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Softway

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"The reason you have a headache is because of your phone." "Why won’t you be tired when you’re always pressing your phone?" Most kids who grew up with Nigerian parents probably heard these statements. While there’s no scientific research backing such claims, it’s not entirely out of place to say that young people today are highly invested in the little box they hold. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that a significant number of children aged 5 to 11 have access to mobile devices, with more than one-third of parents with children under 12 claiming their child began interacting with a smartphone before the age of 5. This has a ripple effect, as research conducted by Frontier suggests that high smartphone usage significantly disrupts productivity and leads to a loss of concentration. While playing music on your phone can be distracting for some, the objective of this article is to show you easy steps to turn your distraction tool into a weapon of productivity. Incorporate Lo-Fi into Your Productivity Playlist
Lo-fi, which is short for "low fidelity," refers to a music production style that incorporates slow, relaxed beats using soft instrumental elements or ambient background sounds that can be used while studying, working, or relaxing. Because of its simple structure, it minimizes distractions and helps listeners settle into a calming environment. A good place to start is with playlists like Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Better Concentration, or Study Music, which is perfect for studying, doing intense work, and brainstorming. Let Your Shuffle Playlist
No other app gets you like YouTube’s shuffle playlist. Found a mix you only heard on TikTok? YouTube Music has it. That radio edit you’ve only heard on an artist’s Instagram? YouTube Music has the full version. Playing a certain flow of music that’s helping you focus? YouTube Music understands that and will continue feeding you similar music after your current playlist ends. Schedule Breaks Between Music Sessions
Incorporate breaks into your work routine—this time without music. Give your brain a chance to rest and recharge. This is important to maintain focus and avoid fatigue. Your body might feel like it’s on overdrive, but this is not the time to scroll through TikTok or check your Instagram DMs. Put your phone away and give yourself a rest. Reward Yourself with Music You Enjoy During Non-Work Times
While Lo-Fi can be used as a tool for maintaining focus, it’s important to reward yourself with music you love now and then. Dance it out to  Crazy in Love by Beyonce whenever you feel like you've hit a good milestone at work. Fun fact: If your playlist knows you well, it will shuffle at the right moment, helping you get up and dance!
Working at such a pace makes you more driven, as you’re focused on finishing your tasks early so you can enjoy that sweet reward. Since YouTube Music lets you create personalized playlists, you can set this up as a reward for the productive hours, which you can use to celebrate your wins after completing tasks. Play from the YouTube Music Audio-Only Option
If you decide to play music directly from the YouTube website, you may be tempted to switch back to the phone's interface. While you may think it’s the same, free advice—it’s not. It could serve as another tool of distraction. Though the algorithm and shuffle playlists may understand your present needs, you might not and could end up playing something else that has no relation to what you're currently working on. A long playlist can prevent you from interacting with the app frequently, helping you stay focused on the task at hand. At this point, I’ll suggest you might want to consider investing in YouTube Premium. Aside from no ads, you can turn off your phone screen and set it aside, saving battery and enabling you to deeply focus on your work. In conclusion You can make YouTube work for you—not just for cooking tutorials or watching a day in the life of your favorite content creator, but in a way that encourages productivity. The ball, however, eventually falls in your court, and all you have to do is: Curate your work/study playlist Put the phone away This could be the first step toward improving your focus and efficiency. Challenge yourself, and if you're looking for where to start, here's something small I conceptualized that gives you valuable insight into the variety of music you'll find on YouTube Music. This article was written in with the help of a perfectly curated Youtube music playlist. "The reason you have a headache is because of your phone." "The reason you have a headache is because of your phone." "Why won’t you be tired when you’re always pressing your phone?" "Why won’t you be tired when you’re always pressing your phone?" Most kids who grew up with Nigerian parents probably heard these statements. While there’s no scientific research backing such claims, it’s not entirely out of place to say that young people today are highly invested in the little box they hold. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that a significant number of children aged 5 to 11 have access to mobile devices, with more than one-third of parents with children under 12 claiming their child began interacting with a smartphone before the age of 5. This has a ripple effect, as research conducted by Frontier suggests that high smartphone usage significantly disrupts productivity and leads to a loss of concentration. Pew Research Center Frontier While playing music on your phone can be distracting for some, the objective of this article is to show you easy steps to turn your distraction tool into a weapon of productivity. Incorporate Lo-Fi into Your Productivity Playlist
Lo-fi, which is short for "low fidelity," refers to a music production style that incorporates slow, relaxed beats using soft instrumental elements or ambient background sounds that can be used while studying, working, or relaxing. Because of its simple structure, it minimizes distractions and helps listeners settle into a calming environment. A good place to start is with playlists like Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Better Concentration, or Study Music, which is perfect for studying, doing intense work, and brainstorming. Incorporate Lo-Fi into Your Productivity Playlist Lo-fi, which is short for "low fidelity," refers to a music production style that incorporates slow, relaxed beats using soft instrumental elements or ambient background sounds that can be used while studying, working, or relaxing. Because of its simple structure, it minimizes distractions and helps listeners settle into a calming environment. A good place to start is with playlists like Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Better Concentration, or Study Music, which is perfect for studying, doing intense work, and brainstorming. Incorporate Lo-Fi into Your Productivity Playlist Incorporate Lo-Fi into Your Productivity Playlist Lo-fi, which is short for "low fidelity," refers to a music production style that incorporates slow, relaxed beats using soft instrumental elements or ambient background sounds that can be used while studying, working, or relaxing. Because of its simple structure, it minimizes distractions and helps listeners settle into a calming environment. A good place to start is with playlists like Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Better Concentration, or Study Music, which is perfect for studying, doing intense work, and brainstorming. Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Better Concentration, or Study Music, Let Your Shuffle Playlist
No other app gets you like YouTube’s shuffle playlist. Found a mix you only heard on TikTok? YouTube Music has it. That radio edit you’ve only heard on an artist’s Instagram? YouTube Music has the full version. Playing a certain flow of music that’s helping you focus? YouTube Music understands that and will continue feeding you similar music after your current playlist ends. Let Your Shuffle Playlist No other app gets you like YouTube’s shuffle playlist. Found a mix you only heard on TikTok? YouTube Music has it. That radio edit you’ve only heard on an artist’s Instagram? YouTube Music has the full version. Playing a certain flow of music that’s helping you focus? YouTube Music understands that and will continue feeding you similar music after your current playlist ends. Let Your Shuffle Playlist Let Your Shuffle Playlist No other app gets you like YouTube’s shuffle playlist. Found a mix you only heard on TikTok? YouTube Music has it. That radio edit you’ve only heard on an artist’s Instagram? YouTube Music has the full version. Playing a certain flow of music that’s helping you focus? YouTube Music understands that and will continue feeding you similar music after your current playlist ends. Schedule Breaks Between Music Sessions
Incorporate breaks into your work routine—this time without music. Give your brain a chance to rest and recharge. This is important to maintain focus and avoid fatigue. Your body might feel like it’s on overdrive, but this is not the time to scroll through TikTok or check your Instagram DMs. Put your phone away and give yourself a rest. Schedule Breaks Between Music Sessions Incorporate breaks into your work routine—this time without music. Give your brain a chance to rest and recharge. This is important to maintain focus and avoid fatigue. Your body might feel like it’s on overdrive, but this is not the time to scroll through TikTok or check your Instagram DMs. Put your phone away and give yourself a rest. Schedule Breaks Between Music Sessions Schedule Breaks Between Music Sessions Incorporate breaks into your work routine—this time without music. Give your brain a chance to rest and recharge. This is important to maintain focus and avoid fatigue. Your body might feel like it’s on overdrive, but this is not the time to scroll through TikTok or check your Instagram DMs. Put your phone away and give yourself a rest. Reward Yourself with Music You Enjoy During Non-Work Times
While Lo-Fi can be used as a tool for maintaining focus, it’s important to reward yourself with music you love now and then. Dance it out to  Crazy in Love by Beyonce whenever you feel like you've hit a good milestone at work. Fun fact: If your playlist knows you well, it will shuffle at the right moment, helping you get up and dance!
Working at such a pace makes you more driven, as you’re focused on finishing your tasks early so you can enjoy that sweet reward. Since YouTube Music lets you create personalized playlists, you can set this up as a reward for the productive hours, which you can use to celebrate your wins after completing tasks. Reward Yourself with Music You Enjoy During Non-Work Times While Lo-Fi can be used as a tool for maintaining focus, it’s important to reward yourself with music you love now and then. Dance it out to  Crazy in Love by Beyonce whenever you feel like you've hit a good milestone at work. Fun fact: If your playlist knows you well, it will shuffle at the right moment, helping you get up and dance! Working at such a pace makes you more driven, as you’re focused on finishing your tasks early so you can enjoy that sweet reward. Since YouTube Music lets you create personalized playlists, you can set this up as a reward for the productive hours, which you can use to celebrate your wins after completing tasks. Reward Yourself with Music You Enjoy During Non-Work Times Reward Yourself with Music You Enjoy During Non-Work Times While Lo-Fi can be used as a tool for maintaining focus, it’s important to reward yourself with music you love now and then. Dance it out to  Crazy in Love by Beyonce whenever you feel like you've hit a good milestone at work. Fun fact: If your playlist knows you well, it will shuffle at the right moment, helping you get up and dance! Working at such a pace makes you more driven, as you’re focused on finishing your tasks early so you can enjoy that sweet reward. Since YouTube Music lets you create personalized playlists, you can set this up as a reward for the productive hours, which you can use to celebrate your wins after completing tasks. Play from the YouTube Music Audio-Only Option
If you decide to play music directly from the YouTube website, you may be tempted to switch back to the phone's interface. While you may think it’s the same, free advice—it’s not. It could serve as another tool of distraction. Though the algorithm and shuffle playlists may understand your present needs, you might not and could end up playing something else that has no relation to what you're currently working on. A long playlist can prevent you from interacting with the app frequently, helping you stay focused on the task at hand. At this point, I’ll suggest you might want to consider investing in YouTube Premium. Aside from no ads, you can turn off your phone screen and set it aside, saving battery and enabling you to deeply focus on your work. Play from the YouTube Music Audio-Only Option If you decide to play music directly from the YouTube website, you may be tempted to switch back to the phone's interface. While you may think it’s the same, free advice—it’s not. It could serve as another tool of distraction. Though the algorithm and shuffle playlists may understand your present needs, you might not and could end up playing something else that has no relation to what you're currently working on. A long playlist can prevent you from interacting with the app frequently, helping you stay focused on the task at hand. At this point, I’ll suggest you might want to consider investing in YouTube Premium. Aside from no ads, you can turn off your phone screen and set it aside, saving battery and enabling you to deeply focus on your work. Play from the YouTube Music Audio-Only Option Play from the YouTube Music Audio-Only Option If you decide to play music directly from the YouTube website, you may be tempted to switch back to the phone's interface. While you may think it’s the same, free advice—it’s not. It could serve as another tool of distraction. Though the algorithm and shuffle playlists may understand your present needs, you might not and could end up playing something else that has no relation to what you're currently working on. A long playlist can prevent you from interacting with the app frequently, helping you stay focused on the task at hand. At this point, I’ll suggest you might want to consider investing in YouTube Premium. Aside from no ads, you can turn off your phone screen and set it aside, saving battery and enabling you to deeply focus on your work. In conclusion In conclusion You can make YouTube work for you—not just for cooking tutorials or watching a day in the life of your favorite content creator, but in a way that encourages productivity. The ball, however, eventually falls in your court, and all you have to do is: Curate your work/study playlist Put the phone away This could be the first step toward improving your focus and efficiency. Challenge yourself, and if you're looking for where to start, here's something small I conceptualized that gives you valuable insight into the variety of music you'll find on YouTube Music. Challenge yourself, and if you're looking for where to start, here's something small I conceptualized that gives you valuable insight into the variety of music you'll find on YouTube Music. This article was written in with the help of a perfectly curated Youtube music playlist. This article was written in with the help of a perfectly curated Youtube music playlist. This article was written in with the help of a perfectly curated Youtube music playlist.

