Onvisionis in the Robotic Process Automation Industry

Onvision

onvision

Rich, deeply personal stories of visions and the peace they have brought to people’s lives

Readers Share Stories of Their Loved Ones’ Deathbed Visions - The New York Times

The total solar eclipse has come and gone after creating a celestial spectacle in the skies over Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. But some people may be experiencing eye discomfort in the aftermath.

How to tell if you have eye damage after viewing the eclipse

A loss of visual sensitivity could be an early predictor of dementia.

How your vision can predict dementia 12 years before it is diagnosed – new study

Looking at the the sun directly during a solar eclipse or without certified glasses could potentially lead to eye damage that can be untreatable and irreversible, experts warn.

Saw the eclipse without proper glasses? How to tell if you have eye damage - National | Globalnews.ca

In recent months, OVER has been intensely focused on its 3D mapping campaign, developing tools and designing incentives to achieve the goal of creating the latest 3D map of the world. You’ve probably already seen some of the OVRMaps created by their community members. These aren’t just point clouds or fly-through videos; they are real-time 3D environments you can freely explore from both mobile and desktop devices. https://youtu.be/VTFzwJlPyOg?embedable=true The Power of OVRMaps in AR Experiences The first simple answer is that once an OVRMap is created for a location, it becomes possible to create AR experiences that are simply not achievable using only GPS to contextualize assets in space. These AR experiences are seamlessly integrated with the physical space using a technology called VPS (Visual Positioning System), which enables centimeter precision in re-localization, both indoors and outdoors. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. OVRMaps enable much more; they create portals between the physical and virtual worlds, breaking the barriers between AR and VR experiences. Bridging the Gap Between AR and VR To better understand this, let’s dive into the specific characteristics of AR and VR. Traditionally, we can draw a clear line between AR and VR experiences. AR blends digital assets with the physical world, while VR offers a completely virtual environment detached from the physical world. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The main drawback of VR is that it completely detaches you from the physical world. While this can be desirable, we must remember that we are, at least for the moment, physical beings, and there is only a limited amount of time we can spend in such an alternative reality. The recent launch of Apple Vision Pro addresses this issue by emphasizing AR over VR. “When you first put on Vision Pro, you see your space and everything in it,” was a key statement in the much-anticipated keynote. Conversely, VR’s clear advantage over AR is non-locality or accessibility: visiting or meeting in a virtual environment is effortless while sharing a localized AR experience is currently impossible. Imagine you create an amazing AR experience, like a reconstruction of a gladiator fight inside the Colosseum, which can be experienced locally with AR. How can you share it with people who are not physically there? OVRMaps is the solution. Combining the Best of Both Worlds OVRMaps blends the strengths of AR and VR into a unique experience. A mapped OVRLand enables precise local AR experiences in the physical location while adding the non-locality component of VR. This means that AR content can also be experienced remotely inside the digital twin of the location. https://youtu.be/LjvrZSOFnTk?embedable=true This combination of AR and VR strengths creates a unique experience and represents a giant leap in the accessibility of geo-localized AR content. It offers a new means for AR creators to share their content with the world, blending the tangible with the virtual in unprecedented ways. Experience the future of AR and VR with OVRMaps, and see how this innovative platform can transform the way you interact with both the physical and digital worlds. In recent months, OVER has been intensely focused on its 3D mapping campaign, developing tools and designing incentives to achieve the goal of creating the latest 3D map of the world. You’ve probably already seen some of the OVRMaps created by their community members. These aren’t just point clouds or fly-through videos; they are real-time 3D environments you can freely explore from both mobile and desktop devices. https://youtu.be/VTFzwJlPyOg?embedable=true https://youtu.be/VTFzwJlPyOg?embedable=true The Power of OVRMaps in AR Experiences The Power of OVRMaps in AR Experiences The first simple answer is that once an OVRMap is created for a location, it becomes possible to create AR experiences that are simply not achievable using only GPS to contextualize assets in space. These AR experiences are seamlessly integrated with the physical space using a technology called VPS (Visual Positioning System), which enables centimeter precision in re-localization, both indoors and outdoors. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. OVRMaps enable much more; they create portals between the physical and virtual worlds, breaking the barriers between AR and VR experiences. Bridging the Gap Between AR and VR Bridging the Gap Between AR and VR To better understand this, let’s dive into the specific characteristics of AR and VR. Traditionally, we can draw a clear line between AR and VR experiences. AR blends digital assets with the physical world, while VR offers a completely virtual environment detached from the physical world. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The main drawback of VR is that it completely detaches you from the physical world. While this can be desirable, we must remember that we are, at least for the moment, physical beings, and there is only a limited amount of time we can spend in such an alternative reality. The recent launch of Apple Vision Pro addresses this issue by emphasizing AR over VR. “When you first put on Vision Pro, you see your space and everything in it,” was a key statement in the much-anticipated keynote. Conversely, VR’s clear advantage over AR is non-locality or accessibility: visiting or meeting in a virtual environment is effortless while sharing a localized AR experience is currently impossible. Imagine you create an amazing AR experience, like a reconstruction of a gladiator fight inside the Colosseum, which can be experienced locally with AR. How can you share it with people who are not physically there? OVRMaps is the solution. Combining the Best of Both Worlds Combining the Best of Both Worlds OVRMaps blends the strengths of AR and VR into a unique experience. A mapped OVRLand enables precise local AR experiences in the physical location while adding the non-locality component of VR. This means that AR content can also be experienced remotely inside the digital twin of the location. https://youtu.be/LjvrZSOFnTk?embedable=true https://youtu.be/LjvrZSOFnTk?embedable=true This combination of AR and VR strengths creates a unique experience and represents a giant leap in the accessibility of geo-localized AR content. It offers a new means for AR creators to share their content with the world, blending the tangible with the virtual in unprecedented ways. Experience the future of AR and VR with OVRMaps, and see how this innovative platform can transform the way you interact with both the physical and digital worlds.

Blurring the boundaries between AR and VR

Router Protocol is pleased to announce that it has completed an oversubscribed strategic funding round with participation from prominent crypto angels and funds. The primary goal of the strategic round was to thoughtfully expand Router's cap table with crypto operators who deeply understand the importance of cross-chain infrastructure and can accelerate the ecosystem growth as Router evolves into a Layer 1 blockchain. Router Protocol is honored to welcome an exceptional group of accomplished founders and web3 executives as angels and advisors, including Keone Hon (Monad), Parker Jou (Caldera), Amrit Kumar (Altlayer), Aniket (Biconomy), Anurag Arjun (Avail), Amitej (Stader), Ravindra (Frontier), and several others. In a testament to the unwavering belief in its vision, Router Protocol also received overwhelming support from existing investors, including heavyweight players such as Wintermute Ventures, Woodstock, DeFi Capital, CryptoBanter, RavenDAO, and Luganodes. Other renowned advisors and angels include Zaki Manian (Sommelier/Cosmos), Ajit Tripathi (@chainyoda), Gokul Rajaram (Google/Doordash), and Surojit Chatterjee (Coinbase, Google, Flipkart, EMA). The proceeds from this funding round will be deployed strategically to fuel the development and highly anticipated launch of the Router Chain mainnet. Router Chain is set to revolutionize value transfer by abstracting away blockchain complexity and unlocking a new era of frictionless cross-chain applications and user experiences. "Router Chain embodies the evolution of our unwavering vision to build the universal interconnectivity layer between fragmented L1/L2 networks," said Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of Router Protocol. "By abstracting away blockchain complexity, we are laser-focused on delivering the most seamless and intuitive user and developer experience for multi-chain applications. This funding round propels us closer to realising this transformative vision." Router Protocol’s mantra has always been "developers first." Its mission is to empower builders to focus on bringing their groundbreaking ideas to life, rather than grappling with infrastructure complexities. Router Chain will provide a robust suite of flexible interoperability primitives, including its innovative cross-chain intent framework and developer-friendly toolkits, to make this vision a reality. "We are thrilled to witness the rapid expansion of our ecosystem, with trailblazing cross-chain projects like StakeEase, FolioX, and many more leveraging our interoperability primitives to push the boundaries of what's possible," said Shubham Singh, CTO of Router Protocol. In a major milestone, Router Protocol launched Router Nitro, a super-fast, gas-efficient, intent-based cross-chain bridge powered by an innovative reverse-verification mechanism. Nitro Bridge crossed $350M volume in the past 4 months, over 650K+ transactions, and almost 300K unique users. To further accelerate ecosystem growth, Router Protocol is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the Router Ecosystem Grants Program, which will provide substantial financial support and resources to promising projects building on Router Chain. Moreover, the project’s recently revamped tokenomics empowers it to aggressively focus on community engagement, ecosystem expansion, and the promotion of exciting new cross-chain primitives that will redefine the landscape of interoperability. The oversubscribed round demonstrates the demand for high-value web3 infrastructure and marks a crucial step in Router's maturation from a bridge solution to a core Web3 connecting layer. Backing from this expanded group of partners will aid in evangelizing Router's vision and unique value proposition to a global audience. Router Protocol is pleased to announce that it has completed an oversubscribed strategic funding round with participation from prominent crypto angels and funds. Router Protocol is pleased to announce that it has completed an oversubscribed strategic funding round with participation from prominent crypto angels and funds. The primary goal of the strategic round was to thoughtfully expand Router's cap table with crypto operators who deeply understand the importance of cross-chain infrastructure and can accelerate the ecosystem growth as Router evolves into a Layer 1 blockchain. Router Protocol is honored to welcome an exceptional group of accomplished founders and web3 executives as angels and advisors, including Keone Hon (Monad), Parker Jou (Caldera), Amrit Kumar (Altlayer), Aniket (Biconomy), Anurag Arjun (Avail), Amitej (Stader), Ravindra (Frontier), and several others. In a testament to the unwavering belief in its vision, Router Protocol also received overwhelming support from existing investors, including heavyweight players such as Wintermute Ventures, Woodstock, DeFi Capital, CryptoBanter, RavenDAO, and Luganodes. Other renowned advisors and angels include Zaki Manian (Sommelier/Cosmos), Ajit Tripathi (@chainyoda), Gokul Rajaram (Google/Doordash), and Surojit Chatterjee (Coinbase, Google, Flipkart, EMA). The proceeds from this funding round will be deployed strategically to fuel the development and highly anticipated launch of the Router Chain mainnet. Router Chain is set to revolutionize value transfer by abstracting away blockchain complexity and unlocking a new era of frictionless cross-chain applications and user experiences. "Router Chain embodies the evolution of our unwavering vision to build the universal interconnectivity layer between fragmented L1/L2 networks," said Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of Router Protocol. "By abstracting away blockchain complexity, we are laser-focused on delivering the most seamless and intuitive user and developer experience for multi-chain applications. This funding round propels us closer to realising this transformative vision." Router Protocol’s mantra has always been "developers first." Its mission is to empower builders to focus on bringing their groundbreaking ideas to life, rather than grappling with infrastructure complexities. Router Chain will provide a robust suite of flexible interoperability primitives, including its innovative cross-chain intent framework and developer-friendly toolkits, to make this vision a reality. "We are thrilled to witness the rapid expansion of our ecosystem, with trailblazing cross-chain projects like StakeEase, FolioX, and many more leveraging our interoperability primitives to push the boundaries of what's possible," said Shubham Singh, CTO of Router Protocol. In a major milestone, Router Protocol launched Router Nitro, a super-fast, gas-efficient, intent-based cross-chain bridge powered by an innovative reverse-verification mechanism. Nitro Bridge crossed $350M volume in the past 4 months, over 650K+ transactions, and almost 300K unique users. To further accelerate ecosystem growth, Router Protocol is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of the Router Ecosystem Grants Program, which will provide substantial financial support and resources to promising projects building on Router Chain. Moreover, the project’s recently revamped tokenomics empowers it to aggressively focus on community engagement, ecosystem expansion, and the promotion of exciting new cross-chain primitives that will redefine the landscape of interoperability. The oversubscribed round demonstrates the demand for high-value web3 infrastructure and marks a crucial step in Router's maturation from a bridge solution to a core Web3 connecting layer. Backing from this expanded group of partners will aid in evangelizing Router's vision and unique value proposition to a global audience.

