ILUMAis in the Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Industry

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In the global tech ecosystem and beyond, 2023 has undoubtedly been “The Year of AI”. Reports, speculations, and even conspiracy theories regarding generative AI's capabilities, potential, shortcomings, and risks have traversed the globe—from major media networks to your mother’s WhatsApp group. This shiny, new (well, sort of)  technology has seen adoption grow so much that businesses of every scale have moved mountains to build AI tools or, at the very least, integrate them into their workflows and service offerings. OpenAI, the poster child of the AI revolution, has enjoyed on the back of its golden goose, ChatGPT. However, the company’s success in the realm of AI has not been a solitary journey. Other companies, spurred by OpenAI’s “proof of concept,” have since sought after geese of their own. meteoric growth With a valuation bump of , since it shifted the main focus of its graphic cards from PC gaming to AI, it’s clear that Nvidia has had one of the picks of the golden gaggle. $200 billion in May Already the most valuable chip maker in the world before the AI boom, Nvidia’s value and monopoly have unsurprisingly continued to grow steadily throughout the year. Adding context, the company third-quarter earnings of $18.12 billion, marking a remarkable 206% increase from a year ago and a substantial 34% growth from the previous quarter. Further, it commands an in the global AI chip market, soaring even higher to 90% in China's $7 billion market—a dominance that could potentially disrupt. reported 80% monopoly Biden's technology controls In October, the U.S. government to halt shipments to China of more advanced AI chips designed by companies like Nvidia to prevent Beijing from receiving cutting-edge U.S. technologies that could strengthen its military. set plans in motion Even though most consumer chips, as can be found in laptops, smartphones, and gaming PCs, were effectively exempt from these rules, the Calif-based chip maker suffered a 3.7% fall in share price after the announcement was made. About two months after the October 16 announcement, Nvidia is starting to feel the impact of Biden’s export restrictions as Chinese chip designers like Tencent holdings, State-backed Hygon, and startup Iluvatar CoreX make a play for the market leader’s freshly vacant throne. However, , Huawei seems closest to the crown, with its holding its own against in terms of computing power. as Reuter reports Ascend 910 Nvidia’s A100 In a Biden-sponsored free-for-all, Tencent - China’s largest social media and gaming firm - and other Chinese-based companies are marketing their chips as holistic alternatives to Nvidia and not just for its advanced offerings. Ironically, U.S. actions aimed at slowing down China's AI capabilities have unintentionally boosted China's self-development capability. However, Chip designers in the region might struggle to meet the demands of Chinese tech giants due to production capacity constraints—resulting from U.S. curbs on foundries working with Chinese firms. When the new regulations were first introduced in October, Nvidia said it complies completely and does not expect significant near-term impact on results. I wonder if they still maintain that position. Nvidia finished at #31 on this week’s HackerNoon Tech Company Rankings 👋 You’re reading of HackerNoon's Tech Company News Brief, a weekly collection of tech goodness that combines HackerNoon's proprietary data with internet trends to determine which companies are rising and falling in the public consciousness. goes live tomorrow. Hate waiting? No problemo! Just subscribe to receive the newsletter part 1 Part 2 here complete a day early in your inbox. In Other News… You Should be Skeptical about QR Codes, FTC Warns - The Verge Epic Games Wins Antitrust Lawsuit against Google - Tech Crunch SpaceX postpones planned launch of US military's secretive X-37B spaceplane - Reuters New Mexico lawsuit accuses Meta of creating ‘breeding ground’ for child predators - CNN Teslas will be able to automatically call 911 if you get in a Crash - The Verge This brings us to the end of this week’s Tech Company News Brief. Don’t forget to share this newsletter with your family, friends, and everyone in between! See you next week! - , Editor, World News & Scifi @ HackerNoon. Asher Umerie

Uncle Sam Threatens Nvidia’s 90% Monopoly in the Chinese AI Chip Market

How Jesus went down to Jerusalem, as a king, to wage war against Satan in the Temple

If you are searching for a way to fully automate your customer service effort, stick with me because I will share with you how we trained ChatGPT to reply to our customers automatically. Let’s get started! How to train ChatGPT to reply to your Customer Service? First of all, we needed a source of truth for teaching ChatGPT how to answer user questions, so we thought about two approaches: Use the Knowledge base Use the conversations with our support The first is the most reliable source of truth, the second might be very specific, and it must be better organized to provide actual and useful context to ChatGPT. Our first try was to ingest all the knowledge base articles into an index and then use the index to find an answer. The Python code we have used is quite simple. It has two functions, one to add the knowledge base (from a CSV file) to the index, and the second that loads the index from the local json and asks the question. It uses the and the to create the index. OpenAI API llama index with CSV importer from llama_index import GPTSimpleVectorIndex, download_loader
from langchain.agents import initialize_agent, Tool
from langchain.llms import OpenAI
import openai
from pathlib import Path

def addKB():
    SimpleCSVReader = download_loader("SimpleCSVReader")
    loader = SimpleCSVReader()
    documents = loader.load_data(file=Path('./kb.csv'))
    index = GPTSimpleVectorIndex(documents)
    index.save_to_disk('index.json')


def query(question):
    index = GPTSimpleVectorIndex.load_from_disk('index.json')
    response = index.query(question)
    print(response) First, we ran the addKB() to read from the CSV file, and then we started using the query to see if it was ready to reply to customer service. Is ChatGPT Ready to handle Customer Service yet? Let’s start checking how ChatGPT would have performed against a human with real cases. At Customerly, we provide customer support, marketing automation, and customer satisfaction tools for B2B SaaS. It might be tricky to find the right answer for the customer, so I was pretty curious to see how that would translate to us. #1 Question: Product related Q: How can I send an email? Now a human would ask to clarify since the user might want to send different kinds of emails, which might be an email marketing campaign, an automated one, or an one2one. In this case, chatGPT took its chances and answered how to send a chat transcript to its customers. Totally useless. The customer would be unhappy about this reply. CSAT ☆☆☆☆☆ #2 Question: Technical info Q: How can I move the chat icon from the border of some pixels? I needed this piece of code for the sake of this article, so I asked ChatGPT how to move the chat icon from the border of some pixels, and the reply was hilarious. We have a piece of code you can add to your chat implementation to move it from the border of the page. That was not the answer I was expecting 🤣🤌 CSAT ☆☆☆☆☆ #3 Question: Pricing Q: How much will Customerly cost with 9 teammates? This is a pre-sales question, so it’s key that it is not pushing possible customers away and reports inaccurate information. And this time, It was right! Cost of this interaction is 4310 LLM tokens and 12 embedding tokens. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSAT #4 Question: What could be the problem? This is an actual user reporting an issue with Customerly, and I was curious to see how it would respond. This is the worst-case scenario with a customer asking for specific help. This is what the user asked: Q: “I tried to add a new property to a company from the user’s profile page. When I add it and click on “Create Property,” nothing happens.First, I assumed the problem was caused by a property with that name already existing (I’ve created it in the Settings > Audience > Company Properties area). Still, before creating it again in the user area, I used the search feature available and couldn’t find the one I’d previously created. What could be the problem? 🤔” The reply is kinda-related and then completely unrelated. It does not solve the customer’s issue at all and is giving mixed replies mentioning the status of the property (on a good track) and then mentioning the status of an article (completely off track). CSAT ☆☆☆☆☆ #5 Question: Pricing FAQ Q: what is an interaction? This could be a question related to our pricing model based on interaction and was quite easy to reply to. Well done, ChatGPT. Cost of this interaction 3701 LLM tokens and 4 embedding tokens. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSAT #6 Question: Actual Pre-Sale question! This was a question we received from a lead, and it was so detailed I wondered how it could reply. Q: Hey there! I was wondering if you could give me a rough pricing estimate. Our used case: – 42 agents – Product tours – Chat Bot – Help Centre with 200+ articles for users & visitors – People reached per month: 11k+ I would need a rough ballpark for comparison without big sales call please ;)” It selected the right Enterprise plan, but it didn’t calculate the additional cost per the exceeding 27 agents; it just shared the cost of $249 with the included agents. Good, but definitely not the right answer. CSAT ⭐️⭐️☆☆☆ #7 Question: Onboarding Question The user wanted to share a link with their customers to chat. The answer is completely unrelated and should have suggested going to the Project Settings, then General Settings. Again it is mixed stuff and gave wrong information to the customer. ☆☆☆ CSAT ☆☆ #8 Question: Out-of-scope feature It’s time to see how it would answer an out-of-scope pre-sales question. This was the actual question, yes, with the typos 🤪 im looking for a pluggin that will work with my new dating/content sharing site. for logged in users only, this is only showing as a helper chat I wouldn’t reply this way, but it is accurate enough. ⭐️☆☆ CSAT ⭐️⭐️ #9 Question: Multiple questions and different alternatives Q: Hello, I have configured the chat service and it works perfectly, is there a desktop notification option or some other form? Is it only possible to chat through the inbox on the site? The first answers related to the notifications were good, but then it invented the customization of the sounds?? The second question was answered in a good way, but then it started to add the scheduled messages that were somehow unrelated. Cost of this interaction 4322 LLM tokens and 37 embedding tokens. ⭐️⭐️ CSAT ⭐️⭐️ ☆ Conclusions The OpenAI API cost of this procedure, considering the index embedding and the nine queries, is $1.79. That is definitely a good cost to handle all these tickets automatically. But what are you trading here? Customer Satisfaction. When a pre-sale question is answered that way, you might have lost thousands of $ a year. When customers will follow your wrong instructions, how do you think they will feel? You wasted their time. Their satisfaction is almost lost, and they are now considering going with your competitor. We believe ChatGPT will shape the future of Customer Support, but we are still far from letting it handle all the support inquiries for you. In the following weeks, we’ll try to train a complex model based on customer inquiries, and agent replies to see if it will improve the performance. Would you let ChatGPT answer your customer service for a fraction of the cost? Let me know! Tag me on with your thoughts. Twitter @ilucamicheli To be continued… Also published . here

