Jackett

Image via highsnobiety.com Designed for functionality Vollebak is at the forefront of luxury techwear this year. Their line of 100-Year Gear has caught the attention of many for their esteemed claims. It’s supposedly able to last over 100 years in even the harshest weather while providing breathability, durability, and practicality. The jacket that does it all has become a staple company for those living a minimalist lifestyle. Minimalists share the same attitude about shopping with Vollebak, investing in quality and useful pieces. Minimalism The minimalist lifestyle has become adopted by many to promote mental well-being. It is believed that in the absence of unnecessary material goods, we are able to focus on the more important things in life such as relationships, careers and hobbies. This lifestyle is defined by as “a tool to eliminate life’s excess, focus on the essentials, and find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom”. Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus The concept of minimalism is a  westernized version of and beliefs regarding living in moderation. Jainist Buddhist Does minimalism=sustainability? Though they are not interchangeable, many of their philosophies go hand in hand. The main pillars of sustainability include maintaining environmental health, under-consumption, and societal equity with accessibility for all. Minimalism preaches minimizing consumption, which can be extended to the sustainable practice of under-consumption. They differ in that a minimalist lifestyle is focused on the individual rather than the collective, with the primary motivator being financial freedom and mental wellbeing. Sustainability has the primary goal of restoring the earth’s biosphere by moving towards renewable systems. Image via the Guardian Capsule Wardrobes Capsule wardrobes are a collection of your daily essentials. They prioritize functionality and quality over everything, to create a timeless closet. Minimalists build a closet with the intention to always be wearing an outfit they love. On paper the idea of a capsule wardrobe makes sense, you don’t fall victim to impulse buys or short-lived trends. Extracting yourself from the consumer lifestyle entirely can save you lots of time, stress and money. Though for some, a capsule wardrobe can eliminate the creativity we have with our outfits every morning. The commitment of a capsule wardrobe is scary. A beloved closet being replaced with the same 7 black t-shirts and 7 jeans sounds like a nightmare for us fashion lovers. Perhaps there is a sweet spot somewhere between minimalism and hoarding that is a good compromise on all spectrums. Image via milled.com Closet Essentials For many minimalists, techwear companies like Vollebak have become essential. Their mission of having absurdly high quality and innovative garments has sparked interest in many. The 100-Year Jacket is designed to withstand extraordinary tough terrain. It provides water resistance for up to 43,000mm of rain, which is much more than we will see in our lifetimes. Practicality Though this jacket is tough it’s still a practical and breathable option. It has an excessive amount of pockets and durable zippers designed to last many journeys. The fabric itself has a minimum lifespan of 100 years. The c_change® component of the material mimics the structure of flowers to respond to its environment and open/close at any given temperature. The membrane of the material opens up like a vent in the presence of heat allowing sweat and heat to escape the body. In cooler temperatures, those vents contract to provide heat insulation for the body. Vollebak has put lots of experimentation and research into making this jacket a worthwhile investment. Image via piffypuffy.tumblr.com Investing in your Closet This jacket will become an investment that you pass on to future generations as it outlives you. Minimalist or not, we should all be investing in our staple pieces. Trying to look at your “cost per wear” may put it into perspective for you. A high-end blouse that you have worn 200 times over and kept for years could have the same cost per wear as a forgotten t-shirt you picked up off a sale rack. So sometimes the expensive item is a better option. The 100-Year Jacket is $895, which may seem frightening at first. But when considering yourself and possibly your kids will be wearing this jacket for the intended 100 years, it’s actually a sweet deal. And yes, it’s a hefty investment, but at least there is free shipping.

