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On Dextaxation

Intro How often have you heard that the golden era for VC startups is coming to an end? More and more voices, from Steve Blank to VC investors and accelerator representatives, are emphasizing that startup founders need to show financial performance rather than simply relying on groundbreaking ideas and technological innovations. As a result, founders are faced with a crucial question: do they have the skills to model and utilize unit economics? To gain a deeper understanding of this framework, I had a conversation with Daniil Khanin, a Barcelona (Spain) - based entrepreneur known as the guru of Unit Economics and the Data-Driven Decisions approach. Daniil is the founder and CEO of the startup ueCalc and the author of the book "Unit Economics: Data-Driven Decisions for Business and Startups" featuring a foreword by Ash Maurya, bestselling author of "Running Lean" and "Scaling Lean". Over the years, we've collaborated with startups through The Internet Initiatives Development Fund accelerator, and as part of my special project, "Behind the Startup: Conversations with Founders & VC Visionaries", I extended an invitation to Daniil to participate in an interview. Unit economics offers a rapid and accessible means to answer critical questions about the effectiveness of a chosen business model, the required investment for a startup and its duration, the projected depletion of funds, and the prioritization of business processes. Q&A Victor Markov: "Let's begin with the most common question: what is unit economics, and why is it so crucial?" Daniil Khanin: "Unit economics serves as a universal framework that integrates the financial aspects of a business with the product competencies of the team driving that business. In the early stages of its journey, an innovative startup operates in a realm of complete uncertainty. It's unclear who the customer is, what their true needs are, how much time it will take to develop a sought-after product, and the associated costs for the team. Nonetheless, decisions regarding product creation must be made. While various frameworks exist for this purpose, such as Lean Canvas developed by Ash Maurya, unit economics stands out as a tool for evaluating finances at the outset. Additionally, this tool aids in identifying growth opportunities within an already expanding startup." Victor Markov: "What makes unit economics so indispensable?" Daniil Khanin: "The significance of unit economics lies in its ability to conserve the scarce resources of a startup. It guides startups in correctly allocating resources over time, directing them toward the most crucial processes. Furthermore, it can lead to the unpopular decision of not launching a startup at all if it lacks economic viability. While this may seem counterintuitive - who can predict the future? - unit economics is not solely about forecasting; it's about assessing the team's readiness to shape that future." Victor Markov: "I recall numerous instances where teams opted to abandon their business models and shut down their startups after analyzing their financial models and unit economics. Can you share your experiences working with such teams?" Daniil Khanin: "While I can't disclose specific details due to confidentiality, I can provide a general overview. It began when a team set out to develop IT solutions for large public facilities like stadiums and major shopping centers. The team harbored expectations regarding the project's profitability. However, upon assembling their financial model, they were dismayed by the dismal financial outlook. It became evident that the projected returns were insufficient to justify pursuing the venture. At this juncture, conventional wisdom might dictate tweaking the model parameters to yield favorable outcomes. However, with a unit economics-based model, altering several key parameters implies adjusting corresponding aspects of the business model, each overseen by a team member. This realization prompted the team to acknowledge their lack of requisite competencies to enter the market and navigate subsequent business development." Victor Markov: "Why were the teams unable to recognize this themselves?" Daniil Khanin: "Often, our unwavering belief in an idea blinds us to rational and critical evaluation. No set criteria can circumvent this tendency. I've made similar mistakes countless times. The beauty of unit economics lies in its transparency. By constructing a financial model based on unit economics, you control a limited set of parameters, each directly linked to your team and its expertise. You can deceive yourself all you want, but the numbers lay bare any underlying issues, illuminating the true cost involved." Victor Markov: "To what extent does this approach align with traditional methods? Financial modeling has been a staple of business schools and online courses for quite some time." Daniil Khanin: "This is a pivotal question. Formally, a financial model crafted using my templates mirrors one crafted by seasoned financiers. However, the challenge lies in finding someone within a startup capable of creating such a document and adeptly managing all the parameters therein. My approach represents a fundamental shift - a new philosophy of document creation. I encapsulate it as 'being accountable only for what you can control.'" Victor Markov: "Intriguing. Can you go into more detail about this philosophy?" Daniil Khanin: "It all circles back to unit economics. As unit economics intertwines business processes with financial metrics, it facilitates the construction of financial documents like profit and loss statements, cash flows, and balance sheets. However, the model's author only manages a select set of metrics comprising the unit economics model. Thus, to achieve specified targets - say, EBITDA or Revenue - the model's author adjusts unit economics metrics, which, in turn, directly influence business processes. Whether the team possesses the means to impact these processes becomes readily apparent. Most importantly, this approach is easily verifiable. If a team claims a 15% conversion rate significantly higher than the market average, they must elucidate their strategy for achieving this feat. Do they possess relevant experience or a concrete plan? If not, surpassing the market average seems improbable." Victor Markov: "It seems like a win-win situation, benefiting both startup founders and potential investors. You recently published a book on this topic. Could you give more details about it?" Daniil Khanin: "Certainly. While advocating for unit economics, I fielded inquiries about further reading on the subject. Surprisingly, I couldn't identify any books despite accumulating a wealth of material. Consequently, I compiled a book elucidating the approach, philosophy, and underscoring how competencies influence business's financial performance. Essentially, I distilled my decade-long experience with unit economics, examining myriad examples of its application in addressing various business inquiries - from identifying growth opportunities to crafting financial models." Victor Markov: "Okay, while startups leverage unit economics for modeling, those at later funding stages with impressive revenue figures also employ this framework for decision-making. How is this approach utilized in such scenarios?" Daniil Khanin: "Indeed, unit economics alone proves insufficient. While it offers insight into the current state of a business, informed decision-making requires identifying processes ripe for improvement, thereby enhancing business performance while minimizing resource expenditure. This task isn't straightforward, but it represents the essence of business focus. By pinpointing the process that currently offers the most potential for growth, you can achieve substantial growth with minimal resource outlay - a critical consideration for resource-constrained startups." Victor Markov: "That sounds intriguing. Can you shed light on how startups can identify these growth opportunities? What tools or solutions are required?" Daniil Khanin: "You can start with just a napkin and pen, but effective tools are indispensable. While you can construct a model using any spreadsheet editor or even pen and paper, pinpointing growth opportunities and crafting financial models is no easy feat. It all boils down to cohorts - the bedrock of unit economics data. Managing and analyzing cohorts isn't straightforward, even with Excel. Hence, I developed ueCalc. It streamlines the creation of unit economics models for most business models and facilitates the rapid construction of corresponding financial models. The service handles the heavy lifting, requiring the team merely to delineate their fundamental capabilities in influencing their model's unit economics metrics. Even though creating a high-quality model necessitates some adjustments and a serious commitment, the process remains far more streamlined and expedited than Excel-based modeling." Outro Cohort analysis in unit economics presents a multifaceted challenge deserving of a dedicated article. In this interview, Daniil Khanin touched upon critical issues in today's world and the state of the venture capital market, such as profitability, resource conservation, and decision-making based on data-driven decisions. While implementing the framework requires time, the return on investment is swift. Crucially, all the necessary elements are present: market demand, accessible solutions, and a plethora of articles, books, and resources. Such models yield benefits not only for startups and investors but also for the market at large. Intro How often have you heard that the golden era for VC startups is coming to an end? More and more voices, from Steve Blank to VC investors and accelerator representatives, are emphasizing that startup founders need to show financial performance rather than simply relying on groundbreaking ideas and technological innovations. As a result, founders are faced with a crucial question: do they have the skills to model and utilize unit economics? Steve Blank To gain a deeper understanding of this framework, I had a conversation with Daniil Khanin , a Barcelona (Spain) - based entrepreneur known as the guru of Unit Economics and the Data-Driven Decisions approach. Daniil is the founder and CEO of the startup ueCalc and the author of the book "Unit Economics: Data-Driven Decisions for Business and Startups" featuring a foreword by Ash Maurya , bestselling author of "Running Lean" and "Scaling Lean". Daniil Khanin Barcelona (Spain) ueCalc "Unit Economics: Data-Driven Decisions for Business and Startups" Ash Maurya Over the years, we've collaborated with startups through The Internet Initiatives Development Fund accelerator , and as part of my special project, "Behind the Startup: Conversations with Founders & VC Visionaries" , I extended an invitation to Daniil to participate in an interview. The Internet Initiatives Development Fund accelerator "Behind the Startup: Conversations with Founders & VC Visionaries" Unit economics offers a rapid and accessible means to answer critical questions about the effectiveness of a chosen business model, the required investment for a startup and its duration, the projected depletion of funds, and the prioritization of business processes. Q&A Victor Markov: "Let's begin with the most common question: what is unit economics, and why is it so crucial?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "Unit economics serves as a universal framework that integrates the financial aspects of a business with the product competencies of the team driving that business. In the early stages of its journey, an innovative startup operates in a realm of complete uncertainty. It's unclear who the customer is, what their true needs are, how much time it will take to develop a sought-after product, and the associated costs for the team. Nonetheless, decisions regarding product creation must be made. While various frameworks exist for this purpose, such as Lean Canvas developed by Ash Maurya , unit economics stands out as a tool for evaluating finances at the outset. Additionally, this tool aids in identifying growth opportunities within an already expanding startup." Daniil Khanin: Ash Maurya Victor Markov: "What makes unit economics so indispensable?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "The significance of unit economics lies in its ability to conserve the scarce resources of a startup. It guides startups in correctly allocating resources over time, directing them toward the most crucial processes. Furthermore, it can lead to the unpopular decision of not launching a startup at all if it lacks economic viability. While this may seem counterintuitive - who can predict the future? - unit economics is not solely about forecasting; it's about assessing the team's readiness to shape that future." Daniil Khanin: Victor Markov: "I recall numerous instances where teams opted to abandon their business models and shut down their startups after analyzing their financial models and unit economics. Can you share your experiences working with such teams?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "While I can't disclose specific details due to confidentiality, I can provide a general overview. It began when a team set out to develop IT solutions for large public facilities like stadiums and major shopping centers. The team harbored expectations regarding the project's profitability. However, upon assembling their financial model, they were dismayed by the dismal financial outlook. It became evident that the projected returns were insufficient to justify pursuing the venture. Daniil Khanin: At this juncture, conventional wisdom might dictate tweaking the model parameters to yield favorable outcomes. However, with a unit economics-based model, altering several key parameters implies adjusting corresponding aspects of the business model, each overseen by a team member. This realization prompted the team to acknowledge their lack of requisite competencies to enter the market and navigate subsequent business development." Victor Markov: "Why were the teams unable to recognize this themselves?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "Often, our unwavering belief in an idea blinds us to rational and critical evaluation. No set criteria can circumvent this tendency. I've made similar mistakes countless times. The beauty of unit economics lies in its transparency. By constructing a financial model based on unit economics, you control a limited set of parameters, each directly linked to your team and its expertise. You can deceive yourself all you want, but the numbers lay bare any underlying issues, illuminating the true cost involved." Daniil Khanin: Victor Markov: "To what extent does this approach align with traditional methods? Financial modeling has been a staple of business schools and online courses for quite some time." Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "This is a pivotal question. Formally, a financial model crafted using my templates mirrors one crafted by seasoned financiers. However, the challenge lies in finding someone within a startup capable of creating such a document and adeptly managing all the parameters therein. My approach represents a fundamental shift - a new philosophy of document creation. I encapsulate it as 'being accountable only for what you can control.'" Daniil Khanin: Victor Markov: "Intriguing. Can you go into more detail about this philosophy?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "It all circles back to unit economics. As unit economics intertwines business processes with financial metrics, it facilitates the construction of financial documents like profit and loss statements, cash flows, and balance sheets. However, the model's author only manages a select set of metrics comprising the unit economics model. Thus, to achieve specified targets - say, EBITDA or Revenue - the model's author adjusts unit economics metrics, which, in turn, directly influence business processes. Daniil Khanin: Whether the team possesses the means to impact these processes becomes readily apparent. Most importantly, this approach is easily verifiable. If a team claims a 15% conversion rate significantly higher than the market average, they must elucidate their strategy for achieving this feat. Do they possess relevant experience or a concrete plan? If not, surpassing the market average seems improbable." Victor Markov: "It seems like a win-win situation, benefiting both startup founders and potential investors. You recently published a book on this topic. Could you give more details about it?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "Certainly. While advocating for unit economics, I fielded inquiries about further reading on the subject. Surprisingly, I couldn't identify any books despite accumulating a wealth of material. Consequently, I compiled a book elucidating the approach, philosophy, and underscoring how competencies influence business's financial performance. Essentially, I distilled my decade-long experience with unit economics, examining myriad examples of its application in addressing various business inquiries - from identifying growth opportunities to crafting financial models." Daniil Khanin: Victor Markov: "Okay, while startups leverage unit economics for modeling, those at later funding stages with impressive revenue figures also employ this framework for decision-making. How is this approach utilized in such scenarios?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "Indeed, unit economics alone proves insufficient. While it offers insight into the current state of a business, informed decision-making requires identifying processes ripe for improvement, thereby enhancing business performance while minimizing resource expenditure. This task isn't straightforward, but it represents the essence of business focus. By pinpointing the process that currently offers the most potential for growth, you can achieve substantial growth with minimal resource outlay - a critical consideration for resource-constrained startups." Daniil Khanin: Victor Markov: "That sounds intriguing. Can you shed light on how startups can identify these growth opportunities? What tools or solutions are required?" Victor Markov: Daniil Khanin: "You can start with just a napkin and pen, but effective tools are indispensable. While you can construct a model using any spreadsheet editor or even pen and paper, pinpointing growth opportunities and crafting financial models is no easy feat. It all boils down to cohorts - the bedrock of unit economics data. Managing and analyzing cohorts isn't straightforward, even with Excel. Daniil Khanin: Hence, I developed ueCalc . It streamlines the creation of unit economics models for most business models and facilitates the rapid construction of corresponding financial models. The service handles the heavy lifting, requiring the team merely to delineate their fundamental capabilities in influencing their model's unit economics metrics. Even though creating a high-quality model necessitates some adjustments and a serious commitment, the process remains far more streamlined and expedited than Excel-based modeling." ueCalc Outro Outro Cohort analysis in unit economics presents a multifaceted challenge deserving of a dedicated article. In this interview, Daniil Khanin touched upon critical issues in today's world and the state of the venture capital market, such as profitability, resource conservation, and decision-making based on data-driven decisions. Daniil Khanin While implementing the framework requires time, the return on investment is swift. Crucially, all the necessary elements are present: market demand, accessible solutions, and a plethora of articles, books, and resources. Such models yield benefits not only for startups and investors but also for the market at large.

