DeZy

dezy

With recent events that were kicked off by a bank run on Anchor Protocol, a yielding platform on the Terra blockchain - there is a general narrative of centralized finance (CeFi) becoming a dirty word. In the current climate, this is understandable with one titan after another hitting the ground, making contagion trend as a topic on Twitter. There isn’t much complexity as to why we’ve seen centralized finance providers struggle with insolvency over the last few months. There was clear mismanagement of risks, stemming from pure god complex degeneracy and resulting in a complete lack of transparency with users as to how their money was being used to generate the high yields promised at the height of the bull market. Balancing lending and borrowing terms would be at the heart of a risk-mitigated business, regulated by responsible governments you would think. Well, dear reader, you and I thought wrong. Finance likes to make things look confusing so you think you don’t understand it. If you don’t understand it, more often than not - it doesn’t actually make sense. Is There Still a Place for Centralized Finance Service Providers? The tide went back and we really got to see who was swimming naked. This does not negate the need for centralized finance providers, who provide accessible entry points for users into cryptocurrency asset classes. It instead creates an environment where we as an industry need to work together to redefine standards for centralized service providers. Here are some categories of focus: Real-time transparency with fund activity One of the biggest takeaways Voyager, Celsius, and other centralized finance providers who have had to pause withdrawals so as to both legally and financially restructure in an attempt to make their customers whole… have shown how degenerate the behavior of regulated entities can be. A license by a regulator simply means that the entity is required to provide financial documents to be audited upon request by the regulator. In a world of public blockchains and on-chain analysis tools developed to where they are, and at the pace that the industry moves, it is ridiculous to review data in anything other than real-time. Whether this initiative is driven by regulators, or adopted as a standard by industry players - the use of on-chain data to help end-users understand their risks will greatly help in rebuilding trust and credibility within the cryptocurrency industry. Clear communication of risks One of the clear takeaways from the now tattered trust of users of centralized finance providers is - people feel like they’ve been lied to. Do we continue to list disclaimers at the bottom of pages as a compliance tick-off? Or do we really reconsider the way in which these elements play into how both websites and products are designed? Disclosures, terms and conditions, and disclaimers should no longer be secondary considerations from a marketing and communications standpoint. Ethical use of the media How does a person new to the industry navigate this cesspool of misinformation? One of the unspoken secrets of the cryptocurrency industry is the pay-for-pump variety of strategies that exist. Everything from events and influencer bundles through to smorgasbords of press lists is available - for a pretty penny. We need to create clearer standards of disclosures for influencers and the press and hold them to these standards. Projects should have internal governance mechanisms which prevent collaboration with bad actors within the media sphere. Call me naive, I say more detailed requirements for sponsored content. Educate, not Evangelize We need commonly adopted industry standards that protect end-users and contribute to creating stable and reliable rails for the future. As the cryptocurrency industry matures, and governments are considering CBDCs as serious parts of their strategy - crypto needs to outgrow its cultlike maximalism that will continue to hold the industry on the fringes. Disclosures Sharmini Ravindran is the co-founder of . Dezy is a savings application that bundles decentralized finance primitives to offer risk mitigated returns for their users. Dezy

