perpetuating FUD. It is not just Bitcoin there are a lot of others interesting cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin generally gets most of the press. The share of exposure that Bitcoin is so huge that Bitcoin is almost synonymous with Cryptocurrencies for the general public who are not exposed to cryptocurrencies. I invest only in coins that are backed by good projects. I generally keep referring to them as projects because that is what I am investing in. There are many good projects which can change the nature of the world we live. Things that were unimaginable just a couple of years ago could be reality thanks to the advancements in technology and the frictionless, trustless, automated communities/markets that are propping up all thanks to blockchains fuelled by cryptocurrencies. Join a couple of good Facebook Groups It can be very difficult to keep up to date with all the happenings in the Cryptosphere. There are way too many facebook and telegram groups. It is very difficult to identify the good ones unless you have subscribed to them. I would suggest against joining telegram groups initially as there will be a lot of chatter and can get irritating at times. I would suggest sticking to two facebook groups until you get a sense of things and you are ready for opening the gates for data flood. Bharata Finance Facebook Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/BharataFinance/ CryptoCoinTrader Facebook Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/218612071968287/ Do not join Pump and Dump Groups P&D groups as they are called and marketed can burn you very quickly. They generally promote their groups by promising 2x to 5x returns in day. You might get lucky with a few P&D and might make money as well. Though this can be very enticing don’t fall into the trap. I would suggest against joining this group for two reasons. They are trying to manipulate the markets and you are helping them in doing that. One, its wrong. P&D groups are market manipulators and scams. If you want to know how P&D groups work and how they can wreck you check out this article Two, you will get wrecked. https://bitfalls.com/2018/01/12/anatomy-pump-dump-group/ Learn to Track your Funds Unlike stock exchanges you will have to create accounts in multiple websites where you can buy Bitcoin and a multitude of other exchanges where you can trade your bitcoins or ethereum with a multitude of coins. As of today CoinmarketCap lists 1514 currencies on its site. It is difficult to keep track of these assets which will be distributed across different exchanges without a proper tool. Consider checkout a few portfolio trackers. is my favourite tool for tracking all my investments. It lets you auto-import your trades from multitude of exchanges and have some decent reports which lets you track your investments. You can read the complete manual I wrote on Cointracking https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@gokulnk/best-cryptocurrency-portfolio-manager Better safe than sorry I can’t over stress the importance of this. Make sure that take all the precautions necessary. Cryptocurrency is full of scams, hacks, phishing attacks, impostors and fraudsters. Always be careful before entering your passwords/private keys or transferring money to any accounts. Make sure to use a Linux/Mac OS, disable unnecessary extensions, always double check the urls(better to bookmark), never click on links from google search if you want to open an exchange website. The list goes on and on. I will create a separate post with the precautions that needs to be taken. Invest only what you can afford to lose You will keep hearing this as your start investing in Cryptos. This advice is like the “Terms and Conditions” that you find on the websites. With “Terms and Conditions” everybody signs it but nobody reads it. With respect to the advice “Invest only what you can afford to lose” everybody knows it but nobody follows it. There are multiple cases of people who lost all their savings, had taken loans for investing & lost most of it and are not able to pay the EMIs. I am nobody to decide on your risk appetite and your approach but remember that when you have not much to loose you can be much more confident about the projects that you have researched about. Be Proud I have lost the count and I am not sure if I have already listed down all the ten things. But I will still go ahead and mention this as I don’t see many people stating this. Irrespective of whether we loose or make money, every investor in cryptocurrency should be proud. If you have researched enough and if you have invested in worthy projects you should be proud as you are investing in the future of technology. I strongly believe that over the time If we can educate enough people about good projects we have an opportunity in-front of us which is unprecedented and can become a major catalyst in the history/future of Mankind. If we play our cards right I think we can reach Singularity (or at-least Utopia) before 2100. “Smart money moves towards Good Projects”. If you liked this article and would like to read similar articles, don’t forget to clap. Click and drag to clap more than once. 50 is the limit. If liked this article please check out other articles in the series. _It has been more than an year since I started investing in cryptocurrencies. Following Warren Buffet’s advice of “Never…_hackernoon.com Beginner’s Guide to “Investing in Cryptocurrencies” _Price is an important indicator. But it can also be misleading in many cases._blog.goodaudience.com Why comparing cryptocurrency prices is wrong _You can never be too paranoid in Cryptosphere. This might seem like a hyperbole but ask anybody who has lost their…_hackernoon.com Keep your Cryptocurrency Funds Safe _There are two camps in Cryptosphere. Bitcoin Maximalists and Altcoin champions. I first came across the below image…_hackernoon.com Bitcoin Dominance and the Emergence of “Others” _I first heard about Bitcoin back in 2011 and spent some time reading about it. I found it interesting but never…_hackernoon.com Track your cryptocurrency trades and portfolio

10 things to know/do before investing in cryptocurrencies

Authors: (1) Renato P. dos Santos, CIAGE – Centre for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Cognition and Education. Table of Links Abstract and Introduction Materials And Methods Results and Analyses Prompts and generated texts Conceptualizing chemical reactions Deepening on understanding of chemical reactions Question about combustion Question about a graph of gases turning into water over time Question about the difference between atoms, molecules, and moles Deepening on the concept of mole Question about changing of state Question about an animated representation of water molecules undergoing phase changes Question about plasma, a state of matter Question about chemical bondings Question about illustration of chemical bonds Question about the essence of the type of chemical bonding Further analysis Conclusions Limitations of the study and possible future studies Author Contributions, Conflicts of interest, Acknowledgements, and References Limitations of the study and possible future studies Despite its inherent limitations, including its single case design and the potential for bias, the exploratory depth of the study uncovered hidden potential within these systems, even amid serious concerns about generalizability. Future research could include: • Refining the crafting of prompts. • Exploring new features of these and other GenAIbots being introduced with increasing frequency. • Establishing standardised benchmarks to evaluate and compare chatbots and AI systems' performance, accuracy, and reliability. • Conducting long-term studies to observe the evolution of chatbots' capabilities and their impact on user interactions over time. • Conducting research with real students in classroom settings and beyond to assess these AI systems' practical educational applications and challenges. • Investigating chatbots' learning and adaptation capabilities to individual user needs and preferences over time. • Researching the integration of multimodal inputs (e.g., text, voice, image) to enhance chatbot capabilities and user interaction experiences. When implementing GenAIbots in Chemistry learning, it is crucial to evaluate benefits and drawbacks judiciously, ensuring accurate information delivery and considering the implications of reduced human interaction. These concerns may be alleviated by integrating GenAIbots with other educational tools or activities promoting collaborative dialogue among learners. Author Contributions The author confirms sole responsibility for the following: study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts to declare. Acknowledgements The authors warmly acknowledge Melanie Swan for her invaluable suggestion, which led to the transition from using the term 'objects-to-think-with' to 'agents-to-thinkwith'. References Adiguzel, T., Kaya, M. H., & Cansu, F. K. (2023). Revolutionising education with AI: Exploring the transformative potential of ChatGPT. Contemporary Educational Technology, 15(3), ep429. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/13152 Baidoo-Anu, D., & Owusu Ansah, L. (2023). Education in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Understanding the Potential Benefits of ChatGPT in Promoting Teaching and Learning. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4337484 Bardin, L. (1977). L’analyse de contenu. PUF - Presses Universitaires de France. Bitzenbauer, P. (2023). ChatGPT in physics education: A pilot study on easy-to-implement activities. Contemporary Educational Technology, 15(3), ep430. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/13176 Brown, T. B., Mann, B., Ryder, N., Subbiah, M., Kaplan, J., Dhariwal, P., Neelakantan, A., Shyam, P., Sastry, G., Askell, A., Agarwal, S., Herbert-Voss, A., Krueger, G., Henighan, T., Child, R., Ramesh, A., Ziegler, D. M., Wu, J., Winter, C., … Amodei, D. (2020). Language Models are Few-Shot Learners. ArXiv, 2005.14165. http://arxiv.org/abs/2005.14165 Castro Nascimento, C. M., & Pimentel, A. S. (2023). Do Large Language Models Understand Chemistry? A Conversation with ChatGPT. Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 63(6), 1649–1655. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00285 David, E. (2023, September 21). Microsoft to add DALL-E 3 to Bing Chat. The Verge; Vox Media. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23873690/microsoft-new-ai-features-bingsearch-shopping-dall-e-3 Dewi, C. A., Pahriah, P., & Purmadi, A. (2021). The Urgency of Digital Literacy for Generation Z Students in Chemistry Learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 16(11), 88–103. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i11.19871 Dunlop, L., Hodgson, A., & Stubbs, J. E. (2020). Building capabilities in chemistry education: happiness and discomfort through philosophical dialogue in chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 21(1), 438–451. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9RP00141G Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem-solving. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), The Nature of Intelligence (pp. 231–236). Lawrence Erlbaum. Floridi, L., & Chiriatti, M. (2020). GPT-3: Its Nature, Scope, Limits, and Consequences. Minds and Machines, 30(4), 681–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09548-1 Franciscu, S. (2023). ChatGPT: A Natural Language Generation Model for Chatbots. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24777.83044 Gregorcic, B., & Pendrill, A.-M. (2023). ChatGPT and the frustrated Socrates. Physics Education, 58(3), 035021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/acc299 Latour, B. (1991). Nous n’avons jamais été modernes: Essai d’anthropologie symétrique. La Découverte. Leon, A. J., & Vidhani, D. (2023). ChatGPT Needs a Chemistry Tutor, Too. Journal of Chemical Education. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00288 Liu, F., Budiu, R., Zhang, A., & Cionca, E. (2023, October 1). ChatGPT, Bard, or Bing Chat? Differences Among 3 Generative-AI Bots. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-botcomparison/ Metz, C., & Hsu, T. (2023, September 20). ChatGPT Can Now Generate Images, Too. New York Times - Technology. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/technology/chatgpt-dalle3-images-openai.html Mishra, A., Soni, U., Arunkumar, A., Huang, J., Kwon, B. C., & Bryan, C. (2023). PromptAid: Prompt Exploration, Perturbation, Testing and Iteration using Visual Analytics for Large Language Models. ArXiv, 2304.01964. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2304.01964 Mollick, E. R. (2023, April 26). A guide to prompting AI (for what it is worth): A little bit of magic,but mostly just practice. One Useful Thing Blog. https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/a-guidetoprompting-ai-for-what Okonkwo, C. W., & Ade-Ibijola, A. (2021). Chatbots applications in education: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 100033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100033 OpenAI. (2023). GPT-4 Technical Report. OpenAI. https://cdn.openai.com/papers/gpt-4.pdf Papert, S. A. (1980). Mindstorms - Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books. http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/mindstorms.pdf Permatasari, M. B., Rahayu, S., & Dasna, W. (2022). Chemistry Learning Using Multiple Representations: A Systematic Literature Review. J.Sci.Learn.2022, 5(2), 334–341. https://doi.org/10.17509/jsl.v5i2.42656 Pimentel, A., Wagener, A., Silveira, E. F. da, Picciani, P., Salles, B., Follmer, C., & Jr., O. N. O. (2023). Challenging ChatGPT with Chemistry-Related Subjects. ChemRxiv. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-xl6w3 Schlosser, M. (2019). Agency. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/agency/ Swan, M. (2015, January 21). We Should Consider the Future World as one of Multi-Species Intelligence. Response to The Edge Question 2015: What Do You Think About Machines That Think?; Edge.org. http://edge.org/response-detail/26070 Taylor, C. A., Hogarth, H., Hacking, E. B., & Bastos, E. (2022). Posthuman Object Pedagogies: Thinking with Things to Think with Theory for Innovative Educational Research. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry, 14(1), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.18733/cpi29662 Timilsena, N. P., Maharjan, K. B., & Devkota, K. M. (2022). Teachers’ And Students’ Experiences In Chemistry Learning Difficulties. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(10), 2856–2867. https://www.journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/13764 Tümay, H. (2016). Reconsidering learning difficulties and misconceptions in chemistry: emergence in chemistry and its implications for chemical education. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 17(2), 229–245. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RP00008H Turkle, S. (1984). The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. Simon and Schuster. Yin, R. K. (2011). Applications of Case Study Research. SAGE Publications, Inc. This paper is under CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

