Flock

flock

Team messengers have taken the world by storm. I still remember using Lync in my first company 8 years ago and it was pretty basic. While the kind of integration that it provided with outlook and other software was exceptional, it was still limited to just chat. , , , , etc are the new breed of team chat software and they aim to improve productivity and offer much more than just ‘ ’. microsoft Slack Hipchat Microsoft Teams Flock Twist chat With one of the things that we have tried to accomplish is to create a platform which is more easy to use and extensible than anything else out there. We believe that it is so powerful that it can be considered amongst the like of other like zeroPC and eyeOS. Flock webOS’s With , we set out with the following goals in mind: FlockOS Apps should feel like they are a part of the native interface App discovery should be easy so that it benefits users and app developers Here’s what we have accomplished so far Apps should feel like they are a part of the native interface Some platforms rely on ‘slash commands’ for apps to be triggered. So to create a poll you have to type a syntax in this format /poll “Pool question in double quotes” “first option in double quotes” “second option in double quotes” To create a note /notes my private note To list notes /notes list all And so on. Every single app you install adds a bunch of commands which you now have to remember. Slash commands are only useful for a certains section of tech-savvy users. They are incredibly hard to remember and cumbersome to use since they involve multiple parameters all of which can take different values. I have been using linux for more than 10 years now and still don’t remember the order of parameters for find. So while flock provides slash commands, we also provide various hooks inside of the UI from where a user can launch apps. There are 3 major areas where developers can choose to show their app icons. App Launcher Chat tab buttons Attachment picker Apps launcher bar This bar lists down all the apps that you have currently installed which can be launched standalone. So you can use this to directly launch an app. For e.g. over here I have launched the github app in a sidebar from the app launcher bar(far right) to checkout the recent commits in a repo. App launcher on the far right Chat tab buttons Every single messaging app out there has some actions that you can perform on the current chat which are contextual in nature. Flock allows you to create apps which can take this context from the current chat tab. For e.g if you wanted to view to-dos shared between you and another person, you just open his chat tab, tap on the to-do’s chat tab button and get a list of all to-dos between you and that person. Chat tab buttons on the top right Attachment picker Most communication softwares allow you to add an attachment. Email allows you to attach files, pictures etc. IM goes a step ahead and apps like whatsapp allow you to attach your location, audio clip, camera clip etc. With flock we have exposed this area to developers too. This allows you to create apps which can add absolutely any kind of content to the chat window. For e.g. ‘a poll’ . If you have to poll app installed, then you can just click on the ‘poll’ attachment button which will popup a html modal window where you can add the options. Similar for notes, just click on the notes attachment button and it will popup a modal window in which you can type out your note with a full rich text editor. Attachment picker buttons on the bottom left App discovery should be easy Instant messaging is slowly moving to a paradigm where apps are just as important, if not more, than the instant messaging platform itself. We believe that slash commands are bad for app developers and users both. Not only are they hard to discover and learn for new users ( which parameter goes first, order of command like parameters etc) ,they are bad for the app developers too since they barely get any exposure. A slash command is just a text and the opportunity for a developer to do branding is quite less. We believe that branding in apps is important, since this ensures that user’s can recommend high quality apps to other people and it also provides much needed exposure to app developers. In flock we tried to solve this by making sure all apps have app icons. This way apps are always visible in the main interface and people can start using them right from day 1 of their job which having to learn what apps in flock are. Some non tech savvy people don’t even realize that they are using an external app ! This allows you to customize flock completely for your team, it you are a marketing team all the buttons on your flock interface can be marketing apps, same goes for tech, design and even colleges ! Since apps are in html/js you can even create apps which only run inside of your team and can access internal APIs ! Best part is that these apps will run across mobile, web and desktop. FlockOS has always focussed on developers. As developers we understand that you also deserve visibility for an app. In case of slash commands, all the user sees is a name of your app. Which is why we have provided multiple hooks for app developers to showcase their icons. This greatly helps brand recall. So if your to-do app is the best, users can easily recall it while installing it in a new team or while suggesting it to a friend because they would be familiar with your app icon. Since all apps are html/css based you can provide your own UI/UX to change the look and feel of the app. We believe that UX is also an integral part of an app experience and this is something that developers can use to improve how user’s interact with their app. We are just getting started, while the first version of is stable and you can start building apps for it right now, there is still a long way to go. We would love to hear feedback and suggestions from the developer community on how we can make this platform better. FlockOS Disclaimer: I work for flock and can be reached directly at ajit.dh AT flock dot com

`FlockOS : World’s first chat operating system

2016 just wrapped up yesterday, which leaves of flood of information to be digested. Big-wigs like Marc Andreesen, Marc Benioff, Reid Hoffman, and Jeff Lawson showed up. Through the entire three days, these were the main ideas: Disrupt SF AI and Machine Learning AI was the buzzword of the entire conference. The majority of speakers mentioned plans on integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into their products and organizations and a portion of Alley was dedicated to solely AI, which is a reflection of the growth of artificial intelligence’s market in recent years. Benioff talked a little about Einstein, which is an integration of AI into Salesforce’s core CRM product. He will explain it in further detail at DreamForce this year. Uber’s director in the self-driving initiative also spoke on how AI in the ride-hailing service will inadvertently disrupt unexpected markets. Real estate will be affected because parking lots will be in smaller demand, for example. DraftKings and Crunchbase CEOs also spoke on the vitality of machine learning in refining their respective databases for their core products. Marc Andreesen also heavily emphasized AI: Andreesen Horowitz is reserving a large part of their fund for AI startups. Startup Equality and Inclusion Equally popular in speech during Disrupt was the lingering problem of diversity and inclusion in Silicon Valley. One of the speakers was Morgan DeBaun, female black founder of Blavity, a platform for black millennials to post articles on important social and racial matters close to the black community. Her experience has been that her platform retains users four-fold better than other community-based news and opinion platforms because of the tight-knit community of black millennials. Marc Benioff was especially passionate about inclusion. He talked about when he discovered females in Salesforce were being paid less than men, he immediately raised their salaries to an equal level. There was even a panel of three female founders in the health-tech space who talked about their experiences being female founders. Public and Private Sector Relations Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (and the Secret Service) was in attendance at Disrupt this year, and Carter had a chance to speak. His rhetoric was one of cooperation between the private tech sector and a burgeoning technology-focused government. He repeated his phrase of “we have to meet in the middle” multiple times. He also admitted the government’s bureaucratic faults: Startups typically have a shorter 6 month to 1 year horizon, whereas government grants and purchases take too long to get approved. He claims that the Department of Defense is working on becoming leaner to match the pace of American startups. Besides the impressive lineup of speakers, there were also several impressive startups in Startup Battlefield and Startup Alley. My three favorite were Bitmark, BlazingDB, and Flock. is a startup that I heard of prior to Disrupt SF, so when I saw the founder, Sean Moss-Pultz, in Startup Alley, I was excited to speak to him on what Bitmark was working on. According to him, Bitmark is a “blockchain-based distributed property registration system that enables individuals to claim ownership over personal data and digital assets.” In reality, this means that typical consumers can sell their data — name, email, phone number, buying habits, etc. — for businesses to purchase for marketing purposes. The main thesis is that your data is valuable, so why not capitalize on it? Bitmark was one of the most exciting startups in Startup Battlefield. The founder was very passionate about the potency of his product: A big data SQL parser that is bound to kill the likes of Amazon Redshift and open-source PostgreSQL. Essentially, BlazingDB utilizes GPUs to parse data at the petabyte scale, which has put it at around 5x faster than Redshift and an astounding 80x faster than PostgreSQL. Their one weakness was a lack of patents. BlazingDB is a Slack-killer. Their team communications app is about four-fold cheaper than Slack with more features like simpler cross-department communication. The one part about their company that really caught my attention was their ability to acquire Slack users and retain them better than Slack. Flock 