CeFi Must Be Done Right

What Do Product Managers Do? I get this question several times. From aspiring Product Managers, professionals who want to make a move to product management, students, friends, and even my mom (as she struggles to explain to others what her daughter does). As glorified as it may sound, and as most definitions would describe a Product Manager as being the ‘CEO of the product!’, I think it is the most misunderstood interpretation of the level of direct authority this role possesses. Of course, as a PM, you get to shape the product vision and strategy to drive it toward success, but as they say, it takes a village, and as I like to put it, a product manager is like a shepherd, who will drive the herd toward taking products to greener pastures. And although the role varies in different organizations, In simple terms, A product manager helps develop product strategy, partners with executives/stakeholders on how to deliver and take it to market and manages people/resources to execute on that vision. I can understand why it has taken so long for people to get familiar with this new role, as the title ‘Product Manager’ did not exist until perhaps a decade ago. It is basically a ‘jack of all trades’ kind of a role, which varies according to the company size, the user audience, the industry, and the stage at which the product is in its lifecycle. More than the roles and responsibilities, I would like to elaborate on some of the core competencies that a PM possesses and skills he or she applies, in their day-to-day jobs. Core Competencies for a PM These are the skills that differentiate a good PM from a stellar PM: Ability to Define a Vision: Any product starts with setting a vision, that is in line with the overall vision for the company. A mission statement about what you want your product to be. A product manager sets the direction for where the product is going and what it will deliver in the future. For example, Google’s vision is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Slack’s product vision is “transforming work, building better communication, and creating greater transparency.” This is not simply a tagline or a marketing statement; it is a culture that every person working at these companies abides by. Setting a strategic vision requires a solid understanding of the business, the company goals, and the customer’s needs. Understanding Product-Market Fit: This is one of the most critical pieces in terms of knowledge areas for a PM, as it involves understanding the market, defining the problem statement, and then building a product that solves this problem. ‘Achieving product-market fit’ from the beginning and iterating on it throughout the product development process is key to being a successful product manager. Business Modeling: While the vision tells you why the product should be made, the business case tells you how the product will create value, monetize on that value, and be a sustainable growing business. For this, a PM sets short-term and long-term goals, defines the growth path, and the revenue streams, and identifies the resources to achieve the product vision. I like Alex Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas as a template to put together some of these details. Experimentation and Hypothesis Testing: You must have heard of taking a ‘data-driven approach’ to making decisions. Well, there is no dearth today of tools and mechanisms for product managers to gather data and feedback. The main issue is to sift through this data and identify the metrics that really matter. One of the skills of a PM is to frame a hypothesis for a particular observation, run experiments to test the hypothesis, and then effectively measure the outcome by deriving KPIs that objectively validate the assumptions and will eventually help drive decisions. Taking the example of Slack in their early days, they were trying to prove its utility to users. One of the hypotheses was ‘eliminating the use of email’. The team started asking prospective clients to spend an entire day without email, only using Slack for all communications. The experiment was a success and the Slack team was able to demonstrate how effective the tool was in breaking people away from their email and enabling productivity. Prioritization Ask any PM what is that one competency that he or she is forever trying to master, and the answer most often will be prioritization skills! You have a great set of ideas and requests gathered from users, sales, product support, developers, etc. Evaluating these against the right set of criteria to know what to work on first, is according to me the most important skill that needs to be developed and honed over time. There are many prioritization frameworks and techniques, including the RICE method, ICE scoring, and the KANO method, to name a few. As a good prioritization example, Slack focused on a few things that were most important to their product vision: Search: The team knew that users needed to not worry about labeling and storing documents and had to focus their roadmap to build this capability, one that Gmail and Google, had set high standards for. Synchronization: The problem with every other enterprise productivity tool was the need for the user to be able to pick up from where he left off after switching devices. This is what became one of Slack’s biggest differentiators. Simple file-sharing: Slack wanted to make it super easy to drag-drop files and paste images which was in line with its focus on building an intuitive UI.
Although these features may seem rudimentary, Slack identified and prioritized these, as an attempt to build something that would be an important change for the audience who were used to cumbersome experiences through other competitive tools. Design Thinking A PM typically works very closely with a product designer to ensure the features presented to the user, serve the functionality in the way they are designed for. In order to design experiences and user interfaces, a PM should have a thorough understanding of the user journey and how users will consume the product capabilities. As a good resource, I found the Lean UX helpful in sharing techniques to incorporate design into agile product development. Metrics and Measurement More often than not, PMs are faced with the challenge of weighing the information assimilated from a variety of sources in order to make product decisions. As you build your hypothesis and begin to test, you will need to understand the opportunities for feedback, what to measure, and how to measure. Being proficient in these metrics measurement methodologies is a core skill to develop as a PM. This includes qualitative testing (e.g., usability testing or session monitoring) or quantitative (traffic analysis or user engagement tracking). There are also other forms of comparative measurement such as A/B testing, multi-variate testing, etc. Sticking to the same example of Slack, when they were tackling their next set of goals, performed a bunch of qualitative interviews with their largest accounts to test the hypothesis that they weren’t serving those larger teams as well as they could. Some of the questions asked were — How do you use Slack? Who uses it within the organization? What do they use it for? What other tools do you use, and how does Slack fit into that? Using the feedback gathered, Slack then made several changes to its feature set for larger teams (e.g., creating a different set of default notifications to avoid ping fatigue) Besides these core skills, there are other personal or as I call them, fundamental proficiencies that truly differentiate a good PM from an expert, seasoned product person. These include leadership, planning, cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder management, and relationship building which are as vital to becoming a successful product manager as the core competencies covered above. What Do Product Managers Do? I get this question several times. From aspiring Product Managers, professionals who want to make a move to product management, students, friends, and even my mom (as she struggles to explain to others what her daughter does). As glorified as it may sound, and as most definitions would describe a Product Manager as being the ‘CEO of the product!’, I think it is the most misunderstood interpretation of the level of direct authority this role possesses. Of course, as a PM, you get to shape the product vision and strategy to drive it toward success, but as they say, it takes a village, and as I like to put it, a product manager is like a shepherd, who will drive the herd toward taking products to greener pastures. And although the role varies in different organizations, In simple terms, A product manager helps develop product strategy, partners with executives/stakeholders on how to deliver and take it to market and manages people/resources to execute on that vision. A product manager helps develop product strategy, partners with executives/stakeholders on how to deliver and take it to market and manages people/resources to execute on that vision. I can understand why it has taken so long for people to get familiar with this new role, as the title ‘Product Manager’ did not exist until perhaps a decade ago. It is basically a ‘jack of all trades’ kind of a role, which varies according to the company size, the user audience, the industry, and the stage at which the product is in its lifecycle. More than the roles and responsibilities, I would like to elaborate on some of the core competencies that a PM possesses and skills he or she applies, in their day-to-day jobs. Core Competencies for a PM These are the skills that differentiate a good PM from a stellar PM: Ability to Define a Vision: Ability to Define a Vision: Any product starts with setting a vision, that is in line with the overall vision for the company. A mission statement about what you want your product to be. A product manager sets the direction for where the product is going and what it will deliver in the future. For example, Google’s vision is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Slack’s product vision is “transforming work, building better communication, and creating greater transparency.” This is not simply a tagline or a marketing statement; it is a culture that every person working at these companies abides by. Setting a strategic vision requires a solid understanding of the business, the company goals, and the customer’s needs. Understanding Product-Market Fit : Understanding Product-Market Fit This is one of the most critical pieces in terms of knowledge areas for a PM, as it involves understanding the market, defining the problem statement, and then building a product that solves this problem. ‘Achieving product-market fit’ from the beginning and iterating on it throughout the product development process is key to being a successful product manager. Business Modeling : Business Modeling While the vision tells you why the product should be made, the business case tells you how the product will create value, monetize on that value, and be a sustainable growing business. For this, a PM sets short-term and long-term goals, defines the growth path, and the revenue streams, and identifies the resources to achieve the product vision. I like Alex Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas as a template to put together some of these details. Business Model Canvas Experimentation and Hypothesis Testing: Experimentation and Hypothesis Testing: You must have heard of taking a ‘data-driven approach’ to making decisions. Well, there is no dearth today of tools and mechanisms for product managers to gather data and feedback. The main issue is to sift through this data and identify the metrics that really matter. One of the skills of a PM is to frame a hypothesis for a particular observation, run experiments to test the hypothesis, and then effectively measure the outcome by deriving KPIs that objectively validate the assumptions and will eventually help drive decisions. Taking the example of Slack in their early days, they were trying to prove its utility to users. One of the hypotheses was ‘eliminating the use of email’. The team started asking prospective clients to spend an entire day without email, only using Slack for all communications. The experiment was a success and the Slack team was able to demonstrate how effective the tool was in breaking people away from their email and enabling productivity. Prioritization Prioritization Ask any PM what is that one competency that he or she is forever trying to master, and the answer most often will be prioritization skills! You have a great set of ideas and requests gathered from users, sales, product support, developers, etc. Evaluating these against the right set of criteria to know what to work on first, is according to me the most important skill that needs to be developed and honed over time. There are many prioritization frameworks and techniques, including the RICE method , ICE scoring , and the KANO method , to name a few. RICE method ICE scoring KANO method As a good prioritization example, Slack focused on a few things that were most important to their product vision: Search: The team knew that users needed to not worry about labeling and storing documents and had to focus their roadmap to build this capability, one that Gmail and Google, had set high standards for. Search: The team knew that users needed to not worry about labeling and storing documents and had to focus their roadmap to build this capability, one that Gmail and Google, had set high standards for. Search: Synchronization: The problem with every other enterprise productivity tool was the need for the user to be able to pick up from where he left off after switching devices. This is what became one of Slack’s biggest differentiators. Synchronization: The problem with every other enterprise productivity tool was the need for the user to be able to pick up from where he left off after switching devices. This is what became one of Slack’s biggest differentiators. Synchronization: Simple file-sharing: Slack wanted to make it super easy to drag-drop files and paste images which was in line with its focus on building an intuitive UI.
Although these features may seem rudimentary, Slack identified and prioritized these, as an attempt to build something that would be an important change for the audience who were used to cumbersome experiences through other competitive tools. Simple file-sharing: Slack wanted to make it super easy to drag-drop files and paste images which was in line with its focus on building an intuitive UI. Although these features may seem rudimentary, Slack identified and prioritized these, as an attempt to build something that would be an important change for the audience who were used to cumbersome experiences through other competitive tools. Simple file-sharing: Slack wanted to make it super easy to drag-drop files and paste images which was in line with its focus on building an intuitive UI. Simple file-sharing: Although these features may seem rudimentary, Slack identified and prioritized these, as an attempt to build something that would be an important change for the audience who were used to cumbersome experiences through other competitive tools. Design Thinking Design Thinking A PM typically works very closely with a product designer to ensure the features presented to the user, serve the functionality in the way they are designed for. In order to design experiences and user interfaces, a PM should have a thorough understanding of the user journey and how users will consume the product capabilities. As a good resource, I found the Lean UX helpful in sharing techniques to incorporate design into agile product development. Metrics and Measurement Metrics and Measurement More often than not, PMs are faced with the challenge of weighing the information assimilated from a variety of sources in order to make product decisions. As you build your hypothesis and begin to test, you will need to understand the opportunities for feedback, what to measure, and how to measure. Being proficient in these metrics measurement methodologies is a core skill to develop as a PM. This includes qualitative testing (e.g., usability testing or session monitoring) or quantitative (traffic analysis or user engagement tracking). There are also other forms of comparative measurement such as A/B testing, multi-variate testing, etc. Sticking to the same example of Slack, when they were tackling their next set of goals, performed a bunch of qualitative interviews with their largest accounts to test the hypothesis that they weren’t serving those larger teams as well as they could. Some of the questions asked were — How do you use Slack? Who uses it within the organization? What do they use it for? What other tools do you use, and how does Slack fit into that? Using the feedback gathered, Slack then made several changes to its feature set for larger teams (e.g., creating a different set of default notifications to avoid ping fatigue) Besides these core skills, there are other personal or as I call them, fundamental proficiencies that truly differentiate a good PM from an expert, seasoned product person. These include leadership, planning, cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder management, and relationship building which are as vital to becoming a successful product manager as the core competencies covered above.

Demystifying the Role of a Product Manager: Beyond the 'CEO of the Product' Perception