Router Protocol Completes Oversubscribed Strategic Funding Round

রাউটার প্রোটোকল ওভারসাবস্ক্রাইবড স্ট্র্যাটেজিক ফান্ডিং রাউন্ড সম্পূর্ণ করে

Router Protocol schließt überzeichnete strategische Finanzierungsrunde ab

Router Protocol completa una ronda de financiación estratégica con exceso de suscripción

Le protocole de routeur finalise un cycle de financement stratégique sursouscrit

राउटर प्रोटोकॉल ने ओवरसब्सक्राइब्ड रणनीतिक फंडिंग राउंड पूरा किया

ルータープロトコル、募集額超過の戦略的資金調達ラウンドを完了

라우터 프로토콜, 초과 구독된 전략적 자금 조달 라운드 완료

Router Protocol conclui rodada de financiamento estratégico com excesso de inscrições

Router Protocol завершает раунд стратегического финансирования переподписки

Yönlendirici Protokolü Aşırı Abone Olunan Stratejik Finansman Turunu Tamamladı

Giao thức bộ định tuyến hoàn thành vòng tài trợ chiến lược được đăng ký vượt mức

路由器协议完成超额认购的战略融资轮

**LISBON, Portugal, May 9th, 2024/Chainwire/--**Azuro, the leading liquidity layer for onchain predictions, and Chiliz, the world’s premier sports and entertainment blockchain, are partnering up to accelerate the adoption of onchain sport prediction markets. These efforts will allow millions of fans worldwide to further support and cheer for their favorite teams and athletes through fair and transparent prediction apps. Chiliz Chain is renowned for its blockchain solutions that transform fan engagement in sports through features like fan tokens and interactive engagement platforms. Through its flagship venture Socios.com, the network has expanded significantly to support more than 80 sport-related fan tokens and 2M+ ecosystem users. Team-specific fan tokens for the best football clubs, including FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and many more, are all currently supported by Chiliz Chain through Socios. The network leverages a Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus algorithm which allows smart contract developers, validators, stakers, and other stakeholders to actively interact with the chain. Chiliz Chain is built to power sports and entertainment applications with a focus on brand IP and project use-case integrity. For Chiliz, partnering with Azuro represents a step toward tapping into the rapidly growing onchain prediction markets by the hand of the de facto infrastructure layer for sports prediction applications across EVM chains. Its innovative liquidity pool design, advanced tooling and oracle solutions allow apps to launch without upfront investment or running costs, enabling them to focus entirely on user acquisition, engagement and monetization from minute one. Azuro’s robust platform, currently supports over 25 active applications with transaction volumes surpassing $290 million, offers an ideal environment for Chiliz to expand its offerings in the sports and entertainment sectors. As part of this collaboration, Chiliz will be integrated into the Azuro Protocol, adding to the existing supported chains such as Polygon and Gnosis Chain. This integration will enable Chiliz to expand its reach within sports-focused prediction applications. New and existing builders relying on Azuro infrastructure will be able to connect their apps to the Chiliz Chain and allow their users to place transactions with the blockchain’s native token CHZ. "Integrating with Azuro marks a pivotal move for Chiliz Chain to capitalize on the rapidly expanding onchain prediction market," said Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com. "Leveraging Azuro's advanced infrastructure, we're empowering developers to innovate within the sports and gaming sectors." Rossen, a core contributor at Azuro, stated, “The onchain prediction markets have always been strongly tied to the sports and entertainment sector. Working alongside Chiliz Chain, the leading blockchain in this segment, feels like an obvious step for us. Azuro’s robust infrastructure will help expand Chiliz Chain’s usability within the fast-growing onchain prediction markets.” Looking ahead, Azuro and Chiliz will be soon launching a co-sponsored grants program aimed at incentivizing app developers to build on their combined infrastructure. These initiatives, including bounties for the first apps, are designed to fuel further adoption of onchain prediction markets, and aligned with Azuro’s vision for setting new transparency and fairness standards. About Azuro Azuro is the onchain predictions layer. It consists of modular tooling, oracle and liquidity solutions for EVM chains to host powerful prediction and gaming apps. With its unique infrastructure layer approach Azuro makes on-chain predictions and gaming portable and composable. It allows anyone to engage and monetize users by building apps, integrations, and products quickly, permissionlessly and with zero upfront or running costs. For more information or press inquiries, please contact team@azuro.org Website: https://azuro.org/
Docs: https://gem.azuro.org
Github: https://github.com/Azuro-protocol
Onchain activity: https://dune.com/azuro/stats About Chiliz Chiliz is the home of SportFi, where sports brands meet decentralized opportunities. Its infrastructure is driven by the Chiliz Chain, the first Layer-1 EVM compatible blockchain for sports and entertainment which now has a diverse ecosystem, fuelled by Chiliz native token CHZ. Its primary product on the Chiliz Chain, Socios.com, hosts a global community of over two million users, which makes it the largest non-finance/trading-centric Web3 consumer-facing product globally by user base. It hase partnerships with countless brands, including the giants of world sport such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Juventus, S.S.C Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, A.S. Roma and major F1 teams. Website: https://www.chiliz.com/ Contact Azuro team team@azuro.org This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. **LISBON, Portugal, May 9th, 2024/Chainwire/--**Azuro, the leading liquidity layer for onchain predictions, and Chiliz, the world’s premier sports and entertainment blockchain, are partnering up to accelerate the adoption of onchain sport prediction markets. These efforts will allow millions of fans worldwide to further support and cheer for their favorite teams and athletes through fair and transparent prediction apps. Chiliz Chain is renowned for its blockchain solutions that transform fan engagement in sports through features like fan tokens and interactive engagement platforms. Through its flagship venture Socios.com, the network has expanded significantly to support more than 80 sport-related fan tokens and 2M+ ecosystem users. Team-specific fan tokens for the best football clubs, including FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and many more, are all currently supported by Chiliz Chain through Socios. The network leverages a Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus algorithm which allows smart contract developers, validators, stakers, and other stakeholders to actively interact with the chain. Chiliz Chain is built to power sports and entertainment applications with a focus on brand IP and project use-case integrity. For Chiliz, partnering with Azuro represents a step toward tapping into the rapidly growing onchain prediction markets by the hand of the de facto infrastructure layer for sports prediction applications across EVM chains. Its innovative liquidity pool design, advanced tooling and oracle solutions allow apps to launch without upfront investment or running costs, enabling them to focus entirely on user acquisition, engagement and monetization from minute one. Azuro’s robust platform, currently supports over 25 active applications with transaction volumes surpassing $290 million, offers an ideal environment for Chiliz to expand its offerings in the sports and entertainment sectors. As part of this collaboration, Chiliz will be integrated into the Azuro Protocol, adding to the existing supported chains such as Polygon and Gnosis Chain. This integration will enable Chiliz to expand its reach within sports-focused prediction applications. New and existing builders relying on Azuro infrastructure will be able to connect their apps to the Chiliz Chain and allow their users to place transactions with the blockchain’s native token CHZ. "Integrating with Azuro marks a pivotal move for Chiliz Chain to capitalize on the rapidly expanding onchain prediction market," said Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com. "Leveraging Azuro's advanced infrastructure, we're empowering developers to innovate within the sports and gaming sectors." Rossen, a core contributor at Azuro, stated, “The onchain prediction markets have always been strongly tied to the sports and entertainment sector. Working alongside Chiliz Chain, the leading blockchain in this segment, feels like an obvious step for us. Azuro’s robust infrastructure will help expand Chiliz Chain’s usability within the fast-growing onchain prediction markets.” Looking ahead, Azuro and Chiliz will be soon launching a co-sponsored grants program aimed at incentivizing app developers to build on their combined infrastructure. These initiatives, including bounties for the first apps, are designed to fuel further adoption of onchain prediction markets, and aligned with Azuro’s vision for setting new transparency and fairness standards. About Azuro Azuro is the onchain predictions layer. It consists of modular tooling, oracle and liquidity solutions for EVM chains to host powerful prediction and gaming apps. With its unique infrastructure layer approach Azuro makes on-chain predictions and gaming portable and composable. It allows anyone to engage and monetize users by building apps, integrations, and products quickly, permissionlessly and with zero upfront or running costs. For more information or press inquiries, please contact team@azuro.org Website: https://azuro.org/ Docs: https://gem.azuro.org Github: https://github.com/Azuro-protocol Onchain activity: https://dune.com/azuro/stats Website: https://azuro.org/ https://azuro.org/ https://azuro.org/ Docs: https://gem.azuro.org https://gem.azuro.org https://gem.azuro.org Github: https://github.com/Azuro-protocol https://github.com/Azuro-protocol https://github.com/Azuro-protocol Onchain activity: https://dune.com/azuro/stats https://dune.com/azuro/stats https://dune.com/azuro/stats About Chiliz Chiliz is the home of SportFi, where sports brands meet decentralized opportunities. Its infrastructure is driven by the Chiliz Chain, the first Layer-1 EVM compatible blockchain for sports and entertainment which now has a diverse ecosystem, fuelled by Chiliz native token CHZ. Its primary product on the Chiliz Chain, Socios.com, hosts a global community of over two million users, which makes it the largest non-finance/trading-centric Web3 consumer-facing product globally by user base. It hase partnerships with countless brands, including the giants of world sport such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Juventus, S.S.C Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, A.S. Roma and major F1 teams. Website: https://www.chiliz.com/ Website: https://www.chiliz.com/ https://www.chiliz.com/ https://www.chiliz.com/ Contact Azuro team team@azuro.org This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here . here here

Azuro And Chiliz Working Together To Boost Adoption Of Onchain Sport Prediction Markets