Interview With UeCalc Founder Daniil Khanin: Unlocking the Power of Unit Economics for Startups 

UeCalc প্রতিষ্ঠাতা ড্যানিল খানিনের সাথে সাক্ষাৎকার: স্টার্টআপের জন্য ইউনিট ইকোনমিক্সের পাওয়ার আনলক করা

Interview mit UeCalc-Gründer Daniil Khanin: Die Kraft der Stückkostenrechnung für Startups freisetzen

Entrevista con el fundador de UeCalc, Daniil Khanin: Liberando el poder de la economía unitaria para las empresas emergentes

Entretien avec le fondateur de l'UeCalc, Daniil Khanin : Libérer la puissance de l'économie unitaire pour les startups

यूईकैल्क के संस्थापक डेनियल खानिन के साथ साक्षात्कार: स्टार्टअप्स के लिए यूनिट इकोनॉमिक्स की शक्ति को अनलॉक करना

UeCalc 創設者 Daniil Khanin 氏へのインタビュー: スタートアップ企業のためのユニット エコノミクスの力を引き出す

UeCalc 창립자 Daniil Khanin과의 인터뷰: 스타트업을 위한 단위 경제학의 힘 활용

Entrevista com o fundador da UeCalc, Daniil Khanin: Desbloqueando o poder da economia unitária para startups

Интервью с основателем UeCalc Даниилом Ханиным: раскрываем возможности Unit Economics для стартапов

UeCalc Kurucusu Daniil Khanin ile Röportaj: Yeni Başlayanlar için Birim Ekonomisinin Gücünün Kilidini Açmak

Phỏng vấn Người sáng lập UeCalc, Daniil Khanin: Khai phá sức mạnh của Kinh tế học Đơn vị cho các công ty khởi nghiệp

专访 UeCalc 创始人 Daniil Khanin：为初创企业释放单位经济学的力量

280 Stories To Learn About Future Of Ai

Recently, I showed someone a demo of a piece of AI-based software that I wrote. “That’s nice,” he said, “but how do I know it’s not forwarding my information to an evil dictator?” In the moment, I was quite puzzled by this question. After all, I was just using an LLM (Large Language Model) to generate some text. But on reflection, I realized that what this person had asked represents a common perspective: An LLM can generate text that is (in many cases) indistinguishable from the text a human would generate. That leads us to infer that perhaps an LLM has a degree of agency (that is, the ability to act freely in the world). It may decide, for example, to send my private information to someone else. While one way to combat this misconception may be to give a nuanced technical explanation of how generative AI works, I’m not sure most listeners would bother to stay awake long enough to understand. My background in philosophy, though, suggests another route: A philosophical thought experiment. Allow me to introduce the Dark Box. Philosophical Thought Experiments A philosophical thought experiment is one common tool that philosophers use to raise critical questions about our reasoning. In the 1700s, asked whether he was perhaps not really a person in the world but a disembodied soul tortured by an evil deceiver (an idea that later became the premise for The Matrix movies). Descartes’ thought experiment was designed to help us ask what we actually know about the world. There is a litany of other examples. The focuses attention on our moral intuitions. The challenge us to ask how we get from belief to knowledge. The forces us to challenge how we distinguish groups and individuals. René Descartes Trolley Car Problem Gettier Examples Sorites Problem In all of these cases, the experiments ask us to step into a situation, however improbable, and imagine how we would reason. Perhaps constructing this kind of thought experiment can help us separate fact from fiction in this brave new Generative AI world. A Quick Disclaimer: It’s About Imagining Possibilities This may seem obvious to some, but when teaching philosophy, I often encountered this question from students: “But why would anyone do or believe this?” In the trolley problem, why would people stand around on a train track? What evidence did Descartes have for a deceptive, malevolent being? Why would anyone count the grains of sand in a pile? Questions like this misinterpret the purpose of a thought experiment. A philosophical thought experiment is not intended to describe a real or likely situation. Rather, it is designed to get you to start with a “what if?” as a way of approaching an otherwise difficult subject. This requires the individual to accept the preconditions of the experiment. As in the Trolley Car Problem: Yes, random people are standing on train tracks, and no amount of shouting will make them move. With that in mind, let’s create our own improbable but conceivable thought experiment. The Dark Box Imagine you have spent your entire life inside of a sensory deprivation tank. We’ll call it the Dark Box since it causes all of your sense perceptions to “go dark.” This contraption manages to mute all of your ability to sense the world around you. Floating freely at neutral body weight, you’ve never experienced smells, sights, sounds, tastes, or touch. But you haven’t been bored. A cleverly devised neuro-link makes a vast library of text readily accessible to you directly in your mind. Over the years, you have whiled away minutes and hours reading everything from Jane Austen to Pythagoras, from the Oxford English Dictionary to a peculiar collection of Reddit comments from several years ago, from the legal proceedings of court cases tried a hundred years ago to the song lyrics of the one-hit wonders of the 1980s. And because of the neuro-link, you can scan and recall all of this information nearly instantly. You have read countless descriptions of birds: the aesthetics of birdsong, the beauty of their plumage, and the way they soar through the air…. Yet you have never seen or heard a real bird. For that matter, you’ve never seen any color or heard any song. You know the words to describe something, but you do not have any experience of the thing being described. After many years in this state, one day, you suddenly become aware of a new feature of the Dark Box. A question (in the form of a message) is asked on the neuro-link, and you have the ability to generate a response. Given the information you have learned, you respond to the message to the best of your abilities. Another message appears, then another. Sometimes, there are longer message requests with more complex instructions. You find this new form of interaction stimulating and thus willingly oblige. But once more, this experience is not accompanied by any sensory experience—no sound, no colors, no taste or scent. You merely take the text message you receive and compose a response message in return. Describe a Bird One day, a message arrives over the neuro-link: Describe a bird. Well, that’s a vague request. You recall the phoenix in the vast tomes of knowledge you have scanned. It was a bird. And as you understand it, it frequently caught on fire. There was also a stork that, if you recall the story correctly, carried human babies to eager parents. And the ostrich, which had long legs and did not fly. And so, it seems perfectly reasonable for you to reply: A bird can explode in flame, and be born from ash. Birds are used to deliver newborn humans. Some Birds have long legs and do not fly. You return this message over the mysterious new neuro-link. Moments pass. And you receive the following message: Limit your response to real birds. Exclude mythological or fictional birds. Prefer answers that are generic across many bird species and not just one or two. The concept of “real” is hard to distinguish from “mythological” and “fictional.” After all, you have no actual experience of birds. All birds are, to you, nothing more than textual descriptions. The distinction between real, mythological, and fictional must be determined by finding which bird descriptions are in texts that refer to real things instead of those that refer to fictional things. Of course, there are always going to be ambiguous cases. In the vast body of text available to you are sentences such as, “A phoenix is as large as an osprey.” This compares a mythological creature with a real one. However, treating the phoenix as real or the osprey as mythological would be a mistake. You do your best to hunt through texts that seem to describe only what the prompt called “real.” Then, you move on to the second part. “Generic across bird species” would require you to find a generic description of birds, and you may alight on texts like encyclopedias. Your second response is this: A bird is a winged creature whose body is covered by feathers. Most birds fly, chirp, and sing. Taking a Step Back Now, we’re outside of our thought experiment. Two things percolate out of our Dark Box experiment. Having lived your life inside of the sensory-depriving Dark Box, connected only via the neuro-link: You have no external experience or agency. To answer questions, the best you can do is analyze and generate text. Let’s take a look at each of these points in turn. Without Experience or Agency In the experiment, you had a decided lack of external experience and almost no external agency. You were limited to textual input, prompts, and a single output channel. Contrast that with our real experience. As humans (not existing in sensory deprivation chambers), we have rich external experiences. We receive information via our senses. And we construct additional sources of meaning on top of those. For example, I receive sound information. Out of that, I perceive some of that as speech and other parts of that as music and identify some as just noise. But in the sensory deprivation chamber, you received none of that. But it’s not just what we receive as input. It’s what we can generate as output. means your ability to directly cause something to happen. would be your ability to cause something to happen outside of the Dark Box. In the thought experiment, you had no external agency. At best, you could indirectly influence whomever was sending the prompt. (For example, in response to a query about how to construct a weapon, you would suggest that you were not prepared to provide such information.) Agency External agency Combining these two, in the thought experiment, you lacked the means of ascertaining much about the external world at all. Other than what was sent over the link, you knew nothing about the agent querying you. It may have been a human or computer or some other entity. You certainly could not email an evil dictator or steal nuclear launch codes or any of the other fanciful AI horror stories we hear. But also, you have yet to learn why you were being prompted. The user at the other end could have merely been curious about birds, or this could have been part of an attempt to hack a sophisticated avian-themed security mechanism to steal nuclear launch codes. In that way, you would be ill-equipped to make moral judgments about whether to provide the information asked for. Answering Text by Analyzing Text The other thing that becomes apparent in this thought experiment is the constraint of a purely textual system. You initially received a text message, and you are trained on that text. Even with the text of all the world’s libraries, this is not a substitute for other forms of experience like sight, touch, and taste. When prompted by a message over the neuro-link, the best you can do is construct a response based on what you have read in the past. Talking about birds and mythology and delivering newborn humans is accomplished merely by looking at whatever texts refer to these same words. The philosopher conceptualized these kinds of relationships as webs of belief, in the sense that any given proposition is just a node linked by any number of vectors connecting to other nodes. Ascertaining the meaning of the prompt is mainly a matter of traversing a complex web of related terms. W.V.O. Quine Third, when you answer the query in this thought experiment, your output is also limited to text. You’ve never had prolonged communication with an active agent. That is, you’ve never had a conversation. So, even your responses are limited to analyzing the patterns you see in the texts you have been trained on. And One More Step Back Finally, it is good to wrap up with an acknowledgment of the limits of any thought experiment like this. The goal of a philosophical thought experiment is to give us tools to quickly reason about the limits of a system. Returning to an earlier example in this article, Descartes used his famous evil deceiver thought experiment not because he believed there really was some malevolent super-being distorting his view of the world but to question how equipped we are in determining truths about the world around us. Likewise, the thought experiment here is a tool to ask what sorts of things we can reasonably expect out of an LLM, but also what things we can simply not worry about. The danger of a thought experiment like this is that we might overly anthropomorphize the LLM based on our putting ourselves into the same task completion structure. I titled this article “What is it like to be an LLM?” as a nod to a famous essay by philosopher Thomas Nagel. In “ ” Nagel is making a broader argument about consciousness (definitely something of interest in AI). But along the way, he points out that even while we might be creative enough to put ourselves “in the mind of a bat,” that is not the same as experiencing the world as a bat does. What Is It Like to be a Bat? Likewise, in our thought experiment, we must not confuse playing the role of an LLM with understanding how an LLM works or (more dangerously) ascribing consciousness, agency, intent, or moral reasoning to an LLM. Conclusion Using a little thought experiment, we can understand at a high level what an LLM is capable of doing and also what its limitations are. I hope this helps quell some folks’ fears about LLMs doing dastardly things. Equally, I hope it helps you understand LLMs’ interesting and exciting possibilities. Much of this was written based on my own chats with people about AI inferencing and how to . If you’d like to try that, for getting started. execute inferencing on LLMs with no extra setup there’s a tutorial Also published . here

