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Hey Hackers! I’m Sonny Alves Dias, and I’m the CTO at Pixelmatic. First of all, a huge thank you to the HackerNoon community and staff for nominating me for a 2021 Noonies award! I’ve been nominated in the following categories; please do check out these award pages and vote: HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - HTML: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-html HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - networking: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-networking HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - SEO: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-seo HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - web: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-web HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - webdev: https://noonies.tech/award/2021-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-webdev As someone both in the crypto and the gaming industry, I believe that the most exciting technology of the present is Bitcoin because it has the power to change the world. Learn more about my thoughts and opinions on Bitcoin and my journey in the tech industry via the interview below. 1. What do you do, and why do you do it? (tell us your story) I am a generalist software engineer, and I work in the gaming industry. How did I end up there?Well, I was living and working in a pretty small town in France. There was really nothing very exciting there, a pretty industrial area of France, so as a computer scientist you generally end up giving services to these industries. But I met a girl at university, who became my wife, and she happened to be Chinese. She wanted to go back to China and me; having completed my last university term in Japan and cultivating an interest in Asia since forever, I was up for it. At the same time, I thought it was maybe the right moment to try to land a job in the gaming industry. Like a lot of us, as a kid, I was dreaming of making games once I became an adult. Six months before moving to China, I started to look for a job remotely in a couple of different cities. After tons of emails, I got almost no replies... So by the time we moved there, I still had no job. And also, my visa was valid for six months… only… So I was freaked out. After a couple of months of desperately looking for something, I finally landed a job in a big indie developer studio called , created by the well-known American McGee. This is where my journey in the gaming industry started. Spicy Horse And… very quickly, I experienced something that happens commonly in the gaming industry: a title cancellation. After two months at Spicy Horse, I got laid off. Fortunately, American McGee, within my short stay still saw my potential and offered me introductions to multiple of his entrepreneur friends. Weirdly enough, and maybe because I was still in the euphoria of finally working in the industry and living in Shanghai, I was super excited. Looking back at that moment, being laid off just felt like a very small bump on the road. Then after a couple of intense weeks doing interviews and networking, I found an opportunity at . And that is thanks to a colleague at Spicy Horse, a great engineer called Muhammad Moniem who works in Canada at Compulsion Games now. I got the opportunity to become the CTO of Pixelmatic and have been able to grow the company in the past 7 years. Pixelmatic 2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build! Computer and software are both my work and my hobby; whenever I have some spare time, I like to code and create stuff. For example, recently, I started to build a website to centralize some of the API and functions I would usually google, things like DNS resolutions, password generation, etc. And I took the opportunity to test new languages and techniques with that website: Dart, Svelte, Golang, Insomnia, OpenAPI, etc. Experience that I bring back to work them to try to grow and improve our practices. I have a blog where I write articles about things that are worth sharing with the world like my last couple of articles were about how the server-side rendering works in Angular and how to add a date variable in a Slack Workflow. https://sonny.alvesdi.as/ And this year, I also decided to start a podcast to interview and put the spotlight on some of the best contemporary software engineers. I recently released my sixth episode where I interviewed Mathias Buus, the lead developer of the . He was an early adopter of Node.JS, and he has tons of published packages on npm. He has seen the technology grow from the beginning; it was super interesting to hear his point of view on the current ecosystem. Also, the Hypercore Protocol is really a high-tech piece of technology nowadays, allowing you to do peer-to-peer software pretty easily with Javascript and Node. Hypercore Protocol 3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it? I am the CTO at Pixelmatic, a video game developer company. As a CTO, my role consistently evolved. Several years ago, we were about 10 people in a small office working on a couple of outsourcing projects, my role at that time was essential to lead the development of these projects. As we started to grow, my role slowly changed to something closer to a head/VP of engineering, where I would lead multiple teams on multiple projects and try to make sure they had what they needed to work, recruiting new talents for the teams, and filling the gaps here and there as much as possible. Nowadays we are more than 50 people in the company, and I hired a great VP of Engineering, Jordan Guinaud, so now I am focusing on the overall technical direction, in terms of tech stack and technical choices, but also in terms of good practices and quality of code. Of course, I am still filling the gaps here and there whenever I can. We are in a tough period where workflows from the past do not work anymore because we have a lot of people involved (with different timezones) and require people to focus. So we switched slowly from a startup mode where everybody wears multiple hats to a scaleup where people specialize more and more in their field. In the near future, my ambition is to open an R&D team at Pixelmatic to focus on innovation applied to games. Mostly around AI, to use the latest discoveries in the field for the gameplay and have an even more immersive experience for our players. 4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why? To be honest, a lot! Too much, probably! So I will try to limit my answer to a few. , as I said, it has the power to change the world, and I hope we will all work together to make the world a better place. Bitcoin , see my answer to question 2 for why. Hypercore Protocol , it is the latest multiplayer framework for AAA games, made by the Photon team; it’s probably one of the most high-end multiplayer frameworks ever seen. Photon Fusion , while doing research on Docker and its creator, Solomon Hykes, I noticed Solomon was up on something else. I had a look and instantly saw great potential here. Dagger is basically the glue that will allow having to deploy pipeline as code. Dagger Finally, as in Entity Components System. I have a couple of my podcast episodes around the subject. It’s a recent programming paradigm based on Data-Oriented Design, that allows for very high efficiency and performance, as well as very low coupling of the code. ECS 5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why? Ethereum, for multiple reasons. I saw them stealing the concept of , while I was already discussing semantic web and Web3 in 2005 before there was any blockchain at all. If decentralization is Web3 direction, then I would put my bet on the most decentralized and secure network, Bitcoin, and things like Lightning, RGB, and Decentralized Identities with ION ( ). Web3 https://identity.foundation/ion/ 6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why? In genetic research. My first daughter is affected by a very rare genetic disease. And the genetic field is at the edge of several breakthroughs. They are potential treatments feasible to help my child, but it’s still very early, and it is still going to take some time to have full product medication for her, so if I could accelerate that, I would. Also, I would invest in things like artificial intelligence, robotics, transhumanist technologies as it could ease the life of my child and the weaker on the planet. And it would probably help us to travel through space as well. 7. What are you currently learning? These days, I am learning on my own. Working with the latest version of Svelte Kit, and I like its simplicity and its very fast compilation time. At Pixelmatic, we mostly use Angular, and the compilation time is one of the pain points with it. Svelte I keep working on my proficiency too. We have a great Platform team at Pixelmatic, building services in Go, and I am way out of their league, so I try to catch up. I really like the efficiency of Go, its portability, and quick compilation too. Go Also, I am training myself on and currently to improve our work methods. BDD ATDD 8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone? Sometimes very motivated young developers ask me how to develop their own game. Making a game is a huge project requiring tons of different skills. So my advice is generally to find people to work with first. And for that, don’t be afraid to share your project and ideas. Ideas are worth nothing if there is no execution after. 