(NYSE: BODI) (or "the Company" or "BODi"), a leading fitness and nutrition company, today announced the evolution of its core business model with an omnichannel sales channel approach that will streamline operations and better position the Company for future profitable growth.

The Beachbody Company Evolves Core Business Model with Updated Omnichannel Approach Focused on Accelerating Path to Profitable Growth

Median salaries exceed six figures for some jobs, and employers are actively pursuing qualified applicants. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were over 700,000 open roles in cybersecurity in the country as of August 2022, and the industry is expected to grow 32% by 2032.

Is Cybersecurity a Good Career Path? | Careers | U.S. News

Sky-gazers across North America are in for a treat on April 8 when a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada.

What to know for the total solar eclipse: Time, path of totality, eclipse glasses | CNN

Astronomy fans figuring out where and what time to see the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse could check out maps showing the path of totality.

Solar eclipse maps show 2024 totality path, peak times and how much of the eclipse people could see across the U.S. - CBS News

The 2024 solar eclipse will bring an incredible spectacle to skies on Monday, marking a rare and historic moment in the U.S., but also in Illinois.

2024 solar eclipse guide: Timing, path, glasses, forecast and more – NBC Chicago

To witness the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse, viewers must be within the 115-mile-wide path that will sweep across the U.S.

Total solar eclipse April 8, 2024 facts: Path, time and the best places to view - ABC News

A solar eclipse will grace the skies over North America on Monday. Learn more about what times it&#x27;s visible, how to watch and where the path of totality goes.

Solar eclipse path, map and time guide 2024: Where and when to watch the total eclipse

And even if you don’t live in the path of totality or you aren’t one of the millions of people traveling to see the major event, there are multiple ways for you to join in and watch the total solar eclipse online. You can also view Monday&#x27;s best solar eclipse photos right here.

Total Solar Eclipse of April 8, 2024: Watch Online, What Time, Path of Totality | WIRED

Here&#x27;s where and when to see the rare celestial event, how to view it safely and a few fun milestones to look out for if you&#x27;re lucky enough to be in the path of totality.

Solar eclipse 2024 explained: Times it’s visible, path of totality, why to wear glasses and more

Path

path

Embracing the Open-Source Revolution: A New Pathway for MSP Growth

Рэвалюцыя адкрытага кода: новы шлях для росту MSP

Adoptar la revolución del código abierto: un nuevo camino para el crecimiento de los MSP

Adopter la révolution de l'open source : une nouvelle voie pour la croissance des MSP

A nyílt forráskódú forradalom felkarolása: Új út az MSP növekedéséhez

Merangkul Revolusi Open-Source: Jalan Baru untuk Pertumbuhan MSP

Abbracciare la rivoluzione open source: un nuovo percorso per la crescita degli MSP

オープンソース革命の受け入れ: MSP 成長への新たな道

ღია წყაროს რევოლუციის მომხრე: MSP ზრდის ახალი გზა

Përqafimi i Revolucionit me Burim të Hapur: Një rrugë e re për rritjen e MSP

ምሕቋፍ ክፉት ምንጪ ሰውራ፡ ሓድሽ መንገዲ ንዕብየት MSP

Açyk çeşme ynkylaby kabul etmek: MSP ösüşi üçin täze ýol

اوپن سورس انقلاب کو اپنانا: MSP گروتھ کے لیے ایک نیا راستہ

Case Study: Evaluating GNN Performance Using Shortest-Path Distance for Generalization and Fairness

Nobel Prize Winner Geoffrey Hinton Explores Two Paths to Intelligence in AI Lecture

How to Find the “Routes” of All-Pairs Shortest Paths With the Floyd-Warshall Algorithm in C#

Cómo encontrar las “rutas” de los caminos más cortos de todos los pares con el algoritmo Floyd-Warshall en C#

Nola aurkitu bikote guztietako bide laburrenen "ibilbideak" Floyd-Warshall algoritmoarekin C#-n

چگونه با الگوریتم فلوید-وارشال در سی شارپ «مسیرها» کوتاه‌ترین مسیرهای تمام جفت را پیدا کنیم

כיצד למצוא את ה"מסלולים" של כל הזוגות הקצרים ביותר עם אלגוריתם פלויד-ורשל ב-C#

C# でフロイド・ワーシャル アルゴリズムを使用して全ペア最短経路の「ルート」を見つける方法

C# тилинде Флойд-Уоршалл алгоритми менен бардык жуптардын эң кыска жолдорунун "маршруттарын" кантип тапса болот

ວິທີການຊອກຫາ "ເສັ້ນທາງ" ຂອງທຸກຄູ່ເສັ້ນທາງທີ່ສັ້ນທີ່ສຸດດ້ວຍ Floyd-Warshall Algorithm ໃນ C#

Jak znaleźć „trasy” najkrótszych ścieżek dla wszystkich par za pomocą algorytmu Floyda-Warshalla w języku C#

Mawaniro e "Nzira" dzeVese-Pairi Pfupi Nzira Neiyo Floyd-Warshall Algorithm muC#.

C#'da Floyd-Warshall Algoritması ile Tüm Çiftlerin En Kısa Yollarının "Rotaları" Nasıl Bulunur

Як знайти «маршрути» найкоротших шляхів усіх пар за допомогою алгоритму Флойда-Воршалла в C#

Cách tìm "Tuyến đường" của tất cả các đường dẫn ngắn nhất của cặp với thuật toán Floyd-Warshall trong C#