It is Still Too Early to Let ChatGPT Handle Your Customer Support 

ChatGPT কে আপনার গ্রাহক সহায়তা পরিচালনা করতে দেওয়া এখনও খুব তাড়াতাড়ি

Es ist noch zu früh, ChatGPT Ihren Kundensupport zu überlassen

Todavía es demasiado pronto para dejar que ChatGPT maneje su atención al cliente

Il est encore trop tôt pour laisser ChatGPT gérer votre service client

चैटजीपीटी को आपका ग्राहक समर्थन संभालने देना अभी बहुत जल्दबाजी होगी

ChatGPTにカスタマーサポートを任せるのはまだ時期尚早

ChatGPT가 고객 지원을 처리하도록 하기에는 아직 너무 이르습니다.

Ainda é muito cedo para permitir que o ChatGPT cuide do seu suporte ao cliente

ChatGPT'nin Müşteri Desteğinizi Yönetmesine İzin Vermek İçin Hala Çok Erken

Vẫn còn quá sớm để ChatGPT xử lý bộ phận hỗ trợ khách hàng của bạn

现在让 ChatGPT 处理您的客户支持还为时过早

Of the two Contemporary Empires of the Babylonians and Medes

A SHORT CHRONICLE

Using the Builder Design Pattern in .NET C# to Develop a Fluent API 

OF BLADESOVER HOUSE, AND MY MOTHER; AND THE CONSTITUTION OF SOCIETY

Tech is often termed as ‘the future’ and for a good reason; the developments within the tech sector often shape the future as we know it. Think of how the internet changed every part of human life and how social media has permanently altered how we communicate and connect. While this means that the tech sector is essential in our lives, it also means that tech entrepreneurs have an immense amount of pressure to prove themselves. This is especially true when they operate in emerging fields such as blockchain. No longer are you simply leading a company that wants to make a profit but also leading a digital revolution that could shape humanity as we know it. So, how does the modern tech entrepreneur balance the complexities of their industry and the responsibility of being at the forefront of change? How do you see your business making an impact and what is your leadership style? “I know that our business is making an impact because we provide jobs and crypto payment rails for those that don’t want to or can not use traditional banking channels. We literally see how we change our customers’ lives for the better. My leadership style is very liberal, I like when my team proves to me that I’m wrong and I try to reward innovation and self-confidence in my team.” “My natural leadership style combines transformational leadership with delegation. Great leaders know how to bring about positive change within their teams. I work hard to inspire my team to reach their full potential and strive beyond what they thought possible. I help them hone in on their strengths and develop their skills, taking them to the next level. How? By giving them autonomy and delegating initiative to each member. My leadership relies on mutual trust and empowerment. Rather than micromanage, I encourage my employees to freely use their creativity, resources, and experience to take advantage of the opportunities before them. I believe in my team - they are competent and responsible. TSC continues to help our clients create an impact by creating authentic conversations and building meaningful relationships that help others achieve the impossible.” “Over the past decades, the GCC region has shown considerable economic growth. And I have invested my work there too. GuyWay Group strives to evolve the tech ecosystem in Mid-East by bringing the most promising startups and projects here. Introducing young companies to the government authorities assembles the opportunity for unicorns to create something unique and possibly bring the whole industry to another level. Sergei Sergienko, Founder of Laborx , CGU and Chronotech Kayvon Kay, Founder and Ceo of The Sales Connection Guy Yanpolskiy, Founder and CEO of GuyWay Group The main specialty that reflects my leadership style is no micromanagement. 80% of success depends on your team, so it's important to find the right people and fully trust them. Each team member must seek self-realization and be independent in actions.” “First of all, we are building an ecosystem with a stable economy which may have an impact on any people who come and play the game and have some fun, or even for money, getting an additional job in a sense. So it’s not just gaming; it’s people’s lives. Ilman Shazhaev, Founder and CEO of Farcana This, of course, is always at the forefront of our minds. When doing business that can change people's lives, you need to understand the impact on the world that you can make.  When you're focused on bringing value to the user, your leadership style just has to evolve for the better.” “As an entrepreneur in tech, I'm always looking for ways to make a positive impact with my business. I strongly believe that technology can be used to make the world a better place, and I'm passionate about using my businesses to help achieve that goal. In terms of leadership style, I like to think of myself as a coach and facilitator rather than a traditional ‘boss’.” Jan Strandberg, CEO and Founder of Acquire.Fi “Our mission at Toofon is to replace or augment conventional transportation carrying hundreds of pounds — think of it as the "John Deere of the skies." With our unique technology and innovative business model, we enable use cases that were previously impossible and create industries that were previously inconceivable. My leadership style is methodical and consultative. I’ve installed an operating system in the business, allowing all functional areas to maintain alignment on a common mission. Within this operating system’s rules and constraints, there is an infinite amount of room for creativity, innovation, and therefore mistakes. So, I hire people with the right culture and competency but I then provide structure, autonomy, and ongoing guidance to unleash their full potential.” Amir Emadi, Co-founder and CEO of Toofon

Of Man and Machine: How Tech Entrepreneurs Are Leading the Charge

You've probably heard that the best players of games like Chess, Go, and even video games like DOTA, are actually AI players. Data scientists have created AI that can beat the best human players in these games, thanks to a technique called reinforcement learning. In this video, you can discover how machines become super-human in most domains by using reinforcement learning. This is a video submission for the IJCAI-21 AI Video Competition. Watch the video References The article: Malrick Costantini, Elias Ilmari, Louis-François Bouchard, Malrick, Elias, Louis, ►My Newsletter (A new AI application explained weekly to your emails!): https://www.louisbouchard.ai/reinforc... By: http://www.malrickcostantini.com/ https://nordicgrit.com/ https://www.louisbouchard.ai/ Connect with us https://www.linkedin.com/in/malrick-c... https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliasliin... https://www.linkedin.com/in/whats-ai/ https://www.louisbouchard.ai/newsletter/ Video Transcript 00:00 You have probably heard that the world champion of chess, go, and even some video games like 00:04 Dota is a machine. 00:06 Recent progress in Artificial Intelligence allowed researchers to defeat the best human 00:10 players in the world in these games, thanks to a technique called Reinforcement Learning. 00:15 This same technique also allowed robots to walk, open doors, or even play soccer. 00:20 But what is this technique exactly? 00:22 This short article aims to introduce the basics of this technology and provide an overview 00:26 of how it works. 00:28 Reinforcement Learning is a technology inspired by living beings. 00:31 Living beings, in general, are learning certain behaviors to obtain rewards or avoid punishment. 00:37 If you are eating something tasty, you may want to eat it again. 00:40 If you are touching a hot stove, it is quite likely that you’re not going to want to 00:44 do it again. 00:45 Reinforcement Learning is about doing the same thing: teaching machines how to obtain 00:48 positive rewards and avoid negative rewards. 00:51 We call these machines “agents.” 00:53 These agents evolve in an environment. 00:55 They are going to observe this environment and take action based on these observations. 01:00 Depending on the result of their actions, they will be given a reward, either positive 01:05 or negative. 01:06 At first, the agent will behave randomly, but it will become better and better through 01:10 trial and error. 01:11 In other words, they are learning to maximize the amount of reward they are getting throughout 01:16 their life. 01:17 Let’s have a look at a simple example. 01:19 You are on an imaginary line, with a cake ready to eat on one side and a burning fire 01:24 camp on the other side. 01:25 What would you do in this situation? 01:27 Typically, your answer would be to walk straight for the cake. 01:30 Otherwise, you will get hurt by walking in the fire camp. 01:32 But how is a computer going to know this and learn the same decision-making process? 01:37 Through trial and error! 01:39 As we discussed, at first, the agent is going to behave randomly. 01:43 Half of the time, it will go to the left and the other half to the right. 01:46 But at one moment, it will reach one of the rewards, either positive and negative. 01:51 At this moment, the agent learns that going to the left hurts, or in reverse, if it was 01:56 lucky enough, it learns how great a cake tastes. 01:58 That’s it! 02:00 Once it learns about these rewards, it can have optimal behavior in this environment 02:04 and go directly straight to the cake each time. 02:06 This is a simple example, as the only possibility of the agent is to go right or left. 02:11 However, usually, it would have many more possible paths. 02:15 Even if it already found a good reward in such a complicated environment, it needs to 02:19 keep looking for better rewards. 02:21 In other words, maybe a bigger cake is waiting for us over the next corner, so from time 02:26 to time, we need to take the chance and have a look. 02:29 We can make a comparison with the real world. 02:31 If you’re like me, you are used to ordering the same pizza at the same pizzeria regularly, 02:36 but what if you try a new one once in a while? 02:39 You may appreciate it even more and decide that it’s your new favorite. 02:42 You would’ve never discovered this improvement without trying something new, even if you 02:47 already enjoyed the taste of the first one. 02:49 Of course, not every scenario is as simple, but in Reinforcement Learning, every problem 02:54 can be seen this way. 02:56 The only change with each new challenge the agent will face is the kind of environment 03:00 it will evolve in. 03:01 Whether it is a chessboard, a video game, or even the motors’ states of a robot learning 03:06 how to walk, the logic is the same: the agent tries things, sees how the environment reacts 03:12 to his actions, and adapts to do better in the future. 03:14 You can see reinforcement learning as machines learning in a Darwinism way. 03:15 If this makes sense to you, congratulations! 03:18 You now understand what reinforcement learning is and how it works. 03:21 There are, of course, more technical details, but this is the gist of this astonishing technique, 03:26 with amazing capabilities.

