With an astounding 225 million minutes per day spent in ride-hailing vehicles today, Ivee believes that passengers will expect more from their time in ride-hail vehicles

Ivee

Beginning with the most important skill of the 21st century Everyone is very busy these days. There is just so much going on with our personal and professional lives. On top of it, lo and behold, something like artificial intelligence starts to gather steam and you learn that your skillset is getting terribly outdated over next two years. , I woke up to this rude awakening. It looked like was missing out on something very unique. When I shutdown my startup Zeading The relevance of a full stack developer will not be enough in the changing scenario of things. In the next two years, full stack will not be full stack without AI skills. It was time to take action. And I did what I thought was the only course of action to take now — to update my skills as a developer, my mindset as a product guy and my philosophy as an entrepreneur to become data oriented. As , renowned venture capitalist and thought leader in AI and Fintech so eloquently said to me, Spiros Margaris If startups and companies rely only on cutting-edge AI and machine learning algorithms to compete — it will be not enough. AI will be not a competitive advantage but a requirement. Do you hear anyone saying they use electricity as a competitive edge? Building my first neural network Photo by — Unsplash The common advice was to sign up for . It is a great place to begin but I found it hard to stay awake for long. Not to say that the course was bad or anything, but I really suck at staying attentive in lectures. My mode of has always been by doing, so I thought why the hell not, let’s implement our own neural network. Andrew Ng’s course on Coursera learning I did not jump straight to neural nets because it is some better way to learn. I was trying to familiarize myself with all the words in the domain so I can learn to speak the language. The first assignment is not to learn. But to familiarize. Coming from a pure Javascript and Nodejs background, I didn’t want to switch stacks just yet. So I searched for a simple neural net module called nn and used it to implement an gate with a dummy input. , I chose the problem that for any three inputs X,Y and Z the output should by X Y. AND Inspired by this tutorial AND var nn = require('nn')var opts = {layers: [ 4 ],iterations: 300000,errorThresh: 0.0000005,activation: 'logistic',learningRate: 0.4,momentum: 0.5,log: 100}var net = nn(opts) net.train([{ input: [ 0,0,1 ], output: [ 0 ] },{ input: [ 0,1,1 ], output: [ 0 ] },{ input: [ 1,0,1 ], output: [ 0 ] },{ input: [ 0,1,0 ], output: [ 0 ] },{ input: [ 1,0,0 ], output: [ 0 ] },{ input: [ 1,1,1 ], output: [ 1 ] },{ input: [ 0,0,0 ], output: [ 0 ] }]) // send it a new input to see its trained outputvar output = net.send([ 1,1,0])console.log(output); //0.9971279763719718 Such happiness! In my personal opinion, this was the most confidence building step that I had taken. When the output flashed as 0.9971, I realized that the network learned how to do an operation and ignore the additional input on its own. AND This is mostly the gist of machine learning. You give a computer program a set of data and it adjusts its internal parameters in such a way that it gains the ability to answer questions on new data with a decreasing error from what it observed from original data. This method, as I would later come to know, is also known as gradient descent. Photo by — Sebastian Raschka Priming my mind for artificial intelligence Photo courtesy — Unsplash O . nce I was brimming with confidence after I had made my first artificial intelligence program, I wanted to know what more I can do with machine learning as a developer I solved a couple of such as and . supervised learning problems regression classification I used a very limited data set to try to predict which team will win a given IPL match using (The predictions were really off, but it was kind of cool) multivariate linear regression . I played along with the to see what all things AI can do today (well enough that Google was doing it as a SaaS product) demos on Google Machine Learning cloud I stumbled upon , the esteemed venture fund. Truly one of the most handy resources for developers and entrepreneurs. AI Playbook , an awesome resource organized by Andreessen-Horowitz I started watching that is centered around Deep Learning and Machine Learning. Siraj Rawal’s awesome channel on Youtube I read this about how the showrunners at Silicon Valley built the . This was one of the most approachable examples of deep learning that we can do. awesome Hacker Noon post Not Hotdog app I read . Even though I couldn’t understand anything at much and it gave me a headache, I found out that after trying for some more time the concepts do actually begin to make sense. Andrej Karpathy’s blogs , who is Director of AI at Tesla With some courage, I started to implement (copy and paste) and tried to train the model and run the code on my local machine. Most times, it sucked because of the high training time most models take and I didn’t have a GPU. some of the deep learning tutorials verbatim Gradually, I switched my from Javascript to Python, and installed . tools Tensorflow on my windows machine This whole process was centred around passively consuming contents and building references in your mind so I can use later when I get a real consumer problem to work on. As Steve Jobs said, you can only connect the dots looking backward. Catching the chatbot train Photo by — Unsplash Being a major fan of the movie , I wanted to build chatbots. I took up the challenge and managed to build one using Tensorflow in less than two hours. I outlined this journey and the business needs of it in a few days back. Her one of my articles Fortunately, the article got really went viral and was featured in , , and . It was a great moment for me, personally, because I’ve just begun with tech blogging. But I think that this article was one of the landmark moments in my AI learning journey. TechInAsia CodeMentor KDNuggets It got me to make many friends on Twitter and LinkedIn, with whom I can discuss AI development at length and depth and can even reach out should I get stuck. I got a few offers to do consulting projects and the best part of all, young developers and AI beginners started to ask me how I began with AI. Which brings us to why I’ve written this article. To help more people take cues from my own journey and start their own. Starting is one of the most challenging parts of any journey. Salt and pepper Photo by — Unsplash It was definitely not easy. When I started getting stuck with Javascript, I jumped to Python almost overnight and picked up how to code in that. I started to get irritated when my models won’t train on my i7 machine or when even after hours of training, they would return gibberish results like a 50–50 probability of a team winning a Cricket match. Learning AI is not like learning a web framework. It is a skill that requires awareness of what is going on at the microscopic level of calculations and find what is more responsible for your output — your code or your data. AI is also not just one subject. It is an umbrella term used for anything from simple regression problems to killer robots that are going to kill us someday. Like every other discipline you get into, you might want to cherry pick the kinds of things in AI you want to be really good at like computer vision or natural language processing, or God forbid, world domination. In a conversation with from Atlantis Capital, a reputed industry leader in AI, Fintech, and Crypto, he confided to me that: Gaurav Sharma In the age of artificial intelligence, “being smart” will mean something completely different. We need people to perform the higher-order critical, creative, and thinking and the jobs that require high emotional engagement. You have to be fascinated by how computers suddenly how to do things on their own. Patience and wonder are the two key principles that you should cling. learn This is a big, big journey. Very tiring, very irritating and exceptionally time consuming. But the good part is, like every other journey in the world, this one also starts with a single step. Thanks for reading :) If you enjoyed it, hit that clap button below as many times as possible! It would mean a lot to me and encourage me to write more stories like this Let’s also connect on Twitter , LinkedIn , email or at my blog shivalgupta.com