Check the happy path to be happy! TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. Problems Silent faulty tests
Missing failure condition
Poor error validation
Unclear test outcome
Skipped test logic Solutions Add failure assertion
Explicit exception validation
Test invalid actions
Catch specific errors
Check all your test paths
Use mutation testing Context When writing tests you expect certain cases to throw exceptions. If you forget to add a fail condition when no exception is thrown, your test might pass silently. If breaking some contract doesn't raise an exception, the test will still pass without you noticing the issue. Always include a failure condition to ensure the test fails when the expected exception isn't thrown. Sample Code Wrong // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Right // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Detection [x]Semi-Automatic You can detect this smell by looking for try-catch blocks without a failure condition after an action that should throw an exception. Test cases expecting exceptions should always include assert(false) right after the invalid action. Tags Testing Level [x]Intermediate AI Generation AI generators can create this smell because they often focus on handling exceptions but might miss adding failure conditions when the exception doesn't occur. This leads to the silent passing of faulty tests. AI Detection AI can detect this smell if you instruct it to check for missing failure assertions after expected exceptions. It can automatically add the missing condition to ensure tests fail properly when no exception is thrown. Try Them!
Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Conclusion You must include a fail condition when testing invalid actions like firing at the same position in Battleship. This ensures the test fails if no exception is thrown, preventing silent errors. Always validate the error message and ensure your tests catch valid and invalid behaviors. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Martin Fowler https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code Check the happy path to be happy! Check the happy path to be happy! TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. TL;DR: Ensure you fail the test when no exception is thrown in invalid conditions. Problems Silent faulty tests Missing failure condition Poor error validation Unclear test outcome Skipped test logic Silent faulty tests Missing failure condition Poor error validation Unclear test outcome Skipped test logic Solutions Add failure assertion Explicit exception validation Test invalid actions Catch specific errors Check all your test paths Use mutation testing Add failure assertion Explicit exception validation Test invalid actions Catch specific errors Check all your test paths Use mutation testing Context When writing tests you expect certain cases to throw exceptions. If you forget to add a fail condition when no exception is thrown, your test might pass silently. If breaking some contract doesn't raise an exception, the test will still pass without you noticing the issue. Always include a failure condition to ensure the test fails when the expected exception isn't thrown. Sample Code Wrong // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3");  
// First hit
            
try {
    game.fireAt("A3"); 
     // Firing at the same spot
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.', 
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Right // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} // Test: firing at an already hit position should not be allowed

const game = new Battleship();
game.fireAt("A3"); 
// First hit

try {
    game.fireAt("A3");
     // Firing at the same spot
    
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
     cnsole.assert(false, 
        'An exception should have been thrown' .
        ' for firing at the same position.');
     // THIS LINE IS IMPORTANT
  
  
} catch (e) {
    console.assert(e.message === 'Position already hit.',
     'The error message should indicate the position is already hit.');
} Detection [x]Semi-Automatic [x] Semi-Automatic [x] You can detect this smell by looking for try-catch blocks without a failure condition after an action that should throw an exception. try-catch Test cases expecting exceptions should always include assert(false) right after the invalid action. assert(false) Tags Testing Testing Level [x]Intermediate [x] Intermediate [x] AI Generation AI generators can create this smell because they often focus on handling exceptions but might miss adding failure conditions when the exception doesn't occur. This leads to the silent passing of faulty tests. AI Detection AI can detect this smell if you instruct it to check for missing failure assertions after expected exceptions. It can automatically add the missing condition to ensure tests fail properly when no exception is thrown. Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT Claude

Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Conclusion You must include a fail condition when testing invalid actions like firing at the same position in Battleship. This ensures the test fails if no exception is thrown, preventing silent errors. Always validate the error message and ensure your tests catch valid and invalid behaviors. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxvii Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion . opinion Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Credits: Photo by Nik on Unsplash Nik Unsplash Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Time invested in writing tests and refactoring delivers impressive returns in delivery speed, and Continuous Integration is a core part of making that work in a team setting Martin Fowler Martin Fowler https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code This article is part of the CodeSmell Series on HackerNoon: How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code