What Is It Like To Be An LLM?: A Thought Experiment on the Limits of AI Understanding

এলএলএম হতে কেমন লাগে?: এআই বোঝার সীমার উপর একটি চিন্তা পরীক্ষা

Wie ist es, ein LLM zu sein?: Ein Gedankenexperiment über die Grenzen des KI-Verständnisses

¿Cómo es ser un LLM?: Un experimento mental sobre los límites de la comprensión de la IA

Qu'est-ce que ça fait d'être un LLM ? : Une expérience de réflexion sur les limites de la compréhension de l'IA

एलएलएम बनना कैसा है?: एआई समझ की सीमाओं पर एक विचार प्रयोग

LLM になるのはどのような感じですか?: AI 理解の限界に関する思考実験

LLM이 된다는 것은 어떤가요?: AI 이해의 한계에 대한 사고 실험

Como é ser um LLM?: Um experimento mental sobre os limites da compreensão da IA

Каково быть дипломированным специалистом?: мысленный эксперимент о границах понимания искусственного интеллекта

Yüksek Lisans Olmak Nasıl Bir Şey?: Yapay Zeka Anlayışının Sınırları Üzerine Bir Düşünce Deneyi

Trở thành một LLM như thế nào?: Một thử nghiệm tư duy về giới hạn của sự hiểu biết về AI

成为一名法学硕士是怎样的体验？：关于人工智能理解极限的思想实验

461 Stories To Learn About Slogging

Trust is a universal concept that applies to both the Web3 industry and business in general. Nowadays, consumers highly value their time and are unlikely to spend it extensively verifying a project's reliability. Reliability, in turn, stands as the cornerstone of a Web3 business. Without community trust or social proof, the project's success is improbable. This is where Web3 marketing plays a crucial role, aiding in establishing the proper connection with your audience. The Initial Question to Consider is: What Value Does My project Offer to the Crypto Community? How will your Web3 project enhance users' lives? Does it address specific problems? For instance, a token on the Ethereum blockchain can represent a wide array of things, including lottery tickets, online platform reputation points, in-game character skills, financial assets, and much more. It's essential to note that in the Web3 industry, fostering a robust community outweighs subscriber numbers. Projects offering groundbreaking solutions or advancements in blockchain and cryptocurrencies naturally draw the community's attention. These might involve novel consensus technologies or advanced smart contract capabilities. Nevertheless, companies that succeed in building a robust community around their project truly stand out. Web3 presents ample opportunities for user-brand interaction through gamification — employing various game mechanics to craft more impactful marketing campaigns. This strategy not only captures consumer attention but also forges deeper connections. For instance, you can offer exclusive NFTs as rewards for specific project milestones. Yet, prioritize the consumer experience. In today's business landscape, prompt customer support is indispensable. Leveraging modern technologies, such as integrating AI assistants and bots on your website, ensures swift and efficient user interaction. Even though Web3 is a relatively new concept with unique characteristics, it necessitates the application of fundamental marketing principles. This includes crafting content that resonates with the target audience, devising a top-tier design, and formulating a robust brand positioning strategy. Web3 Represents the Future, not Only for Startups and Fintech Companies but Also for Traditional Institutions Just envision this: over $225 million in cryptocurrency donations were gathered to aid the Ukrainian population and bolster the state's defense capabilities. Leading countries are actively trialing central bank digital currencies, while crypto exchanges operate within legal frameworks. The standard Web3 marketing narrative often echoes, 'We welcome you to the threshold of a new era.' On the global stage, prominent companies such as payment giant PayPal now allow users in the US to seamlessly store, purchase, and trade cryptocurrencies directly through their accounts. Noteworthy occurrences also encompass Fashion Week, which takes place on the Decentraland platform. Renowned brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, and adidas have actively participated in virtual shows. Crypto adoption index according to Сhainalysis Right now, millennials are the main users of Web3, but just wait until Generation Z fully embraces it. They'll be even more interested in online activities, the metaverse, and crypto. Remember this when planning your marketing strategies. Consider this question: 'How can my project meet the needs of Generation Y-Z?' To understand them better, here are some insights I've gathered: They're unconventional, seeking new meanings and living by their own rules. They spend a significant amount of time online. Building connections and being part of a community are important to them. Their purchasing decisions align with the values of the brand. They value their time. They prefer renting over owning to avoid responsibilities. They're enthusiasts for new technologies. Keep these insights in mind when building a strategy for your Web3 project. Social proof is a must-have within Web3 Do you know what truly defines marketing success? It's when you can mention a brand name without needing to explain the company's services. Think of three businesses from the Web3 industry. When you hear 'crypto exchange,' what's the first thing that comes to mind? Yes, it's marketing. Consider what motivates investors to choose your token. Why do people trust one exchange and overlook others? The answer often lies in the social proof indicator, which shapes customer confidence. Notably, 83% of consumers recommend brands they follow on social media to friends and family, while 95% read online reviews before making a purchase. In the Web3 sphere, social proof sometimes outweighs Bitcoin's proof-of-work. Given the industry's susceptibility to fraud, consumers actively seek reviews and recommendations before investing in new Web3 projects. Here are a few more factors potential customers should pay attention to: Project founders, their social networks, and reputation. Community presence and activity. Social media presence, especially on platforms like Discord and X. Partnerships with reputable companies, influencers, and organizations. The good news is you don't have to navigate all the complexities of Web3 marketing alone. Join us on our Generis spaceship, and let's shoot for the moon together!

Social Proof Is the Cornerstone of Success in Web3 Marketing: Insights and Lifehacks

