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Over the last couple of days, I have seen many of my marketer colleagues and AI researchers debating over the potential ban and defending the platform blindly. TikTok As someone who not only runs ad campaigns on social media and has attended human-centered computer design courses for years but also spent some time in libertarian organizations defending the free market and individualism over state control, I have a few insights. Let me be unequivocally clear: my advocacy for AI, free from government control, is mirrored in my stance on social media platforms. However, the crux of the current debate focuses on China's proven exploitation of TikTok to surveil Western people, leaders as well as journalists and shape the ideological trajectory of our youth. open-source Without delving too deeply into politics, let me outline with data and research papers why I strongly support the bipartisan bill to ban TikTok, and why you should delete the app now! Before TikTok, social media was social Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat; these apps focused on interactions between friends, groups, or communities until TikTok brought the dopamine hit and sucked users' attention spans. The "Likes and Fragments: Examining Perceptions of Time Spent on TikTok" research is a proven example of how TikTok users . often misjudge their usage time Findings highlight that users who engaged more intensively with the platform by liking more videos and opening the app more frequently had a higher discrepancy between their perceived and actual usage times. This suggests that the engaging and immersive nature of TikTok, combined with its algorithmically curated "For You" feed, creates an environment where users are likely to misjudge the amount of time they spend on the app. This is important because it leads us to TikTok's algorithm, which heavily relies on casino-like tactics. You have to be over 18 or 21 to gamble, but this app gets the next generations addicted from a young age. So, what exactly are these tactics? The Devious Tactics of TikTok's Algorithm Significant research from the Brown University School of Public Health highlights the addictive nature of TikTok. The design of TikTok uses classical conditioning and reward-based learning processes to encourage continuous use. Features such as the "For You" stream customize content feeds based on user interactions. Moreover, TikTok employs a variable , with the "swipe down" feature to refresh the feed mirroring the action of pulling a slot machine lever. This intermittent reinforcement keeps users engaged, always anticipating the next "rewarding" video. reward pattern similar to slot machines I have explored the algorithm below more. This strategic manipulation exploits classical conditioning and reward-based learning processes, making the platform highly addictive and challenging to resist. Last year, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes filed a lawsuit against TikTok, showing how the "For You" recommendation algorithm hooks young users. You can read the here for further exploration. lawsuit showing TikTok's casino tactics “TikTok induces that effect by relying on the same strategy casinos use to hook gamblers on slot machines – keeping them at the machine, spending a quarter at a time, hoping that the next pull will be ‘the one,’” These random dopamine releases and other manipulative tactics hook the not-yet-fully-developed brains of our youth to this state-owned media channel. Now, let's discuss why we should not leave the control of our next generation's brain development to communist China. The Cultural Dichotomy A comparison between Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) and ours after China's National Intelligence took control of ByteDance shows a massive difference. In 2021, China's National Intelligence . They appointed a government official with a golden vote (this person has the final say in the company), and after this change, Douyin's algorithms entirely changed. took over the control of ByteDance While your children are bombarded with 'trash content', Chinese generations are exposed to . While your one and only child spends hours doom scrolling, their children have mandatory time limits. educational content Marketing luminary Scott Galloway gives a : strong reason to avoid TikTok "If I were part of the CCP and recognized a vested interest in undermining America's strategic position globally, I would subtly and cunningly tip the balance of content to cast America in an unfavorable light. I believe this is exactly what's happening at this moment—it would be foolish for them not to engage in such tactics." The Addiction and Its Impacts An average TikTok user spends about on the app and it is projected to exceed 100 minutes this year. The hyper-personalization algorithm leads to addiction-like behaviors. 60 minutes a day It has been proven repeatedly that TikTok's hyper-personalization algorithm leads to problematic use patterns similar to . addiction-like behaviors TikTok encourages isolation and loneliness among young people, and year-over-year depression statistics show that following the widespread adoption of this soft power weapon. depression among youth has significantly increased "Individuals, particularly young people with social anxiety or depression, might be inclined to spend excessive time online, diminishing real-life interactions," explains Anne Marie Albano, PhD, director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders. "Avoiding active engagement with the world — through social exchanges, confronting challenges, participating in discussions, or navigating peer conflicts — can intensify feelings of isolation, despair, and emotional distress." The findings reveal that using TikTok elicits negative emotions in users, affecting their intention to continue using these platforms. It leads to feelings of wasted time, addiction, and even impacts mental health when usage becomes excessive or disrupts daily life. research proves that Tiktok's leads to consuming more and ultimately, addiction. "Understanding users’ negative emotions and continuous usage intention in short video platforms" negative emotion flow algorithm Weaponizing TikTok TikTok serves as a weapon for the state-sponsored agenda. The research conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute in collaboration with Rutgers University Miller Center investigates to the Chinese Government. discrepancies in hashtag ratios on sensitive topics For non-sensitive topics, such as general politics and pop culture, the hashtag ratios between Instagram and TikTok approximately followed the user ratios (~2:1). This pattern of anomalies was consistent across national/regional and international issues sensitive to China, suggesting a systematic approach by TikTok to influence content visibility based on its alignment with