Code Smell 275 - Missing Test Wrong Path

In Āut's envisioned world, human capital is transformed into a quantifiable unit: Real-World Asset (RWA). Participation Score and Global Reputation are the leading concepts of this single system that frame individual worth in hard metrics rather than subjective qualities. Such a system would be able to quantify a person's many contributions, capabilities, and even moral merit. What would it mean if the value in humanity, long insulated from the market, became something like creditworthiness - defined, tracked, and traded like any other asset? Would we be cogs in the machine of dehumanization, or would this system lead us to perhaps a rediscovery of human interdependence, a throwback to the early origins of the community? My essay considers two possible futures enabled by measuring human capital over systemized humanity that constitutes a dystopian nightmare and a bucolic return to community-based values. The Dystopian Future: Humanity as Currency And now, imagine every interaction, each decision, and all actions being reduced to a point on a digital ledger. The Participation Score becomes another critical vital statistic, like blood pressure or oxygen level - but this rating dictates access to resources, freedom, and social mobility. Here, the ideal citizen is no longer just a productive worker but also a well-behaved node on the network. Fail to keep a good score, and your life becomes miserable. High scorers get premium housing, access to the latest medical advancements, and can travel wherever they want; low scorers are forced into low-skilled jobs, have no access to healthcare, and will be marginalized from the mainstream. The Global Reputation score further refines this division into hypersegregated digital classes. Ironically, the dystopian mechanism of ranking and commodification of human beings would be oddly democratic because of their fairness. The metrics would be out in the open; they would be transparent and algorithmically generated - so who could complain? Aren't these scores just a numerical reflection, after all, of one's actual participation and value to society? But within that lies the darkness. Human value defined by a quantified measure denies characteristics that cannot be measured: empathy, vulnerability, even creativity, and things that cannot be standardized. In a world consumed with measurable contribution, where would the room be for quiet contemplation, unprofitable kindness, or rebellion? The people no doubt would toe the line of the system's logic by turning life into some sort of performative exercise. Individuality would dissolve in everyone's pursuit of the highest Participation Score at the cost of authentic expression. This might ultimately create a world devoid of all emotional substance, where even interpersonal interactions would be driven by "reputational algorithms." Friendships, marriages, and even family communications become mercantile relationships - a bundle of ledgers pitted against a person's score's potential gain or loss. Trust, which had once been allowed to grow organically, is outsourced to technology: only those who emerge as trustworthy from such calculations can gain entry into the sanctum sanctorum of society. This is a dystopia based not on overt oppression but on subtle control. People think they are playing the game by their own will, yet they do not realize how the game has already possessed them. This would be the last stage of a systematized society: a free-for-all society in which everyone can succeed - but only according to the terms set forth by the system. A Bucolic Vision: Reconnecting Through Measured Interdependence But what if this same system could revitalize very ancient human values: reliance on community, mutual aid, and interdependence? Human beings weren't valued before the industrialized economies arose for their individual wealth or status but for their contributions within a tight-knit group. The community was the currency. In a bucolic return to these values, Āut's system could be reframed to celebrate human interconnection rather than competition. The Participation Score would track not just productivity but also how much one contributes to the well-being of others. Think of it as a kind of communal barometer, one that raises the stock of those who give the most—through care, teaching, mentoring, or simply being a good neighbor. In the Global Reputation system, technology could make this a speech tradition of another kind, one in which personal reputation earned over time via lived relationships means more than any abstract qualification. A world in which technology amplifies this human warmth through reinforcement of reasons to trust and cooperate. Trust becomes less transactional; instead, it's validated through the organic accumulation of positive interactions across many dimensions. In such a future, there would be a network where the measure of human capital is depth, not height. Here, instead of striving for the highest score, people may cultivate durable, mutual relations. Families and communities would flourish, governed by an integral measure of well-being, not by material success only. Social relations became the new currency. It is among ancient humans that societies were built up, earned trust, and kept through action rather than assigned by the algorithm. Systematization would reposition the value of human capital as a catalyst for community revival. No longer would it be solely a personal asset to be hoarded and displayed, but rather a communal resource that weaves people into the social fabric. By systematically rewarding collaboration, the Participation Score could spur people to care for each other and turn personal success into community well-being. Conclusion: The System as a Double-Edged Sword The systemization of human capital cuts both ways: On the one hand, it threatens to strip away the most treasured hallmarks of humanity—creativity, kindness, and autonomy. It reduces the individual to a series of quantified data points. On another, it may be a way to strengthen communities through participation and reputation-building, not in service of control, but to foster trust and cooperation. Āut's system of human capital as RWA is something that, in some way, computes what tech will do: to either conjoin more or break loose bonds between us. It begs the following questions about values: are we better off measured, ranked, and optimized? Or, do we come into our own when free from over-systemization and left to our relationships and communities as we did millennia ago? In Āut's envisioned world, human capital is transformed into a quantifiable unit: Real-World Asset (RWA). Participation Score and Global Reputation are the leading concepts of this single system that frame individual worth in hard metrics rather than subjective qualities. Such a system would be able to quantify a person's many contributions, capabilities, and even moral merit. What would it mean if the value in humanity, long insulated from the market, became something like creditworthiness - defined, tracked, and traded like any other asset? Would we be cogs in the machine of dehumanization, or would this system lead us to perhaps a rediscovery of human interdependence, a throwback to the early origins of the community? My essay considers two possible futures enabled by measuring human capital over systemized humanity that constitutes a dystopian nightmare and a bucolic return to community-based values. The Dystopian Future: Humanity as Currency And now, imagine every interaction, each decision, and all actions being reduced to a point on a digital ledger. The Participation Score becomes another critical vital statistic, like blood pressure or oxygen level - but this rating dictates access to resources, freedom, and social mobility. Here, the ideal citizen is no longer just a productive worker but also a well-behaved node on the network. Fail to keep a good score, and your life becomes miserable. High scorers get premium housing, access to the latest medical advancements, and can travel wherever they want; low scorers are forced into low-skilled jobs, have no access to healthcare, and will be marginalized from the mainstream. The Global Reputation score further refines this division into hypersegregated digital classes. Ironically, the dystopian mechanism of ranking and commodification of human beings would be oddly democratic because of their fairness. The metrics would be out in the open; they would be transparent and algorithmically generated - so who could complain? Aren't these scores just a numerical reflection, after all, of one's actual participation and value to society? But within that lies the darkness. Human value defined by a quantified measure denies characteristics that cannot be measured: empathy, vulnerability, even creativity, and things that cannot be standardized. In a world consumed with measurable contribution, where would the room be for quiet contemplation, unprofitable kindness, or rebellion? The people no doubt would toe the line of the system's logic by turning life into some sort of performative exercise. Individuality would dissolve in everyone's pursuit of the highest Participation Score at the cost of authentic expression. This might ultimately create a world devoid of all emotional substance, where even interpersonal interactions would be driven by "reputational algorithms." Friendships, marriages, and even family communications become mercantile relationships - a bundle of ledgers pitted against a person's score's potential gain or loss. Trust, which had once been allowed to grow organically, is outsourced to technology: only those who emerge as trustworthy from such calculations can gain entry into the sanctum sanctorum of society. This is a dystopia based not on overt oppression but on subtle control. People think they are playing the game by their own will, yet they do not realize how the game has already possessed them. This would be the last stage of a systematized society: a free-for-all society in which everyone can succeed - but only according to the terms set forth by the system. A Bucolic Vision: Reconnecting Through Measured Interdependence But what if this same system could revitalize very ancient human values: reliance on community, mutual aid, and interdependence? Human beings weren't valued before the industrialized economies arose for their individual wealth or status but for their contributions within a tight-knit group. The community was the currency. In a bucolic return to these values, Āut's system could be reframed to celebrate human interconnection rather than competition. The Participation Score would track not just productivity but also how much one contributes to the well-being of others. Think of it as a kind of communal barometer, one that raises the stock of those who give the most—through care, teaching, mentoring, or simply being a good neighbor. In the Global Reputation system, technology could make this a speech tradition of another kind, one in which personal reputation earned over time via lived relationships means more than any abstract qualification. A world in which technology amplifies this human warmth through reinforcement of reasons to trust and cooperate. Trust becomes less transactional; instead, it's validated through the organic accumulation of positive interactions across many dimensions. In such a future, there would be a network where the measure of human capital is depth, not height. Here, instead of striving for the highest score, people may cultivate durable, mutual relations. Families and communities would flourish, governed by an integral measure of well-being, not by material success only. Social relations became the new currency. It is among ancient humans that societies were built up, earned trust, and kept through action rather than assigned by the algorithm. Systematization would reposition the value of human capital as a catalyst for community revival. No longer would it be solely a personal asset to be hoarded and displayed, but rather a communal resource that weaves people into the social fabric. By systematically rewarding collaboration, the Participation Score could spur people to care for each other and turn personal success into community well-being. Conclusion: The System as a Double-Edged Sword The systemization of human capital cuts both ways: On the one hand, it threatens to strip away the most treasured hallmarks of humanity—creativity, kindness, and autonomy. It reduces the individual to a series of quantified data points. On the one hand, it threatens to strip away the most treasured hallmarks of humanity—creativity, kindness, and autonomy. It reduces the individual to a series of quantified data points. On another, it may be a way to strengthen communities through participation and reputation-building, not in service of control, but to foster trust and cooperation. On another, it may be a way to strengthen communities through participation and reputation-building, not in service of control, but to foster trust and cooperation. Āut's system of human capital as RWA is something that, in some way, computes what tech will do: to either conjoin more or break loose bonds between us. It begs the following questions about values: are we better off measured, ranked, and optimized? Or, do we come into our own when free from over-systemization and left to our relationships and communities as we did millennia ago?