9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? One common mistake when working in a team is to make assumptions. For example, you can assume maybe something was decided when you were not present in a meeting, or you can assume someone writing some lines of code well-thought-of the problem. In software engineering, we try not to reinvent the wheel at any moment, but don’t assume you have the proper tire in all circumstances. The situation is constantly evolving, so we should avoid making assumptions and don’t be afraid to question anything. About HackerNoon’s 2021 Noonie Awards The annual Noonie Awards celebrate the best and brightest of the tech industry, bringing together all who are making the Internet and the world of tech what it is today. Please be sure to , nominate, and vote for the people and companies who you think are making the biggest impact on the tech industry today. check out our award categories The 2021 Noonies are sponsored by: , , and . Thank you so much to these sponsors who are helping us celebrate the accomplishments of all our nominees. bybit Dottech Domains Avast

How I Became a CTO with Noonies Nominee Sonny Alves Dias

Developers and tech entrepreneurs have created a silent but consistent mission to decentralize the internet. The goal is to make it a safer place for people to transact and communicate without the need for intermediaries. What does decentralizing the internet mean? It means breaking away from the big centralized organizations monopolizing the internet which are collecting, harvesting, and selling data from its users. Decentralizing the internet is to create small communities of alternative networked platforms not just run by large corporations but rather communities of users who control and own their personal data. A decentralized web means giving back the power of the internet to the user and rather than the centralized middlemen. According to , founder of Internet Archive, decentralizing the internet means bringing the internet up to date and changing it to respect user privacy and make it more reliable. A decentralized web can still be run by tech communities but the power and control of user data needs to be in the hands of its users, removing the aspect of third party user data sales and big data mining. Brewster Kahle Fed Up Internet Why are some of the best minds in the tech industry banding together in order to decentralize the internet? The main reason is for attention surrounding the misuse of security measures which ultimately hold the keys to users private data. Internet users are angry at the current state of the world wide web. And through documentaries and widespread messages on how big tech companies operate, users are realizing how the internet has become somewhat of a toxic and intrusive place where users need to provide all sorts of private information before one can do anything as simple as downloading, accessing information, using apps, and communicating. Currently, the majority of web applications and platforms are centralized in large data servers owned by only a few large corporations. It can be said that these corporations have monopolized the internet because they have taken control of what people can see and do on the web. A study by shows that 91% of Americans have already lost confidence and admit that they have lost control of how their personal information is collected online. Pew Research Center The Clamor For Data The internet is recording everything in one’s life, and according to , the everyday devices you are using inside your homes may be the culprit. The smart television keeps track of what you watch, and data on flash drives you insert on USB ports can be read and transmitted. Cable and satellite televisions can track what you are watching, and companies can use that data for audience targeting on advertisements. Forbes.com Smartphones and tablets can track your information, online activities, and location. The Internet service providers (ISP) can access a record of websites you have visited. Even it is against the company’s privacy policy, a malicious technical employee may still have the power to read user data, without the consumer even knowing! Information can be used for bribery, coercion, and other malicious activities. Especially as of recently, the internet has seen a huge increase in ransomware attacks and blackmail attempts against demanding Bitcoin in exchange for not leaking user data or completely destroying technology infrastructures. large U.S corporations So why are the big companies tracking you? The answer is simple—data. Information is money and power. According to , the Internet of Things is not about making a profit on selling smart devices. It is about monitoring and keeping track of everything you do so that they can gather data. The more information a company has on their consumers, the more they will be able to make calculated decisions regarding marketing, advertising, the content shown online, and the buying patterns of consumers. Wired Internet users are beginning to feel powerless. They think that the internet has betrayed them by taking their privacy away. There must be a better way to do things, and it seems that blockchain is the key that could change the way people will use the internet in the future. Decentralization Through Blockchain Technology Blockchain technology is the concept and foundation on which the decentralization of the internet is seen to be implemented. It has everything that users are looking for— security, transparency, and reliability. Blockchain is a technology which relies on encrypted and hashed blocks and is currently being used to run cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, and Litecoin. But it seems it will soon have a more significant role than just powering digital currencies. Blockchain may just be the foundation of the decentralization efforts to change the . future of the internet The blockchain system is a public distributed ledger technology in which everything is timestamped, records are irreversible, and data is individually encrypted. With blockchain technology, everything you do is recorded, verified, and most importantly, cannot be tampered. It can be the solution to the increasing need for transparency that the world wide web lacks today. How Will Blockchain Help Decentralization? A decentralized internet under blockchain technology will allow storing information in different places instead of a centralized network. This diversified storage system will prevent data from being erased by the centralized network or blocking users from access. With blockchain, security is in the hand of the user. Public and private key encryption allows the user to have his own authentication system, ensuring more privacy. It eliminates the need to centralize the storage of usernames and passwords, making you wonder if the system could access your files and spy on you. The use of passwords could be eliminated, and you will only need one secure identity to access everything you need online. A decentralized web can have the following components: An independent login system An alternative way to store, access, and download files A peer-to-peer system of payment Distributed computing and storage Decentralized money transactions One of the significant changes in a blockchain system is that payments will be direct through digital currencies. For instance, listening to music and using specific programs will be possible by paying through digital coins. A lot of people automatically dismiss e-currency as a lost cause because of all the companies that failed