If you haven’t read The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1), it delves into the challenges I faced as a digital nomad — the lack of stability, absence of community, and the constant stress and fatigue. A key takeaway is my suggestion that “digital homeless” might be a more fitting term for digital nomads. I end by comparing today’s nomads to historical figures like Mountain Hermits and Monastic Wanderers, who also led lives of solitude and self-reliance. Read <Part 1> The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Adventure, Finding What? on Hackernoon! [Click Here.] <Part 2> The common thread that ties digital nomads, Christian monks, and Buddhist monks together is that they all leave their hometowns in pursuit of greater enlightenment and growth. For someone like my parents, watching their daughter constantly pursue challenges can be concerning. Yet, traveling as a digital nomad has been incredibly meaningful for self-discovery and personal growth. Before beginning this journey, I struggled with anxiety rooted in self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. One unexpected advantage of having to work full-time while traveling is that you don’t really have the leisure to get swept up in all the local tourist attractions. Instead, you find small joys in visiting cafes where you can quietly observe locals while working, or by changing neighborhoods for an evening stroll each day to experience subtle differences in scenery. Contrary to the high-pitched dialogue often heard in Japanese anime, residential neighborhoods in Tokyo are always astonishingly quiet. In Siem Reap, children rummage through trash cans in search of necessities just a few kilometers away from one of the largest and most impressive religious monuments. In Asia’s most liberal city, Bangkok, located in the only country to have legalized cannabis, a less hipster and more capitalistic, and self-conscious scene can be observed, with people waiting their turn at beauty clinics as late as 9 PM. Meanwhile, in Bali, locals begin and end their day with religious rituals, with every store and accommodation advertising their fast Wi-Fi speeds. In Philadelphia, some cafes do not provide Wi-Fi or even allow laptop use, yet still manage to thrive. Seeing such differences in real-life cultures all over the world leads to the questioning of how much of who I am was shaped by the culture and environment I grew up in, this journey becomes a time of introspection. Traveling is the culture and community that shaped a significant part of my identity disappearing right before my eyes. I start asking myself, “Who am I without my culture?” and “What are my fundamental traits?” And from city to the next, the answers to these questions about myself slowly unveil. Who am I without my culture? There’s a unique liberation that comes with exploring “me” in a foreign country. Here, everyone sheds their familiar identity and becomes a foreigner, free from their usual roles and expectations. The term “foreigner” means “a person who does not belong to a particular group or community.” You’re not the hometown girl, recognized by her daily iced black coffee, or the guy who’s known for his DIY car washes since he moved in last year. Instead, you’re simply you, stripped down to the essentials, unbound by the routines and labels from home. One of the greatest advantages of traveling to many places is adopting the mindset of “I am a foreigner anyway.” This mentality of inherently “being different” is freeing. Although we are always unique individuals, experiencing multiple cultures and their contrasts makes this truth resonate deeply. Realizing that no two communities are identical and that we don’t need to conform to any single one allows us to uncover our true nature and personality. As innate social animals, we’ve grown accustomed to communal life over thousands of years. In Eastern cultures, where communal living is especially valued, we sometimes overlook a key fact: communities are composed of individuals, each with unique traits. Often, we subconsciously prioritize the identity of the community over our own, hesitating to adopt beliefs or behaviors that set us apart. As a foreigner passing through an area briefly, it’s rare to get much attention from locals, apart from the enthusiastic promotions of bar promoters. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This is entirely different from wearing a bikini on the streets in Southeast Asia after wearing Confucian-style clothing in your home country. The initial adventurous spirit of arriving in a new place fades, and it’s in the period when you’ve grown somewhat familiar with the place but still don’t belong to the community that you start to see your authentic self emerge. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. Language barrier was surprisingly not much of a discomfort, but a factor that helped with self-discovery. How much do the words and sounds we hear around us everyday influence our thoughts? Even last weekend, while hiking in the utter peace of nature, I passed by a group discussing the housing prices of Seoul. Under the clear sky, their conversation made blurred my future into darkness. Koreans, as a whole, seem particularly focused on wealth and the economy, with a strong drive toward accumulating wealth. Since my only financial planning involves saving whatever is left after impulsively spending my salary, hearing these conversations makes me feel on the verge of a panic attack. Additionally, I’m often greeted by a YouTube ad playing the moment I get in although I pay for each ride. Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind In this day and age, exposure to materialistic and consumerist attitudes and media isn’t an experience exclusive to my home country. However, in a foreign country, all advertisements and other people’s conversations just come across as noise, so even if I was exposed to them, I wasn’t really impacted by them. Of course, just because I can’t understand the language around me doesn’t mean that the influence of the culture I’ve lived in for decades simply disappears. Even in the laid-back atmosphere of Southeast Asia, I still found myself prioritizing efficiency and speed — like a true Korean. But when the surrounding noise faded, I began to hear an authentic voice within me — a voice I couldn’t hear as clearly back in Korea. It was the desire to pursue art and creative work, so I began writing again. Traveling to different places felt almost like being free of a past, and therefore your age. Perhaps it’s because, as a foreigner, you’re somewhat invisible, not part of that community’s recorded history — only by staying long enough, by becoming a familiar face, might you start to leave a mark. Or maybe it’s because the places woven into the history of my life are out of sight, and all I see is ‘new’ around me. Anyways, with the emergence of the unique voice inside me, I also stopped feeling so self-conscious of my age. The self-doubt that normally would have risen with the emergence of my authentic voice subdued in the seeming absence of the history it was born from. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. I’ll tell you guys everything about it in Part 3, next week.. Thanks for reading If you haven’t read The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1) , it delves into the challenges I faced as a digital nomad — the lack of stability, absence of community, and the constant stress and fatigue. A key takeaway is my suggestion that “digital homeless” might be a more fitting term for digital nomads. I end by comparing today’s nomads to historical figures like Mountain Hermits and Monastic Wanderers, who also led lives of solitude and self-reliance. The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Highs, Finding What? (Part 1) Read <Part 1> The Reality of Digital Nomads: Chasing Adventure, Finding What? on Hackernoon! [ Click Here .] Click Here <Part 2> The common thread that ties digital nomads, Christian monks, and Buddhist monks together is that they all leave their hometowns in pursuit of greater enlightenment and growth. For someone like my parents, watching their daughter constantly pursue challenges can be concerning. Yet, traveling as a digital nomad has been incredibly meaningful for self-discovery and personal growth . Before beginning this journey, I struggled with anxiety rooted in self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. self-discovery personal growth anxiety self-consciousness. I was the type of girl who loved popcorn but would skip it when at the theater alone, worried about what strangers might think if they saw me in line by myself. I’d even wait until the theater emptied out to shyly grab a bag on my way out. One unexpected advantage of having to work full-time while traveling is that you don’t really have the leisure to get swept up in all the local tourist attractions. Instead, you find small joys in visiting cafes where you can quietly observe locals while working, or by changing neighborhoods for an evening stroll each day to experience subtle differences in scenery. Contrary to the high-pitched dialogue often heard in Japanese anime, residential neighborhoods in Tokyo are always astonishingly quiet. In Siem Reap , children rummage through trash cans in search of necessities just a few kilometers away from one of the largest and most impressive religious monuments. In Asia’s most liberal city, Bangkok , located in the only country to have legalized cannabis, a less hipster and more capitalistic, and self-conscious scene can be observed, with people waiting their turn at beauty clinics as late as 9 PM. Meanwhile, in Bali , locals begin and end their day with religious rituals, with every store and accommodation advertising their fast Wi-Fi speeds. In Philadelphia , some cafes do not provide Wi-Fi or even allow laptop use, yet still manage to thrive. visiting cafes evening stroll Tokyo Siem Reap Bangkok Bali Philadelphia Seeing such differences in real-life cultures all over the world leads to the questioning of how much of who I am was shaped by the culture and environment I grew up in, this journey becomes a time of introspection. Traveling is the culture and community that shaped a significant part of my identity disappearing right before my eyes. I start asking myself, “Who am I without my culture?” and “What are my fundamental traits? ” And from city to the next, the answers to these questions about myself slowly unveil. “Who am I without my culture?” “What are my fundamental traits? Who am I without my culture? Who am I without my culture? Who am I without my culture? There’s a unique liberation that comes with exploring “me” in a foreign country. Here, everyone sheds their familiar identity and becomes a foreigner, free from their usual roles and expectations. The term “foreigner” means “a person who does not belong to a particular group or community.” You’re not the hometown girl, recognized by her daily iced black coffee, or the guy who’s known for his DIY car washes since he moved in last year. Instead, you’re simply you, stripped down to the essentials, unbound by the routines and labels from home. foreigner, you, One of the greatest advantages of traveling to many places is adopting the mindset of “I am a foreigner anyway.” This mentality of inherently “ being different” is freeing. Although we are always unique individuals, experiencing multiple cultures and their contrasts makes this truth resonate deeply. Realizing that no two communities are identical and that we don’t need to conform to any single one allows us to uncover our true nature and personality. being different” multiple cultures and their contrasts As innate social animals, we’ve grown accustomed to communal life over thousands of years. In Eastern cultures, where communal living is especially valued, we sometimes overlook a key fact: communities are composed of individuals, each with unique traits. Often, we subconsciously prioritize the identity of the community over our own, hesitating to adopt beliefs or behaviors that set us apart. As a foreigner passing through an area briefly, it’s rare to get much attention from locals, apart from the enthusiastic promotions of bar promoters. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This freedom of not being seen, to simply blend into the background, is liberating and accelerates your self-discovery by giving you more space to allow yourself to be who you are. This is entirely different from wearing a bikini on the streets in Southeast Asia after wearing Confucian-style clothing in your home country. The initial adventurous spirit of arriving in a new place fades, and it’s in the period when you’ve grown somewhat familiar with the place but still don’t belong to the community that you start to see your authentic self emerge. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. In various cities across the world, I encountered my intrinsic kindness. Even when I didn’t care about how I might be seen to others, and was under a massive amount of stress, I remained kind to others. My shyness was replaced with lengthy conversations with cab drivers. This new found self became a source of strength and uplifted me in ways I hadn’t expected. Language barrier was surprisingly not much of a discomfort, but a factor that helped with self-discovery. How much do the words and sounds we hear around us everyday influence our thoughts? Even last weekend, while hiking in the utter peace of nature, I passed by a group discussing the housing prices of Seoul. Under the clear sky, their conversation made blurred my future into darkness. Koreans, as a whole, seem particularly focused on wealth and the economy, with a strong drive toward accumulating wealth. Since my only financial planning involves saving whatever is left after impulsively spending my salary, hearing these conversations makes me feel on the verge of a panic attack. Additionally, I’m often greeted by a YouTube ad playing the moment I get in although I pay for each ride. Language barrier Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind Just how much do the words and sounds around us in daily life influence our state of mind In this day and age, exposure to materialistic and consumerist attitudes and media isn’t an experience exclusive to my home country. However, in a foreign country, all advertisements and other people’s conversations just come across as noise, so even if I was exposed to them, I wasn’t really impacted by them. Of course, just because I can’t understand the language around me doesn’t mean that the influence of the culture I’ve lived in for decades simply disappears. Even in the laid-back atmosphere of Southeast Asia, I still found myself prioritizing efficiency and speed — like a true Korean. But when the surrounding noise faded, I began to hear an authentic voice within me — a voice I couldn’t hear as clearly back in Korea. It was the desire to pursue art and creative work, so I began writing again. authentic voice within me Traveling to different places felt almost like being free of a past, and therefore your age. Perhaps it’s because, as a foreigner, you’re somewhat invisible, not part of that community’s recorded history — only by staying long enough, by becoming a familiar face, might you start to leave a mark. Or maybe it’s because the places woven into the history of my life are out of sight, and all I see is ‘new’ around me. Anyways, with the emergence of the unique voice inside me, I also stopped feeling so self-conscious of my age. The self-doubt that normally would have risen with the emergence of my authentic voice subdued in the seeming absence of the history it was born from. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. But the best part of being a digital nomad didn’t strike me until it was over.. I’ll tell you guys everything about it in Part 3, next week.. Thanks for reading