Since , I was dying to try the and see all its potential for my usual tasks. Apple showcased how this technology could revolutionize our workspaces and redefine our approach to tasks and creativity. I was particularly intrigued by its implications for IT management and systems design. WWDC2023 Apple Vision Pro Currently, we rely on a variety of tools to create, design, and present our ideas. But what if we could perform these tasks in a 3D space on a daily basis? I believe Apple might have the answer. Recently, I finally had the chance to try out available apps for presentations, mind mapping, drawing, and designing. I'm here to share my impressions and thoughts. Presentations: Key Note and Microsoft PowerPoint Already, you can find two of the most popular solutions adapted for Vision Pro: Key Note and Microsoft PowerPoint. It´s hard for me to choose between them, and I don´t think I have to. Both products are terrific and suggest new opportunities. I guess everyone can stick to their favorite or familiar product without worrying about quality and responsiveness. Interface For both KeyNote and Microsoft PowerPoint, the interface hasn't undergone significant changes; rather, it has been refined to accommodate eye control. While some actions took me time to figure out, overall, the interface feels intuitive and user-friendly. I enjoyed it both with and without the environment, but the former is preferable for me as it allows me to concentrate on my work without distractions. Killer Features For KeyNote, definitely, rehearsal environments is a killer feature! It works amazing, and you can feel yourself in a conference room or in a theater. You can see your slides for practice and choose the view: with or without notes, show the next slide or not, and so on. Unfortunately, there are no people simulations. I suppose there might be Apple personas in the future. For PowerPoint, there is information from the : Microsoft blog Use PowerPoint to make a lasting impression with powerful and customizable slides and presentations that make you stand out. The Immersive Environment of Apple Vision Pro allows you to practice your presentation like you are presenting to an audience. Truly you can work with any app in the Vision Pro environment (not just PowerPoint), those are forest, moon, sky, and so on. However, rehearsal environments with a conference room or a theater are particularly a KeyNote feature, and you cannot use it in PowerPoint, at least for now. For sure, you can practice your presentation in any standard environment, but that´s not the same experience. Drawbacks The main drawback I've encountered while working with presentations via Vision Pro is the virtual keyboard. As someone who frequently creates detailed presentations involving numbers and text, composing these elements directly on Vision Pro can be challenging. The responsiveness of the virtual keyboard is lacking, resulting in slower typing and more errors. For now, I would choose either to connect a physical keyboard or to use my laptop as the foundation for presentations - Apple Vision Pro allows me to do it. Moreover, I would say that it was difficult for me to work with text and numerical blocks for a long time in Vision Pro. It's too cumbersome for me, and I can't relax like when watching a movie. I have to sit, type, and think while wearing a heavy thing on my head. That isn't as comfortable for me, but this is a very specific problem. The Verdict Keynote and PowerPoint on Vision Pro are perfect for making final adjustments and practicing your presentation. You can immerse yourself in the environment and focus on your work. You can enlarge the screen significantly, allowing you to easily view all your notes and slides. Moving slides and blocks, changing pictures, and leaving notes are all effortless. This experience is much better than working with just a laptop. Unfortunately, even though the virtual keyboard is among the best on the market, it's not yet perfect. Therefore, it might be challenging to create an entire presentation from scratch using only Vision Pro. However, connecting with a laptop works seamlessly, making it still possible. I will use Vision Pro for final preparations and to practice my presentations, and I would definitely recommend giving it a try. Drawing and Designing: FreeForm, Figma, Miro This section, to be honest, left me somewhat disappointed. While FreeForm performs adequately, its functionality is quite limited. Miro and Figma offer a broader range of features, but, unfortunately, none of them are adapted for Vision Pro (Miro is available as an iPad version, and Figma is available in Safari and in a wrapper application), so the responsiveness is low. Killer Features FreeForm is a standard Apple app available on iPhone, MacBook, and iPad. As an Apple application, it works smoothly. Gestures are instantly recognized. I particularly enjoyed the ability to bring it close and use it in a manner reminiscent of an iPad where you can draw with a finger instead of gestures. The initial experience of feeling the paper with my brain was genuinely perplexing. There is a library with different elements, so I see it as a specific tool for designing and not just drawing, but for now, it's more like a vision of the future. Figma and Miro have all their powerful features available but only as unadapted apps. Drawbacks Regrettably, FreeForm offers only a limited set of functions for now. Whether additional features will be introduced remains uncertain. Presently, it seems suitable only for basic drawing tasks. Moreover, even though the gestures are recognized well, it's still difficult to design something quickly. It took too much time and patience to draw this simple scheme: Figma and Miro, among other apps, encounter challenges in adapting to the Vision Pro interface. A common issue is the difficulty in processing gestures, which hampers smooth usage. For example, selecting an object may unintentionally move the entire canvas, leading to inefficiencies in work processes. Or you can struggle with object capture. These challenges pose significant obstacles to productivity and make those apps uncomfortable to use on Vision Pro. The Verdict I recognize the potential of this technology. Combining the strengths of the apps could result in amazing tools. I believe that utilizing Vision Pro for drawing and designing has the capacity to revolutionize the entire process. The flexibility to design while standing, sitting, or using the screen as an iPad is truly remarkable! However, we must exercise patience and allow the apps the time needed to refine and expand their functionalities further. I eagerly await the opportunity to see and experience these advances firsthand. Mind Mapping: Miro and Mind Note As I mentioned earlier, many well-known apps like Miro and others are not optimized for Vision Pro. While you can access them through a web browser or their iPad versions, it's not as convenient. When discussing Vision Pro-specific apps, one notable mention is Mind Note. The interface caught my eye with its aesthetic appeal, although not everything functions flawlessly. Killer Features One standout feature in Mind Note is the fluid movement of nodes, which makes working with mind maps exceptionally convenient. While Miro also offers this feature, Mind Note on Vision Pro expands it with its smooth performance and adaptivity. Vision Pro seems like the most efficient way to work with a mind map, making you feel like a hero creating something in a movie. Manipulating nodes, switching between them, grouping and ungrouping, and adding new ones are all effortlessly executed using gestures, much quicker than on a laptop or iPad. Furthermore, expanding the display to view the entire map without physically moving it just by turning your head facilitates a comprehensive view, fulfilling the primary purpose of mind mapping. This approach to creation resonated well with me. Even printing is a seamless process here. Printing extensive text blocks within the mind map is unnecessary, so the virtual keyboard is more than sufficient. Drawbacks However, there are some basic functionalities that have yet to be fully adapted or completed. A notable drawback, from my perspective, is the absence of pinch-to-zoom functionality (both in Miro and Mind Note). This feature seems essential, and its absence is somewhat disappointing; I hope the creators address this in the near future. Additionally, there is a cost associated with Mind Note, and without it, the functionality is significantly restricted, rendering the app more of a visual treat than a practical tool. The Verdict In my opinion, Vision Pro stands out as an ideal tool for mind mapping. It provides focus, a holistic view, and effortless node manipulation, offering optimal conditions for creative and effective mind mapping. Using Vision Pro exceeds the experience of using a traditional paper or browser version. Despite existing drawbacks, Vision Pro is a promising choice for mind-mapping enthusiasts. Conclusion Vision Pro is a powerful tool for creating, designing, and presenting ideas. It allows us to extend our current tools, giving us more space and possibilities. Unfortunately, since Vision Pro has just launched, there isn't a huge selection of apps in the App Store, and some apps are limited in their functionality. However, the speed at which new apps appear and existing ones improve is incredible. So, I'm sure we'll see plenty of updates in the near future. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Ready to Innovate? Explore Apple Vision Pro Apps for Managers and Analysts

উদ্ভাবনের জন্য প্রস্তুত? ম্যানেজার এবং বিশ্লেষকদের জন্য Apple Vision Pro অ্যাপগুলি অন্বেষণ করুন

Bereit für Innovationen? Entdecken Sie Apple Vision Pro Apps für Manager und Analysten

¿Listo para innovar? Explore las aplicaciones Apple Vision Pro para gerentes y analistas

Prêt à innover ? Explorez les applications Apple Vision Pro pour les managers et les analystes

नवप्रवर्तन के लिए तैयार हैं? प्रबंधकों और विश्लेषकों के लिए ऐप्पल विज़न प्रो ऐप्स का अन्वेषण करें

革新する準備はできていますか?マネージャーとアナリスト向けの Apple Vision Pro アプリを探索する

혁신할 준비가 되셨나요? 관리자와 분석가를 위한 Apple Vision Pro 앱 살펴보기

Pronto para inovar? Explore os aplicativos Apple Vision Pro para gerentes e analistas

Готовы к инновациям? Ознакомьтесь с приложениями Apple Vision Pro для менеджеров и аналитиков

Yenilik yapmaya hazır mısınız? Yöneticiler ve Analistler için Apple Vision Pro Uygulamalarını Keşfedin

Sẵn sàng để đổi mới? Khám phá Ứng dụng Apple Vision Pro dành cho Người quản lý và Nhà phân tích

准备好创新了吗？探索适合经理和分析师的 Apple Vision Pro 应用程序

While everyone is focusing on the hot news about Microsoft's acqui-hiring Inflection AI in disguise and the shakeup at Stability AI, we'd like to concentrate on the exciting developments unfolding in the world of model architectures. For the hot news, check the Usual Suspects © section below. – a new architecture that rivals the famous Transformer-based models. Mamba's innovations address significant challenges in processing long sequences, a problem that has limited traditional models. Now, let's talk about Mamba Mamba leverages state-space models (SSMs)*, particularly excelling with its incorporation of Structured State Space (S4) models into a large language model (LLM) framework. This integration allows Mamba to achieve linear complexity scaling with sequence length, marking a significant advancement over the quadratic scaling seen in traditional Transformer-based models. So what is it? Its streamlined architecture incorporates selective SSM layers, enhancing both efficiency and flexibility. As a result, Additionally, Mamba efficiently processes extremely long sequences, surpassing earlier models in performance. it benefits from hardware-aware optimizations, maximizing the potential of contemporary GPU architectures. This means you can process much longer sequences without hitting memory or compute bottlenecks. Think about applications like genomic analysis, long-form content generation, and complex multi-modal data processing, all becoming more feasible with Mamba's power. *State-space models are mathematical frameworks that describe a system's dynamics in terms of its state variables and observations, capturing the evolution and uncertainty of processes over time.  SSMs are known for efficiency with long sequences. Mamba's ability to efficiently process long sequences while maintaining competitive performance has fueled research interest in adapting and extending the architecture for various domains. It seems Mamba’s architecture is getting more attention (Attention is all you need ;) – last week, three papers showcased exciting developments. The paper, , makes Mamba more suitable for deployment on resource-constrained devices by introducing an efficient 2D scanning method and a dual-pathway module for balanced global-local feature extraction. Results show a significant reduction in FLOPs while maintaining strong accuracy. EfficientVMamba: Atrous Selective Scan for Light Weight Visual Mamba The paper, , extends Mamba to be a multi-modal large language model capable of jointly reasoning over vision and language. Experiments demonstrate competitive performance on vision-language tasks with faster inference speeds compared to Transformer-based models. Cobra: Extending Mamba to Multi-Modal Large Language Model for Efficient Inference The paper, , presents a simplified Mamba-based architecture that addresses stability issues when scaling Mamba to larger sizes. The key innovation is EinFFT, a novel channel mixing technique that ensures stable optimization. SiMBA shows strong results on vision tasks and multivariate time series forecasting, closing the gap with state-of-the-art Transformers. SiMBA: Simplified Mamba-based Architecture for Vision and Multivariate Time series These three papers highlight the architectural flexibility and potential of the Mamba model, which is promising for future advancements in context window size and data type support. If you want to move beyond Transformers, that might be the way to go. You can find the Mamba repository here: https://github.com/state-spaces/mamba News From The Usual Suspects © https://x.com/emollick/status/1770289508589707625?s=20&embedable=true Microsoft Is Hungry Microsoft basically owns OpenAI ( — from Elon Musk’s against OpenAI). “Indeed, as the November 2023 drama was unfolding, Microsoft’s CEO boasted that it would not matter “[i]f OpenAI disappeared tomorrow.” He explained that “[w]e have all the IP rights and all the capability.” “We have the people, we have the compute, we have the data, we have everything.” “We are below them, above them, around them.” lawsuit Last February, Microsoft in Mistral and brought its newest AI model, Mistral Large, to Azure. invested Last week, Microsoft basically Inflection AI’s team, including two of its co-founders: Mustafa Suleyman and Karén Simonyan. Eric Newcomer at Microsoft’s creativity in non-acquisition strategies, such as partnering with and investing in companies like Inflection and OpenAI without formal acquisitions, sidestepping antitrust reviews. The Stratechery why many aspects of Inflection and its rapid ascent to Unicorn status were odd from the very beginning. Soma Somasegar from Madrona VC that Microsoft partners with Inflection.ai to innovate AI for consumers, aiming to transform its presence in the consumer market. acqui-hired points out explains thinks Stability AI Evokes Many Jokes About Instability This January, we published with the subtitle: “Investigating the Thin Line Between Genuine Innovation and Strategic Exaggeration in AI”. On March 23, after too many exaggerations Emad Mostaque from his position as CEO of Stability AI. According to him, he to concentrate on decentralized AI. What does it mean exactly — no one knows. Stability AI profile resigns wants OpenAI https://x.com/gdb/status/1772334028009652415?s=20&embedable=true Hugging Face announces the release of , the largest public domain dataset designed for training (LLMs. Encompassing 500 billion words across multiple languages including English, French, Dutch, Spanish, German, and Italian, it’s a multilingual collection sourced from diverse cultural heritage initiatives. This release aims to demonstrate the feasibility of developing open LLMs using copyright-free materials, supported by an international collaboration with organizations dedicated to open science in AI. Common Corpus Sam Altman Is Open-Sourcing His Orb The Worldcoin Foundation the Orb’s software (Orb is a device that scans irises to create unique digital IDs) open-source, aiming to enhance privacy and security in proving humanness online. The software, available under MIT/Apache 2.0 licenses on GitHub, supports World ID verification by processing images locally and ensuring data privacy through secure transfers. has made Enjoyed This Story? I write a weekly analysis of the AI world in the newsletter. We aim to equip you with comprehensive knowledge and historical insights so you can make informed decisions about AI and ML. Turing Post

Mamba Architecture: What Is It and Can It Beat Transformers?