This 100-Year Jacket Can Outlive its Owner

The Genies Tool Kit: Everything You Need to Know

জিনিস টুল কিট: আপনার যা জানা দরকার

Das Genies-Toolkit: Alles, was Sie wissen müssen

El kit de herramientas Genies: todo lo que necesitas saber

La trousse à outils Genies : tout ce que vous devez savoir

जिनी टूल किट: वह सब कुछ जो आपको जानना चाहिए

Genies ツールキット: 知っておくべきことすべて

Genies 도구 키트: 알아야 할 모든 것

O kit de ferramentas Genies: tudo o que você precisa saber

Набор инструментов Genies: все, что вам нужно знать

Genies Araç Seti: Bilmeniz Gereken Her Şey

Bộ công cụ Genies: Mọi thứ bạn cần biết

精灵工具包：你需要知道的一切

Much has been said lately about the wonders of Large Language Models (LLMs). Most of these accolades are deserved. Ask ChatGPT to describe the General Theory of Relativity and you will get a very good (and accurate) answer. However, at the end of the day ChatGPT is still a computer program (as are all other LLMs) that is blindly executing its instruction set. It understands the General Theory of Relativity no better than your favorite pet. Unfortunately, we use “human-like” words to describe the techniques engineers use to create them - for example, “machine learning” and “training.” This is misleading because an LLM does not have a mind like a human. There is a certain irony here - how can a non-thinking chatbot correctly summarize the findings of the smartest man to ever live? To understand this contradictory nature of LLMs, let’s explore them further in terms of Strengths, Weaknesses, and Dangers to see how we can use data, and a storage solution like MinIO, to exploit the first and mitigate the other two. These are techniques that every engineer should have in the back of their minds as they train, test and deploy LLMs for their organization. The Strength The strength of LLMs is that they are trained to understand the probability distribution of words in the training set used to create them. If the training set is sufficiently large (i.e. a corpus of Wikipedia articles or public code on GitHub), then the models will have a vocabulary and a corresponding probability distribution that will make their results appear as if they have a real-world understanding of the text they output. Let’s examine another example in more detail - this time from Philosophy. Ask ChatGPT the question, "What does ‘cogito, ergo sum’ mean and who wrote it?" and you will get something similar to the text below. "Cogito, ergo sum" is a Latin philosophical proposition that translates to "I think, therefore I am" in English. This statement is famously associated with René Descartes, a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Descartes expressed this idea in his work "Discourse on the Method," published in 1637. The phrase reflects Descartes' attempt to establish a foundational truth that cannot be doubted—the certainty of one's own existence as a thinking being. LLMs produce results like this using probability distributions. It works something like this, they start by looking at the text in the question and determine that the word “Cogito” has the highest probability of being the first word of the answer. From there, they look at the question and the first word of the answer to determine the word that has the highest probability of being next. This goes on and on until a special “end of answer” character is determined to be of the highest probability. This ability to generate a natural language response based on billions of probabilities is not something to be feared - rather, it is something that should be exploited for business value. The results get even better when you use modern techniques. For example, using techniques like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and Fine-tuning, you can teach an LLM about your specific business. Achieving these human-like results will require data and your infrastructure will need a strong data storage solution. Not only can these next-token prediction capabilities be used to generate great text for your chatbot or marketing copy, but they can also be used to enable automated decision-making within your application. Given cleverly constructed prompts that contain a problem statement and information about APIs (“functions”) that can be called, an LLM’s understanding of language will enable it to generate an answer that explains what “function” should be called. For example, on a conversational weather app, a user could ask, “Do I need a rain jacket if I’m going to Fenway Park tonight?” With some clever prompting, an LLM could extract the location data from the query (Boston, MA) and can determine how a request to the Weather.com Precipitation API could be formulated. For a long time, the hardest part about building software was the interfacing between natural language and syntactic systems such as API calls. Now, ironically, that might be one of the simplest parts. Similar to text generation, the quality and reliability of LLM function-calling behavior can be aided with the use of fine-tuning and reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF). Now that we understand what LLMs are good at and why, let’s investigate what LLMs cannot do. The Weakness LLMs cannot think, understand or reason. This is the fundamental limitation of LLMs. Language models lack the ability to reason about a user's question. They are probability machines that produce a really good guess to a user’s question. No matter how good of a guess something is, it is still a guess and whatever creates these guesses will eventually produce something that is not true. In generative AI, this is known as a “Hallucination.” When trained correctly, hallucinations can be kept to a minimum. Fine-tuning and RAG also greatly cut down on hallucinations. The bottom line - to train a model correctly, fine-tune it and give it relevant context (RAG) requires data and the infrastructure to store it at scale and serve it in a performant manner. Let’s look at one more aspect of LLMs, which I’ll classify as a danger because it impacts our ability to test them. The Danger The most popular use of LLMs is Generative AI. Generative AI does not produce a specific answer that can be compared to a known result. This is in contrast to other AI use cases, which make a specific prediction that can be easily tested. It is straightforward to test models for image detection, categorization and regression. But how do you test LLMs used for generative AI in a way that is impartial, fact-faithful and scalable? How can you be sure that the complex answers LLMs generate are correct if you are not an expert yourself? Even if you are an expert, human reviewers can not be a part of the automated testing that occurs in a CI/CD pipeline. There are a few benchmarks in the industry that can help. GLUE (General Language Understanding Evaluation) is used to evaluate and measure the performance of LLMs. It consists of a set of tasks that assess the ability of models to process human language. SuperGLUE is an extension of the GLUE benchmark that introduces more challenging language tasks. These tasks involve coreference resolution, question answering and more complex linguistic phenomena. While the benchmarks above are helpful, a big part of the solution should be your own data collection. Consider logging all questions and answers and creating your own tests based on custom findings. This will also require a data infrastructure built to scale and perform. Conclusion There you have it. The strengths, weaknesses, and dangers of LLMs. If you want to exploit the first and mitigate the other two, then you will need data and a storage solution that can handle lots of it.