Over a month since its launch, some say that the Humane AI Pin may just be the beginning of the world's transition to an era of less screen time. The sail off of this $699 wearable technology could grant users a self-sufficient life where advanced AI technology is integrated into their daily lives with every piece of information available on the device with no screen attached to the lapel of their wears. According to Humane, the production company of AI Pin, this wearable tech is an embodiment of their vision to "integrate AI into our everyday living while enhancing our abilities in the world without overshadowing our humanity". You can say that they aim to present a whole new way for humans to communicate and interact with the world intricately and at all levels without the need for so many screens. Is that possible? Many have termed it "a potential smartphone killer". But if you ask me, I see it nowhere being near the truth. Let's see for ourselves what the prospects of AI Pin are. What is AI Pin? AI Pin is the brainchild of two very talented Apple ex-employees, Imran Chaudhri (hardware designer) and his wife, Bethany Bongiorno (software engineer) aimed at liberating humanity from smartphone addiction. The AI Pin is a small, lightweight, and screenless wearable device that combines AI technology, sensors, and a projector and is designed to provide users with a variety of functionalities that are both natural and intuitive when the device is interacted with. The AI Pin has the functions of a smartphone but as opposed to smartphones, it has no home screen or digital interface that can be looked at. It is like a tech pixie – a tiny powerhouse that marries artificial intelligence with the unassuming charm of a pin and strips away all the interface cruft from the fabric of your daily life. Thoughts are flying – without a screen, how do you operate the AI Pin? A touch on the device powers it on and it switches on at the sound of your voice or your hand gestures. You can talk and say what you want to know or do, and the device will act in response to your demands automatically. AI has grown more efficiently over the years, undergoing a metamorphosis from simple text commands to chatbots, to oral interactions. We've seen AI personas like Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft's Bing, play personal assistant roles to users. However, Humane makes its AI Pin an AI that you can carry anywhere effortlessly and with all convenience while giving you a more personalized interaction and experience. How Does AI Pin Work? In a , co-founders, Chaudry and Bongiorno detailed the full capabilities and technologies of the AI Pin. 10-minute video The gadget is a technology basically for talking not typing. Hence, it makes use of language models and not applications. Ending an era of apps, Humane's operating system, the cosmOS, runs a cloud-based AI-powered inventory called 'AI Bus" that understands what you need, picks the right response/data, and calls up the AIs and tools you need at the moment, so you no longer have to search for, download, or manage apps. Its unique features include: A Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (Snapdragon processor with a dedicated Qualcomm AI engine), is crucial for AI technology because it is super fast and ensures optimum performance. An in-built network connectivity built right into Humane's network and connected by T Mobile. Every owner of the pin gets a special phone number. A wireless connectivity that enables users to integrate, control, and interact with various smart devices, and access online services. An ultra-wide RGB camera that scans objects and images immediately for necessary data and takes gorgeous pictures and video just by a double tap on the device. Depth and motion sensors are super smart and fast in tracking and recording your surroundings or detecting your hand gestures and interpreting them. A trust light indicator built directly into the Atkins hardware via a dedicated privacy chip and it indicates when the input optical or audio sensors are active, which ensures full transparency and data security. A laser ink projector that displays a visual interface of the AI Pin on the palm of your hand. A beacon light that notifies you when there is something new for you, like messages, services, etc. A special speaker that creates a 'personic' sphere bubble of sound that can be reduced or increased. A perpetual power system that consists of two pieces – battery boosters and a battery charger which helps in achieving all-day battery life. The AI is powered by GPT-4 and uses natural language processing to listen to, understand, and interpret user interactions. By interacting with the device either by a voice, gesture, or touch command, the AI can assist in tasks such as: Managing schedules, arranging meetings, answering queries, providing recommendations, summarizing important or daily messages, etc. Monitor health and fitness metrics, including heart rate, sleep quality, step count, daily calorie counting, etc. Find out information about events like the next lunar eclipse, map directions, songs to play, restaurants to visit according to your preferences, etc. Carry out transactions. Pay bills, buy items, order for products/meals, etc. Live translations of languages. The AI acts as an interpreter in a bi-lingual conversation, interpreting the receiver's language to you in your language and interpreting your language to the receiver in his/her language in your intonation. and many more. A Review of the AI Pin The wearable device sounds like such a thrill device, that anyone would rush to get one to try it out. I am very much intrigued myself. But is this acclaimed "do everything" AI gizmo truly capable of living up to its expectations? Let’s start by analyzing the design and features in respect to other devices. AI pin is a small thin, sleek, and lightweight hardware with a smooth glass surface, easily pinned to your lapel; the device is very comfortable for your daily activities and almost forgettable. Much more convenient to use than your smartphone in your hands, your wristwatch strapped to your hands, your AirPods stuck in your ears, or the Ray-Ban Glasses on your face. If this wearable device can replace the mentioned devices especially smartphones, then it is an easy sell; but this is improbable as these devices have uniquely positioned themselves in the lives of their users, such that, it  will take the AI pins some more years to play catch up in order to convince users that it is a better alternative. totally But Eras do come to an end, don’t they?? The laser ink display that projects some details like battery life, temperature, music, location, time (and so much more we are yet to find out) on the palms, which can be operated with simple hand and finger gestures, is quite an impressive feature for a wearable device with no screen. The perpetual power system with 2 extra hot swapping batteries (or battery boosters) for longer battery life that could last weeks without charge, may just be able to score some extra points if I do not have to swap the boosters during my day's routine. But sadly, it seems not as Chaudry, in the promotional video, opined: "...and this is how we achieve all-day battery life". Can someone tell me why exactly a device so small would exhaust 3 batteries in approximately 24 hours? That certainly does not give a lot of confidence in the device and has to be improved on. The privacy feature dares to be exceptional; it has no 'wake words' that ensure that the AI is not always listening or recording everything about your life (to cause an AI apocalypse/takeover in the future. lol). It only comes on and is active at its user engagement or voice. In addition, the prominent Trust Light indicates that the sensors are active and could be recording so you can keep whatever you have to keep private. If this is compromised, the pin shuts down automatically and needs Humane's professional service to get it functioning again. The bad side, you cannot contact Humane's professional services until you visit Humane's Care Centre, which is also the center you need to use to manage the AI Pin. To get in touch with the center, you have to resort to your smartphone or PC. (Haha! Play catch up, buddies! You can't completely get rid of your smartphones.) Where AI is concerned, there is still a tough call as to whether the technology is perfectly intelligent and wholly accurate. Humane's debut of the AI Pin served as a low blow to its 5 years of development as it features inaccuracies due to its AI slip-ups or fabrications. First, our hazy AI tells Chaudry that the best view for the next solar eclipse would be in Australia when in all common sense, the best view for the eclipse, which is the 'Great American Eclipse' would be in no other place than America. A huge slip-up, right? Next, after Chaudry asked how many grams of proteins the handful of almonds he held was, AI replied 15 grams. WRONG! According to dieticians, you have to engulf at least 60 almond nuts to get 15 grams of protein. If we have to depend solely on this AI when using the AI Pin, how sure can we be about the information it provides us? Confidence drops to 50%. This brings me to the price. $699? And a $24 monthly TMobile subscription to have access to unlimited calling, texting, and data connectivity to OpenAI's AI models and Microsoft? May not be outrageous for some technologies, but consider a small wearable device pinned to your lapel with no screen, I call that horrendous! Okay, it would be a fair price if it could auspiciously take the place of smartphones in our day-to-day lives by at least 70% and didn't have so many faults. This is its first entry into the market, which means there should be a lot of feedback and reviews that would lead to a couple of updates and upgrades for future models. Buying a debut device at such a price could only be out of curiosity. Can the AI Pin survive the test of time? Wearable devices like , a life-logging device designed to also sit on the user's lapel and take pictures at 30-second intervals, held on for 4 years until it dissolved. However, it would be demeaning to compare the AI Pin to the discontinued tech as it has more use cases and holds more promise. Narrative Clip The Humane couple and ex-Apple geniuses are confident in the future of the Pin. Bongiorno calls it the "world’s first contextual computer" and believes it will have a mass appeal - A computer Beyond Touch…. Beyond Screens Amidst all the criticisms, I must acknowledge that this is a first-of-its-kind gizmo – a screenless, seamless, and sensing AI-powered voice-controlled gadget that does not require connectivity to another smart device to operate. The advent of smartphone technology reduced our dependency on desktop and laptop computers. Likewise, the arrival of the AI Pin technology can greatly reduce our screen time by cutting down our  clinginess to smartphones. No one can tell the future; it is too early to predict as the technology is in its premature state. But just as the first iPhone was released in 2007 and continued to pass through different phases of development to become more sophisticated, the AI Pin is also very capable of this kind of development and growth, especially with the advancement of AI technologies. Are the chances of bigger corporations engulfing Humane and its AI Pin? I can't say for sure. But unapologetically, Humane has the backing and is heavily funded to a ton of  $200 million by A-list companies pushing technology around the globe. Some of these companies include OpenAI, Microsoft, Qualcomm Technologies, TIDAL, T-Mobile, Salesforce, and others. Competitors are sniffing at this technology and taking wild guesses regarding its future – Google, Meta, etc. However, Humane's greatest competitor could be…(your guess is as good as mine), Apple Inc. Apple's fascination with AI makes them a force to reckon with. They are known to have a radical approach that dominates the market and keeps them at the top as a tech giant.  They also play a smart game of acquisitions or competitions. If they can't acquire, they release a strong contender into the market. A pin that has the potential to overshadow the smartphone in our daily lives is not a novel idea that Apple can pass by and ignore. To stay on top of the game, they could watch the pun's prospects in the market and be whipping a checkbook in no time or releasing a more sophisticated version in few years down the line. You can't be too surprised if you hear iPin after a successful acquisition or iClip as a daring competition. (Note: This is solely a prediction from a personal point of view) In all cases, it is not for us to know. Humane could become an unprecedented force leading the technology of AI voice-controlled wearable gadgets and reshaping the way we interact with AI and technology. (P.S: Once Humane becomes a fully registered and public company and releases an upgrade of the AI Pin, I'll be taking up some shares. There is good potential here.) Final Words The world is buzzing with new and newer technologies every day. However, the AI Pin is a pacesetter that proves that it is not another neoteric attempt to make wearable tech a trend but a revolutionary voice-controlled device that will liberate users from the addiction to screens even in a tech-infused world.

Can Humane's AI Pin Survive the Test of Time?

হিউম্যানের এআই পিন কি সময়ের পরীক্ষায় টিকে থাকতে পারে?

Kann der KI-Pin von Humane den Test der Zeit überleben?

¿Puede el pin de IA de Humane sobrevivir la prueba del tiempo?

L'IA Pin de Humane peut-elle survivre à l'épreuve du temps ?

क्या ह्यूमेन का एआई पिन समय की कसौटी पर खरा उतर सकता है?

Humane の AI ピンは時の試練を生き延びることができるでしょうか?

휴메인의 AI 핀은 시간의 시험을 견딜 수 있을까?

O AI Pin da Humane pode sobreviver ao teste do tempo?

Сможет ли ИИ-пин Humane выдержать испытание временем?

Humane'nin AI Pin'i Zaman Testinden Geçebilecek mi?

Pin AI của Humane có thể tồn tại trước thử thách của thời gian không?