The Reality of Digital Nomads: Defying Sight and Sound

<Deel 2> Die realiteit van digitale nomades: trotseer sig en klank

<Част 2> Реалността на дигиталните номади: противопоставяне на зрението и звука

<পর্ব 2> ডিজিটাল যাযাবরের বাস্তবতা: দৃষ্টি ও শব্দকে অস্বীকার করা

<Parte 2> La realidad de los nómadas digitales: desafiando la vista y el oído

<Drugi dio> Stvarnost digitalnih nomada: prkoseći vidu i zvuku

<第2部> デジタル遊牧民の現実：視覚と聴覚を無視

<2-бөлүк> Санариптик көчмөндөрдүн чындыгы: Көрүү жана үнгө каршы

<2 dalis> Skaitmeninių klajoklių realybė: nepaisyti vaizdo ir garso

<Część 2> Rzeczywistość cyfrowych nomadów: rzucanie wyzwania wzrokowi i słuchowi

<Chikamu 2> Chokwadi cheDigital Nomads: Kuzvidza Kuona uye Kunzwika

<Частина 2> Реальність цифрових кочівників: заперечення зору та звуку

<پارٹ 2> ڈیجیٹل خانہ بدوشوں کی حقیقت: نظر اور آواز کی مخالفت

Are you drowning in a sea of data and complex templates? Whether you’re a coding wizard or just dipping your toes into the tech world, this guide is your lifeline to simpler, more efficient data handling. Get ready as we unravel the mysteries behind JSON, YAML, and Jinja — the unsung heroes of contemporary development! Why JSON, YAML, and Jinja Matter in Modern Development In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, efficient data handling and dynamic content generation are crucial. Enter our power trio: JSON, YAML, and Jinja. Let’s dive into what makes these technologies tick and how they can streamline your workflow to data and templates. JSON: The Universal Language of Data Exchange JavaScript Object Notation, or JSON is like a universal recipe card for data. Imagine you’re sharing your grandmother’s famous cookie recipe with friends all around the world. You want to ensure everyone can understand it, whether they’re master bakers or complete novices in the kitchen. Just like a well-organized recipe card, JSON has a simple structure: For example, if you were describing a cookie in JSON, it might look something like this: {
  "name": "Biriyani",
  "ingredients": ["Basmati Rice", "Chicken", "Masala"],
  "baking_time": 25,
  "is_delicious": true
} YAML: The Friendly Party Organizer YAML, which stands for takes a different approach. Imagine you’re planning a big neighborhood block party. You need to write down all the details: who’s bringing what, the schedule of events, and various rules everyone needs to follow. This is where YAML or “Ain’t another Markup Language” comes in — it’s like the ultimate party planning notepad. Here’s how YAML works its magic: Simple Structure: YAML uses spaces and dashes to show how things are organized, just like you might indent items on a handwritten list to show which tasks belong together.
Easy on the Eyes: It ditches a lot of the symbols and brackets that other formats use, making it look more like plain English.
Flexible and Powerful: Despite its simplicity, YAML can handle complicated information, like nested lists within lists (think: a shopping list organized by store departments). For example, if you were planning that block party with YAML, it might look something like this: block_party:
  date: July 25th
  activities:
    - BBQ
    - Three legged race
    - Drinks
  food_assignments:
    Quokka family: Pizza
    Slow lorris family: Salad
    Fennec fox family: Dessert
  rules:
    - No loud music after 10 PM
    - Clean up your own trash Jinja: The Magical Fill-in-the-Blank Wizard Imagine you’re creating personalized party invitations for a large group of friends. Instead of writing each invitation from scratch, you’d probably start with a template and fill in the specific details for each person. That’s essentially what Jinja does, but for web pages, emails, and other digital content. Think of Jinja as a super-smart, magical fill-in-the-blank game. Here’s how it works: The Template: First, you create a basic structure, like a Mad Libs story. This is your template, which includes placeholders for information that will change.


The Magic: Jinja acts like a wizard that can read your mind (or in this case, your data) and automatically fill in those blanks with the right information.


The Result: You end up with personalized, dynamic content without having to manually create each piece. Let’s use our party invitation analogy to illustrate: Dear {{name}},

You're invited to my {{event_type}} on {{date}} at {{time}}.
We'll be {{activity}} and enjoying some {{food}}.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
{{host}} Jinja would then take this template and your guest list data to create personalized invitations: Dear Sarah,

You're invited to my birthday bash on June 15th at 7 PM.
We'll be dancing and enjoying some pizza and cake.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
John In the digital world, the above means: Websites can show personalized content for each user
Emails can be tailored to individual recipients
Reports can be generated with up-to-date information automatically Table Differences: JSON vs. YAML vs. Jinja To help you grasp the unique characteristics of each technology, we’ve prepared a series of easy-to-understand comparison tables. These tables break down the key features, use cases, and strengths of JSON, YAML, and Jinja in layman’s terms. Table 1: Basic Comparison Table 2: Syntax and Structure Understanding the syntax differences is crucial for choosing the right tool for your specific needs. Table 3: Ease of Use While all three technologies are designed to simplify complex tasks, they each have their learning curves and quirks. Now, let’s explore where these tools truly shine in real-world applications. Table 4: Practical Applications As the table illustrates, each technology has its sweet spot in terms of practical applications. But what are the overarching strengths and weaknesses of JSON, YAML, and Jinja? Table 5: Strengths and Weaknesses 🎯Choosing the Right Tool for Your Project When deciding between JSON, YAML, and Jinja, one has to consider specific use case: For Web API or Universal data exchange format: JSON is your best bet.


For readable configuration files: YAML has got your back.