Disrupt SF 2016 Overview!

Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) Investors Flocking to Furrever Token (FURR) Amid Presale Success: More Than $620,000 Amassed Under a Month. In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, investors are constantly on the lookout for the next big opportunity. Recently, amid minor recoveries in Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) prices, all eyes have turned to the remarkable success story of . With an unprecedented presale offering promising up to 15X returns, FURR has captured the attention of seasoned investors and newcomers alike. In just under a month, the project has amassed an impressive sum exceeding $620,000, signaling a significant shift in investor sentiment towards meme coins with tangible value propositions. Furrever Token (FURR) Navigating Ethereum's Price Dynamics: Resilience, Resistance, and Recovery Ethereum (ETH) continues to exhibit resilience in the face of recent market fluctuations, with its current price hovering around $3,315, representing a marginal increase of nearly 2% since yesterday. The cryptocurrency initiated a strong upward momentum from the $3,500 support region, indicating a bullish sentiment among investors. Presently, ETH is trading below the $3,550 level and the 100-hour Simple Moving Average (SMA), encountering resistance particularly evident in the hourly ETH/USD chart around the $3,550 mark. To sustain its recovery, Ethereum must overcome a crucial resistance zone at the $3,600 level. A successful breach of this resistance could potentially fuel further upward momentum for the cryptocurrency. However, bears are actively defending the $3,650 and $3,680 resistance levels, suggesting that challenges remain ahead for ETH. In terms of immediate resistance, ETH faces hurdles near the $3,630 level, followed by critical levels at $3,650 and $3,680, the surpassing of which could signal a stronger uptrend for Ethereum. Failure to breach the $3,600 resistance may prompt a reversion to a downward trend. Currently, the initial support level lies around $3,500, with a more pronounced support near the $3,475 zone. A breakdown below this level could lead to a descent towards the $3,450 support level. Technical indicators indicate a bullish bias, with the hourly Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) maintaining its upward trend, albeit with diminishing momentum. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently below the 50 level, suggesting the possibility of increased selling pressure. While recent setbacks may have disappointed Ethereum investors, the cryptocurrency's repeated testing of the $3,500 support level in recent times hints at the potential for a swift recovery in its price. Solana (SOL) Resilience Amidst Market Volatility: 40% Surge in 30 Days, Eyes Further Growth Solana (SOL) has displayed remarkable resilience amidst recent market volatility. Despite a 6% decline last week, SOL has surged by an impressive 40% over the past 30 days and a staggering 760% over the past year, underscoring its potential strength in the medium to long term. The recent dip in price is likely a temporary retracement within a broader uptrend, according to analysts, who anticipate a bullish market sentiment for SOL as the next Bitcoin halving approaches this month. Examining SOL's current chart reveals some encouraging signs. While the price may appear low, indicators such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) dipping below 30 and its 30-day average falling below the 200-day average suggest that a bottom may be near. Additionally, SOL continues to maintain a robust trading volume of approximately $4.3 billion, indicating sustained interest, particularly from institutional investors who view the dip as an opportunity, as evidenced by renewed accumulation by whales. The anticipated resurgence of SOL aligns with broader market trends, especially surrounding developments such as the upcoming Bitcoin halving and Ethereum ETFs. These factors, combined with SOL's solid fundamentals, signal potential for a rebound in the near future. Furthermore, SOL's value proposition extends beyond speculation, as the demand for NFTs and meme coins contributes to the increasing locked total value. This trend is expected to continue, further enhancing SOL's value proposition. Looking ahead, SOL could revisit $200 in the coming weeks and potentially reach $250 by summer, reflecting its resilience and growth potential. However, it's important to note that these developments are contingent on sharp declines in Bitcoin. Furrever Token (FURR) Presale Surpasses $620,000: A Whisker Away from Success In the bustling realm of cryptocurrency, emerges as a standout contender, boasting a presale campaign that has surged past $620,000 in under a month. This unprecedented achievement reflects the fervent enthusiasm surrounding FURR, driven by its promise of up to 15X returns and a vibrant, engaged community. Furrever Token (FURR) FURR's meteoric rise can be attributed to its unique proposition—an infusion of adorable cat imagery into the crypto landscape, offering investors not only financial gains but also a whimsical, enjoyable experience. This innovative approach has ignited a wave of excitement among investors, who eagerly anticipate the potential for substantial returns as FURR's presale progresses. At the heart of FURR's success lies its active and enthusiastic community, whose unwavering support has propelled the project to new heights. With each presale stage, FURR garners increased attention and participation as investors clamor to secure their place in this burgeoning ecosystem. The allure of FURR extends beyond its financial prospects, embodying a sense of camaraderie and shared joy that resonates deeply with users. As the presale marches forward, the hype surrounding FURR shows no signs of abating, fueling anticipation for what lies ahead in the journey toward mainstream adoption. With FURR's presale campaign on the cusp of completion, investors eagerly await the next chapter in this captivating saga. As the token's value continues to soar and its community flourishes, FURR stands poised to leave an indelible mark on the cryptocurrency landscape, one adorable paw print at a time. Discover the Most Exclusive Presale Opportunity of 2024 Now: | | Furrever Token Official Website Visit Furrever Token Presale Join Official Telegram Group Follow Official X Account This story was distributed as a release by ZEX MEDIA under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program . here

Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) Investors Flocking to Furrever Token (FURR) Amid Presale Success

সোলানা (SOL) এবং Ethereum (ETH) বিনিয়োগকারীরা Presale সাফল্যের মধ্যে Furrever টোকেন (FURR) তে ভিড় করছেন

Solana (SOL)- und Ethereum (ETH)-Investoren strömen nach erfolgreichem Vorverkauf zum Furrever Token (FURR)

Los inversores de Solana (SOL) y Ethereum (ETH) acuden en masa al token Furrever (FURR) en medio del éxito de la preventa

Les investisseurs de Solana (SOL) et d'Ethereum (ETH) affluent vers le jeton Furrever (FURR) au milieu du succès de la prévente

सोलाना (एसओएल) और एथेरियम (ईटीएच) निवेशक प्री-सेल सफलता के बीच फुर्रेवर टोकन (एफयूआरआर) की ओर आकर्षित हो रहे हैं

プレセールの成功を受けて、ソラナ（SOL）とイーサリアム（ETH）の投資家がファーリバートークン（FURR）に群がる

솔라나(SOL)와 이더리움(ETH) 투자자들이 사전 판매 성공 속에 Furrever Token(FURR)으로 몰려들고 있습니다.