Humane 的 AI Pin 能否经受住时间的考验？

Craig Wright And What The Judges  Said About His Claims

ক্রেগ রাইট এবং বিচারকরা তার দাবি সম্পর্কে কি বলেছেন

Craig Wright und was die Richter zu seinen Ansprüchen sagten

Craig Wright y lo que dijeron los jueces sobre sus afirmaciones

Craig Wright et ce que les juges ont dit à propos de ses allégations

क्रेग राइट और न्यायाधीशों ने उनके दावों के बारे में क्या कहा

クレイグ・ライトと彼の主張について裁判官が言ったこと

크레이그 라이트(Craig Wright)와 판사가 그의 주장에 관해 말한 내용

Craig Wright e o que os juízes disseram sobre suas reivindicações

Крейг Райт и что судьи сказали по поводу его претензий

Craig Wright ve Hakimlerin İddiaları Hakkında Ne Söylediği

Craig Wright và những gì các thẩm phán nói về tuyên bố của ông

克雷格·赖特和法官对他的主张的评价

: New DeFi projects can be highly imperfect, harboring risks like potential rugs leading to loss of invested capital. This article reflects my thoughts as a developer and founder on valuable lessons from some good products, not financial advice. By reading on, you acknowledge this.🔒🔒🔒 Risk Disclaimer web3 A week or two ago, we witnessed the rapid rise of #Blast. analyzing the valuable experiences developers, and founders could learn from the project's founding team to better launch and operate their own projects. I even wrote an article This week, I came across another very promising defi project that has followed most of the excellent industry practices I mentioned in that previous article. Most importantly, it's still in a very early stage; it's not too late to research as a developer/founder or participate as a user. This is the new Decentralized Perpetual Exchange on Arbitrum: . EQUATION Due to regulatory uncertainty in the US, most mainstream DeFi projects block US IPs. So, you may need a VPN to switch IPs and access their site if you're in the US. Please abide by local laws. Where EQUATION excels in launch & operation strategies EQUATION 💎💎💎 In of Blast's strategies, I summarized key factors for successful web3 products: my analysis Validate product-market fit by replicating past successes in proven sectors with incremental innovation. Focus incremental innovations on improving poor user experiences in mainstream products. Create mechanisms that greatly enhance these experiences. Align token incentives tightly with these innovative mechanisms to create tremendous user benefits that ensure their success. This is crucial! As most early users are airdrop hunters who will flock in for major benefits. Another area for token incentives is vampire attacks on mainstream products. If we've designed an innovative mechanism targeting the pain points of mainstream products and driven airdrop hunters and early adopters to help realize it through token incentives, we can now siphon existing users through airdrops and retain them. “Strong user interest” + “simplified solution/product” are key to creating killer apps. Besides airdrop hunters, we need to consider mainstream users. Only the and participation can remove their barriers to entry, like UST's Anchor protocol and Blast's deposit ETH/stablecoins for airdrops. most straightforward seemingly low-risk So, Let's examine EQUATION's strategies against this framework: Sector Analysis Firstly, Decentralized Perpetual Exchange is a proven sector. Leaders here have demonstrated product-market fit. Comparing CEXs and DEXes shows DEX penetration is still low, an early-stage sector. from Coingecko shows even top DEX dYdX remains negligible compared to CEX behemoths like Binance futures on metrics like volume. Data However, Decentralized Perpetual Exchanges are a key DeFi infrastructure component. Leaders have achieved remarkable success, fully validating product-market fit. Below are the top chains and protocols by revenue generated over the past year, according to Token Terminal. We can see GMX generated over $130M in revenue during the bear market, while dYdX also made over $80M. With the market gradually recovering and volatility increasing, the sector is poised to explode again. Web3 products hinge on narrative and anticipation. Sector potential sets the imagination ceiling. Incremental Innovation on Mainstream Products The main problems with CEXs are needing to register, KYC, and deposit margins. This creates major friction in unfriendly jurisdictions. DEXs like dYdX, GMX, and EQUATION alleviate some of these issues. Also, LPs only earn trading fees, not protocol revenue. EQUATION's incremental innovation versus dYdX and GMX starts with further reducing Maintenance Margin and greatly increasing Maximum Leverage. The lowest MM is GMX's 1%, while EQUATION went lower to 0.25%. The highest MAX Leverage among DEXes is GMX's 50x. EQUATION goes up to 200x. The high upside is very enticing for perpetual traders seeking high risk-reward. For the problem of LPs having low capital efficiency, EQUATION allows LPs to use leverage. This significantly enhances their capital efficiency. LPs also share trading fees besides earning liquidity rewards, further improving incentives. We can see in its Pools panel that even providing ETH/USDT liquidity can yield over 110% max APR with this design, a compelling innovation. Token Incentives for Airdrop Hunters, KOLs, and Early Users💎💎💎 This is critical for early success, especially for community fair launches without VC backing. EQUATION designed its IDO as a collaborative mining process with incentives for different stakeholders. Its shows the daily EQU emissions are distributed as follows: whitepaper The biggest portion goes to position holders and users of the protocol. With 10,000 EQU minted daily, 40% is 4000 EQU worth about $210,000 at current prices. The second portion goes to LPs providing EQU/ETH liquidity on Uniswap, worth around $110,000 daily. The third portion goes to LPs providing liquidity to the Risk Buffer Fund, worth around $90,000 daily. The fourth portion rewards KOLs helping promote the community (requires holding EFC membership NFTs), also worth around $90,000 daily. The fifth portion rewards EQUATION's own LPs, worth around $35,000 daily. For example, if you provide ETH/USDT liquidity on EQUATION, you already earn 100%+ APR. On top of that, you share part of the $210,000 in daily EQU emissions. The two are complimentary. Importantly, these are all extra rewards provided during the IDO beyond base protocol incentives. EQUATION does decently here. The above pools can be farmed quite risk-free. Airdrop hunters care most about free yields or farming tokens at high expected ROI with minimal capital. For instance, I hold equal long and short positions, neutralizing risk while being unable to profit from them. But if I have $10K each in long and short, my total position is $20K. I can then share part of the $210,000 in daily EQU rewards for my holdings. Incentives for KOLs are covered by the fourth portion above. Areas for Improvement in EQUATION's Strategies🧠🧠🧠 If I were the developer/founder operating such a project, I feel the excellent design could be enhanced further: Simplified products/solutions mean minimizing barriers to entry, including mental hurdles🤖🤖🤖 Options traders are still a small portion of web3 users. Many avoid contracts and options entirely as they are far riskier with a steep learning curve. EQUATION already helps by neutralizing risk through offsetting positions while allowing participation in IDO rewards. This is sufficient for existing options traders but not for most others unused to options. I would deploy a contract allowing one-click deposits. Funds would be split equally into offsetting long and short positions. Leverage would be minimized to prevent liquidations. This provides a "painless" deposit experience similar to savings that equally allows participation in IDO rewards. Such a seamless experience would greatly lower mental hurdles and attract far more users to be protocol airdrop hunters. Tremendous user benefits mean structuring tremendous expected returns💰💰💰 dYdX has a circulating market cap of $560M, while GMX exceeds $500M. EQU's current circulating market cap is just $3M (even FDV is only $18M). This huge difference is because EQUATION is new, but it also shows room to improve expectation management. EQUATION is performing well after launch, as evidenced by metrics. Open interest is critical for a Decentralized Perpetual Exchange. GMX's shows its current total open interest is around $220M. EQUATION has already exceeded $110M and is growing. Despite the valuation gap, EQUATION is reaching parity with top Decentralized Perpetual Exchanges like GMX on key business metrics.📈📈📈 official data Our earlier estimate showed EQUATION provides over $500,000 in daily rewards currently to airdrop hunters and early users. This is great, but far from enough to create explosive growth like #Blast for degen users. This requires more endorsements and backers at launch to create a perception of guaranteed success. Some may say EQUATION is a community fair launch without VC backing, making endorsements like Blast's improbable. However, as a smoothly developing protocol on par with GMX, is it possible to request some policy support from Arbitrum? Firstly, they crave a sense of probabilistic certainty, even if psychologically illusory. I think it's feasible. Arbitrum faces fierce competition and has few impressive ecosystem projects. Its generous $ARB rewards to bootstrap GMX shows Arbitrum's urgency to support development. If a project can gain traction now, Arbitrum would likely invest resources to aid it. EQUATION has achieved this much with only an ABDK audit (also GMX's auditor), and no official Arbitrum endorsement. Even just vocal backing, without significant $ARB rewards, from Arbitrum could boost EQUATION's metrics tremendously. This requires creating greater imagination space and upside potential during launch to drive such perceptions. Secondly, while these degen users care about yields, they care more about perceived high risk-reward, even if illusory expectations. Some may argue the sector's ceiling is clear. Even if you double open interest over GMX, get listed on top exchanges like Binance, and match GMX's $512M FDV, that's still nearly 30X from EQUATION's current $18M FDV. Isn't that enticing enough? While still decent, as a developer/founder, I'd look for more open-ended narratives with greater upside to drive expectations, such as announcing EQUATION's second L2 launch will be #Blast. Blast has clear airdrop expectations for developers. This wouldn't even require requests like with Arbitrum. They have openly said half of season 1 airdrops will go to early users depositing ETH/stablecoins, and half to ecosystems developers. EQUATION entering and receiving airdrops is highly probable.💰💰💰 I could announce all Arbitrum support and Blast airdrops received will be added to the current IDO mining event pool, distributed proportionally as additional rewards to existing recipients. Now early airdrop hunters and users wouldn't just get $500,000 in daily $EQU emissions, but also significant expected $ARB and #BLAST airdrops. These are valuable L2 tokens. This creates expectations of even higher risk-reward to drive growth. And with growth, we improve our chances of securing more support from Arbitrum and Blast. Fake it until you make it! Once we exceed dYdX and GMX in metrics, introduce VC funding, and get listed on tier 1 exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. The flywheel starts spinning.🔥🔥🔥 In summary, the EQUATION team has performed excellently in project launch and early operations, reflected in current metrics. But token undervaluation may be the key bottleneck preventing a positive feedback loop and explosive growth. Optimizing launch and operational strategies in a few ways could help challenge leading protocols like GMX and dYdX: Strengthen understanding of current mainstream user profiles. Lower mental hurdles and simplify participation for the masses through more seamless and foolproof product experiences. Analyze the psychology of airdrop hunters and early degens more deeply. Manufacture higher perceived certainty and outsized risk-reward to more effectively direct expectations and drive growth. What do you think? I look forward to your comments and thoughts! And since you've read so far, please give me a like! 👍👍👍

Decentralized Perpetual Exchange Strategies: Insights & Opportunities from EQUATION's Launch

223 Stories To Learn About Game Development

Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889, by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . WALNUT OIL. here WALNUT OIL. By Thomas T. P. Bruce Warren. This oil, which I obtained from the fully ripened nut of the , has so many excellent properties, especially for mixing with artists' colors for fine art work, that I am surprised at the small amount of information available on this interesting oil. Jugluns regia Walnut oil is largely used for adulterating olive oil, and to compensate for its high iodine absorption it is mixed with pure lard oil olein, which also retards the thickening effect due to oxidation. The marc left on expression of the oil is said to be largely used in the manufacture of chocolate. Many people, I am told, prefer walnut oil to olive oil for cooking purposes. The value of this oil for out-door work has been given me by a friend who used it for painting the verandas and jalousies of his house (near Como, Italy) some twenty years ago, and which have not required painting since. In this country, at least, walnut oil is beyond the reach of the general painter, and I do not know that the pure oil is to be obtained as a commercial article, even on a small scale. It was in examining the properties of this and other oils, used as adulterants of olive oil, that I was obliged to prepare them so as to be sure of getting them in a reliable condition as regards purity. The walnuts were harvested in the autumn of 1887, and kept in a dry airy room until the following March. The kernels had shrunk up and contracted a disagreeable acrid taste, so familiar with old olive oil in which this has been used as an adulterant. Most oxidized oils, especially cotton seed oil, reveal a similar acrid taste, but walnut oil has, in addition, an unmistakable increase in viscosity. The nuts were opened and the kernels thrown into warm water, so as to loosen the epidermis; they were then rubbed in a coarse towel, so as to blanch them. The decorticated nuts were wiped dry and rubbed to a smooth paste in a marble mortar. The paste was first digested in CS2, then placed in a percolator and exhausted with the same solvent, which was evaporated off. The yield of oil was small, but probably, if the nuts had been left to fully ripen on the trees without knocking them off, the yield might have been greater. It is by no means improbable that oxidation may have rendered a portion of the oil insoluble. The decorticated kernels gave a perfectly sweet, inodorous, and almost colorless oil, which rapidly thickens to an almost colorless, transparent, and perfectly elastic skin or film, which does not darken or crack easily by age. These are properties which, for fine art painting, might be of great value in preserving the tinctorial purity and freshness of pigments. Sulphur chloride gives a perfectly white product with the fresh oil, but, when oxidized, the product is very dark, almost black. The iodine absorption of the fresh oil thus obtained is very high, but falls rapidly by oxidation or blowing. A curious fact has been disclosed with reference to the oxidation of this and similar oils. If such an oil be mixed with lard oil, olive oil, or sperm oil, it thickens by oxidation, but is perfectly soluble. Such a mixture is largely used in weaving or spinning. Commercial samples of linseed oil, when cold-drawn, have a much higher iodine absorption, probably due to the same cause. Oils extracted by CS2 are very much higher than the same oils, especially if hot-pressed.— Chem. News. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17755/pg17755-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