since the 1990’s. I hope it’s obvious it was only the centrally controlled nature of those systems that doomed them. I think this is the first time we’re trying a decentralized, non-trust-based system. - Satoshi Nakamoto While decentralizing the web stems from an urge to be more virtuous and ethical, it is not a perfect solution. There are loopholes in the system that will be difficult to patch. For instance, it will be harder to regulate censorship. There will be many hate speech, and it will be easier to hide malicious photos, videos, and information because the user can encrypt it. And since blockchain activities cannot be changed or erased, there is no way to erase malicious information online. On the other hand, the benefits are pretty promising, and one perfect example would be how much it will help today’s freelancers. Benefits for Freelancers The use of blockchain can be a big help for freelancers. According to , there are 64.8 million freelancers in 2020 in the U.S. alone. Majority use today’s popular freelancing platforms such as , . However, these platforms take a percentage of the client’s payments as a processing fee. They either take a fixed dollar rate or a percentage for every completed transaction. Statista Upwork Fiverr Blockchain technology can help eliminate these middleman platforms, and clients and freelancers can transact directly. There is no need to worry about fluctuating currency exchange rates and the additional transaction fees on money transfers. These transactions can be done instantly, unlike current platforms that take days before the process is complete. is a platform which enables this shift in blockchain and cryptocurrency payments, leading to a truly decentralized nature of freelancing. Grindez How You Can Get Involved There are groups out there whose mission is to turn the dream of decentralizing the internet into a reality. , or short for decentralized web, has a mission to connect like-minded people and collaborate to build a decentralized web. DWeb The decentralization efforts are not just happening in the U.S. Efforts are being seen in different parts of the globe, including Belgium, Prague, China, Berlin, Greece, and the Czech Republic. It is a growing movement that is slowly gaining traction. But the concepts and efforts are still at a birthing stage. There is no way to predict how soon the decentralized web will come to mass adoption in the coming years. But if you want a sneak peek of how it’s going to run, you might want to look into the platforms below: Top open-source, decentralized platforms is a decentralized cloud platform that aims to build a more trustworthy internet. It offers a storage network with built-in incentives. Filecoin is an online e-commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers via peer-to-peer networks. OpenBazaar is an alternative to the popular Youtube. Anyone can watch videos or sign up and upload videos. The difference? Youtube is run by Google and Dtube by a community. Videos have no advertisement and no censorship. Dtube Some are still in the experimental stage, like the . It uses Hypercore Protocol, a peer-to-peer data-sharing network. You can visit websites without the need to go through servers. Beaker Browser is a high-performance, scalable and secure blockchain platform with a throughput of millions of transactions per second. TON users will be able to make transactions for less than $0.01 in fees, and pay less than $0.05 per coin exchange transaction (swaps). Free TON Final Thoughts The decentralization of the internet is a new and exciting concept that many tech experts are beginning to embrace. The idea can be too overwhelming for the ordinary person at first. Implementing this new technology will require a bit of effort to teach and learn because the system and interface will be different from the internet we know today. But it can be an alternative solution in the future to break the monopolistic control on the internet and stop the privacy, intrusion, and security breaches users experience on the daily. It is up to the developers who ultimately build the applications which mainstream users utilize in order to forego this mission. More importantly, it is up to you and me to bring awareness to the decentralization of internet. Share your knowledge, open source your projects, participate in a community (any community!), and maybe just maybe publish a blog post about it. Knowledge is Power! Constructive criticism and feedback are welcomed. Nicholas Resendez can be reached on Instagram @nirholas , on LinkedIn , and Twitter @nickresendez for updates on new articles.

Decentralization of the Internet: The Frontier of the Internet

Global file sharing and storage are areas marked by constant innovations. One such innovation is the introduction of Filecoin. You might be asking yourself what Filecoin is. The best way to describe it is as a global decentralized storage system that brings benefits for all participating computer operators. With Filecoin, all the data is stored on a peer-to-peer blockchain. Simply put, the Filecoin network is maintained by: Miners who dedicate their computing power and receive payment for ensuring storage space for users. Filecoin users who, on the other hand, can retrieve, distribute or store the data by paying miners a fee. As the Filecoin network continues to expand (with more miners supplying storage space, and more users placing their trust in it with their data), the value of the underlying cryptocurrency, FIL, is likely to increase. This is because the number of transactions requiring that digital currency will grow. In case enough people adopt Filecoin, it may turn into the fastest and least expensive way to store data on the web. As if that’s not enough, the total amount of FIL that will ever be generated is limited to 2 billion tokens, another reason for its value to increase. What Is Filecoin (FIL)? The cryptocurrency FIL is the underlying token that powers the Filecoin network. It is used to pay for data storage, data retrieval and any other transactions that may occur within the network. Since that network does not depend on a centralized server, the data stored on the blockchain cannot be subject to hacker attacks (unlike centralized storage providers). In addition, no government or other body will have the authority to censor file exchange. Since all files are broken down into smaller parts by the Filecoin blockchain before being sent to the miners for storage, the security of contents is guaranteed. The Filecoin network is established on top of the Interplanetary File System (IPFS), a protocol ensuring file storage and sharing in a distributed network (with the process being very similar to file-sharing networks such as RuTracker.org or BitTorrent). While the IPFS is free to use and does not generate revenue for miners, the Filecoin network is paid-for-use and generates revenue. which represents In order to ensure data storage and data retrieval on the network, Filecoin miners rent out unused storage space to clients and get paid in FIL. The two types of miners operating within the network are: Those who provide computing resources to clients. These participants usually announce the price of their storage offer, as well as the speed and the redundancy of their computing system on Filecoin’s open market, Storage Miners: who deliver particular files to clients and get paid for their service in FIL. The price they usually ask depends on the file’s size and the speed of their response (with their bandwidth being a key factor). Retrieval Miners: Other participants in the network include the so-called “clients.” They use the network to look for a storage miner or a retrieval miner who best suits their needs (price, storage capacity, and duration). Once a miner is selected and a final agreement is reached, the “deal” is then added to the blockchain. We should note that, along with Filecoin, other protocols offer cryptocurrency-powered, decentralized storage and file-sharing systems. These include Siacoin, which already has a 2 petabyte network capacity, and Storj, which already has a more-than100 petabyte network capacity. Who Created Filecoin? Being an open-source software, Filecoin was developed by Protocol Labs, a company established by computer scientist Juan Benet. Protocol Labs is also the company behind technologies such as IPFS and libp2p, which aim to replace existing Internet protocols. Juan Benet also was the cofounder of game development firm Loki Studios, while he was studying computer science at Stanford. In 2013, Yahoo