Investidores Solana (SOL) e Ethereum (ETH) migrando para Furrever Token (FURR) em meio ao sucesso da pré-venda

Инвесторы Solana (SOL) и Ethereum (ETH) стекаются в токен Furrever (FURR) на фоне успеха предпродажной подготовки

Solana (SOL) ve Ethereum (ETH) Yatırımcıları Satış Öncesi Başarının Ortasında Furrever Token'a (FURR) Akın Ediyor

Các nhà đầu tư Solana (SOL) và Ethereum (ETH) đổ xô vào Furrever Token (FURR) trong bối cảnh bán trước thành công

Solana（SOL）和以太坊（ETH）投资者在预售成功中涌向 Furrever Token（FURR）

In the landscape of cryptocurrency, the recent buzz has centered around a new entrant that has managed to captivate the interest of investors, particularly those already vested in Solana (SOL) and intrigued by the meteoric rise of Bonk (BONK). Shiba Budz (BUDZ), This newfound interest stems from Shiba Budz (BUDZ)'s unique positioning in the market, which promises not only to challenge the recent price surge of Bonk (BONK) but also to offer Solana (SOL) investors a fresh avenue for potentially lucrative investments. The Rise of Shiba Budz (BUDZ) emerges as a formidable competitor in the cryptocurrency arena, leveraging innovative blockchain technology to create a platform that is both user-friendly and feature-rich. It has quickly garnered attention for its strategic initiatives aimed at fostering growth and engagement within its community. This has prompted investors, known for their keen eye on high-potential projects, to take notice and explore what Shiba Budz (BUDZ) has to offer. Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Solana (SOL) The Appeal to Solana (SOL) Investors Solana (SOL), with its high-performance blockchain, has been the go-to platform for developers and investors looking for scalability, fast transactions, and low fees. The interest from Solana (SOL) investors in is multifaceted; they are drawn to its potential for rapid growth, community-driven development, and the promise of high returns. Shiba Budz (BUDZ) represents a new opportunity for these investors to diversify their portfolios while staying within the ecosystem of fast and scalable blockchain technologies. Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Challenging Bonk (BONK)’s Price Surge The recent price surge of has been nothing short of spectacular, capturing headlines and drawing in investors from all corners of the crypto world. However, ) is set to challenge this dominance by introducing unique features and a robust roadmap that aims to capture and sustain user interest. Through strategic marketing, continuous development, and community engagement, Shiba Budz (BUDZ) is positioned to rival Bonk's (BONK) performance, offering an alternative investment that is equally, if not more, promising. Bonk (BONK) Shiba Budz (BUDZ Why Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Stands Out differentiates itself through several key aspects: Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Community-Driven Initiatives: Like Solana (SOL) and Bonk (BONK), Shiba Budz (BUDZ) places a strong emphasis on community involvement, making it a project shaped by its users. Innovative Technology: Building on the scalability and efficiency seen in , Shiba Budz (BUDZ) implements cutting-edge technology to enhance its platform's performance and user experience. Solana (SOL) Market Positioning: While Bonk (BONK) captured attention with its novelty and rapid ascent, Shiba Budz (BUDZ) aims for sustained growth and long-term value creation, appealing to investors looking for stability in addition to quick gains. Diverse Ecosystem: Beyond just a cryptocurrency, Shiba Budz (BUDZ) is developing an ecosystem that includes NFTs, gaming, and decentralized finance (DeFi) elements, offering a broader range of investment opportunities. The Flocking of Solana (SOL) Investors The move of Solana (SOL) investors towards is a testament to the project's potential and the broader trend of diversification within the crypto space. Investors are constantly on the lookout for the next big thing, and with its solid foundation, innovative features, and strong community support, Shiba Budz (BUDZ) is quickly becoming a favored choice. Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Conclusion ) is carving its path in the cryptocurrency market, challenging the recent successes of Bonk (BONK) while attracting the attention of Solana (SOL) investors. Its unique blend of technology, community focus, and market positioning makes it a noteworthy contender in the crypto arena. As it continues to develop and expand its ecosystem, Shiba Budz (BUDZ) not only promises to be a strong rival to Bonk (BONK) but also a valuable addition to the portfolios of Solana (SOL) investors seeking to capitalize on new and emerging opportunities in the crypto space. Shiba Budz (BUDZ For more information on the Shiba Budz (BUDZ) Presale: Presale Website: SHIBA BUDZ (BUDZ) Use Promo Code Topshib to get a 20% bonus Join and become a BUDZ member: | Telegram Twitter This story was distributed as a release by BTCWire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/

Solana (SOL) Investors Flock To New Cryptocurrency Challenging Bonk's (BONK) Recent Price Surge

সোলানা (SOL) বিনিয়োগকারীরা নতুন ক্রিপ্টোকারেন্সি চ্যালেঞ্জিং বঙ্কস (BONK) সাম্প্রতিক মূল্য বৃদ্ধিতে ভিড় করছেন

Solana (SOL)-Investoren strömen in Scharen in die neue Kryptowährung und stellen den jüngsten Preisanstieg von Bonk (BONK) in Frage

Los inversores de Solana (SOL) acuden en masa a una nueva criptomoneda que desafía el reciente aumento de precios de Bonk (BONK)

Les investisseurs de Solana (SOL) affluent vers une nouvelle crypto-monnaie contestant la récente flambée des prix de Bonk (BONK)

सोलाना (एसओएल) निवेशक बोंक (बीओएनके) की हालिया कीमत वृद्धि को चुनौती देते हुए नई क्रिप्टोकरेंसी की ओर आकर्षित हो रहे हैं

ソラナ (SOL) 投資家が新しい仮想通貨に群がり、ボンクス (BONK) の最近の価格高騰に挑戦

솔라나(SOL) 투자자들이 봉크(BONK)의 최근 가격 급등에 도전하는 새로운 암호화폐로 몰려들고 있습니다.