Chinese Government interests. NCRI's research extends to geopolitically sensitive topics, demonstrating underrepresentation of hashtags , and overrepresentation of those in alignment, particularly regarding international conflicts where China has strategic interests. favoring narratives opposed to Chinese Government interests The findings raise concerns about TikTok's impartiality and the platform's potential use in furthering the national/regional or international objectives of the Chinese Government. The discrepancies in hashtag representation underscore the need for a more comprehensive analysis to understand TikTok's influence on public narratives and its alignment with the Chinese Government's geostrategic objectives. The NCRI's work highlights the importance of transparency and scrutiny in digital platforms' operations, especially when they have a significant impact on public discourse and possess the potential for governmental influence. Indeed, it is a tool utilized for advancing state-sponsored agendas, with the recent attributed to bin Laden being just one of the more notorious examples. "Letter to America" trend There are two primary uses of this instrument: and . extensive political manipulation concerns regarding data security It has been established that to its younger audience. A Wall Street Journal investigation reveals that TikTok's algorithm has displayed footage of explosions, rockets, and distressed families from war zones to a 13-year-old user who has just signed up, highlighting the platform's exposure of young users to such graphic content. TikTok amplifies content related to self-harm, mental health issues, and extremism Furthermore, research by Newsguard indicates that spending as little as 40 minutes on TikTok leads to exposure to , such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. false content regarding political events The study " examines how user behaviors and settings affect the recommendations made by TikTok's algorithm. An Empirical Investigation of Personalization Factors on TikTok" The researchers used controlled "sock-puppet" accounts to focus on the impact of personalization factors, including language preference, geographical location, user interactions such as likes and follows, and video viewing durations, on the content that TikTok suggests to its users. The with limited control over the content they are shown leads to echo chambers and filter bubbles, where users are increasingly exposed to content that reinforces their existing beliefs and interests, limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints. "black box" nature of TikTok's recommendation algorithm These researches are showing that this app doesn't only make you addicted while diminishing your ability to pay attention, but it also deliberately changes the future of our very own civilization. The other concern pertains to data security. With over on iPhones and Android devices in the USA, there are nearly 112 million distinct data sources, encompassing not only content but also real-time voice streams. 112 million TikTok installations Data Security The by Zhuoran Liu et al. at ByteDance Inc. showcases ByteDance's position in . "Monolith: Real-Time Recommendation System With Collisionless Embedding Table" leveraging complex algorithms This is a system engineered for real-time recommendation. Monolith addresses critical challenges inherent in recommendation systems, such as handling sparse, categorical data and adapting to non-stationary user behavior, through solutions like a collisionless embedding table and dynamic feature eviction mechanisms. Let's clarify this; Traditional recommendation systems often rely on batch training, where data is collected over a period, processed, and then used to update the model's recommendations. This can lead to delays in the model reflecting the latest user interactions. Monolith's system, by contrast, uses online training. This means it learns from user interactions in real-time, allowing for a much more responsive and personalized user experience. The user's interaction with content is immediately fed back into the system, enabling it to adjust its recommendations on the fly. In the context of machine learning, an embedding table transforms sparse, categorical data into dense vectors of fixed size, which the model can more easily work with. A "collision" in this context would mean different input data points being mapped to the same vector representation, which could lead to inaccurate model predictions. A collisionless embedding table suggests a method where these collisions are minimized or eliminated, improving the model's accuracy and efficiency in handling vast amounts of categorical data. The system's architecture utilizes online training, enabling immediate adaptation based on user interactions, thus significantly refining content personalization. However, this state-of-the-art AI personalization raises important discussions about data privacy, as the continuous, involves , often without or clear data usage policies. real-time processing of user data for personalized content delivery real-time extensive data collection and analysis transparent consent mechanisms . TikTok is under scrutiny for the extent of data it gathers to customize content and refine its algorithm. There is concern that this data could potentially be accessed by the authoritarian government and used against us. One might counter-argue that ByteDance recently proposed transferring their . However, accepting this at face value is not only naive but also highlights that ensuring data security is an almost impossible task. data centers to the US by using Oracle servers The Urgent Need for Action China has been exposing its plans to since 2017. rule the world with artificial general intelligence Deleting TikTok from our phones, creating a public narrative against its use, and sharing these findings and research to enlighten our friends are crucial steps. I believe I am doing my part by writing this article to showcase why we need immediate action against this state-controlled app. "Control over the use of one's mind is integral to human autonomy, and denial of such control undermines freedom of thought and freedom of will." To gain deeper insights into the digital competition and its critical implications for the future, I highly recommend tuning in to the session, if you haven't watched it yet. All-In Summit: Bill Gurley 2,851 Miles Here, Gurley delves into discussions about regulations, the future of AI, and the upcoming intense historical crash between China and the USA. I urge you to share this content with your friends who use TikTok and encourage them to take immediate action by deleting this spyware app. Your participation in this conversation is crucial. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below, as we continue to explore and address this important topic together. Also published here.