Overcoming Limitations in AI Chatbot Research for Future Educational Impact

ভবিষ্যতের শিক্ষাগত প্রভাবের জন্য এআই চ্যাটবট গবেষণায় সীমাবদ্ধতা অতিক্রম করা

Überwindung von Einschränkungen in der KI-Chatbot-Forschung für zukünftige Bildungseffekte

Superar las limitaciones en la investigación de chatbots de IA para lograr un impacto educativo futuro

Surmonter les limites de la recherche sur les chatbots IA pour un impact éducatif futur

भविष्य के शैक्षिक प्रभाव के लिए AI चैटबॉट अनुसंधान में सीमाओं पर काबू पाना

将来の教育への影響のために AI チャットボット研究の限界を克服する

미래 교육적 영향을 위한 AI 챗봇 연구의 한계 극복

Superando as limitações na pesquisa do AI Chatbot para um impacto educacional futuro

Преодоление ограничений в исследованиях чат-ботов с использованием искусственного интеллекта для будущего воздействия на образование

Gelecekteki Eğitim Etkisi için Yapay Zeka Chatbot Araştırmalarında Sınırlamaların Aşılması

Khắc phục những hạn chế trong nghiên cứu Chatbot AI để tạo ra tác động giáo dục trong tương lai

克服人工智能聊天机器人研究的局限性，为未来教育带来影响

is a multi-tool component that keeps a company afloat through many channels and approaches. It is a multiverse of metrics–you just have to find what works for you. But how do you decide whether to stick with proven approaches or follow the latest trends? The truth is, the nature of the digital landscape is ever-changing and you can never really know when the latest marketing obsession will once again become obsolete. It’s just the nature of things and in 2024 we all have to deal with it. The good news is that the overall trends are not as fleeting as they might seem, and keeping up to date with forecasts for the upcoming months can give your business the much-needed push to catch your audience’s attention in the highly competitive field. Now, few things seem to be especially prominent amongst marketing trends right now, but before we dive headfirst into modern marketing, let’s recap the basics. Marketing Why should you care? While sticking to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy certainly has its benefits, in the modern day and age staying up to date is imperative to building a successful business. Your audience has ever-changing and evolving preferences, and your competitors continually explore new strategies to see what works and what doesn’t. If you want to stay relevant, you have to put effort into understanding what "staying relevant"  in your field means. Is it creating an AI campaign for a new feature or partnering up with a user for an honest review? Your competitors reside in the same limitless space as you do–the internet, the main thing that drives progress and competition. There is plenty of useful information getting out daily, the question is: who is going to get there first? First, set your priorities In response to the very dynamic nature of social media marketing, brands are now ready to focus their attention on platforms that closely align with their goals and audience preferences. Now, that doesn’t mean you should abandon all channels except one; the goal is to prioritize a few and keep the rest low-key because having a prominent social media presence is the hallmark of good, recognizable branding. You can save time and target a specific platform instead of many, like spending your time and money on campaigns when your audience spends most of their time on . Instead, create engaging YouTube videos, showcase product demos, collaborate with influencers, build a strong presence through community engagement, and curate visually appealing content on Facebook YouTube Instagram. This is just an example, and the way you do it will be unique to your product and your goals. By identifying your priorities you can direct your attention where it needs to go, effectively reaching and engaging your audience, driving brand awareness and sales in a competitive market. Now that your priorities are set, we can get into the upcoming trends. The creativity of AI In recent years the creativity of AI has gotten truly mind-blowing. With the recent we have seen a new horizon for the creative potential of AI. While this specific tool is not released just yet, there are plenty that can help you in the process of content generation. Major brands are already collaborating with AI to create new-age marketing campaigns. , which ended up winning at the Drum Awards Festival, an annual global competition for marketers. And Nike allowed their customers to –powered by AI. , unveiling of Sora Heinz launched one with DALLE-2 design their own unique pair of shoes There are plenty of examples out there. Big companies are using artificial intelligence not only for content creation but for ideation and strategy too. There are research assistants, generative apps, tools that can enhance resolution and ones that can make up a whole marketing strategy. Can it replace a whole marketing team? Probably not, but AI will for sure become a much more present trend in the coming years. Yet, here you’ll have to be more careful since to downrank AI-generated summarized content. Google is already implementing measures User-generated content In contrast to using machines to do the work, chances are we will be seeing much more user-generated content in the near future. There’s already plenty of it, and according to the brand engagement rises by 28% when consumers see both brand and user-generated content, and user-generated videos gain 10x views than brand videos posted on YouTube. It’s expected–we trust people, and a human presence in a campaign makes it much more trustworthy. Statistics can back this up–85% of users find user-made content more influential than branded content (also according to the Gitnux report). These days creating a tikTok with a creator raving about your product is more likely to get you more reach than placing a billboard on Times Square. As you can see, an unpolished video can have more benefits than a perfectly crafted campaign. It’s authentic, and that’s its main allure. It also has to be done right. A big part of this is generating an environment that will eventually build a strong brand community. Regular communication and giveaways will make your users more likely to want to take part in creating content for you. And when they do, reward it! It’s already a very cost-effective tool, so you can direct your resources towards supporting this type of engagement. But if you choose to use this approach for your business don’t make it feel plastic. The modern consumer is overwhelmed with content and will be able to easily distinguish real from fake. Gitnux Marketdata report Micro-Influencer Marketing On the road to authenticity, brands are now scaling down their collaborations with influencers. In the past years, we’ve seen it all and a brand deal from a celebrity is now simply a given in the media space. But the market is oversaturated and brands are looking for new ways to engage the same audiences by slightly changing their approach. The by the Influencer Marketing Hub highlights a notable preference among marketers and businesses towards collaborating with nano- and micro-influencers. The reason is simple–higher engagement rates. Why? Because smaller-scale influencers seem more trustworthy. And, this strategy is much more cost-effective for the brand. 2024 State of Influencer Marketing report Partnership Marketing Competition is the driver of progress. But what if you make your rivals (or just brands that you probably share an audience with) your collaborators? You already have so much in common: your audience and your goals. That’s enough to entertain the idea of partnership marketing to help both of your brands grow and reach new customers. Imagine the value you bring–doubled. This approach also allows you to cut costs, share resources, and exchange ideas with other teams. luxury brands partner with hotels, tech companies collaborate with cafe chains, and retail stores are more than happy to spice things up by introducing a non-profit company special offer. Brands do this all the time; High-quality content No matter which direction you go, high-quality content will remain a priority. We’ve all seen how annoying those extremely low-quality mobile ads can get. While this can get users’ attention, forget about it positioning your company as a respectable brand. These days humanity is overwhelmed with the amount of content that is up for consumption and so much of it is not at all well-made. It’s an opportunity for you to earn customer loyalty by putting effort into every step of content creation: from ideation to execution. To further perfect your process you can conduct interviews with your potential customers to see what matters to them. This way you will be more attuned to your audience, so setting up an appropriate Tone of Voice and tailoring the type of content to your clients is bound to bring much better results. Your work is you An easy way to up the quality and effectiveness of the marketing content you produce is to remember that what you do is a reflection of who you are, and the way your brand communicates with its audience is a reflection of the values that lie at the core of your company. Treating your potential customers with respect by creating relevant, engaging, high-quality content will build a bond that is not achievable by dry marketing techniques and metrics.

2024 Marketing Insights: Content, Partnerships, AI Implementation and More

The is going through a big change at the moment. Customers want different things, competition is tough, shareholders expect more, and there are lots of new technical advances. As a result, banks have to change the way they do things digitally. It's not that banks don't want to change — it's that there are big hurdles in the way. In this article, we'll take a close look at these hurdles. banking industry We'll start by looking at the top three external challenges that are impacting digital transformation in banking. Limited Ability to Partner with Fintechs The banking sector traditionally operates in a silo mentality, which makes collaboration with fintech companies a challenge. Navigating it requires understanding the ethos of collaboration, aligning goals, and creating symbiotic partnerships that can drive innovation within the banking sector. In many cases, banks find it difficult to establish these partnerships due to concerns about data and financial security. However, fostering an environment of proactive engagement with fintech companies can greatly boost efforts to overcome the challenges of digital transformation. Here’s what a Chief Digital Officer at a U.S. bank anonymously in a survey: shared “When we work with a third party, we expect to hold them to every standard we have, even when it’s onerous to us.” Many banks acknowledge partnering with FinTechs as vital to their success, despite the potential risks, such as the loss of control over new digital services. An example is a large bank in the Asia-Pacific region adopting Apple Pay due to customer demand, despite initial hesitations. That said, forming partnerships with FinTechs is not without challenges. FinTech companies, given their different IT systems and speedy operations, may not have the capacity to integrate seamlessly with the complex systems of traditional financial institutions. Barclays Ventures CEO, Ben Daley, the role of larger organizations in helping FinTech companies navigate these complexities. acknowledged to Deloitte Successful banking-FinTech partnerships are not built overnight but require a shared long-term vision and matching values. Aligning corporate goals is key to overcoming these financial services industry challenges and preventing partnerships from crumbling due to mismatched expectations. Regulations Constraining Large-Scale Digital Initiatives Existing regulatory frameworks struggle to keep up with the speed of technological innovation. Regulators are being urged to adopt more agile and principle-based regulations that can evolve over time, instead of fixed and potentially outdated structures. “PSD2 (European Commission Payment Services Directive 2) is coming into force now and it was designed seven, eight years ago—so you can imagine the changes [in the marketplace] … We need to think about activity-based regulation.” – , Executive Chairman of Grupo Santander Ana Botín Financial institutions are governed by a unique set of rules and regulations compared to start-ups and FinTechs. These regulations are often based on the type of institution rather than its specific activities. This poses a challenge as the landscape of financial services is quickly evolving, with services being repackaged and restructured in new ways. There are a few key regulations that are impacting large-scale digital transformation in banks: . Laws like Europe's GDPR and California's CCPA strictly dictate how banks handle customer data, making it harder to offer personalized digital experiences. Data Privacy Rules . These regulations mandate thorough identity checks and constant transaction scrutiny to prevent illegal activities, complicating the process of digital onboarding and account setup. AML and KYC Rules . Post-2008 financial crisis regulations force banks to maintain a high volume of cash and assets, restricting their ability to invest in novel digital platforms and operations. Capital and Liquidity Requirements . The increasing demand for cybersecurity, breach notification, and resilience calls for significant IT investments from banks, ensuring secure digital channels and protection against cyber threats. Cybersecurity Rules . Many banks rely on outdated systems and cumbersome infrastructure that hampers the creation of agile new digital platforms. Addressing these legacy systems requires a major tech overhaul. Legacy Tech Limitations High Investor Expectations Hindering Digitalization Efforts With soaring investor expectations, banks often find themselves under pressure to deliver immediate returns. This has the potential to stifle long-term digitalization efforts, that require time, patience, and a tolerance for risk. Regional banks such as PNC and US Bank plans for national digital expansion and new digital-only bank brands. Investor enthusiasm has been dampened by economic conditions and challenges in the financial services industry, particularly in balancing digital growth with risk management. Here’s what an anonymous Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at a UK bank said to : have scaled back Deloitte “Shareholder expectations really put a strain on how much money you can put into digital transformation. Everyone knows the customers’ demands, but it is about us creating the financial capacity to invest in it. We know what to improve, just how do we do it? You have to hit ROE numbers or your share price won’t perform.” High investor expectations have a substantial effect on financial services transformation. As stakeholders of the bank, investors naturally demand good short-term returns. However, these expectations can sometimes put banks under pressure, making them wary of investing in digital transformation – an initiative that usually requires time to show a return on investment. Similarly, in Q3 2022, Wells Fargo slower-than-expected progress on its digital transformation initiatives. This led to disappointment from investors and analysts, with the bank's stock price falling over 5%. Wells Fargo had to scale back some of its digital priorities to focus on stabilization and risk/compliance projects. announced Balancing these expectations while investing in long-term digital transformation often becomes a challenge. Let's now shift our focus to the top 3 internal digital banking challenges that hinder the digital transformation initiative within banks. Legacy Systems and Lack of Interoperability Around are still dependent on legacy systems. Updating and adjusting old systems to work with new digital technologies hold bank digital transformation behind. Interoperability issues often stump digital transformation plans. 60% of banks Wells Fargo in March 2023 that left millions of customers unable to access online/mobile banking or ATMs for over 24 hours. The bank blamed the outage on its reliance on outdated infrastructure that couldn't handle a power shutdown. Similarly, Bank of America that it would delay the launch of its real-time payments platform due to technical difficulties interfacing the new tech with the bank's older systems. suffered a systems outage announced in 2023 Even though many banks see the need to move away from these old systems, practical changes often pose a challenge without disturbing existing work. Moreover, not all fintech and digital banking solutions are made to work well with legacy systems, leading to pricy and dragging customizations. Banks need to work around old systems that have been in use for many years. These legacy systems often fail to offer the compatibility needed for successful digital banking transformation. Banks then, face the issue of upgrading these systems without hindering daily operations. This demands careful planning and gradual application to ensure a smooth transition. Ultimately, the obstacle doesn't rest solely on the technology itself, but how it’s integrated into the banks’ current system, procedures, and culture. Adopting digital banking transformation means developing comprehensive strategies that not only incorporate the technology but also delineate how it will impact and improve various processes within the bank. Focus on Regulatory Changes, Instead of Finance Transformation Initiatives Often, internal focus on complying with regulatory changes takes precedence over technological transformation, creating more banking industry challenges. Nearly are concerned about meeting regulatory compliance. While this focus protects banks from potential legal risks, it can divert valuable resources and attention away from much-needed digital transformation. 50% of banks This is yet another internal issue of digital transformation challenges. Although regulatory changes are crucial for controlling risk and improving transparency, they can also shift the focus away from digital transformation initiatives. Institutions need to find a balance between meeting regulatory demands and prioritizing digital initiatives by creating dedicated teams or outsourcing regulatory processes. Digital transformation in banking goes hand in hand with regulatory compliance – a factor that often diverts attention and resources away from innovation. That's because regulatory changes in the banking industry are frequent and substantial, imposing a significant burden on banks' internal structures. The constant flux of rules and norms forces many financial institutions to focus their efforts on ensuring policy adherence rather than driving digital innovation. This mindset constricts the tempo of digital transformation, ultimately slowing progress within the financial services industry. Risk-conscious Culture Preventing Innovation It's no secret embracing the risk involved with innovation could potentially lead to tremendous growth. The future of finance lies in digitalization, from fintech collaborations to the wide-scale implementation of blockchain technologies. Thus, fostering a more balanced culture that values both safety and innovation is one of the biggest challenges of digital transformation in banking. Moving forward, banks should look into integrating their risk-conscious nature with the agility and innovation of fintechs. Incorporating IT for financial services should be considered a key element in any banking transformation plan, with strategies adjusted to accommodate industry regulations without stifling progress. The path towards more customer-focused, efficient, and secure banking services may be filled with challenges, but these obstacles are vital stepping stones toward digital transformation in banking. As banks start to reevaluate their risk-averse attitudes and welcome change, the promise of a fully digital, customer-centric era in finance edges closer to reality. Summary Employing a banking digital transformation demands a well-planned, strategic methodology that considers both external and internal elements. Only have succeeded in digitally transforming at scale, which emphasizes the need to approach it strategically. Overcoming these challenges is tough, but the benefits make it worthwhile. 17% of banks “The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo.” — Bob Iger