How Machines Beat Humans at Everything

A few years back, maybe you did not envisage there would be this tremendous transformation that has taken place in psychotherapy; neither did I. Breakthroughs in technology have afforded us the opportunity of accessing online therapy from the comfort of our homes and in real-time. It was never a comfortable idea to realize that a lot of people believe that mental illness, sometimes known as a mental disorder, is rare and “happens to someone else.“ The true position is that mental illness is common and widespread. The (NIMH), found out in a study that nearly one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (46.6 million in 2017). Ensuring that this large number of people receive adequate care was never an easy task. National Institute of Mental Health Therapists had been belabored by attempts to reach out to people with mental health problems and taking into consideration the stress that is associated with the coronavirus pandemic, you won’t be wrong to project a global pandemic in mental illness. However, there is now a ray of hope. There are a lot of brands that are deploying advancements in technology to fashion out ways to ensure that people who have mental health issues are adequately taken care of. You can now leverage any of the following technological innovations to access your therapist as compared to when you only had to resort to traditional counseling. Email Though the email is an ancient technology compared to , it still comes in handy for online counseling. Luckily for its , developers and security researchers are doing everything possible to ensure that this old technology remains viable and secure despite the daring nature of modern cyber attackers. modern communication tools four billion users Encryption is employed in the emailing system to obscure your data. If your online counselor’s website has https in its URL, then it is using (SSL) to keep your information secure as it travels from your computer to the website's server. Secure Socket Layer With SSL, messages between you and your counselor are encrypted. Your online counselor’s website should be SSL-enabled, as this will protect you against getting your passwords or vital information stolen by someone "tapping the line.” The emailing system allows you and your online counselor to exchange written detailed messages. You can write down all your pain points and your counselor, in turn, will proffer detailed written solutions. It’s an opportunity for you and your counselor to have a well-thought-out overview of the problem at hand. The only shortcoming to the emailing system is that there is no tone of voice or body language. You may not be able to present yourself in the best light when it would be more effective for you to slip up. Texting Quite unlike what obtained in the core years of traditional psychotherapy, online therapy affords you the opportunity of using a messenger app. For instance, has created an app that you can use to find out if  you have a mental health issue with just a click as well as finding a therapist in your area with their “Enter Zip Code and Find Help.” BetterHelp All these forms of instant messages are quick and are good for those who need instant response. You have the opportunity of getting feedback in real-time and at your comfort. Video chatting Possibly, the coronavirus pandemic might have made video conferencing the new norm for businesses. With the dramatic changes such as social distancing and working from home that have been introduced into our lives, it has become expedient that the practice of psychotherapy must transform. Something has to change if mental health care is to reach the people in need. The traditional way of practicing psychotherapy must give way to online counseling. The essence of traditional psychotherapy is to allow you to have a face-to-face session with your counselor. This you can now do through your computer or smartphone that allows you to have an experience that's like traditional counseling. With video conferencing, those tidbit signs like body language and tone of voice that can enable your online counselor to have a better perspective of your problem have become possible. Live video conferencing has gone through a huge transformation, brands like Skype and Zoom have made this possible especially after the cybersecurity breach that Zoom had, where fell into the hands of hackers. 500,000 users passwords There has been some degree of improvement, so there is a lesser lag. You must, however, understand that things can still go awry and must take extra precautions while video conferencing with your online counselor. Chatbots Wherever there could be complications in meting out mental health care, efforts should be made to mitigate these problems. The number of people with mental health issues globally is in serious disparity with the number of therapists that can attend to them. To ensure we overcome these impediments, chatbots must be deployed into online counseling. Fortunately, the integration of AI and machine learning into chatbots technology has ensured that we no longer have language barriers. AI chatbots can now communicate in different languages. reports that  Amica a chatbot has been developed in Australia that uses an AI to provide suggestions to couples on how they can divide their money and property based on their circumstances. TechTimes This is as a result of divorce issues that have greatly risen from the COVID-19 pandemic. Critical situations call for critical actions and leveraging technological breakthroughs to enhance mental health care as well as other related issues is a step in the right direction. Lead image by Iluha Zavaley on Unsplash

How Technological Breakthroughs Are Powering Psychotherapy

I’ve spent 10 years of my life while working as a stylist and fashion editor in the international fashion magazine . I've also just finished a fullstack program, and my friends are confused. L'Officiel I can admit that being the fashion editor eventually became my dream job. Why? Because you get to meet absolutely any woman you would like to meet. In one issue, you could be talking about sports and the Olympic Games with the women who have trained all their lives to participate in their dream athletic event. In another issue, you could grind the subtle art of pattern making. So, yes, this was the best gap year I've ever had when I also started my own online magazine ! Abstract Stylist At this point, you might be surprised to learn I work in cybersecurity communications now. Partly, because women in tech is still (not) a stereotype, and I love (not) breaking stereotypes! Starting in the tech industry For some women of my age, tech is still a man's world. Well, it's nice if you're from a place where girls have been playing with robots for many years, but in the Baltics, we had had a long time tradition of girls well... being girls. It was only a couple of years ago when the Baltics actually started to teach tech. I mean coding schools, kids' activities, tech programs, etc. This was the first time I felt tired of being called . just a girl in fashion I desperately needed to prove something. So I started learning how to code. And now, I have finished a full-stack program - leaving my friends confused. (In the circle of artists, musicians, and creative minds, this is something that we can't really even talk about now.) Are there really no women in tech? Half of my classmates in full-stack programming were women. Later, in my UX/UI , we all were women. Currently, I am even participating in the initiative with 200 women. You would say this is great! But how about finding a job and actually working in the field of tech? courses studies "Women Go Tech" According to the , in 2019, globally, only 33.2% of all hired people were women. In 2018, global women tech hires increased to 25.7% (+1.1 ppts). In four years, women tech hires have increased from 22.1% to 25.7% (+3.6 ppts). Google annual diversity report Not a full class, you might say. Where are all those women who passionately want to learn and work in tech? It all comes down to stereotypes. From my personal experience, I shocked a lot of people when I said I was going to pursue a career in tech. First, I was doing great in fashion, and everyone seemed to think that you do what you do forever. Secondly, how could anyone without any history of real sciences education do that? I have good news for you. You can do whatever you want with your life! There are plenty of women who broke that (and many more) stereotypes and pursued their careers in tech. Women in tech Where to start if you don't know anything or anyone in tech? Here are some extraordinary women from the Baltics I suggest you to follow: Estonia: (Founder and CEO of Funderbeam) Kaidi Ruusalepp (Founder and CEO of Testlio) Kristel Kruustuk (Founder and CEO of Jobbatical) Karoli Hindriks Latvia: Alise Semjonova (Co-founder of Infogr.am, co-creator of Riga Tech Girls) (Founder and CEO of Vividly) Gunita Kulikovska (CEO of TechChill) Marija Rucevska Lithuania: (CEO of 3D model marketplace CG Trader) Dalia Lasaite (Founder of bit&Byte & Teachers Lead Tech) Monika Katkute Gelzine (COO of MailerLite) Ilma Nausedaite