Systemization of Human Capital: A Path Between Dystopia and Bucolic Revival

Solving the All-pairs Shortest Paths Problem With the Floyd-Warshall Algorithm in C# 

It's been a while since my last post, and I’m excited to share that the project I’ve been working on has finally taken off. Even in the U.S., transitioning from venture capital (VC) to startup founder is uncommon, and I’m often asked, “Why did you choose this path?” In this post, I’ll share my passion for this project and offer a glimpse into what it’s like to take on challenges in Silicon Valley as an immigrant ex-VC founder. __ __ From VC to Startup: The Journey Begins Growing up in a single-mother household, I experienced financial instability from a young age. My journey to founding ”Syval”—a startup aimed at tackling poverty problem among young people in the U.S.—is deeply tied to these personal experiences and the drive to overcome them. __ __ Growing Up in Financial Struggles Born to a Taiwanese mother and a Japanese father, my early life was shaped by financial challenges. The collapse of my father’s business and my parents’ divorce led to a major shift when I moved to Taiwan with my mother at age of five. We lived in a small house with six family members, and I watched my mother rebuild her life after losing her career. This environment shaped my determination to overcome adversity and carve out a future on my own terms. __ __ Embracing Growth in a New Environment Just before graduating high school, I had the opportunity to attend university in Japan. Despite knowing very little Japanese, I chose to embrace the challenge. The struggle to adapt in an unfamiliar world eventually led to my acceptance into Waseda University. Along the way, I gained valuable experience through internships at companies like HowTelevision before its IPO, ByteDance shortly after it entered Japan, and with angel investors in the U.S. __ __ My Transition from VC to Startup Founder My experiences sparked a deep passion for startups. After learning the fundamentals of finance during my time in investment banking at SMBC, I sought more creative and flexible challenges, which led me to a career in venture capital—first at Plug and Play Japan, then at STRIVE. However, during my time investing in startups, I realized that I wanted to do more than just fund companies; I wanted to build one myself. Lessons from My First Startup, Cruzzie With the support of STRIVE’s GPs, Amano-san and Tsutsumi-san, I launched my first fintech startup, Cruzzie, while continuing my VC work. Despite our best efforts, the company struggled. I made decisions about the U.S. market based on observations from Japan, and my co-founder eventually left. These challenges led to the company’s failure. But from that failure, I gained clarity about my vision and renewed determination for my next venture. I learned that passion and vision are indispensable ingredients for success. __ __ The Birth of Syval Syval was born out of my personal experiences with spending habits during my time in investment banking. The platform is designed to help Gen Z—particularly university students in the US—build better saving habits through an innovative approach. Our goal is to empower young people to take control of their finances and foster long-term financial stability. Becoming a Role Model Through Leadership and Diversity When I chose this path, few role models surrounded me, and many doubted my decision to become an entrepreneur. I wanted to change that narrative, which is why I decided to pursue growth in Silicon Valley. I continue to level up through the challenges I face, aiming to become a role model for the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs. Building Syval has been an incredible journey, and I’m proud to work alongside an amazing team that shares the same passion. The road ahead is long, but I feel blessed to tackle this challenge with such a dedicated group. The Road Ahead At Syval, user feedback is our top priority. Over the past three months, we’ve conducted over 150 user interviews, and next month we’re launching the product. We’ve already gathered a customer list, and the potential for growth excites us. The future is unpredictable, but the journey itself is thrilling. As I continue to leverage my diverse cultural background and network, I’m determined to tackle the major challenges we face in America. I hope to pave the way for the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams and make a meaningful impact on society. It's been a while since my last post, and I’m excited to share that the project I’ve been working on has finally taken off. Even in the U.S., transitioning from venture capital (VC) to startup founder is uncommon, and I’m often asked, “Why did you choose this path?” In this post, I’ll share my passion for this project and offer a glimpse into what it’s like to take on challenges in Silicon Valley as an immigrant ex-VC founder. __ __ From VC to Startup: The Journey Begins From VC to Startup: The Journey Begins Growing up in a single-mother household, I experienced financial instability from a young age. My journey to founding ” Syval ”—a startup aimed at tackling poverty problem among young people in the U.S.—is deeply tied to these personal experiences and the drive to overcome them. Syval __ __ Growing Up in Financial Struggles Growing Up in Financial Struggles Born to a Taiwanese mother and a Japanese father, my early life was shaped by financial challenges. The collapse of my father’s business and my parents’ divorce led to a major shift when I moved to Taiwan with my mother at age of five. We lived in a small house with six family members, and I watched my mother rebuild her life after losing her career. This environment shaped my determination to overcome adversity and carve out a future on my own terms. __ __ Embracing Growth in a New Environment Embracing Growth in a New Environment Just before graduating high school, I had the opportunity to attend university in Japan. Despite knowing very little Japanese, I chose to embrace the challenge. The struggle to adapt in an unfamiliar world eventually led to my acceptance into Waseda University. Along the way, I gained valuable experience through internships at companies like HowTelevision before its IPO, ByteDance shortly after it entered Japan, and with angel investors in the U.S. ByteDance __ __ My Transition from VC to Startup Founder My Transition from VC to Startup Founder My experiences sparked a deep passion for startups. After learning the fundamentals of finance during my time in investment banking at SMBC, I sought more creative and flexible challenges, which led me to a career in venture capital—first at Plug and Play Japan, then at STRIVE. However, during my time investing in startups, I realized that I wanted to do more than just fund companies; I wanted to build one myself. Lessons from My First Startup, Cruzzie Lessons from My First Startup, Cruzzie With the support of STRIVE’s GPs, Amano-san and Tsutsumi-san, I launched my first fintech startup, Cruzzie , while continuing my VC work. Despite our best efforts, the company struggled. I made decisions about the U.S. market based on observations from Japan, and my co-founder eventually left. These challenges led to the company’s failure. Cruzzie But from that failure, I gained clarity about my vision and renewed determination for my next venture. I learned that passion and vision are indispensable ingredients for success. __ __ The Birth of Syval The Birth of Syval Syval was born out of my personal experiences with spending habits during my time in investment banking. The platform is designed to help Gen Z—particularly university students in the US—build better saving habits through an innovative approach. Our goal is to empower young people to take control of their finances and foster long-term financial stability. Becoming a Role Model Through Leadership and Diversity Becoming a Role Model Through Leadership and Diversity When I chose this path, few role models surrounded me, and many doubted my decision to become an entrepreneur. I wanted to change that narrative, which is why I decided to pursue growth in Silicon Valley. I continue to level up through the challenges I face, aiming to become a role model for the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs. Building Syval has been an incredible journey, and I’m proud to work alongside an amazing team that shares the same passion. The road ahead is long, but I feel blessed to tackle this challenge with such a dedicated group. The Road Ahead The Road Ahead At Syval, user feedback is our top priority. Over the past three months, we’ve conducted over 150 user interviews, and next month we’re launching the product. We’ve already gathered a customer list, and the potential for growth excites us. The future is unpredictable, but the journey itself is thrilling. As I continue to leverage my diverse cultural background and network, I’m determined to tackle the major challenges we face in America. I hope to pave the way for the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams and make a meaningful impact on society.