How to Stay Productive When You’re Obsessed with Your Phone Using YouTube Music

The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . A NEW FACE A NEW FACE As Professor Maxon and von Horn rushed from the workshop to their own campong, they neglected, in their haste, to lock the door between, and for the first time since the camp was completed it stood unlatched and ajar. The professor had been engaged in taking careful measurements of the head of his latest experiment, the while he coached the young man in the first rudiments of spoken language, and now the subject of his labors found himself suddenly deserted and alone. He had not yet been without the four walls of the workshop, as the professor had wished to keep him from association with the grotesque results of his earlier experiments, and now a natural curiosity tempted him to approach the door through which his creator and the man with the bull whip had so suddenly disappeared. He saw before him a great walled enclosure roofed by a lofty azure dome, and beyond the walls the tops of green trees swaying gently in the soft breezes. His nostrils tasted the incense of fresh earth and growing things. For the first time he felt the breath of Nature, free and unconfined, upon his brow. He drew his giant frame to its full height and drank in the freedom and the sweetness of it all, filling his great lungs to their fullest; and with the first taste he learned to hate the close and stuffy confines of his prison. His virgin mind was filled with wonder at the wealth of new impressions which surged to his brain through every sense. He longed for more, and the open gateway of the campong was a scarce needed invitation to pass to the wide world beyond. With the free and easy tread of utter unconsciousness of self, he passed across the enclosure and stepped out into the clearing which lay between the palisade and the jungle. Ah, here was a still more beautiful world! The green leaves nodded to him, and at their invitation he came and the jungle reached out its million arms to embrace him. Now before him, behind, on either side there was naught but glorious green beauty shot with splashes of gorgeous color that made him gasp in wonderment. Brilliant birds rose from amidst it all, skimming hither and thither above his head—he thought that the flowers and the birds were the same, and when he reached out and plucked a blossom, tenderly, he wondered that it did not flutter in his hand. On and on he walked, but slowly, for he must not miss a single sight in the strange and wonderful place; and then, of a sudden, the quiet beauty of the scene was harshly broken by the crashing of a monster through the underbrush. Number Thirteen was standing in a little open place in the jungle when the discordant note first fell upon his ears, and as he turned his head in the direction of the sound he was startled at the hideous aspect of the thing which broke through the foliage before him. What a horrid creature! But on the same instant his eyes fell upon another borne in the arms of the terrible one. This one was different—very different,—soft and beautiful and white. He wondered what it all meant, for everything was strange and new to him; but when he saw the eyes of the lovely one upon him, and her arms outstretched toward him, though he did not understand the words upon her lips, he knew that she was in distress. Something told him that it was the ugly thing that carried her that was the author of her suffering. Virginia Maxon had been half unconscious from fright when she suddenly saw a white man, clothed in coarse, white, native pajamas, confronting her and the misshapen beast that was bearing her away to what frightful fate she could but conjecture. At the sight of the man her voice returned with returning hope, and she reached her arms toward him, calling upon him to save her. Although he did not respond she thought that he understood for he sprang toward them before her appeal was scarce uttered. As before, when Sing had threatened to filch his new possession from him, Number One held the girl with one hand while he met the attack of this new assailant with the other; but here was very different metal than had succumbed to him before. It is true that Number Thirteen knew nothing whatever of personal combat, but Number One had but little advantage of him in the matter of experience, while the former was equipped with great natural intelligence as well as steel muscles no whit less powerful than his deformed predecessor. So it was that the awful giant found his single hand helpless to cope with the strength of his foeman, and in a brief instant felt powerful fingers clutching at his throat. Still reluctant to surrender his hold upon his prize, he beat futilely at the face of his enemy, but at last the agony of choking compelled him to drop the girl and grapple madly with the man who choked him with one hand and rained mighty and merciless blows upon his face and head with the other. His captive sank to the ground, too weak from the effects of nervous shock to escape, and with horror-filled eyes watched the two who battled over her. She saw that her would-be rescuer was young and strong featured—all together a very fine specimen of manhood; and to her great wonderment it was soon apparent that he was no unequal match for the great mountain of muscle that he fought. Both tore and struck and clawed and bit in the frenzy of mad, untutored strife, rolling about on the soft carpet of the jungle almost noiselessly except for their heavy breathing and an occasional beast-like snarl from Number One. For several minutes they fought thus until the younger man succeeded in getting both hands upon the throat of his adversary, and then, choking relentlessly, he raised the brute with him from the ground and rushed him fiercely backward against the stem of a tree. Again and again he hurled the monstrous thing upon the unyielding wood, until at last it hung helpless and inert in his clutches, then he cast it from him, and without another glance at it turned toward the girl. Here was a problem indeed. Now that he had won her, what was he to do with her? He was but an adult child, with the brain and brawn of a man, and the ignorance and inexperience of the new-born. And so he acted as a child acts, in imitation of what it has seen others do. The brute had been carrying the lovely creature, therefore that must be the thing for him to do, and so he stooped and gathered Virginia Maxon in his great arms. She tried to tell him that she could walk after a moment’s rest, but it was soon evident that he did not understand her, as a puzzled expression came to his face and he did not put her down as she asked. Instead he stood irresolute for a time, and then moved slowly through the jungle. By chance his direction was toward the camp, and this fact so relieved the girl’s mind that presently she was far from loath to remain quietly in his arms. After a moment she gained courage to look up into his face. She thought that she never had seen so marvellously clean cut features, or a more high and noble countenance, and she wondered how it was that this white man was upon the island and she not have known it. Possibly he was a new arrival—his presence unguessed even by her father. That he was neither English nor American was evident from the fact that he could not understand her native tongue. Who could he be! What was he doing upon their island! As she watched his face he suddenly turned his eyes down upon her, and as she looked hurriedly away she was furious with herself as she felt a crimson flush mantle her cheek. The man only half sensed, in a vague sort of way, the meaning of the tell tale color and the quickly averted eyes; but he became suddenly aware of the pressure of her delicate body against his, as he had not been before. Now he kept his eyes upon her face as he walked, and a new emotion filled his breast. He did not understand it, but it was very pleasant, and he knew that it was because of the radiant thing that he carried in his arms. The scream that had startled von Horn and Professor Maxon led them along the trail toward the east coast of the island, and about halfway of the distance they stumbled upon the dazed and bloody Sing just as he was on the point of regaining consciousness. “For God’s sake, Sing, what is the matter?” cried von Horn. “Where is Miss Maxon?” “Big blute, he catchem Linee. Tly kill Sing. Head hit tlee. No see any more. Wakee up—all glone,” moaned the Chinaman as he tried to gain his feet. “Which way did he take