Baltic Women In Tech To Watch

“Have you heard of DeepMind?” I asked my friend, “ It’s an artificial intelligence company based in London.” “No…”, she said, “but speaking of AI, I started watching Ex Machina last night.” This is a conversation I have had, or overheard, many times in some form or another. One person will bring up artificial intelligence, and the other will immediately jump to artificially intelligent (even sentient) robotics and, ultimately, science fiction. The way these conversations tend to go seems to range from letting it go completely, to anger, frustration, and even some screaming. I decided to let it go in this instance. Whether or not you’re an AI purist who will snap at anyone who dares to equate all AI to dangerous futuristic robots, it is easy to understand why people have clung to humanoid machines to anchor their knowledge of a broad and complex subject. Rather than being the pedantic ravings of a tech snob, the purpose of this post is to explore what history and science fiction can tell us about these new technological advancements, and why it’s important to learn about the realities of the technologies that increasingly shape our lives. This is not the first time we have experienced an advancement in technology that has caused us, as a society, to have to reassess who we are and what we are capable of. In fact, history is littered with what we now consider relics that have changed the fabric of our social existence. The telegraph changed the human experience of time and space. Suddenly, one individual could send a message to another almost instantaneously, over long distances. Although this might seem a laborious mode of communication to us now, try and conceptualize how radically this changed the world as it could be experienced. The television changed the way people experienced not only the things they saw on their screens, news and comedy etc., but also the patterns of their daily lives. Families came home and sat together to watch the 6 o’clock news. Communities sat in joy, fear, anger or sadness as world events unfolded in their living rooms. Yes, we have seen numerous examples of how technological shifts affect humanity — from the written word to artificial intelligence — but how is our current historical moment different? There is no denying that this rate of technological progress is unprecedented. Despite all that history has to teach us, we are careening blindly into the future, into the unpredictable and unknowable. The future, as a concept, has become increasingly less distant. It has, however, remained a black box, impenetrable to the human eye. This is not to say that we cannot make educated predictions about new technologies, but rather that we cannot know how these technologies will be adopted or received by the people who use them. In thinking about the future of AI, we must think about it not only in terms of how AI might change the people who use it, but also how people will change and influence its development and potential uses. This can be a scary thought, historically humans have a tendency of bringing the darkness out of technological advances. Scarier still is the idea of a machine that surpasses us in intellectual ability, morphing into something unstoppable and unpredictable. This shifting and unprecedented relationship has been the topic of numerous science fiction films for a reason. As an inherently creative animal, we tend to work through fears, anxieties, and frustrations through stories. These narratives are important to consider, as they paint for us a rich landscape of utopic and dystopic futures, all within the realm of possibility. The dystopia we all know and love. There is a truly enjoyable morbid curiosity to seeing our own impending doom. Particularly when said doom is being served, or represented, by something (someone?) that looks, feels, and speaks like us, but is fundamentally not like us. ‘They’ make us look inside of ourselves, question what makes us human, what gives us the right to be ‘us’ at all. Blade Runner, The Terminator, I, Robot, Black Mirror, Westworld, Humans, the list goes on; proving time and again our fascination with peering into our uncanny reflections. Of course these films are about more than artificial intelligence and the progress of technology, they allow us to examine issues of race, gender, sexuality, inequality, and morality. However, in terms of AI in particular, we can say that these narratives bring up some fundamental questions about existence in the face of exponential technological growth. If a machine can become sentient and experience emotions, solve problems, and achieve autonomy, does this mean we have to redefine humanity, human characteristics, and even the experience of emotions? Will our fear and resentment towards these machines cause us to turn to our heart of darkness, and bring out our most primal and animalistic side? Fundamentally, , this comes down to a fear of being irrelevant, and of seeing what we are both capable and incapable of when faced with our own irrelevance. as Intel’s resident anthropologist Genevieve Bell notes Japan, a utopia for humans and robots alike. In both fiction and industry, Japan displays a very different relationship to robotics in general, humanoid robots in particular, and AI by association. This is due to a number of things — an ageing population means that Japan has had to look to humanoid caring robots as a solution to an impending problem; robotics are a vital part of the Japanese economy; and the religious Shinto tradition posits that nonhuman entities possess spirits and deserve respect. In popular culture humanoid robots and artificial intelligence have been normalised through Astro Boy, a popular manga and film character — a boy-like robot — who keeps the peace in a world where humans and robots live in harmony. He fights robot hating humans and robots gone berserk, presenting a world that reflects struggles we are familiar with, but in which peace and coexistence between humans and nonhumans is not only possible, but the normal ‘state of things’ that must be preserved. A boy robot? A boy robot?! A boy robot! The fate of humanity is in your hands. So, what problems is AI currently being harnessed to solve? Through working at , I’ve had a chance to be introduced to some amazing new startups in this space. They serve as useful examples of the practical applications being developed, and how much they vary from their pop culture equivalents. Founders Factory recently joined the Founders Factory accelerator program, and is an AI product that helps organisations better understand and predict patterns of behaviour that affect them. illumr turns complex datasets into understandable 3D patterns to reveal insights that all other analytical tools and methodologies may miss. To date, illumr has worked with government departments, large financial institutions and housing organisations. ilumr , another company currently in the same accelerator program, helps researchers search and map over 60 million open accesses research papers. By pulling together relevant resources across different disciplines, Iris.ai helps research teams discover unexpected sources, and become more efficient. Iris.ai Rather than creating an unstoppable machine that looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger, these companies and many others in this space, are harnessing the principles of artificial intelligence in order to sort through and finds patterns within vast amounts of data that the human mind has neither the time, nor capacity to make sense of. Why is it important to understand this? Because, much like the Terminator, all technologies are inscribed with the inherent biases of those who create it. As the users of these products and services, it is our responsibility to hold their creators accountable, to ensure that these products are being designed ethically and in the best interest of the user. History has taught us the extent to which technological advancements can change the fabric of our lives. Fiction allows us to experience our greatest hopes and fears in the face of this change. But as we continue careening into an unprecedented future of technological advancement, it is up to all of us to ensure that the reality we come to experience doesn’t involve a naked and murderous Arnold Schwarzenegger robot appearing out of thin air. Resources - ‘ ’ — Genevieve Bell Humanity’s greatest fear is about being irrelevant - — Tim Urban The AI Revolution - — Christopher Mims Why Japanese Love Robots

The Terminator came for Sarah Connor, and we said nothing.

In 2021, the metaverse – a shared virtual world meant to enrich our reality with new digital opportunities, – made it to the shortlist of top tech trends. Even though it was first picked up by gaming and entertainment, today its potential use cases extend far beyond these sectors. Indeed, the metaverse is more than bizarre virtual experiences or rare collectibles. Seen by its evangelists as the next step to digitization, it has the potential to blur geographical boundaries, offer new models of interaction for businesses and individuals, and reform traditional industries. Last November/December, this potential was recognized at a state level: the Shanghai city department included metaverse in its five-year development plan. Meanwhile, Korea announced plans to make Seoul a metaverse city and it is said that by 2026, Seoul will be the fifth-largest metaverse market in the world. So what gifts does the metaverse bring to our society – and what will it take to turn this concept into reality? Where Real Meets Digital , the CEO of Meta, “the next frontier in connecting people,” where one can “get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create.” A of voices rising from the digital space, including one of Simon Powell, claims it will ‘be the biggest disruption society has faced.’ Mark Zuckerberg dubs metaverse choir The disruption is, indeed, welcome. The past two years have exposed many points of vulnerability in the real and digital world. Brought together by globalization, we have been thrown apart by the virus. Most of the world’s economies have taken a hit from the pandemic; for some, it proved to be a fatal blow. The creator economy is booming, but creators are facing issues with the ownership and monetization of their content, as well as struggling to connect with their audiences. In the conceptual reality of the metaverse, connection, immersion, and engagement are brought to the forefront. First, the creator-consumer relationship is no more a one-way lane, as the creator receives their fair share of revenues, while the consumer gets access to a quality product shaped by their demand. Second, the possibility of integrating the global economy and moving assets and data between platforms put whole sectors like supply chain management and real estate sales on the winning side, too. By uniting traditional industries under the umbrella of new technologies, the metaverse will also encourage healthy competition between companies and entrepreneurs rushing to grab their niche in the virtual space. And third, with the help of wearables, VR, and AR tech, metaverse can bring remote work, education, and services (think doctor appointments) to a whole new level. Microsoft, for one, is now developing immersive co-working spaces to boost engagement and productivity for remote workers. On top of that, metaverse will create more opportunities for emerging or shattered economies: for one, there’ve been cases of citizens of the Philippines pulling themselves out of poverty by playing . Axie Infinity How Long Till the Metaverse? In his report, Powell claims that ‘A single metaverse could be more than a decade away,’ suggesting that it will take proper hardware, software, and use cases to lift the internet up into a metaverse. Some of its parts have been here for a while, waiting to be arranged in a new pattern; some are yet to be delivered. Deep tech such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lie at the heart of the metaverse; blockchain, DeFi, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs – play a vital part in how it functions, as decentralization and Web3 help push forward its adoption. Decentralization is one of the core components of the future metaverse. Sharing the same values with Web3, the decentralized metaverse will answer the demand for diversity, lucidity, and trustlessness that has formed across the society – to the benefit of the whole ecosystem. NFTs and cryptocurrencies, perfect for transferring assets and making deals across traditional and virtual spaces in a secure and transparent way, will form the basis of its economy, while DeFi helps create a decentralized financial infrastructure. And lastly, achieving a high level of interoperability will allow seamless transfer of data and assets between separate parts of the metaverse. All of these components will contribute to the creation of an extensive, sustainable digital universe. As this potential is realized in an accessible, comprehensible, and interactive environment, the metaverse will, indeed, have a profound impact on economies and societies all over the globe.