acquired Loki Studios. Juan Benet then took part in the Y Combinator start-up accelerator to establish Protocol Labs. Filecoin’s initial coin offering (ICO), which took place in August and September 2017, raised $257 million, the largest ICO on record at that time. Protocol Labs was backed by investors such as Digital Currency Group, Coinbase cofounder Fred Ehrsam, Stanford University’s startup accelerator StartX, and AngelList founder Naval Ravikant. After the ICO, in October 2020, the Filecoin was launched, while as of November 2020 the Filecoin network already had a storage capacity of more than 1 , since more than 70 organizations worked in collaboration with Filecoin. mainnet exbibyte How Does Filecoin Work? Users or clients within the Filecoin network, who are willing to store data on that network, have to locate and pay miners who will do it for them. An open market will usually determine the price miners will compete to ask the lowest price for the storage service, which means Filecoin is likely to be much cheaper than centralized data storage providers such as . Amazon Web Services Meanwhile, there is an incentive for miners to provide storage capacity. The Filecoin network will reward them with Filecoin tokens. In other words, the more storage miners make available for the network, the higher the chances are for them to be rewarded. Yet, miners are required to execute a few computationally intensive processes, or proofs, to show the network that they are storing the data and are doing so reliably over time. If that is the case, miners will add new blocks to the Filecoin blockchain and receive the reward. Filecoin Mining As we’ve already noted, miners are participants who provide storage. Every computer user is able to plug in his/her hard disk drive (HDD), run the Filecoin software and begin providing HDD space in the Storage Market. These miners are the so-called Storage Miners. There are also Retrieval Miners, who are paid by clients to retrieve data and to perform services that aim to accelerate data transmission (for example, caching). Filecoin Storage Market The Filecoin network has a market for HDD storage, where users/clients looking to store data are able to bid for available storage that is provided by miners. The latter will be assessed based on their reliability and the prices they ask for HDD storage. It is a market, since participants are able to place bids and ask prices. Proof-of-Replication (PoRep) The Filecoin blockchain relies on two mechanisms, or proofs, which help the network verify that miners store the data they claim to hold. These two proofs allow other participants to assess whether miners are trustworthy or not. The Proof-of-Replication indicates that miners have stored the number of copies of data they claim to hold. (PoSt) Proof-of-Spacetime The second mechanism, Proof-of-Spacetime, indicates that miners have stored the data over an agreed time period. Who Are Filecoin’s Clients? Participants within the Filecoin ecosystem communicate through secure channels, which they use to gossip (distribute information to the network), transfer information among themselves, and locate other peers. Filecoin clients (also known as Filecoin Nodes) synchronize the Filecoin blockchain and verify each block’s messages. Clients can manage Filecoin wallets to store FIL and make payments in that cryptocurrency. They can also propose storage and retrieval deals to miners within the network and pay for the service as the deals are executed. Filecoin clients are also able to publish and broadcast different messages across the network. One such message, for instance, could be an instruction to send FIL from one address to another. Filecoin vs. Google Drive Although Filecoin shares some similar properties with other file storage and distribution systems such as Google Cloud Storage, there are also distinct differences between the two technologies. Let us point out some of them. First, Filecoin pricing is determined by a hypercompetitive open market, while Google Cloud pricing is determined by specialized corporate departments. Second, the Filecoin network features a multitude of small, independent storage providers, while Google Cloud comprises several large corporate entities. Third, there is a low barrier to becoming a storage provider with Filecoin (one needs a PC, an HDD, and a reliable Internet connection). In the case of Google Cloud, the barrier for storage providers is quite high (it includes legal agreements, marketing, and support staff). Additionally, Filecoin miners are located anywhere on the globe, while in the case of Google Cloud, the physical location is limited to where the provider’s data centers are positioned. When it comes to reliability statistics, Filecoin performance is independently checked by the network and publicly verifiable. With Google Cloud, corporate entities self-report their own stats. Another difference of note is that the Filecoin network has a competitive market for file retrieval. With Google Cloud, retrieval is usually more expensive than file storage. Last but not least, in case a file is lost, the user will be refunded automatically by the Filecoin network. With Google Cloud, users will be offered credit by companies in the event of a file loss or unavailability. How FIL Token Derives Its Value Filecoin is dependent on two mechanisms: proof of replication and spacetime. This assures that its network consists of miners providing a fundamentally useful service, namely HDD storage. Additionally, Filecoin creators assure that its storage market will allow users to take advantage of more competitive prices than those offered by centralized storage (cloud) providers such as AWS, HPE and so on. If the Filecoin network achieves its objective of providing a decentralized storage service, which will not be easily influenced by governments or corporate entities, its user base will surely grow. This growth may accelerate further if centralized services start losing their clients’ trust. As a result, the value of the FIL token could rise. And, as we noted earlier in the article, since the total amount of FIL that will ever be available is limited, the token’s value is very likely to increase. Should You Invest in FIL now? As with other financial assets, there must be a good reason which warrants an investment in FIL. If you believe that customers’ trust in centralized storage providers could be undermined, then you may consider investing in cryptocurrency. Large centralized providers such as Google or Amazon may face pressure from governments or business entities to change, remove, or simply disallow services to particular users. If they indeed do so, this could jeopardize their trustworthiness, which would then benefit decentralized storage services such as Filecoin. Another reason to consider an investment in FIL: its marketplace is meant to offer much more competitive prices than those of existing storage providers. The creators of Filecoin state that a huge proportion of global HDD space is currently unused. If the Filecoin network is able to unlock that unused space via cryptography and financial incentives, this could result in even lower storage prices. Closing Thoughts In conclusion, Filecoin may be the answer to a number of inefficiencies surrounding global data storage and retrieval. But even more, it allows clients the freedom of choice, making them less dependent on contracts with huge storage providers such as Amazon Web Services, Dell or HPE. In this way, Filecoin may contribute to a more competitive cloud storage market. The success of the Filecoin network will likely depend on its popularity and usage within the cryptocurrency community, as well as whether it will be able to lure new users to the Web 3.0 field. So, with the newfound knowledge in crypto, why not sign up to Bybit? Sign up for a free trading account Disclaimer This article is intended for and only to be used for reference purposes only. No such information provided through Bybit constitutes advice or a recommendation that any investment or trading strategy is suitable for any specific person. These forecasts are based on industry trends, circumstances involving clients, and other factors, and they involve risks, variables, and uncertainties. There is no guarantee presented or implied as to the accuracy of specific forecasts, projections, or predictive statements contained herein. Users of this article agree that Bybit does not take responsibility for any of your investment decisions. Please seek professional advice before trading.