her?” urged von Horn. Sing’s quick eyes scanned the surrounding jungle, and in a moment, staggering to his feet, he cried, “Look see, klick! Foot plint!” and ran, weak and reeling drunkenly, along the broad trail made by the giant creature and its prey. Von Horn and Professor Maxon followed closely in Sing’s wake, the younger man horrified by the terrible possibilities that obtruded themselves into his imagination despite his every effort to assure himself that no harm could come to Virginia Maxon before they reached her. The girl’s father had not spoken since they discovered that she was missing from the campong, but his face was white and drawn; his eyes wide and glassy as those of one whose mind is on the verge of madness from a great nervous shock. The trail of the creature was bewilderingly erratic. A dozen paces straight through the underbrush, then a sharp turn at right angles for no apparent reason, only to veer again suddenly in a new direction! Thus, turning and twisting, the tortuous way led them toward the south end of the island, until Sing, who was in advance, gave a sharp cry of surprise. “Klick! Look see!” he cried excitedly. “Blig blute dead—vely muchee dead.” Von Horn rushed forward to where the Chinaman was leaning over the body of Number One. Sure enough, the great brute lay motionless, its horrid face even more hideous in death than in life, if it were possible. The face was black, the tongue protruded, the skin was bruised from the heavy fists of his assailant and the thick skull crushed and splintered from terrific impact with the tree. Professor Maxon leaned over von Horn’s shoulder. “Ah, poor Number One,” he sighed, “that you should have come to such an untimely end—my child, my child.” Von Horn looked at him, a tinge of compassion in his rather hard face. It touched the man that his employer was at last shocked from the obsession of his work to a realization of the love and duty he owed his daughter; he thought that the professor’s last words referred to Virginia. “Though there are twelve more,” continued Professor Maxon, “you were my first born son and I loved you most, dear child.” The younger man was horrified. “My God, Professor!” he cried. “Are you mad? Can you call this thing ‘child’ and mourn over it when you do not yet know the fate of your own daughter?” Professor Maxon looked up sadly. “You do not understand, Dr. von Horn,” he replied coldly, “and you will oblige me, in the future, by not again referring to the offspring of my labors as ‘things.’” With an ugly look upon his face von Horn turned his back upon the older man—what little feeling of loyalty and affection he had ever felt for him gone forever. Sing was looking about for evidences of the cause of Number One’s death and the probable direction in which Virginia Maxon had disappeared. “What on earth could have killed this enormous brute, Sing? Have you any idea?” asked von Horn. The Chinaman shook his head. “No savvy,” he replied. “Blig flight. Look see,” and he pointed to the torn and trampled turf, the broken bushes, and to one or two small trees that had been snapped off by the impact of the two mighty bodies that had struggled back and forth about the little clearing. “This way,” cried Sing presently, and started off once more into the brush, but this time in a northwesterly direction, toward camp. In silence the three men followed the new trail, all puzzled beyond measure to account for the death of Number One at the hands of what must have been a creature of superhuman strength. What could it have been! It was impossible that any of the Malays or lascars could have done the thing, and there were no other creatures, brute or human, upon the island large enough to have coped even for an instant with the ferocious brutality of the dead monster, except—von Horn’s brain came to a sudden halt at the thought. Could it be? There seemed no other explanation. Virginia Maxon had been rescued from one soulless monstrosity to fall into the hands of another equally irresponsible and terrifying. Others then must have escaped from the campong. Von Horn loosened his guns in their holsters, and took a fresh grip upon his bull whip as he urged Sing forward upon the trail. He wondered which one it was, but not once did it occur to him that the latest result of Professor Maxon’s experiments could be the rescuer of Virginia Maxon. In his mind he could see only the repulsive features of one of the others. Quite unexpectedly they came upon the two, and with a shout von Horn leaped forward, his bull whip upraised. Number Thirteen turned in surprise at the cry, and sensing a new danger for her who lay in his arms, he set her gently upon the ground behind him and advanced to meet his assailant. “Out of the way, you—monstrosity,” cried von Horn. “If you have harmed Miss Maxon I’ll put a bullet in your heart!” Number Thirteen did not understand the words that the other addressed to him but he interpreted the man’s actions as menacing, not to himself, but to the creature he now considered his particular charge; and so he met the advancing man, more to keep him from the girl than to offer him bodily injury for he recognized him as one of the two who had greeted his first dawning consciousness. Von Horn, possibly intentionally, misinterpreted the other’s motive, and raising his bull whip struck Number Thirteen a vicious cut across the face, at the same time levelling his revolver point blank at the broad breast. But before ever he could pull the trigger an avalanche of muscle was upon him, and he went down to the rotting vegetation of the jungle with five sinewy fingers at his throat. His revolver exploded harmlessly in the air, and then another hand wrenched it from him and hurled it far into the underbrush. Number Thirteen knew nothing of the danger of firearms, but the noise had startled him and his experience with the stinging cut of the bull whip convinced him that this other was some sort of instrument of torture of which it would be as well to deprive his antagonist. Virginia Maxon looked on in horror as she realized that her rescuer was quickly choking Dr. von Horn to death. With a little cry she sprang to her feet and ran toward them, just as her father emerged from the underbrush through which he had been struggling in the trail of the agile Chinaman and von Horn. Placing her hand upon the great wrist of the giant she tried to drag his fingers from von Horn’s throat, pleading meanwhile with both voice and eyes for the life of the man she thought loved her. Again Number Thirteen translated the intent without understanding the words, and releasing von Horn permitted him to rise. With a bound he was upon his feet and at the same instant brought his other gun from his side and levelled it upon the man who had released him; but as his finger tightened upon the trigger Virginia Maxon sprang between them and grasping von Horn’s wrist deflected the muzzle of the gun just as the cartridge exploded. Simultaneously Professor Maxon sprang from his grasp and hurled him back with the superhuman strength of a maniac. “Fool!” he cried. “What would you do? Kill—,” and then of a sudden he realized his daughter’s presence and the necessity for keeping the origin of the young giant from her knowledge. “I am surprised at you, Dr. von Horn,” he continued in a more level voice. “You must indeed have forgotten yourself to thus attack a stranger upon our island until you know whether he be friend or foe. Come! Escort my daughter to the camp, while I make the proper apologies to this gentleman.” As he saw that both Virginia and von Horn hesitated, he repeated his command in a peremptory tone, adding; “Quick, now; do as I bid you.” The moment had given von Horn an opportunity to regain his self-control, and realizing as well as did his employer, but from another motive, the necessity of keeping the truth from the girl, he took her arm and led her gently from the scene. At Professor Maxon’s direction Sing accompanied them. Now in Number Thirteen’s brief career he had known no other authority than Professor Maxon’s, and so it was that when his master laid a hand upon his wrist he remained beside him while another walked away with the lovely creature he had thought his very own. Until after dark the professor kept the young man hidden in the jungle, and then, safe from detection, led him back to the laboratory. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1994). The Monster Men. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/96/pg96-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