It’s always fun when extremely talented engineers bring up the topic of continuing down an individual contributor path versus entering formally into people leadership. I recently had the chance to talk about the usual trade-offs in conversations about people leadership vs individual contributions. Topics like, do you think you can effectively lead through others, or are you a brilliant engineer? Are you sure you want to manage people instead of doubling down on your expertise? Naturally, The conversation generally shifts to an equally fascinating topic: quantifying effectiveness. For individual contributors, effectiveness can be measured in various ways, such as algorithmic efficiency or the robustness of systems and platforms they develop. In contrast, measuring performance and effectiveness in leadership introduces a different kind of subjectivity. It tends to lead into an opportunity where I quote from a concept from my favorite leadership book (at this point, I should use an Amazon federal link, hah) that followership is a useful measure of leadership effectiveness because it's both simple and quantifiable. Consider this: how many people you lead would choose to follow you if you switched teams, organizations, or even companies? This question underpins the argument in , where the author challenges the conventional wisdom of universally definable and measurable leadership. Instead, the book suggests that "followership" is the real measure of leadership effectiveness, proposing that the essence of leadership is not a singular trait or capability. Nine Lies About Work Coincidentally, my friends at Quotient a that offers complementary insights, identifying key attributes of effective engineering managers from both managers' and engineers' perspectives. These attributes include fostering a positive work environment, enabling autonomy, and nurturing talent. Notably, the study suggests de-emphasizing technical expertise in favor of qualities that promote team cohesion, psychological safety, and personal growth, reflecting a shift in how leadership effectiveness is perceived in the technical domain. recently analyzed Microsoft study However, I have reservations about the interpretations presented in the Microsoft research paper, especially the assertion that effective managers place less emphasis on technical leadership. This discrepancy might stem from the definition of 'technical' prowess, particularly within software and machine learning engineering. From my experience, there's a correlation between effective leadership and technical acumen. However, I'd reinterpret 'technical' abilities to include the capacity to engage in multiple "languages of abstraction." Exceptional leadership, especially in technical disciplines, involves the versatility to engage scientifically with data and empirical evidence, mathematically to argue points with precision, and logically to construct cogent arguments by effortlessly forming valid arguments (any casual reference to using modus ponens or hypothetical syllogism is a win). This abstract multi-lingual fluency enables leaders to connect with their teams on multiple intellectual levels, fostering a deeper appreciation for the leader’s technical capabilities. I think effective leadership, within most engineering domains, hinges as much on technical fluency as it does on vision, empathy, and adaptability. It's this synthesis of skills and the ability to create an environment where folk would happily follow — that distinguishes truly effective leaders.

Embracing Followership and Technical Fluency in Modern Leadership

"The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else." – Eric Ries 💯  Framework // Concept // Mental Model Launching a successful product is no easy feat. The odds are stacked against you. Over 90% of startups fail due to a lack of product-market fit, running out of cash, not having the right team, and more. 😨 In a talk on “How to Succeed with a Startup,” Sam Altman shared hard-earned wisdom on building startups based on his experience investing in and founding them. 📝 As a fellow product leader, I picked out the key lessons that I believe can help PMs be more successful - whether at a scrappy early-stage venture or scaling behemoth: 🚀 Here, I will dive deeper into each area with tactical advice for how product managers can evaluate and contribute to critical dimensions that influence startup outcomes. Craft Viral, Remarkable Products 🤩 The number one predictor of startup success is intense product-market fit that delights users enough to spark organic growth. Rather than flashy tech or temporary fads, these are durable, viral products addressing underserved jobs. Traits of Remarkable Products Obsessively solve frustrations for a target user base better than alternatives. Offer dramatic improvements on key experiences rather than iterative gains. Frame a compelling, intuitive value proposition addressing feelings potential users self-identify with Tactics to Embed Survey early adopters directly to assess product intensity based on metrics like: Frequency of use Retention over various periods Loyalty vs competitor solutions Satisfaction ratings Structure beta user panels representing various user archetypes to gather broad, honest feedback. Analyze usage data for signs of successfully forming user habits and rituals. Evaluate if the minimum viable product (MVP) solves a pressing “hair on fire” priority. Expand on bright spots with enthusiasm from early testing rather than responding to every feedback item Examples Instagram offered dramatic improvements in mobile photo sharing and filters before cluttering additional capabilities. Tesla initially built a viral base of EV enthusiasts by focusing wholly on an exceptional vehicle experience rather than trying to scale mainstream too quickly. Peloton successfully formed exercise habits and community loyalty better than alternatives. Target High-Potential Markets 📈 Rather than currently observable metrics, evaluate whether the target users and use cases can support exponential expansion in demand over time. This requires accurately assessing both adoption obstacles that need to be overcome before such inflections occur and platforms reach a scale that might bend adoption upward rapidly. Traits of High-Potential Markets Technological maturation unlocking new use cases. Regulatory changes expanding access. Business model evolution overcoming pricing obstacles. Tactics to Embed Talk to investors, founders, and experts in adjacent spaces to gather signals identifying emerging trends early based on peripheral activity. Use tools like Google Trends, SEMrush, SimilarWeb, Pitchbook data, etc. to quantify changes in interest, search patterns, and funding related to market spaces over time. Extrapolate S-curves and model user segments that expand as capabilities improve and costs lower. Identify platform shifts that can accelerate niche adoption once infrastructure scales. Apply adjacencies like mobile → powering app explosion. Examples Teladoc identifies telehealth adoption constraints that would ease over time with video improvements. Mobile gaming benefits from smartphone penetration expanding casual gaming TAM. Autonomous vehicle companies mapping regulatory hurdles and cost Declines unlocking logistics categories. Distinguish Real vs Fake Trends 💎 With so many startups touting world-changing potential but failing to drive repeat user engagement, it’s critical to audit actual intrinsic interest beyond initial curiosity. Analyze both breadth of appeal and depth of habit formation over time across user cohorts. Traits of Real Trends High retention and loyalty even with simple/unfinished early products. Power users exhibit unusually intense usage behavior. Mainstream initial interest matures to a more nuanced understanding of true appeal over time as hype fades. Tactics to Embed Carefully segment users by behavior rather than aggregate statistics. Identify differentiated use cases and niche communities forming around the product. Survey & interview both casual and loyal users on what drives ongoing value. Test viral coefficient with incentive experiments (e.g., refer-a-friend rewards). Monitor engagement and retention by cohort over long periods tracking stabilization. Examples Pokémon Go sustained a strong core user base years after the hype faded. Plant-based meat alternatives prove more appealing to specific consumer segments vs suggested mass-market potential. Wearable fitness trackers shifting from novelty gadgets to practical health tools for target demographics. Recruit Evangelical Founders 🫂 Leadership playing chief product advocate to passionately communicate the vision makes a huge difference in attracting the necessary attention and resources. This starts with the executive team setting the tone, urgency, and confidence to break through the noise. Traits of Strong Evangelists Exude confidence and conviction despite uncertainty. Tailor compelling narratives to various audiences. Inspire belief in lofty visions and rally support. Tactics to Embed Coach leadership on storytelling and presence. Help craft pitches resonating with key stakeholder groups. Fill gaps by communicating passionately if leadership lacks. Examples Steve Jobs captivated audiences with legendary keynotes. Elon Musk sustained ambitious visions on multi-year timelines. Bill Gates credibly explains the future of technology. Structure Bold Incentives 💰 The most in-demand, elite startup talent has countless options today given the abundant funding environment. Competing on compensation alone is insufficient. Attract and retain top talent by framing ambitious visions tied to long-term value creation rather than optimizing for near-term profits. Anchor missions to bold outcomes advancing humanity, not just building profitable apps. Traits of Bold Visions Address complex challenges requiring exceptional teams. Mission orientated around meaningful progress. Inspire talent with a purpose beyond their role. Tactics to Embed Spotlight inspiring PURPOSE rather than PRODUCT. Craft 10-year visions tied to economic, social, and technological progress. Structure incentive alignment and leadership communications to reinforce. Examples Tesla anchoring workforce to sustainable energy innovation. SpaceX attracting top engineers to space exploration missions. Longevity-focused biotech Startups Framing Healthspan impacts. Obsess Over Team Composition 👥 Studies show startup success strongly correlates with thoughtful, balanced team composition based on skillsets, experience, and temperament. Before scaling headcount, probe the leadership traits and interpersonal chemistry within founding teams by benchmarking against past archetypes. Recruiting should then fill gaps with appropriate aptitudes and resilience required for volatile environments. Balanced Startup Archetypes : Sells the vision Hustler : Builds the product Hacker : Obsesses over user experience Hipster Shared Mindsets Optimism - Belief can figure out hard problems Ownership - Fix things rather than pointing fingers Resilience - Persistence despite turbulent conditions Tactics to Embed Evaluate the team through founder archetype lenses first Assess collective persistence qualities beyond domain expertise Carefully select the first 10-15 hires based on cultural signals Test alignment on intrinsic – mission, norms, values Examples Airbnb’s cereal team bonding screening for collaboration Tesla’s relentless problem-solving perspective Stripe’s long-term thinking and execution balance Sustain Cadence Through Wins 🏆 Maintaining consistent tempo on product and go-to-market initiatives builds confidence in leadership, staff, and investors by repeatedly proving empirical success. Cultivating urgency and delivering tangible results prevents organizations and budgets from stagnating when running lean. Value progress velocity over distant milestones. Traits of Sustained Cadences Continuous action bias toward incremental progress Rapid experimentation velocity testing assumptions Avoid distraction by postponing non-critical efforts Tactics to Embed Structure sprints and OKRs to ship value faster Impose constraints like Innovation Lockdowns to focus on innovation Celebrate small milestones frequently Continuously realign on the most critical priority Examples Amazon’s “Working Backwards” product development rigor OODA loop continuous orientation, decisions, and actions “Innovation Theater” budgeting tactics to fund progress Develop Competitive Advantages 💪 Most startups pitch feature advantages, but sustainable moats stem from systems, network effects, and scaling over time rather than temporary differentiators. Analyze marketplace dynamics and system-level resources that could compound startup strengths apart from basic product features. Traits of Compounding Advantages Switching costs imposed through integrated workflows Data barriers that improve system performance Brand affinity and community create inertia Tactics to Embed Map core interaction loops and intermediaries Model how aggregating signals may improve utility Design rituals and cultural differentiators early Examples Amazon Prime ecosystem lock-in Facebook social graph and ad targeting Apple’s brand community and product launches Design Viable Monetization 💵 Consider business model viability early and have pricing and revenue experiments ready to run at key milestones rather than solely optimizing for traction goals trusting adoption subsidies everything. Draft early financial model blueprints depicting how the startup could eventually design profitable, scalable revenue streams across various functions. Traits of Good Models Identify monetizable user values Outline milestones to test experiments Analyze analogs demonstrating sustainability Tactics to Embed Map monetizable user actions and incentives Talk to ecosystem partners about potential affiliate rev shares Survey power users on willingness to pay Examples Amazon moving from books to → third-party marketplace Instagram establishing ads after growth footing Distribute Effectively 🚀 Rather than treating it as an afterthought, evaluate probable acquisition channels and optimize conversion funnels for growth built into products from the onset. Viral models bake in incentives and social sharing hooks driving referral looping. Direct sales compensates business development partners. Traits of Effective Distribution Achieve product-channel fit matching user search behavior Incentivize organic propagation through network effects Compensate ecosystem partners Tactics to Embed Analyze analog platforms to determine the most relevant touchpoints Survey early adopters on how they discovered niche offerings A/B test positioning and packaging conversion Examples Facebook’s early college ambassador programs Slack’s developer evangelism and freemium conversion Snapchat leveraging broadcast social sharing As a product manager, focus on evaluating and contributing to progress in these areas critical to startup greatness. 💫 👇 What resonated most with you? What success factors did I miss? Share your top lessons for fellow PMs below! 📚 Book - Offers unique insights into creating value in the startup world. Zero to One by Peter Thiel 🎧  Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lJKucu6HJc 😎  Meme Thanks for reading The Product Channel By Sid Saladi! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. 🌟 Some of our popular newsletter editions ============================================ 🚀 Week 6 - Dynamic Ways ChatGPT Revolutionizes Product Management 🚀 and 50+ Product Management prompts 📚 Week 5 - 50+ Product Management Prompts for ChatGPT-4 👩‍💼 Week 22 - How to create a customer persona for your product 🧠 Week 24 - 14 Behavioral Psychology Concepts Product Managers Should Know 📊 Week 27 - 📈 How to Develop and Write KPIs: A Guide for Product Managers 📋 📚 Week 6 - PM 101 (Books, Articles, Podcasts and Newsletters) 💼 Week 20 - AI Tools 🤖 for Product Managers 💪 That Will Transform Your Workflow 🔄 and Boost Productivity 📈 ✍️ Week 29 - 💡 A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Killer 📝 Problem Statements 🔧 Week 33 - 🚀 The Ultimate Guide to Prototyping for Product Managers: Mastering the Art of Reducing Uncertainty in Product Development 🎯 🤯 Week 16 - 6 Most Effective Problem Prioritization Frameworks for Product Managers - Part 1 🤯 Week 17 - 6 Most Effective Problem Prioritization Frameworks for Product Managers - Part 2 Also published here