WALNUT OIL

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . LADY CARBURY AND MR. BROUNE here LADY CARBURY AND MR. BROUNE. When Sir Felix Carbury declared to his friends at the Beargarden that he intended to devote the next few months of his life to foreign travel, and that it was his purpose to take with him a Protestant divine,—as was much the habit with young men of rank and fortune some years since,—he was not altogether lying. There was indeed a sounder basis of truth than was usually to be found attached to his statements. That he should have intended to produce a false impression was a matter of course,—and nearly equally so that he should have made his attempt by asserting things which he must have known that no one would believe. He was going to Germany, and he was going in company with a clergyman, and it had been decided that he should remain there for the next twelve months. A representation had lately been made to the Bishop of London that the English Protestants settled in a certain commercial town in the north-eastern district of Prussia were without pastoral aid, and the bishop had stirred himself in the matter. A clergyman was found willing to expatriate himself, but the income suggested was very small. The Protestant English population of the commercial town in question, though pious, was not liberal. It had come to pass that the "Morning Breakfast Table" had interested itself in the matter, having appealed for subscriptions after a manner not unusual with that paper. The bishop and all those concerned in the matter had fully understood that if the "Morning Breakfast Table" could be got to take the matter up heartily, the thing would be done. The heartiness had been so complete that it had at last devolved upon Mr. Broune to appoint the clergyman; and, as with all the aid that could be found, the income was still small, the Rev. Septimus Blake,—a brand snatched from the burning of Rome,—had been induced to undertake the maintenance and total charge of Sir Felix Carbury for a consideration. Mr. Broune imparted to Mr. Blake all that there was to know about the baronet, giving much counsel as to the management of the young man, and specially enjoining on the clergyman that he should on no account give Sir Felix the means of returning home. It was evidently Mr. Broune's anxious wish that Sir Felix should see as much as possible of German life, at a comparatively moderate expenditure, and under circumstances that should be externally respectable if not absolutely those which a young gentleman might choose for his own comfort or profit;—but especially that those circumstances should not admit of the speedy return to England of the young gentleman himself. Lady Carbury had at first opposed the scheme. Terribly difficult as was to her the burden of maintaining her son, she could not endure the idea of driving him into exile. But Mr. Broune was very obstinate, very reasonable, and, as she thought, somewhat hard of heart. "What is to be the end of it then?" he said to her, almost in anger. For in those days the great editor, when in presence of Lady Carbury, differed very much from that Mr. Broune who used to squeeze her hand and look into her eyes. His manner with her had become so different that she regarded him as quite another person. She hardly dared to contradict him, and found herself almost compelled to tell him what she really felt and thought. "Do you mean to let him eat up everything you have to your last shilling, and then go to the workhouse with him?" "Oh, my friend, you know how I am struggling! Do not say such horrid things." "It is because I know how you are struggling that I find myself compelled to say anything on the subject. What hardship will there be in his living for twelve months with a clergyman in Prussia? What can he do better? What better chance can he have of being weaned from the life he is leading?" "If he could only be married!" "Married! Who is to marry him? Why should any girl with money throw herself away upon him?" "He is so handsome." "What has his beauty brought him to? Lady Carbury, you must let me tell you that all that is not only foolish but wrong. If you keep him here you will help to ruin him, and will certainly ruin yourself. He has agreed to go;—let him go." She was forced to yield. Indeed, as Sir Felix had himself assented, it was almost impossible that she should not do so. Perhaps Mr. Broune's greatest triumph was due to the talent and firmness with which he persuaded Sir Felix to start upon his travels. "Your mother," said Mr. Broune, "has made up her mind that she will not absolutely beggar your sister and herself in order that your indulgence may be prolonged for a few months. She cannot make you go to Germany of course. But she can turn you out of her house, and, unless you go, she will do so." "I don't think she ever said that, Mr. Broune." "No;—she has not said so. But I have said it for her in her presence; and she has acknowledged that it must necessarily be so. You may take my word as a gentleman that it will be so. If you take her advice £175 a year will be paid for your maintenance;—but if you remain in England not a shilling further will be paid." He had no money. His last sovereign was all but gone. Not a tradesman would give him credit for a coat or a pair of boots. The key of the door had been taken away from him. The very page treated him with contumely. His clothes were becoming rusty. There was no prospect of amusement for him during the coming autumn or winter. He did not anticipate much excitement in Eastern Prussia, but he thought that any change must be a change for the better. He assented, therefore, to the proposition made by Mr. Broune, was duly introduced to the Rev. Septimus Blake, and, as he spent his last sovereign on a last dinner at the Beargarden, explained his intentions for the immediate future to those friends at his club who would no doubt mourn his departure. Mr. Blake and Mr. Broune between them did not allow the grass to grow under their feet. Before the end of August Sir Felix, with Mr. and Mrs. Blake and the young Blakes, had embarked from Hull for Hamburgh,—having extracted at the very hour of parting a last five-pound note from his foolish mother. "It will be just enough to bring him home," said Mr. Broune with angry energy when he was told of this. But Lady Carbury, who knew her son well, assured him that Felix would be restrained in his expenditure by no such prudence as such a purpose would indicate. "It will be gone," she said, "long before they reach their destination." "Then why the deuce should you give it him?" said Mr. Broune. Mr. Broune's anxiety had been so intense that he had paid half a year's allowance in advance to Mr. Blake out of his own pocket. Indeed, he had paid various sums for Lady Carbury,—so that that unfortunate woman would often tell herself that she was becoming subject to the great editor, almost like a slave. He came to her, three or four times a week, at about nine o'clock in the evening, and gave her instructions as to all that she should do. "I wouldn't write another novel if I were you," he said. This was hard, as the writing of novels was her great ambition, and she had flattered herself that the one novel which she had written was good. Mr. Broune's own critic had declared it to be very good in glowing language. The "Evening Pulpit" had of course abused it,—because it is the nature of the "Evening Pulpit" to abuse. So she had argued with herself, telling herself that the praise was all true, whereas the censure had come from malice. After that article in the "Breakfast Table," it did seem hard that Mr. Broune should tell her to write no more novels. She looked up at him piteously but said nothing. "I don't think you'd find it answer. Of course you can do it as well as a great many others. But then that is saying so little!" "I thought I could make some money." "I don't think Mr. Leadham would hold out to you very high hopes;—I don't, indeed. I think I would turn to something else." "It is so very hard to get paid for what one does." To this Mr. Broune made no immediate answer; but, after sitting for a while, almost in silence, he took his leave. On that very morning Lady Carbury had parted from her son. She was soon about to part from her daughter, and she was very sad. She felt that she could hardly keep up that house in Welbeck Street for herself, even if her means permitted it. What should she do with herself? Whither should she take herself? Perhaps the bitterest drop in her cup had come from those words of Mr. Broune forbidding her to write more novels. After all, then, she was not a clever woman,—not more clever than other women around her! That very morning she had prided herself on her coming success as a novelist, basing all her hopes on that review in the "Breakfast Table." Now, with that reaction of spirits which is so common to all of us, she was more than equally despondent. He would not thus have crushed her without a reason. Though he was hard to her now,—he who used to be so soft,—he was very good. It did not occur to her to rebel against him. After what he had said, of course there would be no more praise in the "Breakfast Table,"—and, equally of course, no novel of hers could succeed without that. The more she thought of him, the more omnipotent he seemed to be. The more she thought of herself, the more absolutely prostrate she seemed to have fallen from those high hopes with which she had begun her literary career not much more than twelve months ago. On the next day he did not come to her at all, and she sat idle, wretched, and alone. She could not interest herself in Hetta's coming marriage, as that marriage was in direct opposition to one of her broken schemes. She had not ventured to confess so much to Mr. Broune, but she had in truth written the first pages of the first chapter of a second novel. It was impossible now that she should even look at what she had written. All this made her very sad. She spent the evening quite alone; for Hetta was staying down in Suffolk, with her cousin's friend, Mrs. Yeld, the bishop's wife; and as she thought of her life past and her life to come, she did, perhaps, with a broken light, see something of the error of her ways, and did, after a fashion, repent. It was all "leather or prunello," as she said to herself;—it was all vanity,—and vanity,—and vanity! What real enjoyment had she found in anything? She had only taught herself to believe that some day something would come which she would like;—but she had never as yet in truth found anything to like. It had all been in anticipation,—but now even her anticipations were at an end. Mr. Broune had sent her son away, had forbidden her to write any more novels,—and had been refused when he had asked her to marry him! The next day he came to her as usual, and found her still very wretched. "I shall give up this house," she said. "I can't afford to keep it; and in truth I shall not want it. I don't in the least know where to go, but I don't think that it much signifies. Any place will be the same to me now." "I don't see why you should say that." "What does it matter?" "You wouldn't think of going out of London." "Why not? I suppose I had better go wherever I can live cheapest." "I should be sorry that you should be settled where I could not see you," said Mr. Broune plaintively. "So shall I,—very. You have been more kind to me than anybody. But what am I to do? If I stay in London I can live only in some miserable lodgings. I know you will laugh at me, and tell me that I am wrong; but my idea is that I shall follow Felix wherever he goes, so that I may be near him and help him when he needs help. Hetta doesn't want me. There is nobody else that I can do any good to." "I want you," said Mr. Broune, very quietly. "Ah,—that is so kind of you. There is nothing makes one so good as goodness;—nothing binds your friend to you so firmly as the acceptance from him of friendly actions. You say you want me, because I have so sadly wanted you. When I go you will simply miss an almost daily trouble, but where shall I find a friend?" "When I said I wanted you, I meant more than that, Lady Carbury. Two or three months ago I asked you to be my wife. You declined, chiefly, if I understood you rightly, because of your son's position. That has been altered, and therefore I ask you again. I have quite convinced myself,—not without some doubts, for you shall know all; but, still, I have quite convinced myself,—that such a marriage will best contribute to my own happiness. I do not think, dearest, that it would mar yours." This was said with so quiet a voice and so placid a demeanour, that the words, though they were too plain to be misunderstood, hardly at first brought themselves home to her. Of course he had renewed his offer of marriage, but he had done so in a tone which almost made her feel that the proposition could not be an earnest one. It was not that she believed that he was joking with her or paying her a poor insipid compliment. When she thought about it at all, she knew that it could not be so. But the thing was so improbable! Her opinion of herself was so poor, she had become so sick of her own vanities and littlenesses and pretences, that she could not understand that such a man as this should in truth want to make her his wife. At this moment she thought less of herself and more of Mr. Broune than either perhaps deserved. She sat silent, quite unable to look him in the face, while he kept his place in his arm-chair, lounging back, with his eyes intent on her countenance. "Well," he said; "what do you think of it? I never loved you better than I did for refusing me before, because I thought that you did so because it was not right that I should be embarrassed by your son." "That was the reason," she said, almost in a whisper. "But I shall love you better still for accepting me now,—if you will accept me." The long vista of her past life appeared before her eyes. The ambition of her youth which had been taught to look only to a handsome maintenance, the cruelty of her husband which had driven her to run from him, the further cruelty of his forgiveness when she returned to him; the calumny which had made her miserable, though she had never confessed her misery; then her attempts at life in London, her literary successes and failures, and the wretchedness of her son's career;—there had never been happiness, or even comfort, in any of it. Even when her smiles had been sweetest her heart had been heaviest. Could it be that now at last real peace should be within her reach, and that tranquillity which comes from an anchor holding to a firm bottom? Then she remembered that first kiss,—or attempted kiss,—when, with a sort of pride in her own superiority, she had told herself that the man was a susceptible old goose. She certainly had not thought then that his susceptibility was of this nature. Nor could she quite understand now whether she had been right then, and that the man's feelings, and almost his nature, had since changed,—or whether he had really loved her from first to last. As he remained silent it was necessary that she should answer him. "You can hardly have thought of it enough," she said. "I have thought of it a good deal too. I have been thinking of it for six months at least." "There is so much against me." "What is there against you?" "They say bad things of me in India." "I know all about that," replied Mr. Broune. "And Felix!" "I think I may say that I know all about that also." "And then I have become so poor!" "I am not proposing to myself to marry you for your money. Luckily for me,—I hope luckily for both of us,—it is not necessary that I should do so." "And then I seem so to have fallen through in everything. I don't know what I've got to give to a man in return for all that you offer to give to me." "Yourself," he said, stretching out his right hand to her. And there he sat with it stretched out,—so that she found herself compelled to put her own into it, or to refuse to do so with very absolute words. Very slowly she put out her own, and gave it to him without looking at him. Then he drew her towards him, and in a moment she was kneeling at his feet, with her face buried on his knees. Considering their ages perhaps we must say that their attitude was awkward. They would certainly have thought so themselves had they imagined that any one could have seen them. But how many absurdities of the kind are not only held to be pleasant, but almost holy,—as long as they remain mysteries inspected by no profane eyes! It is not that Age is ashamed of feeling passion and acknowledging it,—but that the display of it is, without the graces of which Youth is proud, and which Age regrets. On that occasion there was very little more said between them. He had certainly been in earnest, and she had now accepted him. As he went down to his office he told himself now that he had done the best, not only for her but for himself also. And yet I think that she had won him more thoroughly by her former refusal than by any other virtue. She, as she sat alone, late into the night, became subject to a thorough reaction of spirit. That morning the world had been a perfect blank to her. There was no single object of interest before her. Now everything was rose-coloured. This man who had thus bound her to him, who had given her such assured proofs of his affection and truth, was one of the considerable ones of the world; a man than whom few,—so she now told herself,—were greater or more powerful. Was it not a career enough for any woman to be the wife of such a man, to receive his friends, and to shine with his reflected glory? Whether her hopes were realised, or,—as human hopes never are realised,—how far her content was assured, these pages cannot tell; but they must tell that, before the coming winter was over, Lady Carbury became the wife of Mr. Broune, and, in furtherance of her own resolve, took her husband's name. The house in Welbeck Street was kept, and Mrs. Broune's Tuesday evenings were much more regarded by the literary world than had been those of Lady Carbury. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (2004). The Way We Live Now. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5231/pg5231-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