Filecoin (FIL): A Beginner’s Guide to the Token, Technology, and How It Works

In the first month of 2021, numerous internet infrastructure providers withdrew service from websites associated with or used by the far-right, after discovering many of these sites were used to incite or promote violence. Popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to take down former US President Donald Trump’s accounts. , was quickly removed from Apple’s and Google’s app stores before also being dropped by its web host, Amazon. made the decision Parler, a Twitter alternative Recently, Google’s Play Store suspended Element downloads without any warning. Element, formerly known as Riot Chat, is an open-source, federated and encrypted chat app. Open Source and Blockchain communities have adopted this platform for at least four years, facilitating the creation of many online communities supporting the efforts of building the decentralized web. Google Play claimed the reason for deplatforming Element, was due to finding controversial content distributed throughout the app. But if the problem is strictly about content, shouldn’t Whatsapp and Facebook be deplatformed as well? These moves were met with mixed reactions from people around the world: on the one hand, many individuals felt the move was long overdue, while others were quick to recognize what this meant on a bigger scale: it is either freedom for all, or freedom for none. The current landscape has given newfound attention to the concept of deplatforming and led many to wonder what the right solution is. The question we are confronted with in times such as these is, How can we continue to design a network with fewer restrictions than traditional services, but which provides its users with a better model for authority, accountability and creative freedom? No one has the perfect answer; however, decentralized networks offer several opportunities. Building strong communities Censorship-resistant, decentralized platforms like Golem Network propose a truly open web with no barriers of entry or deplatforming risks. They are built to provide people with opportunities otherwise not possible through traditional networks and web platforms, enabling total ownership over one’s digital presence. We have worked hard to develop and foster a community that encourages and relies on collaboration. We know not all content and users will be well-intentioned, but we want to prioritize free and open access. If networks work with their users to ensure and create healthy communities, this can, in turn, make bad actors feel unwelcome within the broader community. While they can continue to build and leverage resources across the network, not being welcomed by the community cuts off the main source of any potential success for said platform or group. Protecting free expression More traditional, centralized platforms have control over the bulk of communication services within the platform. While users are aware of this control and must agree to comply when signing up, many don’t understand the repercussions and what it means for individual rights. Decentralized networks, in contrast, put the power of expression back in the hands of the individual. As Paul Frazee, co-creator of and Hypercore team member, , “Decentralization trends toward libertarian ideals, but collective rights are as important as individual rights. Shared spaces must have ways to moderate, to decide how and what goes viral, whether somebody can be banned, and even details about how the software is built...” Beaker Browser recently wrote To this end, it is important to understand that in a community such as the Golem Network, users are able to build and express ideas freely – to an extent. Shared data, such as content posted in public forums or projects built for collaborative purposes, falls under everyone’s collective rights and therefore must be monitored in some way to ensure the best experience for all users. At the Golem Network, our community managers are tasked with creating and fostering a positive, collaborative community for all. While users may express their ideas and opinions freely, community managers ensure a respectful tone is maintained by all. In addition, Golem Network’s open-source, decentralized platform allows users to stimulate creativity and collaborate around the globe. Remaining transparent & unbiased As new technologies are being created – from blockchain to social media, many companies working within these areas are focused on creating environments open and easily accessible to all. However, explores why it is not just enough for a company to be unbiased. Vitalik Buterin’s explanation of credible neutrality He writes “...everyone participating must be able to see that the mechanism is fair, and everyone participating must be able to see that everyone else is able to see that the mechanism is fair, because everyone participating wants to be sure that everyone else will not abandon the mechanism the next day.” Ensuring a network’s foundation is transparent and publicly meets the needs of all individuals helps to build a “credibly neutral” platform. The general nature of decentralized networks encourages the welcome sharing of ideas and concepts amongst users, however making sure those ideas and concepts are being used to solve the problems of a community are also part of Buterin’s vision of the guiding principles of success. Golem Network, for example, leverages Ethereum smart contracts for task initiations and is now supporting the migration to GLM, an ERC20 token for payment settlement within the network. Our decentralized, peer-to-peer network gives transparency across all processes within the ecosystem and helps to promote all use cases, working toward solving the problems of our users around the world with the help of the most innovative technology available to-date. So where do we go from here? While we are certainly far from a world where all individuals feel they have complete freedom of expression, decentralized networks offer a glimmer of hope for many. By recognizing areas such as data ownership, transparency collaboration, platforms can work towards unlocking more opportunities for their users. Finding the middle ground for moderation will be critical in helping platforms succeed. Paul Frazee , “It’s not a problem of too much moderation, but too little.” Moderation is not about limiting users’ freedom of expression. Instead, we need to use moderation to look out for the individual user. In doing so, we will be on our way toward a better internet experience for all. explains

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: Censorship, Decentralized Networks and Moderation 

When one business model is not enough anymore — 3 business design lessons from 2018 I have collected here some of my notes and thoughts on a few key “business design” lessons from 2018. I argue that in 2018 the major threats to successful digital companies did not arise from technology evolution or shifts in customer behaviors, but from their . business models With the three examples presented here I also want to explore the idea that success in digital is not driven by the adoption of a specific business model, but by the ability to monetise a product or ecosystem in different ways — or, in other words, to implement a . multimodal business model I think all companies should consider these trends, to strengthen and diversify their strategy in 2019. 1. All Facebook scandals ultimately stem from its business model Today we are in the “age of product”, and no other company has influenced the current product-centered culture more than Facebook. With a success built on meticulous product experience design and almost zero budget invested in traditional marketing channels, the company contributed to promote the idea that “product is everything”, and that growth cannot be delegated to marketing or sales but needs to be engineered into the product fabric. However, in 2018 Facebook was hit by various scandals centred around the fact that the company was monetising its users’ data with little or no understanding of the consequences of their business model. By giving access to various third-party companies engaging in data harvesting — Cambridge Analytica and many other large corporations — not only did Facebook failed to safeguard its users’ privacy but they also contributed to amplify fake news and malicious political contents that impacted the 2016 US election and other important events globally. Having contributed to define the current digital product culture, the evolution of Facebook needs to be analysed more in details to advance our understanding of how sustainable competitive advantage is created and preserved. Data misuse is not our friend, it’s our business model Consumers are fully aware of the interconnection between product and business model. During the summer of 2018 Facebook launched an advertising campaign to rebuild its reputation that was largely ineffective, and ended up being subverted. Not surprisingly, the majority of Facebook billboard takeovers targeted its business model (below some examples from Twitter). as they couldn’t rely on alternative models. The first lesson here is that, despite having a global multi-app ecosystem, Facebook came under a lot of pressure when its main revenue model was under attack, This also suggests that the company did not pay enough attention to how their business model was designed. The business model cannot be investigated or evolved separately from the product, or delegated to the financial, sales or revenue department. It is a core component of the product design that needs to evolve in parallel with the experience design, to build sustainable long-term value. 