TikTok Should Have Been Banned Years Ago, and Here's Why

TikTok বছর আগে নিষিদ্ধ করা উচিত ছিল, এবং এখানে কেন

TikTok hätte schon vor Jahren verboten werden sollen, und hier ist der Grund

TikTok debería haber sido prohibido hace años, y este es el motivo

TikTok aurait dû être interdit il y a des années, et voici pourquoi

टिकटॉक पर वर्षों पहले ही प्रतिबंध लग जाना चाहिए था, और यहां बताया गया है क्यों

TikTokは何年も前に禁止されるべきだった、その理由は次のとおりです

TikTok은 몇 년 전에 금지되었어야 했는데, 그 이유는 다음과 같습니다.

O TikTok deveria ter sido banido há anos e aqui está o porquê

TikTok следовало запретить много лет назад, и вот почему

TikTok Yıllar Önce Yasaklanmalıydı ve İşte Nedeni

Lẽ ra TikTok đã bị cấm từ nhiều năm trước và đây là lý do

TikTok 几年前就应该被禁止，原因如下

A Treatise on Painting by da Vinci Leonardo, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . AERIAL PERSPECTIVE. here AERIAL PERSPECTIVE. Chap. CCCIV.— Aerial Perspective. There is another kind of perspective called aerial, because by the difference of the air it is easy to determine the distance of different objects, though seen on the same line; such, for instance, as buildings behind a wall, and appearing all of the same height above it. If in your picture you want to have one appear more distant than another, you must first suppose the air somewhat thick, because, as we have said before, in such a kind of air the objects seen at a great distance, as mountains are, appear blueish like the air, by means of the great quantity of air that interposes between the eye and such mountains. You will then paint the first building behind that wall of its proper colour; the next in point of distance, less distinct in the outline, and participating, in a greater degree, of the blueish colour of the air; another which you wish to send off as much farther, should be painted as much bluer; and if you wish one of them to appear five times farther removed beyond the wall, it must have five times more of the azure. By this rule these buildings which appeared all of the same size, and upon the same line, will be distinctly perceived to be of different dimensions, and at different distances. Chap. CCCV.— The Parts of the Smallest Objects will first disappear in Painting. Of objects receding from the eye the smallest will be the first lost to the sight; from which it follows, that the largest will be the last to disappear. The painter, therefore, ought not to finish the parts of those objects which are very far off, but follow the rule given in the sixth book. How many, in the representation of towns, and other objects remote from the eye, express every part of the buildings in the same manner as if they were very near. It is not so in nature, because there is no sight so powerful as to perceive distinctly at any great distance the precise form of parts or extremities of objects. The painter therefore who pronounces the outlines, and the minute distinction of parts, as several have done, will not give the representation of distant objects, but by this error will make them appear exceedingly near. Again, the angles of buildings in distant towns are not to be expressed (for they cannot be seen), considering that angles are formed by the concurrence of two lines into one point, and that a point has no parts; it is therefore invisible. Chap. CCCVI.— Small Figures ought not to be too much finished. Objects appear smaller than they really are when they are distant from the eye, and because there is a great deal of air interposed, which weakens the appearance of forms, and, by a natural consequence, prevents our seeing distinctly the minute parts of such objects. It behoves the painter therefore to touch those parts slightly, in an unfinished manner; otherwise it would be against the effect of Nature, whom he has chosen for his guide. For, as we said before, objects appear small on account of their great distance from the eye; that distance includes a great quantity of air, which, forming a dense body, obstructs the light, and prevents our seeing the minute parts of the objects. Chap. CCCVII.— Why the Air is to appear whiter as it approaches nearer to the Earth. As the air is thicker nearer the earth, and becomes thinner as it rises, look, when the sun is in the east, towards the west, between the north and south, and you will perceive that the thickest and lowest air will receive more light from the sun than the thinner air, because its beams meet with more resistance. If the sky terminate low, at the end of a plain, that part of it nearest to the horizon, being seen only through the thick air, will alter and break its natural colour, and will appear whiter than over your head, where the visual ray does not pass through so much of that gross air, corrupted by earthy vapours. But if you turn towards the east, the air will be darker the nearer it approaches the earth; for the air being thicker, does not admit the light of the sun to pass so freely. Chap. CCCVIII.— How to paint the distant Part of a Landscape. It is evident that the air is in some parts thicker and grosser than in others, particularly that nearest to the earth; and as it rises higher, it becomes thinner and more transparent. The objects which are high and large, from which you are at some distance, will be less apparent in the lower parts; because the visual ray which perceives them, passes through a long space of dense air; and it is easy to prove that the upper parts are seen by a line, which, though on the side of the eye it originates in a thick air, nevertheless, as it ascends to the highest summit of its object, terminates in an air much thinner than that of the lower parts; and for that reason the more that line or visual ray advances from the eye, it becomes, in its progress from one point to another, thinner and thinner, passing from a pure air into another which is purer; so that a painter who has mountains to represent in a landscape, ought to observe, that from one hill to another, the tops will appear always clearer than the bases. In proportion as the distance from one to another is greater, the top will be clearer; and the higher they are, the more they will shew their variety of form and colour. Chap. CCCIX.— Of precise and confused Objects. The parts that are near in the fore-ground should be finished in a bold determined manner; but those in the distance must be unfinished, and confused in their outlines. Chap. CCCX.— Of distant Objects. That part of any object which is nearest to the luminary from which it receives the light, will be the lightest. The representation of an object in every degree of distance, loses degrees of its strength; that is, in proportion as the object is more remote from the eye it will be less perceivable through the air in its representation. Chap. CCCXI.— Of Buildings seen in a thick Air. That part of a building seen through a thick air, will appear less distinct than another part seen through a thinner air. Therefore the eye, N, looking at the tower A D, will see it more confusedly in the lower degrees, but at the same time lighter; and as it ascends to the other degrees it will appear more distinct, but somewhat darker. Chap. CCCXII.— Of Towns and other Objects seen through a thick Air. Buildings or towns seen through a fog, or the air made thick by smoke or other vapours, will appear less distinct the lower they are; and, , they will be sharper and more visible in proportion as they are higher. We have said, in Chapter cccxxi. that the air is thicker the lower it is, and thinner as it is higher. It is demonstrated also by the cut, where the tower, A F, is seen by the eye N, in a thick air, from B to F, which is divided into four degrees, growing thicker as they are nearer the bottom. The less the quantity of air interposed between the eye and its object is, the less also will the colour of the object participate of the colour of that air. It follows, that the greater the quantity of the air interposed between the eye and the object seen, is, the more this object will participate of the colour of the air. It is demonstrated thus: N being the eye looking at the five parts of the tower A F, viz. A B C D E, I say, that if the air were of the same thickness, there would be the same proportion between the colour of the air at the bottom of the tower and the colour of the air that the same tower has at the place B, as there is in length between the line M and F. As, however, we have supposed that the air is not of equal thickness, but, on the contrary, thicker as it is lower, it follows, that the proportion by which the air tinges the different elevations of the tower B C F, exceeds the proportion of the lines; because the line M F, besides its being longer than the line S B, passes by unequal degrees through a quality of air which is unequal in thickness. vice versâ Chap. CCCXIII.