For Dynamic Content Management: Jinja is the perfect solution. Remember, these technologies aren’t mutually exclusive. Many projects use a combination of JSON, YAML, and Jinja to leverage the strengths of each. The Future of Data Serialization and Templating As we look to the future, it’s clear that JSON, YAML, and Jinja will continue to play crucial roles in software development. With the rise of microservices, cloud-native applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the need for efficient data serialization and flexible templating will only grow. By mastering these technologies, one will be well-equipped to tackle the challenges of modern software development and data management. References: https://www.json.org/json-en.html
https://yaml.org/
https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/en/3.1.x/ 🚀 Your Next Steps in the Data Revolution Enjoyed this guide? Share it with a friend who’s wrestling with data nightmares. And if you found it helpful, consider buying me a coffee — after all, unraveling the mysteries of data can be thirsty work! Are you drowning in a sea of data and complex templates? Whether you’re a coding wizard or just dipping your toes into the tech world, this guide is your lifeline to simpler, more efficient data handling. Get ready as we unravel the mysteries behind JSON, YAML, and Jinja — the unsung heroes of contemporary development! Why JSON, YAML, and Jinja Matter in Modern Development In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, efficient data handling and dynamic content generation are crucial. Enter our power trio: JSON, YAML, and Jinja. Let’s dive into what makes these technologies tick and how they can streamline your workflow to data and templates. JSON: The Universal Language of Data Exchange JavaScript Object Notation, or JSON is like a universal recipe card for data. Imagine you’re sharing your grandmother’s famous cookie recipe with friends all around the world. You want to ensure everyone can understand it, whether they’re master bakers or complete novices in the kitchen. universal recipe card Just like a well-organized recipe card, JSON has a simple structure: For example, if you were describing a cookie in JSON, it might look something like this: {
  "name": "Biriyani",
  "ingredients": ["Basmati Rice", "Chicken", "Masala"],
  "baking_time": 25,
  "is_delicious": true
} {
  "name": "Biriyani",
  "ingredients": ["Basmati Rice", "Chicken", "Masala"],
  "baking_time": 25,
  "is_delicious": true
} YAML: The Friendly Party Organizer YAML, which stands for takes a different approach. Imagine you’re planning a big neighborhood block party. You need to write down all the details: who’s bringing what, the schedule of events, and various rules everyone needs to follow. This is where YAML or “Ain’t another Markup Language” comes in — it’s like the ultimate party planning notepad. Here’s how YAML works its magic: Simple Structure: YAML uses spaces and dashes to show how things are organized, just like you might indent items on a handwritten list to show which tasks belong together. Easy on the Eyes: It ditches a lot of the symbols and brackets that other formats use, making it look more like plain English. Flexible and Powerful: Despite its simplicity, YAML can handle complicated information, like nested lists within lists (think: a shopping list organized by store departments). Simple Structure: YAML uses spaces and dashes to show how things are organized, just like you might indent items on a handwritten list to show which tasks belong together. Simple Structure: Simple Structure: Easy on the Eyes: It ditches a lot of the symbols and brackets that other formats use, making it look more like plain English. Easy on the Eyes: Easy on the Eyes: Flexible and Powerful: Despite its simplicity, YAML can handle complicated information, like nested lists within lists (think: a shopping list organized by store departments). Flexible and Powerful: Flexible and Powerful: For example, if you were planning that block party with YAML, it might look something like this: block_party:
  date: July 25th
  activities:
    - BBQ
    - Three legged race
    - Drinks
  food_assignments:
    Quokka family: Pizza
    Slow lorris family: Salad
    Fennec fox family: Dessert
  rules:
    - No loud music after 10 PM
    - Clean up your own trash block_party:
  date: July 25th
  activities:
    - BBQ
    - Three legged race
    - Drinks
  food_assignments:
    Quokka family: Pizza
    Slow lorris family: Salad
    Fennec fox family: Dessert
  rules:
    - No loud music after 10 PM
    - Clean up your own trash Jinja: The Magical Fill-in-the-Blank Wizard Imagine you’re creating personalized party invitations for a large group of friends. Instead of writing each invitation from scratch, you’d probably start with a template and fill in the specific details for each person. That’s essentially what Jinja does, but for web pages, emails, and other digital content. Think of Jinja as a super-smart, magical fill-in-the-blank game. Here’s how it works: The Template: First, you create a basic structure, like a Mad Libs story. This is your template, which includes placeholders for information that will change. The Magic: Jinja acts like a wizard that can read your mind (or in this case, your data) and automatically fill in those blanks with the right information. The Result: You end up with personalized, dynamic content without having to manually create each piece. The Template: First, you create a basic structure, like a Mad Libs story. This is your template, which includes placeholders for information that will change. The Template: First, you create a basic structure, like a Mad Libs story. This is your template, which includes placeholders for information that will change. The Template: The Template: The Magic: Jinja acts like a wizard that can read your mind (or in this case, your data) and automatically fill in those blanks with the right information. The Magic: Jinja acts like a wizard that can read your mind (or in this case, your data) and automatically fill in those blanks with the right information. The Magic: The Magic: The Result: You end up with personalized, dynamic content without having to manually create each piece. The Result: You end up with personalized, dynamic content without having to manually create each piece. The Result: The Result: Let’s use our party invitation analogy to illustrate: Dear {{name}},

You're invited to my {{event_type}} on {{date}} at {{time}}.
We'll be {{activity}} and enjoying some {{food}}.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
{{host}} Dear {{name}},

You're invited to my {{event_type}} on {{date}} at {{time}}.
We'll be {{activity}} and enjoying some {{food}}.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
{{host}} Jinja would then take this template and your guest list data to create personalized invitations: Dear Sarah,

You're invited to my birthday bash on June 15th at 7 PM.
We'll be dancing and enjoying some pizza and cake.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
John Dear Sarah,

You're invited to my birthday bash on June 15th at 7 PM.
We'll be dancing and enjoying some pizza and cake.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
John In the digital world, the above means: Websites can show personalized content for each user Emails can be tailored to individual recipients Reports can be generated with up-to-date information automatically Websites can show personalized content for each user Emails can be tailored to individual recipients Reports can be generated with up-to-date information automatically Table Differences: JSON vs. YAML vs. Jinja To help you grasp the unique characteristics of each technology, we’ve prepared a series of easy-to-understand comparison tables. These tables break down the key features, use cases, and strengths of JSON, YAML, and Jinja in layman’s terms. Table 1: Basic Comparison Table 2: Syntax and Structure Understanding the syntax differences is crucial for choosing the right tool for your specific needs. Table 3: Ease of Use While all three technologies are designed to simplify complex tasks, they each have their learning curves and quirks. Now, let’s explore where these tools truly shine in real-world applications. Table 4: Practical Applications As the table illustrates, each technology has its sweet spot in terms of practical applications. But what are the overarching strengths and weaknesses of JSON, YAML, and Jinja? Table 5: Strengths and Weaknesses 🎯Choosing the Right Tool for Your Project When deciding between JSON, YAML, and Jinja, one has to consider specific use case: For Web API or Universal data exchange format: JSON is your best bet. For readable configuration files: YAML has got your back. For Dynamic Content Management: Jinja is the perfect solution. For Web API or Universal data exchange format: JSON is your best bet. For Web API or Universal data exchange format: JSON is your best bet. For Web API or Universal data exchange format: For readable configuration files: YAML has got your back. For readable configuration files: YAML has got your back. For readable configuration files: For Dynamic Content Management: Jinja is the perfect solution. For Dynamic Content Management: Jinja is the perfect solution. For Dynamic Content Management: Remember, these technologies aren’t mutually exclusive. Many projects use a combination of JSON, YAML, and Jinja to leverage the strengths of each. The Future of Data Serialization and Templating As we look to the future, it’s clear that JSON, YAML, and Jinja will continue to play crucial roles in software development. With the rise of microservices, cloud-native applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the need for efficient data serialization and flexible templating will only grow. By mastering these technologies, one will be well-equipped to tackle the challenges of modern software development and data management. References: https://www.json.org/json-en.html https://yaml.org/ https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/en/3.1.x/ https://www.json.org/json-en.html https://www.json.org/json-en.html https://yaml.org/ https://yaml.org/ https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/en/3.1.x/ https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/en/3.1.x/ 🚀 Your Next Steps in the Data Revolution Enjoyed this guide? Share it with a friend who’s wrestling with data nightmares. And if you found it helpful, consider buying me a coffee — after all, unraveling the mysteries of data can be thirsty work! coffee