Why I Left a VC Job to Dive into the Hard Path of Building a Startup in Sillicon Valley

In my last post, I discussed the issue of getting people to care about security, and how it’s largely due to a focus on security behaviors rather than security outcomes. In this post, I’m picking up where I left off, and will talk about… Forging a Path Forward Obviously, the point of sharing this post (and the last one) is to do more than just complain about the situation. This will only be useful if it offers ideas and suggestions for approaching the problem differently and moving past it to a more successful outcome. So, what actionable advice do I have? Speaking the Language of Business I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth reiterating here: We IT practitioners need to learn what matters to the business and then frame our goals and needs in those terms. No matter how different we wished it was, nobody ever got a PO approved by describing the technical capabilities of a new firewall to the CFO. If it bothers you, having to learn to couch your critical technical and security needs in business terms, consider this quote from Bob Lewis, which holds as true today as it did when he first said it back in 2004: “There’s no such thing as an IT project. There are only business projects with an IT component.” What does that mean from a functional perspective? Lesson 1: The only two things that make people buy a product are “discomfort” and “convenience.” Discomfort will win every time. Lesson 2: There are only three things a business cares about: Increasing revenue, reducing cost, and removing risk. You need to speak to (at least) one of those things to make your case. Lesson 3: Know what’s important. Which systems does the business consider critical to its continued financial success? Those are the ones you’ll want to focus on in terms of risk assessments. One of the InfoSec experts I spoke to in preparing this blog put it this way: “In my firm, the biggest financial risk is reputational damage, so the CISO’s pitch to the board is framed in terms of how it affects that.” If that angle works for you at your company, you should absolutely pursue it. In many companies, the concern about ransomware remains that it interrupts services, which in turn stops the money-making machine. That, in addition to the cost to recover, is concerning enough to catch many executives’ attention. Lesson 4: Know when it’s important. While it might be true that some systems are critical all the time, some times are more critical than others. For some businesses, it might be Black Friday, while for others, it might be the end of the year, tax season, or summer break. Whatever it is, you need to understand your organization’s financial rhythms to time your messaging (and your work). As an IT practitioner who cares about information security, you’re probably familiar with the concept of “situational awareness.” This is equally true for an IT practitioner who wants the business to approve their work, initiatives, and budget. You will only be effective in executing a plan by first understanding the pre-existing opinions, pain points, needs, and timelines of the people you’re trying to convince. Say it With Flowers Data IT folks should appreciate that data is your business’s love language. Infosec professionals must bring facts to make a compelling argument. Let’s start by using data to refute some of the commonly held beliefs I mentioned earlier in this post: Contrary to what many managers believe, reputational damage resulting from a breach DOES have negative impacts. In discussing this topic with Zatik Security CEO Kymberlee Price, she pointed me to a post by Dr. Erdal Ozkaya. According to Dr. Ozkaya, business impacts of security breaches include: An immediate 3-5% drop in stock price, typically driven by investor concerns.
Underperforming in the market for several years afterward.
Eroded investor confidence, leading to long-term lower stock valuations.
In some cases, a credit rating downgrade. Any one of those things should be enough to grab the attention of the C-suite. Taken together, they become a compelling argument for an improved security posture. Ms. Price also let the air out of the tires of the whole “it’s cheaper to pay for insurance than for security” myth. She points out that various new laws coming into effect in Europe call for fines of 2% to 7% of an enterprise’s global annual revenue for violations of each law. This means that a single incident leading to a data breach may trigger multiple instances of revenue-based fines — and that’s just in Europe. When you consider other jurisdictions that are following the EU’s Brussels lead, this adds up fast. Samuel Svarc, owner of CompuMedic Solution, echos and extends this thought: “Cyber liability insurers, due to the complex realities and prevalence of hacking, are mandating that companies certify that they are mitigating their risk and reject claims where these were falsely attested to.” There are many other reports, sources, and data points you can bring to bear in your discussions. The problem with my listing them here is that they aren’t guaranteed to be specific to your circumstances, industry, or even the point you’re trying to make. Instead, I suggest you structure your discussion points using the guidelines in “Integrating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management” from NIST. In that document, it suggests you develop a formal “risk profile,” use it to identify risks and assign impact estimates, and then build a risk management plan (including cybersecurity) with the intent of having the business decide whether (and how) they will mitigate, avoid, transfer, or accept those risks. As a final thought on this topic, look for places where your goals and interests align with other teams. A great example of that is automation, a beloved topic among your DevOps and SRE teams. Putting your weight behind their efforts to automate can help get more automation rolled out – reducing risks associated with human error while increasing efficiency- and creating a powerful organizational alliance. Another is metrics and telemetry – something your monitoring and observability folks will happily discuss at length. There’s Still More Ground to Cover. I’ve started to identify the things you can do to encourage and promote healthy infosec behaviors, but there’s still more. Stick with me until the next post, where I lay it all out. And if you have any questions, corrections, or kudos to share in the meantime, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. In my last post , I discussed the issue of getting people to care about security, and how it’s largely due to a focus on security behaviors rather than security outcomes. In this post, I’m picking up where I left off, and will talk about… In my last post Forging a Path Forward Obviously, the point of sharing this post (and the last