LADY CARBURY AND MR. BROUNE

UNLOOKED-FOR ARRIVALS.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 392, July 7, 1883 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CEREAL FOODS IN THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE. here CEREAL FOODS IN THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE. By F.R. CAMPBELL, A.B., M.D. The cereals are subject to many diseases which retard their development, rendering them unfit for food, and even poisonous. The relation of unwholesome foods to the diseases of the animal body are now being thoroughly studied, recent advances in chemistry and microscopy contributing valuable aid to the prosecution of such investigations. Some enthusiastic advocates of the germ theory of disease believe that many, if not all, the so-called disease germs may be transplanted into the human system with the food ingested. But whatever may be the real truth in regard to this subject, it has been positively demonstrated that many diseases of the human body may be produced by unwholesome food. The specific symptoms produced in man by the various grain diseases are not accurately known, consequently our remarks upon this subject must be of a very general character. Pappenheim divides the diseases of the cereals into two classes, internal and external. The internal diseases are those depending upon conditions of soil, climate, cultivation, etc., and may be neglected in our discussion, as they produce no special disease of the body, only impairing the nutritive value of the grain. The external diseases are of much greater importance, as they probably produce some of the most fatal maladies to which the human race is subject. These external diseases of the cereals are due to parasites, which may be either of an animal or vegetable nature. Among the animal parasites may be mentioned the , which feeds upon the starch cells of the grain. Grain attacked by this parasite was at one time supposed to be injurious to health. weevil, vibrio tritici In 1844 the French Commission appointed to examine grain condemned a large quantity imported with this parasite, but afterward reconsidered their decision and permitted its sale, concluding that it was deficient in nutritive properties, but not otherwise unwholesome. Rust is the most common disease of the cereals, produced by vegetable parasites. Like the other diseases of this class, it is most prevalent in warm, damp seasons. Prof. Hensboro is of the opinion that rust is but an earlier stage of mildew or blight, the one form of parasite being capable of development into the other, and the fructification characteristic of the two supposed genera having been evolved on one and the same individual. Blight is a term loosely applied to a number of parasitic diseases. In it are included mildew, cories, and even rust and smut. The fungi producing these diseases attack the plant and seed at various stages of its growth. The whole kernel is affected, and not merely the external coat, as is sometimes maintained. When blighted grain is sown, the disease recurs the following year, often making it necessary to import new seed before the disease can be eradicated. Various remedies have been used to destroy the spores of these fungi, but all are uncertain and some are dangerous to health. Special machinery and methods have been employed in the mills to separate the mildew from the grain. Some of these succeed in removing the fungi and discoloration from the surface of the grain, but have no effects upon the parts within. Blighted grain is soft, and has an unpleasant taste and smell, and bread made of it is liable to be heavy and sodden. It is undeniable that the use of blighted grain as food is exceeding dangerous to health. It is a well known fact that vegetable parasites may attack animals; the silk worm disease produced by the , being an example. It is stated that the same vegetable parasites which produce plant diseases, when transmitted to the animal body produce special affections, the form and appearance of the germs being altered by their environments. The same germs developed under different conditions of temperature and surrounding medium, assume forms so various that they have been supposed to belong to different species and even different genera. If there is any truth, then, in the germ theory of disease, it is not so very improbable that a fungus which will produce blight in grain may cause cholera or tetanoid fever in an animal. Botrytis baniana Hallier, the famous physiological botanist, observed in 1867 that there was a peculiar disease of the rice plant associated with an epidemic of cholera. Rice plants fertilized with the discharges of cholera patients were affected with blight. A concentrated infusion of the blighted grain would produce changes in all animal substances, blood and albumen being converted into thin odorless products resembling in every respect the material found in the kidneys of cholera patients. The most formidable of the diseases attributed to the use of diseased grain is cerebro-spinal meningitis, commonly known as spotted or blanoid fever. The disease is rare in England, but is frequently epidemic in the United States, in Ireland, and on the Continent. In 1873, in the State of Massachusetts alone, 747 persons died of it, and other epidemics even more fatal have lately occurred in New York and Michigan. The disease is a nervous fever attended with convulsions, the pathological lesion being congestion and inflammation of the membrane of the spinal cord and brain. Dr. Richardson in writing on the nature and causes of spotted fever concludes that it is due to the use of diseased vegetable substances, especially grain, and from a careful analysis of the statistics of this disease reported by the Michigan State Board of Health considers it demonstrated that "under favoring condition for its action diseased grain received as a food is the primary cause of the phenomena which characterize the disease." These views are substantiated by the experiments of Dr. H. Day, who found that by feeding rabbits on unsound grain, spasmodic affections were produced, due to inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain. In warm climates, pellagra or Italian leprosy is said to be produced by eating diseased maize, which forms the principal article of food among the poorer classes of the rural districts. Pellagra is epidemic in northern Italy and the south of France. The disease is manifested by a redness and discoloration of the exposed parts of the body. It is most active during the hot weather, the inflammation subsiding in the winter, leaving a pigmentation of the skin. Each year the symptoms become more alarming, nervous disorders finally setting in, and a large number die insane. The disease is most prevalent in the country. In the towns, where maize is supplemented by other articles of food, it does not exist. Ergot is a very common disease of the cereals. The fungus producing it was discovered in 1853, but for centuries previous its injurious effects upon the human body were recognized, and it was observed that ergot of rye was the most poisonous. Taken in large doses, ergot will produce nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, and weakness of the heart. In small repeated doses it will produce contraction of all the unstriped muscles, as those of the blood vessels, the womb, and intestines. Ergotium is the name given to the disease produced by the continued use of grain affected by this fungus. Aitken describes it as "a train of morbid symptoms produced by the slow and cumulative action of a specific poison peculiar to wheat and rye, which produces convulsions, gangrene of the extremities, and death. In countries where rye bread is much used ergotium is sometimes epidemic. This was a frequent calamity before the introduction of suitable purifiers into the mills. There are two varieties of the disease, the convulsive and the gangrenous. The convulsive form begins with tingling of the extremities, drowsiness, and headache, followed by pain in the joints, violent muscular contractions, and death. The gangrenous variety begins with coldness and weakness of the extremities followed by gangrene and sloughing. This form is somewhat more fatal than the convulsive, the mortality of those affected being about 90 per cent. Mouldy grain and bread have also caused poisoning. Prof. Varnell states that "six horses died in three days from eating mouldy oats. There was a large amount of matted mycelium, and this when given to other horses for experiment, killed them within thirty-six hours." The writer has himself seen seven hogs die within a few days while being fed on mouldy corn. Flour which has become stale may produce similar injurious effects, although most of the germs are destroyed in the process of baking. It is quite probable, however, that a poisonous substance is generated by the mould fungus, which cannot be destroyed in this way.-- . Milling World About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2005). Scientific American Supplement, No. 392, July 7, 1883. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8742/pg8742-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

CEREAL FOODS IN THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE

THE LIFE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI.