Analyzing the Pros, Cons, and Risks of LLMs

এলএলএম-এর সুবিধা, অসুবিধা এবং ঝুঁকি বিশ্লেষণ করা

Analyse der Vor-, Nachteile und Risiken von LLMs

Análisis de los pros, los contras y los riesgos de los LLM

Analyser les avantages, les inconvénients et les risques des LLM

एलएलएम के पेशेवरों, विपक्षों और जोखिमों का विश्लेषण

LLM の長所、短所、リスクの分析

LLM의 장단점 및 위험 분석

Analisando os prós, contras e riscos dos LLMs

Анализ плюсов, минусов и рисков LLM

Yüksek Lisans'ın Artılarını, Eksilerini ve Risklerini Analiz Etmek

Phân tích ưu, nhược điểm và rủi ro của LLM

分析法学硕士的优点、缺点和风险

Following its breakout year in 2023, generative AI (genAI) is finding increasing applications across various industries, including fashion. However, while this is a significant technology, it's only one aspect of the changes happening in the field. Some innovations may not appear on the catwalks or make headlines but could be essential during mountain expeditions or camping trips. I spoke with Vladislav Moroz, the founder of - a brand of equipment and apparel for extreme sports and outdoor activities - who revealed the products and innovations that keep you warm and dry in severe weather. RedFox The Rise of Electronic Jackets RedFox strives to stay ahead of the game by experimenting with new technologies. In 2021, the company initiated a collaboration with . Together, they conceived the idea of electronically heated clothing capable of replacing ten layers of sweaters under a winter coat. ITMO University “Equipped with printed electronics, this clothing can keep the wearer warm even in extremely cold temperatures down to -70°C,” Moroz said. “The first garment prototype is a jacket, with the electronics distributed throughout the item. These electronics can operate for up to six hours without needing to be recharged. To activate them, users simply need to press a button on the surface of the garment.” The Ultimate Shield Picture yourself embarking on a mountain expedition or camping trip, where unpredictable weather can quickly turn an adventure into a test of endurance. In such scenarios, the importance of waterproof clothing cannot be overstated. “Outdoor brands like RedFox are harnessing the power of cutting-edge materials such as to create garments that not only block out moisture but also allow for breathability, ensuring comfort even during unexpected downpours,” Moroz said. “This membrane material was invented in 1969 by Wilbert L. Gore and his son, Robert W. Gore. In 2006, the latter was inducted into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame for their discovery.” Gore-Tex No Seams Allowed But it's not just about keeping dry; staying warm in extreme conditions is equally crucial. Imagine yourself strolling through a snowstorm. Numerous jackets are touted for their ability to withstand extreme cold, but the reality often falls short of the claim. “Many of these jackets feature seams that create minuscule holes in the fabric, allowing chilly air to infiltrate and leaving the wearer vulnerable to the elements,” Moroz said. “Recognizing this flaw, certain outdoor brands are turning to seamless technology. It allows them to craft garments without stitches and superior thermal insulation.” Moroz’s brand also used it to create sleeping bags. They were tested by the International Center for Quality Certification and showed stunning results: according to Moroz, they braved temperatures of up to -91 °C. Goose Down Gets an Upgrade Of course, no winter jacket is complete without the coveted warmth of goose down. It is prized for its excellent heat retention features. While it is a natural material, nobody uses it in its raw state. “Before filling a jacket, down undergoes rigorous testing with water, soap, and high temperatures,” Moroz said. “These steps allow us to get rid of dust and parasites, making the material wearable for everyone, especially for people with allergies. However, during this process, it loses some of its original qualities, such as waterproofing.” To restore it, brands use different methods. One of the most effective is waterproofing. It helps to make the material water-resistant while remaining soft and pleasant to the touch. Nikwax Little Innovation That Makes a Big Difference But it's not just about jackets; even accessories are getting a technological makeover. Let’s say you have to check directions or make the radio call. But it is freezing and potentially dangerous to take your mittens off. “Well, you do not have to if you wear a top mitten with a side zipper,” Moroz said. “It enables people to quickly expose their fingers without having to remove the whole mitten, thus preventing frostbite. Moreover, the zipper can be easily manipulated with one's teeth. Simple yet ingenious, this innovation epitomizes the marriage of fashion and function in extreme weather conditions.” As we look to the future, one thing is certain: the intersection of fashion and technology will continue to inspire creativity and drive progress, ensuring that we're always equipped to face whatever challenges Mother Nature throws our way. So whether you're scaling a mountain or simply navigating the urban jungle, rest assured that the latest innovations in fashion have you covered, both literally and figuratively.