How I started with learning AI in the last 2 months

It will come as no surprise to those of you reading this (thanks!), that the interest and applications of ‘ ’ is growing rapidly. Amazon Alexa and there is talk around for the next 10,000. I won’t be diving into specifics and discussing issues like . That is not what this post is about. Voice-Assistants recently hit 10,000 skills what will drive adoption retention There are lots of resources & tools, tons of cool products, frameworks, articles and people out there to help you learn about the landscape. 💫 Here are some that I find particularly useful 💫 This post is also on GitHub and open for suggestions, just submit a pull request by VoiceLabs The 2017 Voice Report 🤔 How To Use This : There is very little on the front focusing on Voice-Assistants. does the best one IMO. 📰 News newsletter Matt Hartman ( I’m thinking of starting one too —if you’re interested, sign up below!) : Always interesting to see the companies operating in these spaces. They are broken down into different categories so you can easily jump into ‘Building’, ‘Products’, ‘Analytics’ etc. If you think there are some that need adding, 🍜 Startups tell me here . This is just to outline some companies/funds that are very focused in the space right now. Again, if I’ve missed some worthwhile, 🤑 Funding: tell me here . These are some of the awesome people I follow and have come across. I’ve linked them all, you should check them out. If I’ve missed some worthwhile, you know to 👥 People & Posts: tell me here . Enjoy 😊! 🚀 I’ve launched something: Skills.wtf — A site to find the best Alexa Skills 🚀Also, I’ve added a little note about at the end of this post. A community helping facilitate connections to; an experiment I’m working on - Get a skill made/make skills for people/companies- Find investors active in the field- Intros to other active enthusiasts- Bounce ideas around with others- Advice & mentorship from experienced individuals- Resources and tools to help you build- Discover interesting products and companies 📰 News 🗞 Newsletters _Hearing Voices - This week's news about voice computing apps, delivered directly to your inbox. ..._www.getrevue.co Hearing Voices - Revue The Official Amazon Alexa Developer Newsletter _You have total control over when you want Google Home to respond to your voice commands. Its light states tell you the…_madeby.google.com Made by Google (General Google news + Google Home. Subscribe at bottom of page) 🖥 Websites/Sources _Read writing about Alexa. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium about Alexa…_medium.com Alexa - Medium _Read writing about Voice Assistant. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium…_medium.com Voice Assistant - Medium _Read writing about Amazon Echo. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium about…_medium.com Amazon Echo - Medium _Read writing about Google Home. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium about…_medium.com Google Home - Medium _Read writing about Siri. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium about Siri._medium.com Siri - Medium _Read writing about Voice. Every day, thousands of voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium about Voice…_medium.com Voice - Medium venturebeat.com VoiceAssistants_on_VentureBeat _The brain behind Amazon's voice powered devices like Echo, FireTV etc._www.reddit.com Amazon Alexa * /r/alexa _r/AmazonEcho is a community centered around the Amazon Echo, or as we like to call her - Alexa. Alexa is designed…_www.reddit.com Amazon Echo | A voice command system that brings the Internet Of Things to your home * /r… _Everything Google Home: tips, bugs, new features, requests, etc._www.reddit.com Everything Google Home * /r/googlehome _WIRED is where tomorrow is realized_www.wired.com VoiceAssistant _Crunch Network Even before smartwatches, I did not wear a watch. I did not buy an Apple Watch or Pebble, despite the…_techcrunch.com Alexa | TechCrunch _Google Home is Google's answer to Amazon line's of voice-powered Echo devices. After announcing Home at its I/O…_techcrunch.com google home | TechCrunch _Learn about Voice applications, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant innovation. A hands-free world is coming, join in!_voicelabs.co Blog _multiplex-past, present, future technology research + insights ☂️_readmultiplex.com @ReadMultiplex _Read the latest Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant news, talking about the newest developments in the Voice-First…_voicelabs.co Press Coverage - Voice-First Industry 📜 General news in space (not Voice specific) _Bringing you the latest in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Neurotechnology_inside.com Technically Sentient _Everything about chatbots. From the makers of BotList_botpublication.com BotPublication _Connecting Technology to the Masses_gomainstrm.com GoMainstrm _Chatbots, AI, NLP, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Telegram, and more._chatbotsmagazine.com Chatbots Magazine _Edit description_tinyletter.com Locutius - Letters on Conversational Interfaces by Abi Jones _The O'Reilly Bots Podcast covers advances in conversational user interfaces, artificial intelligence, and messaging…_www.oreilly.com O'Reilly Bots Podcast ideas and resources. — curated by the team Messaging Weekly Smooch — Curated by and the team Chatbots Weekly Omar Pera Reply.ai 🍜 Startups 🗣 Platforms _Actions on Google lets developers build experiences for the Google Assistant._developers.google.com Actions on Google | Actions on Google | Google Developers _Find companies with expertise in designing, developing and optimizing Alexa skills, from agencies and development to…_developer.amazon.com Find Experienced Skill Builders and Tools _I'm open-source, which means you can grab my smarts and put it in a device of your own design. Voice enable your fridge…_mycroft.ai Home - Mycroft _Cortana is your personal assistant, always ready to help you in every situation. See what the world's most personal…_www.microsoft.com Cortana - Meet your personal assistant - Microsoft - Global _Siri on Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch lets you use your voice to send messages, make calls, set reminders and more._www.apple.com iOS - Siri - Apple (UK) _Viv is an artificial intelligence platform that enables developers to create an intelligent, conversational interface…_viv.ai Viv 👔 Companies Capito Systems Cognitive Code — Silvia Mindmeld Nuance Verbio ( ) Raven Tech Acq by Baidu Mobvoi ☁️ Cloud Services Amazon Lex Amazon Polly Google Cloud Platform Microsoft Cognitive Services 🛠 Build - SDKs & Frameworks Assist Alexa Skills Kit Pullstring Conversable Bespoken Tools Api.ai for Google Assistant Api.ai for Amazon Alexa Kitt.ai Sayspring Houndify Smartly.ai Gomix IFTTT Mosaic - Extras This post by is a great place to get started: Brian Donohue _Last night betaworks and Amazon hosted the first NYC Amazon Alexa Meetup to bring Alexa owners and enthusiasts together…_medium.com Build your First Alexa Skill AlexaTutorial How to Build your First Amazon Alexa Skill (eBook) by Rocket Insights _Build your first custom skill in just 10 minutes (no programming experience required)._iot-for-all.com Alexa, What’s for Lunch? _At StdLib (“Standard Library”) we allow developers to deploy functions written in Node.js as infinitely scalable API…_hackernoon.com Build an Alexa Skill in 7 Minutes Flat with Node.js and StdLib _Simple builder for Alexa replies._www.npmjs.com alexa-message-builder 💼 Agencies Xandra Assist Rain Mobiquity Matchbox Solstice SciFutures VaynerMedia Witlingo, Inc. AKQA Razorfish Giant Spoon Iconmobile Newscycle Solutions Blink Mindshare TribalScale Volara Vectorform XAPPmedia, Inc. Unified Computer Intelligence Corporation UI Centric Opearlo VocaliD Conversant Labs Future of Voice 📈 Analytics VoiceLabs.co Opearlo Analytics Witlingo, Inc dashbot Botanalytics 🎙 Products Alexa Skills Store App on and iOS Android Unofficial Alexa Skills Store — list of commands that you can ask Google’s voice assistant OK Google Finie 🤖 Hardware Nucleus Jam Voice Ivee Jibo Whyd Kuri Lynx Hello Egg Triby IO Petnet TrackR Musaic Scout Alarm Garageio Toymail ecobee Luma ring Thalmic Labs embodied Owlet Vesper 🤑 Fundraising Alexa Fund Alexa Accelerator, powered by Techstars Lightspeed Ventures Launch Capital NextView Ventures — Betaworks Get Support from the Alexa Team at Betaworks’ Voicecamp _voicecamp is a program for anyone building within the ecosystem of conversational interfaces._betaworks.com voicecamp 💵 Alexa Fund (All the companies announced) Sutro invoxia Petnet Rachio mojio TrackR Musaic Scout Alarm Garageio Toymail Dragon Innovation Kitt.ai ecobee Luma ring Nucleus Defined Crowd Vesper 👥 People & Posts — General Partner . M.G. Siegler GV On Twitter _Vocal computing has a shot at being the next platform — or more — if the big guys don’t screw it up_500ish.com The Voice _“Voice will never be the interaction model,” they say, out loud, to communicate their thoughts._500ish.com Computing in Concert - partner at + runs . Matt Hartman betaworks Hearing Voices Newsletter On Twitter _The rise of services that live in Chatbots, Voice Computing, & Mixed Reality_render.betaworks.com Interfaces On Demand — people-first investor . Sarah Guo Greylock Partners On Twitter _Part 3 in a series on the Conversational Economy_news.greylock.com The Conversational Economy — Voice and the New Era of Multi-Modal Computing — Reporter at TechCrunch. Sarah Perez On Twitter _The next mainstream computing platform may not be bots, AR, or VR, but rather voice-based computing. According to a new…_techcrunch.com 24.5M voice-first devices expected to ship this year, but apps struggle to retain users — vp at . Patrick Montague betaworks On Twitter _Following the success of 2016’s botcamp, betaworks is pleased to announce camps as an ongoing product line. Each year…_render.betaworks.com Announcing Voicecamp — Freelance writer + developer. Owen Williams On Twitter _For decades the technology industry has been chasing the holy grail of computing: natural language conversation. Humans…_medium.com Google Home changed the way I think about voice assistants — CEO Assist. Shane Mac On Twitter _We are excited to announce that the Assist platform is powering one of the first brands on Google Home, Lonely Planet._medium.com Talk to Lonely Planet on Google Home — Senior Product Manager, Intercom. Hugh Durkin On Twitter _When consumer internet arrived in the 1990s, it ushered in a new age of communication. Free internet chat applications…_blog.intercom.com Why voice will be the dominant chatbot interface - Inside Intercom — Partner, . Aaron Batalion Lightspeed On Twitter _When I was a kid, my computer had a SoundBlaster card. If you were a geek like me, you remember editing your autoexec…_medium.com Skate to where the voice is going… — UX / product design . Johna Paolino General Assembly On Twitter _Two Simple User Experience Design Gestures that Delighted a Female User_medium.com Google Home vs Alexa — Trying to build a better company, every day and . Adam Marchick @VoiceLabsCo Kahuna — Co-Founder / EIR @ The Chernin Group. Alexandre Linares @VoiceLabsCo On Twitter _The Voice Report starts with the underlying hardware devices and works its way up the voice-first stack_read.acloud.guru The 2017 Voice Report — CEO and CoFounder, PullString. Prev, Pixar. Oren Jacob On Twitter — Founder + Editor at . Brian Roemmele Multiplex On Twitter _During the early computer era of the 1960s, it was thought there would only be the need for a few dozen computers. By…_techpinions.com There is A Revolution Ahead and It Has A Voice _“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans”–Apple…_medium.com Apple’s Secret AI Technology: Meet Vocal IQ the self learning technology that is a part of Siri2. — Invented the hashtag; X Uber; Xoogler. Chris Messina On Twitter — Director of User Experience . Author of the O’Reilly book Designing Voice User Interfaces. Cathy Pearl @Sense_ly On Twitter _Edit description_www.amazon.com Designing Voice User Interfaces: Principles of Conversational Experiences — Strategically-oriented product design leader . Trip ODell @Amazon On Twitter _Several times a week, my children host an evening dance party in the living room. The playlist features all the modern…_medium.com Velveteen Rabbits: What a Children’s Story Can Teach Us About Computers that Talk. — Co-founder & Partner at NextView Ventures. David Beisel On Twitter _In the three months since I penned my initial blog post on "Ubiquity of Voice and the Venture Opportunity," I've been…_genuinevc.co Charting the Personal Voice Computing Startup Roadmap - GenuineVC Nithya Thadani — CEO of Rain _Last October, New York-based digital agency Rain worked with Campbell's to find a new way to push out the CPG giant's…_www.adweek.com How This Agency Built Its Own App Using Amazon Echo —I’m an Innovation-Obsessed Founder at Mylestone. Dave Balter On Twitter _Why Voice Assistants may be the answer you’ve been looking for._medium.com “Alexa, How Can I Get Unfair Ecosystem Advantage” — Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Jeremy Liew On Twitter _Games have been a killer app for just about every new platform, from PCs to TVs (via game consoles) to Facebook to…_medium.com Games for Alexa — Co-Founder/CEO Siri & Viv Labs. Dag Kittlaus On Twitter _Why Viv is Joining Forces with Samsung_elevate.samsungnext.com The Path to Intelligence Everywhere — Co-founder of . Jan König HashtagNow On Twitter _Thoughts on Designing Seamless Voice Experiences_medium.com Alexa, Please Send This To My Screen 🚀 - A community helping facilitate connections to; I am working on an experiment - Get a skill made/make skills for people/companies- Find investors active in the field- Intros to other active enthusiasts- Bounce ideas around with others- Advice & mentorship from experienced individuals- Resources and tools to help you build- Discover interesting products and companies 👍 Please tap “♥︎” if you found this useful to help others see it too 👾 This post is also on GitHub and open for suggestions, just submit a pull request 👉 Feel free to follow and reach out on Twitter 🙏 Thanks to everyone who looked at this draft very early on! And perhaps I’ll see you all in the newsletter or 😉 Build Voices Side Note: I have ‘borrowed’ this template from which is an awesome post & newsletter I use to learn about Machine Learning. Thanks The Non-Technical Guide to Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Sam DeBrule 🙌