Top 6 Challenges of Digital Transformation in Banking

In the world of tech startups, the term «growth» has become almost the epitome of success. Exponential growth, growth hacking, growth mindset, growth team, growth engine, hypergrowth. If a startup doesn’t show enough growth, it’s doing it wrong. In his article published in 2012, the founder of the startup accelerator Y Combinator Paul Graham argued that growth is the very essence of a startup: Being newly founded does not in itself make a company a startup. Nor is it necessary for a startup to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of "exit. The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with startups follows from growth. It comes as no surprise why growth is so coveted. We all know the success stories of Dropbox, Uber, Airbnb, Slack, and Revolut. They are the role models of startup growth. But few companies succeed. Exploding Topics say that 9 out of 10 startups fail. In 2021, AngelList expected 2.5% of venture-backed seed-stage startups to become a unicorn. Yet, most startups still commit themselves to growth, ignoring the inevitable sacrifices it takes from both the product and the people who build it. Bugs that never get fixed because they are low priority, misalignment between different teams, ever-changing processes and organizational structure, growing tech debt that will be reworked as soon as a company finds its Ideal Customer Profile, inherently outdated documentation, abandoned features, neglected career development plans, poor work-life balance, chaotic environment, lack of focus — these are all side-effects of startup growth. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this article, I explore 5 tech companies that approach growth differently, resulting in healthier business and working environments. 37signals The original rebel of the tech industry, 37signals is the company behind the project management platform Basecamp, email service HEY, and the recently launched line of purchasable (instead of renting) software Once. Initially a web design firm founded in 1999, the company switched to the development of Basecamp out of necessity to take on more projects. 20 years later, they have over 100,000 paying customers and make tens of millions of dollars in profit. We run a very different kind of business. We are focused on efficiency, we're not focused on growth. They're focused on growth. — Jason Fried on Lenny’s Podcast Almost everything about 37signals is different. It is a private company, with no venture capital involved. Under 100 employees, all working remotely (company founders even wrote a book aptly named Remote). They invented a product development framework called Shape Up that focuses on small, 2–3 person teams delivering meaningful impacts in 6-week cycles (they wrote a book about it too). They don’t have growth targets or OKRs; the only thing that matters is whether the company makes more than it spends. As 37signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson put it, It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work. Yes, it’s the name of a book as well. I find this quote by Jason Fried summarizes the 37signals’ approach best: I think one of the most important things though to remember … is just like, humans tend to complicate things. A lot of things are hard but they're still simple until you make them complicated. Just keep in mind that you can make a lot of progress with two people, you can do a lot of great work four weeks at a time max, and you can figure things out as you go, and you don't need to know exactly where you're going, and you can be a profitable business, and you can find customers who are willing to pay for things. These are all possible things to do. And you don't need to be a big huge company to be successful. And you don't need to be a big huge company to make significant amounts of money. You don't need to do that. — Jason Fried on Lenny’s Podcast Linear A company doesn’t have to be private or go through the dot-com crash to work out an alternative approach to work. Take Linear, a venture-backed project management tool for software development founded in 2019. Jori Lallo, Karri Saarinen, and Tuomas Artman started a company on the simple premise that software lost its magic. The computing power of today is far beyond what could be imagined 20 years ago. Yet, modern software is slow, distracting, and boring. Linear strives to bring back the magic by crafting a planning tool for teams that care about quality. The founders go beyond just building a tool. They think of it as a “way” to craft quality software. They call it opinionated software and they have Linear Method to build it. One example of a strong opinion is working in cycles instead of sprints. As Karri Saarinen puts it, . The goal is to create a healthy momentum instead of reaching a finish line. “We are not really sprinting anywhere” Another point is building in public. Besides being vocal about how it works with Linear Method, the company advocates for public changelogs and lists all of its employees openly. Linear’s opinion on growth? Hire less, but more experienced professionals and solve customer problems instead of moving metrics. …sometimes the high growth, especially on the employee side, is not that great. It can create a lot of chaos or just messiness. … We just believe that you can actually build better with less people than you can with more people. — Karri Saarinen on Lenny’s Podcast Wise It’s not just smaller companies that approach growth and work differently. Wise, a product for international money transfers, employs over 5,000 people and moves about $12 billion a month across borders. The company's mission to build the best way to move and manage the world’s money is refined with four key attributes: speed of transfers, convenience of transferring money internationally, transparency of fares, and lowest possible cost. But these attributes extend beyond just the product. Take transparency for example. A Wise customer can see the total breakdown of a transfer’s fare in advance, split by what goes to a bank and what goes to Wise. But the company took a step further by making its roadmap public, with quarterly updates on the progress towards the mission. Another thing about Wise is how the company builds a conviction on what matters the most for customers. On Lenny’s Podcast, Nilan Peiris, Chief Product Officer at Wise, calls it customer-led growth: Every business I've ever worked in, it's always got these two lists, a list of things to do for your customers, and then it's got a list of things to do to make money. And you generally do everything you need to do to make money, and you do two things with the customer list. The neat thing about Wise is that we just have one list of things that you need to do to make customers happy, and it's prioritized by impact on the really hard things. If you do these really hard things, they have an incredible impact on customers, but hence on your growth, and on your shareholder value. This approach of building a strong understanding of customer problems instead of experimenting with incremental results enabled Wise to reach profitability while still growing by 30%–40% yearly. Buffer One company that took the idea of doing things differently to the next level is Buffer, a social media management platform for small businesses. While some companies share their roadmaps or changelogs publicly, Buffer opens up its key metrics and employee salaries. You can go to the Buffer website now and see for yourself that CEO makes $298,958 a year, whilst a content writer earns between $114,672 and $132,782 a year. Or you can see how the subscription fee is distributed between marketing spending, merchant fees, operational expenses, and salaries. You might want to know that Buffer’s Annual Recurring Revenue dropped from $22M in January 2020 to $18M in January 2023 and remained stable throughout 2023. It’s that open. One might argue that having ARR not growing for four years isn’t exactly an example of growth. Well, it depends on the time horizon. According to ChartMogul, only 13% of SaaS startups make $10M in ARR after 10 years in business. Buffer is way beyond that already. And the company CEO Joel Gascoigne intends to continue growing sustainably: We will strive for the kind of healthy, long-term growth that we believe will naturally follow as we focus on creating trustworthy products and providing unexpectedly delightful customer service. In the 2023 Annual Shareholder Letter, Joel elaborates on how this vision allows the company to adapt its strategy without compromising on the mission to serve and help more entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive: Beyond seeing the challenges ahead in growing this way, I personally felt a real conflict in my own sense of purpose when we dabbled with going up-market. This is one factor which led to my decision to double down on individuals, the free plan, and our down-and-wide strategy. In the world of B2B SaaS, where traditionally companies are forced to go up-market by investors, it is indeed a privilege to be able to choose growth by going in the opposite direction. Even more so when the times get tough. Ghost I’d like to end this article with an extreme example. We have only two goals at Ghost: To create a product we're incredibly proud of, and a company that provides a great life to the team building it. To achieve those goals we've thrown away most other traditional measures of success. John O’Nolan started Ghost in 2013 to bring back the ease of publishing content online that WordPress once had until, in the process of growth, it turned from a blogging platform into a Content Management System. The idea proved to be so lucrative that a landing page that described it brought John 30,000 email subscribers followed by $300,000 raised through a Kickstarter campaign. 10 years later, despite venture-backed competitors like Medium and Substack, Ghost is still non-profit and open source, making around $6.4M in ARR. Just this month the company announced the First Round Review website is now powered by Ghost. Just like Basecamp and Buffer, Ghost ditches short-term growth in favor of creating a company that will be around in 20 years. In a world where startups come and go, such longevity is a competitive advantage in itself. But how does Ghost actually do this? Largely, through the concept of arbitrary constraints. Impose upon yourself an arbitrary constraint and watch how creativity suddenly flows from you in ways that you didn't know were possible before. Because the human brain, as it turns out, likes to get out of annoying, arbitrary constraints and find ways around. Find loopholes in things. It's been a remarkable source of creativity for me. — John O’Nolan on the Indie Hackers podcast Regarding growth, there is one arbitrary constraint that worked out surprisingly well for Ghost. Setting up a business as a non-profit foundation constrains the company from running for growth just for the sake of it. Because if there are no investors and a company can’t be sold, then its valuation doesn’t really matter. What was imposed as a constraint gives the company the freedom to focus on what matters — a strong product that helps publishers grow and a happy team that enjoys building it. Afterword This is by no means an exhaustive list of companies that approach growth and work in general differently ( ). Nor is it a call for companies to stop and reconsider the way they work. please leave more examples of such companies in the comments! Just like people, every company is unique, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. What these examples prove is that there are alternatives to common practices that prevail in the tech industry. Fortunately, these alternative approaches are driven by people behind companies, not products or industries. And people can be inspired to think differently too. Thank you for giving this a read. Please share your thoughts in the comments. Would love to hear your thoughts on healthy and sustainable growth.