one) is to do more than just complain about the situation. This will only be useful if it offers ideas and suggestions for approaching the problem differently and moving past it to a more successful outcome. So, what actionable advice do I have? actionable Speaking the Language of Business I’ve written about this before , but it’s worth reiterating here: We IT practitioners need to learn what matters to the business and then frame our goals and needs in those terms. No matter how different we wished it was, nobody ever got a PO approved by describing the technical capabilities of a new firewall to the CFO. written about this before If it bothers you, having to learn to couch your critical technical and security needs in business terms, consider this quote from Bob Lewis, which holds as true today as it did when he first said it back in 2004 : “There’s no such thing as an IT project. There are only business projects with an IT component.” he first said it back in 2004 What does that mean from a functional perspective? Lesson 1 : The only two things that make people buy a product are “discomfort” and “convenience.” Discomfort will win every time. Lesson 1 Lesson 2 : There are only three things a business cares about: Increasing revenue, reducing cost, and removing risk. You need to speak to (at least) one of those things to make your case. Lesson 2 Lesson 3 : Know what’s important. Which systems does the business consider critical to its continued financial success? Those are the ones you’ll want to focus on in terms of risk assessments. Lesson 3 One of the InfoSec experts I spoke to in preparing this blog put it this way: “In my firm, the biggest financial risk is reputational damage, so the CISO’s pitch to the board is framed in terms of how it affects that.” If that angle works for you at your company, you should absolutely pursue it. In many companies, the concern about ransomware remains that it interrupts services, which in turn stops the money-making machine. That, in addition to the cost to recover, is concerning enough to catch many executives’ attention. Lesson 4 : Know when it’s important. While it might be true that some systems are critical all the time, some times are more critical than others. For some businesses, it might be Black Friday, while for others, it might be the end of the year, tax season, or summer break. Whatever it is, you need to understand your organization’s financial rhythms to time your messaging (and your work). Lesson 4 As an IT practitioner who cares about information security, you’re probably familiar with the concept of “ situational awareness .” This is equally true for an IT practitioner who wants the business to approve their work, initiatives, and budget. You will only be effective in executing a plan by first understanding the pre-existing opinions, pain points, needs, and timelines of the people you’re trying to convince. situational awareness Say it With Flowers Data IT folks should appreciate that data is your business’s love language. Infosec professionals must bring facts to make a compelling argument. Let’s start by using data to refute some of the commonly held beliefs I mentioned earlier in this post: Contrary to what many managers believe, reputational damage resulting from a breach DOES have negative impacts. In discussing this topic with Zatik Security CEO Kymberlee Price , she pointed me to a post by Dr. Erdal Ozkaya. According to Dr. Ozkaya , business impacts of security breaches include: Zatik Security CEO Kymberlee Price According to Dr. Ozkaya An immediate 3-5% drop in stock price, typically driven by investor concerns. Underperforming in the market for several years afterward. Eroded investor confidence, leading to long-term lower stock valuations. In some cases, a credit rating downgrade. An immediate 3-5% drop in stock price, typically driven by investor concerns. Underperforming in the market for several years afterward. Eroded investor confidence, leading to long-term lower stock valuations. In some cases, a credit rating downgrade. Any one of those things should be enough to grab the attention of the C-suite. Taken together, they become a compelling argument for an improved security posture. Ms. Price also let the air out of the tires of the whole “it’s cheaper to pay for insurance than for security” myth. She points out that various new laws coming into effect in Europe call for fines of 2% to 7% of an enterprise’s global annual revenue for violations of each law. This means that a single incident leading to a data breach may trigger multiple instances of revenue-based fines — and that’s just in Europe. new laws coming into effect in Europe call for fines of 2% to 7% of an enterprise’s global annual revenue for violations of each law. When you consider other jurisdictions that are following the EU’s Brussels lead, this adds up fast. Samuel Svarc, owner of CompuMedic Solution , echos and extends this thought: “Cyber liability insurers, due to the complex realities and prevalence of hacking, are mandating that companies certify that they are mitigating their risk and reject claims where these were falsely attested to.” CompuMedic Solution There are many other reports, sources, and data points you can bring to bear in your discussions. The problem with my listing them here is that they aren’t guaranteed to be specific to your circumstances, industry, or even the point you’re trying to make. Instead, I suggest you structure your discussion points using the guidelines in “ Integrating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management ” from NIST. Integrating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management In that document, it suggests you develop a formal “risk profile,” use it to identify risks and assign impact estimates, and then build a risk management plan (including cybersecurity) with the intent of having the business decide whether (and how) they will mitigate, avoid, transfer, or accept those risks. As a final thought on this topic, look for places where your goals and interests align with other teams. A great example of that is automation, a beloved topic among your DevOps and SRE teams. Putting your weight behind their efforts to automate can help get more automation rolled out – reducing risks associated with human error while increasing efficiency- and creating a powerful organizational alliance. Another is metrics and telemetry – something your monitoring and observability folks will happily discuss at length. monitoring and observability There’s Still More Ground to Cover. I’ve started to identify the things you can do to encourage and promote healthy infosec behaviors, but there’s still more. Stick with me until the next post, where I lay it all out. And if you have any questions, corrections, or kudos to share in the meantime, I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Starting to Care About Security: The Path Ahead