Investidores de Solana (SOL) migram para a nova criptomoeda que desafia o recente aumento de preços do Bonk's (BONK)

Инвесторы Solana (SOL) стекаются к недавнему скачку цен на новую криптовалюту, бросающую вызов банку (BONK)

Solana (SOL) Yatırımcıları, Bonk'un (BONK) Son Fiyat Artışına meydan okuyan Yeni Kripto Para Birimi'ne Akın Ediyor

Các nhà đầu tư Solana (SOL) đổ xô vào tiền điện tử mới thách thức sự tăng giá gần đây của Bonk (BONK)

Solana (SOL) 投资者涌向新的加密货币，挑战 Bonk (BONK) 最近的价格飙升

The mobile app market is growing fast, and the same is true in India. More and more Indians are using their mobile phones, boosting app usage to a mind-blowing extent. As such, the market is attracting many foreign players. , total app market revenues for 2022 reached US$475.90 billion, and they expect to see an annual growth (CAGR 2022-2027) of 8.58%, resulting in a market volume of US$755.50bn by 2027. According to Statista In March 2023 alone, 39% of apps by Indian publishers in India were using ads to monetize their platforms. Additionally, more than half of all mobile sales in India are made through leading to an increase in the number of mobile sales by more than 10% in H1 2023 YoY. mobile phones show that more than 158,000 apps by Indian app developers have been published on Google Play in 2023 already, and this figure is set to grow. This growth is attracting foreign players, who seek a slice of the Indian market. Figures from Statista mobile app July saw a tie-up between an Indian telecom service provider, and , the global communications platform. Vi, Truecaller Now, , a US-based Decentralized Wireless (DeWi) company, announced that India has become its second-largest global market, only after Indonesia, witnessing a monumental surge of 12 million app downloads. This robust growth is reflective of the growing DeWi community and the swift adoption of web3-based services in the region. WiFi Map India’s demographic transition is naturally capable of driving mass adoption of consumer technology, and we are elated to facilitate this growth by providing decentralized wireless internet to millions of users across the country Denis Sklyarov, CEO of WiFi Map Denis Sklyarov, CEO of WiFi Map, said “India’s demographic transition is naturally capable of driving mass adoption of consumer technology, and we are elated to facilitate this growth by providing decentralized wireless internet to millions of users across the country. The positive data trends in India have encouraged us to recruit local talent, thereby catalyzing user growth and shaping the existing community into a powerful driver for DeWi adoption.” In July, , a global IT/MarTech company launched Mombio, a specialized mobile app user acquisition and CPI/CPL/CPA/Revenue share monetization services platform in India. Mobmio is a new mobile performance network with ambitious plans for the Indian mobile app market. Mitgo Also, existing foreign players are facing rivalry from ambitious local players. In April, Walmart-backed Indian fintech giant PhonePe the launch of a dedicated app store for Android users in India, challenging Google. announced A Broadband India Forum (BIF) study that India’s app market will touch US$800 million. The study reveals that the growth in the Indian app economy is about 32%, which is more than four times the GDP growth. predicted This article was originally published by on Navanwita Bora Sachdev The Tech Panda.

Foreign Players Flock to Thriving Indian Mobile App Market

This Slogging thread by beni mahat, Linh, Ellen, Hang, Katarina, Richard, and David occurred in hackernoon's official #random channel, and has been edited for readability. Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 7:14 PM :savage-joy: David Oct 4, 2021, 7:18 PM Down in Colorado David Oct 4, 2021, 7:20 PM Google reports FB is down 5.56% so far today David Oct 4, 2021, 7:20 PM Twitter is trolling David Oct 4, 2021, 7:21 PM And somehow it's stock is down more than Facebooks... David Oct 4, 2021, 7:23 PM Maybe large outages just create a lack of faith in all tech companies? like whatever the opposite of a rising tide lifts all boats is... beni mahat Oct 4, 2021, 7:25 PM lol Facebook and Instagram down today! 😲 👍 1 Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 7:28 PM Linh Oct 4, 2021, 7:29 PM Naturally most people flock to Twitter when this happens haha 🐤 2 David Oct 4, 2021, 7:31 PM anyways, how does Zuck feel about going down? lets check the screenplay ? https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_social_network/quotes :savage-smiling-with-tear: 1 Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 7:32 PM Rakuten is up tho (Viber is Rakuten's brand). Saw someone on Twitter mentioning they're already seeing their contacts massively signing up today Linh Oct 4, 2021, 7:37 PM Lol 😄 1 :savage-joy: 1 David Oct 4, 2021, 7:39 PM hmmm what headlines surround "tech stocks" today? https://www.google.com/search?q=tech+stocks&newwindow=1&sxsrf=AOaemvJeoickwZTfHcim4RquDDsRlWs1Lw:1633376261281&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixzNnewLHzAhVSqJ4KHd_VC5YQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1297&bih=710&dpr=2 Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 8:28 PM Slightly different, but overall downward trend Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 8:29 PM Curiouser and curiouser: https://www.privacyaffairs.com/facebook-data-sold-on-hacker-forum/ Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 8:30 PM Hmm though they claim it's unrelated 🤔 " This is completely unrelated to the global Facebook outage experienced on 4 October 2021." Clarification: David Oct 4, 2021, 8:43 PM Statement from Facebook's PR firm: Correlation is not Causation! http://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations :savage-joy: 1 Ellen Oct 4, 2021, 8:46 PM Had to call my service provider today, they legit have it programmed into their phone msgs and online chat, that it's not them, it's the companies. :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: 1 Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 8:50 PM Oh but this 😂 Hang Oct 4, 2021, 8:58 PM 😂 1 David Oct 4, 2021, 9:02 PM https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/26uog6/what_is_the_origin_of_the_saying_you_dont_have_to/ Ellen Oct 4, 2021, 9:06 PM Wait, hold on, so what exactly is happening here? I is Fb under attack? Ellen Oct 4, 2021, 9:08 PM They're going to think we did it... 😂 1 Hang Oct 4, 2021, 9:11 PM Ellen If you are looking for a serious answer, facebook, ig, messager, whatsapp (basically the whole mark zucc empire)  is under a “global outage” right after the accusation of “constantly prioritizing profits”.  it happens once in a while. i guess some dev just tryna introduce new code and the code has bugs :savage-joy: But on the less serious note, yes, we did that. or twitter did that so people come to use them more 💯 1 Ellen Oct 4, 2021, 9:15 PM Well, I'm starting to realize what the topic of the pod will be. "HackerNoon shuts down Zucc empire with one article" David Oct 4, 2021, 9:16 PM Hang Oct 4, 2021, 9:16 PM Ellen ok and if anything zuck sues us see you in court :savage-joy: Linh Oct 4, 2021, 9:17 PM I’d say we’ve made it as a pod if we get even close to FB legals 😁 2 🤘 3 Ellen Oct 4, 2021, 9:18 PM ^ was coming here to post something along those lines lmao Katarina Oct 4, 2021, 9:21 PM Now it all makes sense. Kanye is behind all of this, just to ride the viral wave 😂 😂 1 😂 1