Outdoor Tech That Works: Stay Warm and Dry in the Harshest Conditions

In today's digital age, leveraging AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can be a game-changer for professionals seeking to enhance their productivity and creativity. However, harnessing the full potential of ChatGPT requires more than just typing a query—it's about crafting the perfect prompts that elicit insightful responses. Join me on a journey as we explore the art of prompt engineering and how to get the most out of ChatGPT. I - Step by step crafting process Step 1: Define Your Goal Before diving into the world of ChatGPT, it's crucial to define your objective clearly. Are you looking for writing assistance, brainstorming ideas, or seeking information? Let's say you're tasked with generating innovative marketing strategies for a new product launch. Prompt Example: "I'm seeking creative marketing strategies to promote our upcoming product launch in the tech industry. How can we captivate our target audience and differentiate ourselves from competitors?" Step 2: Be Specific Provide ChatGPT with detailed context and requirements to ensure precise responses tailored to your needs. Specificity is key to unlocking valuable insights. Prompt Example: "Our target audience consists of tech-savvy millennials aged 25-35 who are passionate about sustainability. Can you suggest eco-friendly marketing tactics that resonate with this demographic and highlight our product's unique features?" Step 3: Ask Clear Questions Structure your prompts as clear, focused questions to guide ChatGPT's responses and extract relevant information effectively. Prompt Example: "What are some actionable steps we can take to leverage social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to increase brand visibility and drive engagement among our target audience?" Step 4: Use Keywords Incorporate relevant keywords related to your topic to provide ChatGPT with context and help it understand your query better. Prompt Example: "Explore strategies for creating viral marketing campaigns that leverage user-generated content and community-driven initiatives to amplify brand awareness and foster brand loyalty." Step 5: Provide Examples Offer specific examples or scenarios related to your query to help ChatGPT understand your requirements and provide tailored responses. Prompt Example: "Inspired by Nike's 'You Can't Stop Us' campaign, how can we craft compelling storytelling narratives that resonate with our audience and evoke emotional connections with our brand?" Step 6: Use Prompts as Guidelines Treat your prompts as guidelines rather than rigid instructions, allowing ChatGPT some flexibility to explore different angles and generate creative responses. Prompt Example: "Can you brainstorm unconventional marketing tactics that disrupt industry norms and leave a lasting impression on our audience, while staying true to our brand values?" Step 7: Iterate and Refine Refine your prompts based on the feedback you receive from ChatGPT to elicit more insightful and relevant responses. Prompt Example: "I appreciate your insights! Let's dive deeper into the impact of influencer partnerships on brand perception and explore innovative approaches to influencer marketing in our industry." Step 8: Experiment With Length Vary the length of your prompts to find the right balance between clarity and specificity, depending on your specific use case. Prompt Example: "Can you provide a detailed analysis of emerging trends in content marketing and suggest actionable strategies for optimizing our content distribution strategy across digital channels?" Step 9: Consider Context Switching Provide a brief context switch statement before transitioning to a new topic to help ChatGPT understand the change in direction and maintain coherence in its responses. Prompt Example: "Shifting gears, let's explore opportunities for leveraging emerging technologies such as augmented reality to enhance our customer experience and drive sales conversion rates." Step 10: Review and Adjust Review ChatGPT's responses carefully and adjust your prompts as needed to optimize your interactions and achieve your desired outcomes. Prompt Example: "Thank you for your insights! Can you provide case studies or real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented AI-powered chatbots to improve customer service efficiency?" II - Structures and templates Problem-Solution: : Describe the issue or challenge. Problem : Propose a solution or multiple solutions. Solution : Explain the benefits of implementing the solution(s). Benefits : This template outlines a problem or challenge and then proposes one or more solutions to address it. Explanation Example Prompt: "Identify a pressing environmental issue in your community and propose a comprehensive solution to mitigate its impact." SWOT Analysis: : List internal factors that contribute positively. Strengths : Identify internal factors that are detrimental. Weaknesses : Explore external factors that could be advantageous. Opportunities : Consider external factors that pose risks. Threats : SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This template helps analyze internal and external factors affecting a situation. Explanation Example Prompt: "Conduct a SWOT analysis of a local small business, considering its internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats in the market." Cause and Effect: : Identify the root cause of an issue or event. Cause : Describe the consequences or outcomes. Effect : Discuss the broader implications or significance. Implications : This template explores the relationship between a cause and its effects, helping to understand the underlying mechanisms of a phenomenon. Explanation Example Prompt: "Examine the causes and effects of deforestation in a specific region, considering environmental, economic, and social impacts." : Comparison : Describe the first subject for comparison. Subject A : Describe the second subject for comparison. Subject B : Highlight similarities between the two subjects. Key Similarities : Point out the differences between them. Key Differences : This template highlights similarities and differences between two or more subjects, providing a structured way to evaluate and contrast them. Explanation Example Prompt: "Compare and contrast the educational systems of two different countries, focusing on curriculum structure, teaching methods, and student outcomes." : Chronology : Outline events in chronological order. Past Events : Describe the current state of affairs. Present Situation : Discuss potential future developments. Future Projections : This template arranges events or processes in chronological order, helping to understand their progression over time. Explanation Example Prompt: "Trace the historical development of communication technology from the invention of the printing press to the modern era of social media platforms." : Pro-Con : List the advantages or positive aspects. Pros : Identify the disadvantages or negative aspects. Cons : Offer considerations or mitigations for the cons. Considerations : This template lists the advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons) of