Authors:
(1) Oleksandr Kuznetsov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA and Department of Political Sciences, Communication and International Relations, University of Macerata, Via Crescimbeni, 30/32, 62100 Macerata, Italy (kuznetsov@karazin.ua);
(2) Dzianis Kanonik, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA;
(3) Alex Rusnak, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA (alex@proxima.one);
(4) Anton Yezhov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA;
(5) Oleksandr Domin, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA. Table of Links Abstract and 1. Introduction 1.1. The Blockchain Paradigm and the Challenge of Scalability 1.2. State of the art 1.3. Our contribution and 1.4. Article structure 2. Conceptualizing the Problem 3. Our Idea for Optimizing Trees in Blockchain 4. Efficiency of adaptive Merkle trees 5. Algorithm for Merkle Tree Restructuring 6. Examples of Merkle Tree Restructuring Algorithm Execution and 6.1 Example 1: Restructuring a Binary Tree by Adding One Leaf 6.2. Example 1.1: Binary Tree Restructuring Through Leaf Node Swapping 6.3. Example 2.1: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree by Adding a Single Leaf 6.4. Example 2.2: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree Through Leaf Pair Swapping 6.5. Example 2.3: Restructuring a Patricia-Merkle Tree Fragment Through Leaf Pair Swapping 7. Path Encoding in the Adaptive Merkle Tree 8. Enhancing Verkle Trees Through Adaptive Restructuring and 8.1. Application of Adaptive Trees in Verkle Tree Technology 8.2. Technology and Advantages 9. Discussion 9.1. Our Contribution 9.2. Comparison with Existing Solutions 10. Conclusion and References 7. Path Encoding in the Adaptive Merkle Tree The integration of adaptive Merkle Trees into existing blockchain systems like Ethereum presents a paradigm shift in data integrity verification. This shift, while promising significant efficiency gains, also necessitates substantial modifications to current protocols. In Ethereum's existing structure, an account's address directly determines its encoding path in the Patricia-Merkle Tree. This encoding, defined by a series of nibbles (four-bit blocks), uniquely maps each address from the root to a specific leaf in the vast tree structure. The current system's design allows for the seamless integration of new addresses into this expansive tree. Adopting an adaptive approach fundamentally alters this scenario. Instead of a balanced structure, we would deal with a highly unbalanced tree where frequently used leaves are positioned closer to the root, and less probable leaves are relegated to lower levels. Implementing this directly in the existing Patricia-Merkle Tree structure is not feasible. However, creating a new tree during a protocol update in Ethereum could allow for the incorporation of this adaptive approach, radically changing the concept of path encoding in the tree. The challenge arises in reconciling existing addresses with new path encodings. In the new structure, a random address would no longer be tied to a specific path encoding but would merely determine the leaf's value, not its path from the root. This concept is illustrated in Figures 34 and 35, where Figure 34 shows the simplified path encoding in a balanced tree with corresponding addresses, and Figure 35 depicts these addresses in an adaptive tree with Huffman code-based path encodings. A practical solution to address compatibility issues in the adaptive tree is the tabular storage of two structures: "account address – path encoding." This approach allows for the adaptation of the tree based on the usage probabilities of addresses, leading to significant savings in verification complexity and cost. Simultaneously, it preserves the existing mechanism for generating random addresses, including the ability to transfer funds to not-yet-created accounts. Figure 34 illustrates the path encoding mechanism within a traditional balanced Merkle Tree, as utilized in current blockchain systems like Ethereum. Each account address is directly linked to a unique path encoded by a series of nibbles, efficiently mapping the journey from the tree's root to the respective leaf. This representation underscores the systematic and predictable nature of path encoding in a balanced tree structure, highlighting the ease with which new addresses can be integrated into the expansive tree. Figure 35 depicts the transformative approach of an adaptive Merkle Tree, where path encodings are based on Huffman codes. This figure contrasts sharply with Figure 34, showcasing a more dynamic and usage-frequency-oriented structure. In this adaptive model, the path encoding is no longer a straightforward derivative of the account address but is instead determined by the frequency of data access, leading to a highly unbalanced but efficient tree structure. This figure effectively demonstrates the shift from a uniform to a tailored approach in path encoding, aligning more closely with the actual usage patterns within the blockchain network. Table 6 presents a crucial solution to the challenge posed by the transition to an adaptive Merkle Tree: a tabular representation of the correlation between account addresses and their new path encodings. This table exemplifies the practical approach to reconciling the existing system of address generation with the innovative path encoding mechanism of the adaptive tree. By maintaining a record of these correlations, the table ensures that the integrity and functionality of the blockchain are preserved, even as the system evolves to embrace more efficient data verification methods. This tabular approach symbolizes a bridge between the legacy structures of blockchain and the future-oriented adaptive Merkle Tree, ensuring a seamless transition and operational continuity. This paper is available on arxiv under CC by 4.0 Deed (Attribution 4.0 International) license. Authors: (1) Oleksandr Kuznetsov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA and Department of Political Sciences, Communication and International Relations, University of Macerata, Via Crescimbeni, 30/32, 62100 Macerata, Italy (kuznetsov@karazin.ua); (2) Dzianis Kanonik, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA; (3) Alex Rusnak, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA (alex@proxima.one); (4) Anton Yezhov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA; (5) Oleksandr Domin, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA. Authors: Authors: (1) Oleksandr Kuznetsov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA and Department of Political Sciences, Communication and International Relations, University of Macerata, Via Crescimbeni, 30/32, 62100 Macerata, Italy (kuznetsov@karazin.ua); (2) Dzianis Kanonik, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA; (3) Alex