A NEW FACE

David Copperfield: Chapter 21 - Little Em'ly

Is a Green Build and Fixing Flaky Tests Your #1 Priority? I recently had a discussion with the founder of a CI delivery platform about the value of fixing flaky tests, and it led to the following observation/question on LinkedIn: “Over my career, I’ve been in maybe 50 software development teams as an IC. In my current role, I get exposed to 10,000+. If I picked a random person across my entire sample set, they wouldn’t even know where to start with ‘doing the right thing.’ I see way more disengaged engineers who have a ‘give me a ticket and I’ll give you code’ mindset. How would you go about rebooting that?” It’s a great question. I thought I’d write about how we’ve approached this in my last two companies. It’s easy to say that culture is the answer, but how do you build that culture? How do you get every member of the team to care about doing the right thing — and what is the right thing? So Many Priority #1s It often feels that everything is a top priority. But that, in itself, is part of the problem. Particularly in start-ups and scale-ups, Engineering and Product teams experience immense pressure to deliver. This pressure is often self-imposed - at most of my previous companies, stakeholders were generally willing to accept a temporary slowdown for a long-term increase in quality. Here’s the thing: achieving a stable environment with few bugs takes time, but once you’re there, you can actually deliver faster and more efficiently. With so much emphasis on features and delivery, it’s no wonder engineers feel torn between addressing quality and stability issues or pushing out new features. So, how do you approach this? While the question of priority is nuanced and will vary from company to company, here’s a list of priorities based on my recent experiences. 1. Build a Culture of Ownership and Accountability Building a culture of ownership takes time. Like any change, it requires repetition and reinforcement. Start immediately, as this will form the foundation for the following priorities. 2. Record, Prioritize, and Monitor Production Bugs and Defects It’s surprising how often teams fail to record and prioritize production issues. At UberCarshare, we had a successful product but no way to track bug count or severity. Once you record your production issues, you can start measuring and reporting them. This opens up meaningful conversations with stakeholders about the trade-offs between quality, stability, and new features. 3. Complete Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Incident Reports for Significant Production Issues This complements the previous item and is a fundamental pillar of creating a culture of transparency, accountability, and autonomy. RCAs should be blameless: a celebration of transparency, learning, and self-improvement. When engineers feel comfortable writing RCA’s and see that transparency and accountability do not mean blame or punishment, they will feel a greater level of psychological safety. Tech debt is the root cause of many issues, and while we can’t fix everything immediately, completing RCAs and prioritizing follow-ups against other work is a major step toward prioritizing stability and quality over new features. 4. Establish a Continuous Green Build in CI I recognize there is an argument that this is a pre-requisite to any of the above but, like I said, it’s nuanced 🤷‍♂️, and a lot of this stuff can happen in parallel. In both of my previous companies, a flaky, unstable CI had become the norm, which is common in teams trying to scale quickly. You cannot overstate how expensive this is in terms of its impact on productivity, but when there is unclear ownership and accountability, it can be hard to know where to start in fixing it. Getting to a stable build can be a significant effort and may require dedicated resources. Our approach was as follows: Get the build consistently green and fast enough — exclude flaky tests as necessary! Address performance or timeout issues through sufficient resourcing and parallelization of tests.