— Of the inferior Extremities of distant Objects. The inferior or lower extremities of distant objects are not so apparent as the upper extremities. This is observable in mountains and hills, the tops of which detach from the sides of other mountains behind. We see the tops of these more determined and distinctly than their bases; because the upper extremities are darker, being less encompassed by thick air, which always remains in the lower regions, and makes them appear dim and confused. It is the same with trees, buildings, and other objects high up. From this effect it often happens that a high tower, seen at a great distance, will appear broad at top, and narrow at bottom; because the thin air towards the top does not prevent the angles on the sides and other different parts of the tower from being seen, as the thick air does at bottom. This is demonstrated by the seventh proposition, which says, that the thick air interposed between the eye and the sun, is lighter below than above, and where the air is whiteish, it confuses the dark objects more than if such air were blueish or thinner, as it is higher up. The battlements of a fortress have the spaces between equal to the breadth of the battlement, and yet the space will appear wider; at a great distance the battlements will appear very much diminished, and being removed still farther, will disappear entirely, and the fort shew only the straight wall, as if there were no battlements. Chap. CCCXIV.— Which Parts of Objects disappear first by being removed farther from the Eye, and which preserve their Appearance. The smallest parts are those which, by being removed, lose their appearance first; this may be observed in the gloss upon spherical bodies, or columns, and the slender parts of animals; as in a stag, the first sight of which does not discover its legs and horns so soon as its body, which, being broader, will be perceived from a greater distance. But the parts which disappear the very first, are the lines which describe the members, and terminate the surface and shape of bodies. Chap. CCCXV.— Why Objects are less distinguished in proportion as they are farther removed from the Eye. This happens because the smallest parts are lost first; the second, in point of size, are also lost at a somewhat greater distance, and so on successively; the parts by degrees melting away, the perception of the object is diminished; and at last all the parts, and the whole, are entirely lost to the sight. Colours also disappear on account of the density of the air interposed between the eye and the object. Chap. CCCXVI.— Why Faces appear dark at a Distance. It is evident that the similitude of all objects placed before us, large as well as small, is perceptible to our senses through the iris of the eye. If through so small an entrance the immensity of the sky and of the earth is admitted, the faces of men (which are scarcely any thing in comparison of such large objects), being still diminished by the distance, will occupy so little of the eye, that they become almost imperceptible. Besides, having to pass through a dark medium from the surface to the in the inside, where the impression is made, the colour of faces (not being very strong, and rendered still more obscure by the darkness of the tube) when arrived at the focus appears dark. No other reason can be given on that point, except that the speck in the middle of the apple of the eye is black, and, being full of a transparent fluid like air, performs the same office as a hole in a board, which on looking into it appears black; and that those things which are seen through both a light and dark air, become confused and obscure. Retina Chap. CCCXVII.— Of Towns and other Buildings seen through a Fog in the Morning or Evening. Buildings seen afar off in the morning or in the evening, when there is a fog, or thick air, shew only those parts distinctly which are enlightened by the sun towards the horizon; and the parts of those buildings which are not turned towards the sun remain confused and almost of the colour of the fog. Chap. CCCXVIII.— Of the Height of Buildings seen in a Fog. Of a building near the eye the top parts will appear more confused than the bottom, because there is more fog between the eye and the top than at the base. And a square tower, seen at a great distance through a fog, will appear narrower at the base than at the summit. This is accounted for in Chapter cccxiii. which says, that the fog will appear whiter and thicker as it approaches the ground; and as it is said before, that a dark object will appear smaller in proportion as it is placed on a whiter ground. Therefore the fog being whiter at bottom than at top, it follows that the tower (being darkish) will appear narrower at the base than at the summit. Chap. CCCXIX.— Why Objects which are high, appear darker at a Distance than those which are low, though the Fog be uniform, and of equal Thickness. Amongst objects situated in a fog, thick air, vapour, smoke, or at a distance, the highest will be the most distinctly seen: and amongst objects equal in height, that placed in the darkest fog, will be most confused and dark. As it happens to the eye H, looking at A B C, three towers of equal height; it sees the top C as low as R, in two degrees of thickness; and the top B, in one degree only; therefore the top C will appear darker than the top of the tower B. Chap. CCCXX.— Of Objects seen in a Fog. Objects seen through a fog will appear larger than they are in reality, because the aerial perspective does not agree with the linear, viz. the colour does not agree with the magnitude of the object; such a fog being similar to the thickness of air interposed between the eye and the horizon in fine weather. But in this case the fog is near the eye, and though the object be also near, it makes it appear as if it were as far off as the horizon; where a great tower would appear no bigger than a man placed near the eye. Chap. CCCXXI.— Of those Objects which the Eyes perceive through a Mist or thick Air. The nearer the air is to water, or to the ground, the thicker it becomes. It is proved by the nineteenth proposition of the second book, that bodies rise in proportion to their weight; and it follows, that a light body will rise higher than another which is heavy. Chap. CCCXXII.— Miscellaneous Observations. Of different objects equal in magnitude, form, shade, and distance from the eye, those will appear the smaller that are placed on the lighter ground. This is exemplified by observing the sun when seen behind a tree without leaves; all the ramifications seen against that great light are so diminished that they remain almost invisible. The same may be observed of a pole placed between the sun and the eye. Parallel bodies placed upright, and seen through a fog, will appear larger at top than at bottom. This is proved by the ninth proposition, which says, that a fog, or thick air, penetrated by the rays of the sun, will appear whiter the lower they are. Things seen afar off will appear out of proportion, because the parts which are the lightest will send their image with stronger rays than the parts which are darkest. I have seen a woman dressed in black, with a white veil over her head, which appeared twice as large as her shoulders covered with black. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. da Vinci Leonardo (2014). A Treatise on Painting. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/46915/pg46915-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE 