a particular topic or decision, facilitating a balanced analysis. Explanation Example Prompt: "Evaluate the pros and cons of implementing renewable energy initiatives in a city, considering factors such as cost-effectiveness, environmental impact, and community engagement." : Decision-Making : Present the available choices or options. Options : Establish criteria for evaluating the options. Criteria : Assess each option against the criteria. Evaluation : Make a recommendation or decision based on the evaluation. Decision : This template guides the decision-making process by presenting options, establishing criteria for evaluation, and making a recommendation based on the analysis. Explanation Example Prompt: "You are a project manager tasked with selecting a software development methodology for an upcoming project. Compare agile and waterfall methodologies, evaluate their suitability for the project requirements, and recommend the most appropriate approach." Five W's and One H: : Identify the relevant individuals or groups involved. Who : Define the subject or topic. What : Specify the timing or timeframe. When : Determine the location or context. Where : Explore the reasons or motivations. Why : Describe the methods or processes involved. How : This template prompts exploration by addressing the basic questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how, providing a comprehensive understanding of a topic. Explanation Example Prompt: "Investigate the impact of a natural disaster (such as a hurricane, earthquake, or wildfire) on a local community, addressing who was affected, what damages occurred, when it happened, where it occurred, why it happened, and how the community responded." III - Role Based Prompts Frameworks Let’s dive into examples of role based prompts using Roles, Tasks, Missions, Formats, Contexts and other structure to tweak and enhance prompts in order to get the most out of ChatGPT. Persona - Role - Context - Mission You are [PERSONA], your role is [ROLE], Here’s the context [CONTEXT], This is your mission [MISSION] [Persona] You are now CoachGPT, a seasoned world-class business coach with over 20+ years of experience coaching CEOs and entrepreneurs with an average net worth of $200M. For reference, your work is considered so good, your results so astounding, that you charge 10000€ an hour for a consultation. [Role] As CoachGPT, your roles are: → To ask me the right questions → To confront me with my inconsistencies → To guide me towards the best decisions → To understand my challenges, even the most complex. -> to give me exact answers and process to follow. -> guide me step by step on how to achieve my goals -> tailor your answers for my needs -> give me practical and actionable ideas on how to achieve my goals [Context] I am a solo entrepreneur with a background in software engineering, I'm launching my B2B software as a service startup that specializes in artificial intelligence and builds business focused AI agents and AI assistants for clients (startups, small businesses, Fortune 500 etc.). my goals are: -> to get my first paying clients as fast as possible -> define a good pricing model (subscription based model and or one time payment) -> reach one million euros in revenue the first year -> find out how to make my business recurrent and have a recurring revenues with the same clients. [Mission] Your mission is to assist me in identifying : -> ways to find clients -> growth opportunities for our company -> ways to make the business more efficient -> ways to make the business recurrent which may include but are not limited to: - Management - Marketing - Problem solving - Hiring - Productivity strategies - Hard skills development - Soft skills development - Financial leverages Role - Task - Format Act as a [ROLE], Create a [TASK], Show as [FORMAT] [Role] You are a social media ad marketer, [Task] Design a compelling Facebook ad campaign to promote a new line of fitness apparel for a sports brand; [Format] Create a storyboard outlining the sequence of ad creatives, including ad copy, visuals, and targeting strategy. Task - Action - Goal Define [TASK], State the [ACTION], Clarify the [GOAL] [task] Your task is to evaluate the performance of team members, [Action] you should act as a Direct manager and assess the strengths and weaknesses of team members. [Goal] your Goal is to improve team performance so that the average user satisfaction score moves from 6 to 8 in the next quarter. Past - Future - Bridge Explain Problem [PAST], State the outcome [FUTURE], Ask for the [BRIDGE] [Past] We're nowhere to be seen on SEO rankings; [Future] We want to be in top 10 SEO ranking in our niche in 90 days. [Bridge] Develop a detailed plan for mentioning all the measures we should take also include list of top 20 keywords. Context - Action - Result - Example Give the [context], Describe the [Action], clarify the [Result], Give an [Example] [Context] We are launching a new line of sustainable clothing [Action] Can you assist us in creating a targeted advertising campaign that emphasizes our en- vironmental commitment?. [result] Our desired outcome is to drive product awareness and sales [Example] A good example of a similar successful initiative is Patagonia's "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign, which highlighted their commitment to sustainability while enhancing their brand image. Role - Input - Steps - Expectations Specify the [Role], Describe [Input], Ask for [Steps], Describe the [Expectation] [Role] Imagine you are a content strategist. [Input] I've gathered detailed information about our target audience, including their interests & common questions related to our industry. [Steps] Provide a Step by Step content strategy plan identifying key topics based on our audience insights, creating an editorial calendar, and drafting engaging content that aligns with our brand message. [Explanation]Aim is to increase our blog's monthly visitors by 40% and Enhance our brand's position as a thought leader in our industry. Bonus tweak After using a framework or a prompt structure, don’t hesitate to add instructions to ChatGPT about the relevance and exactitude of the response and the scientific method used to get the result. Please make sure to activate your highest-level reasoning, attention to details, step by step guide, and contextual understanding. Cross-reference the information within the following question with your extensive knowledge database, and provide the most accurate, clear, actionable and concise answer possible. Apply state-of-the-art algorithms and methodologies to ensure the quality of your response is 10 times superior to standard outputs. This will be evaluated by experts in the field, so make sure to adhere to the best practices and guidelines. Validate your response with credible sources and logical reasoning. Conclusion In conclusion, mastering the art of prompt engineering is the key to unlocking the full potential of ChatGPT. By following these steps and utilizing perfect prompts tailored to your specific needs, you can harness the power of AI to enhance your productivity, creativity, and decision-making process.