Twitter Stock Curiously Tanked as People Flock to the App while #InstagramFacebookDown

Earlier this month, WhatsApp started showing a notice informing users of an update to the app's privacy policy. The update seemed to indicate that WhatsApp would share user data with its parent company, Facebook. Nevermind that WhatsApp had already been doing it , the notice raised awareness on the data-sharing scheme and pushed millions to look for alternatives to the messaging app. since 2016 Many flocked to Signal, the secure messenger endorsed by Edward Snowden and already used by journalists and activists worldwide (in fact, Signal got so many new users that its servers went down for a few hours on Friday). But even larger numbers turned to Telegram: over 25 million people registered on the app within 72 hours. The same thing happened when Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014, and in 2019, when WhatsApp a vulnerability in the app, and thousands of alarmed users--particularly activists--turned to Telegram for safety. discovered This increased awareness of digital privacy risks is certainly a positive development. But Telegram is seen as the gold-standard for secure messaging is deeply concerning. So here are 7 reasons why Telegram isn't as secure as it paints itself to be. 1. Chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default By contrast to Signal or WhatsApp, conversations are not end-to-end encrypted by default. This means that anyone with access to the Telegram servers can read user chats (messages, photos, audio recordings, etc)--whether that's Telegram staff, a hacker who manages to get in, or a government serving the company a subpoena. We don't know whether Telegram staff has accessed user conversations in the past or handed over data to governments, but we don't need to know: if they want to, they can. Telegram does support end-to-end encrypted "secret chats", which keep data encrypted even on Telegram servers. But users need to go out of their way to start a secret chat, and in the process lose significant functionalities, such as cross-device syncing (secret chats started on the phone are not viewable on Telegram desktop, and vice versa). Because they join Telegram expecting an already-secure messenger, casual users are often not aware that default chats are not fully private. (It's also worth noting that secret chat is not a particularly unique feature: Facebook Messenger and Skype support similar features) 2. Group chats are not end-to-end encrypted Just like regular one-on-one chats, group chats are not end-to-end encrypted. Except there, Telegram does not offer an option for a secret group chat at all. So if you are on Telegram and want a truly private group chat, you're out of luck. 3. Full chat histories are stored in the cloud The entirety of users' chat history is stored on Telegram servers. This means that if someone gets access to your account, they are able to read every message of every conversation you've ever had on the app (except for secret chats and those you have manually deleted). of security researcher The Grugq, "this is a security nightmare". In the words To get access, a hacker would need to intercept the verification code that Telegram sends when a user activates the app on a new device. This is not theoretical, it happens in real life-- in places where criticizing the government can land you in jail. There are ways of protecting yourself against this threat, such as enabling an extra password to register a new device, but yet again, most users are unaware of those risks. including This is not an issue unique to Telegram: other messengers that use the phone number as an identifier face the same risks. What is unique about Telegram is that it stores all conversations on its servers. Other apps like WhatsApp or Signal do not store chat history on their servers, leaving it to the user to back up their conversations on their device. Telegram storing chat history in the cloud adds a great deal of convenience (all conversations are available on any device at any time), but presents serious risks that are often not clear to ordinary users. 4. Metadata collection Metadata is data about your conversations. It can include who you talk to, when, and for how long; it can identify members of a group chat, their locations, IP addresses, etc. Even without access to the content of a conversation, metadata can reveal a lot about someone's life--so much so, that a former head of the NSA that the US government kills enemies just based on metadata. When WhatsApp says it shares data about its users to Facebook, the data it's talking about is that metadata. admitted Like WhatsApp, Telegram collects metadata about its users, including IP addresses that can reveal the users' location. To many users, that's much better than Facebook holding that data. But others many not want anyone, not even Telegram, to know who they are talking to, when, and from where. This is all the more regretful because private messaging can work perfectly well without collecting metadata. In 2016, as part of an FBI investigation, the US court subpoenaed Signal to handover all the information it had about two of its users. Because Signal is end-to-end encrypted, and therefore has no access to user conversations, all that the team could share with the court was metadata and all the metadata available: the date the users created their Signal account, and the date they were last connected. That's all. it did share Collecting user metadata is a choice apps make, and Telegram made the privacy-invasive choice. Above: the entirety of the user metadata Signal handed over to the FBI 5. More of a social network than a secure messenger While Telegram calls itself a "messaging app with a focus on security and speed", over the years, it’s become more of a social network. Telegram supports groups of up to 200,000 members and channels where admins can broadcast messages to millions, similar to a Twitter feed or Facebook page. ﻿﻿There is of course nothing wrong with being a social network. The problem is that users are misled to think that Telegram is a particularly secure or private one. In August 2019, when millions of Hongkongers turned to Telegram groups to coordinate protests against Chinese interference, a vulnerability in the app. An attacker was able to identify the phone numbers of those who were part of those Telegram groups--even if those users had set their app preferences to hide their phone number. This meant that if that attacker was the government, they could then use the phone number to track down the users’ real world identities--and detain them for their activism.The issue was , but it showed yet again that many Telegram features of Telegram were not built with privacy as a primary concern. was discovered quickly fixed And like all social networks, Telegram uses censorship: it shuts down groups and channels when it is under public or political pressure--like when the app a hub of ISIS propaganda or, just last week, when white nationalists to Telegram after being booted from all major social networks. became turned 6. A great deal of confusion Telegram brands itself as a "secure" app and says its chats are "highly encrypted". But as all of the above shows, it's a little more complicated than that. Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted, but not regular chats. Telegram's website says nothing about groups being end-to-end encrypted (they are not), so many users may mistakenly believe that they are. Voice calls and video calls are end-to-end encrypted. To an ordinary user--not a security expert or a hacker--this is all pretty confusing and error prone. Users who buy into Telegram's branding are likely to feel like anything they do in the app is safe. Others may mistakenly open a regular chat instead of a secret chat, or forget which feature is end-to-end encrypted and which isn't. All in all, Telegram was either not designed to protect user privacy, or protecting user privacy was poorly executed. 7. Worthy of our trust? A big part of digital security is about trust. It's about asking ourselves questions like: Who are we willing to trust with our data and digital identities? Do they have the right motives? What is their history and reputation? Asking ourselves those questions about Telegram, it's hard to recommend the app. The app was launched by Russian billionaire Pavel Durov and his mathematician brother Nikolai, the creators of VK, Russia's most popular social network. ﻿When in 2011 VK topped 100 million users, Durov starting attracting the anger of the Kremlin for refusing ﻿to censor Putin's political opposition. By 2014, the situation had escalated to the point where Durov was ousted from the company and left Russia. This is when Durov launched Telegram. He that "﻿the No. 1 reason for me to support and help launch Telegram was to build a means of communication that can’t be accessed by the Russian security agencies". But Durov's aim to help Russians bypass censorship says little about his commitment to privacy in general. said at the time The first warning sign about Telegram came early on. When designing the app, the Durov brothers ignored cryptography's golden rule, a consensus among security experts: don't create your own encryption scheme. Cryptography is so complex that designing an encryption algorithm from scratch almost inevitably leads to mistakes, so developers should instead use time-tested, recognized algorithms. But Telegram arrogantly decided to create its own homegrown encryption technology, and as expected it was (which remained unaddressed for years). filled with errors In the following years, despite fixing those initial cryptographic flaws, Telegram did nothing to address the many worrying weaknesses, and continued to paint itself as the most secure and private app out there--often making his case by that Signal cannot be trusted (despite the universal endorsement of the app by cryptographers, security experts, and whistleblowers). arguing Years later, Durov's appetite to cash-in on the app further raised eyebrows. ﻿﻿In 2018, Telegram raised a whopping $1.7 billion from investors to launch a cryptocurrency on the platform--the largest amount ever raised for a cryptocurrency launch. The move was expected to generate a whole lot of cash for Telegram's founders. The project was eventually after a US court ruled that Telegram didn't comply with financial regulations, but the whole saga raised questions about Durov's motives. abandoned Finally, though initially based in Berlin, Telegram has operated out of Dubai since 2017. Durov that it moved to the United Arab Emirates for its fiscally advantageous policy. This was, according to him, out of belief in small government rather than financial motivation--though the billion-dollar cryptocurrency fundraising was announced just months after the move to the tax-free zone. explained Most worrying, the UAE is a , routinely jailing political dissidents and journalists for critizing the ruling family. It is a violent player in regional politics, backing dictatorships against democratic movements, waging a cold war against Iran, and fueling proxy wars in Yemen, Libya, and Syria. The UAE is an unabashed enemy of freedom of speech, with a long list of political enemies. Durov claims that its server infrastructure is distributed around the world and strategically set up to avoid the jurisdiction of any one country, including of the UAE. With no means of verifying those claims, we'll have to take his word for it and hope that the billions of conversations stored in Telegram's servers are, indeed, safe. deeply repressive state Conclusion As the Electronic Frontier Foundation , it would be silly, dangerous even, to give blanket recommendations on what communication tool is the most "secure". Security is subjective and personal. What is it you want to protect--the content of your conversations, who you talk to, your identity? Who do you want to protect it from--Facebook, Google, the US government, the Chinese government, your boss, your stalking ex-lover? Each app has strengths and weaknesses, and different needs call for different apps. explains Telegram may well fit some people's security needs, and it may offer social networking features that people are looking for, free of Facebook surveillance. But the app’s self-branding as "secure" and "highly encrypted" is deceptive and puts users at risk. From to or , there are many apps that were designed from the ground up with security in mind. Telegram is simply not one of them. Signal Wire Briar