5 Tech Companies That Work Differently

When I first began my journey into cybersecurity, everything was surrounded in mystery pertaining to the dark web and its marketplaces. I thought only those who dabbled in cybercrime knew how to get there, and we were locked out. This echoed with me being in cybersecurity and watching so many companies getting compromised and having to pay ransoms just to be able to operate and take care of customers. I couldn’t believe there was a cybercrime underbelly we all didn’t know about and could potentially utilize for research. It was at this moment that I decided to put on my black hoodie, drink an energy drink, and venture into the dark. Or, in this case, the dark web marketplaces. Asking Directions From Strangers Working in cybersecurity, you would think I would know all the “ins and outs” of the dark web and know how to get to the marketplaces, but you would be wrong. Nobody tells you how to get there. They just tell you the cybercriminals use a Tor browser, and that’s how they do it. No directions. It’s just you and a flashlight in the dark with a stranger. I decided to download the Tor browser and see how far I could get with just general searching—or until the government showed up to take me for a ride. After downloading the Tor browser, I opened up a browser and was met with the default Onion page everyone sees when they use Tor. I still didn’t know where to look. Usually, you just open Google and do some searches to find what you want, and yes there is a dark version of Google but that is another article. I used my phone and Googled dark web search engines to see what could be used. There were multiple choices like you would see with normal internet use. I then saw something called the Ahima search engine. Ahima on the dark web is a super search engine that indexes Tor sites. I thought to myself that this was a place to start, and, in my mind, I would have the dark web at my fingertips. I typed in dark web marketplaces, grabbed my energy drink, and peered out the window, half-expecting the FBI to show up. Perhaps they're busy elsewhere. "Who Turned Off the Lights? It’s Dark in Here.” The list from my Ahima search was large and full of potential possibilities. I clicked on a few, and they didn’t reveal anything worthwhile until I found my first dark web marketplace. It was called AlphaBay. AlphaBay was very unique and had more than 30,000 unique product listings—largely drugs, from ecstasy to opioids to methamphetamines—but also thousands of listings for malware and stolen data, like Social Security numbers and credit card details. I couldn’t believe you could just view all the listings of items like you were on Amazon…and yes there is a dark web version of Amazon as well. It’s called “Amazin”. It was the malware and stolen information that intrigued me because it was my job to protect information, and I wanted to see how the cybercriminals dealt with or sold information as well as the actual content of the stolen information. Because despite what people believe, cybercriminals don’t always tell the truth. Talking to a Monster Who Has Morals While browsing AlphaBay, I clicked on the data dump and leaks section for the possibility of seeing stolen credentials. You could view leaked credentials, passwords to corporate accounts, social security numbers, and health information. My eyes widened with the amount of information that was available to be viewed and sold. You could even rate the meth you purchased on a scale of 1 to 10. Another selection of data I was interested in pertaining to passwords and sensitive information was for sale and could be viewed for a small price in Bitcoin. The owner who I will call Anonymous, had an appealing description of “Anything you want buy but nothing kid-related.” Most of the products they were selling were the same as anything else on AlphaBay, largely drugs, malware, and stolen data. They were also recruiting for a Phishing campaign and were willing to split the proceeds. I was not interested, but the data dump they were advertising was of accounts and passwords used for a VPN for a company but not the one I worked for. The conversation with someone with a high moral compass was intriguing, but I needed to move on. The amount of information for sale was overwhelming and the combination of searching for data that applied to what I was looking for. I decided it was enough for the night, and I was sure I heard a knock at the door. How polite the FBI is. Clear and Present Danger After talking to Anonymous, the evening was drawing to a close, and I thought, “Are there dark web marketplaces on the clear/public internet?” If there was, how could that be allowed and how wouldn’t people know? After some searching through news stories and technology articles, I came across a website that was known for selling data. One particular article mentioned this website that publicly disclosed data from the Okta breach that occurred in 2023. The website was called Breachforums, and the data dump was visible without payment. All that was needed was to DM the owner and have a conversation. The interesting part of this is that the cybercriminals stated they stole sensitive information, but the information disclosed in the data dump was public knowledge and not sensitive as they claimed. The website was filled with all kinds of stolen data that was up for grabs or could be looked into by anyone of interest. It was at that moment I had an idea that would change how I saw the dark web. The Idea and the Crusade Visiting the dark web marketplaces was an eye-opener for me to say the least. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of how often and how much data was stolen and sold and how easy it was to conduct. It also opened my eyes to the extent that cybercriminals don’t always tell the truth when they are posting stolen information. Most of the time, it is for gloating and looking good to their peers and the world. If someone was taught how and where to look, individuals and companies would have the ability to use people and tools to continually search the dark web marketplaces and forums using APIs for keywords to gain the advantage. It would also bring light into the conversation about how the dark web market is run and how the cyber security world could harness the potential.

Shrouded Horizons: My Passage to the Dark Web Marketplaces

শ্রাউডেড হরাইজনস: ডার্ক ওয়েব মার্কেটপ্লেসগুলিতে আমার উত্তরণ

Shrouded Horizons: Mein Weg zu den Dark-Web-Marktplätzen

Shrouded Horizons: Mi paso a los mercados de la Dark Web

Shrouded Horizons : Mon passage vers les marchés du Dark Web

श्राउडेड होराइजन्स: माई पैसेज टू द डार्क वेब मार्केटप्लेस

Shrouded Horizons: ダークウェブ マーケットプレイスへの道

Shrouded Horizons: 다크 웹 시장으로 가는 길

Horizontes encobertos: minha passagem para os mercados da Dark Web

Окутанные горизонты: мой переход на торговые площадки даркнета

Örtülü Ufuklar: Karanlık Web Pazarlarına Geçişim

Những chân trời bị che khuất: Con đường của tôi đến các thị trường web đen

笼罩的地平线：我的暗网市场之路

Every hardcore VR user knows there are two important things when it comes to daily VR gaming: comfort, and battery. One accessory that can improve both of those things is a headstrap that houses a built-in mobile battery, or a “battery strap”. Let’s face it, the stock strap that comes with the Quest 3 is a complete joke. It almost offends me that Meta raises their prices every year and continues to find materials from the dollar store to make their stock strap. Thus, users have no option but to buy a new one, and Meta bets on that. That’s why they keep doing it and they make it simple to plug and play new straps into the headset; . When it comes to VR accessories, I’ve reviewed almost every major thing on the market. they’re too cheap and lazy to make a quality one of their own For the past month, I've tested KIWI's latest offering – the Now, if you're anything like me, the thrill of diving into VR worlds comes with the nagging dread of seeing that low battery warning pop up just as you're getting into the groove. Single-Point-Charging (SPC) Battery Head Strap for the Quest 3. Battery straps aim to solve these problems. With a bunch of cheap options on the market, I want to show you want $79.99 can get you in today’s VR landscape. What We’ll Cover: Specs Design Features Cons Final Verdict I’ve not been compensated by Kiwi in anyway to write this review. However, they did send me their item for free to test for this article. Disclaimer: Specs 6400mAh lithium polymer battery Provides extra 2-4 hours of playtime 1.89 pounds 10.04 x 9.45 x 2.76 inches Memory foam cushion Cable-holding attachment This strap was manufactured by KIWI Design, a China-based company that's been carving its path in the VR scene since 2015. The company is a culmination of years of VR innovation, backed by over 100 patents. What stands out is its claim to balance comfort with extended playtime, addressing a fundamental flaw in VR headsets: their notorious front-heaviness. This strap aims to redistribute that weight, making long sessions in virtual worlds less of a strain and more of an immersive joy. Design Now, let’s talk about the design. The first thing you'll notice is the memory foam padding. It's like a gentle hug for your head, soft yet supportive, a far cry from the standard straps that are $10-20 on AliExpress or Wish. The overall aesthetic is sleek and modern, a white and black strap that has a fair amount of polish. But it's not just about looks; the functionality is where this design truly shines. The balance achieved with this strap significantly reduces the front-heavy drag, showing that KIWI has not only listened to user feedback but acted on it in a meaningful way. With a closer look at this strap, you can tell it’s a blend of thoughtful ergonomics and subtle aesthetics. The smooth, matte finish coupled with the sleek, curving lines gives the strap a futuristic vibe without trying to stand out too much. Form Factor The contours appear to follow the natural shape of the head, suggesting that comfort was at the forefront of KIWI's design philosophy. The integration of the battery itself is seamless, maintaining the headset’s clean lines—a stark contrast to the often bulky add-ons that can feel tacked on rather than part of a unified whole. And let's talk about that battery housing for a second. The way it's positioned and padded, it’s going to give you that counterbalance for the front-heavy feel of most VR headsets, which is exactly what you want for those marathon sessions. In my opinion, this isn't just another clunky power bank slapped onto a strap. It's meticulously crafted. It’s easy to buy a velcro band and strap an external battery back to a standard Quest 3 strap. I’ve done that for years. However, with this strap, I no longer felt much need to add more counterweights on my own. I may dabble in that just to see how it feels, but this is honestly enough for me in terms of counterweight. Features Focusing on features, KIWI’s SPC Battery Head Strap ticks a lot of the boxes we need for long VR gaming sessions. With a 6400mAh battery, KIWI fulfills the promise of doubling or even tripling your playtime. Built-in Power: It’s a plug-and-play system that allows simultaneous charging of both the headset and the battery strap with a single cable. This convenience is the kind of detail that shows KIWI isn’t just manufacturing accessories; they’re crafting seamless user experiences. Single-Point Charging: VR gamers know that the full adjustability of the strap isn’t just about tightness —it’s about angle and positioning. The freedom to position the back cushion precisely where it feels best is a huge plus. Whether you like it high up near the crown of your head or low for a traditional feel, this strap adapts to your preference. Ergonomic Design: It’s been designed to snuggle right into the official carrying case, and by extension, most aftermarket cases. KIWI recognizes that VR enthusiasts are on the move, and they’ve made sure your power-packed head strap doesn’t tie you down. Compatibility and Portability: Cons Even the best-designed products have their drawbacks, and the SPC Battery Head Strap is no exception. It's a bummer that the SPC's innovative charging feature is limited to the . If you're not on board with this specific dock, you're out of luck, missing out on one of the strap's key conveniences. I guess it could work with another dock that uses a similar magnetic pin connector, but there’s a very low chance you’ll find a non-KIWI dock that works with this. External Compatibility: KIWI RGB Vertical Charging Stand : Although the counterweight design is a step in the right direction, it could do with a bit more heft for an even better balance. Some users might find themselves needing to add an extra counterweight for optimal comfort during those longer sessions. Weight Distribution While the seamless integration with KIWI's charging stand is a plus, it also means you're buying into a specific ecosystem. If you decide to switch to another brand's accessories or docks in the future, this head strap's unique charging feature becomes redundant. Exclusive Ecosystem: , the sticker shock is real. Sure, we're getting a head strap that doubles as a lifeline for our VR sessions, thanks to the integrated battery pack. And when you consider that this strap itself becomes literally half of the headset, the price tag starts to seem more reasonable. However, it’s not just VR. If you want to buy a new PS5 controller, the price is around that $80 mark, so this is standard for the gaming industry. Pricing: At $79.99 I always think VR accessories are too damn expensive. It's perfect for those willing to invest in their , but for budget-conscious gamers, it might be a stretch too far, which is likely why Meta has become criminally cheap with their stock headstraps - they know it costs a lot to make a quality one. But let's not sugarcoat it—if your wallet's feeling light, or you're trying to keep your VR spending in check, this head strap is a luxury rather than a necessity. VR experience Despite these points, it's important to consider them in the context of your specific VR setup and how you use it. These cons may not be dealbreakers for everyone, and for those who are fully invested in the KIWI ecosystem, the advantages might far outweigh the limitations. Final Verdict: 8.5/10 Taking all of this into account, the SPC Battery Head Strap from KIWI is a strong contender in the Quest 3 headstraps market. It's thoughtfully designed with user comfort and convenience in mind, backed by a powerful battery to keep you immersed for hours. The single-point charging capability and the ergonomic design make it stand out from the crowd. . It makes the entire setup more cohesive and user-friendly, turning what could be a tangled mess of cables and charging times into a streamlined process. If you're already using or planning to get the KIWI RGB Vertical Charging Stand, this head strap is practically a must-have Overall, for those committed to the KIWI ecosystem, the SPC Battery Head Strap is a wise investment that enhances your VR experience significantly. It offers a comfortable, long-lasting, and hassle-free solution to one of VR gaming's most persistent issues — battery life. My recommendation? If you're looking for a top-tier VR head strap and you're cool with the KIWI universe, go for it. It's an 8.5/10 from me, earning its place as a staple in my daily VR sessions on the Quest 3.