Ultimate Guide to Voice Assistants

A System… Complex Systems The macrosystems around us (energy, health, food, water) are grand in their scale and interrelated at levels that we are still trying to grasp. Despite our little but growing understanding of complex systems, we know that two things happen when they change: 1. The changes are nonlinear and the effects are oftentimes exponential 2. The changes affect more than the individual system we are studying Agriculture is a system that we know how to deal with since we understand the convergence of its inputs such as seed, land, soil quality, water, human capital etc. In , Donella Meadows calls ‘ . The elements (land, seed, water), interconnections (we plant the seeds, we water the seeds, there is a cycle of death before growth, harvest etc.) and the purpose (to feed people with the harvest) are all clear in agriculture. As we’ve industrialized, i.e. made changes to the complex agricultural system, we’ve seen the effects in the other complex systems like the job market, health (diseases from inorganic foods), weather (droughts) at the same time as we’ve seen the benefits. But we have come to realize the interconnectedness of the agricultural system with everything else we pay attention to. Thinking in Systems: A Primer a system an interconnected set of elements coherently organized in a way that achieves something . . . consisting of three parts: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose The Utility System The utility is on the cusp of change, faster than the industry is prepared for or it has ever had to deal with. The utility that delivers our electricity has always favored stability over agility. This has enabled the utility to provide you and I power in a stable, safe and reliable way. There was a time when we valued that unconditionally. We had a contract, both physical and implied, that the utility would supply us with electricity when we needed it and we would pay for that electricity when we got the bill. The government, through policy and regulation, helped to maintain that contract. Things were fine. But that is changing. The utility now has competition from Tesla, Google and telecom companies. The pace of this change is partly due to ; smart meters, sensors, the (IoT and IIoT) and intelligent machines in our homes and buildings means there is more two-way flow of information. rapid digitization (another complex system that is having non-linear and exponential effects on other complex systems) Internet of Things The utility is also seeing changes due to competition from the construction industry who are bucking convention and constructing buildings in ways that totally remove the need for a utility’s services. A residential example is the (image below), and on the city scale . They are changing the concept of a distant and separate utility provider by incorporating all utility services (water, telecoms and power) as part of the embedded within their buildings.. Kasita home being built by a company in Austin , we have the Songdo Smart city system Model of several modules of the Kasita Home The Home As A Utility SubSystem If the utility system as a whole is digitizing, the evidence of this is even more apparent in how quickly our homes are going through this rapid digitization. This is playing out in the form of the connected home. The connected home is simply a network that enables the operations and interconnections of multiple devices and products in the home. In laymen’s terms, it’s a home that is computerized. It’s a Jetsons home. Traditional classifications of the devices in the home and use cases for connected devices (connected toothbrush anyone?) miss that consumers want just the basic things in their homes. The devices and their interoperability is currently packaged as networking, media, entertainment, energy usage and efficiency etc. What these terms miss is that the consumer does not talk in terms of ‘I want my home networked’. Rather, the average consumer will say ‘Is the home alarm on?’ as they go to bed. It’s the feeling of safety and security in their abode that they desire. The connection is not as important as the home in this equation. Image courtesy of CBInsights. T . We’ve lost that point though. Google Home, Nest Protect, Amazon Echo, Ring, August Lock, Leeo, Sonos, Plum, Sevenhugs, Canary, KamarQ, Sentry, Pwety, Latch, Wigwag, Edyn, Ivee, Rachio, Ecovent, Nanit, There, Beddit etc. The list of products that are vying for space in your connected home grows each day. Some absolutely pointless. Actually, most actually pointless. There is no empathy embedded in these products. Just business models. Note: one of those products up there does not exist. But you wouldn’t have known if I didn’t mention it. There are that many random products in the market today. he connected home is truly, and should really just be, a home that provides safety, comfort and convenience to the homeowner through the use of technology Long Term Systems Thinking If we agree the sum of these individual separated parts never equals the whole, why do we still focus on breaking things down into their component parts to get a better understanding of situations, companies and systems? Because we are focused on the short term. Analysis, which is really reductionism, robs us of our ability to critically think about whole systems. The companies building connected products for the home are missing the whole in pursuit of the ‘one’ thing they have to sell. And it’s further eroding the consumer’s ability to consider the bigger picture, especially with the complex and ambiguous systems that we’ve explored above, since it’s the easy thing to do. The signs suggest we won’t be doing much better in our near-term decision and policy making either. So what’s a possible solution? Big Bang Disruption Larry Downes and Paul Nunes, in their book, suggest that ‘ ’ differ from more traditional innovations not just in degree, but in kind. These disruptions are more inventive, better integrated with other services and products (for example taking a platform instead of a product approach) and that these disruptions take advantage of the customer’s access to more information about the product and their ability to share and contribute to the utilization of that product. This sounds exactly like some of the technologies that will be discussed later in this article and most especially sounds like the current state with Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), which I will not discuss in much detail. The changes caused by the big bang disruption might not be full replacements, as there will still be a need for a generation source, but the disruption might come in the form of engagement with the physical assets — e.g. a user managing their Powerwall electricity usage with the aid of . Big Bang Disruptions Artificial Intelligence and selling excess power through the blockchain How do big bang disruptions happen? They tend to follow a path of 1. : where the work is going on outside of the current constraints, e.g. regulatory, of the incumbents. Unencumbered development by the disruptor 2. : where the traditional product life cycle is shortened. The adoption curve looks different from the traditional early adopter, early majority, late majority to laggard curve. The new adoption path looks more like a straight line which heads up and then drops off once the market is saturated. Unconstrained growth 3. : unlike the stepwise strategic approach of the incumbent, an approach that would normally work, the disruptor tends to take a more undisciplined approach to product development. This enables the disruptor to bypass the more traditional approach of picking one of lower cost, constant innovation or customized offerings and try to implement all three strategies from the launch of their product; a better performing product customized to the customer need and sold at a lower price. This causes strategic confusion for the incumbent, or in our case the utility, who does not know how to respond to this competitive threat. Undisciplined strategy The Antifragile Utility: Recognizing The Disruption. Since the utility is my main focus, and since the work of the utility is now converging with the sustainable built environment movement, how do we get back to the system approach to thinking about the future of this industry? And in particular, directing our utilities and resources a little bit more (shall we say) towards a long-term focus? It’s actually quite simple. It’s by the utilities becoming , or a concept I’m calling it the anti-fragile grid. Like the natural systems it mimics, a sustainable farm is always a polyculture and depends on the synergies between its various components from soil microbes to animals. learning organizations Tesla Model S: A platform, not just a product : The main news about Autonomous EVs is the amount of electricity they’ll consume — . What the pundits miss is the anti-fragile system capacity that comes as a result of many autonomous vehicles operating and gathering data, data that becomes valuable for improving the whole system. This concept is called . In laymen’s terms; every autonomous vehicle that is driving thousands of the miles on the road is gaining knowledge, through machine learning, that improves the collective knowledge of every autonomous vehicle out there. When one autonomous vehicle experiences a shock, say an accident, even though the vehicle might have a little damage, the collective whole (the autonomous vehicle knowledge database) learns and improves. One vehicle, a node in the system, might have failed, but the whole system (adaptive system) has grown stronger from the shock to that node. Now replace the ‘autonomous vehicle’ node in the transport system with a ‘Tesla roadster/Tesla Powerwall/Solarcity panel’ node on an anti-fragile grid. The same antifragility can be achieved, where a shock to one Tesla/Solarcity node does not cause the whole system, or electric grid, to fail. In fact, the whole grid learns from the failure of that node and grows stronger by learning to allocate resources dynamically. Borrowing from the transportation industry (Tesla in particular) 2,701 terawatt-hours, or an 8 percent increase to global annual electricity demand by 2040 swarming Another part of this change should be in the utility’s approach to building capacity. Due to a design flaw in the utility system, the industry currently overbuilds. Generation projections are made years in advance to cater to expected customer demand and a best guesstimate about what utility costs and subsequent customer rates will be for electricity during peak periods in the future. While this is long-term thinking, it takes 5–6 years to plan and build a power plant, missing all the signals required when you are thinking in systems. This is siloed thinking focused on just the business requirements of the utility. Instead, the utility can benefit by that enables all the product providers (that long list at the start of this article) to provide system , while using the utility’s platform. The way the platform works is that, like agriculture, it forces the utility to focus on the purpose of the system; to enable the consumer to live comfortably and safely in their homes using energy. becoming a platform provider flexibility Connected Water Quality product/platform with ‘Clean Water’ As the Purpose (Image: Axis Design) Until there is a clear role for the utility (and whatever it chooses as its product) within this converging new system, consumers will continue to lose. The utility industry is about to get its lunch eaten by the most unexpected of competitors, as it is the nature of big bang disruptions, because of this unwillingness to think well beyond its current fat balance sheet. Heeding this warning and doing something about it now will determine the long term (and even midterm) existence of most of the utilities that we see around us today. Your thoughts? My team and I provide product marketing to energy and tech companies through Harper Jacobs & utility consulting at Asha Labs . And buy 40 Semi-Obvious (Startup) Lessons . Sign up for my Polymathic Monthly Newsletter here , I guarantee you’ll love it. Please tap that heart below if you liked the article. It helps other people see the story, and it helps me know you’d like to see me write more (we all need some validation :)).