These events occupied so much time, that June had numbered more than half its days

Our escort had been directed to prepare our abode for the night at the inn

I returned to my family estate in the autumn of the year 2092

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland here How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland As soon as the sound of the Peace-cry of my departing Wife had died away, I began to approach the Stranger with the intention of taking a nearer view and of bidding him be seated: but his appearance struck me dumb and motionless with astonishment. Without the slightest symptoms of angularity he nevertheless varied every instant with gradations of size and brightness scarcely possible for any Figure within the scope of my experience. The thought flashed across me that I might have before me a burglar or cut-throat, some monstrous Irregular Isosceles, who, by feigning the voice of a Circle, had obtained admission somehow into the house, and was now preparing to stab me with his acute angle. In a sitting-room, the absence of Fog (and the season happened to be remarkably dry), made it difficult for me to trust to Sight Recognition, especially at the short distance at which I was standing. Desperate with fear, I rushed forward with an unceremonious, "You must permit me, Sir—" and felt him. My Wife was right. There was not the trace of an angle, not the slightest roughness or inequality: never in my life had I met with a more perfect Circle. He remained motionless while I walked round him, beginning from his eye and returning to it again. Circular he was throughout, a perfectly satisfactory Circle; there could not be a doubt of it. Then followed a dialogue, which I will endeavour to set down as near as I can recollect it, omitting only some of my profuse apologies—for I was covered with shame and humiliation that I, a Square, should have been guilty of the impertinence of feeling a Circle. It was commenced by the Stranger with some impatience at the lengthiness of my introductory process. STRANGER. Have you felt me enough by this time? Are you not introduced to me yet? I. Most illustrious Sir, excuse my awkwardness, which arises not from ignorance of the usages of polite society, but from a little surprise and nervousness, consequent on this somewhat unexpected visit. And I beseech you to reveal my indiscretion to no one, and especially not to my Wife. But before your Lordship enters into further communications, would he deign to satisfy the curiosity of one who would gladly know whence his Visitor came? STRANGER. From Space, from Space, Sir: whence else? I. Pardon me, my Lord, but is not your Lordship already in Space, your Lordship and his humble servant, even at this moment? STRANGER. Pooh! what do you know of Space? Define Space. I. Space, my Lord, is height and breadth indefinitely prolonged. STRANGER. Exactly: you see you do not even know what Space is. You think it is of Two Dimensions only; but I have come to announce to you a Third—height, breadth, and length. I. Your Lordship is pleased to be merry. We also speak of length and height, or breadth and thickness, thus denoting Two Dimensions by four names. STRANGER. But I mean not only three names, but Three Dimensions. I. Would your Lordship indicate or explain to me in what direction is the Third Dimension, unknown to me? STRANGER. I came from it. It is up above and down below. I. My Lord means seemingly that it is Northward and Southward. STRANGER. I mean nothing of the kind. I mean a direction in which you cannot look, because you have no eye in your side. I. Pardon me, my Lord, a moment's inspection will convince your Lordship that I have a perfect luminary at the juncture of two of my sides. STRANGER. Yes: but in order to see into Space you ought to have an eye, not on your Perimeter, but on your side, that is, on what you would probably call your inside; but we in Spaceland should call it your side. I. An eye in my inside! An eye in my stomach! Your Lordship jests. STRANGER. I am in no jesting humour. I tell you that I come from Space, or, since you will not understand what Space means, from the Land of Three Dimensions whence I but lately looked down upon your Plane which you call Space forsooth. From that position of advantage I discerned all that you speak of as SOLID (by which you mean "enclosed on four sides"), your houses, your churches, your very chests and safes, yes even your insides and stomachs, all lying open and exposed to my view. I. Such assertions are easily made, my Lord. STRANGER. But not easily proved, you mean. But I mean to prove mine. When I descended here, I saw your four Sons, the Pentagons, each in his apartment, and your two Grandsons the Hexagons; I saw your youngest Hexagon remain a while with you and then retire to his room, leaving you and your Wife alone. I saw your Isosceles servants, three in number, in the kitchen at supper, and the little Page in the scullery. Then I came here, and how do you think I came? I. Through the roof, I suppose. STRANGER. Not so. Your roof, as you know very well, has been recently repaired, and has no aperture by which even a Woman could penetrate. I tell you I come from Space. Are you not convinced by what I have told you of your children and household? I. Your Lordship must be aware that such facts touching the belongings of his humble servant might be easily ascertained by any one in the neighbourhood possessing your Lordship's ample means of obtaining information. STRANGER. (TO HIMSELF.) What must I do? Stay; one more argument suggests itself to me. When you see a Straight Line—your wife, for example—how many Dimensions do you attribute to her? I. Your Lordship would treat me as if I were one of the vulgar who, being ignorant of Mathematics, suppose that a Woman is really a Straight Line, and only of One Dimension. No, no, my Lord; we Squares are better advised, and are as well aware as your Lordship that a Woman, though popularly called a Straight Line, is, really and scientifically, a very thin Parallelogram, possessing Two Dimensions, like the rest of us, viz., length and breadth (or thickness). STRANGER. But the very fact that a Line is visible implies that it possesses yet another Dimension. I. My Lord, I have just acknowledged that a Woman is broad as well as long. We see her length, we infer her breadth; which, though very slight, is capable of measurement. STRANGER. You do not understand me. I mean that when you see a Woman, you ought—besides inferring her breadth—to see her length, and to SEE what we call her HEIGHT; although that last Dimension is infinitesimal in your country. If a Line were mere length without "height", it would cease to occupy Space and would become invisible. Surely you must recognize this? I. I must indeed confess that I do not in the least understand your Lordship. When we in Flatland see a Line, we see length and BRIGHTNESS. If the brightness disappears, the Line is extinguished, and, as you say, ceases to occupy Space. But am I to suppose that your Lordship gives to brightness the title of a Dimension, and that what we call "bright" you call "high"? STRANGER. No, indeed. By "height" I mean a Dimension like your length: only, with you, "height" is not so easily perceptible, being extremely small. I. My Lord, your assertion is easily put to the test. You say I have a Third Dimension, which you call "height". Now, Dimension implies direction and measurement. Do but measure my "height", or merely indicate to me the direction in which my "height" extends, and I will become your convert. Otherwise, your Lordship's own understanding must hold me excused. STRANGER. (TO HIMSELF.) I can do