Clarify and assign ownership of the excluded flaky tests — the squads owning them can decide whether they need to be fixed and reintroduced. Maintain zero tolerance for flaky tests: if tests become flaky, exclude them from the build until they are fixed 5. Monitoring System Health and Actually Caring About Your Logs It’s easy to set up error logging and reporting. However, getting your team to care about the logs and respond to them in real-time is far more challenging. Like performance and broken builds, system health needs to be a whole team effort and cannot be left to a DX, DevOps, or maintenance squad. System health relies on culture as much as anything else and once again requires a zero-tolerance approach. Agree on your tolerance thresholds with the team, ensure that alerts for exceeded thresholds are sent to a public channel, and set an expectation that no one in the team is allowed to walk by a problem. At Carshare, we established an expectation that no one should push an alert further into history by adding a new comment below without first ensuring someone was investigating the issue. Use These Principles to Drive a Culture of Autonomy and Accountability Document these principles and ways of working, workshop with the team on how best to implement them, share them with your product team and stakeholders, and then demand continuous improvement from your team. RCAs, error alerts, and broken builds should be attended to without prompting. Initially, you may need to prompt, nag, coach, and mentor your team. Above all, reassure them that fixing alerts, broken builds, or bugs really is their highest priority. Eventually, these issues will start to solve themselves, and productivity and output improvements will follow the noticeable improvement in quality and stability. Rinse and Repeat: The Path to Continuous Improvement The five priorities I’ve outlined are just the beginning. Continuous improvement should be ingrained in your process, and there will be many things to perfect: writing efficient tests
improving build speed
reducing handoffs
shifting quality left
improved collaboration with partners such as product and design teams
measuring quality, uptime, and cycle time
etc. Originally published at https://medium.com/vertical-slice/getting-software-engineers-to-do-the-right-thing-d42a0b923408 Is a Green Build and Fixing Flaky Tests Your #1 Priority? I recently had a discussion with the founder of a CI delivery platform about the value of fixing flaky tests, and it led to the following observation/question on LinkedIn: “Over my career, I’ve been in maybe 50 software development teams as an IC. In my current role, I get exposed to 10,000+. If I picked a random person across my entire sample set, they wouldn’t even know where to start with ‘doing the right thing.’ I see way more disengaged engineers who have a ‘give me a ticket and I’ll give you code’ mindset. How would you go about rebooting that?” “Over my career, I’ve been in maybe 50 software development teams as an IC. In my current role, I get exposed to 10,000+. If I picked a random person across my entire sample set, they wouldn’t even know where to start with ‘doing the right thing.’ I see way more disengaged engineers who have a ‘give me a ticket and I’ll give you code’ mindset. How would you go about rebooting that?” “Over my career, I’ve been in maybe 50 software development teams as an IC. In my current role, I get exposed to 10,000+. If I picked a random person across my entire sample set, they wouldn’t even know where to start with ‘doing the right thing.’ I see way more disengaged engineers who have a ‘give me a ticket and I’ll give you code’ mindset. How would you go about rebooting that?” It’s a great question. I thought I’d write about how we’ve approached this in my last two companies. It’s easy to say that culture is the answer, but how do you build that culture? How do you get every member of the team to care about doing the right thing — and what is the right thing ? right thing So Many Priority #1s It often feels that everything is a top priority. But that, in itself, is part of the problem. Particularly in start-ups and scale-ups, Engineering and Product teams experience immense pressure to deliver. This pressure is often self-imposed - at most of my previous companies, stakeholders were generally willing to accept a temporary slowdown for a long-term increase in quality. Here’s the thing: achieving a stable environment with few bugs takes time, but once you’re there, you can actually deliver faster and more efficiently. With so much emphasis on features and delivery, it’s no wonder engineers feel torn between addressing quality and stability issues or pushing out new features. So, how do you approach this? While the question of priority is nuanced and will vary from company to company, here’s a list of priorities based on my recent experiences. 1. Build a Culture of Ownership and Accountability Building a culture of ownership takes time. Like any change, it requires repetition and reinforcement. Start immediately, as this will form the foundation for the following priorities. 2. Record, Prioritize, and Monitor Production Bugs and Defects It’s surprising how often teams fail to record and prioritize production issues. At UberCarshare, we had a successful product but no way to track bug count or severity. Once you record your production issues, you can start measuring and reporting them. This opens up meaningful conversations with stakeholders about the trade-offs between quality, stability, and new features. 3. Complete Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Incident Reports for Significant Production Issues This complements the previous item and is a fundamental pillar of creating a culture of transparency, accountability, and autonomy. RCAs should be blameless: a celebration of transparency, learning, and self-improvement. When engineers feel comfortable writing RCA’s and see that transparency and accountability do not mean blame or punishment, they will feel a greater level of psychological safety. Tech debt is the root cause of many issues, and while we can’t fix everything immediately, completing RCAs and prioritizing follow-ups against other work is a major step toward prioritizing stability and quality over new features. 4. Establish a Continuous Green Build in CI I recognize there is an argument that this is a pre-requisite to any of the above but, like I said, it’s nuanced 🤷‍♂️, and a lot of this stuff can happen in parallel. In both of my previous companies, a flaky, unstable CI had become the norm, which is common in teams trying to scale quickly. You cannot overstate how expensive this is in terms of its impact on productivity, but when there is unclear ownership and accountability, it can be hard to know where to start in fixing it. Getting to a stable build can be a significant effort and may require dedicated resources. Our approach was as follows: Get the build consistently green and fast enough — exclude flaky tests as necessary! Address performance or timeout issues through sufficient resourcing and parallelization of tests. Clarify and assign ownership of the excluded flaky tests — the squads owning them can decide whether they need to be fixed and reintroduced. Get the build consistently green and fast enough — exclude flaky tests as necessary! Address performance or timeout issues through sufficient resourcing and parallelization of tests. Get the build consistently green and fast enough — exclude flaky tests as necessary! Address performance or timeout issues through sufficient resourcing and parallelization of tests. Clarify and assign ownership of the excluded flaky tests — the squads owning them can decide whether they need to be fixed and reintroduced. Clarify and assign ownership of the excluded flaky tests — the squads owning them can decide whether they need to be fixed and reintroduced. Maintain zero tolerance for flaky tests: if tests become flaky, exclude them from the build until they are fixed Maintain zero tolerance for flaky tests: if tests become flaky, exclude them from the build until they are fixed 5. Monitoring System Health and Actually Caring About Your Logs It’s easy to set up error logging and reporting. However, getting your team to care about the logs and respond to them in real-time is far more challenging. Like performance and broken builds, system health needs to be a whole team effort and cannot be left to a DX, DevOps, or maintenance squad. System health relies on culture as much as anything else and once again requires a zero-tolerance approach. Agree on your tolerance thresholds with the team, ensure that alerts for exceeded thresholds are sent to a public channel, and set an expectation that no one in the team is allowed to walk by a problem. At Carshare, we established an expectation that no one should push an alert further into history by adding a new comment below without first ensuring someone was investigating the issue. Use These Principles to Drive a Culture of Autonomy and Accountability Document these principles and ways of working, workshop with the team on how best to implement them, share them with your product team and stakeholders, and then demand continuous improvement from your team. RCAs, error alerts, and broken builds should be attended to without prompting. Initially, you may need to prompt, nag, coach, and mentor your team. Above all, reassure them that fixing alerts, broken builds, or bugs really is their highest priority. Eventually, these issues will start to solve themselves, and productivity and output improvements will follow the noticeable improvement in quality and stability. is Rinse and Repeat: The Path to Continuous Improvement The five priorities I’ve outlined are just the beginning. Continuous improvement should be ingrained in your process, and there will be many things to perfect: writing efficient tests improving build speed reducing handoffs shifting quality left improved collaboration with partners such as product and design teams measuring quality, uptime, and cycle time etc. writing efficient tests improving build speed reducing handoffs shifting quality left improved collaboration with partners such as product and design teams measuring quality, uptime, and cycle time etc. Originally published at https://medium.com/vertical-slice/getting-software-engineers-to-do-the-right-thing-d42a0b923408 https://medium.com/vertical-slice/getting-software-engineers-to-do-the-right-thing-d42a0b923408

How to Make Software Engineers Do the 'Right Thing'