This Quest 3 Battery Strap by Kiwi Design Embarrasses Meta’s Stock Strap

কিউই ডিজাইনের এই কোয়েস্ট 3 ব্যাটারি স্ট্র্যাপটি মেটার স্টক স্ট্র্যাপকে বিব্রত করে

Dieser Quest 3-Batteriegurt von Kiwi Design bringt Metas Schaftgurt in Verlegenheit

Esta correa de batería Quest 3 de Kiwi Design avergüenza a la correa original de Meta

Cette sangle de batterie Quest 3 de Kiwi Design embarrasse la sangle d'origine de Meta

कीवी डिज़ाइन का यह क्वेस्ट 3 बैटरी स्ट्रैप मेटा के स्टॉक स्ट्रैप को शर्मिंदा करता है

Kiwi Design のこの Quest 3 バッテリー ストラップは Meta のストック ストラップを当惑させます

Kiwi Design의 이 Quest 3 배터리 스트랩은 Meta의 스톡 스트랩을 당혹스럽게 합니다.

Esta pulseira de bateria Quest 3 da Kiwi Design embaraça a pulseira de estoque da Meta

Этот ремешок для аккумулятора Quest 3 от Kiwi Design смущает стандартный ремешок Meta

Kiwi Design'ın Bu Quest 3 Pil Kayışı, Meta'nın Stok Kayışını Utandırıyor

Dây đeo pin Quest 3 này của Kiwi Design khiến dây đeo cổ phiếu của Meta xấu hổ

Kiwi Design 设计的这款 Quest 3 电池带让 Meta 的库存表带尴尬不已

Many sales folks say by Dale Carnegie is a go-to book if you want to get good at selling stuff. I read it when I was 14, but I only remember that we love the sound of our name. How to Win Friends and Influence People So I thought I’d attempt my version of HTWFAIP because people often ask me how I make friends so easily (I know I sound like an Instagram influencer about to sell you some sketchy product, but really, people do ask 😂). Yet, being friendly and likable was a skill I had to develop. Back in one of my first jobs, my boss told me I had a “resting bitch face.” I think it should be called a “resting Eastern European face” (REEF for short 😁). I see it a lot after moving back home after 12 years abroad. The typical explanation is that a colder climate makes us ‘colder people’, but I think it has a lot to do with the long history of russian occupation, but I derail. Following the comment of my manager, psychology studies and life experiences, I’ve decided to intentionally work on my personality. Over the years, I’ve figured out some tricks to make myself more likable and good at social stuff. Now, I can’t turn it off - it’s a part of my identity. Human psychology by the CIA The CIA had to figure out how human nature works to carry out successful espionage. I already shared a full scope of what I learned in this , so this is a quick reminder relevant to our topic. article Humans have three lives. (how we want to appear to others, like an Instagram feed). Public life (what your closest confidants know about you. Like your feet smell). Private life (often, these are thoughts that live in a dark part of our psyche that we’re afraid to share for fear of rejection/judgment, like having a mistress). Secret life The CIA builds trust with a target by methodically earning trust, aka getting into someone’s secret life. To the target, it reads as I revealed so getting sensitive info about the target’s government becomes much easier. the worst parts of me and they’re still here, I haven’t been rejected, therefore I trust this person, Now, the 3 lives principle applies to friendships. I trust and, therefore, like my close friends more than I do acquaintances because close friends see all parts of me and still stick around. Closeness correlates with likeability. But closeness also correlates with likeability. perceived Rule #1 for building connections - TRUST. Building rapport Building any relationship requires time. But some hacks make you more likable to people who don’t yet know you. The caveat here is genuineness - people smell a fake a mile away (unless they’re dealing with a CIA spy 😉). You have to be genuinely interested in other people. I think I’m successful at connecting with people because I’m sincerely interested in them. What is their inner life like? What are they passionate about? What do they struggle with? How do they feel? Why did they choose the particular career path? Rule #2 - be genuine or get out of the conversation because nobody likes a fake. Ways to build rapport Mirroring: Subtly mimic the person’s body language, speech patterns, and gestures to create a subconscious sense of familiarity and trust. Let’s say I’m sitting cross-legged - you should cross your legs too. If the person lowers their voice, you should follow. Emotional Vulnerability: Share personal stories or vulnerabilities to encourage reciprocity and strike up the connection. Volunteer emotional vulnerability as a way to gain trust and show you want to go beyond the public life persona. Do make anything up. not For example, at a recent party, I sat next to a stranger and said, ‘I always feel so awkward at parties where I don’t know anyone - I feel a bit of anxiety.’ That was both a true and relatable experience, so the person could open up as well, and we launched into a conversation where they very quickly opened up their private life info as well as volunteered a spare room if I’m ever in their neck of the woods. Active Listening: Pay close attention to the person’s words, emotions, and non-verbal cues, demonstrating genuine interest and understanding. The common mistake people make in conversations is that they’re too caught up in their own thoughts, planning their answers instead of truly listening to the other person. You can avoid this by practicing mirroring and labeling techniques during the conversation. I first came across these ideas in a former FBI hostage negotiator work. If they worked for him, they’d work for you, too 😉 Chris Voss’ a technique where you repeat back the last 1–3 words of what someone told you. Mirroring (yes again, but a different kind) - For example: Someone: ‘I was late for work again!’ You: ‘Late again?’ (An open-ended remark unconsciously inviting the other person to expand). Casually repeating the words back helps you stay present and truly listen, making the other person feel heard, thus building rapport. This openness leads to greater liking and trust between people. is another technique that encourages you to listen make the other party feel recognized. You could call it a verbal observation/recognition. Labeling and For example: Someone ‘I enjoy spending quality time with my friends’ You (Spotting patterns or making inferences makes the other person feel heard). ‘It sounds like you’re someone who values friendships!’ Similarly to mirroring, don’t overuse labels. Remember, these techniques are here to help you be present in the conversation. It’s a chat, not a therapy session. Asking Questions: Use open-ended questions to encourage the person to share more about themselves and their experiences. Avoid yes or no questions, especially with shy or socially anxious people, and opt for open-ended ones to encourage sharing. This approach helps the conversation flow more naturally, giving you more to build on. Finding Common Ground: Identify shared interests, experiences, or values to establish commonality and foster a sense of camaraderie. This is easy - look at the context you’re in and come up with conversation topics based on that. I was at a friend’s gathering recently with both friends and strangers. Instead of the usual ‘How do you know so-and-so?’ to break the ice, I recognized someone I often see at my favorite coffee shop, always deep in phone convos. I approached them with, “Hey, I've seen you at Cafe X, but you're always on the phone, so we never get a chance to chat.” They found it amusing, and we instantly connected. Acknowledge the person in front of you, or see them, as I call it. really I realized that we often interact with our idea of a person or their public life persona rather than with the individuals themselves, especially in public settings. As an experiment, I decided to move beyond the routine “hi, how are you” at coffee shops and restaurants where I play the social role of a customer and the server plays the role of the server. I made an effort to genuinely notice and acknowledge them, perhaps with a compliment or a unique question about their day. These small acts of genuine interest made them light up, feeling valued as individuals. Upgrades or free stuff was a nice byproduct of this experiment:) Principle #3 - humans crave being seen, acknowledged… to matter. Bonus tips If you only get one takeaway from this article - people talking about themselves. Sharing personal stories makes us feel recognized and heard. If you can provide that space for someone, you’re golden. LOVE Another benefit of someone talking about themselves and opening up to you is that it makes them trust you more. The more they talk, the more they trust you. The person asking the questions is always in control of the conversation. Parents adore it when you connect with their kids. Doing so can win you a lot of favor. But remember, you’ve got to be genuine. Kids are great at detecting insincerity and can spot someone faking it from a mile away. Feeling social anxiety is normal and something I still face, but I've found a helpful mantra: “No one's better than me, and I'm no better than anybody else.” I used to repeat this to myself multiple times before social events. Focus on your surroundings and the person you’re with. Most people are preoccupied with their thoughts, so you'll stand out by complimenting or sharing an observation. You have to like yourself more than spending time with people you don’t like. Wrap up I’m a bit worried this advice might sound contrived because it’s hard to put into words something that’s become second nature. Applying these social practices initially felt awkward, much like learning to drive. But just as driving becomes automatic over time, these practices have become ingrained in me. I come across as natural and sincere, and that’s because I am. Remember: Be genuinely interested in the other person; them. see Be an active listener and avid observer. We are inclined to think and talk of ourselves more, override it. Let the other person shine. Further reading My very first article online was about likeability. Back then, I was coaching men to increase their attractiveness in ways beyond the usual superficial advice. You can find it here. I initially wrote the CIA series in 3 parts, but you can find them in one place on . It’s a good overview of human psychology. HackerNoon The article above is aimed at social interactions. I have a separate article on the topic of building and maintaining friendships . here Photo by on Oveth Martinez Unsplash Also published . here

How To Win Friends and Influence People (My Version)