How to Succeed With Startups - A Guide for Product Leaders Inspired by Sam Altman

I started out as a frontend developer and went through all standard stages: from a junior to a senior and a team lead and, later, to the head of a department. The next logical step was, of course, a CTO. And it was only several years later that I learned that my ideas about this role had been far from reality. This article is about how I became CTO at a large-scale company and learned the rules of the game by experience. If you are interested in what this job is about or planning on taking on this position, welcome on board! Who I Am Everything I’m going to share is my personal experience hard won during 17 years of work in tech. In a nutshell, it was like this. In my youth, I was your typical geeky loner who then graduated from one of the top Russian technical universities and could imagine himself only as a tech guy. When I got my first job, I felt that I was good at noticing the mistakes of my superiors and decided that I could do it right if I were in their position. That’s why I moved forward at a very fast pace and got four promotions in five years. The next highest position in my company was CTO. And that’s what I aimed for: the title sounds good and offers lots of opportunities to do things right. But the company didn’t need a new CTO at the time. I was young, eager and rushed forward, so my friends and I decided to launch a startup. For the next eight years, I was an entrepreneur, founding and selling, founding and selling companies. In all these cases, I essentially assumed the position of Head of Engineering. Then came 2019 when I realized that I was ready for employment. Just like that, I became CTO of a large-scale e-commerce company, Citilink. Next year, in 2020, I got an offer that I couldn’t refuse from Lamoda. In fact, my path as CTO started a lot earlier but it’s been official for the last four years only. And it seems that I was doing some other stuff between the time when I first dreamt about it and the actual work as CTO. This journey has brought me to a position where I could draw a comparison between my dream and reality. The results shocked me at first, then I hated them, but finally came the acceptance. Now it’s time to share them. Partnership As they say, first impressions count. In my case, it was an absolute surprise because I was interviewed by CEO who was by no means a tech guy. No directors with whom I communicated were tech-savvy. They were looking for CTO who would be smarter than them and would deal with all technical matters. They themselves were exceptionally talented business managers, driving the growth of their companies. But they had nothing to do with technology. And what were they talking about during the interviews? Each of them did it the same way: their main objective was to find a person who would help them grow their business. Both times (in Citilink and Lamoda) we talked about what I had done for business growth. If I worked for a company, then what was its business objective at the time? What were the shareholder’s purposes, what did CEO want, and did I achieve what they wanted? If so, then how? Why this way and not another one? It was important for them that I understood CEO’s and business objectives and contributed to their achievement. So, this was the first lesson I learnt from the first interview: If you want to be CTO you need to become a business partner, the person who helps CEOs grow businesses and achieve their objectives, namely growth, be it turnover, capitalization, profits, customer base, and so on. It was important not only for passing the interviews: it also helps work and build trust with CEO and your colleagues. If you want the business to grow the same way your colleagues do, you will belong and be trusted. Even more, you will be allocated the resources you need and your opinion will matter in any conflict situation. If you close up and become defensive (as in “we are IT, and nobody from the outside can understand us”) you will lose. Sooner or later, the conflict will become evident, cracks will open, sparks will fly, and somebody will get fired. Communications Imagine: you are entering a room with nine people who know almost nothing about technology. You have been working in tech for 17 years, and they haven’t written a line of code in their lives. But they are smart and influential people, they make decisions about your budget and whether you can complete your project or introduce new technologies. In the end, they decide on corporate policies: for example, whether to allow your developers to work remotely or not. These people are your management board, a managerial body CTO is part of. Now imagine that you need to explain to these people that your monolith platform requires refactoring. It will cost 60% of the company’s budget for growth and will last 1.5 years (or maybe even two), and if you don’t do this, the company will suffer. You need to explain this to people who know nothing about technology and even if they do, their knowledge is very limited. This case is your typical working day as a CTO. You work with these people on a daily basis, and they decide on many steps you take. You need to be convincing and clear so that they wanted to agree with you even if they don’t have your 17 years in the industry. Once, I had to keep my ground against the Board of Directors (which is the next level of the management, the company’s shareholders) to persuade them to spend two million dollars on a new data storage system. This turned out to be one of the most difficult communication situations in my whole life. Behind me was my team, who needed appropriate equipment to do their work, and before me was a shareholder who could hear only: “Give me two million” from my speech about the issues with queues and the importance of the upgrade. And this isn’t so surprising: after all, it’s his personal income that he already decided to spend on a new yacht. I was able to solve this problem and, to be honest, I am proud of myself. Here is the magic: a shareholder doesn’t like to spend but he likes to earn. In his experience, it is the Business Development Manager or the Marketing Director who earns money, while the Head of Engineering just spends all the time: and the shareholder already dealt with dozens of tech guys who kept asking for money! Turns out you can actually pique a shareholder’s interest, but only if you discuss potential extra income with him. That’s why my first approach failed: I kept telling him about the spending and couldn’t understand why he couldn’t recognize the seriousness of the problem. In the end, I turned my request into an investment package: you give us X money now, and we return 3X in three years. We calculated the increases in the page load rate and SEO traffic, as well as in the conversion rates during the holidays when the demand is the highest. We also ensured that the issue with order delivery would be solved (because all order tracking systems were installed on these machines and, at peak loads, pickup points received order information only several hours later). Only business people usually promise a return on investments and we, tech guys, partnered up with them. Being a reasonable person, the shareholder agreed: because three yachts are way better than one. That’s how we got much more than two million for our new software. So, that’s what CTO’s daily life looks like. You communicate with people who are very smart but don’t know anything about technology and don’t even want to talk about them. Because it's your job to know all about the technologies. And you need to do whatever it takes to reach understanding. Strategic vision The third pain point catches up on you later, and it is not so obvious. You work and make some decisions every week. They can be quick fixes or long-term solutions: what architecture to choose, whether to split a monolith, to migrate from a data center to a cloud solution or vice versa, to which degree to use import phase-out, what to buy and what to develop internally. Nobody can answer these questions better than you. Just remember that it is important to be a business partner and to earn trust. And the easiest way to earn trust is to focus on quick wins when you do your best to resolve immediate and urgent problems. For example, quickly release a feature much expected by the stakeholders. And it doesn’t matter at all that you achieved it with crutches and overtimes. And it’s important because it creates trust, with you demonstrating the spirit of business partnership. Problems start to arise when you realize that, for these quick wins, you will have to sacrifice the long-term future of the company. Your team can work overtime and your feature will be released by Monday. But if you do it too often, people will burn out and leave, causing a drop in the number of tasks you can complete. You can release your feature with crutches. But if you do it every week, you will end up with an architectural cul-de-sac instead of a solid architectural environment. You can outsource all the work and, in doing so, avoid difficult problems because you won’t need to compete for talents. But then, in all likelihood, you will be less flexible long term as you won’t have the required competencies. And at some point, when the company needs motivated employees, it will turn out that you don’t have them because you either use out-of-the-box solutions or external teams who are not that much attached to you. You always have to keep a balance between short-term and long-term approaches. You have to demonstrate short-term results: any homo sapiens likes to win, and any manager or colleague likes it when you demonstrate results. If you don’t, you lose the benefit of the doubt. And when you lose it completely, your place will be taken by another CTO with his own strategies. When I was looking for a job, I had a heart-to-heart with an executive search agent. She told me that some of my fellow colleagues are considered bad candidates because they were after short-term benefits and “spoiled the IT landscape”. That’s because they felt pressured into it by the business owners and wanted to be their business partners. This article starts with an emphasis on the importance of business partnership, and here is the paradox: you just can’t solve the quick/long wins issue. This is the burden you will have to carry. This is the work you will have to do. This is the conflict that will persist in you. What is the way out? I’ve been working as a CTO for almost four years and have been searching for an answer to this question all this time. Right now, I am confident about one thing only: you need to have a clear strategic vision. Then, you will have an understanding of where a long-term initiative is crucial and when the company will not succeed without it. Here is an example. We, at Lamoda, believe that a high-caliber team with senior specialists guarantees the health of the organization and its technological sustainability. Sometimes, I feel tempted to take a different road to speed up right here, right now. But then I always remember that expertise is the guarantee of stability for us. To tell you this now or, more importantly, to communicate this message to the CEO when he approaches you with a bundle of ideas (“Let’s do it this way? Why not?”), . You need to have , and the will to stand your ground. you need to have inner conviction vision faith At the same time, you need to be . Defend only what is the most important. And don’t go for quick wins when losses are negligible. wise Do you really want it? My story may look like a path of wins but it’s not by accident that I’m being so dramatic about this: each of these thoughts is a result of hundreds of failures. Up to the point when I was told: “You are a lousy CTO. I advised to fire you.” It hurts. And if you choose this road you will most probably be hurt, too. The experience in software development doesn’t prepare you for the problems awaiting you: you will need to hone your communication skills and become well-versed in business matters and strategies. You will have to spend time on this, while you could spend it upgrading your technical skills. And the question is: does a geek, a graduate from a technical university, or a fan of coding, really need this? Maybe, you will be happier and more successful professionally if you choose a level lower or sideways from this position. I have asked myself this question multiple times. But I always had the thought that kept me going from the very start: “I want everything to be better and cooler after me than it was before me. I want the developers at my company to not have the issues I had. I want to work in the industry that changes for the better every day. I don’t want to give up.” That’s the answer to my question, that’s my motivation. However, payback is inevitable. If you want to do something better than the previous dumb superior, you will sooner or later realize that now the dumb superior is you. But that’s another story. Maybe, I will tell it later.