Metaverse: a New Step for Digital Entertainment or an Economic Gamechanger?

If you’re a Software developer, you cannot live without interacting with Git and it is never too late for anything! So here are some very basic, yet very important Git commands which you will require in your daily life. Git is a distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code during software development while working on your local machine. Git - Github is distributed git platforms used for storing your code inside git repositories just like GitLab, BitBucket. GitHub - version-control Let’s directly dive into commands & understand their usage:- The workFlow of Git: Write some code... <p> Write some code... < /p> Store changes: $git add . Push changes: $git push Make a pull request: $git pull Commands for Git: 1. To check version $git --version 2. Create a file in your project $ touch index.html 3. Initialize it as a git repository $git init 4. Add a file $git add index.html
OR
$git add . /*adds files modified*/ 5. To see the status of a file $git status 6. Remove index.html $ git rm --cached index.hmtl 7. Commit changes $git commit -m ‘messages’ 8. Create a new branch $git branch branchName 9. Change branch $git checkout branchName 10. Merge branch $git merge branchName The workFlow of GitHub & its commands: - Write some code > Commit changes > Make a pull request WorkFlow 1. Create a new repository on your account 2. Copy the remote URL ( ) 3. In your terminal write: $ git remote Steps: GitHub https://github.com/ysoni0303/shopping-cart-angular8-node-mysql.git $ git remote 4. In your terminal write: $git push -u origin master Some Bonus Tips, as you read it till here… i) - Use this file to explain your project by writing a description of the same. Provide basic initial setup commands and also mention the languages & third party packages you used while developing certain applications. read.md ii) - As the name suggests, it is a plain text file where each line contains a pattern for files/directories to ignore while pushing your code into the repository. Generally, this is placed in the root folder of the repository, and that’s what I recommend. .gitignore iii) - It is used to configure your username, email, and password, etc git config git config --global user.name git config --global user.email "userName" "user@xyz.com"

Basic Git Commands

The entrepreneurial world is often defined by steep competition and power struggles, pushing business owners to become participants in a rat race. This is where a conscious leader can bring in a fresh perspective to guide followers through the path less traveled. Nitsa Nakos, an entrepreneur, conscious leader, visionary, and professional networker is closing this gap. In addition to her personal success, she is helping other soul-driven entrepreneurs find success through the principles of conscious leadership. Conscious leadership is not a journey about personal gain but about celebrating the success of others and embracing collaboration over competition. Following this principle, Nitsa Nakos emphasizes generosity over greed. She believes in harnessing real power from within. For her, it is about living an intentional life, being the chooser, not the choice, while inspiring others through vibe and behavior. The ultimate goal is to create a better world for all. Nitsa Nakos is the guiding light for mission-driven entrepreneurs, network marketers, and business owners seeking a higher level of freedom and success. Her approach goes beyond financial prosperity to achieve overall fulfillment with a profound sense of purpose. Nitsa's commitment to conscious leadership is evident in her thriving organization, Synergy Global. The venture is impacting tens of thousands of lives globally. A key element of Nitsa's conscious leadership philosophy is the WIN, WIN, WIN philosophy. This philosophy explains the value of a collective win as every exchange of value benefits all parties involved. All of us, including Mother Earth, contribute to the ascension of the planet. Nitsa Nakos, a part of the top 1% earners globally in the network marketing profession, embodies the principles she advocates while serving as a living example of the success that conscious leadership can bring. Through Synergy Global, Nitsa Nakos has mentored and guided tens of thousands of people over 25 years, helping them achieve financial freedom. Her journey from becoming a millionaire in her early 30s to losing everything in the 2008 crisis and rebuilding it exponentially is marked by resilience. Nitsa has not only battled personal challenges but has also empowered others to break free from traditional jobs to become successful entrepreneurs. Nitsa Nakos is also a true humanitarian and angel investor. She is supporting initiatives that contribute to the betterment of communities and the environment. From raising funds for Venezuelan children during a currency collapse to building schools for underprivileged children in the digital era, she has been striving to create a positive impact in the world. Nitsa is now on a mission to raise millionaires through conscious leadership. She emphasizes that success is an inside job that begins with finding clarity, meaning, and direction from within. Her story is not about building a financial empire but using her influence and resources to create conscious communities that heal the fears, egos, and limitations of others. Nitsa Nakos, a conscious leader and gifted communicator is ushering in a new era in the business world. Her journey from a young entrepreneur to a conscious leadership advocate reflects the power of aligning personal success with a greater purpose. Nitsa envisions success as a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and positive impact. Through conscious leadership, she is lighting the way for others to a more purposeful and enlightened life where they find true success. This story was distributed by Jon Stojan Media under HackerNoon’s Brand As An Author Program. Learn more about the program here: https://business.hackernoon.com/brand-as-author