2. Apple no longer reporting device unit sales signals a more radical business transformation For many years, Apple was the only company in the smartphone business — and probably one of the few in the overall tech manufacturing industry — to regularly report device unit sales. This until the company’s earning call on Thursday 10 of November 2018, when Apple announced they would stop reporting iPhones, Macs and iPads unit sales. Started as a way to signal strength in a hypercompetitive tech manufacturing industry, the decision to stop reporting unit sales doesn’t indicate only a change in the way Apple relates to its competitive environment, but a more fundamental shift in the company strategy and business model. Users not buyers On one hand, with the smartphone market becoming more mature and showing declining growth rates, Apple’s main expansion areas are becoming more and more saturated. Meanwhile, new hardware products such as Watch and Home Pod are not offering comparable growth opportunities, at least for now. On the other hand, most consumers today own at least one device and are less likely to switch to a different operating system and hardware manufacturer. In fact, iOS and Android have been retaining almost 90% of their customer bases for many years now. This means that Apple’s strength lies in its ecosystem — iOS and Apple Store — built on a total active device base of 1.3/1.5 billion devices, and accessed every day by highly loyal and valuable customers. As Horace Dediu , the decision to stop reporting unit sales signals a more profound business model transformation for the company. Apple is no longer seeing its business as “selling devices” but as creating and keeping customers. When a device is sold to a new customer, the company aims at using that foothold to expand its share of wallet, selling other hardware components or services. The launch of a service business was pivotal in this sense. Apple Services is an umbrella term that comprises a growing set of services, including Music, iCloud, and App Store revenues. The service business reached $10 billion of revenues per quarter in 2018 and is now as big as Facebook. pointed out Lisa Jackson’s announcement “making devices last longer” during the September 2018 Key Note is another sign of the fundamental shift from transactions to relationships. The model of selling more units is illogical in a world where products last longer. Apple can no longer rely on one business model This is a big shift for the whole tech manufacturing and IoT industry. That is, if you wanted to be a market leader in your segment you had to create a product that mixed high quality materials, beautiful design, top notch functions, and a simple UX. The first players in the smart home market, for instance, created beautifully designed, over spec’ed devices. This approach ended up producing a list of high-end, very expensive products with a Nordic minimalistic design. Unfortunately, very few companies were able to replicate iPhone’s success in their segment. Not so long ago, it seemed that most tech manufacturers were tied to the idea that they had to replicate the success formula of the iPhone. Amazon’s Echo family and Peloton are examples of companies that implemented such models, playing with a mix of hardware, services, content and marketplace revenues in a dynamic way, depending on market and competitive fluctuations. Meanwhile, in the last years a new breed of relatively cheaper smart devices has come to the market, that build their success on a multi-faceted business model where hardware is seen as an enabler and “lock-in mechanism”, while integrated services drive revenues. These success stories built on diversified revenue models have changed the way Apple and many other companies think about business models in the consumer tech and IoT market. 3. Uber launched its subscription programme, Blue Apron moved away from it In October 2018 Uber launched a new subscriptions programme called . In exchange for a monthly fee, riders can access pre-set rates for an unlimited number of rides each month saving up to 15% of their monthly expenditure, according to the company. Ride Pass Uber had been testing subscription services for years and designed the new programme to offer riders more consistent prices and make it a reliable and affordable alternative to driving. Ride Pass is not just a retention tool, it is organically integrated in the product to make the experience better for certain types of customers. If you think this is a clear sign that subscriptions are the answer to all your problems in 2019, think again. An example of a company going in the opposite direction is Blue Apron. The meal-kit subscription company went public in 2017, but its stock has been slowly unravelling ever since — and . ultimately fell below $1 this year The company lack of growth was blamed to the limits of its subscription model, as customers concerns and frustrations emerged due to a lack of control over the locked-in plans. Launched in 2018, the new turnaround strategy pursues a more flexible service model, offering more choices and control over the meal plans, and expanding distribution through retailers (Costco, Jet.com) to make it easier to access the service. Some analysts interpret these shifts as a proof that a certain revenue model is better than the others. . Conversely, I believe that there isn’t a dominant business model in tech today, and that the key is implementing multiple ways to organically monetise your ecosystem Conclusions: what to do when one business model is not enough anymore Facebook 2018 scandals showed that relying on a single revenue model is risky, even if you own one of the biggest ecosystem in digital today. Meanwhile, Apple is completing a multi-year transformation process centered around the idea that they can monetise iOS users in multiple ways, and not just through hardware sales. And finally, don’t believe the hype. Subscriptions are not going to solve all your problems. Designing and testing different organic ways to monetise your ecosystem will. per se The first takeaway is that business design is not something just for the financial or sales departments and it’s not about finding ways to get revenues without “harming the user experience”. In this product age, business design is a product matter first, a lens to organically drive product and growth thinking. The second takeaway is about . It is very hard for established companies to make business model transitions without going through dramatic changes that require relevant investments in their products. With the tech market getting more and more mature and growth opportunities becoming scarcer, companies are looking to adopt multiple revenue models as early as possible in their evolution to survive in difficult times. multimodal business models Companies that can organically and elegantly design two or three revenue streams in their product or ecosystem have more chances to generate sustainable competitive advantage in the long term. All established digital players that have not been serious about investing on strengthening and diversifying their business model strategy have no excuses now. Sources: asymco.com and the various podcasts that Horace Dediu hosts are an incredibly rich source of inspiration about Apple and digital trends in general. While I was writing this, I also saw a great post by Connie Chan on digital business models evolution in China, and decided to adopt the term “multimodal business model”.