What You Need to Know before You Start as CTO

ld Lady Lloyd

If you watched in June 2023, you may have realized the lack of mention of the term “AI” during the presentation. The term was not uttered; not even once. The technology was referred to, of course, but always in the form of “ ” — a more subtle and technically accurate description. Apple’s WWDC keynote machine learning This is in complete contrast to what happened recently at events of other Big Tech companies, such as or . Google I/O Microsoft Build , as it often does, took a different route. Instead of highlighting AI as an omnipotent force in its own right, they only pointed to the features they developed by baking machine learning into its products. Apple Here’s a list of the Machine Learning / AI features that Apple unveiled: Improved Auto-correct🤖 , powered by a . This Machine learning model improves auto-correction and sentence completion as users type. An enhanced auto-correct feature transformer language model Personalized Volume Feature for AirPods🔊 This feature uses machine learning to adapt to environmental conditions and user listening preferences. Enhanced Smart Stack on watchOS⌚ The Smart Stack ( ) upgrade uses machine learning to display relevant information to users. the feature that lets you pin widgets to your home screen Journal App📖 employs on-device Machine Learning to intelligently curate customized journaling prompts based on contacts, photos, music, workouts, location data, and even podcasts. This new app 3D Avatars for Video Calls on Vision Pro😃 Apple introduced advanced Machine Learning techniques for for video calls on the newly launched Vision Pro. It largely went under the radar due to the hype under the Vision Pro itself. generating 3D avatars Transformer-Based Speech Recognition🗣️ Apple announced a new transformer-based speech recognition model (called Dictation) that improves… dictation accuracy using Apple’s “ ”. Neural Engine Apple M2 Ultra Chip🍟 This chip with a 32-core Neural Engine is capable of performing 31.6 trillion operations per second and supports up to 192GB of unified memory. It can train large transformer models, demonstrating a significant leap in AI applications… and helping Apple secure its future through continued control of its hardware stack. By underplaying the role of AI during its presentation, Apple does a few things. Firstly, it makes the company look like the adult in the room. They’re saying “We don’t need to over-sell, the proof will be in the pudding”. Secondly, they’re ensuring that any future AI failures ( ) will not tarnish the brand. and they will come Thirdly, and most importantly, they’re making sure not to be impacted by future regulations by putting some distance between AI technology and themselves. While Apple’s rivals are building massive models with server farms, supercomputers, and terabytes of data, Apple embed AI models . On-device AI bypasses a lot of the data privacy issues that cloud-based AI faces. When the model can be run on a phone, then Apple needs to collect less data in order to run it. on its devices It’s like they’re saying, “hey if there’s gonna be any irrational hype about anything here it’s gotta be about our brand only”. Good luck out there. Also published here.

Apple Quietly Takes a Bite of the AI Cherry

Simplify File Management in Node.js With Sanity CMS: A Step-by-Step Guide for Easy CRUD Operations

Vision is the main channel by which man receives his impressions

There’s something about the startup scene that inspires drained corporates to leave their cozy, paced lives at big multinational enterprises and pursue the thrill of the unknown. The shiny dream of building the next Silicon Valley unicorn can often be tempting enough to compete with the comfort of a regular, peaceful 9-to-5 with a handful of perks. Indeed, joining a startup could be the next turning point in your career. It’s a great chance to experience a new industry or capacity, have your say in important decisions impacting the whole business strategy of the company, and simply be a part of something great that can potentially change the world. So What’s the Catch? There’s one thing to know about startups before considering working in them: there is always a risk that it won’t work out – particularly if we’re talking about early-stage startups all the way to the seed round. And even if eventually your startup succeeds, it’s important to understand that a large part of this journey may be quite stressful and disheartening. Should you resist the temptation of trying your luck simply because of the danger of failure? Absolutely not. But there is every reason to make a decision of joining a startup with a cold-minded, reasonably critical approach. Now, in this article, we won’t be touching the subject of as it’s a whole different topic to go over – and as an I believe I’m not the one to elaborate on entrepreneurship (at least yet). founding your own startup, employee, However, having worked for an early-stage startup for over a year, I have definitely accumulated some reflections to share. Here are a few key questions I would recommend asking yourself before signing up to work for a startup. 1. Does It Drive Me? Stepping into a startup usually means quickly immersing yourself in a fast-paced environment with countless simultaneous processes that tend to change very quickly. You might have to combine multiple roles at once, rapidly master new skills, and learn about all sorts of matters that you never had to deal with. All of that can be incredibly fun and exciting – as long as you are genuinely passionate about the mission of the startup you’ve chosen and you actually believe that your product is worth all those efforts. In fact, understanding why this work is important to you may be your only chance to stay sane during the darker times when you’ll feel like it’s all going nowhere – and trust me, there will always be such periods, even if eventually you’ll build that unicorn that’ll change the world. To keep your eye on that light at the end of the tunnel, you need to start your journey with a firm belief in its existence. 2. Does It All Make Sense? Getting a solid answer to this question may require you to dig much deeper into the subject – but the time it might save you is very much worth it. Do your research about the field that the company operates in, look through their website, and try to understand what their product is and what similar products are already out there in the market. All these efforts will help you ask the right questions at the interview. Why bother? Unless you are invited to join as a co-founder, you’d want to make sure that the company has a clear vision of its product and its target audience, the markets it’ll focus on, and the monetization model. The only reason why any of these points may remain unclear by the time of your interview is when they are hiring you specifically as a CEO, a Business Development Manager, etc., with the purpose to define these aspects with your help. Stay very much alert for the warning signs that the company’s business strategy is heavily based on assumptions. For example, just because it’s targeting a global problem doesn’t mean it’ll fit into different markets globally. Or just because the founder had a certain experience finding a solution to his personal problem, it doesn’t mean that everyone else out there would need a specific product to solve similar issues. Meticulous market research, critical approach, and pragmatic thinking are extremely important even in the most inspiring startup environment. 3. What Are the Founders Like? It’s quite a common thing for startup founders to be eccentric or relatively hard to deal with. After all, it often takes a certain bit of creativity and/or madness to come up with a truly innovative idea and try to bring it to life. However, instead of romanticizing the popularised “passion” and “courage” as the core qualities of the founders, think of these aspects: 📌 Do these people look like they can handle a business? Do you like their thinking? 📌 Do you trust their experience in the industry and their judgment? Have they done anything remotely similar in the past? 📌 Is there a co-founding team of 2+ people balancing each other out, or is there one solo founder that has full power to change in the company in the flick of a switch? anything 📌 Does it look like you will personally feel comfortable working with them? 4. Will I Have a Share and/or Power? This question may not seem that important when you’re joining a small startup that has little to no revenue and is basically just starting out. However, once you find yourself giving it all to the business that has never been yours, sooner or later you’ll start wondering if your input in its very foundation should be worth its part. That feeling of possessing a certain part in the business might also give you a bit of extra motivation to keep going strong on the downward parts of the journey. As a business owner (even if you only own a couple of percent!), you will most likely feel that going through hardships is more justified. After all, being just an employee on a salary is much easier when you work for a corporate organization. If you’re joining at the earliest stages, it’s worth negotiating to be on the confounding team and have more weight to your word in the consequent strategic decisions. This way, you will less likely end up suffering from someone else’s mistakes that you had no way of preventing. Of course, greater power comes with greater responsibility, so only consider this route if you really want to be at the core of the business. With early-stage startups, it’s often a feasible option – and it’s an opportunity that’s much harder to secure in a big established company. 5. What if It Doesn’t Work Out? However great the mission and vision of the startup you’re joining may seem, the chance of failure is never low. Therefore it’s worth making sure that the journey would be worth it regardless of the result. In other words, even if the startup that employs you never makes a successful exit, you should still be able to leave with valuable takeaways – and no regrets. Some tips to make sure the outcome is positive for you no matter what: ✅ Join a startup with a mission that you believe in and would be proud to look back on; ✅ Choose a role that would give you the most diverse, hands-on experience that you can use in your career later on; ✅ Make sure the startup brings you into the industry that you’d like to stay in, so you can form the right network and learn from industry experts ✅ Do your best to be informed about your sector and the latest tech trends – so you’d be able to make a solid judgment of your startup’s performance ✅ Be passionate – but also be realistic. Last Note Working in a startup can be a bittersweet journey with moments of sky-high thrills and grim disappointments. As an employee, sometimes you will feel proud of the input you are making, and on other days you’d be desperate that you don’t have the power over the things that make the business bounce back or stagnate. Whatever ups and downs you face, what is almost guaranteed is that you will get incredible experience, learn a lot, and gain valuable insights that will take your professional versatility and expertise to a whole new level. The question is, where will your journey take you?