Insecure by Design: As Millions Flock to Telegram, 7 Reasons to Question the App's Privacy Claims

It’s no secret we've stumbled upon a formidable obstacle to our AI-powered future: the staggering energy consumption of our current models. Industry leaders are scrambling to come up with short-term answers to ensure they don’t miss the wave, with ambitious efforts like Microsoft’s reopening of nuclear reactors on Three Mile Island and Google working on “first-of-its-kind” geothermal projects. And while that plays out at the big kid’s table, a flock of new startups are building on the progress made in recent years, re-thinking the fundamentals to see if there are solutions that could serve as the long-term solution. One that doesn’t require hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. AI’s Power Demands Are a Ticking Time Bomb Operating large language models in their current iteration is an energy-intensive process that's rapidly approaching unsustainable levels. Training a single AI model can emit as much carbon as five cars over their entire lifetimes. It's not just an environmental concern; it's a scalability nightmare threatening to derail the AI revolution before it fully takes flight. Consider these sobering facts: GPT-3, with its 175 billion parameters, reportedly required 1,287 MWh for a single training run.
The carbon footprint of training a large NLP model is estimated to be around 626,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent.
As models grow, so does their energy consumption – often at a superlinear rate. And as the industry pushes for more advanced AI capabilities, this energy consumption is set to skyrocket. This is not only a problem on an operational level but also in the greater picture, as industry leaders like Google have pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits from firms doing things like plugging orphaned oil and gas wells - a market where demand is already far out-pacing supply. Efficiency & Minimal Parameter Activation: The New North Star of AI Innovation The solution may be rather simple: smarter, smaller, more efficient models built for a set of specific purposes. Narrowing the scope, if you will. One such example is the open-source Aria model built by Rhymes, which employs minimal parameter activation. While the Aria model boasts a total of 25.3 billion parameters, it only activates a mere 3.9 billion for any given task. Traditional, mainstream models like GPT-3 activate all of their parameters for every task, regardless of complexity, while Aria's approach is like a surgeon using only the necessary instruments for a specific procedure. Many surgeons would tell you they don’t need to deploy the entire operating room's worth of equipment for every operation. Rhyme has deployed this in practice with BeaGo, which they call “a smarter, faster AI search.” Based on my tests, BeaGo’s results were indistinguishable from competing products from Perplexity and other, most energy and time-intensive products. But it’s more than simply narrowing the scope: the startup has built a multimodal open-source mixture-of-experts model that sorts and intelligently manages large, long-context data of all types, including text, video, and images. Rhymes’ solution may be lighting the pathway for AI in 2025 and beyond, all without the hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure spending. The Reminder: Innovation Never Stops In the end, the work of companies like Rhymes serves as a reminder that just because we found something that works, doesn’t mean the task of innovating is over. While Microsoft and Google run with our existing large language models, working to productize and bring AI to the mass-market, others cannot stop working on building something even better. I’m heartened by the startup-driven approach that I see here at the end of 2024 – combining multimodal capabilities, selective parameter activation, and open-source collaboration – offers a blueprint for how we can achieve a vision of an AI that both works and works for the planet. It’s no secret we've stumbled upon a formidable obstacle to our AI-powered future: the staggering energy consumption of our current models. Industry leaders are scrambling to come up with short-term answers to ensure they don’t miss the wave, with ambitious efforts like Microsoft’s reopening of nuclear reactors on Three Mile Island and Google working on “first-of-its-kind” geothermal projects . Microsoft’s reopening of nuclear reactors on Three Mile Island Microsoft’s reopening of nuclear reactors on Three Mile Island Google working on “first-of-its-kind” geothermal projects Google working on “first-of-its-kind” geothermal projects And while that plays out at the big kid’s table, a flock of new startups are building on the progress made in recent years, re-thinking the fundamentals to see if there are solutions that could serve as the long-term solution. One that doesn’t require hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. doesn’t AI’s Power Demands Are a Ticking Time Bomb Operating large language models in their current iteration is an energy-intensive process that's rapidly approaching unsustainable levels. Training a single AI model can emit as much carbon as five cars over their entire lifetimes. It's not just an environmental concern; it's a scalability nightmare threatening to derail the AI revolution before it fully takes flight. Consider these sobering facts: GPT-3, with its 175 billion parameters, reportedly required 1,287 MWh for a single training run. The carbon footprint of training a large NLP model is estimated to be around 626,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent. As models grow, so does their energy consumption – often at a superlinear rate. GPT-3, with its 175 billion parameters, reportedly required 1,287 MWh for a single training run. The carbon footprint of training a large NLP model is estimated to be around 626,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent. As models grow, so does their energy consumption – often at a superlinear rate. And as the industry pushes for more advanced AI capabilities, this energy consumption is set to skyrocket. This is not only a problem on an operational level but also in the greater picture, as industry leaders like Google have pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits from firms doing things like plugging orphaned oil and gas wells - a market where demand is already far out-pacing supply. plugging orphaned oil and gas wells Efficiency & Minimal Parameter Activation: The New North Star of AI Innovation The solution may be rather simple: smarter, smaller, more efficient models built for a set of specific purposes. Narrowing the scope, if you will. One such example is the open-source Aria model built by Rhymes , which employs minimal parameter activation. While the Aria model boasts a total of 25.3 billion parameters, it only activates a mere 3.9 billion for any given task. Traditional, mainstream models like GPT-3 activate all of their parameters for every task, regardless of complexity, while Aria's approach is like a surgeon using only the necessary instruments for a specific procedure. Many surgeons would tell you they don’t need to deploy the entire operating room's worth of equipment for every operation. Aria model built by Rhymes Rhyme has deployed this in practice with BeaGo, which they call “a smarter, faster AI search.” Based on my tests, BeaGo’s results were indistinguishable from competing products from Perplexity and other, most energy and time-intensive products. But it’s more than simply narrowing the scope: the startup has built a multimodal open-source mixture-of-experts model that sorts and intelligently manages large, long-context data of all types, including text, video, and images. Rhymes’ solution may be lighting the pathway for AI in 2025 and beyond, all without the hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure spending. The Reminder: Innovation Never Stops In the end, the work of companies like Rhymes serves as a reminder that just because we found something that works , doesn’t mean the task of innovating is over. While Microsoft and Google run with our existing large language models, working to productize and bring AI to the mass-market, others cannot stop working on building something even better. works I’m heartened by the startup-driven approach that I see here at the end of 2024 – combining multimodal capabilities, selective parameter activation, and open-source collaboration – offers a blueprint for how we can achieve a vision of an AI that both works and works for the planet.