Convergence of Systems: Utilities, The Built Space and Transportation.

HackerNoon editorial team has launched to celebrate their achievements and share their struggles. We need more women in technology, and by sharing stories, we can encourage many girls to follow their dreams. ! this interview series with women in tech Share your story today Anastasiia Moskovchenko is an expert in product management with extensive experience in corporations and startups. Anastasia has been a mentor and held over 100 lectures about product management. She is also an owner of the community that aims to help women succeed in IT. We asked Anastasiia about her career and experience in such companies as VK and Yandex, product management, the path towards winning success while being a single woman in the team, mentoring, life outside of work, and how hobbies help you grow professionally. How Did You Start Your IT Career? I graduated from the computational mathematics and cybernetics faculty at one of the best universities in the CIS region. Pursuing a tech career was kind of a logical step. After graduation, I joined one of the major IT companies in Russia and supported their IT management school. I participated in the selection process, helped students with tasks and projects, and discussed their next steps. After that, I started to be a mentor and a lecturer for IT professionals. Back then, I prepared more than 100 lessons and graduated around 700 students who successfully passed their interviews and got job offers from top IT companies. What trends in IT do you follow? What in the industry are you most interested in today? I have 2 topics I am passionate about right now. The first is the creator economy and user-generated content. Today, it’s important to know trends in social networks and blogging platforms, both from the author’s and user’s perspectives. And, besides, part of my professional experience was exactly about social media platforms. My second passion is AI. If you are working in product management and IT, you have to know what’s going on in AI. Not because it’s a buzzword, but because these new tools might significantly help you with your tasks. I use a variety of such tools. One example is which disrupts the field of data search. You ask the question, and you get an exact answer and a variety of sources of this information. Perplexity Besides, I am a fan of This is an AI communication coach that tracks your speech during Zoom calls, analyzes voice confidence, eye movement, and such, and provides you with recommendations on how you can improve. Poised. Some of these tools change the game completely, so I do think it’s important to monitor AI and constantly think about how you can improve your work processes with it. Tell us about your hobbies outside of technology. How do they help you in your work? I’ve been dancing professionally since I was 3 years old. Once, I was even on the national hip-hop team and participated in European and World Championships. This hobby impacted my life a lot, and my career too, I think. While working in an IT corporation, I was invited to join a fancy team of the winners of the World Hip-Hop Championship “World of Dance'' in Las Vegas. I used to spend all my time after work and on weekends working out with them. It mastered my stress management - you just can't worry about work stuff all the time because your attention is instantly switched. It also gives you an extra backbone. If something doesn't work out at work, but you have successes in other areas that you love, it's much easier to cope with stress. Two years ago, I decided to take acting classes. There, we did many practices on understanding other people, empathy, communication, and even cognitive skills. It turned out to be an outstanding and very transformative experience. I learned how to create more trusting relationships at work. Besides that, it gave me extra creativity. Back then, I was working at FunCorp, and I was in charge of managing push notifications. I generated an incredible amount of creative ideas. Once, I initiated the testing of a very bold idea with quite daring and even sexualized content. As a result, we grew the CTA by 2 times - not only the colleagues liked my idea, but also our users. Women face various challenges within their careers: glass ceiling, sexism, etc. Have you ever faced such phenomena? In my six years in IT, I've consistently been the only woman in my team and never had a female supervisor. Sometimes, male colleagues might underestimate a female's skills and knowledge, and that is what happened to me. This is a big issue if you are one who should guide and manage the developer’s work. Once, the developers' team intentionally gave me wrong time estimates. In such cases, you have nothing else to do but prove your professionalism. To address this, I demonstrated completing the task in two hours, which earned their respect as a leader. Beyond skill-based challenges, I've faced resistance to my extracurricular activities, like dancing and public speaking. However, it's important to recognize that there will always be detractors, regardless of gender. To overcome these situations, I would advise two strategies. First, show your colleagues that you are one of them - demonstrate your skills and knowledge, common interests or background, and win their respect. Secondly, build relationships a level above with those who are mostly interested in the outcome, and not in the relationships. Being the only female in a team is challenging, but by consistently proving your professionalism, you can be recognized first and foremost for your expertise. Tell us about the most significant projects you’ve worked on? In my career, I've led several pivotal projects, but the most notable was the transformation of the short-form video format for Dzen (one of the major Russian social media platforms). We tackled the challenge of skewed interaction data from oversized clip cards by transitioning to a user-friendly, full-screen vertical video format, and innovatively using machine learning to refine content recommendations, significantly enhancing both user engagement and satisfaction. The User-Generated Content (UCG) platforms are quite hard to work with, as a minor change leads you to reputational losses if users don’t appreciate it. We did about 150 experiments to increase user engagement authentically. The result was extraordinary: a fourfold increase in daily active users (DAU) and time spent in four months. It is important to focus not only on current metrics, but also to see the big picture, to understand how each decision and change will affect the quality of user interaction with your product. Another major milestone was at Yandex. Back then, inside a huge corporation, my team and I created a project that later gave birth to a whole new unit. Amid the onset of COVID-19, our primary focus was on monetizing Yandex Maps. There was a clear need to react to ongoing changes in the world and do something helpful. We came up with the idea of a medication delivery from local pharmacies that would be directly integrated into our maps. In just two months, we engaged around 30,000 pharmacies! Then, we started to create supporting solutions for other small businesses that were also harmed by the pandemic. So, the project began to turn into a separate department within Yandex, focusing on special services for entrepreneurs. What do you think about the gender gap in the IT industry? How is it possible to overcome it? Back in my university years, I was one of a few girls at the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics. One day, I got a free invitation to a large conference on marketing and product management. It turned out that was the way to increase the male audience’ engagement. Of course, today, we are not there anymore - we can see more female public speakers, product managers, and developers at such events. But that’s still far from ideal; I wish we could see more girls in tech. Right now in IT, only a third of the product managers are women. It's great that there are programs for us like Women in Tech, but it's even better if these systems work within companies. Tell me about people in IT or industries that inspire you? I'm always driven by stories when the people working on a product are users of this product themselves and make decisions based on their own experience. This always leads to awesome results. For example, I'm really hooked by the story of the UX lead at YouTube Create - Cielo de la Paz. She is a photographer and used to do specifically mobile photography. In 2015, her work was noticed by Apple, and they used it widely for the promo campaign of the iPhone camera. Then, she created a course on creating content with your phone and was invited to teach it at Stanford. One of YouTube's product directors was studying there at the time. Her expertise impressed him so much that after completing the course, she was invited to become a lead of UX design for YouTube Create. Cielo is not an IT expert, but she is a professional in her field with 10 years of experience. At the same time, while working on the editor, she studied 2 thousand users to understand what problems other content creators face when shooting for YouTube. Now, the company is launching a new AI-powered editor under her leadership. When people aren't just improving products, but they are really that passionate about their field, you get real breakthroughs. And that is why I strive to do things that inspire me. Give advice to girls who are starting in this field? The first thing is to do what you are passionate about. Even if you are just starting your IT journey, but you are very interested in a particular industry, you should go there. In certain cases, your keen interest may be more important to a company than having a solid background. If there is no passion for a particular field yet, I suggest starting to get to know the different communities within IT. Follow different opinion leaders, read the comments under their posts, and get to know their networks to understand who these people are, how they live, etc. Different industries in IT have completely different cultures and vibes. That's why it's important to understand what suits you and what doesn't from the very beginning.