This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Matu´s Medo, Department for BioMedical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern and matus.medo@unifr.ch; (2)  Michaela Medova, Department for BioMedical Research, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, and Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern. Table of Links Abstract & Introduction Results Discussion Materials and methods Acknowledgement & References Supporting Information Acknowledgement We thank Charlotte Ng and Peter Degen for their useful feedback. References Alexandrov, L.B., Kim, J., Haradhvala, N.J., Huang, M.N., Tian Ng, A.W., Wu, Y., Boot, A., Covington, K.R., Gordenin, D.A., Bergstrom, E.N., et al., 2020. The repertoire of mutational signatures in human cancer. Nature 578, 94–101. Alexandrov, L.B., Nik-Zainal, S., Wedge, D.C., Aparicio, S.A., Behjati, S., Biankin, A.V., Bignell, G.R., Bolli, N., Borg, A., Børresen-Dale, A.L., et al., 2013. Signatures of mutational processes in human cancer. Nature 500, 415–421. Berger, B., Yu, Y.W., 2022. Navigating bottlenecks and trade-offs in genomic data analysis. Nature Reviews Genetics , 1–16. Blokzijl, F., Janssen, R., van Boxtel, R., Cuppen, E., 2018. MutationalPatterns: Comprehensive genome-wide analysis of mutational processes. Genome Medicine 10, 1–11. Brady, S.W., Gout, A.M., Zhang, J., 2022. Therapeutic and prognostic insights from the analysis of cancer mutational signatures. Trends in Genetics 38, 194–208. Cannataro, V.L., Mandell, J.D., Townsend, J.P., 2022. Attribution of cancer origins to endogenous, exogenous, and preventable mutational processes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39, msac084. Degasperi, A., Zou, X., Dias Amarante, T., Martinez-Martinez, A., Koh, G.C.C., Dias, J.M., Heskin, L., Chmelova, L., Rinaldi, G., Wang, V.Y.W., et al., 2022. Substitution mutational signatures in whole-genome–sequenced cancers in the UK population. Science 376, abl9283. Diaz-Gay, M., Vangara, R., Barnes, M., Wang, X., Islam, S.A., Vermes, I., Narasimman, N.B., Yang, T., Jiang, Z., Moody, S., et al., 2023. Assigning mutational signatures to individual samples and individual somatic mutations with SigProfilerAssignment. bioRxiv , 548264doi:10. 1101/2023.07.10.548264. bioRxiv 2023.07.10.548264. Gori, K., Baez-Ortega, A., 2020. sigfit: Flexible Bayesian inference of mutational signatures. bioRxiv , 372896doi:10.1101/372896. bioRxiv, 372896. Gulhan, D.C., Lee, J.J.K., Melloni, G.E., Cortes-Ciriano, I., Park, P.J., 2019. Detecting the mutational signature of homologous recombination deficiency in clinical samples. Nature Genetics 51, 912–919. Hubschmann, D., Jopp-Saile, L., Andresen, C., Kr ¨ amer, S., Gu, Z., Heilig, C.E., Kreutzfeldt, S., Teleanu, V., Fr ¨ ohling, S., Eils, R., et al., 2021. ¨ Analysis of mutational signatures with yet another package for signature analysis. Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer 60, 314–331. Islam, S.A., D´ıaz-Gay, M., Wu, Y., Barnes, M., Vangara, R., Bergstrom, E.N., He, Y., Vella, M., Wang, J., Teague, J.W., et al., 2022. Uncovering novel mutational signatures by de novo extraction with SigProfilerExtractor. Cell Genomics 2, 100179. Kim, Y.A., Leiserson, M.D., Moorjani, P., Sharan, R., Wojtowicz, D., Przytycka, T.M., 2021. Mutational signatures: From methods to mechanisms. Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science 4, 189–206. Koh, G., Degasperi, A., Zou, X., Momen, S., Nik-Zainal, S., 2021. Mutational signatures: Emerging concepts, caveats and clinical applications. Nature Reviews Cancer 21, 619–637. Li, S., 2020. sigLASSO: Optimizing cancer mutation signatures jointly with sampling likelihood. URL: https://github.com/gersteinlab/ siglasso. R package version 1.1. Li, S., Crawford, F.W., Gerstein, M.B., 2020. Using sigLASSO to optimize cancer mutation signatures jointly with sampling likelihood. Nature Communications 11, 3575. Maura, F., Degasperi, A., Nadeu, F., Leongamornlert, D., Davies, H., Moore, L., Royo, R., Ziccheddu, B., Puente, X.S., Avet-Loiseau, H., Campbell, P.J., Nik-Zainal, S., Campo, E., Munshi, N., Bolli, N., 2019. A practical guide for mutational signature analysis in hematological malignancies. Nature Communications 10, 1–12. Missa, O., Dytham, C., Morlon, H., 2016. Understanding how biodiversity unfolds through time under neutral theory. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371, 20150226. Nik-Zainal, S., Alexandrov, L.B., Wedge, D.C., Van Loo, P., Greenman, C.D., Raine, K., Jones, D., Hinton, J., Marshall, J., Stebbings, L.A., et al., 2012. Mutational processes molding the genomes of 21 breast cancers. Cell 149, 979–993. Nik-Zainal, S., Davies, H., Staaf, J., Ramakrishna, M., Glodzik, D., Zou, X., Martincorena, I., Alexandrov, L.B., Martin, S., Wedge, D.C., et al., 2016. Landscape of somatic mutations in 560 breast cancer whole-genome sequences. Nature 534, 47–54. Omichessan, H., Severi, G., Perduca, V., 2019. Computational tools to detect signatures of mutational processes in DNA from tumours: A review and empirical comparison of performance. PLoS ONE 14, e0221235. Pandey, P., Arora, S., Rosen, G.L., 2022. MetaMutationalSigs: Comparison of mutational signature refitting results made easy. Bioinformatics 38, 2344–2347. Riva, L., Pandiri, A.R., Li, Y.R., Droop, A., Hewinson, J., Quail, M.A., Iyer, V., Shepherd, R., Herbert, R.A., Campbell, P.J., et al., 2020. The mutational signature profile of known and suspected human carcinogens in mice. Nature Genetics 52, 1189–1197. Rosenthal, R., McGranahan, N., Herrero, J., Taylor, B.S., Swanton, C., 2016. DeconstructSigs: Delineating mutational processes in single tumors distinguishes DNA repair deficiencies and patterns of carcinoma evolution. Genome Biology 17, 1–11. Rustad, E.H., Nadeu, F., Angelopoulos, N., Ziccheddu, B., Bolli, N., Puente, X.S., Campo, E., Landgren, O., Maura, F., 2021. mmsig: A fitting approach to accurately identify somatic mutational signatures in hematological malignancies. Communications Biology 4, 1–12. Schumann, F., Blanc, E., Messerschmidt, C., Blankenstein, T., Busse, A., Beule, D., 2019. SigsPack, A package for cancer mutational signatures. BMC Bioinformatics 20, 1–9. Van Hoeck, A., Tjoonk, N.H., van Boxtel, R., Cuppen, E., 2019. Portrait of a cancer: Mutational signature analyses for cancer diagnostics. BMC Cancer 19, 1–14. Wang, S., Li, H., Song, M., Tao, Z., Wu, T., He, Z., Zhao, X., Wu, K., Liu, X.S., 2021. Copy number signature analysis tool and its application in prostate cancer reveals distinct mutational processes and clinical outcomes. PLoS Genetics 17, e1009557. Wu, Y., Chua, E.H.Z., Ng, A.W.T., Boot, A., Rozen, S.G., 2022. Accuracy of mutational signature software on correlated signatures. Scientific Reports 12, 1–12. This paper is available on under CC 4.0 license. Arxiv

The People We Have to Thank In Our Comparison of Tools for Fitting Mutational Signatures

This is the first entry in my 100 days of challenge. I will share the things that I learn, related to Golang or its configuration in my environment, each day for 100 days. In this post, we will discuss the basics of Go Lang and why you should learn it. It's not an in-depth guide but a high-level overview for getting started with Go Lang. Go Lang A bit of Context In April 2021, I started learning and to date, I have more than 10 projects(not all deployed) created and publicly open on . It has been a great experience so far and I am still in between an internship with a project to be created in Django. The learning process after I started blogging in June 2021 has been a different fantasy, I have been enjoying the process of writing the things I learn. So, this Spring/Summer I am creating a challenge of 100 days for learning Go Lang and documenting the process. Hopefully, this will be a useful place to learn for a beginner and more than that a place for me to reflect on in the future. Django GitHub Leaving the rant aside, let's start with the best question to answer, What is Golang? What is Golang? (officially called Go) is a programming language developed by Google. It is statically typed like C\C++, Java, Kotlin, etc, with a syntax similar to dynamic languages like Python, Js, Ruby, Lua, etc. So, Golang provides the best of both worlds, the swiftness to write code and also providing control and memory safety. Golang Go is regarded as the language of the cloud i.e. it is heavily used in the cloud infrastructure, it involves creating microservices, APIs, containerization, orchestration, and a lot of other technologies. It can be a super useful programming language for DevOps folks and people into Cloud computing. Although Go is designed for Cloud Infrastructure, that doesn't mean you can't use it elsewhere. There are a lot of fields in which Golang nicely fits. We'll discuss why you would want to learn Golang and state the domains where it can be used. Go programmers are called Gophers Why learn Golang? There are a lot of reasons for learning Go as your next programming language. Not only it is quite famous but it is significantly faster than other programming languages like Python and Javascript. It is a simple language to pick up as it is designed for modern world technologies. There is an added advantage to learning Go Lang as it is a new programming language(not as old as Python). It was open-sourced in 2012 and has gotten a great boost in the last five years as cloud companies are on the rise. 1. GO lang is simple GO lang is a simple programming language. It is quite similar to in terms of its syntax, although it also inherits characteristics from the Java/C++ paradigm. It has a single entry point program via the function similar to Java/C++ languages and is compiled into binary/executable code before running. It has the standard library that provides a lot of functionalities out of the box. It provides some quite handy tools and has support for creating web applications in the core language itself. Python main 2. GO lang is fast (Execution Speed) Though it might not be the fastest language of all time, it beats Python and Javascript significantly in the context of backend development. Go lang is a compiled language and hence it has no overhead of converting into byte code or the interpreter. Go lang also checks for unused variables, functions, identifiers, and packages, this can boost the speed of execution by a good amount additionally optimizing the memory footprint of the program. We can see, that Go lang is almost equivalent to C and C++ programming languages, though this might not be the best comparison of speed as it depends on quite a lot of factors and the context of programs. Still, Go lang has a significant edge over Java and C++ which is a great factor because of the writing complexity involved in those programming languages. 3. GO lang is fast (Writing Speed) GO language is fast, yes I get that. It is faster in terms of writing speed. If you sit down to write the same code in Java/C++ or Go, having time constraints, you will move out with Go as a winner. It is much easier to write code in Go than compared to C/C++, Java, or even Javascript. Golang prefers clear code over fast code, though it might not be as fast as Rust or C++, it is definitely much easier and quicker to write than the other counterparts. Go is designed for writing software that can scale with large codebases and teams. So it's not a surprise it is used to create cloud computing technologies like Docker, Kubernetes, and other tons of cloud-native tools. 4. GO lang is made for the modern world Go lang is the modern C Go lang is a modern language, it is not as ancient as C/C++ or Java. It is designed for Cloud-native applications which are scalable and optimized for performance meeting the needs of the modern demand for bleeding-edge technologies. It is designed by the people who created the UNIX operation, Ken Thompson. Though there were other go authors like Robert Griesemer and Rob Pike. Go lang has been designed keeping the idea of C but also considering the context of the modern world. It makes tasks like concurrency a lot simpler but it avoids dangerous and manual control of memory by not allowing pointer arithmetic. Where you can use Golang? Go land finds its use case in a lot of domains including Cloud computing, Web applications, CLI and DevOps tools, and so on. As GO is a general-purpose programming language, you can use it anywhere in the relevant fields of technology. Cloud-native applications As Golang has capabilities to execute low-level system calls efficiently, cloud-native tools can be created in Golang to improve efficiency and memory usage. As Go uses fewer resources like CPU and memory, it can optimally be used for applications that require almost no delay in the response. It also handles concurrency very well using goroutines which are way simpler to implement. All these factors contribute very well to constructing a modern cloud-native application. Golang is used in Cloud-native technologies like: - containerization technology Docker - Container Orchestration Kubernetes - Cloud Hosting Platform Google Cloud This makes Golang widely adopted and has firm grounds for the future as well. Web applications As Golang is highly efficient and fast it can be used to develop web applications. It can scale a web application very well as it is a statically typed ecosystem. It also has extensive support for integrating databases into web applications. Golang doesn't require any 3rd party integrations to create the web apps, it is developed using internal or external packages and modules. The performance of Golang is the core feature for creating web apps in it, it heavily outperforms Javascript(Node) and Python. As golang code is compiled before running, this makes a single executable depending on the operating system, this improves the performance to a great extent. So, golang should be an ideal choice for developing web applications. - Music System Webapp Soundcloud - Cab Booking/Ride Sharing App Uber - E-commerce Webappp Allergo DevOps tools A lot of DevOps tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Terraform, and Hugo are written natively in Go. Having appropriate features like simplicity, scalability, efficiency, and concurrency, Golang fits the DevOps space really well. Golang is already used in cloud-native technologies as mentioned earlier adopting it in the DevOps space is a great choice as it creates an even and supportive ecosystem. The paradigm of Java is surprisingly built-in golang as well without conversion into byte code. This is a great feature any DevOps engineer would dream of, using a single code base for multiple platforms can save a lot of time and improve productivity. Write once and Run anywhere - Monitoring system and time series database Prometheus - Platform for monitoring and observability Grafana - Building, Changing, and Versioning Infrastructure Terraform - Run Kubernetes locally Minikube - standard library for microservices Kit Who uses Golang? Golang is a widely used programming language, it is used by some of the big companies around the world. Of course, Google uses it, apart from Google, it is being used by companies like: Netflix PayPal Microsoft Dropbox Meta (facebook) Uber Twitter Twitch There are so many tools created tools using golang like the gh-cli, cockrach-db, jwt, etc. You can see a whole list of applications/tools/frameworks written in Go from this awesome list Conclusion Go lang is an excellent choice for anyone into web development, cloud-native, DevOps, and CLI tools. Being a recently developed language, Go has grown a lot faster than any other language in the programming world. After learning Python over two years, I might want to dabble into Go but not completely leave Python. Python has a great community and is widely adopted in almost all fields of development. Still, trying out new things is what keeps you in the hunt for opportunities and meeting new people. So starting from today, I will share my learning a new thing in Go lang every day for 100 days. At least that's the plan. The post might be in the form of a long post or a short TIL on the blog. Check out the GitHub repository for the 100-day challenge . If you have any queries, suggestions, or feedback please let me know in the comments or on the mentioned social handles. Thank you for reading.  Happy Coding :) here Also published . here