Rusnak, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA (alex@proxima.one); (4) Anton Yezhov, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA; (5) Oleksandr Domin, Proxima Labs, 1501 Larkin Street, suite 300, San Francisco, USA. Table of Links Abstract and 1. Introduction Abstract and 1. Introduction 1.1. The Blockchain Paradigm and the Challenge of Scalability 1.1. The Blockchain Paradigm and the Challenge of Scalability 1.2. State of the art 1.2. State of the art 1.3. Our contribution and 1.4. Article structure 1.3. Our contribution and 1.4. Article structure 2. Conceptualizing the Problem 2. Conceptualizing the Problem 3. Our Idea for Optimizing Trees in Blockchain 3. Our Idea for Optimizing Trees in Blockchain 4. Efficiency of adaptive Merkle trees 4. Efficiency of adaptive Merkle trees 5. Algorithm for Merkle Tree Restructuring 5. Algorithm for Merkle Tree Restructuring 6. Examples of Merkle Tree Restructuring Algorithm Execution and 6.1 Example 1: Restructuring a Binary Tree by Adding One Leaf 6. Examples of Merkle Tree Restructuring Algorithm Execution and 6.1 Example 1: Restructuring a Binary Tree by Adding One Leaf 6.2. Example 1.1: Binary Tree Restructuring Through Leaf Node Swapping 6.2. Example 1.1: Binary Tree Restructuring Through Leaf Node Swapping 6.3. Example 2.1: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree by Adding a Single Leaf 6.3. Example 2.1: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree by Adding a Single Leaf 6.4. Example 2.2: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree Through Leaf Pair Swapping 6.4. Example 2.2: Restructuring a Non-Binary Tree Through Leaf Pair Swapping 6.5. Example 2.3: Restructuring a Patricia-Merkle Tree Fragment Through Leaf Pair Swapping 6.5. Example 2.3: Restructuring a Patricia-Merkle Tree Fragment Through Leaf Pair Swapping 7. Path Encoding in the Adaptive Merkle Tree 7. Path Encoding in the Adaptive Merkle Tree 8. Enhancing Verkle Trees Through Adaptive Restructuring and 8.1. Application of Adaptive Trees in Verkle Tree Technology 8. Enhancing Verkle Trees Through Adaptive Restructuring and 8.1. Application of Adaptive Trees in Verkle Tree Technology 8.2. Technology and Advantages 8.2. Technology and Advantages 9. Discussion 9. Discussion 9.1. Our Contribution 9.1. Our Contribution 9.2. Comparison with Existing Solutions 9.2. Comparison with Existing Solutions 10. Conclusion and References 10. Conclusion and References 7. Path Encoding in the Adaptive Merkle Tree The integration of adaptive Merkle Trees into existing blockchain systems like Ethereum presents a paradigm shift in data integrity verification. This shift, while promising significant efficiency gains, also necessitates substantial modifications to current protocols. In Ethereum's existing structure, an account's address directly determines its encoding path in the Patricia-Merkle Tree. This encoding, defined by a series of nibbles (four-bit blocks), uniquely maps each address from the root to a specific leaf in the vast tree structure. The current system's design allows for the seamless integration of new addresses into this expansive tree. Adopting an adaptive approach fundamentally alters this scenario. Instead of a balanced structure, we would deal with a highly unbalanced tree where frequently used leaves are positioned closer to the root, and less probable leaves are relegated to lower levels. Implementing this directly in the existing Patricia-Merkle Tree structure is not feasible. However, creating a new tree during a protocol update in Ethereum could allow for the incorporation of this adaptive approach, radically changing the concept of path encoding in the tree. The challenge arises in reconciling existing addresses with new path encodings. In the new structure, a random address would no longer be tied to a specific path encoding but would merely determine the leaf's value, not its path from the root. This concept is illustrated in Figures 34 and 35, where Figure 34 shows the simplified path encoding in a balanced tree with corresponding addresses, and Figure 35 depicts these addresses in an adaptive tree with Huffman code-based path encodings. A practical solution to address compatibility issues in the adaptive tree is the tabular storage of two structures: "account address – path encoding." This approach allows for the adaptation of the tree based on the usage probabilities of addresses, leading to significant savings in verification complexity and cost. Simultaneously, it preserves the existing mechanism for generating random addresses, including the ability to transfer funds to not-yet-created accounts. Figure 34 illustrates the path encoding mechanism within a traditional balanced Merkle Tree, as utilized in current blockchain systems like Ethereum. Each account address is directly linked to a unique path encoded by a series of nibbles, efficiently mapping the journey from the tree's root to the respective leaf. This representation underscores the systematic and predictable nature of path encoding in a balanced tree structure, highlighting the ease with which new addresses can be integrated into the expansive tree. Figure 35 depicts the transformative approach of an adaptive Merkle Tree, where path encodings are based on Huffman codes. This figure contrasts sharply with Figure 34, showcasing a more dynamic and usage-frequency-oriented structure. In this adaptive model, the path encoding is no longer a straightforward derivative of the account address but is instead determined by the frequency of data access, leading to a highly unbalanced but efficient tree structure. This figure effectively demonstrates the shift from a uniform to a tailored approach in path encoding, aligning more closely with the actual usage patterns within the blockchain network. Table 6 presents a crucial solution to the challenge posed by the transition to an adaptive Merkle Tree: a tabular representation of the correlation between account addresses and their new path encodings. This table exemplifies the practical approach to reconciling the existing system of address generation with the innovative path encoding mechanism of the adaptive tree. By maintaining a record of these correlations, the table ensures that the integrity and functionality of the blockchain are preserved, even as the system evolves to embrace more efficient data verification methods. This tabular approach symbolizes a bridge between the legacy structures of blockchain and the future-oriented adaptive Merkle Tree, ensuring a seamless transition and operational continuity. This paper is available on arxiv under CC by 4.0 Deed (Attribution 4.0 International) license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC by 4.0 Deed (Attribution 4.0 International) license. available on arxiv

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