neither. How shall I convince him? Surely a plain statement of facts followed by ocular demonstration ought to suffice. —Now, Sir; listen to me. You are living on a Plane. What you style Flatland is the vast level surface of what I may call a fluid, on, or in, the top of which you and your countrymen move about, without rising above it or falling below it. I am not a plane Figure, but a Solid. You call me a Circle; but in reality I am not a Circle, but an infinite number of Circles, of size varying from a Point to a Circle of thirteen inches in diameter, one placed on the top of the other. When I cut through your plane as I am now doing, I make in your plane a section which you, very rightly, call a Circle. For even a Sphere—which is my proper name in my own country—if he manifest himself at all to an inhabitant of Flatland—must needs manifest himself as a Circle. Do you not remember—for I, who see all things, discerned last night the phantasmal vision of Lineland written upon your brain—do you not remember, I say, how, when you entered the realm of Lineland, you were compelled to manifest yourself to the King, not as a Square, but as a Line, because that Linear Realm had not Dimensions enough to represent the whole of you, but only a slice or section of you? In precisely the same way, your country of Two Dimensions is not spacious enough to represent me, a being of Three, but can only exhibit a slice or section of me, which is what you call a Circle. The diminished brightness of your eye indicates incredulity. But now prepare to receive proof positive of the truth of my assertions. You cannot indeed see more than one of my sections, or Circles, at a time; for you have no power to raise your eye out of the plane of Flatland; but you can at least see that, as I rise in Space, so my sections become smaller. See now, I will rise; and the effect upon your eye will be that my Circle will become smaller and smaller till it dwindles to a point and finally vanishes. There was no "rising" that I could see; but he diminished and finally vanished. I winked once or twice to make sure that I was not dreaming. But it was no dream. For from the depths of nowhere came forth a hollow voice—close to my heart it seemed—"Am I quite gone? Are you convinced now? Well, now I will gradually return to Flatland and you shall see my section become larger and larger." Every reader in Spaceland will easily understand that my mysterious Guest was speaking the language of truth and even of simplicity. But to me, proficient though I was in Flatland Mathematics, it was by no means a simple matter. The rough diagram given above will make it clear to any Spaceland child that the Sphere, ascending in the three positions indicated there, must needs have manifested himself to me, or to any Flatlander, as a Circle, at first of full size, then small, and at last very small indeed, approaching to a Point. But to me, although I saw the facts before me, the causes were as dark as ever. All that I could comprehend was, that the Circle had made himself smaller and vanished, and that he had now reappeared and was rapidly making himself larger. When he regained his original size, he heaved a deep sigh; for he perceived by my silence that I had altogether failed to comprehend him. And indeed I was now inclining to the belief that he must be no Circle at all, but some extremely clever juggler; or else that the old wives' tales were true, and that after all there were such people as Enchanters and Magicians. After a long pause he muttered to himself, "One resource alone remains, if I am not to resort to action. I must try the method of Analogy." Then followed a still longer silence, after which he continued our dialogue. SPHERE. Tell me, Mr. Mathematician; if a Point moves Northward, and leaves a luminous wake, what name would you give to the wake? I. A straight Line. SPHERE. And a straight Line has how many extremities? I. Two. SPHERE. Now conceive the Northward straight Line moving parallel to itself, East and West, so that every point in it leaves behind it the wake of a straight Line. What name will you give to the Figure thereby formed? We will suppose that it moves through a distance equal to the original straight Line. —What name, I say? I. A Square. SPHERE. And how many sides has a Square? How many angles? I. Four sides and four angles. SPHERE. Now stretch your imagination a little, and conceive a Square in Flatland, moving parallel to itself upward. I. What? Northward? SPHERE. No, not Northward; upward; out of Flatland altogether. If it moved Northward, the Southern points in the Square would have to move through the positions previously occupied by the Northern points. But that is not my meaning. I mean that every Point in you—for you are a Square and will serve the purpose of my illustration—every Point in you, that is to say in what you call your inside, is to pass upwards through Space in such a way that no Point shall pass through the position previously occupied by any other Point; but each Point shall describe a straight Line of its own. This is all in accordance with Analogy; surely it must be clear to you. Restraining my impatience—for I was now under a strong temptation to rush blindly at my Visitor and to precipitate him into Space, or out of Flatland, anywhere, so that I could get rid of him—I replied:— "And what may be the nature of the Figure which I am to shape out by this motion which you are pleased to denote by the word 'upward'? I presume it is describable in the language of Flatland." SPHERE. Oh, certainly. It is all plain and simple, and in strict accordance with Analogy—only, by the way, you must not speak of the result as being a Figure, but as a Solid. But I will describe it to you. Or rather not I, but Analogy. We began with a single Point, which of course—being itself a Point—has only ONE terminal Point. One Point produces a Line with TWO terminal Points. One Line produces a Square with FOUR terminal Points. Now you can give yourself the answer to your own question: 1, 2, 4, are evidently in Geometrical Progression. What is the next number? I. Eight. SPHERE. Exactly. The one Square produces a SOMETHING-WHICH- YOU-DO-NOT-AS-YET-KNOW-A-NAME-FOR-BUT-WHICH-WE-CALL-A-CUBE with EIGHT terminal Points. Now are you convinced? I. And has this Creature sides, as well as angles or what you call "terminal Points"? SPHERE. Of course; and all according to Analogy. But, by the way, not what YOU call sides, but what WE call sides. You would call them SOLIDS. I. And how many solids or sides will appertain to this Being whom I am to generate by the motion of my inside in an "upward" direction, and whom you call a Cube? SPHERE. How can you ask? And you a mathematician! The side of anything is always, if I may so say, one Dimension behind the thing. Consequently, as there is no Dimension behind a Point, a Point has 0 sides; a Line, if I may say, has 2 sides (for the Points of a Line may be called by courtesy, its sides); a Square has 4 sides; 0, 2, 4; what Progression do you call that? I. Arithmetical. SPHERE. And what is the next number? I. Six. SPHERE. Exactly. Then you see you have answered your own question. The Cube which you will generate will be bounded by six sides, that is to say, six of your insides. You see it all now, eh? "Monster," I shrieked, "be thou juggler, enchanter, dream, or devil, no more will I endure thy mockeries. Either thou or I must perish." And saying these words I precipitated myself upon him. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edwin Abbott Abbott (1995). Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/201/pg201-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