Kickstarting Your GoLang Journey

To a certain extent, every UX designer is a human behaviour specialist. But that does not necessarily mean that we know what other people are thinking. And it is painfully evident when it comes to communication within a team. Case in point - product owner/UX designer relations. Ever since I became a UX designer, these relations have been somewhat of a mystery to me. But what a mystery was the understanding that well-being of the whole project sort of depended on them. After all, proper communication between a product owner and a UX designer helps maintain unified vision of the product and effectively manage backlog. All of that is essential if you want to deliver a well-designed product with a potential of becoming a user-favourite. wasn’t Thanks to the many years I’ve spent working in the field, I now possess both knowledge and skills that allow me to efficiently communicate with product owners. But I don’t want to rush into sharing my surefire tips with you just yet. First, let me briefly tell you about the project I'm involved in as a designer and what my role in it. Project’s Context Currently, I work as a lead UX/UI designer of a squad in a 5-squad project. Each squad has its own product owner. Our product is evolving at an increasing rate. The design team pulls double duty - we enhance the current functionality all while developing new features for the product. So you can imagine how busy we are. There are instances when one squad’s design work crosses paths with another squad’s functionality. That’s why each squad’s designers have a neck for efficient collaboration. Despite the seemingly chaotic workflow, we manage to deliver a product that is usable, accessible, and that follows the best user-behaviour practices. And we’ve managed to achieve it through proper communication of product owners and designers. Want to reach the same level of efficiency? Then without further ado, here are the tips I believe will help you. Surefire PO/UX Designer Collaboration Tips Perform Regular Catch-Ups This might be a no-brainer, but still some will ask - how regular should they be? In the course of my current project, the product owner and myself have meetings once a week. We discuss the backlog and establish task priorities for a certain span of time, ranging from one week to a month. If other squads are working on a similar task, I might ask for a brief update on their progress. Keep in mind that during these meetings we refrain from discussing designs or any related issues in terms of future projects. These catch-ups are solely designed to make sure me and the product owner are on the same page when it comes to backlog projects and their priority. Define Design Functionality KPIs Once a design task from a PO drops, I am in charge of acquiring initial design and technical requirements. And one of the first questions that I ask is “ ?” You wouldn’t believe how much it changes the way we view the design process. Say, the primary KPI of a new feature is the engagement rate. With this in mind, a designer will come up with a page navigation solution that will walk the user through the page to their destination. In other words, knowing your design KPIs is the key to success. What are we going to base design evaluation on **Hold Inter-Team Workshops
\ I’m not exaggerating when I call workshops an absolutely necessary activity before you start working on your design. With the PO and your technical team on board for these, you’ll be able to foresee all the potential pitfalls, especially if you are working on a complex functionality. During these workshops, you can acquaint your team (devs, QAs, business analysts) with the product concept and your vision of its functionality. Consult with your team on whether what you have in mind is doable and how to deliver designs most efficiently. After all, the technical team always has their own vision that might be different from yours. So go the extra mile to learn it. Define Clear Deadlines Throughout Clearly set deadlines are a key to your product’s success. The product owner is the one who is responsible for the backlog, i.e. they decide when a certain feature should be available for your user. But setting a deadline for a feature stretches far beyond a deadline for its design. It should also include a deadline for the delivery phase as well. By the way, workshops from tip 3 work wonders in this regard. In summation, if you and your PO split your design into several phases and assign a deadline to each of them, you both will have a clearer understanding of the leeway you have. And being on the same page when it comes to deadlines will only improve your relationship and collaboration skills. Be Mindful of the Technical Side As I said before, as a designer, I am responsible for collecting technical requirements for the initial stage of designing. Knowing the technical part of the whole process helps me understand whether my vision can be realised at all and whether it can be realised within the time limit set by the PO. Granted, this process stage eats up my time, but it fills me with confidence. I call it the discovery phase - it is the time when I actively discuss the feature concept with back-end and front-end devs all while having the prototype and the feature warframes at hand. Don’t Be Afraid to Say ‘No’ to your PO This is a skill learnt with time. But the sooner you acquire it, the better. The ability to say no will save you a lot of time and headache, and not just for you, for that matter. POs can be creative. Devs might consider themselves omnipotent. But even if you as a team do something, it doesn't mean you . Try to strike a balance between the value of a specific feature for your user ( keep in mind the KPIs from tip 2), the entire product’s design consistency, and the time spent on developing a certain functionality. So if your PO has a crazy idea, and you recognise it for what it is, be polite but firm. “No”. can should Three Pillars of Success And that’s it. So if I was to condense my vast knowledge on the matter into a few words, here it is - you will have a superb product owner/UX designer relationship if you bring to it honesty, frequent communication, regular check-ups, and design decisions that are based on data and analysis. Ticking all these boxes efficiently takes time, and both the PO and the designer should contribute. That wouldn't be fair of me to say that all these tips are universal and can be applied anywhere in your job as a designer. After I've worked on projects of varying scale - from a one-designer startup to a 12-designer team - I've come to realise that sometimes universal tips aren't your best option. That is why expanding your knowledge and skills through observing your fellow designers, reading books, and taking courses will teach you to come up with solutions to any cases. But if everything fails, remember this - when it comes to PO/UX designer collaboration, it’s a bit like parenting. Instead of bickering with each other, you need to work on how to solve a problem or decide on an issue. The best tactic is to communicate. So let yourself be heard.

UX Designer & Product Owner: 6 Tips to Up Your Collaboration

isn't new, I wrote a longer (as we called them several years before) but in 2022 it reached a certain level of quality, that impressed the world. In addition the emergence of ChatGPT (GPT 3.5) and Large Language Models became part of this trend that we call “Generative AI”. Generative AI article about GANs What Techs Are Part of Generative AI? We can find several ways to categorize these technologies, but I think the easiest way to understand them is if we use output categorization: what will be the actual output of these AI models? Using this logic there are AI models for Image generation · Diffusion models Text generation · Large Language models Video generation · Large-scale Video Generation models Speech or audio generation · Diffusion models Most important applications of Generative AI I did collect the most notable AI applications, that are robust enough and they aren't using any third party services. This is my private collection, I also use the majority of these tools personally: OpenAI · GPT-4 (text to text) · LLM (2024) ChatGPT Google (text to text) · LLM (2024) Gemini (text to text) · LLM (2023) Claude.ai (text to text) · LLM (2023) PI.ai Github (text to text/code) · LLM (2023) Copilot (text to image) · Diffusion Model (2023) Dall-E 3 Pro Max (text to image) · Diffusion Model (2023) Stable Diffusion (text to image) · Diffusion Model (2022) Midjourney (text to video) · Large-scale Video Generation model (2024) OpenAI Sora (text to video) · Large-scale Video Generation model (2023) Runway (text to speech) · Voice model (2023) Lovo.ai (text to speech) · Voice model (2022) Amazon Polly What Are Prompts? Think of a prompt like asking your friend a question or telling them to do something. This can be anything from a question you want answered to a request for it to make something, like a story or a picture. The AI then tries to figure out what you're asking for and gives you back an answer or something new based on what you told it. How well you ask or tell the AI what you want can make a big difference in what you get back. What are the best Generative AI Books for Image and Text Generation? Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI for Beginners (Generative AI & Chat GPT Mastery Series Book 1), by David M. Patel (2023) David M. Patel's book is a straightforward guide that helps readers get to grips with artificial intelligence and generative AI. Patel, an Amazon bestselling author and AI consultant, aims to make complex AI concepts accessible to everyone, whether you're starting from scratch or looking to expand your professional skills. The book covers the basics of AI, including its history and main components, and explains different types of machine learning. It also introduces readers to critical AI fields such as natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics, showing how they apply in the real world. Patel's approach is to give readers the knowledge they need to use AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E 3, and MidJourney effectively, helping them boost their productivity and achieve personal or business growth. Patel focuses on generative AI, explaining what it is, how it works, and the various types that exist. He offers practical advice on how to come up with business ideas using generative AI and guides readers through building their own generative AI models. The book also covers how generative AI can be applied in areas such as copywriting, graphic design, and video editing. It raises important ethical questions about AI and predicts how generative AI will change industries like healthcare, media, and education. Patel provides a wealth of resources for readers who want to explore further, including podcasts and influencers in the AI field. Generative AI for Beginners, by Ethan James Whitfield (2023) is a book designed to simplify these complexities, making the world of Generative AI approachable for everyone. It aims to alleviate the frustration of not grasping this transformative technology, which can hinder personal and professional growth. Generative AI for Beginners The book covers the basics of Generative AI, including its principles and how it works, along with its impact across various industries. It goes beyond theory, showing how Generative AI is applied in creating art, music, and written content, and highlights the importance of ethical considerations in AI use. Tailored for absolute beginners, the book promises a clear and straightforward learning journey, fitting easily into busy schedules. It positions itself as a tool for anyone looking to understand and engage with the ongoing AI revolution, offering a pathway to new career opportunities and a deeper appreciation of how AI is reshaping our world. The Midjourney Prompt Book, by Shaheed Ullah (2024) This comprehensive guide covers the advanced knowledge of Midjourney prompts, including commands and parameters with detailed step-by-step instructions and practical tips. I found over a thousand  prompts that fit also for Stable Diffusion XL and DALL.E-3, despite being designed for Midjourney. The book, now in its 6th edition, spans 300 pages across eleven chapters. It includes a newly added chapter on Nature, Commercial, and Fashion Photography, and another dedicated to Building Consistent Characters with Midjourney, catering to both beginners and advanced users. This edition discusses the latest Midjourney's Niji models along with advanced prompts, photorealism, and niche-specific guides. What are the best Generative AI Books to Understand the Technology Behind It? Generative Deep Learning, by David Foster (2023) This book aims to equip machine learning engineers and data scientists with the skills to build cutting-edge generative AI models using TensorFlow and Keras. It starts with the fundamentals of deep learning and gradually progresses to complex architectures like VAEs, GANs, and Transformers. Through practical guidance and expert tips, you'll learn to unlock the creative potential of these models, generating images, music, text, and even solving reinforcement learning tasks. The book also delves into the future of generative AI and its potential impact on individuals and businesses. In essence, this book is a hands-on guide to building and harnessing the power of generative AI, equipping readers with the knowledge and skills to explore this exciting field. Generative AI with LangChain, by Ben Auffarth (2023) This book guides readers through the process of mastering the LangChain framework, bridging the gap between the theoretical aspects of Large Language Models (LLMs) and their practical deployment in creating applications ready for production. The book offers updated code examples on GitHub to keep readers informed about the latest in LangChain developments and includes a free PDF eBook with the purchase of the print or Kindle version. It covers how to harness the capabilities of LLMs while navigating their limitations, using the LangChain framework for various tasks such as customer support, software development help, and data analysis, showcasing the wide-ranging utility of LLMs in real-world applications. Designed for developers, researchers, and anyone keen to deepen their understanding of LLMs, the book provides a thorough exploration of generative AI fundamentals, industry trends, and the construction of responsive LLM applications. It teaches about transformer models, attention mechanisms, and how to automate data analysis with Python, offering insights into improving LLM performance and deploying these models effectively. With a basic requirement of Python knowledge and a suggestion of some machine learning background, this guide is a valuable asset for those looking to enhance their skills in the dynamic field of LLMs and LangChain, positioning them at the forefront of technological innovation. Developing Apps with GPT-4 and ChatGPT, by Olivier Caelen (2023) is a comprehensive guide aimed at Python developers interested in leveraging large language models for application development. Authored by Olivier Caelen and Marie-Alice Blete, the minibook delves into the functionalities and advantages of GPT-4 and ChatGPT, offering a clear explanation of their operations. It serves as a practical handbook, providing readers with a detailed tutorial on how to use the GPT-4 and ChatGPT Python library for a variety of tasks, including text generation, question answering, and content summarization. Developing Apps with GPT-4 and ChatGPT The authors ensure clarity and accessibility in their writing, supplementing theoretical knowledge with easy-to-follow examples, all of which are supported by Python code available in a dedicated GitHub repository. What are the best Generative AI Books to Understand the Social Impact? Generative AI for Leaders, by Amir Husain (2023) Generative AI is shaping our future, and this guidebook is here to help organizations make the most of it. Written in clear, straightforward language, covers the basics of what Generative AI is, its advantages like boosting productivity and sparking new product ideas, and the challenges it brings, including bias and security issues. It outlines steps for creating a strategy that makes an organization stand out, how to put together the right team, and when to get outside help. The book goes beyond the basics, giving a closer look at the technical side of things like word embeddings and large language models, and discusses how to spot the use of Generative AI. Generative AI for Leaders The future of Generative AI is exciting, and the book doesn't stop at theory. It offers over 75 practical ideas that leaders can start using right away to integrate Generative AI into their operations. By focusing on real-world applications and addressing both the opportunities and hurdles of Generative AI, the guide aims to prepare leaders for what's coming. It's about making informed decisions, understanding the technology, and using it to improve and innovate, ensuring organizations are ready for the future. Ai For Educators, by Danielle Austen (2024) When I first found this book I thought finally a domain specific approach for AI. Teachers are at the heart of the education system, dedicating their lives to shaping the future one student at a time. They go above and beyond to make sure every lesson resonates and every student feels valued. Despite their passion, the reality of being a teacher often means facing exhaustion from balancing lesson planning, administrative duties, grading, and endless parent-teacher meetings. Every student requires individual attention, and the desire to make a real difference sometimes comes at the cost of a teacher's well-being. It's concerning that 42% of teachers feel a high level of stress daily, which steals their time, energy, and the joy that initially drew them to this noble profession. Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a supportive ally in the educational field, offering a helping hand to teachers. It proposes a way to simplify their workload rather than complicate it. AI can handle repetitive tasks, adapt lessons to meet each student's needs without extra effort from teachers, keep student data safe, and make learning more engaging. This shift towards using AI in education can reduce the long hours teachers work and help avoid burnout. Final Thoughts on Books about Generative AI As I wrap up this exploration of the top Generative AI books, I'm struck by the pace at which the field is advancing. Each book has offered a unique perspective, from technical development to using prompts that utilizes models like GPT-4. I can't stop thinking how it will feel like using a real AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), maybe as it was described in (a visionary sci-fi). Conjunction This AI journey excitement about the possibilities that Generative AI holds for the future. The rapid evolution from early GPT models to the sophisticated diffusion models of today illustrates a trajectory of innovation that's far from plateauing. The knowledge encapsulated in these books equips us with the understanding to not only participate in this transformation but to drive it forward. As a developer, a creator, or simply an enthusiast of AI, the road ahead is rich with potential, and I'm eager to see how we'll continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with Generative AI. If you are looking for more AI related reads check my ultimate selection of (which also includes fiction books). AI books Originally appeared on Joelbooks