Demystifying Data and Serialization Templates with JSON, YAML, and Jinja

The Geeks of War: How Dzyga's Paw Innovated Ukraine's Drone Operations

Demystifying Regular Expression Matching

What are DePINs? Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) are real-world infrastructures on-chain. In more depth, DePINs offer a community-driven, cost-effective means of scaling projects without relying on traditional, centralized models. They are platforms where organizations and individuals can benefit from higher levels of control over their data and products through decentralized infrastructure. As for the term "DePIN,” this gained prominence in 2023 and continues to grow in mention into 2024. Initially, Web3 was used to reference projects focused on networks (replicating Web2 internet networks, but decentralized) but has since expanded to include all crypto or blockchain work, resulting in the need for this specific terminology. DePIN 101 On a fundamental level, DePINs function as bridges between physical facilities and the blockchain ecosystem. They operate through three main components. These are physical infrastructure controlled by a provider, a middleware connection to the blockchain, and a public ledger. These connections are managed by record-keeping and offering remittances to both the provider and the user.The physical infrastructure could be a smart agriculture system where farmers use IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as soil moisture sensors, weather stations, and crop health monitors to gather data about their fields. The middleware would then relay this information to the blockchain. Then, based on the data provided by the middleware, the blockchain would distribute rewards to the provider and users in the form of tokens. Additionally, for DePINs to operate effectively, four distinct parties must be involved in the network. This includes: Hardware (PRNs & DRNs): a physical component connecting networks to the real world
Hardware operators (Providers): Contributors buying or lending their hardware to the given network
Token: A financial incentive paid out to hardware operators based on data provided by the middleware
Users: DePINs need users who are willing to use and pay for the service The Current DePIN Landscape DePIN projects operate in six core business niches: compute marketplaces, wireless coverage, wholesale data, services marketplaces, energy services, and vertical ad networks. At present, there are several existing projects emerging in all six of these business models, including Filecoin, Helium, Hivemapper, Braintrust, Entheos and Sweatcoin. Out of these six sectors, compute marketplaces are where the most potential is seen, making up the majority of the market capitalization of DePIN crypto projects. Unpacking a DePIN example As we can see from the current DePIN landscape, there are many sectors in which DePINs currently operate. One real-world example that makes sense, at its core, is a decentralized energy grid. The basis for this is that traditional energy grids are often centralized, owned, and operated by utility companies, which can lead to inefficiencies and a lack of flexibility in distribution. Contrastingly, a decentralized energy grid built on blockchain technology could enable peer-to-peer energy trading between consumers and producers. Imagine a scenario where homeowners could sell excess energy to neighbors from their solar panels. This would facilitate more efficient use of renewable energy resources and incentivize individuals and communities to invest in sustainable energy production. By leveraging blockchain and smart contracts, this DePIN could ensure transparent and secure transactions while empowering users to have more control over their energy usage and production. The Flywheel Effect The concept of the flywheel effect is crucial to understanding DePINs potential for network growth and scalability. Unlike traditional models that require massive upfront capital investments, DePINs rely on grassroots efforts and community-driven initiatives to scale. Tokens play their part in these ecosystems by serving as an incentive for the community to contribute to the maintenance of the network. The Flywheel (above) visualizes the different steps involved in this maintenance and also helps to explain how DePIN projects can utilize the flywheel effect to catalyze their network growth.There are several different ways projects can increase the value of their token. For example, a stake-weighted random selection algorithm can be utilized to increase the value of a token, as providers must stake the project's token to get user deal flow. This adds an added incentive for contributors to continue building out the network. Therefore, the native token will increase in price as the network grows, resulting in more rewards for providers and a higher attraction for investors to invest. Fundamentally, this flywheel creates infrastructure networks that get stronger as they get bigger. As explained above, the flywheel effect of DePINs offers an alternative approach to traditional business models that fundamentally makes sense. However, we must consider the obstacles DePINs face in their journey to realizing their potential. The Future of DePINs By leveraging blockchain technology and tokenomics (The Flywheel Effect), DePINs are expected to disrupt existing IoT business models and enable on-chain communities to build innovative decentralized networks and applications. However, some limitations are currently holding DePINs back. There are several architectural considerations for scaling DePIN applications on-chain that need to be addressed if DePINs are going to be the bridge between decentralized technology and the real world. The most significant challenges to overcome are scalability, interoperability, security, and usability issues. The on-chain infrastructure needs to be able to handle a high volume of transactions and data throughput effectively to support the requirements of decentralized physical networks. To then communicate and exchange this data effectively, seamless interoperability with other blockchain networks and traditional systems is required. Robust security mechanisms, including encryption and authentication, are vital to safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring the integrity of DePIN networks. On top of this, DePINs must have systems in place, ensuring the security of external data feeds (oracles) used to verify real-world information and the prevention of Sybil attacks, where malicious actors create fake identities to gain undue influence within the network. A final consideration is that specialized technical knowledge is currently required to participate in a DePIN ecosystem. A more usable interface and intuitive design will be required for further adoption. The future of DePINs relies heavily on collaboration among stakeholders and ongoing technological innovation to address these challenges and unlock their full potential. What are DePINs? What are DePINs? Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) are real-world infrastructures on-chain. In more depth, DePINs offer a community-driven, cost-effective means of scaling projects without relying on traditional, centralized models. They are platforms where organizations and individuals can benefit from higher levels of control over their data and products through decentralized infrastructure. As for the term "DePIN,” this gained prominence in 2023 and continues to grow in mention into 2024. Initially, Web3 was used to reference projects focused on networks (replicating Web2 internet networks, but decentralized) but has since expanded to include all crypto or blockchain work, resulting in the need for this specific terminology. DePIN 101 DePIN 101 On a fundamental level, DePINs function as bridges between physical facilities and the blockchain ecosystem. They operate through three main components. These are physical infrastructure controlled by a provider, a middleware connection to the blockchain, and a public ledger. These connections are managed by record-keeping and offering remittances to both the provider and the user. The physical infrastructure could be a smart agriculture system where farmers use IoT (Internet of Things) devices such as soil moisture sensors, weather stations, and crop health monitors to gather data about their fields. The middleware would then relay this information to the blockchain. Then, based on the data provided by the middleware, the blockchain would distribute rewards to the provider and users in the form of tokens. Additionally, for DePINs to operate effectively, four distinct parties must be involved in the network. This includes: Hardware (PRNs & DRNs): a physical component connecting networks to the real world Hardware operators (Providers): Contributors buying or lending their hardware to the given network Token: A financial incentive paid out to hardware operators based on data provided by the middleware Users: DePINs need users who are willing to use and pay for the service Hardware (PRNs & DRNs): a physical component connecting networks to the real world Hardware (PRNs & DRNs): Hardware operators (Providers): Contributors buying or lending their hardware to the given network Hardware operators (Providers): Token: A financial incentive paid out to hardware operators based on data provided by the middleware Token: Users: DePINs need users who are willing to use and pay for the service Users: The Current DePIN Landscape The Current DePIN Landscape DePIN projects operate in six core business niches: compute marketplaces, wireless coverage, wholesale data, services marketplaces, energy services, and vertical ad networks. At present, there are several existing projects emerging in all six of these business models, including Filecoin , Helium , Hivemapper , Braintrust , Entheos and Sweatcoin . Filecoin Filecoin Helium Helium Hivemapper Hivemapper Braintrust Braintrust Entheos Entheos Sweatcoin Sweatcoin Out of these six sectors, compute marketplaces are where the most potential is seen, making up the majority of the market capitalization of DePIN crypto projects. Unpacking a DePIN example Unpacking a DePIN example As we can see from the current DePIN landscape, there are many sectors in which DePINs currently operate. One real-world example that makes sense, at its core, is a decentralized energy grid. The basis for this is that traditional energy grids are often centralized, owned, and operated by utility companies, which can lead to inefficiencies and a lack of flexibility in distribution. Contrastingly, a decentralized energy grid built on blockchain technology could enable peer-to-peer energy trading between consumers and producers. Imagine a scenario where homeowners could sell excess energy to neighbors from their solar panels. This would facilitate more efficient use of renewable energy resources and incentivize individuals and communities to invest in sustainable energy production. By leveraging blockchain and smart contracts, this DePIN could ensure transparent and secure transactions while empowering users to have more control over their energy usage and production. The Flywheel Effect The Flywheel Effect The concept of the flywheel effect is crucial to understanding DePINs potential for network growth and scalability. Unlike traditional models that require massive upfront capital investments, DePINs rely on grassroots efforts and community-driven initiatives to scale. Tokens play their part in these ecosystems by serving as an incentive for the community to contribute to the maintenance of the network. The Flywheel (above) visualizes the different steps involved in this maintenance and also helps to explain how DePIN projects can utilize the flywheel effect to catalyze their network growth. There are several different ways projects can increase the value of their token. For example, a stake-weighted random selection algorithm can be utilized to increase the value of a token, as providers must stake the project's token to get user deal flow. This adds an added incentive for contributors to continue building out the network. Therefore, the native token will increase in price as the network grows, resulting in more rewards for providers and a higher attraction for investors to invest. Fundamentally, this flywheel creates infrastructure networks that get stronger as they get bigger. As explained above, the flywheel effect of DePINs offers an alternative approach to traditional business models that fundamentally makes sense. However, we must consider the obstacles DePINs face in their journey to realizing their potential. The Future of DePINs The Future of DePINs By leveraging blockchain technology and tokenomics (The Flywheel Effect), DePINs are expected to disrupt existing IoT business models and enable on-chain communities to build innovative decentralized networks and applications. However, some limitations are currently holding DePINs back. There are several architectural considerations for scaling DePIN applications on-chain that need to be addressed if DePINs are going to be the bridge between decentralized technology and the real world. The most significant challenges to overcome are scalability, interoperability, security, and usability issues. The on-chain infrastructure needs to be able to handle a high volume of transactions and data throughput effectively to support the requirements of decentralized physical networks. To then communicate and exchange this data effectively, seamless interoperability with other blockchain networks and traditional systems is required. Robust security mechanisms, including encryption and authentication, are vital to safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring the integrity of DePIN networks. On top of this, DePINs must have systems in place, ensuring the security of external data feeds (oracles) used to verify real-world information and the prevention of Sybil attacks, where malicious actors create fake identities to gain undue influence within the network. A final consideration is that specialized technical knowledge is currently required to participate in a DePIN ecosystem. A more usable interface and intuitive design will be required for further adoption. The future of DePINs relies heavily on collaboration among stakeholders and ongoing technological innovation to address these challenges and unlock their full potential.