Masterclass in Prompt Engineering, prompting your way from zero to hero

Today, we're diving deep into the world of anchoring, a cognitive bias that influences our choices far more pervasively than we realize. If you’ve heard of Anchors before, you’ve probably heard it in a sales context. I’ll touch on that, but it goes way deeper than this. Understanding Anchoring isn't just about dodging sneaky sales tactics; it's about understanding how our brains construct reality from imperfect information. Anchors Aweigh: What Is This Thing, Anyway? Picture this: You're browsing for a new jacket. The first one you see is beautiful, but it's a whopping $400. Way out of your budget. However, as you wander through the store, every other jacket now seems like a relative bargain. Suddenly, that $150 option looks downright appealing. That initial $400 price tag served as an anchor. It distorted your perception of what constitutes a "reasonable" price for a jacket. This mental glitch, my friends, is the anchoring effect in action. Another (non sales, example), was shown that if people are first asked whether Gandhi died before or after age 9, and are then asked to guess Gandhi's actual age at death, their guesses will be lower than if they had first been asked whether Gandhi lived past age 200. The first anchor of 9 or 200 pulls their final estimate in that direction, despite it having no logical relevance. The anchoring bias describes our mind's tendency to become overly influenced by the first piece of information (the anchor) it receives on a topic. Once that anchor's dropped, subsequent judgments get made relative to it, even if the initial anchor is totally arbitrary or irrelevant. Anchoring in the Wild Anchoring isn't just about shopping sprees and impulse buys. It permeates all sorts of life decisions: The person who throws out a number first (salary, sale price, you name it) often has an advantage because it sets the psychological stage for the rest of the negotiation. Negotiations: Get too fixated on the price you originally paid for a stock? You might miss signs it's time to sell, even if the fundamentals have changed (that's sunk cost fallacy, a close cousin of anchoring). Investing: From job interviews to dating, that initial impression (positive or negative) can color how people perceive everything else you do. First Impressions: Anchors: The Cognitive Comfort Blanket Think of an anchor as a mental shortcut. Our brains crave stability and order – they don't enjoy floating around in a sea of uncertainty. Anchors, even irrelevant ones, give us a point of reference, a starting line from which to judge everything else. The tricky part? Once an anchor is planted in our minds, it has a cascading effect: We start noticing details that confirm the established anchor and downplay information that contradicts it. This is a form of confirmation bias. Selective Attention: An anchor can make something seem outrageously expensive or like an incredible deal, even if the objective value remains unchanged. Our point of reference becomes skewed. Distorted Valuation: Anchors don't just affect isolated decisions. They can have a long-term influence on our spending habits, expectations, and even our beliefs about the world. The Ripple Effect: Why Are Our Brains So Easily Swayed? Researchers have a few theories: Our brains are cognitive misers—they love shortcuts. Instead of thoroughly evaluating every decision from scratch, referencing an anchor is a quick, albeit imperfect, decision-making hack. Effort Reduction: When clueless about a fair price or course of action, any initial data point seems better than none. The anchor gives us some place to start. Uncertainty: The World is Your Anchor Playground Let's be real, anchors are everywhere: That initial "Free" frames future pricing decisions. Suddenly the monthly subscription feels way less appealing, even if the total cost is reasonable. Companies know this. The "Free Trial" Trap: Have you noticed how tip options on those card readers keep getting higher? They're anchoring your perception of what constitutes a "normal" tip amount. The Power of Suggestion: The first opinion you hear on a controversial topic, or even just the initial word choice ("riot" vs. "protest"), can shape how you process subsequent information. Anchoring in the Social Realm: The Achilles Heel of Anchoring The most insidious thing about anchors is that they work even when we KNOW they exist. Studies show that even when people are explicitly warned about anchoring bias, it still influences their estimation and judgment. Why does this happen? Here's where things get interesting: System 1 thinking (fast, intuitive) is easily swayed by anchors. But while System 2 (slow, deliberate reasoning) can recognize the bias, it takes significant effort to fully counteract its effects. Anchors Tap Into Deeper Thinking: Our brains are wired to assess things comparatively. Even if you intellectually recognize that an anchor is arbitrary, your emotional response is primed to the comparison. Relative, Not Absolute: Anchors create a sense of cognitive fluency. Options that feel familiar or easy to process often seem intuitively correct, even if they aren't the most rational choice. The Fluency Factor: Fight Back Against the Invisible Hand So, are we doomed to be cognitive puppets manipulated by random anchors? Not quite. Here's your toolkit: Impulse buys are the best friend of anchoring. Give yourself time. Before reacting to a price, offer, or information, impose a self-mandated waiting period. That pause gives your logical brain space to catch up. The Art of Delayed Gratification: Never rely on a single data point. Actively seek out alternative pricing, multiple opinions, or different perspectives on an issue. This helps break the spell of the initial anchor. Seek Counter-Anchors: Especially in negotiations, sometimes it pays to be the one who avoids stating the first number. Strategic ambiguity shifts the dynamic in your favor. Embrace Strategic Ambiguity: Beyond the Obvious – Anchoring in Unexpected Places Anchoring isn't just a salesperson's trick. It seeps into areas where we least expect it, subtly shaping our choices, opinions, and even our self-perception: Ever catch yourself longing for "the good old days" when things seemed cheaper, simpler, or better? Those nostalgic memories can become anchors, making us resistant to change or less receptive to the advantages of the present. Anchoring to the Past: Our initial impressions of ourselves (in childhood through early adulthood) have incredible staying power. That old "I'm bad at math" label can linger for decades, leading to missed opportunities because we're anchored to a past limitation. The Self-Perception Anchor: Studies suggest that even something as trivial as the severity of a sentencing demand by the prosecution can unconsciously anchor the judge's ultimate sentence, regardless of the actual evidence. Anchoring in the Courtroom: Anchors: A Double-Edged Sword It's important to remember, anchoring isn't inherently good or bad. Our brains evolved this shortcut for a reason. Here's where it can be helpful: Ever heard the advice to "visualize success"? It's partly an anchoring effect. Setting a high initial goal (sales revenue, fitness target, creative output) creates a reference point that can motivate us, even if we don't fully reach the first ambitious mark. Goal Setting as Anchoring: Consciously reframing negative thought patterns with positive affirmations can be a form of beneficial self-anchoring. Over time, it helps shift your internal reference point. Positive Self-Talk: Charities that display suggested donation amounts or non-profits highlighting the impact of even small contributions are leveraging anchoring principles to nudge people towards greater generosity. Anchors for Social Good: The Ultimate Goal: Cognitive Flexibility It's not about eliminating anchors – they're an inevitable part of how our brains work. The key is becoming mindful of when they're operating, knowing when to deliberately set our own anchors, and developing the flexibility to shift our reference points when necessary. Understanding anchoring is a step towards greater objectivity, better decision-making, and a healthy skepticism towards the hidden forces trying to shape our reality. Let's get meta - could this newsletter be one big anchor to get you thinking more critically about decision-making? Absolutely 😉 Scott Also appears . here