Top 8+ Books about Generative AI (2024) -- LLMs, GPTs, Diffusion Models

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Transductive Learning for Textual Few-Shot: Limitations, Acknowledgements, & References

Designed for developers familiar with Azure and generative AI, the guide walks you through the process of harnessing the power of the DALL-E model for image generation. Introduction The Microsoft team has recently launched an Open AI challenge, in which a developer can learn how to build Azure AI solutions and apps. Prerequisite Experience working with Azure and Azure portals. An understanding of generative AI. Experience in one high-level programming language like C# or Python Steps to Create Open AI Service on Azure with “Dall-E” model deployed. Day 1 — Azure Open AI Challenge Getting Started Considering Azure Open AI Service is running on the Azure portal and the DALL-E model is deployed successfully. Step 1: Create a Console Application To test image generation, create a console application in Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code. dotnet new console Step 2: Read the Configuration Read the configuration from the appsettings.json file IConfigurationBuilder builder = new ConfigurationBuilder().AddJsonFile("appsettings.json");
    IConfigurationRoot configuration = builder.Build();
    string? aoaiEndpoint = configuration["AzureOAIEndpoint"] ?? "";
    string? aoaiKey = configuration["AzureOAIKey"] ?? ""; Step 3: Generate Console Prompt Get the user prompt on the console ready for image generation Console.Clear();
    Console.WriteLine("Enter a prompt to request an image:");
    string prompt = Console.ReadLine() ?? ""; Step 4: Call the DALL-E model using HttpClient Finally, Call the model using the HTTP client, and retrieve the blob URL from the API response as shown below. using (var client = new HttpClient())
    {
        var contentType = new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json");
        var api = "openai/deployments/test-dall-e-3/images/generations?api-version=2024-02-15-preview";
        client.BaseAddress = new Uri(aoaiEndpoint);
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(contentType);
        client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("api-key", aoaiKey);
        var data = new
        {
            prompt = prompt,
            n = 1,
            size = "1024x1024"
        };
    
        var jsonData = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
        var contentData = new StringContent(jsonData, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
        var response = await client.PostAsync(api, contentData);
    
        // Get the revised prompt and image URL from the response
        var stringResponse = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
        JsonNode contentNode = JsonNode.Parse(stringResponse)!;
        JsonNode dataCollectionNode = contentNode!["data"];
        JsonNode dataNode = dataCollectionNode[0]!;
        JsonNode revisedPrompt = dataNode!["revised_prompt"];
        JsonNode url = dataNode!["url"];
        Console.WriteLine(revisedPrompt.ToJsonString());
        Console.WriteLine(url.ToJsonString().Replace(@"\u0026", "&"));
    
    } Test Run 1 Now, add the following prompt to the console window. aliens in Punjabi attire The console application will generate the following response and the user has to open the Blob URL in any browser. "A fascinating scene showing a group of extraterrestrial creatures donning traditional Punjabi attire. The aliens each have their own unique physical characteristics, yet their outfits are distinctively Punjabi. Imagine elaborate turbans, vibrant salwar kameez, and sparkling bangles. To put an interesting spin on the scene, some of the aliens are participating in traditional Punjabi activities like performing bhangra and carrying a jug of lassi. The background is a typical Punjabi village with interesting architectural features that seem to blend into an alien landscape."
    "<URL will be here>" Output Test Run 2 Now, add the following prompt to the console window. a cartoon character playing circket in the football field The console application will generate the following response and the user has to open the Blob URL in any browser. "A cartoon character with spiky blue hair and emerald green eyes, wearing a traditional cricket uniform consisting of a white shirt, trousers, and a red cricket cap. This character is striking a cricket ball with a willow bat in the middle of a vast, well-maintained football field. The field is vibrant green and has white line markings, with two goal posts at each end. The sky above is a cheerful cerulean with a few fluffy cumulus clouds scattered about."
    "<URL will be here>" Output Complete Code Please find below the complete code in the Program.cs file. using System.Net.Http.Headers;
    using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
    using System.Text.Json;
    using System.Text;
    using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
    
    try
    {
        // Get config settings from AppSettings
        IConfigurationBuilder builder = new ConfigurationBuilder().AddJsonFile("appsettings.json");
        IConfigurationRoot configuration = builder.Build();
        string? aoaiEndpoint = configuration["AzureOAIEndpoint"] ?? "";
        string? aoaiKey = configuration["AzureOAIKey"] ?? "";
    
        // Get prompt for image to be generated
        Console.Clear();
        Console.WriteLine("Enter a prompt to request an image:");
        string prompt = Console.ReadLine() ?? "";
    
        // Call the DALL-E model
        using (var client = new HttpClient())
        {
            var contentType = new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json");
            var api = "openai/deployments/test-dall-e-3/images/generations?api-version=2024-02-15-preview";
            client.BaseAddress = new Uri(aoaiEndpoint);
            client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(contentType);
            client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("api-key", aoaiKey);
            var data = new
            {
                prompt = prompt,
                n = 1,
                size = "1024x1024"
            };
    
            var jsonData = JsonSerializer.Serialize(data);
            var contentData = new StringContent(jsonData, Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
            var response = await client.PostAsync(api, contentData);
    
            // Get the revised prompt and image URL from the response
            var stringResponse = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
            JsonNode contentNode = JsonNode.Parse(stringResponse)!;
            JsonNode dataCollectionNode = contentNode!["data"];
            JsonNode dataNode = dataCollectionNode[0]!;
            JsonNode revisedPrompt = dataNode!["revised_prompt"];
            JsonNode url = dataNode!["url"];
            Console.WriteLine(revisedPrompt.ToJsonString());
            Console.WriteLine(url.ToJsonString().Replace(@"\u0026", "&"));
    
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(ex.Message);
    } Complete Code on GitHub Make sure to give it a star on GitHub and provide feedback on how to improve the tool further..!! AzureOpenAI/samples/Azure.OpenAI.ImageGenerationExamples at main · ssukhpinder/AzureOpenAI C# Programming🚀 Thank you for being a part of the C# community! Before you leave: If you’ve made it this far, please show your appreciation with a clap and follow the author! 👏️️ Follow us: | | | | | X LinkedIn Dev.to Hashnode Newsletter Tumblr Visit our other platforms: | | | | GitHub Instagram Tiktok Quora Daily.dev Also published here

Taking the Azure Open AI Challenge: Image Generation - Day 2

1. DALL-E DALL-E is a groundbreaking AI model developed by OpenAI that generates images from textual descriptions. This model was named after the famous surrealist artist Salvador Dali and the popular animated robot character Wall-E. DALL-E is based on GPT-3, which is an advanced language model that can understand and generate human-like text. DALL-E is trained on a massive dataset of images and text, allowing it to generate a wide range of objects, animals, and scenes based on textual prompts. DALL-E is capable of creating unique and unusual objects that are not typically found in the real world. For example, it can create an armchair in the shape of an avocado or a snail made of harp strings. It is also capable of creating complex and abstract scenes such as a sunset over a rocky coastline with a house in the background. The images generated by DALL-E are highly detailed and realistic, with accurate lighting, shadows, and textures. 2. DALL-E 2 DALL-E 2 is the improved version of DALL-E, also developed by OpenAI. This model is capable of generating even more complex and detailed images than its predecessor. It uses a more advanced architecture that allows it to generate 3D objects and scenes with greater accuracy and detail. DALL-E 2 is capable of generating highly realistic and detailed images of scenes that are not typically found in the real world. For example, it can create a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, and sink, all made of ice, or a coral reef made of crystal. The images generated by DALL-E 2 are incredibly detailed and vivid, with accurate lighting, shadows, and textures. 3. Dream Dream is an AI model developed by Google that generates surreal, dream-like images by “hallucinating” patterns and shapes onto existing images. This model is based on a process called deep dreaming, which involves using a neural network to identify patterns and shapes in an image and then enhancing those patterns to create a unique and surreal image. Dream is capable of generating images that are highly abstract and surreal, with intricate and complex patterns that are not typically found in the real world. For example, it can create an image of a jellyfish with intricate patterns and colors that are not typically found in real-life jellyfish. The images generated by Dream are highly detailed and vivid, with intricate patterns and colors. 4. Stable Diffusion Stable Diffusion is an AI model developed by a team of researchers from Nvidia that generates high-quality, realistic images by iteratively refining a random noise vector. This model uses a process called diffusion to generate images, which involves slowly diffusing a noise vector through a neural network. Each diffusion step gradually refines the image until a high-quality, realistic image is produced. Stable Difussion is capable of generating highly realistic and detailed images of objects and scenes that are not typically found in the real world. For example, it can create an image of a unicorn in a forest with intricate details and textures. The images generated by Stable Diffusion are highly realistic, with accurate lighting, shadows, and textures. 5. Midjourney Midjourney is an AI model developed by a team of researchers from Facebook AI Research that generates high-quality, realistic images of faces by interpolating between existing faces. This model uses a process called style interpolation, which involves blending the styles of two or more faces to create a new face that combines their features. Midjourney is capable of generating highly realistic and detailed images of faces that are not typically found in the real world. For example, it can create an image of a face that combines the features of two different people, resulting in a unique and realistic face. The images generated by Midjourney are highly realistic, with accurate facial features, lighting, and textures. In conclusion, these AI models represent some of the most advanced and groundbreaking technologies in the field of image generation. Each model has its unique approach and strengths, allowing them to generate a wide range of images with varying levels of realism and surrealism. These models have the potential to revolutionize the way we create and view images, opening up new possibilities for artists, designers, and creators across a variety of fields. Also published here

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