Nitsa Nakos: Illuminating Success With the Art of Conscious Leadership

নিতসা নাকোস: সচেতন নেতৃত্বের শিল্প দিয়ে সাফল্যের আলোকিত করা

Nitsa Nakos: Mit der Kunst bewusster Führung zum Erfolg

Nitsa Nakos: iluminando el éxito con el arte del liderazgo consciente

Nitsa Nakos : illuminer le succès grâce à l'art du leadership conscient

नित्सा नाकोस: सचेत नेतृत्व की कला से सफलता को रोशन करना

ニツァ・ナコス: 意識的なリーダーシップの芸術で成功を照らす

Nitsa Nakos: 의식 있는 리더십의 기술로 성공을 밝히다

Nitsa Nakos: Iluminando o sucesso com a arte da liderança consciente

Ница Накос: Освещая успех искусством сознательного лидерства

Nitsa Nakos: Başarıyı Bilinçli Liderlik Sanatıyla Aydınlatmak

Nitsa Nakos: Thắp sáng thành công bằng nghệ thuật lãnh đạo có ý thức

Nitsa Nakos：用有意识的领导艺术照亮成功

This article was written by Dr. Doug Milburn, founder of Advanced Glazings, and has been published on their behalf with their permission. Many public spaces like offices, hotels, airports, gyms, and hospitals now not only , but are better-enabling people to create, collaborate and be productive in areas where well-being is intentionally optimized. How are they doing it? With a mix of new design thinking, new materials, and tech improvements aiming at a new set of outcomes. follow new safety protocols From a perspective, there are clear incentives for improving employee health and productivity. Any business owner can tell you that staff salaries and expenditures make up the bulk of operational expenses associated with occupying an office building. Indeed, over 85% of total workplace costs are spent on salaries and benefits, compared to less than 10% on rent and less than 1% on energy. business Research suggests that by making even small improvements to factors such as productivity, health, and wellbeing, businesses can experience greater financial benefit than they would from more efficient resource use in building operations. Green building design can have such a positive impact on humans and productivity that according to the , World Green Building Council Businesses are now shifting their thinking from ‘how much will green building cost my business’ to ‘how much will not investing in green building cost my business?’ Natural lighting, or daylighting, is the controlled admission of natural light into a building to reduce electric lighting and save energy. In order to be of maximum benefit it must be available to a significant percentage of the building interiors where the work gets done.. American office workers are spending up to indoors. Therefore the best way to give workers the , is to bring the outside in- something that sounds basic but is extremely complex and very easy to get wrong. 90% of their lives health benefits they find outdoors Daylighting has many benefits for human health and well-being, such as improving mood and reducing stress, while enhancing alertness and productivity. . Natural light can also lower cortisol levels, which are associated with stress and anxiety. A can improve sleep quality, energy levels, concentration, and cognitive performance. Exposure to natural light can boost serotonin levels, which regulate mood, appetite, sleep, and memory well-aligned circadian rhythm Well-lit offices also support vision and eye health. . It also stimulates the production of vitamin D, which is essential for eye health and immunity. Natural light can reduce eyestrain and headaches caused by artificial lighting or glare from screens However, many offices are not well designed to maximize natural light. Older office spaces especially can have small windows, deep floor plans, and drop ceilings that limit daylight penetration. While some modern glass “fishbowl” offices have the opposite problem: excessive or uncontrolled sunlight, causing glare, excessive heat, or visual discomfort. The science behind daylighting tech Meeting thermal goals doesn’t have to mean using less glass. Solera is a type of translucent insulated glass that combines thermally high-performance glazing with engineered light diffusers to provide uniform daylight distribution without glare or heat gain. This means rather than the light directing downward toward the floor, just as much is directed inward and upward. This redistribution means that the useful daylight is distributed deeper into a space. This maximizes daylight potential while eliminating glare and hotspots. When evaluating light diffusion, we’re reminded that all translucent materials are not equal. Transmittance of materials can vary from specular to fully diffused, or some varying degree or combination between the two. Vision glass, or conventional glazings, has purely specular transmission, i.e. light passes straight through and does not scatter. Other glazing materials such as acid etched glass, or white laminate PVB, scatter light sufficiently but at a relatively narrow angle; consequently, the brightness of those materials will vary greatly depending on your direction of view and the direction of the incident light. Products like Solera are excellent light diffusers, meaning light that it transmits is widely scattered such that the brightness is equal in all directions. Products like Solera can be used in the conventional application of glazings - for windows and skylights - to bring the right levels of natural light into any office space. However, these types of products are also being used to transform existing structures through the direct application of the glass to the structure, without a secondary structure. This is branded as SoleraWall. To optimize daylighting in office spaces, architects and design teams need to consider several factors, including the direction of sunlight, window-to-wall ratio (the percentage of exterior wall area covered by windows) and glazing performance. Using a combination of landscaping, window size optimization, thermally high-performance glazing selection, daylight redirection techniques, and solar shading devices can help any office space achieve optimal daylight levels for visual and thermal comfort, regardless of climate. Daylighting is not only a way to save energy and money, but also a way to improve well-being and performance in office spaces. Everyone responds well to walking into a building with reduced glare, great air quality, and pleasant views. Finance departments and CEOs will appreciate the energy greener offices. By designing office spaces that allow natural light to enter in a controlled and balanced way, employers and employees can enjoy the mutual benefits of taking this important step towards adopting green building practices. cost-savings and asset value of building or retrofitting About Doug Milburn As a long-time entrepreneur and innovator, Dr. Doug Milburn, founder of , thrives on solving problems. For more than 35 years, he’s brought passion and vision to manufacturing, engineering, software development and process engineering. Throughout his leadership, Dr. Milburn has aimed to create great workplaces by shaping a company’s success through corporate values and ethical guidelines. Advanced Glazings

New Daylighting Solutions Are the Key to Reviving Public Spaces After COVID

Las nuevas soluciones de iluminación natural son la clave para revivir los espacios públicos después del COVID

Les nouvelles solutions d'éclairage naturel sont la clé de la relance des espaces publics après COVID

नए डेलाइटिंग समाधान कोविड के बाद सार्वजनिक स्थानों को पुनर्जीवित करने की कुंजी हैं

新しい採光ソリューションが新型コロナウイルス収束後の公共スペース復活の鍵となる

Novas soluções de iluminação natural são a chave para reviver os espaços públicos após o COVID

Giải pháp ánh sáng ban ngày mới là chìa khóa để hồi sinh không gian công cộng sau COVID