How the Stranger vainly endeavoured to reveal to me in words the mysteries of Spaceland

Cryptomining is a prolific and technologically advanced domain that attracts thousands of entrepreneurs and solo miners from around the world — but how much do we know about the underlying infrastructure? Luckily, I’ve had a chance to chat with Denis Slabakov, a long-time expert in hardware distribution and crypto data center management, and asked him a few questions about how it all works. Denis, a luminary in the crypto mining arena with global accolades, adeptly steers the ship as the CEO of New Mining Company. Under his leadership, the company excels in architecting turn-key cryptocurrency mining data centers, setting a gold standard in the industry. Denis, how did your career path lead you into the crypto data center industry? I initially began my career as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard, and throughout my professional journey, I have always been involved with computers, hardware, and their maintenance in some capacity. When blockchain technology started gaining significance in the industry, I naturally gravitated towards it from the hardware perspective, focusing on creating efficient data centers for miners. Perhaps it was partly accidental, thanks to the connections and acquaintances I had, but it was largely influenced by my prior experience in hardware procurement, distribution, and maintenance. Our clientele consisted of system integrators, data centers, state companies, and other consumers of such equipment. I had the fortunate opportunity to meet the team from Bitfury and visit their data center in Georgia, where I learned about their setup and their work with immersion cooling. Inspired by this experience, I returned home and embarked on building my own data center. We found a suitable location on a former factory site and within six months, our first mining farm was up and running. That was my first encounter with the crypto industry. Given your versatile experience in the field, could you tell us a bit more about some of your international projects? Well, I had been running a company focused on international hardware distribution for a considerable period of time. When I made the transition to the crypto mining industry, our first venture was establishing a data center in Abkhazia. During that time, we embarked on a significant project in Norway that began towards the end of 2017 and concluded in 2018. The decision to choose Norway as our location was primarily based on the fact that the country predominantly relies on renewable energy sources such as hydro and wind power for electricity generation. If I recall correctly, Norway had just one coal-fired power plant at that time, which resulted in relatively low electricity prices compared to the global average. Additionally, Norway has consistently ranked among the top three countries for ease of doing business over the past decade, which was another appealing aspect. We extensively explored numerous areas throughout the country in search of a suitable site to establish our data center. Given the increasing interest in opening data centers at that time, finding an appropriate location was no easy task. However, after much effort, we eventually discovered a site within a region that had excess capacity. We negotiated with the municipality to secure the opportunity to launch our data center. This particular site was part of a technology park, but it required us to undertake all the construction work ourselves. Essentially, it was a brownfield site with no existing structures, situated adjacent to a forest. We took on the responsibility of planning the area, clearing the forest, leveling the site, and making it ready for the installation of mobile data centers. Subsequently, we manufactured the data centers in accordance with Norwegian standards, transported them to the site, and successfully launched operations. The experience I gained from my involvement in real estate development, particularly in constructing apartment complexes, proved invaluable in this endeavor. It allowed us to effectively plan the area, carry out necessary site preparations, and ultimately bring our mobile data centers to life within the technology park. Was it difficult for you to negotiate with the local authorities concerning this crypto data center project? You know, this part was not especially challenging. The difficult thing was that at that time, a lot of companies were looking for an opportunity to launch a data center in Norway. And so, there was tremendous competition. When it comes to conducting business with foreign entities, Norway has always been, and likely still is, very open and receptive. They were receptive to our proposals and facilitated the process quite smoothly. Naturally, there were some nuances that we had to adapt to, such as the working schedule and the business approach. However, these are normal aspects that vary from country to country. How would you describe your experience doing business in different countries? My initial exposure to the Nordic countries was through Denmark. Well, technically, the first foreign partnership my company entered into was with a French company, but later on, the French company was acquired by the Danes. In terms of mindset, it was somewhat easier and more straightforward for me to reach an agreement with the French partners. However, when the Danes came into the picture, things became a bit more complex. I mean, there weren't any major issues, but there was a period of adjustment required. Based on my experience, our perception of information and business culture is closer to the French. On the other hand, with our Nordic partners, we encountered some differences that took time to resolve. It's evident that there are varying mentalities and approaches to conducting business. Each country around the world has its own distinct characteristics. The way business is conducted in China differs greatly from how it is done in Norway, but it's still possible to establish successful business relationships in both countries. For instance, the Norwegians are known for being open and organized. One aspect that fascinated me in Norway is that the entire country is uniformly developed. If you visit the Norwegian countryside, you'll find a well-established infrastructure with numerous facilities, equipment, contractors, and highly skilled professionals who can assist you with various tasks. I've also had the opportunity to learn about German manufacturing facilities, and I must say that the Germans are among the best when it comes to engineering technology. Their production processes are impressively well-structured and organized. I've visited several factories and was truly amazed. Do you remember a challenging project with a crypto data center where you tackled substantial issues? Could you share your experience on how you eventually resolved them? Absolutely. We ran into some challenges when setting up and running a data center in Abkhazia. The main issues were the heat and noise near residential areas. For the heat, we had to figure out the right air intake and exhaust setup from the get-go. The data center was in mobile containers, and with the limited space, we had to try several times to get more air in. Eventually, we got the air coming in and going out just right to avoid any pressure issues that would mess with cooling the miners. The miners have fans to push air, but they can't create pressure. In a data center that's cooled by air, the goal is to have the same air pressure at both the entrance and exit to keep the miners cool. And because the space was tight, we needed to make sure the hot and cold air didn't mix. This meant separating the incoming and outgoing air, equalizing the pressure, and ensuring they didn't mix, especially since the exit and entrance were close to each other. It took some technical tweaks to get this right. Though the fixes were straightforward — mainly rearranging the ventilation — it took a few tries to find what worked best. Noise was the other big issue. In Abkhazia, a single noise barrier did the trick. However, in Norway, it was tougher because homes are spread out, making it hard to find a spot far from residential areas for the data center. We checked out over twenty locations, but all were near homes or would require setting up in remote areas like mountains or forests, which would be really expensive. Due to nearby homes, we had to meet Norway's low noise levels, similar to office space noise from about 100 meters away. To tackle this, we built a system of three corridors, each within one another, and the outermost made of wood and lined with sound-absorbing material. Only after building the third corridor did we manage to bring the noise down to acceptable levels. The crypto data center was naturally noisy, especially with high-frequency sounds that are hard to block. We had to design chambers that would trap the sound but still let air through for cooling. On top of these, we also had to deal with viruses. Our data center, serving many clients, often received equipment that carried viruses affecting the miners and stealing money either from us or the clients. We set up a multi-level check-in system for equipment. New equipment would be quarantined and checked for viruses before joining the main system. But with viruses getting trickier, we had to essentially keep each miner in its own network segment to prevent any interaction with other devices on the network. Even though miners are just servers, managing security was tougher than in a traditional data center since there were many more potential points for viruses to enter and spread. Could you tell us more about your future plans? What are your upcoming business objectives? Well, my plans involve growing a data center management business in the United States. Over the past five years, I have gained extensive experience in data center management. Additionally, we have developed our own software that efficiently handles daily operations for our customers and resellers. Given my background in managing data centers across different territories and countries, my goal is to bring this expertise to the United States and establish a collaborative partnership with a trusted associate. Currently, our customer base is predominantly situated in Europe, China, the US, and Canada, allowing us to serve clients from various parts of the globe. Hence, in the near future, my aim is to identify a reliable partner and jointly enhance our capabilities to effectively manage data centers in the United States.