I’ve Always Been the Only Female in the Team: An Interview With Anastasiia Moskovchenko

The Unlikely Founder's Journey I never imagined I'd become a startup founder. In fact, I've always explicitly told everyone that I shouldn't be one. That I'm not to be trusted with building a business in any way, especially not one of my own. Yet, here I am, a bit more than a year later – doing exactly that. So, how did this dramatic shift happen? Heartbroken by a Startup Since turning 25, I realized my life's ambition was to make a positive difference in the world. Joining a cancer care startup seemed the perfect choice—what more could I want? But as I quickly learned, shiny promises and noble missions don't always pan out in the startup world. It's brutal to watch something you've poured your heart into fall apart, especially when you're powerless to stop it. After that painful experience, I decided if I ever joined another early-stage startup, I'd only do it as a co-founder. No more suffering from someone else's decisions and vetoes. A Disappointing Job Market Knowing what you want to do is a double-edged sword. After working on something you're passionate about, everything else feels lackluster. As I was preparing to move permanently back to London and browsed job boards, the market seemed full of uninspiring options. The few roles that did interest me in the real impact space were poorly paid. I realized if I wanted to break the glass ceiling while doing something I love, I needed to think outside the box. Realizing I Had Nothing to Lose I was on the verge of quitting my job anyway, with no significant promotions or hefty benefits packages on the horizon. With no family to support or mortgage to pay, my late twenties seemed like the last few years I'd have this freedom. It was now or never. Although I didn't have substantial savings to invest, I figured this would push me to work harder and be more creative. I had to generate or raise money from scratch—a daunting yet exciting challenge. Ensuring Real Impact It's crucial for me that my work makes the intended difference. With my own startup, I hold the reins. My mission is the highest priority, followed by making a sustainable income. I'm not letting anyone get in the way of that. Currently, we're in a position to choose our stakeholders and investors to ensure everything aligns with our mission. Embracing the Experiment I'm well aware that over 90% of startups fail. But that's okay. Worst case, I return to employment. However, a few months in, and I feel if this doesn't work, I'll just try again. And maybe again after that. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be sharing these stories from my yacht. Embarking on this path was never in my plan, yet here I am, learning and growing every day. So far, it's been a journey filled with unexpected turns, and I'm eager to see where it leads. I hope you'll join me as I continue to navigate the unpredictable world of startups. Welcome to my unexpected founder's story! Stay tuned for my upcoming articles to learn how I found my co-founder, how we're bootstrapping our first product part-time and at almost no cost, and what it's like to be raising for an impact venture. Oh, and follow my for more frequent updates and reflections. LinkedIn

How I've Freaked Out and Decided to Build a Startup of My Own

In a groundbreaking collaboration, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is set to revolutionize credentialing in India through the implementation of the Avalanche blockchain. This move is particularly significant for the nation, which boasts the second-largest IEEE membership base outside the United States, with over 75,000 members actively contributing to the technological landscape. Empowering India's Tech Leaders: IEEE's Blockchain Credentialing IEEE, a global technology leader, will deploy the Avalanche to issue tamper-evident certificates, ensuring the verification process becomes tamper-proof, instant, and secure. For the thriving tech community in India, this heralds a new era where IEEE credentials will be digitally secure and easily verifiable, setting the stage for accelerated career growth and recognition. blockchain IEEE and Zupple Labs: Pioneering the Blockchain Credentialing Landscape This forward-looking initiative is made possible through a partnership between IEEE and Zupple Labs. The collaboration utilizes LegitDoc, a blockchain-based credential lifecycle management system developed by Zupple Labs, to facilitate the issuance of blockchain certificates. Neil Martis, co-founder of Zupple Labs, shared insights into the growing willingness of the Indian public sector to embrace full-fledged blockchain projects, marking a shift from pilot projects over the past 12 months. Avalanche Blockchain: A Catalyst for Change Avalanche's C-Chain emerges as the primary settlement layer for IEEE's certificate issuance, driven by its compatibility with the . Devika Mittal, Head of Avalanche's India arm, underlines the simplicity Avalanche's EVM compatibility brings to the deployment of widely used applications, including credential registries and identity management. With top institutions like SK Planet and JP Morgan Onyx endorsing Avalanche, the platform becomes the preferred choice for organizations seeking a secure and efficient blockchain solution. Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Future-Ready Credentials: Web3 Participation Encouraged The IEEE-Zupple Labs partnership is poised to issue hundreds of thousands of tamper-proof credentials specifically tailored for India's dynamic engineering community. This announcement not only signifies a pivotal moment in education credentialing but also sets a powerful precedent for broader Web3 participation. While instances of fraudulent degrees and certifications persist globally, India has faced its fair share of challenges in this regard. For example, in a series of at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), four cases of forged degree certificates and mark lists have surfaced since 2020, exposing vulnerabilities in the university's admission and employment verification processes. Notably, three B.Tech students from the School of Engineering, having failed to clear the final year exam, resorted to creating fake certificates to secure employment. disconcerting incidents Their employers only discovered the fraudulent acts when doubts arose about the authenticity of the submitted degree certificates. These cases not only highlight the challenges universities face in ensuring the integrity of their certification processes but also emphasize the pressing need for a more secure and foolproof system, such as blockchain technology, to prevent the proliferation of forged credentials. As educational institutions grapple with the complexities of verification, the adoption of advanced technologies becomes imperative to safeguard the credibility of academic achievements. In the context of India, where trust in educational credentials is crucial, the implementation of blockchain technology ensures immutability, longevity, and security. It addresses the pain points of a system where fraudulent credentials have been a challenge. Unlocking Educational Potential: The Significance of Blockchain in India The adoption of blockchain in education is a transformative step, aligning perfectly with India's commitment to digital advancement. In a country where education is a cornerstone of societal progress, blockchain introduces a layer of trust and transparency. It guarantees that educational credentials are not only authentic but also resistant to tampering, a crucial aspect in combating credential fraud. As we witness IEEE's endorsement of the Avalanche blockchain for education credentialing, the importance of this implementation cannot be overstated. It not only streamlines and secures the credentialing process but also actively contributes to India's vision of becoming a digital-first nation. In embracing blockchain, India takes a giant leap towards fostering a future-ready, tech-savvy workforce, and IEEE's pioneering initiative is at the forefront of this educational revolution. The future is here: digitally secure, IEEE-certified, and powered by Avalanche blockchain. Don’t forget to like and share the story!