Demystifying DePINs and More: Bridging Real-World Infrastructure

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 Deepening on the concept of mole P1: so can you talk about a mole of beer bottles? ChatGPT: Absolutely! The concept of a "mole" isn't exclusive to atoms or molecules; it's simply a specific quantity. In the realm of chemistry, one mole always refers to 6.022 x 10[23] of some entity, whether that's atoms, molecules, electrons, or even beer bottles. So, when we say "a mole of beer bottles," we're referring to 6.022 x 10[23] beer bottles. That's aLOT of beer bottles! However, it's worth noting that outside of a chemistry context, using "mole" to refer to quantities of everyday items might be confusing. In everyday language, we have other terms for large quantities, like "dozen" (for 12 of something) or "gross" (for 144 of something). But theoretically, yes, you can have a mole of anything, including beer bottles. Just to give you a sense of how large this number is: If you were to try and count to Avogadro's number at a rate of one number per second, it would take you more than 19 billion years! Would you like to explore more about the implications of having a mole of beer bottles or any other fun examples? *: Yes, I can talk about a mole of beer bottles, but it might not be very practical. A mole of beer bottles is a very large number of beer bottles, much more than you can ever drink or see in your lifetime. Let me explain why.* BingChat A mole of beer bottles is the amount of beer bottles that contains as many bottles as there are atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12. This number is approximately 6.022 x 10[23], which is a very big number. To give you some idea of how big this number is, here are some comparisons: • If you had a mole of beer bottles, you could cover the entire surface of the Earth with about 100 layers of beer bottles. • If you had a mole of beer bottles, you could fill up the Pacific Ocean with beer bottles about 30 times. • If you had a mole of beer bottles, you could stack them up to reach the moon and back about 2000 times. As you can see, a mole of beer bottles is a huge amount of beer bottles that is impossible to handle or imagine. That’s why chemists use the mole as a unit of measurement for atoms and molecules, which are very small and numerous, rather than for everyday objects like beer bottles. A mole of atoms or molecules has a mass that is easy to measure and compare with other substances. For example, one mole of oxygen gas has a mass of 32 grams, and one mole of water has a mass of 18 grams. So, to summarize, a mole of beer bottles is a hypothetical amount of beer bottles that contains 6.022 x 10[23] bottles. This number is so large that it is not useful or meaningful for describing real-world situations. A mole is more suitable for measuring the amount of atoms or molecules in a substance. I hope this helps you understand what a mole of beer bottles means. *: Yes, I can talk about a mole of beer bottles.* Bard A mole of beer bottles is a unit of measurement that is used to count beer bottles. One mole of beer bottles contains 6.02214076×10^23 beer bottles. This number is known as Avogadro's constant. To put this into perspective, a mole of beer bottles is a lot of beer bottles! It would take over 100 billion years to count them all, at a rate of one bottle per second. Of course, no one has ever seen a mole of beer bottles in real life. It is a theoretical concept that is used by chemists to count atoms and molecules. But that doesn't mean that we can't have fun thinking about it. What would a mole of beer bottles look like? How much would it weigh? How much beer would it contain? If we assume that each beer bottle is 12 ounces, then a mole of beer bottles would weigh over 100 million pounds. And it would contain over 700 million gallons of beer! That's a lot of beer! So, next time you're enjoying a cold beer with your friends, take a moment to think about themole of beer bottles that it represents. It's a truly mind-boggling concept. *: Sure, I'm happy to explain the concept of a mole using beer bottles as an example.* Claude A mole represents a specific number - 6.02 x 10^23 - of anything, whether atoms, molecules, or objects like beer bottles. Let's imagine a mole of beer bottles. That would be 6.02 x 10^23 individual bottles. That's a huge number of bottles! To put it in perspective: • If you had 1 mole of beer bottles and stacked them on top of each other, the stack would reach about 1.5 billion light years tall - that's halfway across the observable universe! • If you lined up 1 mole of beer bottles side by side, the line would stretch for 9 trillion kilometers - over 200 times the distance between Earth and Pluto. • If you purchased 1 mole of beer bottles at $10 per bottle, it would cost 60.2 sextillion dollars - way more than the GDP of Earth! So a mole represents an enormous number of things. It's very useful in chemistry for relating atomic/molecular masses to measurable macroscopic masses. For example, if you know the mass of 1 mole of carbon atoms, you can use that to calculate how many carbon atoms are in a certain macroscopic sample. Hope this silly example with beer bottles helps give you an idea of just how huge a mole really is! Let me know if you need any clarification or want to go through more practice problems applying the mole concept. starts with “Absolutely!” offering . It then discusses the "mole" concept using by noting that while it is a "specific quantity" in the "realm of chemistry," it is not exclusively tied to "atoms" or "molecules" and enters a Meta-discussion & Perspective Framing by conceding that "outside of a chemistry context," the general use of the word ‘mole’ “might be confusing”. Proceeding further, the explanation by making analogies with everyday terms like "dozen" and "gross", also with the . The perspective on counting to Avogadro's number “to give a sense” of how large this number is and the final invitation to discuss "implications" or "any other fun examples" leans into . also starts by offering , conceding that “Yes”, one “can talk about a mole of beer bottles” but right after turns to , by referring that “it might not be very practical” and later that “it is not useful or meaningful for describing real-world situations”. It then provides a detailed explanation of the mole concept, highlighting the enormousness of "6.022 x 10^23" through real-world scenarios like covering the "Earth" or filling the "Pacific Ocean", which emphasises the . Categorisation of the mole as primarily for counting "atoms/molecules" again showcases , while providing an example of the application of the concept to oxygen gas aligns with the . The closing “I hope this helps” followed by an emoji implies a touch of . likewise starts with “Yes, I can talk about a mole of beer bottles,” offering . It then engages the reader with the enormity of "6.02214076×10^23 beer bottles", by undergoing a detailed calculation of “What would a mole of beer bottles? look like”, offering perspectives on time ("100 billion years") and volume ("700 million gallons of visualisation and “To put this into perspective”, aligning with . Highlighting it as a "theoretical concept" "used by chemists emphasises and the jovial remark about enjoying beer with friendly tone emphasising the mind-bogglingness of the indicates . Claude starts with , accepting beer bottles as an example to breakdown of the mole concept and its application as a “specific number,” “very useful in chemistry,” that may be applied to count “anything”. It then invites one to “imagine a mole of beer bottles”, which would be “a ,huge number” and puts “it in perspective”, drawing vivid pictures such as a stack reaching "1.5 billion light years", a line stretching "200 times the distance between Earth and Pluto," and the cost of “60.2 sextillion dollars,” underscoring the . The closing “Hope this silly example” and followed by invitation for more "practice problems" or “clarifications” hints at . Nevertheless, while the use of the word "silly" by Claude might intend to suggest that the example provided is not to be taken too seriously or is trivial in nature, it also could be perceived as a bit demeaning or dismissive, negatively impacting the category. ChatGPT Personalization & Personable Touch Instructional Strategies Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Engagement & Interactivity BingChat Personalization & Personable Touch Instructional Strategies Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Instructional Strategies Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Personalization & Personable Touch Bard Personalization & Personable Touch Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Instructional Strategies Personalization & Personable Touch Instructional Strategies Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Reinforcement & Feedback Personalization & Personable Touch This paper is under CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

How GenAIbots Demystify Mole Concept, Avogadro’s Number, Atoms, and Molecules

কিভাবে GenAIbots মোল ধারণা, অ্যাভোগাড্রোর সংখ্যা, পরমাণু এবং অণুগুলিকে ডিমিস্টিফাই করে

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GenAIbots がモル概念、アボガドロ数、原子、分子を解明する方法

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Como GenAIbots desmistificam o conceito de toupeira, número de Avogadro, átomos e moléculas

Как GenAIbots демистифицируют концепцию кротов, число Авогадро, атомы и молекулы

GenAIbotlar Köstebek Kavramını, Avogadro Sayısını, Atomları ve Molekülleri Nasıl Aydınlatıyor?