The Case for Software Supply Chain Security. A couple of days ago, on Oct 22, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission fined millions of dollars for mislabeling the risks of the SolarWinds attack as “hypothetical.” Four companies Unisys, Avaya, Check Point, and Mimecast were fined $7 million. In 2020, the SolarWinds attack affected major organizations when malware gave backdoor access to its Orion software. Supply chain attacks have only grown in both quantity and magnitude since then. Though companies continue to downplay the impact of Supply Chain security, on average, less than 50% of the code base in your organization is written by your employees. Supply chain security controls mitigate risks coming from the “external” software that ships with your product. The Cure to Make Robust Software Supply Chains. Google has invested heavily in insider risk since 2010 and has been building multi-layered security controls to defend against advanced attacks. Around 2019/20, Google Chrome started developing a framework that applies to a broader community, starting with Chromium. Collaboration across the company led to the formation of the supply chain levels for software artifacts aka SLSA. Since then, Google has donated this project to OpenSSF, one of the largest open-source software foundations. SLSA version 1.0 was launched earlier this year and it provides an incremental solution to gradually improve security posture from development to deployment for the software supply chain. SLSA Threat Model Let’s take a look into how malicious actors exploit weaknesses throughout the process right from build systems to the artifact distribution level. The SLSA threat model states that issues like inadequate code review, misconfigured build systems, and unverified third-party code-introduced risks, etc. can cause significant security breaches. The successful attacks on SolarWinds where the hackers injected malicious code into the build process require strong controls. Knowing your dependencies and preventing unilateral access remains crucial for ensuring malware can’t be inserted. Applicability of SLSA in Real World Scenarios There are three major use cases for SLSA, First Party, Open Source Projects, and Vendors. In First Party, since there is no need to transfer trust across organizational boundaries, this makes it the easiest use case. SLSA can be used entirely within an organization. In the case of Open Source Projects, SLSA uses a canonical source repository approach where users of open-source software need to only trust a handful of build platforms instead of trusting thousands of developers who have upload permissions to many packages. SLSA would simply reject an upload if it was not from a canonical source repository. And finally, for users of vendor-provided software, SLSA would require a vendor to be certified by a third-party auditor. This would make it easier for consumers to trust vendor software products. Also, provenance is the main aspect of using SLSA, it would provide traceability and verifiability of where the software originated. The goal is not just to prevent tampering but also to trace who was involved and where the exact origin of the software was. Since it facilitates transparency, companies can easily adapt to regulatory restrictions while ensuring that their business operations are sound. Hardening the Chain of Trust The core of SLSA is provenance, which documents the origin and security of artifacts. SLSA can pinpoint tampering or any other malicious behavior using cryptographic validation and automated attestation. Since it verifies that each step from creation to distribution of the software is indeed secure, the chain of trust is therefore solidified. The majority of well-secured development environments apply the principles of provenance including Google. One of the innovators of the SLSA framework at Google is Akash Mukherjee. He discusses how Chrome ensures verifiability in its builds in this article Chromium Chronicle #23. The article focuses on the fundamentals of the framework and the four pillars that we see today in SLSA. Meeting Government Mandates With SLSA Another advantage of SLSA compared to other security libraries is its ability to meet U.S. government regulations. The National Institute Of Standards and Technology aka NIST plays a crucial role in cybersecurity by creating frameworks, guidelines, etc. like the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF). SLSA is able to help companies meet these requirements. Following this framework will also align companies with the Executive Order 14028 directive which has a higher standard for cybersecurity along the entire software supply chain. Also in highly regulated defense, healthcare, and finance industries, SLSA is reliable enough to be the security blueprint for organizations that can help generate evidence of compliance even when it touches critical cybersecurity concerns. The Future of SLSA as a Blueprint for Secure Software Development But this journey does not stop here; it continues evolving the industry. With the flexibility in its structure, SLSA allows organizations to enhance their security step by step while preparing for future threats. As SBOMs become central to software development, experts focus on securing development practices in general, “SBOMs can help lift security health from the status quo, but frameworks like Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) and Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) must be used to improve security as you’re building new packages.”, Akash Mukherjee, an early developer of the SLSA framework in his recent post on RSA conference. By integrating the best practices from SLSA with development insights gleaned from resources such as Chromium Chronicle, an organization is well-equipped to design secure software. At its core, SLSA revolves around provenance, providing cryptographic assurances and compliance with regulatory requirements, making it an extremely important tool for securing the global software ecosystem. The Case for Software Supply Chain Security. A couple of days ago, on Oct 22, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission fined millions of dollars for mislabeling the risks of the SolarWinds attack as “hypothetical.” Four companies Unisys, Avaya, Check Point, and Mimecast were fined $7 million. In 2020, the SolarWinds attack affected major organizations when malware gave backdoor access to its Orion software. Supply chain attacks have only grown in both quantity and magnitude since then. Though companies continue to downplay the impact of Supply Chain security, on average, less than 50% of the code base in your organization is written by your employees. Supply chain security controls mitigate risks coming from the “external” software that ships with your product. The Cure to Make Robust Software Supply Chains. The Cure to Make Robust Software Supply Chains. Google has invested heavily in insider risk since 2010 and has been building multi-layered security controls to defend against advanced attacks. Around 2019/20, Google Chrome started developing a framework that applies to a broader community, starting with Chromium. Collaboration across the company led to the formation of the supply chain levels for software artifacts aka SLSA. Since then, Google has donated this project to OpenSSF, one of the largest open-source software foundations. SLSA version 1.0 was launched earlier this year and it provides an incremental solution to gradually improve security posture from development to deployment for the software supply chain. SLSA version 1.0 SLSA version 1.0 SLSA Threat Model SLSA Threat Model Let’s take a look into how malicious actors exploit weaknesses throughout the process right from build systems to the artifact distribution level. The SLSA threat model states that issues like inadequate code review, misconfigured build systems, and unverified third-party code-introduced risks, etc. can cause significant security breaches. SLSA threat model SLSA threat model The successful attacks on SolarWinds where the hackers injected malicious code into the build process require strong controls. Knowing your dependencies and preventing unilateral access remains crucial for ensuring malware can’t be inserted. Applicability of SLSA in Real World Scenarios Applicability of SLSA in Real World Scenarios There are three major use cases for SLSA, First Party, Open Source Projects, and Vendors. In First Party, since there is no need to transfer trust across organizational boundaries, this makes it the easiest use case. SLSA can be used entirely within an organization. use cases use cases In the case of Open Source Projects, SLSA uses a canonical source repository approach where users of open-source software need to only trust a handful of build platforms instead of trusting thousands of developers who have upload permissions to many packages. SLSA would simply reject an upload if it was not from a canonical source repository. And finally, for users of vendor-provided software, SLSA would require a vendor to be certified by a third-party auditor. This would make it easier for consumers to trust vendor software products. Also, provenance is the main aspect of using SLSA, it would provide traceability and verifiability of where the software originated. The goal is not just to prevent tampering but also to trace who was involved and where the exact origin of the software was. Since it facilitates transparency, companies can easily adapt to regulatory restrictions while ensuring that their business operations are sound. Hardening the Chain of Trust Hardening the Chain of Trust The core of SLSA is provenance , which documents the origin and security of artifacts. SLSA can pinpoint tampering or any other malicious behavior using cryptographic validation and automated attestation. Since it verifies that each step from creation to distribution of the software is indeed secure, the chain of trust is therefore solidified. provenance provenance The majority of well-secured development environments apply the principles of provenance including Google. One of the innovators of the SLSA framework at Google is Akash Mukherjee. He discusses how Chrome ensures verifiability in its builds in this article Chromium Chronicle #23 . The article focuses on the fundamentals of the framework and the four pillars that we see today in SLSA. Chromium Chronicle #23 Chromium Chronicle #23 Meeting Government Mandates With SLSA Meeting Government Mandates With SLSA Another advantage of SLSA compared to other security libraries is its ability to meet U.S. government regulations. The National Institute Of Standards and Technology aka NIST plays a crucial role in cybersecurity by creating frameworks, guidelines, etc. like the Secure Software Development Framework ( SSDF ). SLSA is able to help companies meet these requirements. SSDF SSDF Following this framework will also align companies with the Executive Order 14028 directive which has a higher standard for cybersecurity along the entire software supply chain. Also in highly regulated defense, healthcare, and finance industries, SLSA is reliable enough to be the security blueprint for organizations that can help generate evidence of compliance even when it touches critical cybersecurity concerns. The Future of SLSA as a Blueprint for Secure Software Development The Future of SLSA as a Blueprint for Secure Software Development But this journey does not stop here; it continues evolving the industry. With the flexibility in its structure, SLSA allows organizations to enhance their security step by step while preparing for future threats. As SBOMs become central to software development, experts focus on securing development practices in general, “SBOMs can help lift security health from the status quo, but frameworks like Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) and Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) must be used to improve security as you’re building new packages.” , Akash Mukherjee, an early developer of the SLSA framework in his recent post on RSA conference. “SBOMs can help lift security health from the status quo, but frameworks like Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) and Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) must be used to improve security as you’re building new packages.” recent post recent post By integrating the best practices from SLSA with development insights gleaned from resources such as Chromium Chronicle, an organization is well-equipped to design secure software. At its core, SLSA revolves around provenance, providing cryptographic assurances and compliance with regulatory requirements, making it an extremely important tool for securing the global software ecosystem.