Navigating the Future: IEEE Adopts Avalanche Blockchain for Secure Credentialing in India

Hello everyone! My name is Alex Cloudstar, and I've been to over 500 interviews, and let me tell you, it's been quite a journey. Okay, maybe not exactly 500; I obviously didn't count them, but there could actually be more. Whether you're a fresh graduate seeking your first job or an experienced professional looking for a change, the interview process can be intimidating and exhausting. Over the years, I've learned some valuable lessons that can help you ace your interviews and increase your chances of landing that dream job. Here are some tips I've gathered from my extensive experience that could make a significant difference in your next interview: Show Your Passion with Personal Projects: One of the most crucial aspects of a successful interview is demonstrating your passion for the role and the industry. Employers want to see that you're not just interested in the job; you're genuinely enthusiastic about it. A great way to convey your passion is by sharing your personal projects or side hustles. These projects not only showcase your skills but also demonstrate your commitment to your field. If you know me, you probably know that I'm not a fan of CVs, so I usually share my GitHub for this matter. Research the Company: Before you even step into the interview room (or log onto that video call), do your homework. Learn about the company's history, values, culture, recent achievements, and any industry-specific trends. Show that you've taken the time to understand what they do and how you can contribute to their success. When you can speak to your knowledge of the company, it demonstrates your genuine interest in the role. Or at least know the company's name; learn from my past mistakes, haha. Prepare for Technical Questions: If your role involves technical aspects, be sure to brush up on your skills and knowledge. Search online for potential technical questions that might come up during the interview. This preparation will not only boost your confidence but also help you answer with precision and clarity. You don't want to be caught off guard when asked about something fundamental to the job. Also, you can search a fun fact to share about your preferred language, why not. Ask Questions: Interviews should be a two-way street. Remember that you're also evaluating whether the company is the right fit for you. Ask thoughtful questions about the role, the team, the company's vision, and the challenges they face. Engaging in a genuine discussion rather than a one-sided monologue shows your interest and helps build a connection with the interviewer. If it feels right, don't be afraid to make a small joke. Maybe the person interviewing you had a tough day and will appreciate it. Remember, only if it feels right. But here's a vital piece of advice: don't ignore red flags. If the job description is vague or inconsistent, take heed. Negative company reviews on platforms like Glassdoor can reveal concerning patterns. Unrealistic expectations, poor communication, high turnover, or subpar compensation should be red flags. I ignored some in the past, and it wasn't nice. Interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially when you've been to as many as I have. However, each interview is an opportunity to grow and learn. By following these tips and drawing from my experience, you can increase your chances of not just acing the interview but also finding a job that truly aligns with your interests and goals. So go ahead and put these strategies into practice, and remember, each interview is a step closer to your dream job. See ya next week with more valuable info! Also published . here