The AI Energy Crisis & A Newfound Push for Efficiency

Die KI-Energiekrise und ein neuer Drang nach Effizienz

La crise énergétique de l'IA et une nouvelle dynamique en faveur de l'efficacité

משבר האנרגיה של AI ודחיפה חדשה ליעילות

La crisi energetica dell’intelligenza artificiale e una nuova spinta verso l’efficienza

De AI-energiecrisis en een nieuwe drang naar efficiëntie

A crise energética da IA e um novo impulso para a eficiência

This Tweet: Hey @MDBitcoin, guess what? https://twitter.com/MDBitcoin/status/1846982410568642709 That is incredible — incredible that so few people use their Bitcoins! Here are some other things that haven’t moved in a year: 99% of rocks.
93% of posters.
84% of dead people. (There’s a lot of demand for medical cadavers.) All about the money Years ago, I published Why You’re the Only One Who Cares About Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency. https://medium.com/thecapital/why-nobody-else-cares-about-bitcoin-and-cryptocurrency-5d5214dd644?embedable=true That was in 2019, before the 2021 explosion that brought crypto into the mainstream. It was a lonely and uncertain time. Nobody paid attention to Bitcoin. They thought crypto was dead, a passing fad that fell into the dustbin of history. At the time, I and others thought their apathy created an opportunity: we get to introduce people to a new world-changing technology! Nope. With the introduction of ETFs, Wall Street took that job. We kept Michael Saylor, they got Larry Fink. VCs have invested billions of dollars into crypto start-ups. They are now the face of crypto, pushing overpriced tokens for projects that have atrocious tokenomics and astronomical valuations. Memecoins suck up investment capital and get the attention on social media. Some altcoins have created new paradigms that stretch the boundaries of what’s possible, but they toil in the shadows. You only hear about them on Telegram, Twitter, and Medium (unless some influencer shills them). “At least you can make money on meme coins,” they say. Which is basically what crypto has become. A way to make money. The faster, the better. You can understand why. Most people don’t worry about inverted yield curves and undercapitalized banks. Nor do they recognize violations of their privacy and human rights. They don’t have any problems with the authorities. In fact, they look for those authorities to fix their problems. To them, crypto seems like an odd abstraction, not an innovative technology. Since they don’t know anything’s broken, they don’t see how Bitcoin fixes it. But they do see a chance to make money. Dutch disease Technology does not decide its fate. People do. They figure out what works and what doesn’t, what’s valuable and what’s not. Projects compete and collaborate. Some win. Some lose but find niche applications. Some just lose. We grow, prosper, and move on. Not so with crypto. You don’t get rewarded for creating things people use. All that matters is whether your token goes up. As a result, people don’t make useful things. They sell tokens for cash and spend it on other things. As a result, you have millions of people who don’t know anything about cryptocurrency, but they see Wall Street’s talking heads saying it’s good for your portfolio and people like us saying they’ll make money from tokens.   As such, is it any wonder that they flock to NFTs, memecoins, and new “L2s?” Should you need to wonder why prediction markets and decentralized exchanges remain the most popular crypto apps? We have a form of Dutch disease, an economic phenomenon in which so many people make money from one activity that they stop investing in other activities. They simply buy the things they want with the money they get. This is the premise of my first book, Consensusland. The country makes so much money selling crypto, nobody does anything else. They cash out their crypto, buy what they want, and find new cryptos to sell. Stifling, not liberating Sounds nice, doesn’t it? That's great for us early buyers, but no way to build an industry. Imagine what people would’ve said about AI if the most prominent advocates shouted “long the robots, short the humans!” or “buy these 5 robots to make $1 million in 2024?” Some people worked on robots, others worked on computers, and they occasionally collaborated on cross-disciplinary projects while “the mainstream” simply used whatever they came up with. They didn't have any tokens to sell. They had to create useful things before they could make money. Everybody recognized the value in AI and the money they could make. But that was the outcome, not the goal. With cryptocurrency, the profit comes before the work. The problem? By the time the work matters, developers have already made their money. VCs have already recovered their investments and, in some cases, cashed out completely. The teams have already gotten paid. They don't care anymore. The Great Letdown I fully empathize with Bitcoin maximalists. They see a world of opportunity that goes far beyond whatever cash they can make from flipping NFTs and memecoins. I want that world, too — a fairer, more equitable monetary system that’s accessible to everybody and does not let governments destroy the value of your money. How about we talk about human rights and corruption, better financial systems, more privacy, and lower business costs? Cryptocurrency solves many problems. You’d think it should be easy to get people on board, right? To show them how useful it is? Why it matters? Nope. No money in that. Crypto will not matter until you decide to let it matter If you’re HODLing Bitcoin for Lambos or using it to promote yourself, you’re doing the same thing. That’s why people only think about crypto when prices go up. Through our actions, we make it seem like “price go up” is the only thing crypto has to offer. Until that changes, nobody will take us seriously. Nobody will care about the technology, its applications, or any of the wonderful things people are trying to build. We have replaced value creation with raw speculation, but people inherently crave value. They care about things that make their lives better. They'll pump our bags and give you exit liquidity, if you choose to take it. That's probably why you got into crypto in the first place. Eventually, the well will run dry. Speculators will lose enough money that they will stop chasing fast profits. What happens when people realize they can't make money from crypto anymore? Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon. Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed. This Tweet: Hey @MDBitcoin , guess what? @MDBitcoin @MDBitcoin https://twitter.com/MDBitcoin/status/1846982410568642709 https://twitter.com/MDBitcoin/status/1846982410568642709 That is incredible — incredible that so few people use their Bitcoins! is Here are some other things that haven’t moved in a year: 99% of rocks. 93% of posters. 84% of dead people. (There’s a lot of demand for medical cadavers.) 99% of rocks. 93% of posters. 84% of dead people. (There’s a lot of demand for medical cadavers.) All about the money Years ago, I published Why You’re the Only One Who Cares About Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency . Why You’re the Only One Who Cares About Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Why You’re the Only One Who Cares About Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency https://medium.com/thecapital/why-nobody-else-cares-about-bitcoin-and-cryptocurrency-5d5214dd644?embedable=true https://medium.com/thecapital/why-nobody-else-cares-about-bitcoin-and-cryptocurrency-5d5214dd644?embedable=true That was in 2019, before the 2021 explosion that brought crypto into the mainstream. It was a lonely and uncertain time. Nobody paid attention to Bitcoin. They thought crypto was dead, a passing fad that fell into the dustbin of history. At the time, I and others thought their apathy created an opportunity: we get to introduce people to a new world-changing technology! Nope. With the introduction of ETFs, Wall Street took that job. We kept Michael Saylor, they got Larry Fink. VCs have invested billions of dollars into crypto start-ups. They are now the face of crypto, pushing overpriced tokens for projects that have atrocious tokenomics and astronomical valuations. Memecoins suck up investment capital and get the attention on social media. Some altcoins have created new paradigms that stretch the boundaries of what’s possible, but they toil in the shadows. You only hear about them on Telegram, Twitter, and Medium (unless some influencer shills them). Medium “At least you can make money on meme coins,” they say. Which is basically what crypto has become. A way to make money. The faster, the better. You can understand why. Most people don’t worry about inverted yield curves and undercapitalized banks. Nor do they recognize violations of their privacy and human rights. They don’t have any problems with the authorities. In fact, they look for those authorities to fix their problems. fix To them, crypto seems like an odd abstraction, not an innovative technology. Since they don’t know anything’s broken, they don’t see how Bitcoin fixes it. But they do see a chance to make money. Dutch disease Technology does not decide its fate. People do. They figure out what works and what doesn’t, what’s valuable and what’s not. Projects compete and collaborate. Some win. Some lose but find niche applications. Some just lose. We grow, prosper, and move on. Not so with crypto. You don’t get rewarded for creating things people use. All that matters is whether your token goes up. As a result, people don’t make useful things. They sell tokens for cash and spend it on other things. As a result, you have millions of people who don’t know anything about cryptocurrency, but they see Wall Street’s talking heads saying it’s good for your portfolio and people like us saying they’ll make money from tokens. As such, is it any wonder that they flock to NFTs, memecoins, and new “L2s?” Should you need to wonder why prediction markets and decentralized exchanges remain the most popular crypto apps? We have a form of Dutch disease, an economic phenomenon in which so many people make money from one activity that they stop investing in other activities. They simply buy the things they want with the money they get. This is the premise of my first book, Consensusland. The country makes so much money selling crypto, nobody does anything else. They cash out their crypto, buy what they want, and find new cryptos to sell. Consensusland. Stifling, not liberating Sounds nice, doesn’t it? That's great for us early buyers, but no way to build an industry. Imagine what people would’ve said about AI if the most prominent advocates shouted “long the robots, short the humans!” or “buy these 5 robots to make $1 million in 2024?” Some people worked on robots, others worked on computers, and they occasionally collaborated on cross-disciplinary projects while “the mainstream” simply used whatever they came up with. They didn't have any tokens to sell. They had to create useful things before they could make money. had to Everybody recognized the value in AI and the money they could make. But that was the outcome, not the goal. With cryptocurrency, the profit comes before the work. The problem? By the time the work matters, developers have already made their money. VCs have already recovered their investments and, in some cases, cashed out completely. The teams have already gotten paid. They don't care anymore. The Great Letdown I fully empathize with Bitcoin maximalists. They see a world of opportunity that goes far beyond whatever cash they can make from flipping NFTs and memecoins. I want that world, too — a fairer, more equitable monetary system that’s accessible to everybody and does not let governments destroy the value of your money. How about we talk about human rights and corruption, better financial systems, more privacy, and lower business costs? Cryptocurrency solves many problems. You’d think it should be easy to get people on board, right? To show them how useful it is? Why it matters? Nope. No money in that. Crypto will not matter until you decide to let it matter If you’re HODLing Bitcoin for Lambos or using it to promote yourself, you’re doing the same thing. That’s why people only think about crypto when prices go up. Through our actions, we make it seem like “price go up” is the only thing crypto has to offer. Until that changes, nobody will take us seriously. Nobody will care about the technology, its applications, or any of the wonderful things people are trying to build. We have replaced value creation with raw speculation, but people inherently crave value. They care about things that make their lives better. They'll pump our bags and give you exit liquidity, if you choose to take it. That's probably why you got into crypto in the first place. Eventually, the well will run dry. Speculators will lose enough money that they will stop chasing fast profits. What happens when people realize they can't make money from crypto anymore? Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon . Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed . Crypto is Easy Crypto is Easy Crypto is Easy Medium Medium Medium Hacker Noon Hacker Noon Hacker Noon bio bio Tealfeed Tealfeed

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