5 Things to Consider Before Joining a Startup

Do you still think it is impossible to transact huge sums of money with strangers on the web? In 1995, believed that no online database could replace a daily newspaper. But look at us today. When last did you buy a newspaper to read? I can't remember the last time I bought one myself. Clifford Stoll With the rate at which Web3 is being adopted, in no time, you'll have to learn about Web3 to stay ahead. What if I told you there was an easy way to learn and earn while learning Web3? It means you're getting something from it apart from gaining new knowledge. In this article, you'll learn about different Web3 learning platforms where you can earn while learning diverse topics, including crypto, Web3 development, DeFi, Ethereum, Solidity, etc. Pre-requisites I suggest you see the before or after you read this article. dummies guide to Web3 What Is Learn to Earn in Web3? It's as simple and direct as the title. Learn to earn is a concept in Web3 where individuals are rewarded for learning about crypto, Web3 development, or completing tasks to earn NFTs, crypto, or tokens. So, what's the motive behind paying people to earn? Well, for some of the platforms listed below (which are mostly exchange platforms) — when you learn from their platform, you're more likely to become a customer once you complete your learning. It's an excellent win for the beginners and the company that has offered to teach them. Apart from the earning potential, why should I learn about Web3? See answers in the next section. Why Learn Web3? When people ask this, they mostly ask to see if it's possible to build a successful career in the field. The average application users are usually only interested in using the apps, not learning about their inner workings. Take a look at Illustration one below. A few years back, Danny had to prepare for her project at the web development boot camp she partook in. It was a hassle to learn and finally deliver on the project, but she did it, and her team came in second place. Illustration One: Danny got her hands dirty with several projects but started to earn when she landed her first job as a web developer. Currently, Danny would like to transition into Web3, but she can earn while learning and without a job this time. That's an excellent reason to want to learn Web3 as a developer, but there's so much more. Discover them below: Other career paths in Web3 include investors, designers, community managers, product managers, Web3 business owners, etc. 1. Countless Job Opportunities There's a high demand for jobs in Web3 like blockchain engineers and designers and a massive knowledge gap as there're only a few blockchain developers worldwide. This means there's still a low entry rate into the industry and minimal competition. 2. High Demand and Scarcity According to , the average annual blockchain developer salary is around $119,000, but about ⅓ earn over 180,000 USD. However, about 80% exceeds 115,000 USD. You can already tell that starting a career in the industry is a profitable one. I've also seen design jobs that pay around 70,000 to 100,000 USD. 3. High Pay Dataconomy There's an opportunity to learn on the job as employers aren't expecting you to know everything as there're many new technologies, so you can quickly get to learn. Gregory — the founder of dapp university, has something to say about his experience of being paid to learn on the job. 4. Learn on the Job paid It allows you to become early adopters and have an edge against when web 3 becomes mainstream. 5. Early Adopter How to Learn and Earn in Web3 In this section, you'll discover several Web3 learning platforms where you can earn. These are sites where you can learn the basics of Web3 before you proceed to the other media in this article. Let's get down to business. I divided this part into two sections, so you can go to the section that concerns you or go through it all — that's totally up to you! Web3 Learn To Earn Platforms For Investors Below you will find Web3 learning platforms to learn about crypto and the blockchain to become a better investor and make smarter choices. 1. CoinMarketCap CoinMarketCap is the number one site for sourcing the price of crypto assets if you have ever wondered where the crypto pros get their insights from. It aims to empower crypto investors with the accurate information they need to make informed investment decisions. As an investor, if you would ever love to learn about crypto and earn while learning, CoinMarketCap is a suitable option. There are several video training available on-site, after which you complete quizzes to earn crypto through the site. Thanks to some of CoinMarketCap's partnerships, you can dive deeper into various cryptocurrencies and blockchains, including Tron, BNB Chain, Solar, Oasis Network, NEAR Protocol, Only1, etc. 2. Binance Binance is a lot of things, but at this moment, it's the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world in terms of its trading volume and number of users. Another essential piece of information is that you can learn and earn crypto through the Binance Academy. The goal behind Binance is to foster a world where everyone has the freedom to earn, hold, share and give their money no matter who they are. So, if you're interested in learning about cryptocurrencies, earning, and trading on Binance, the academy offers free training to beginners and pros alike. 3. Cake DeFi Cake DeFi's one of the fastest growing online platforms that provide investors with easy access to decentralized financial services through their products. Cake DeFi aims to help entry-level and existing investors build wealth through the decentralized financial applications they provide. Through Cake DeFi, you can earn small amounts of crypto with the lessons and quizzes they provide on cryptocurrencies. if you signed up on Cake DeFi anytime from the 29th March 2022 till the present, you'd be eligible for up to 10 USD in crypto. However, you'll only receive your earnings after you complete the signup process and the quiz at the end of each module. Note: If you signed up before 29th March 2022, you can participate in the training for free but will not earn the 10 USD. 4. Phemex Phemex is a crypto trading platform where you can buy, sell and do many cryptocurrency-related activities. The d-app is highly trustworthy as it records 300,000 executed orders per second. The goal behind Phemex is to allow anyone anywhere in the world to trade crypto at any time. Although Phemex has temporarily suspended their learn and earn bonuses due to their restructuring, you can still access the courses and enhance your crypto knowledge. How does Phemex learn and earn program work? You have to watch the videos on the platform, take quizzes, and earn cashback vouchers when you complete quizzes. 5. KuCoin Kucoin is one of the largest crypto exchanges that offer services such as buying and selling crypto, spot trading, etc. With Kucoin, you need to complete tasks to earn USDT. Once you sign up, you can start performing a specific weekly task and will have an idea of how much you can earn from these tasks. You can also navigate to the learn to earn section on the site, where you can learn about the birth of Bitcoin, how to deposit, etc. Web3 Learn to Earn Platforms for Web3 Developers Below you'll find Web3 learning platforms to earn while you learn Web3 development. 1. Web3 University Web3 University is a literal goldmine. The online university is an educational platform that brings us the best resources on blockchain development. I was stunned by how filled it was with knowledge on Web3 development. Although you can't earn while you learn with Web3 university, you can learn anything about Web3, from writing your first smart contract and how to build your first NFT to building a Web3 front end with React. They are currently offering a free 10 days course on Web3 development, and you don't want to miss out. 2. useWeb3 useWeb3 is not your regular Web3 learning platform as it's filled with resources ranging from books, courses, code challenges, guides, starter kits, tutorials, and videos to recommended Web3 resource sites. useWeb3 is for both beginner and Web2 developers looking to transition into Web3 by providing them with a handful of resources. One thing about useWeb3 is that you might not earn while learning, but it provides you with a pool of jobs you can upskill and apply for. 3. Pointer Pointer, similar to Web3 University, is an online educational platform that rewards software engineers in crypto to improve their skills. The demand for blockchain developers is relatively high, and with the help of Pointer, you can meet industry standards and qualifications. After researching the site, I must say that Pointer has a great UX design, which is a plus apart from learning and earning on their site. Another plus would be from the developers who've taken their courses; they've some excellent reviews on taking Pointer courses. 4. Proof of Learn Proof of Learn is an education platform founded to address the knowledge gap and shortage of skills in Web3 and to help students earn while learning. Proof of Learn aims to unlock accessible, high-quality education worldwide through the blockchain. Their vision is to help anyone with an internet connection and a passion for gaming to learn smart contract development and earn alongside. Through the platform, you can earn crypto incentives, gain hands-on Web3 skills and build your career. It sounds like the perfect plan for anyone looking to learn Web3 development. Proof of Learn has a project called Metacrafters to help bring their dreams to reality. So what's Metacrafter? Metacrafter is the premier project of Proof of Learn, where developers can learn to code on the blockchain through the immersive gaming experience that brings the history and core of the blockchain to life. The project is still underway and not fully realized yet, but you can have it in mind when you want to start your Web3 development journey. 5. QuestBook QuestBook aims to become the Uber app of builders (Web3 developers). What do I mean? When you use the Uber app to order a ride, a driver registered on the app and is close by can come and pick you up — no questions asked. QuestBook is looking to achieve similar feats for builders by plugging developers into businesses/projects that require their service. It aims to help builders realize the dream of decentralization by providing them with the needed tools and resources. When you learn and complete quests on QuestBook, you can earn some crypto or NFTs. You can also earn indirectly from the program if you build your skills over time and join the community to make inquiries. You can learn many new things, such as building on Solana, NEAR, Polygon, Ethereum, etc., through QuestBook. 6. Moralis Moralis is a Web3 as a service tool that provides API, SDK, and data for building high-performance dapps. You can see that their target audience would be builders or Web3 companies searching for builders. With Moralis, you can learn anything from Rust programming and DeFi in 2022 to building an NFT marketplace. Moralis also comes in handy because it provides a personal roadmap for you depending on your level of knowledge and interest in Web3. Another plus of Moralis is that it provides a free professional CV template tailored to blockchain development. Join 60,000+ other Web3 students who want to master Web3 programming just like you when using Moralis. 7. StackUp Stack up is an online platform that offers much more than earning while learning. You'll get the chance to learn, earn, connect, grow, attend events, and level up with StackUp. You can also choose any programming language, from Python to Rust. You may get paid in USD if you complete the quests or campaign that meets the standard requirement. You should also connect with like-minded individuals in their discord community and participate in organized events. Other web3 development learning sites include Buildspace, Thirdweb, Odyssey, etc. FAQ Is Web3 worth it? Yes, because there'll be mass adoption of Web3 years from now, it's worth learning. Q: A: How do I start Web3 development? You can get started in Web3 by taking action steps towards what you've learned in this article. Q: A: What programming language does Web3 use? There're several languages in use when Web3 is involved, but the non-negotiable language you must learn is solidity. Q: A: How do I get a job in Web3? Check out web3.career page for job opportunities once you've started building your skill set. Q: A: Closing — The Dummies Guide to Earning While Learning Web3 Through this article, you've learned more than 12 Web3 learning sites and d-apps where you can learn about Web3 and its related topics. I'm grateful I got to research and write this article because I've learned many new things, and I'm sure you've too. A great tip would be to select a few from this Web3 platform when starting and focus on them before trying every other resource because you don't want to spread yourself too thin. Choose based on your interest and which platform you're most comfortable with learning on. Adios!

12+ Web3 Learn to Earn Platforms

Vertigo and The Preservation of Perpendicular Attitude

Top Players in the Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software Market for 2022

Artificial intelligence has taken every industry by storm. Its relevance is mostly shown in the futuristic net based on blockchain technology. Its impact is so strong that even Web 3 could not be resisted by using this fantastic technology. The role of AI in web 3 is in its nascent stages; several blockades are still facing to make it a big success. The greatest reason to use AI is the phenomenal machine learning that rewrites any software. Advanced intelligence acts on the basis of the building block of ultra-modern applications. The amalgamation of metaverse technology with AI has the potential to bring positive effects on the scientific trajectory. Before we dig deep into AI and Web3, Let’s see what is web3 What is Web 3? Many changes have been taking place since the . With time it will only move towards the betterment and futuristic advancement. The emergence of the semantic web has been the talk of the town. It has added up to providing large-scale benefits to users globally.** birth of the internet In the case of the semantic web, the user details are analyzed, and human behavior is examined at every phase. All this is done to make deliver a high-class web browsing experience. This is much more applicable in the phase where the marketing of products and things related to promotions and advertising are concerned. This also means that Web 3.0 gives users a more intuitive web experience. The amazing feature is that instead of writing or giving any command to the search engine, one can use the direct voice command to search for any query. This is done most organically. Let’s learn this with a simple example. Suppose we need to book a  movie ticket to watch a movie. Then, while giving a command on the search engine, one can find the local cinemas that are opting to show the movie on the screens on the same or the following day. the process is so quick that the results are shown to the user in a fraction of a second without delay. The power of web 3.0 is that it provides users with a more personalized browsing experience.** Another great application of web 3.0 is that the users get to see various offers related to the desired things that the user wants. One can only guess how the browsers get to know about the likings of the users. It all depends upon the location and the customizations that an individual sets. Future of Metaverse or Web3 One can do better research with the help of Web 3.0 by speaking their query in their native language. The search engine reciprocates very well to the instructions. The pros corresponding to the users are mostly far-fetched to them. The business approach is kept very much authentic as per the website's SEO. There are more rich experiences in the application, which makes it a multi-featured one. This can be well understood by taking the example of google maps. One can simply put the details related to the location that gives the easiest map routes to the desired destination. The user is provided with all the information related to the nearby hotel recommendations. The architecture of Metaverse or Web3 There are major 3 parts of metaverse architecture. The front end Provider Blockchain Network or Framework How the front end works The front-end mainly comprises javascript, CSS, and HTML. The provider comprises the metamask, infura, and alchemy. In the same way, the blockchain encompasses the smart contracts on EVM ( ). Ethereum Virtual Machine When it comes to DApps, smart contract communication is the primary frontend architecture (decentralized programs). Additionally, it will be distinct from the typical frontend-backend connection. If you wish to connect with the smart contract, you must communicate with one of the nodes in the blockchain network. This node might be any of the following: Node providers from a different party, such as Infura, Alchemy, and Quicknode may create a node on your own by controlling the state machine directly; The most useful thing about incorporating AI in Metaverse is by running this magnificent machine learning in the front-end. Its potency is flawlessly gauged on certain factors. The top-rated ones are mentioned below; Metaverse Application Architecture Here you can write that define the logic of your applications and deploy them onto the decentralized state machine [i.e. the Ethereum blockchain].” Web servers and traditional databases, in this paradigm, are no longer needed — since everything is done on, or around, the blockchain. smart contracts There are various factors that need upgradation in the smart contract. Therefore, it's viable to choose the front end as compared to the smart contract deployment. Lays out the simplified Web 3 application architecture in this diagram In the case of the front end, all the information is kept inside the browser. This results in maintaining security at all levels. Again, talking about the smart contract publicly shows crucial information to maintain transparency. The smart contracts are also open, which is the topmost privacy issue. Speed The speed is more or less the same in the case of both the front end and the smart contracts. So, to draw a comparison in any way would be really unfair. The only thing that one could make out from this whole scenario is that the front end asks for more data as compared to the blockchain. The only negative thing attached to it is the constant memory draining and having a dismissive impact on the browser's performance. Various Layers of Metaverse There are multiple layers of , and the incorporation of AI will take place at all levels. web3 technology Smart Blockchains Blockchain concentrates on creating computing components for the decentralized functioning of financial transactions. The crucial role is performed by these components like oracles, consensus mechanism, node application, virtual machine, and . distributed ledger The components of conventional software infrastructures like storage and inter-networking are becoming quick on the uptake. The future generation of base and companion blockchain integrates machine learning abilities. The prediction for the transactions allows for an expandable consensus protocol. Smart Protocols Web3 is all about protocols and smart contracts that are now eventually integrating the potential of machine learning. Decentralized finance is the best example where the Defi AMMs (automated market makers), in other words, known as lending protocols, assimilate the . The lending protocol utilizes a smart score to stabilize all kinds of loans from various wallets. artificial intelligence Smart dApps dApps are the most widely used web3 solutions that add the characteristics of . This shift is most prevalently seen in the NFTs. What we see is the transformation of the futuristic NFTs right from the steady pictures to the artifacts that display intuitive behavior. The amazing thing is that the audience's mood can alter the behavior of the NFTs. machine learning Applications of AI and Metaverse in Various Domains Image recognition for people with visual disabilities Speech recognition to transcribe user speech into text and to understand user intent. natural language processing Automatic translation Intelligent exoskeletons to interact with the digital world Brain-computer interfaces for the most vulnerable Computer vision to generate realistic images of users Natural language processing to create realistic dialogue for avatars Virtual reality to create realistic environments for avatars E-commerce and Retail Industry The combination of AI and web 3.0 conveniently extracts insights related to the audience. This provides accurate information about the intended audience by using the collected data. There is a proper survey of the likings and dislikings of the people to gather a better understanding. All these things positively impact the retail industry and the e-commerce domain when taken together. Customer Engagement The stupendous AI and the help complete customer engagement in the current market industry. The most crucial thing that resides within the database of such technologies is the data. This data is conceptualized to know exactly what the customer longs for. This is a great way of building customer engagement that ultimately improves market conditions. web3 development Improved marketing strategy The fusion of these technologies has helped many enterprises enhance their marketing strategy. It has opened various ways to build a strong connection with the target audience or customers. There are diverse personalization platforms capable of creating an object field based on people’s interests. According to that, all the information is shown to the individuals that highlight the most significant and appropriate content. This is all because of the optimized search experience. Final Thoughts The use of advanced technologies in recent years has proved to be tremendous. It has transformed every sector by exhibiting superb frameworks and application programming interfaces. The progression in the research related to web 3.0 has affixed exclusive capabilities. The demand for AI is getting increased day by day and is not going to stop any time soon. Both are imminent technologies that have the full potential to shape the future of the technological industry.