How SLSA Can Secure Your Software Supply Chain

The software we use is intended to be intuitive and accessible to everyone, but many of us are left confused and overwhelmed. The fundamental challenge is that it’s really difficult to build a product for different users—each with their own unique goals, history, and expertise. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, its accessibility correspondingly grows in importance. Matthias Tepel and Killian Dunne are two experienced engineers exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help make software more intuitive for users. Their company, Telepathic, is focused on building AI software that makes more advanced software accessible to a wider community. Driven by a passion for innovation, Dunne and Tepel have executed numerous high-profile projects. Dunne built a Hyperloop pod that levitated and traveled in an evacuated tube during his time at the University of Edinburgh. This led him to an opportunity to pitch his tech to Elon Musk at the finals of the annual Hyperloop competition at the SpaceX headquarters. In his final year of university, Dunne founded Scotland’s first amateur rocket development team, which has grown every year since. He went on to succeed in several positions at startups focused on software, gaining experience building software, exploring entrepreneurship, and learning what it takes to be a CTO. Tepel began his career studying engineering in Germany and then at Cambridge University. He was initially focused on management consulting and venture capital. However, he was inspired by his passion for building companies from the ground up to join Tier Mobility, which is changing the way people move around cities by providing eco-friendly and accessible transportation options. He played a pivotal role in growing the company from a small team to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, and he oversaw marketing, sales, growth, and strategy. After successfully scaling the company, Tepel was ready for a new challenge: partnering with Dunne to bring their shared vision for Telepathic to life. Telepathic will allow people to use software they otherwise would not be able to understand. Dunne gained an intimate understanding of the user assistance space when he was CTO of Homeland (a startup that provides on-demand, pay-as-you-use customer service for hotels). There, he built a suite of user assistance tools to allow their team of agents in 17 different countries to provide services for some of the hottest names in the industry—including HotelMap.com.  He feels that even if people who aren’t technologically savvy are able to operate software on a basic level, they are still missing out on the greater benefits the software can provide. Telepathic makes software easier to use, with a focus on those who most need help. During this time, Dunne built in-house co-browsing software to allow Homeland’s agents to assist software end users like HotelMaps—all by performing actions autonomously on the end user’s screen on their behalf. This complex solution helped solve countless user issues with the software and consistently wowed users, particularly where co-browsing was involved. This experience led directly to Dunne’s enthusiasm for Telepathic. Not only did it prove that Telepathic was needed, but it also taught Dunne to embrace tackling complex problems even when he did not have all the answers at the outset. He took that mindset into his work on Telepathic, which he has been building and revising over the last year. The main version of Telepathic consists of an AI bot that can scrape software, capture how it works, and synthesize it for the user. It sounds simple, but it is actually a very complex problem. Instead of having an agent navigate open websites, Telepathic can navigate closed, gated web apps, which makes their technology completely unique. Dunne has worked tirelessly on the platform, carefully building each stage of the process, from understanding web interfaces and making them searchable to creating walkthroughs, tours, and guidance for users. This impressive, comprehensive understanding of how software works and how users interpret it makes Dunne the perfect person to build Telepathic. With Tepel by his side handling the company’s growth, they are positioned to take Telepathic to the next level. The software we use is intended to be intuitive and accessible to everyone, but many of us are left confused and overwhelmed. The fundamental challenge is that it’s really difficult to build a product for different users—each with their own unique goals, history, and expertise. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, its accessibility correspondingly grows in importance. Matthias Tepel and Killian Dunne are two experienced engineers exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help make software more intuitive for users. Their company, Telepathic , is focused on building AI software that makes more advanced software accessible to a wider community. Matthias Tepel Matthias Tepel Killian Dunne Killian Dunne Telepathic Telepathic Driven by a passion for innovation, Dunne and Tepel have executed numerous high-profile projects. Dunne built a Hyperloop pod that levitated and traveled in an evacuated tube during his time at the University of Edinburgh. This led him to an opportunity to pitch his tech to Elon Musk at the finals of the annual Hyperloop competition at the SpaceX headquarters. In his final year of university, Dunne founded Scotland’s first amateur rocket development team, which has grown every year since. He went on to succeed in several positions at startups focused on software, gaining experience building software, exploring entrepreneurship, and learning what it takes to be a CTO. Tepel began his career studying engineering in Germany and then at Cambridge University. He was initially focused on management consulting and venture capital. However, he was inspired by his passion for building companies from the ground up to join Tier Mobility, which is changing the way people move around cities by providing eco-friendly and accessible transportation options. He played a pivotal role in growing the company from a small team to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, and he oversaw marketing, sales, growth, and strategy. After successfully scaling the company, Tepel was ready for a new challenge: partnering with Dunne to bring their shared vision for Telepathic to life. Telepathic will allow people to use software they otherwise would not be able to understand. Dunne gained an intimate understanding of the user assistance space when he was CTO of Homeland (a startup that provides on-demand, pay-as-you-use customer service for hotels). There, he built a suite of user assistance tools to allow their team of agents in 17 different countries to provide services for some of the hottest names in the industry—including HotelMap.com.  He feels that even if people who aren’t technologically savvy are able to operate software on a basic level, they are still missing out on the greater benefits the software can provide. Telepathic makes software easier to use, with a focus on those who most need help. During this time, Dunne built in-house co-browsing software to allow Homeland’s agents to assist software end users like HotelMaps—all by performing actions autonomously on the end user’s screen on their behalf. This complex solution helped solve countless user issues with the software and consistently wowed users, particularly where co-browsing was involved. This experience led directly to Dunne’s enthusiasm for Telepathic. Not only did it prove that Telepathic was needed, but it also taught Dunne to embrace tackling complex problems even when he did not have all the answers at the outset. He took that mindset into his work on Telepathic, which he has been building and revising over the last year. The main version of Telepathic consists of an AI bot that can scrape software, capture how it works, and synthesize it for the user. It sounds simple, but it is actually a very complex problem. Instead of having an agent navigate open websites, Telepathic can navigate closed, gated web apps, which makes their technology completely unique. Dunne has worked tirelessly on the platform, carefully building each stage of the process, from understanding web interfaces and making them searchable to creating walkthroughs, tours, and guidance for users. This impressive, comprehensive understanding of how software works and how users interpret it makes Dunne the perfect person to build Telepathic. With Tepel by his side handling the company’s growth, they are positioned to take Telepathic to the next level.