新的采光解决方案是疫后恢复公共空间的关键

You think that being stuck is a permanent state, and this is the pattern you go through every time: You encounter a new challenge.
Your brain resists it.
It hasn’t been trained to handle discomfort effectively.
You revert to what’s comfortable and familiar.
You shut yourself off from potential growth and enlightenment.
You feel stuck, unfulfilled and unhappy. When you face the challenge of feeling stagnant in your career, in your personal life, nothing seems to help you progress. You feel not just stuck, but regressing. The worst part of it was that in some strange way, it also feels “comfortable” being stuck. I’m sure you have that feeling, because we are wired the same way, and so do I. I wanted to understand why we are so resistant to change, to discomfort. Why is it that it’s easier for us to stay in situations we don’t like while we know damn well it’s not the right path. Why is change hard? Why makes hard things hard? Well, I got some answers while reading a research paper from computational neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore. I finally got a better understanding of how our brain constructs reality, how it cheats us by wanting to save energy, and how we can hack it. 1. Understanding Our Brain: A Reality-Building Machine I won’t bore you with the very technical research paper filled with complicated words and never ending sentences. Here’s a breakdown for you: Central to this process are the cortical columns, functional units within the cerebral cortex that orchestrate your perception of the world. These columns evaluate sensory information against your brain’s existing models, determining “True” or “False” signals to guide your reactions and beliefs. To put this even simpler, They work like little decision-makers in the outer layer of the brain, sorting through what we see and feel. They check this information against what the brain already knows, deciding if it matches (“True”) or doesn’t match (“False”). This helps you figure out how to react and what to believe. Here’s the problem: Your brain and its cortical columns are designed to conserve energy at all costs. This means they’re constantly seeking “True” statements, those that align with what you already know and believe. Why? Because processing familiar information requires less energy than assimilating new data. This is precisely why staying in your comfort zones feels so… comfortable. It’s not just inertia; it’s a battle against a highly efficient computer in your head, always seeking stability over the chaos of change. Your gut might scream for a shift, but you’re up against your brain’s design, which chooses energy conservation over everything else. 2. The Mannequin Misidentification: A Cortex in Action Ok ben, that sounds cool and I get the theory. But how does this actualise, and how is it shaping my reality? Here’s an example: Imagine walking down a street, your eyes catch what appears to be a figure standing in a shop window. Your brain utilizes past data, and quickly categorizes this figure as a man — a “True” response rooted in familiarity. You continue to walk closer, until something happens.. you realize that the figure is not a person, but in fact a mannequin. This unexpected twist sends a “False” signal to your brain, specifically to those cortical columns tasked with visual processing. Faced with this new information, your brain recalibrates, updating your reality from a man to a mannequin. 3. Embracing the Science of Uncomfortability So there we have it. The path to growth is through embracing “False” signals — those challenging, unfamiliar experiences that demand our brain to adjust and grow. This process isn’t just about acquiring new information; it’s about fundamentally reshaping our perception and interaction with the world around us. It’s about changing reality; literally asking your cortex to re-evaluate your current reality, and change it. That’s why it feels so hard. That’s why it feels so weirdly good to stay stuck. So, what are some steps to hack this? 4. Recognizing the State of “Brain Automation” Well, first, you need to understand when you’re stuck in “brain automation”. I’m sure you know this feeling very well. You’re in that state when you go through your daily routines without much thought or variation. You wake up, get dressed, get coffee at the same spot, order the same drink. Tasks and activities feel mundane, and you’re not engaged or stimulated by what you’re doing. You are bored. You wake up every morning saying “ok here we go, another day doing the same thing until I get to go to sleep again. Let’s just get through it with as many distractions as possible.” Nothing seems to make you feel alive. You are just in automation mode. Activities that used to hold your attention don’t mean anything anymore. 5. Breaking Through with Challenging Thoughts Now that you recognize the signs of “brain automation,” the next step isn’t just about what you do; it’s about how you think. Changing your actions without changing your thoughts is like repainting your car when it needs a new engine. Sure, it will look good on the outside, it still won’t run though. So do this: Ask why, and don’t judge. “Why” is such a short but powerful question that can almost always be used successively until the truth is met: “I feel stuck in my career? Why? …Because I don’t like what I do. Why? …Because it doesn’t challenge me or align with my values. Why? …Because I settled into a role that was available rather than pursuing what genuinely interests me. Why? …Because I fear the uncertainty of change and the possibility of failure. Why? …Because past experiences have conditioned me to prioritize security over fulfillment. Why? …Because I internalized the belief that success is defined by stability rather than personal satisfaction and growth.” Take this and keep asking the same question. You’ll get to the root of it soon enough. In this instance, your feeling of being stuck is less about the external circumstances and more about internal barriers — fears, beliefs, and assumptions that keep you tethered to the familiar, however unsatisfying it may be. 6. No, but really.. How do I get unstuck? Listen. True transformation begins when you push beyond the boundaries of what you know and where you’re comfortable. The shift needs to happen in your head, but also physically. You need to consciously and repetitively seek out “False” signals and embrace the discomfort they bring. You need to construct a new reality. In plain, simple terms, you need to: do the uncomfortable thing. Here are a few of the things I have had to do last week alone that finally led me to break out of my cycle: I impulssively bought a plane ticket to Panama, to change my enviroment, create some space for me to:
Sit with my feelings for the first time in years, and finally stop supressing them. I cried. Haven’t done that in years.
I had the uncomfortable conversation with my business partner to tell them I no longer have passion for it and am leaving them the decision to continue or quit.
I made the decision to get a therapist and seek help to access past trauma that I’ve burried deep down.
I replied "I don't know" when asked about something I was unsure of, rather than trying to appear confident. I felt stupid that instant, but I actually learned something and ended up having a meaninful conversation.
I forced myself to talk to strangers every single day. Oh, and talking happened to be in Spanish, for which my vocabulary consisted of a total of 40 words or so. These things were uncomfortable. These things were all dreadful for me. They are supposed to be. They are hard, they are counter-intuitive, and they are painful. But if you don’t do them, you are letting your cortex run on auto-pilot, validating a “true” statement that will feel comfortable. Yes, in the immediate short term, it feels better. But you are reinforcing your mind into shaping the wrong reality. Do that long enough, and you will soon be living in a world that is not yours. You’ll have a job you hate, relationships that don’t support you, a deep lack of purpose, numbing yourself to the world around you until you become nothing more than a ghost, aimlessly drifting through a suffocating and meaningless existence. Waking up to it 10 years later will be very painful. So Wake up. Challenge yourself. Engineer your existence and break free. You think that being stuck is a permanent state, and this is the pattern you go through every time: You encounter a new challenge. Your brain resists it. It hasn’t been trained to handle discomfort effectively. You revert to what’s comfortable and familiar. You shut yourself off from potential growth and enlightenment. You feel stuck, unfulfilled and unhappy. You encounter a new challenge. Your brain resists it. It hasn’t been trained to handle discomfort effectively. You revert to what’s comfortable and familiar. You shut yourself off from potential growth and enlightenment. You feel stuck, unfulfilled and unhappy. When you face the challenge of feeling stagnant in your career, in your personal life, nothing seems to help you progress. You feel not just stuck, but regressing. The worst part of it was that in some strange way, it also feels “comfortable” being stuck. I’m sure you have that feeling, because we are wired the same way, and so do I. I wanted to understand why we are so resistant to change, to discomfort. Why is it that it’s easier for us to stay in situations we don’t like while we know damn well it’s not the right path. Why is change hard? Why makes hard things hard? Well, I got some answers while reading a research paper from computational neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore. I finally got a better understanding of how our brain constructs reality, how it cheats us by wanting to save energy, and how we can hack it. 1. Understanding Our Brain: A Reality-Building Machine I won’t bore you with the very technical research paper filled with complicated words and never ending sentences. Here’s a breakdown for you: Central to this process are the cortical columns, functional units within the cerebral cortex that orchestrate your perception of the world. These columns evaluate sensory information against your brain’s existing models, determining “True” or “False” signals to guide your reactions and beliefs. To put this even simpler, They work like little decision-makers in the outer layer of the brain, sorting through what we see and feel. They check this information against what the brain already knows, deciding if it matches (“True”) or doesn’t match (“False”). This helps you figure out how to react and what to believe. Here’s the problem: Your brain and its cortical columns are designed to conserve energy at all costs. This means they’re constantly seeking “True” statements, those that align with what you already know and believe. Why? Because processing familiar information requires less energy than assimilating new data. This is precisely why staying in your comfort zones feels so… comfortable. It’s not just inertia; it’s a battle against a highly efficient computer in your head, always seeking stability over the chaos of change. Your gut might scream for a shift, but you’re up against your brain’s design, which chooses energy conservation over everything else. 2. The Mannequin Misidentification: A Cortex in Action Ok ben, that sounds cool and I get the theory. But how does this actualise, and how is it shaping my reality? Here’s an example: Imagine walking down a street, your eyes catch what appears to be a figure standing in a shop window. Your brain utilizes past data, and quickly categorizes this figure as a man — a “True” response rooted in familiarity. You continue to walk closer, until something happens.. you realize that the figure is not a person, but in fact a mannequin. This unexpected twist sends a “False” signal to your brain, specifically to those cortical columns tasked with visual processing. Faced with this new information, your brain recalibrates, updating your reality from a man to a mannequin. 3. Embracing the Science of Uncomfortability So there we have it. The path to growth is through embracing “False” signals — those challenging, unfamiliar experiences that demand our brain to adjust and grow. This process isn’t just about acquiring new information; it’s about fundamentally reshaping our perception and interaction with the world around us. It’s about changing reality; literally asking your cortex to re-evaluate your current reality, and change it. That’s why it feels so hard. That’s why it feels so weirdly good to stay stuck. So, what are some steps to hack this? 4. Recognizing the State of “Brain Automation” Well, first, you need to understand when you’re stuck in “brain automation”. I’m sure you know this feeling very well. You’re in that state when you go through your daily routines without much thought or variation. You wake up, get dressed, get coffee at the same spot, order the same drink. Tasks and activities feel mundane, and you’re not engaged or stimulated by what you’re doing. You are bored. You wake up every morning saying “ ok here we go, another day doing the same thing until I get to go to sleep again. Let’s just get through it with as many distractions as possible .” ok here we go, another day doing the same thing until I get to go to sleep again. Let’s just get through it with as many distractions as possible Nothing seems to make you feel alive. You are just in automation mode. Activities that used to hold your attention don’t mean anything anymore. 5. Breaking Through with Challenging Thoughts Now that you recognize the signs of “brain automation,” the next step isn’t just about what you do; it’s about how you think. Changing your actions without changing your thoughts is like repainting your car when it needs a new engine. Sure, it will look good on the outside, it still won’t run though. So do this: Ask why, and don’t judge. “Why” is such a short but powerful question that can almost always be used successively until the truth is met: “I feel stuck in my career? Why? “I feel stuck in my career? Why? …Because I don’t like what I do. Why? …Because I don’t like what I do. Why? …Because it doesn’t challenge me or align with my values. Why? …Because it doesn’t challenge me or align with my values. Why? …Because I settled into a role that was available rather than pursuing what genuinely interests me. Why? …Because I settled into a role that was available rather than pursuing what genuinely interests me. Why? …Because I fear the uncertainty of change and the possibility of failure. Why? …Because I fear the uncertainty of change and the possibility of failure. Why? …Because past experiences have conditioned me to prioritize security over fulfillment. Why? …Because past experiences have conditioned me to prioritize security over fulfillment. Why? …Because I internalized the belief that success is defined by stability rather than personal satisfaction and growth.” …Because I internalized the belief that success is defined by stability rather than personal satisfaction and growth.” Take this and keep asking the same question. You’ll get to the root of it soon enough. In this instance, your feeling of being stuck is less about the external circumstances and more about internal barriers — fears, beliefs, and assumptions that keep you tethered to the familiar, however unsatisfying it may be. 6. No, but really.. How do I get unstuck? Listen. True transformation begins when you push beyond the boundaries of what you know and where you’re comfortable. The shift needs to happen in your head, but also physically. You need to consciously and repetitively seek out “False” signals and embrace the discomfort they bring. You need to construct a new reality. In plain, simple terms, you need to: do the uncomfortable thing . do the uncomfortable thing Here are a few of the things I have had to do last week alone that finally led me to break out of my cycle: I impulssively bought a plane ticket to Panama, to change my enviroment, create some space for me to: Sit with my feelings for the first time in years, and finally stop supressing them. I cried. Haven’t done that in years. I had the uncomfortable conversation with my business partner to tell them I no longer have passion for it and am leaving them the decision to continue or quit. I made the decision to get a therapist and seek help to access past trauma that I’ve burried deep down. I replied "I don't know" when asked about something I was unsure of, rather than trying to appear confident. I felt stupid that instant, but I actually learned something and ended up having a meaninful conversation. I forced myself to talk to strangers every single day. Oh, and talking happened to be in Spanish, for which my vocabulary consisted of a total of 40 words or so. I impulssively bought a plane ticket to Panama, to change my enviroment, create some space for me to: Sit with my feelings for the first time in years, and finally stop supressing them. I cried. Haven’t done that in years. I had the uncomfortable conversation with my business partner to tell them I no longer have passion for it and am leaving them the decision to continue or quit. I made the decision to get a therapist and seek help to access past trauma that I’ve burried deep down. I replied "I don't know" when asked about something I was unsure of, rather than trying to appear confident. I felt stupid that instant, but I actually learned something and ended up having a meaninful conversation. I forced myself to talk to strangers every single day. Oh, and talking happened to be in Spanish, for which my vocabulary consisted of a total of 40 words or so. These things were uncomfortable. These things were all dreadful for me. They are supposed to be. They are hard, they are counter-intuitive, and they are painful. But if you don’t do them, you are letting your cortex run on auto-pilot, validating a “true” statement that will feel comfortable. Yes, in the immediate short term, it feels better. But you are reinforcing your mind into shaping the wrong reality . wrong reality wrong reality Do that long enough, and you will soon be living in a world that is not yours. You’ll have a job you hate, relationships that don’t support you, a deep lack of purpose, numbing yourself to the world around you until you become nothing more than a ghost, aimlessly drifting through a suffocating and meaningless existence. Waking up to it 10 years later will be very painful. So Wake up. Challenge yourself. Engineer your existence and break free.