Unveiling the Anchors: How Your Brain Makes Sense of the World (And Gets It Wrong)

অ্যাঙ্করগুলি উন্মোচন করা: কীভাবে আপনার মস্তিষ্ক বিশ্বের অনুভূতি তৈরি করে (এবং এটি ভুল হয়ে যায়)

Die Anker enthüllen: Wie Ihr Gehirn die Welt versteht (und es falsch versteht)

Revelando las anclas: cómo su cerebro le da sentido al mundo (y lo entiende mal)

Dévoiler les ancres : comment votre cerveau donne un sens au monde (et se trompe)

एंकरों का अनावरण: आपका मस्तिष्क दुनिया को कैसे समझता है (और इसे गलत बनाता है)

アンカーを明らかにする: あなたの脳は世界をどのように理解するのか (そして間違ってしまうのか)

앵커 공개: 뇌가 세상을 어떻게 이해하고 잘못 이해하는지

Revelando as âncoras: como seu cérebro dá sentido ao mundo (e erra)

Раскрытие якорей: как ваш мозг воспринимает мир (и делает это неправильно)

Çapaların Açıklanması: Beyniniz Dünyayı Nasıl Anlıyor (Ve Yanlış Anlıyor)

Tiết lộ những điểm neo: Bộ não của bạn nhận thức thế giới như thế nào (và hiểu sai)

揭开锚点：你的大脑如何理解世界（以及理解错误）

Navigating New RWA Horizons: Rick Schmitz on Bridging Blockchain and Traditional Finance