Turns out revenue model design is important. And it’s a product matter first.

The lengths that Western intelligence agencies, media and their allies will go to, to deliberately deceive their domestic populations. In these modern times, where the majority of our formation of knowledge takes place in digital spaces, truth feels like it has become liquid and the world is dissolving around us. To survive and thrive in the midst of this overwhelming flood of information it has become important to develop skills that allow us to not only discover what is false information, but also to develop meaningful knowledge about the nature of our interconnected hypercomplex world. For nearly a year there has been a deluge of media articles telling us that is trying to propagandise us. Some of have raised a lot of awareness around rhetorical techniques that can be used to manipulate public opinion. This has been a great catalyst for a public surge in media literacy, however this progress seems to have stalled a long way from fully exploring the topic. The majority of the reporting has been on the concept of fake news, and primarily focusing on the use of dishonest claims about events that did not happen. In response to this there has been a big focus on factual reporting_._ Which ensure that reports of events are supported by publicly verifiable evidence, so that public knows that the reported event was not a fabricated reality. Russia these articles The world we live in is complex and interconnected, and having a bunch of facts alone is often of very little practical use. It is only when facts are seen in context that we can discover the cause and effect and hence find meaning from them. This second stage of interpreting facts is where meaning making takes place. Facts and Context Lets explore this with a quick example. We will start with facts then continue to add context and see if our interpretation of meaning changes. We find a person dead from a gunshot wound. The Victim. We find the a gun with finger prints on it. The Weapon. We identify the person whose finger prints it was. The Aggressor. Now we add context. In our first scenario the Victim is a soldier in a war-zone. In our second scenario the Victim is a soldier in a war-zone who had just shot a child. In our third scenario the Victim was robbed and shot by a criminal. In our fourth scenario the Victim was a criminal who was attacking the Aggressor and the Aggressor killed the criminal in self defence. In our fifth scenario the fingerprints are of the Victim, so it looks like a case of suicide, but later a security camera shows that an Aggressor shot the Victim then manipulated the evidence to appear as a suicide attempt. From this simple exercise we can easily see how context can massively change the meaning of a few data points. We can also see how as we continue to add context our interpretation of meaning can change. In our fifth example it initially appeared as if it was a suicide attempt, but then a secondary source of evidence showed that that was in fact a manipulation of evidence designed to create a false impression. A factual example A modern political example of this is the death of dissident Russian Journalist Arkady Babchenko. : The Guardian Source We have evidence of his dead body in a pool of blood. The victim was a well known critic of the Russian Government. There has been a lot of reports in Western Media that current Russian government assassinates people who criticise them. Then we have the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs publicly confirm that Arkady’s death factually happened. : Twitter Source So this should be enough facts and context to make a conclusion about this event. We should be able to create some meaning from these facts and context and then take some action based upon this knowledge. Boris has done just this. He has created meaning and has called for action. ‘To defend freedom, and to hold those responsible to account.’ : The Guardian Source Manufacturing Facts So now we have facts that the death was faked, that the facts were manufactured, and that they were confirmed by international media and national officials. What would have happened if he did not come out and announce that his death was faked? It would be accepted a fact because it had been confirmed by international media and national officials. More than this, the British Foreign Minister, called for Russia to be held to account. What happened the last time that Boris Johnson called for Russia or a Russian ally to be held to account? When accusations of a chemical weapons attack were reported in Syria, by the White Helmets, Boris Johnson authorised a joint missile strike with Washington and France. These attacks were authorised before the expert fact finding mission from the arrived to confirm that the attack had actually happened or discovered who was responsible. After the investigators and a few days later, were found that , likely in order to provide a pretext for western missile attacks to help the jihadi’s who were about to be defeated and driven out of their strategically important stronghold in Syria’s capital. Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons journalists arrived large amounts of evidence the facts of the reported chemical weapons attack were faked Only a month before this Boris Johnson accused Russia of attempting to assassinate . He went on to claim that Russia was responsible and initiated actions that lead to 28 countries expelling Russian Diplomats based on the facts that Boris Johnson and the UK foreign office had. Sergei and Yulia Skripal “There can be no doubt what was used and there remains no alternative explanation about who was responsible — only Russia has the means, motive and record.” Then in yet another case of national governments taking action before evidence was confirmed, it turns out that the and the foreign office deleted its statements claiming that it had evidence that Russia was responsible. UK had no solid evidence that Russia was responsible Then despite the claims that a military grade nerve agent was used. The victims were on the eve of the Royal Wedding while the attention of the world was distracted. alive and well and were release from hospital It is at this point that it is important to look at the context. We have three alleged criminal acts, by Russia or its allies. One in Britain one in Syria and one in the Ukraine. Russia is currently involved in proxy war in both Syria and Ukraine and Britain is heavily involved in at least the Syrian Conflict in that the who produced the chemical weapons report that was pretext for the missile strikes. The United State is also involved in Syria and currently occupies one third of Syria with its proxy forces. UK Foreign Office funds the White Helmets When looking at the context that links these circumstances, the proxy wars in Ukraine and Syria seem particularly significant. So lets look at what facts we can find about proxy wars. Proxy Wars and Propaganda Thanks to Wikileaks we can read this US Military Training Manual on the topic of proxy wars. . Please note that this is also releasable to the Government of the UK. US Multi-Service Concept for Irregular Warfare Let take a look at some of the most relevant parts. In this manual the term (IW) is used to describe proxy wars. Irregular Warfare (page 5) (page 6) (page 7) (page 3) (page 15) Given that we have here publicly available facts that the US and allies will closely coordinate to fight this “information battle across all fronts” (p14 ) and that “popular support comes first and last in an IW conflict” (p14), we can then look these Irregular Wars that are talking place in Ukraine and Syria and see if facts from these conflicts align with the methods