Cách GenAIbots làm sáng tỏ khái niệm nốt ruồi, số lượng, nguyên tử và phân tử của Avogadro

GenAIbots 如何揭开摩尔概念、阿伏伽德罗常数、原子和分子的神秘面纱

Hey everyone! Welcome to day one of my quest to become a cybersecurity pro, and more importantly, to help you become one too! As programmers, we wield immense power to create incredible things. But with great power comes great responsibility, especially when it comes to the security of the digital world we're building. The Ever-Present Threat Landscape🔐 Let's face it, the internet can be a scary place. Hackers, also known as cybercriminals, are constantly lurking in the shadows, looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. Their motives can range from stealing sensitive data like credit card numbers and personal information to disrupting critical infrastructure and causing widespread chaos. These attacks can have devastating consequences. Imagine a hacker gaining access to a hospital's network and tampering with patient records. Or a cybercriminal infiltrating a power grid, causing blackouts for millions of people. The potential for damage is real, and it's only increasing as our world becomes more reliant on technology. Why Programmers Need to Be Security Champions🏆 So, why should we, as programmers, care about cybersecurity? Because the code we write forms the bedrock of our digital infrastructure. Every line of code, every application we build, is a potential entry point for a hacker. Imagine building a magnificent castle, but neglecting to install a security system or even lock the doors. That's essentially what happens when we write code without considering security best practices. Here's the harsh truth: insecure code is a hacker's playground. They can exploit vulnerabilities like weak passwords, SQL injection attacks, or buffer overflows to gain unauthorized access to systems and steal data. The consequences can be severe not only for the users of our applications but also for our reputation as programmers. Building a Secure Mindset🥉 The good news is that by incorporating security principles into our development process, we can significantly reduce the risk of attacks. It's all about adopting a security-first mentality. Here are some key things to keep in mind Before writing a single line of code, consider the potential threats your application might face. Who are the attackers, and what are their goals? What data do you need to protect? Threat Modeling: There is a whole set of best practices that can help you write more secure code. This includes things like input validation, proper data sanitization, and using strong encryption techniques. Secure Coding Practices: The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving. New vulnerabilities are discovered all the time, so it's crucial to stay updated on the latest threats and best practices. Staying Up to Date: The Road Ahead✌ This journey to becoming a cybersecurity pro is just beginning! Over the next few days, we'll be diving deeper into specific cyber threats, exploring essential security tools, and learning how to write code that's not only functional but also secure. Now, it's your turn! In the comments below, share what you already know about cybersecurity. What are your biggest concerns or areas you'd like to learn more about? Let's create a community of programmers who are passionate about building a safer digital future together! Also published here

How to Level Up Your Code and Your Security: Day 1 - Demystifying Cybersecurity👨‍💻❤

In the realm of blockchain development, accessing data in a secure and efficient manner often poses a hurdle. Developers need to have seamless and dependable access to on-chain data to work efficiently But this sometimes implies navigating through different data sources, which makes extracting raw data an expensive and complex process. Stateless Solutions founder provided insights into the challenges faced by developers in accessing on-chain data. Jessica Daugherty Thanks for finding the time to join us, Jessica. Can you tell us about your background? Thanks for having me. I have navigated a dynamic path through the tech landscape, starting as a startup consultant focused on marketing, strategy, and organizational design. In 2019, I became a late-stage co-founder of a SaaS startup in the e-commerce and data space, leading to a successful exit in 2020. I then helped the acquiring company through a Series B funding and cash acquisition before diving into the blockchain world with Pocket Network. There, as head of product, I deepened my expertise in blockchain technologies and RPC. Drawing on these experiences, I founded Stateless with my co-founder, Joe Habel, in June 2023 to solve critical challenges in blockchain data access and integrity. Can you elaborate on the specific challenges developers face when trying to access blockchain data? Accessing reliable blockchain data poses significant challenges for developers, primarily due to the decentralized nature of blockchain networks. One of the key difficulties is ensuring the accuracy and trustworthiness of the data retrieved. With numerous nodes operating independently, achieving consensus on the validity of data is crucial. This raises the question of having a reliable source of truth in a decentralized system where discrepancies can arise. Another challenge is timeliness and the avoidance of stale data. In a distributed network, nodes might present outdated information due to synchronization issues, leading to the risk of making decisions based on incorrect data. Developers must navigate these hurdles to ensure the data they utilize is both current and accurate, which is vital for the integrity of decentralized applications. Do you consider the lack of standardization to be a major challenge in accessing blockchain data? The issue with standardization in Web3 is not the absence of it but rather its rigidity and misalignment with current operational needs. Originally designed for a trusted client/server architecture, these standards struggle to adapt to the untrusted, decentralized environments of blockchains. This mismatch presents developers with a dual challenge: First, the way data is accessed is too rigid, failing to accommodate the dynamic nature of decentralized technologies. This can hinder developers' ability to efficiently retrieve and utilize trustworthy data. Second, operational standards are overly flexible, leading to inconsistencies in network state management, node coordination, and understanding of deployment configurations. This variability complicates maintaining system integrity and optimizing resources. Balancing these standards is crucial for fostering innovation while ensuring reliability and security in blockchain data access. Can you tell us about the founding of Stateless Solutions? Stateless was born from the firsthand experiences and challenges faced by its founders while working at Pocket Network. As active participants in protocol design and development, as well as serving user-facing needs, we confronted these limitations and bottlenecks that pose significant threats to the security and adoption of Web3. Recognizing the urgency of these issues and the lack of viable solutions within the existing framework, we decided to establish Stateless. Our goal was to provide a mitigation layer and next-generation infrastructure that addresses these challenges head-on, paving the way for the scalable and secure development of decentralized applications and technologies. What are the challenges that you seek to address and how do you tackle them? Our core mission at Stateless is to significantly reduce trust dependencies and the risks and inefficiencies they present, enabling the full benefits of trust-minimized decentralization. This means enabling global computation at scale without the performance tradeoffs or security vulnerabilities that current services present, from data loss to asset compromises. One key challenge we're tackling is abstracting the complexity of streaming verified data from decentralized networks in a way that is accessible and straightforward for consumers. Our solution to this challenge begins at the RPC layer, where we have successfully launched a service designed to simplify access to blockchain data while maintaining high standards of security and reliability. This RPC service represents our initial beachhead, from which we aim to build additional verifiable services. These services will not only support third parties in areas such as indexing and analytics but will also embrace more advanced cryptographic and trustless techniques, including zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, and extend beyond blockchain data to areas like deterministic AI. Utilizing our composable architecture will be pivotal for building a foundation that supports a wide array of applications and services in a trust-minimized environment with interoperability across all layers of protocols. Our collaboration with Laconic marks a significant first step towards realizing this expansive vision. By merging our robust verification layer with Laconic's advanced Merkle proofs, we are crafting a powerful solution that exemplifies the potential of our model. This integration aims to deliver data directly from within the node back to the consumer via an efficient light client, marking a groundbreaking advancement in our efforts to support different data types and cryptographic structures. Our innovative partnership paves the way for a new era of blockchain accessibility and security, reducing complexity and costs for users and developers alike. We are setting the foundation for a future where secure, decentralized applications are the norm, empowered by our trust-minimized ecosystem. Our collaboration with Laconic is just the beginning, as we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in decentralized computation. What in your opinion is the biggest challenge in processing blockchain data? In processing blockchain data, the most significant challenge lies in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of historical data. Specifically, the inability to easily re-execute previous requests or queries to verify that the results are correct—even when dealing with the same party—poses a substantial hurdle. This challenge is twofold: First, there's the issue of verifying the correctness of data, which is crucial for maintaining the reliability and security of blockchain applications. Without the ability to re-execute or verify past transactions or queries, it becomes difficult to ensure data integrity. Second, there's the problem of auditing historical data. The current infrastructure does not support batch requests and integrity checks effectively, making it challenging to identify and rectify issues with the underlying data retroactively. How can blockchain developers overcome this challenge? At Stateless we believe a fundamental paradigm shift is needed to overcome these challenges. As emphasized by , the reliance on trusted RPC providers is a flawed model that needs reevaluation. Vitalik Buterin in December 2023 Developers should explore and adopt trust-minimized solutions, such as Stateless, that facilitate direct and secure access to blockchain data. Additionally, running personal nodes, despite its operational complexities, offers another layer of verification and control over data integrity. Can you describe your experience so far in this space? Working in the blockchain and Web3 space is both challenging and exhilarating. It offers endless opportunities for innovation, learning, and problem-solving. The pace of development and the potential for groundbreaking advancements make it, in my opinion, the most exciting field (yes, even more exciting than AI!). Despite the complexities and hurdles, the satisfaction of contributing to the evolution of decentralized technology is unparalleled. This dynamic and ever-evolving landscape keeps me motivated and eager to explore new horizons. Any parting words? Verify, don’t trust!

Demystifying Blockchain Data Access: Interview With Stateless Solutions Founder Jessica Daugherty

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