Bringing global vision to the management of crypto data centers 

A Conversation with Ilnar Shafigullin Today, we are privileged to converse with Ilnar Shafigullin, a notable methodology specialist with an expansive expertise in applied mathematics, data science, and AI/ML methodologies and solutions, particularly within the innovative sphere of EdTech platforms. Ilnar, with a substantial 12-year history in university teaching and a deep-seated passion for educational methodologies, has been an influential figure in the field. In recent years, he has been steering the methodological direction at Geekbrains, a preeminent entity in the realm of EdTech in CIS and a luminary in IT education, holding the #1 position in the CIS. With a staggering 70K+ students enrolled in programs spanning 1-3 years and a user base of over 6M+, Geekbrains stands as a monumental presence in the educational technology sector. As its Methodology Director, Ilnar has significantly impacted the educational narrative, notably through his pioneering "Developer" educational product. As we unravel the intricacies of modern educational trajectories, explore the prevailing challenges, and contemplate the anticipated future of learning, let’s embark on this explorative discourse. The past decade has witnessed education metamorphosing in unprecedented ways, transitioning online and further morphing with the advent of generative networks. How do you perceive the contemporary educational market? Could you shed light on the essence of education, its constituents, and its multifaceted forms? Alexander Volchek: To truly grasp the essence of education, we need to appreciate its multifaceted nature, influenced by a myriad of parameters. Education can manifest as online, offline, or a hybrid blend; it can be synchronous or asynchronous; orchestrated for individuals or groups, and so forth. The permutations are vast. For instance, traditional schooling predominantly hinges on offline, synchronous group sessions. Contrast this with online foreign language tutoring, which leans towards an individual, synchronous mode. And mind you, these are just the tip of the iceberg. The myriad combinations underscore the expansive canvas that is "education." Ilnar Shafigullin: It's also pivotal to understand that there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula. The choice of educational approach hinges heavily on the objectives in play, whether from the student's lens, the EdTech entity's perspective, or the educator's vantage point. Zooming into my most recent endeavors over the last few years, I've been deeply entrenched in large-scale, blended synchronous-asynchronous online education tailored for the IT realm. As it stands, programs that I've helmed have tens of thousands of students onboard, with durations spanning from 6 to a staggering 36 months. Let's delve deeper into the vast expanse of large-scale online education. Could you shed light on its intricacies and the prevailing trends in recent times? Alexander Volchek: The landscape is dotted with a myriad of entities, each charting their unique course. Yet, when we distill their essence from a business lens, the overarching ambition for EdTech ventures invariably circles back to maximizing profitability. Navigating this quest, several pivotal educational challenges emerge: Ilnar Shafigullin: Scalable Education: The imperative is not just to cater to the masses but to ensure scalability without diluting educational quality. Cost Efficiency: Every student's operational expenditure needs to be streamlined to the bare minimum. High Completion and Referral Rates: The gold standard is not just student retention but ensuring they realize their set educational aspirations. The ripple effect? A satisfied student body that becomes ambassadors of your product. The market's diverse players adopt varied strategies to tackle these challenges. A popular approach hinges on asynchronous, online, and solo learning paradigms. Here, the learning ecosystem orbits around students autonomously navigating pre-curated materials and undertaking assignments. These tasks either undergo automated assessments or are vetted by educators. Whether it's text-based content or video lectures, this model stands out in scalability and cost-effectiveness. However, this model grapples with the challenge of ensuring tangible educational outcomes. Given the absence of real-time interactions with educators or peers, the onus of success squarely rests on the student's shoulders. Their intrinsic motivation and tenacity become the linchpins of their educational journey. My professional odyssey resonated with an establishment that championed synchronous, online, group-centric learning. Here, each session transforms into a virtual conclave of students and a subject maestro, unraveling new topics and collaboratively tackling tasks. The allure of this model lies in its heightened student engagement, fostered by collective learning and immediate access to experts. But it's not without its challenges, especially when scaling becomes the ambition. For context, teaching a cohort of 50 students might necessitate one expert. But scaling this to 5,000 students implies rallying an army of 100 experts, each mirroring the same expertise level. The inevitable fallout? Skyrocketing operational costs. Fascinating insights. Confronted with such intricate challenges, how did you navigate this maze to ensure scalability without compromising quality? Interviewer: It's a multifaceted conundrum, no doubt. Our leadership was unequivocal in its vision: preserve the essence of synchronous education while championing scalability and fostering operational frugality. And as the numbers suggest, with over 30,000 students engaged with our product, we've indeed hit our stride. Ilnar Shafigullin: To unpack this, it's pivotal to demystify the learning process. What does it encapsulate? Fundamentally, it's about imparting a chunk of theoretical knowledge to students and subsequently ensuring they not only grasp it but can pragmatically apply it. If there's a disconnect, the onus is on us to bridge that gap. In an undiluted synchronous paradigm, both these facets resist effortless scalability. Especially the preliminary phase, the dissemination of theoretical knowledge, is a veritable minefield. Hypothetically, let's say our arsenal comprises 100 experts tasked with enlightening our students. The expectation is uniformity - each educator should exude consistent expertise, radiate enthusiasm, and be adept at student interactions. Each of these sessions carries a price tag, and an expert's caliber directly inflates the cost. Yet, stripped to its core, they're essentially echoing the same content. The logical pivot? Transitioning such sessions into the asynchronous realm. Imagine harnessing the prowess of a singular, top-tier expert, recording it in a state-of-the-art studio. Every student would then access this meticulously crafted lecture, potentially reaping more value than from a live session helmed by a mid-tier expert. The ensuing challenge, ensuring the assimilation and application of imparted knowledge, still merits synchronous engagement. But with a twist. We could curate a blueprint for these sessions, laden with well-defined tasks, probing questions, and a roadmap for student interactions. Supplement this with exhaustive solutions and preemptive answers, and even a novice instructor can steer the session to success. This recalibration not only mitigates our dependence on high-caliber experts but also catapults our product's scalability and, importantly, accentuates the educational experience. Still, this is but a glimpse into the myriad adjustments essential to uphold the sanctity of synchronous education. Indeed, the details you've shared are eye-opening. Can you shed light on any other intricacies associated with synchronous education? Interviewer: Certainly. When you cast your gaze upon the titans of the industry—entities that don't confine themselves to niche domains but endeavor to enlighten students across an expansive spectrum of disciplines—a glaring challenge presents itself: maintaining the gold standard of educational content and orchestrating the formation of cohorts. Given our commitment to synchronous learning, operational overheads associated with conducting classes are significant. Consequently, the initiation of any teaching cohort mandates a specific student count to ensure financial viability. Ilnar Shafigullin: Both these challenges find their solution in a radical reshaping of learning trajectories. I've pioneered a tree-structured learning framework within our entity. This strategy emphasizes front-loading the foundational components of the learning journey—those segments that demand infrequent updates. The more volatile, frequently updated segments are positioned towards the trajectory's culmination. This stratagem enabled us to unify certain segments of diverse learning pathways. All students embark on a unified journey for the initial two months. Subsequently, a career alignment phase bifurcates them into specialized paths, and another seven months down the line, they diverge based on their chosen tech stacks. This approach not only optimized our unit economics in an unprecedented manner but also guaranteed that our student cohorts reached a critical mass, facilitating bi-monthly commencement of courses. In essence, we've managed to retain the essence of synchronous learning, scale it to accommodate tens of thousands, and sculpt an unparalleled economic model for our segment. This has been vividly demonstrated through the Developer program, a project I've passionately been building for the past 2 years, where all these methodologies and principles have not only been implemented but have also proven their efficacy and impact in real-world educational contexts. That's truly commendable! Casting your gaze forward, how do you envision the trajectory of education and the EdTech landscape, especially with the dawn of transformative technologies like generative networks? Interviewer: Generative networks are potent catalysts poised to supercharge the educational realm. Traditional education invariably grapples with the constraints of human bandwidth— the responsiveness of an expert, the turnaround time for assignment evaluations, or elucidations of intricate lecture points. And let's not forget, experts come with a premium. Generative networks, in this context, can potentially revolutionize the triad of challenges I previously outlined: scalability, operational expenditure, and realizing educational outcomes. Ilnar Shafigullin: While integrating these nascent technologies does pose certain challenges, primarily due to their novelty and the limited fraternity with access to such tech, the trajectory is clear. Generative networks are poised to make their indelible mark on the educational tapestry. Virtually every facet of the learning ecosystem stands to gain from these networks, signaling an exhilarating future. A heartfelt thank you to Ilnar for sharing such a comprehensive and enlightening narrative about contemporary IT education. It's truly been an insightful journey into understanding the intricate, multifaceted nature of the educational process. If any of our readers are contemplating venturing into the education sector, it's crucial to recognize and appreciate its multifaceted nature. Ilnar has gracefully unfolded just a glimpse of a few parameters, illustrating an immensely varied approach towards learning and educational methodologies, and there is certainly a profound depth to explore further in this narrative. Moreover, the emphasis on integrating AI into educational practices is not to be dismissed as mere trend-following; it's a tangible leap towards the future. The imminent years are poised to witness transformative shifts in education, significantly shaped by the introduction and integration of generative networks. It's a field ripe for exploration, experimentation, and practical application of these networks. Thus, delve, explore, and experiment with generative networks as they undeniably play a pivotal role in scripting the future trajectory of education. Your journey into understanding and perhaps shaping the future of education starts with recognizing these emerging, transformative trends.

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