and goals of the US and allied strategy for Irregular Warfare. We will take in to account that this “Comprehensive approach applies all of the instruments of national power — diplomatic, economic, informational, financial…” (p6), and that these information campaigns require “intimate collaboration between… military and civilian” (p6), and that the tactics used include “discrediting and delegitimising an enemy,” or “frightening a population into inactivity.” (p14.) So we have the British Foreign Office, making these statements. They are an example of the use of diplomatic instruments of power. There are extensive economic sanctions against Russia and Syria are examples of the economic instrument of power. We have just examined some elements of the informational campaign. Then we can look at the US and British media for the last year there has been an extensive media campaign labelling Russia as attacking western democracy with propaganda. This campaign has been heated and it achieves two of these goals of “winning the battle of local, US and world public opinion” (p 13). Firstly it attempts to discredit and delegitimise Russia and secondly it attempts to frighten a population into inactivity. The populations that they appear to be aiming to frighten into inactivity here are the US and world. It is also worth noting the writing on pages 14 and 15 which explain the character of their information operations. Specifically that they must “acquire a BBC-like reputation for honesty” and that “Towards this end campaign designers must develop informational contingency plans to serve as templates” in order to quickly respond to events. Respectable Factual Propaganda In the context of these statements it is interesting to note that is has been the British Foreign Office that has been the public face that is calling for Russia and its allies to be held to account. Given the US president’s lack of reputation for presenting respectable facts, the decision to use the British Foreign Office as mouth piece aligns well with this strategy. Is also very interesting to look at articles like and . In these articles we see that they are characterised by being full of entirely true and provable factual claims, they are clearly aiming for a “BBC-like reputation for honesty”. While focusing solely on “delegitimising or discrediting an enemy.” this this The fact that these article and outlets are only reporting on areas of propaganda and media literacy that do not discredit Washington or its allies, shows that these anti Russia publications are not actually focused on promoting media literacy or an informed citizenry in the US and Western Nations. They are instead primarily focused on keeping their citizens misinformed about domestic failures and problems. False Flags and the Art of Deception In addition to this and going a step further , show some of the deliberately manipulative methods that are used by Washington and London to manipulate their citizens sense making ability. They themselves describe some of their actions as False Flag Operations. these documents released by The Intercept : The Intercept Source : The Intercept Source The Intercept (page 46) Source: To return to the start of this article, merely reporting one collection of facts does not mean that you are not committing an act of propaganda. It is the context in which the facts exist and the interpretation of their meaning which are also equally important. It is also essential to watch out for efforts to manipulate where a demographic’s attention is drawn, and attempts to hack their perception and sensemaking abilities. When ever you see a large amount of reporting on one subject and a large lack or reporting on other areas that show evidence of problems, then it is likely that there is some kind of information operation taking place, in which a certain population demographic is not supposed to think about that thing because it will cause a loss of reputation and credibility for the Western intelligence agencies or the power blocks which the intelligence agencies are allied with or control. The American Free Press Let us now examine this video of the former Editor of Time Magazine, who was before this an important State Department Official. In the video linked below he describes this position as being known as the Chief Propagandist Job, he goes on to say that in this position he created meta-narratives for the American national identity. He then goes on to say that this called writing history. Pause and reflect Please really stop to consider the ramifications of this. The self proclaimed lead propagandist of the US state department said his job was creating meta-narratives for the identity of America as a nation. He said that this is also called history. What does this mean? We have the government chief propagandist admitting that the public understanding of US history is in fact a propaganda construct. Next we can see how this is made possible. The fact that he moved from being the self confessed chief propagandist of the State Department, then he moved to become editor of Time Magazine, show how intimate the relationship between Government and supposedly free press is in America. He then goes on the say that the existence of media cartels is not a problem for America. breaks down the video and highlights key points in it. Jimmy Dore Or you can watch the original video here: It is the revolving door between the government propaganda department and these supposedly free press media cartels, that allows the state department to write the history of the USA as a construct of propaganda. The fact that the vast majority of all influential media in America and most of the west is controlled by a handful of media cartels makes it very easy to control and influence the media as a unified bloc. This document explains this as the use of the Informational Instrument of United States national Power. US Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare, FM3–05.130, 30 Sep 2008 (Page 19) Conclusions The western governments actively engage in manipulating the perception of their populations and world to create a fictional history and meta-narrative for their national identity that does not match reality. The United States Government considers the “free” American press to be an instrument of its National Power, and that it can be used to manipulate public opinion, and create fictional histories to make the USA and it’s allies look good. A key reason that the United States Government and its allies use disinformation is to manufacture public support for its ongoing conventional and unconventional wars. The forces of the United States Government and its allies are trained in the use of False Flag attacks. No one can trust the United States or UK Government, The publicly believed history of the United States or any reporting that it gives on what is happening in the foreign invasions, be they conventional or unconventional. This leaves people in a situation where all established authorities are suspect and people need to develop tools to collect and assess new knowledge. To faithfully trust an established authority is extremely likely to result in you being decieved. If a person reading this experiences strong emotions, and a strong urge to ignore or discredit the information presented it is likely the result of their sense of personal identity being based upon a manufactured meta-narrative. If this meta-narrative shatters then the person’s sense of identity can also shatter leaving them in a state of trauma, the human body will often respond to this as if it is a physical attack, and will attempt to reject escape or deny the attacks on the foundations of their sense of self.

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