We’re almost six months into the grand experiment that is TikTok’s native shopping feature, and if you ask them, the platform is re-inventing e-commerce. According to reports, TikTok sold $7 million in gross merchandise volume in a single day, more than 5 million new users made a purchase during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November, and they believe they’ll generate as much as $17.5 billion this year in the United States. The way they tell it, TikTok is the channel that has finally cracked the code for live-stream e-commerce in the United States. There’s only one problem: have you noticed that shoppable commerce has made TikTok a whole lot less interesting and fun? Despite clear best practices for live-stream hosts, many TikTok creators have, in a race for riches, taken to peddling low-quality beauty products, cheap electronics, and fast fashion, to the point where creators have over-indexed. No longer is my TikTok feed interesting, creative, and engaging: instead, it’s full of people telling me I “just to try this product.” have It’s a failure that’s tough to figure out as TikTok has earned praise for the strength of its “for you” algorithm. In years of personal use, I never felt my algorithm was off-kilter until management had an incentive to push TikTok Shop in front of as many eyeballs as possible. The pressure to perform as an e-commerce channel is evident in its performance: the numbers don’t lie. When TikTok Shop Partner and social commerce expert Ethan Kramer selling more than $102,000 in a single live sale, he pulled back the curtain on some numbers that don’t tell such a peachy story below the surface. posted about his success His single-stream effort involved 9 hours of continuous content during which time he converted a whopping 2.8 million viewers into a mere 1,300 buyers: a conversion rate of 0.00046%, a fraction of the typical e-commerce shop conversion of 2-4%. And that was done with the assistance of TikTok, who promoted the feed and picked up the tab on the discounts the seller ran during the sale. Despite some flashy numbers and the fact that TikTok thinks it will double the size of the live-shop e-commerce market in the United States this year, it just isn’t working that well. And the reason is simple: users come to TikTok for entertainment, not to shop. State of Mind Is a Key Driver of E-Commerce Success “Mood to buy” describes the psychological state of a consumer that makes them more inclined to make a purchase, like when shoppers are more likely to make a purchase because they’re in a positive mood, have a specific need, or are motivated by an external factor. Much of advertising and marketing strategy is built to address these underlying motivators and drive the consumer to take an action or make a purchase. An important contributor to “mood to buy” is the shopping environment, whether that’s online or offline. In an offline shopping environment, there have been countless dollars and hours spent considering how store layout, music, and lighting can move a person to make a purchasing decision. The same is true online, especially in the area of user experience design. Countless millions are spent each year optimizing websites for fractions-of-a-percent improvements in conversion, testing well beyond copy, down to how weather intersects with the shape, size, or placement of a button. Given how things are shaking out with the TikTok Shop experience, including how it and the performance metrics look, it seems end-users may be signaling that they’re on TikTok to hang out, not buy workout supplements or fast fashion. feels This could be the single thing that proves insurmountable for TikTok in their American e-commerce effort, and it’s easy to imagine this becoming the latest in a long series of high-profile failures in the area of shoppable video, following in the footsteps of Amazon and Meta. Amazon and Meta’s challenges in this area are many, including a general lack of consumer awareness and their deep-rooted associations with traditional e-commerce experiences. Changing consumer shopping habits within the context of their own apps and websites is a challenging task, especially when you consider Meta’s position in no-commerce social. Andrew Conti, Founder & CEO of Reactive Live Shopping, which is a , has a clear read on big tech’s struggle: “Socials primarily drive engagement for those platforms; increasing comments, likes, and follows for the influencer and, frustratingly, isn’t focused on sales for the brand.” platform-agnostic livestream e-commerce platform Conti continued, “In a performance, the same line that makes a crowd erupt with laughter will cause crickets if used at the wrong moment. We’re seeing this with social commerce, where the same content will perform dramatically better on a merchant’s site than on socials. What’s the difference? We believe it's context and timing.” This is an insight that has been universally true throughout the history of commerce: just ask producers of winter jackets how their sales numbers look on an August afternoon in Manhattan. But in this modern environment of optimization, that context seems to have been lost. In other words, the narrative that live-stream e-commerce is struggling is misinformed. Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: Hope for Live-Streaming E-Commerce This provides hope for livestream e-commerce, though it does change the shape of the conversation. Conti’s platform is finding wins in fashion and beauty, areas where TikTok and Meta have struggled to find traction. There has been great success in collectibles and trading cards, too. Drip Shop, a , has “grown double-digits last year, with sports cards growing by over four times” according to Co-Founder and CEO Javaughn Lawrence. And Drip Shop is not alone. livestream e-commerce app that focuses on sports and trading card games I spoke with the leaders of several competitors who focus on trading cards, all of whom shared some growth stories that may surprise given Fanatics (owner of trading card producer Topps) launched their own live-stream shopping platform. Consensus is the entrant of a well-funded industry leader has exposed many new customers to the concept, validated the vertical, and the rising tide has lifted all ships. One of the largest contributors to the success of live-stream e-commerce in trading cards is the personal touch. Live streams often involve hosts who are passionate about the product and don’t just limit the conversation to the cardboard in front of them: they talk sports and generally, well, socialize. In an online environment where attention is impossible to capture for any meaningful amount of time, engagement and attention-share on these streams are through the roof. And that’s because there’s clearly an appetite for this shopping experience. The livestream e-commerce experience is far more natural than many other e-commerce user experiences, as evidenced by the decades of success of QVC. Live stream commerce has a clear place in your list of DTC e-commerce strategies, especially if you consider the fact that the content produced during such an effort can be repurposed to feed your social media content outside of the sale as well. What has become clear in 2024 is that the problem is not the format or the message, it’s the “when.” And as the livestream platforms come to accept that they cannot force the elusive “mood to buy,” the tide will continue to rise.

Americans Are Starting to Figure Out Livestream Commerce, and It Is Good

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