Plan of War when the Destruction of the Enemy is the Object

On the Magnitude of the Object of the War, and the Efforts to be Made

I have always been very conscious about how and where I spend my time. While I paid a lot of attention to the obvious ways to be more productive—create a distraction-free focused zone, limit time on social media, divide my work into small blocks of time, and take regular breaks to revive and rejuvenate—I missed a crucial element that often gets in the way of our productivity. Our brain. The human brain has this remarkable cognitive capacity to perform at levels far beyond what we consider our natural abilities, but it’s not without its limits. The that enable the brain to prioritize and process large amounts of information quickly also get in the way of our productivity. These mental shortcuts are the brain's way to conserve energy and work more efficiently. But they also lead to many thinking errors. cognitive biases Here are the 4 cognitive biases that have the biggest impact on our productivity—how we prioritize, make decisions, manage time, and get work done. Urgency effect Zeigarnik effect Complexity bias Planning fallacy Urgency effect When an urgent task comes knocking at the door, do you push important work aside because urgent tasks demand your immediate attention while important goals are far off into the future and can wait until later? Urgency effect makes us jump at every chance to solve time-sensitive urgent matters while putting off important work. Rationally our brain knows that important tasks have a larger payoff and bigger rewards in the long run, but under the effect of this bias, we fall victim to perceiving urgent as important. Urgent tasks keep us busy and make us feel important, but they also suck into our time. Prioritizing it at the expense of more impactful work keeps us trapped in an illusion of productivity. Why we fall for the urgency effect Important tasks typically have no specific deadline. They are time-consuming and complex as they often require looking into the future and proactively identifying its needs. Giving clarity to vague ideas, making crucial decisions, or laying out a future strategy is not only time-consuming, it’s also mentally taxing. Urgent tasks have easy-to-reach, visible goals. They bring instant gratification with a big hit of dopamine. Since dopamine serves as a reinforcement for remembering and repeating pleasurable experiences, you end up dedicating more time to urgent tasks at the expense of more impactful work. Continuously pushing important tasks to the back burner keeps us locked in a never-ending cycle of unproductive choices—dedicating less time to important work inevitably creates more urgency later. Important tasks become urgent in due course of time if delayed too much, not given proper attention, or carried out without real interest. Example of urgency effect Gina is the tech manager of the CRM team. The latest releases in ChatGPT and other AI innovations is becoming a threat to her business. But instead of spending time planning how to make them a part of their future strategy, Gina ends up spending most of her time on emails, meetings, and other urgent tasks. Her busyness keeps her locked in a cycle of unproductivity and inefficiency. Urgency effect makes her pay more attention to the work right in front of her—emails, chat notifications, customer escalations—while pushing important work aside. How to avoid urgency effect A great practice to avoid urgency bias involves using The Eisenhower Matrix for prioritization. To put the Eisenhower matrix to use, go through each task one by one and separate them into four possibilities: Important and Urgent (Quadrant 1): reduce time spent here Important and Not Urgent (Quadrant 2): consciously prioritize and schedule these tasks Not Important and Urgent (Quadrant 3): delegate these tasks Not Important and Not Urgent (Quadrant 4): declutter and eliminate. Consciously scheduling dedicated hours on the calendar to do important work makes it more likely that you attend to them without interruptions. A few other practices to adopt: Set aside specific blocks of time for responding to emails, chats, or other such tasks. Reduce time spent in meetings. Utilize your peak productivity period to do your most important work. Matching your energy with the physical and mental demands of work will enable you to do your best work making it more likely for you to continue instead of giving up. Set deadlines for important tasks and hold yourself accountable for meeting them. Zeigarnik effect Thoughts of unfinished tasks keep popping up in our head right when we get down to work or are trying hard to focus. *Emails we haven’t replied to.* Pending design to compete. Meetings to schedule. … so on and on. These intrusive thoughts that take away our attention even for a split second make it hard to concentrate and get any meaningful work done. Distractions from incomplete work prevent us from entering into a state of flow—which is when we are completely immersed in a task and the time seems to stand still. Flow minimizes distractions, prevents procrastination, and lead to high performance and productivity. Named after psychologist Zeigarnik who first discovered it, the effect refers to the tendency to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. Letting our brain continually remind us that we haven’t done something is quite unpleasant and it can even lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout. Why we fall for the Zeigarnik effect Zeigarnik and her professor Kurt Lewin observed that their restaurant waiters remembered everyone’s orders despite never writing anything down. But as soon as the bill was paid, they had little or no memory of who their customers were or what they had ordered. This led to a series of experiments based on which Zeigarnik concluded that human minds treat tasks that have been completed differently from those that are still left to be completed. A task that has already been started establishes a task-specific tension, which keeps it at the forefront of our memory. The tension is relieved upon completion of the task but persists if it is interrupted or not yet completed. That’s why unfinished tasks keep coming back to haunt us. Look another way, these reminders can be useful to help us finish incomplete projects only if they do not spoil our attention right in the middle of another project. Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing work is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we use this energy. Memories, thoughts and feelings are all shaped by how we use it. And it is an energy under control, to do with as we please; hence attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience. ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Example of Zeigarnik effect Zeigarnik effect is used in gamification: Progress trackers informing users of how close they are to completing a task. For example, when users see a message like "Your profile is 34% complete", they are more likely to spend a few minutes providing all the missing details. This technique is used by to collect user information in a super smart way. LinkedIn Checklists that provide users with a clear step-by-step flow to onboard users faster and more effectively. Interrupted commercials are more likely to be remembered than those that are not due to the Zeigarnik effect. Advertisers use it to catch the attention and memory of viewers. How to avoid the Zeigarnik effect by Florida State University shows that planning work upfront and writing it down can free your mind from distracting thoughts about unfinished work. Have daily, weekly, and monthly rituals to review, prioritize, and plan what you intend to do. When you miss something and it pops up in your head, don’t leave it hanging there, immediately write it down. Research Moving tasks from your head onto paper relaxes your brain and helps you focus on the task at hand. A few other practices to adopt: Avoid procrastination by using the Zeigarnik effect to your advantage. Instead of putting things off because they are big or complex, simply take a very small step towards it. Once you get started, your brain will kick off the Zeigarnik effect enabling you to keep going till the end. Use the Pomodoro method to divide your work into small chunks of focused time. The tactical breaks in the Pomodoro method improve memory and keep productive momentum going. Complexity bias Given a choice between two competing solutions, we are likely to choose the more complex one. Jargon catches our attention over simple explanations. Difficult-to-execute strategies impress us over straightforward ones. Sophisticated products appear more authoritative while ordinary ones appear inferior. But complexity has many problems: Knowing upfront that something is difficult can prevent us from getting started. Obstacles and challenges along the way make it hard to persist and we may give up too soon. It can delay decision-making. It’s costly as it requires more time, effort and resources to get done. It can be potentially dangerous. Not understanding something fully can lead to wrong assumptions and conclusions. It can lead to hiding mistakes and fundamental flaws. Complexity bias is the tendency to prefer complicated explanations, solutions, and arguments over easy ones. Why we fall for the complexity bias Many people mistake simple for easy. Finding simple solutions to problems may sometimes require more effort—a conscious effort to dig deeper and give way to our creative mind, avoiding biases to cut through complexity and finding solutions that do not require too much scaffolding to support. Complexity in such cases could be an excuse to label the problem as too confusing and shove it aside. We choose complexity over simplicity for another reason: it’s falsely associated with expertise, innovation and authority. The more complex or advanced the approach is, the more superior it appears. Put another way, if a solution is too simple, we assume it won’t solve the problem. This makes us inject complexity and over complicate things instead of choosing a simpler approach. \As Edsger Wybe Dijkstra, a Dutch computer scientist once said “Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better.” Example of complexity bias Jim got an opportunity to prepare and present the design of a new product to his entire team. He wanted the solution to stand out and establish credibility with others. But instead of asking the question “What problem is this product required to solve and how can I solve it in the simplest way possible?” he asked, “What problem is this product required to solve and how can I make it look good?” Trying to make the solution appealing led to poor choices: Instead of choosing a simple technology he understood well, he decided to use a new technology with no experience or expertise. He made complex architectural decisions to make the product look sophisticated. He introduced features that added little to no value to a customer but sounded interesting to implement. Complexity bias in his case led to poor decisions and terrible choices. How to avoid the complexity bias To counteract complexity bias, apply Occam’s razor. It is one of the most useful mental models to solve problems. Occam’s razor advocates simplicity by focusing on key elements of the problem, eliminating improbable options, and finding solutions with fewer assumptions. Another useful mental model to reduce complexity is first principles thinking. It requires breaking down a problem into its fundamental building blocks (its essential elements), asking powerful questions, getting down to the basic truth, separating facts from assumptions, and then constructing a view from the ground up. A few other practices to adopt: Since complexity bias shields you from seeking simple solutions, asking for others' opinions may be helpful. You may ask “Is my solution too complex or confusing?” Question your intent. Reframe the end goal to align it with the outcomes you wish to achieve. Show bias for action. Instead of being stuck in analysis paralysis, take a small step towards your goal, see how it works, and slowly improve it over time. Planning fallacy When it comes to setting deadlines, most of us are highly optimistic. Even if it’s something similar to what we have done in the past, we are still likely to underestimate how much time it will take to do it in the future. It took one week to finish a design proposal last time, but if you have to do it again, you’re positive it will get done in less than a week. It took more than a month for your new hires to get onboarded last time, but while planning for the new batch coming in next week, you allocated only 2 weeks. The planning fallacy is what makes us commit to overly optimistic timelines, miss those deadlines, and then drown in guilt, anxiety, and stress. Not factoring in realistic demands of the task leads to poor planning for the future. It harms your reputation and also breaks trust because when you miss those deadlines, others assume that you don’t take your commitments seriously. Why we fall for the planning fallacy When estimating the time it will take to complete a specific task, we ignore risks and other unlikely events that may prevent us from completing the task on time. Taking the best-case scenario into account and ignoring the obstacles we might encounter along the way leads to wishful thinking. We have the best intentions to get the work done quickly and efficiently, but good intentions aren’t always enough. Good planning needs good estimation skills. Another reason why we are highly optimistic about completing a specific job is our tendency to get stuck in the nitty gritty while ignoring the big picture. Not taking the big picture into account leads to poor estimation—we make wrong assumptions and ignore the time it will take to integrate our work into the bigger picture. We are also really bad at accurately judging our skills and abilities. Our enthusiasm to meet our goals adds to the planning fallacy. \Worst part? We don’t even learn from our past mistakes. Even when we can recognize past mistakes when we are overly optimistic, we keep on making the same mistakes in the future. We focus on our goal, anchor on our plan, and neglect relevant base rates, exposing ourselves to the planning fallacy. We focus on what we want to do and can do, neglecting the plans and skills of others. Both in explaining the past and in predicting the future, we focus on the causal role of skill and neglect the role of luck. We are therefore prone to an illusion of control. We focus on what we know and neglect what we do not know, which makes us overly confident in our beliefs. ― Daniel Kahneman Example of the planning fallacy Tina is working on the estimates of a new product. She has worked on a similar product in the past. The last time she built the product, it took her 3 months to complete. The project was initially estimated for 2 months but took an additional month due to requirements changes, a longer testing cycle, and other unforeseen issues. Tina has experience from the past that she should put to use to determine how long it will take to complete the current project. However, due to the planning fallacy, she commits to a 2-month deadline again. She justifies it by assuming that her experience from the past project will help her finish the tasks sooner while completely disregarding the additional time it will take to handle unexpected issues. How to avoid planning fallacy Break down the project into small parts and estimate how long each one will take. Doing this work upfront will make your effort estimates much closer to reality than being vaguely guided by hunch. Another great strategy is the one recommended by Daniel Kahneman - He suggests taking an outside view of your estimates by consulting others—asking questions and identifying problems and mistakes they made on similar projects in the past. You can’t do this for all your tasks but definitely do it for your most crucial ones. Irrespective of how good you’re at estimation, some unlikely event can crop up and make your project fall through the cracks. It isn’t possible to take every such scenario into account and plan for it. But what’s possible is to add a little buffer to your estimates—add 20% breathing room while considering the effort it takes to do something. Finally, and this is the most important one: implement a feedback loop in your process. Track your time. Make a note of how long it takes to do something. When you miss deadlines, identify what mistakes you made and what changes you need in your planning process to do better next time. When you’re conscious of how these biases—Urgency effect, Zeigarnik effect, Complexity bias and Planning fallacy—affect your time and apply the right strategies to overcome them, you can be your most productive self. Summary Most of us struggle with getting work done efficiently because we don’t pay attention to the cognitive biases that get in the way of using time productively. Urgency effect makes us waste time attending to urgent tasks at the cost of important tasks. Not paying attention to the future needs keeps us trapped in a cycle of unproductivity. The Zeigarnik effect prevents us from giving our best to the task at hand. When our mind keeps reminding us of incomplete or interrupted tasks, it’s hard to stay focused and pay attention. Complexity bias makes us add unnecessary complexity to solutions which increases the time, effort and cost to solve even simple problems. Planning fallacy tricks our mind to give highly optimistic estimates to achieve a certain goal despite our previous experience telling us that it will be impossible to achieve it. This story was previously published . here Follow me on or here for more stories. LinkedIn

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