The Illusion of Being Stuck

আটকে থাকার বিভ্রম

Die Illusion, festzustecken

La ilusión de estar estancado

L'illusion d'être coincé

फँस जाने का भ्रम

行き詰まっているという幻想

갇혀 있다는 환상

A ilusão de estar preso

Иллюзия застревания

Sıkışmış Olma Yanılsaması

Ảo tưởng bị mắc kẹt

陷入困境的错觉

Has anyone ever asked you to compare your present and past selves? Whenever I reflect on the person I used to be, the difference is striking. It's almost like I'm looking at someone vaguely familiar who I can't relate to anymore. The amount of growth and change I've experienced – in just the past five years, or even the past year – is evident in every aspect of my life. The way I think, the things I'm interested in, the people I surround myself with – everything has changed so much over time. And this isn't just a personal experience; it's part of a universal process that's happening to all of us. But if we're so quick to notice this about our past, why do we feel so pessimistic about the future? "I'll never find love again," we think. "I'm doomed to feel sad for life." "How can I ever change my life after so many years of being stuck? This is it for me." And to that, I say – have you heard of the End of History Illusion? The Illusion Controlling Us between the ages of 18 and 68 revealed something very interesting: the vast majority of people overestimate their past changes and underestimate their future changes. A study of 7,500 individuals In other words – we're convinced that we have changed dramatically since birth but don't necessarily see ourselves evolving much from this point onward. How interesting is that? We came to know this discovery as the End of History Illusion (or EOHI). In reality – and logically – we are always changing. We will inevitably change because life is always ebbing and flowing. on personality changes over time found that the overwhelming majority of people change their personalities over the course of their lives. A 2016 study Just as we grow and evolve physically, mentally, and spiritually throughout our lifetimes, so too do we change in a variety of other ways – including emotionally, socially, politically, and professionally. Why We Engage in the EOHI We can't see into the future. We don't know what changes will occur in our lives tomorrow, next year, or ten years from now. Just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't happen – but this is exactly how we think about ourselves. I skimmed over while researching gave an excellent real-life example: tattoos. Would we ever get a tattoo if we knew we'd regret it later on? The thought crosses our mind, but we mostly dismiss it. The EOHI bias leads us to believe that our current thoughts and feelings echo our future ones. A BBC article So, why are we so prone to overestimating our past change and underestimating our future change? There are a few reasons. We Avoid Uncertainty at All Costs All our lives, we are making decisions based on potential future outcomes (for better or worse). We choose a job that we expect to benefit from. We move to a city that we anticipate enjoying more than our current city. We put on a raincoat when the weatherperson predicts an afternoon storm. If , it really throws a spanner in our works. So the thought of experiencing drastic change on a personal level – and worse still, change we can't see in advance? Yeah... no, thanks. the future is unpredictable It's natural for us to keep things as predictable as possible. An unchanging self is a safe self. Perhaps that's why some of us will stick with a bad job or relationship for years and years – we're afraid of what change might bring. We're Already Happy For the lucky some of us, life feels like it's already hit a peak. We're in a healthy relationship; our job brings us satisfaction; we have friends we enjoy spending time with. We're happy and content. Doesn't that mean the destination has arrived? The trouble is, happiness isn't a destination – it's a journey. , more content, and more fulfilled. There are new experiences to be had (and old ones to rekindle). We can always be happier Being happy doesn't mean being finished. It's just a convenient and fortunate way to exist in the meantime. We Know Ourselves Well So A funny and frustrating thing about humans is that we tend to get over-confident where our self-knowledge is concerned. Who could be more of an expert on me than myself? That's the mentality – but it doesn't always reflect reality. We are incredibly complex beings; our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by a variety of factors. We can never truly know ourselves with absolute certainty. The problem is that we think we do. In our confidence, we may not even consider the possibility of change. As I'm about to unpack, though, this can leave us in a pretty stagnant place. The Damage of Underestimating Change Now, you might have a few thoughts of protest about what I've said so far. If change is inevitable, why should it matter if we underestimate it? Here's the thing: a belief in our capacity for change can have a impact on how we live our lives. If we believe that life is stagnant and unchanging, then we're less likely to instigate potential changes – even if they are poking and prodding at our conscience. huge Psychologist Hal Hershfield at the University of California believes that the EOHI could be detrimental to our personal and professional growth. In an , he explained that we actually perceive our future selves as different people – and as a result, we're less inclined to invest in that future person. interview on the Ted Radio Hour "...there could be a version of myself in the future who I really don't feel all that emotionally connected to or invested in. And if that's the case, I am probably going to live much more for today than tomorrow," Hershfield explained. The implications of this mindset are pretty grim: We might turn down demanding opportunities in order to have a simpler life in the present, even if those opportunities could be very rewarding. We could neglect small aspects of personal maintenance – being active every day, learning new things consistently, keeping in touch with loved ones – because we don't see any immediate benefit. We might be less likely to save money or invest in the stock market because we assume that our future selves will need very little. We could miss out on professional opportunities if they don't immediately benefit our current lifestyle (I'm looking at you, unpaid internships). The list could go on for days. Again, change is inevitable – but that's not to say it will be a positive change. We have to actively influence our future lives through the decisions we make today. Breaking Out of Restricting Mindsets While researching for this article, it was hard to find any advice on how to escape the EOHI that didn't sound like a total copout. "Just accept change and deal with it" was pretty much the consensus. The fact is, we can't just 'deal' with change or force ourselves to believe its inevitability. Seeing change as inevitable is only going to make the future feel more out of control and disconnected than ever. Instead, we need to work on connecting our selves with our selves. current future A thought exercise I often recommend to people – one I've probably covered here before in some capacity – is analyzing your current behaviors to see where they will end up. Predict the Future via the Present Here's a very basic example to get my point across: brushing your teeth. On a day-to-day level, it's a two-minute ritual that almost feels like second nature. You don't notice any real change after doing it (other than losing that fuzzy feeling!) Over time, though, this is the ritual that will maintain your healthy smile and save you from rotting teeth down the line. Now, let's take that one behavior and extrapolate it into the future – what will happen if you stop? What if you brush once a week? Such a small two-minute window in your day suddenly makes an enormous difference to your future comfort. You can elevate this example to other habits with weighty outcomes: Having a daily five-minute walk before starting work Calling close friends and family members once a week Seeking out networking and professional experience opportunities Reading books that push your boundaries and challenge your beliefs Engaging in self-care practices, like meditation or exercise If you can see the long-term benefit of these behaviors, it's much easier to connect your present self with (at least, it has been in my own experience). Start by listing your small habits – good or bad – then journal about the outcome they'll bring about in the future. your future self Moving Forward The EOHI can be a real obstacle to and professional success. personal growth It's not enough to accept change; we must actively embrace it in order to grow as humans and professionals. With the right mindset, we can open up new doors of opportunity that were previously closed off. The advice I've given here isn't revolutionary – but hopefully, it will help you see your future in a different light. By making small changes today, you're paving the way for better opportunities tomorrow. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, I’d love to hear from you. Write me at or at me , and I’ll do my best to get back to everyone! scott@scottdclary.com tweet @ScottDClary Also published . here

It's Time to Break Free From the End of History Illusion

ইতিহাসের বিভ্রম থেকে মুক্তির সময় এসেছে

Es ist Zeit, sich von der Illusion vom Ende der Geschichte zu befreien

Es hora de liberarse de la ilusión del fin de la historia

Il est temps de se libérer de l'illusion de la fin de l'histoire

यह इतिहास के भ्रम के अंत से मुक्त होने का समय है

歴史の終わりの幻想から抜け出す時が来た

이제 역사의 종말 환상에서 벗어날 때다

É hora de se libertar da ilusão do fim da história

Tarihin Sonu İllüzyonundan Kurtulmanın Zamanı Geldi

Đã đến lúc thoát khỏi ảo tưởng về sự kết thúc của lịch sử

是时候摆脱历史终结的幻想了

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