Decoding the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Metaverse or Web3

Scaling teams is one of the biggest challenges engineering leaders face, and backend teams, in particular, can be especially hard. In today’s distributed environment, backend teams are often responsible for applications that are used by both internal and external stakeholders, and documentation, deployment, and tech scaling challenges are all more pronounced than they are in frontend development. Before I founded , I spent eight years leading and growing software engineering teams, initially at and then at the . In this piece, I wanted to collect some of my observations about this process, as well as tips from other technical leads on expanding backend software engineering teams sustainably. Draft.dev Packback Graide Network Whether you’re in the process of building your first backend team or scaling an established one, you should find some of these insights useful. Identifying the Right Time to Scale Knowing to scale is half the battle. Typically, a team will begin to feel shorthanded as the software’s complexity rises and it takes longer to make changes. With a bigger team, you can split the work between smaller units that handle different parts of the project and work in tandem to improve application delivery. when While leaders are under pressure to hire more engineers to get more done, this tack can backfire. You might end up with a bigger, busier team who is actually producing more of the results the business needs. not This is because delivery velocity does not grow linearly as you expand your team. In many cases, larger teams may move more slowly than smaller ones, or as The Mythical Man Month points out: It takes one woman nine months to make a baby, but you can’t make nine women make a baby in one month. Think about how many parallel tracks you really have for your developers. Two devs can’t work on the exact same line of code (unless they’re pairing), so when you expand your team, you have to factor in the loss in productivity that comes when more people need to communicate to complete the project. Proceed systematically when you grow and be clear on three things: The changes and features you’d like to introduce How quickly you want to introduce them How many engineers it’s going to take to make those changes There’s no perfect formula for doing this, but as a leader, your job is to make the best stab at it that you can. Structuring the Backend Typically, there are a couple of different ways that companies will try to scale backend teams. The first way is to with a team supporting each of them. develop multiple APIs Let’s say in the early days, a company has a single API that powers the entire app. Eventually, it will get unwieldy and hard to change, so the engineering team might introduce a second API that’s maintained by a different team. This essentially splits the functionality between the two, where team A and B are each responsible for a specified set of endpoints and everything in between is up for collaboration. The second way to structure backend teams is to use a single large backend API, and put different teams in charge of different parts of it. For instance, team A might be responsible for user authentication, team B for the shopping cart, team C for the catalog, and so on. They’re each going to be in charge of a group of endpoints within the same codebase. The first approach is typically used by large companies with complex, distributed applications and teams like Google and Amazon. Small-to-mid-sized companies are usually better off with the second option because creating multiple backends adds a lot of maintenance overhead. Once you have multiple APIs, you have to have multiple continuous integration flows, multiple server environments, extra security controls, and so on. Tips for Scaling the Right Way Beyond having a well-thought-out structure, there are a few things engineering leaders can do to help scale their backend teams and operations. Some best practices I’ve observed include: Build Smaller Teams Having smaller teams reduces communication overhead while helping your employees develop expertise and ownership over their domains. The only potential drawback here is that it can concentrate knowledge into silos and require stronger cross-team collaboration. You can remedy this by regularly rotating developers between teams. This way, they can familiarize themselves with all parts of the application, giving you redundancy in case a developer suddenly becomes unavailable. The recommends between three to nine members in one team. While others tout seven as the for a good mix of experience levels and skills within the group. Scrum Guide ideal size Be Innovative With Team Structure There are a few different ways to structure teams and responsibilities. One is, of course, to let them specialize in a domain. This is very useful for areas like security, infrastructure, data warehousing, and other shared services which are necessary across teams. For your business-critical initiatives, consider a more cross-functional setup. Jimmy Paul, Co-Founder at told me, “I’ve found teams to be most successful when creating user-focused pods that consist of dedicated product management, product design, and developers. This allows the full team to truly understand who they’re building for and have empathy for the users they’re building for.” Crafty An emphasis on product management and user benefit makes your teams self-sufficient while naturally ensuring everyone in your company is pulling together and pulling in the right direction. Griffin Caprio, Founder at , echoes this sentiment, “Most companies struggle because they think the problems to solve are to build something, but it’s really what to build and why X vs. Y. Every engineer has built something that was the highest priority and must-have that no one used. There’s very little accounting for opportunity cost and total cost when the PM team gets something approved.” G,C & J  Group how Document Rigorously Keeping documentation up to date is vital so that everybody on the backend team knows how their system and the other systems they interface with work. This lets engineers help each other out and minimize errors due to misusing APIs. Documentation is particularly useful for new hires who need to quickly familiarize themselves with the application architecture. Otherwise, they’ll have to spend time asking existing engineers questions at every turn. According to Josh Holat, CTO, team members at __ __use a range of documentation to stay aligned: Cube “One way to help other engineers is creating READMEs within the codebase itself to outline how to get up and running with it. High-level overviews of the data model or business logic in a system like is also helpful. We make heavy use of RFCs when building larger features. This can serve as a self-documenting write-up for other engineers.” Confluence As backend teams grow, it gets harder and harder to keep documentation up to date and maintain communication pathways between teams. It helps to use third-party tools to automate some of this. , for instance, is a tool that I’ve used a lot to document and test APIs and streamline collaboration. Postman Test Often and Autonomously When someone new joins your team, there are two ways to keep them on track. Option one is documentation, but even with extensive documentation, something will inevitably go wrong. A bunch of different people are likely working on the code, so there are bound to be discrepancies. The only surefire way to catch these discrepancies is through . automated testing Every time someone makes a change to the backend and tries to push it out to the servers, you should automatically run your test suite to make sure that they didn’t break something in the process. This prevents individual developers from messing things up too badly, but also gives the whole team confidence to let other people work on the backend without sacrificing quality or code integrity. Initially, the cost of maintaining code with manual tests or no tests is a lot lower than that of writing automated tests. However, as the diagram below illustrates, it soon becomes prohibitively expensive to scale your application without automated testing. Hire for Long-term Fit The big thing to think about with hiring software engineers is their existing skills and how they want to grow. For example, if your backend is written in PHP, a diehard Ruby engineer is probably not a good fit for you. You want somebody who wants to work in the language and framework that you’re using. Also, keep an eye out for people who’ve designed similar systems in the past. If you’re an e-commerce business, you’ll want someone who understands the data model and API structure in that industry because they’ll be able to catch on and contribute much faster than someone without that domain expertise. Beyond that, all the basics for organizational hiring such as culture fit and value-alignment matter. This is good to keep in mind especially if your teams are amalgams of developers and non-developers who need to work together. New hires will need to — should — communicate effectively with non-technical people. want to Choose Leaders Carefully If there’s one thing I’ve learned managing other developers, it’s that the leaders of engineering teams need to be excellent communicators who can empathize with their team. They have to be really good at managing and communicating up and down the chain of command. This tends to be one of the biggest engineering managers are essentially a buffer between developers and business-minded upper management. Keeping both of these groups happy can be a challenge. managers because challenges for engineering Promoting from within is usually easier than making external hires. This ensures new leaders are familiar with your application ecosystem and have established relationships with the other team members. But, only do this when there are willing and viable candidates available. I’ve made the mistake of taking a great individual contributor and putting them into a management role only to lose the employee when they realized leadership wasn’t a good fit. Keep an Eye On Productivity When scaling from one to many teams, it’s easy to overlook the complexity this adds to your communication and deployment workflows. As you’re growing, look for ways to improve collaboration and measure velocity changes across your teams. Caprio advocates for smaller projects and simpler technologies to facilitate this: “Teams have a tendency to throw new technologies at problems that are actually focus and communication issues. As a result, they get mired in rewriting/reinventing/rehashing solutions to known problems in different, often immature, technologies. Bottlenecks are typically the biggest slow downs in terms of independent contributions and a lot of that comes from tribal knowledge.” There’s a lot of merit in using simpler technologies for improved teamwork. This is a big reason why shared codebases, for instance, are making such a comeback. Valentin Vasilyev, Co-Founder at explains it this way: Fingerprint “We like to break down the application into services, but store the code as a monorepo to reuse code and move faster. Each team runs a service that plugs into a common event stream. Shared, cross-cutting responsibilities are maintained by the team that is considered to be the most skilled or mature, because they own parts of the monorepo that will be reused by all teams.” Common Mistakes Teams Make When Scaling One of the biggest problems you’ll face while scaling a backend organization is that you likely have to work in systems that weren’t designed to accommodate multiple teams. Future-proofing is nearly impossible. For instance, if your application is designed so that the codebases for your user profiles and shopping carts are tightly-coupled, a change in one will likely impact the other. This means that every time a team changes something with the shopping cart, the team handling the user base would have to make a corresponding change to their code to prevent merge conflicts down the line. This limits productivity and defeats the whole purpose of having multiple teams. Well-planned systems that allow teams to work independently and reduce the need for cross-collaboration are key to successful scaling. My advice is to spend time planning for the future early in your development journey. While slightly less “agile,” I’ve found that having a long-term architectural vision can help make choices clearer and prevent corner-cutting that leads to poorly decoupled code. Too many product leaders make the mistake of prioritizing progress in two-week sprints over long-term goals. A short-term focus can undercut your ability to grow sustainably in the long-term, and may even prove counterproductive in the short-term if engineers don’t know what they’re working towards. Final Takeaway At its heart, scaling a team — any team — is about matching skills to problems. Sometimes the challenge is finding engineers with skills to solve the problems you have, and other times, the challenge is figuring out what your most pressing engineering problems really are. If you’ve found these insights useful or have some of your own you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or to continue the conversation. reach out to me on Twitter Photo by on Annie Spratt Unsplash

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