Everything I've Learned by Interviewing at Hundreds of Companies

1983 Career Day Long ago (in 1983) I stood in front of this huge line printer (shown below) outside the closed door at the end of a hallway in my high school. It was Career Day and I’d selected Data Processing (Computer Programming) as a career I wanted to know more about. Teacher Has No Clue Before we stood in front of that printer at the end of the hallway, we had all sat in a classroom and listened to a teacher who explained what Data Processing was. As the teacher blathered on and waved his hands, it was completely obvious to all of us that he had no clue what Data Processing was. Math, Of Course The one thing the teacher was stuck on though, was the connection between Math and Computers. “You have to be very strong in math to do a career in Data Processing,” the teacher said.  “If you are not good at math then you have no chance with computers.” I slumped down in my chair.  I already knew I was terrible at math.  “They” had told me. Teacher, Out of Ideas, Leads Us To Data Processing Room At the end of the 30-minute lecture, the teacher walked us over to the high school’s Data Processing room.  Finally, I would see people sitting at computers and actually doing programming. I’d get a glimpse of their computer monitors and see what a Programmer actually does.  No. As we stood in front of the huge printer the teacher said, “The programmers put this printer out here so they don’t have to hear it all day.  It’s loud.” Someone in the group pointed at the closed door and asked, “Well, can we go in and see what they do?” 1980s Programmers Need Silence The teacher shook his head and said, “Well, we can’t bother the Computer Department so we can’t go in.  They need a lot of quiet to do their work.  But here is the printer that they use.” So that was it.  I looked at the giant printer for a moment longer and frowned. Totally Killed Computer Programming For Me As I stared at the giant silent monster (it wasn’t even printing at the time, so boring) I thought, “Ugh! Well, this kills the idea of Computer Programming for me.  I’m bad at math and Data Processing seems totally boring.” Fast Forward to 2023 Here in 2023, I have worked in IT (Information Technology) for 32 years (still working) and I’ve been a Software Developer since 1999 (over 23 years).  I’ve stayed employed continuously in IT since 1991.  It’s kind of a big deal because I’ve been able to support my family with something that the high school teacher assured me I’d never be able to have success in. It’s Not About Math, It’s About Learning That teacher so long ago was off base about math being so important.  Math can be helpful in becoming a programmer.  But, it isn’t absolutely necessary.  It’s too bad he didn’t know what a person really needs to be a good (or great Software Developer). What Happened to Me Between 1983 & 1991? I gave up on the idea of ever becoming a Computer Programmer but I started to play with computers. Coleco Adam My first computer was a which I got in 1984.  The Coleco Adam was built by the same company that created the Colecovision game system (used the same cartridges for games).  The Adam had a built-in Word Processor and a BASIC programming language that you could load from a high-speed cassette. Coleco Adam (wikipedia) Image By . Andrew Lih Tried BASIC Programming I would faithfully type in programs from listings in Family Computing magazine but invariably I would type something wrong or there would be something printed wrong in the magazine and the programs never worked. This seemed to confirm what the teacher had told me, “You’ll never be a computer programmer because you don’t know math.” Amazingly enough, one of the original programs I tried to type in has actually been archived by Archive.org at the following link (this is the actual Family Computing ). magazine I read back in 1984 Here’s a snapshot of the code that I actually tried to type in: TRS-80 - Tandy Radio Shack model 80 Then the next year (1985) I took a programming class in my senior year of high school and learned some BASIC on the TRS-80.  I remember copying some other students’ code for the final project so I’m not sure I learned or understood much. 1986 Commodore 128 Finally, in 1986, I bought a Commodore 128 at a local department store and I started playing games on it.  I had to learn how to load games and back then you had to read manuals to learn things. Along the Way, What Happened? But along the way, the thing that happened is that I noticed that I started having a really good memory for all the commands I was using.  I was just having fun and playing games so I didn’t think much of it. Play Is A Solid Path to Understanding As I continued to play with computers I began gaining a much better understanding and began to feel comfortable with them.  I wasn’t thinking about what the teacher had said and I wasn’t worrying about my lack of math skills.  I was learning but I didn’t even really know it. Then, Desperation For Income Then around 1989 or so, after trying various college courses and having no real success I finally took a few computer classes and noticed that the things I was learning were making sense. But I also needed to make some income so I took a job in the Community College’s Computer Lab and I started helping people who didn’t know how to get a word processor started or how to save their files to a floppy disk. Two Years of Community College Was Enough I took two classes on COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) and it was meh!  Really boring.  I was about to graduate with an Associate degree in Applied Science Computer Info Systems but I was burned out so I stopped before finishing just three classes. I still haven’t finished the three classes: COBOL III Management 205 Computers In Business CIS 112 I went to work for a local computer shop.  We built and sold IBM-compatible PCs (386s & 468 Intel processors were out and they were running Windows 3.0). 1992 Tech Support In 1992 I took a job doing technical support for a specific software package at a large Corporation.  That was the real start of my career because something happened.  I noticed that all my skills came together.   I also started concentrating on writing little programs that would run on Windows.  I began learning C++ Programming. Stopped Thinking About Math Requirement, Started Writing Software So, instead of worrying about what that teacher had said in the past, I began focusing on producing something.  I worked on things that I enjoyed and again it was like “playing”. My job required that I understood how to get people set up on DOS ( in the config.sys file) so I was learning how PCs worked along the way. configuring himem.sys Gatekeepers Were Real Of course, all along the way, there were gatekeepers.  As I began writing programs, the developers I worked along side would often make fun of my lack of knowledge and poke holes the programs I wrote, reminding me that I had much to learn and that it would be unlikely that I would ever be a Programmer. Why Am I Mentioning All Of This? It may sound like I’m whining or opining about a sad difficult life, but I’m not. Or, it may sound like I’m bragging about what I’ve done.  It’s really not that.  It’s actually that I’m amazed that even though I had zero skills I have been able to build a career in Computing. I’m attempting to reveal three things in the article: Three Main Points of This Article I started out with no skills and was considered something less-than-zero in the industry. I’ve supported myself & my family with my work in IT (mostly developing software) for over 30 years now, in spite of having questionable computer skills and no University degree. If I was able to do it (and am still doing it) then you can too However, I’ve noticed that there are a couple of things that will help you succeed along the way. The first one cannot be given to you by any person or University.  But it doesn’t mean you don’t have it. What A Person Really Needs Fortunately, as I crawled my way into (and through) the IT World, I stumbled upon things that helped me the most. If You’re Starting Out & Feeling Discouraged Maybe I can reveal a few of these things and they’ll help you continue on your path if you are starting out and feel discouraged. What I’ve Learned About Software Development & Learning Over the years I discovered a few things that have helped me stay in the IT World (without burning out).  These things have helped me move forward even though I have very little formal training (no University degree). First Thing, Be Interested The first thing you need to know is: Passion For the Subject Will Carry You Through Difficulties Learning anything is difficult and learning a programming language or technology can be extremely difficult. Learning new technologies and languages can make you feel overwhelmed and powerless at the end of each day.  You may feel like you never have success as you struggle with getting a program or functionality working. But, the important thing to ask yourself is, “Do I really like to do this?  Do I really like the challenge of figuring things out?” If you honestly do, then even if you’re stuck and feel like you’ll never understand it, then you’ll get through. I’m Not Saying You Have to Be In Love With Every Part of Technology Please understand that I’m not saying that you have to be head over heels in love with everything you do.  There are programming languages I’ve had to use in the past that I loathe (PERL, hate it!).  There are ways to get through the parts you don’t like. Feeling Stupid Is Not Easy Sometimes when we are overwhelmed by technology (or anything that we don’t understand) it is actually because the technology makes us feel stupid. Normal people don’t say what I just said out loud so let me say it again. Technology often makes us feel stupid.  We begin to question ourselves, our knowledge, and even our lives.  “What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I understand this?  I must be stupid.” I’ve Lived Most Of My IT Life Feeling Stupid The IT Industry is constantly changing and so at times we are all thrown into situations where we don’t have knowledge of the things we are working with.  This is a lack of knowledge. Lack of Knowledge Feels Like a Weakness This feels like a weakness.  We are working from an unknown place in an unknown technology and it’s hard to get our feet under ourselves.  The IT Industry shifts so often and so quickly that we are often working from a place of weakness. Understand That Many People Feel This Way (But Won’t Voice It) Many people in the IT Industry feel this way but they will not say it out loud, because they feel like exposing this apparent weakness could cause them to lose their reputation or even their job. Give Yourself the Freedom Of Not Knowing You have to give yourself the freedom of not knowing things while still feeling like a valid person.  You do not have to know everything and knowing everything is impossible anyways. To Stay Passionate About The Subject: Do What You Want All this learning can become extremely overwhelming and drive us into feeling terribly weak.  The weakness often turns into malaise as you become bored with the subject.  Your brain rebels and says, “We don’t need to learn this garbage.  I don’t even like learning this stuff.” All you have to do in that moment is: Build The Thing You Want If you’ll concentrate on building the thing that you want then you’ll get some energy and it’ll carry you through the difficult parts. If you can’t quite build the thing you want, then find an example that does something close and get it working and concentrate on changing that example into what you want. Breaking Out of Tutorial Malaise You’ve got to do your own thing so you feel empowered by controlling your own destiny. Instead of concentrating on only what you’re learning (which is often quite boring) switch your concentration to how you’ll use the technology to get what you want.  It’ll energize you and you’ll break out of the Tutorial Malaise. If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed If you’re feeling overwhelmed and feeling like quitting: Take a moment and remove the pressure, we only learn one thing at a time, one day at a time : you’ll get through this Let yourself be comfortable with not knowing.  Even though the IT Industry is so crazy about knowledge it’s okay to not know things.  If you really need to know them, then you’ll learn them with time.  It takes time and that’s okay. Build Things that are exciting to you.  Build the smallest little thing (a script or a command-line program or a few lines of code that does something you like) that makes you feel good.  Remind yourself of why you got into programming and what you actually like about it. Keep Going if You’d Like to Learn About the Software I’ve Developed FOSS (Fully Open Source Software) I release all my software to Open Source and you can check out all my projects at . my GitHub You can check out the source, pull it down and make alterations. Specific Projects You May Like Password Generator / Manager - This does not store your password anywhere, but instead generates it every time.  Never makeup, memorize, or type a password again! => Link to app https://cyapass.com/js/cya.htm (ElectronJS runs natively on (Linux, Mac, Windows) => Link to source code https://github.com/raddevus/CYaPass-Electron : See the app in the Windows Store https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/cyapass/9PFD82D1Z7RW?hl=en-us&gl=us (for Linux distros) : See the app in the Snap IO store https://snapcraft.io/cyapass ( ) Read in-depth article about how it works at linkedIn Destroy All Passwords: Never Memorize A Password Again Core Competencies Tracker: A way to quickly track work accomplishments so you’re ready for your Annual Review. => Link to app https://newlibre.com/coreco/ => Link to source https://github.com/raddevus/CoreCoDoc MojiWriter - Emoji panel allows you to quickly and easily copy one or many emojis into your notes.  Also allows you to add custom emojis Link to app => https://newlibre.com/mojiwriter/ Link to source => https://github.com/raddevus/mojiWriter

IVEE

goivee.com

-- employees

Since n.d.

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IVEE

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IVEE

goivee.com

-- employees

Since n.d.

COMPANY RANKING

IVEE

EVERGREEN INDEX #6146

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