Making Software More Accessible with Telepathic AI

Maak sagteware meer toeganklik met Telepatiese KI

Робім праграмнае забеспячэнне больш даступным з дапамогай тэлепатычнага AI

Fer el programari més accessible amb la IA telepàtica

Hacer que el software sea más accesible con inteligencia artificial telepática

הפיכת תוכנה לנגישה יותר באמצעות AI Telepathic

テレパシー AI でソフトウェアをより使いやすく

텔레파시 AI로 소프트웨어 접근성을 높이다

Padaryti programinę įrangą labiau prieinamą naudojant telepatinį AI

Uczynienie oprogramowania bardziej dostępnym dzięki telepatycznej sztucznej inteligencji

Kufanya Programu Ipatikane Zaidi na Telepathic AI

Telepathic AI کے ساتھ سافٹ ویئر کو مزید قابل رسائی بنانا

Làm cho phần mềm dễ tiếp cận hơn với AI Telepathic

Let's face it: The AI critics lost. In 2020, I wrote a viral article titled "Will the latest AI kill coding?" predicting that "programming jobs won't be safe in the future." Dozens of commenters came to disagree with me, with someone even going so far as to record a video "explaining why GPT-3 will not take developer jobs." Now, the tech jobs market is totally cooked, to the point that even 4.0 GPA Berkeley computer science graduates can't find jobs. Anecdotally speaking, I know some of the brightest people coming out of coding boot camps with the same results as these elite university grads (which is to say, no results). But this article isn't about AI taking our jobs: It's about whether you should use AI to code your product, or if you should use no-code (remember that? almost seems like a bygone fad now...), or if you should still hire someone. And the answer may surprise you, especially given my earlier prediction. The truth is, while AI has disrupted the job market and changed the landscape of software development, it hasn't entirely replaced human developers (nor will it). Instead, it's become an incredibly powerful tool that, in the hands of skilled programmers, can elevate their capabilities to superhuman levels. It's not about AI vs. humans anymore; it's about humans with AI vs. humans without it. I recently had an eye-opening experience at a Web3 conference. I got to try out a lot of new web3 and DeFi tools, and I was curious how these tools were built, so I asked around. None of them was built via no-code or solely by AI. Not one. One team hired an AI-empowered developer who used V0 + Cursor AI, while another used a development agency, Solicy. It became clear that these top developers weren't threatened by AI – they were embracing it. This conversation was a lightbulb moment for me. There's a crucial difference between the average developer and these cracked 10x devs – those exceptional programmers who seem to produce work at superhuman speeds. They're not just good coders; they're masters at using AI. The Rise of the AI-Augmented Developer So I called it. Back in 2020, I said programming jobs were on thin ice, and now look where we are. The tech job market is in shambles. But AI isn't wiping out coding jobs wholesale. It's changing the game entirely. The question isn't whether AI will code your product anymore. It's about how developers are using AI to stay relevant and actually get shit done. The best developers now are the ones who've adapted and who see AI as a powerful tool rather than a threat. They're using it to handle the grunt work, catch errors, and generate initial code structures. But the key is they're still the ones driving the ship. They're applying their creativity and problem-solving skills on top of what AI provides. This creates a pretty stark divide in the dev world. On one side, you've got those embracing AI and using it to work at superhuman speeds. On the other, those still trying to compete without it. And let me tell you, that gap is widening fast. So, what does this mean for you if you're looking to build something? It means you need to be smart about who you work with. The future isn't in pure AI coding or in stubbornly sticking to old methods. It's in finding developers who know how to wield AI effectively, who can take its output and shape it into something truly innovative and functional. The AI coding revolution isn't some far-off concept anymore. It's here, it's real, and it's separating the adaptable from the obsolete. The question isn't whether AI will take over coding. It's whether you're going to get on board with the developers who are riding this wave or get left behind wondering what the hell happened. The Future is Here, But It's Not Evenly Distributed I'm reminded of William Gibson's famous quote: "The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed." The reality is, while some developers and companies are riding the wave of this AI revolution, others are still paddling in the shallows, unsure of how to harness this powerful new tool. The gap between those who embrace AI and those who don't is widening rapidly. Companies like Solicy, who have fully integrated AI into their development processes, are able to deliver complex, high-quality software solutions at a pace that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. They're not just surviving in this new landscape; they're thriving, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in software development. But here's the thing – this isn't a story of AI replacing humans. It's a story of humans evolving, adapting, and finding new ways to excel. The developers I met weren't threatened by AI; they were excited by it. They saw it as a tool that allowed them to focus on the aspects of their work that they truly loved – solving complex problems, creating elegant solutions, and pushing the boundaries of technology. As we stand on the brink of this new era, the question isn't whether AI will take our jobs. The question is: How will we rise to meet the challenge and opportunity that AI presents? Will we cling to old ways of working, or will we embrace this new tool and use it to augment our own capabilities? The future belongs to those who can see AI not as a threat but as a partner in creation. It belongs to the developers who can harness the power of machine learning and combine it with human creativity and insight. It belongs to companies like Solicy, who are showing us what's possible when we stop fearing AI and start collaborating with it. So, to answer the question I posed at the beginning of this article – should you use AI to code your product or stick with traditional development methods? The answer is neither. The real path forward is to find developers who understand how to leverage AI as a tool and can use it to augment their own skills and create solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts. The AI revolution isn't coming – it's already here. And it's not killing coding jobs; it's transforming them, elevating them, and opening up new possibilities that we're only beginning to explore. The future of software development is bright, exciting, and full of potential. All we need to do is embrace it. Let's face it: The AI critics lost. In 2020, I wrote a viral article titled "Will the latest AI kill coding?" predicting that "programming jobs won't be safe in the future." Dozens of commenters came to disagree with me, with someone even going so far as to record a video "explaining why GPT-3 will not take developer jobs." Now, the tech jobs market is totally cooked , to the point that even 4.0 GPA Berkeley computer science graduates can't find jobs. Anecdotally speaking, I know some of the brightest people coming out of coding boot camps with the same results as these elite university grads (which is to say, no results). "Will the latest AI kill coding?" totally cooked But this article isn't about AI taking our jobs: It's about whether you should use AI to code your product, or if you should use no-code (remember that? almost seems like a bygone fad now...), or if you should still hire someone. And the answer may surprise you, especially given my earlier prediction. The truth is, while AI has disrupted the job market and changed the landscape of software development, it hasn't entirely replaced human developers (nor will it). Instead, it's become an incredibly powerful tool that, in the hands of skilled programmers, can elevate their capabilities to superhuman levels. It's not about AI vs. humans anymore; it's about humans with AI vs. humans without it. I recently had an eye-opening experience at a Web3 conference. I got to try out a lot of new web3 and DeFi tools, and I was curious how these tools were built, so I asked around. None of them was built via no-code or solely by AI. Not one. One team hired an AI-empowered developer who used V0 + Cursor AI, while another used a development agency, Solicy . Solicy It became clear that these top developers weren't threatened by AI – they were embracing it. This conversation was a lightbulb moment for me. There's a crucial difference between the average developer and these cracked 10x devs – those exceptional programmers who seem to produce work at superhuman speeds. They're not just good coders; they're masters at using AI. The Rise of the AI-Augmented Developer So I called it. Back in 2020, I said programming jobs were on thin ice, and now look where we are. The tech job market is in shambles. But AI isn't wiping out coding jobs wholesale. It's changing the game entirely. The question isn't whether AI will code your product anymore. It's about how developers are using AI to stay relevant and actually get shit done. The best developers now are the ones who've adapted and who see AI as a powerful tool rather than a threat. They're using it to handle the grunt work, catch errors, and generate initial code structures. But the key is they're still the ones driving the ship. They're applying their creativity and problem-solving skills on top of what AI provides. This creates a pretty stark divide in the dev world. On one side, you've got those embracing AI and using it to work at superhuman speeds. On the other, those still trying to compete without it. And let me tell you, that gap is widening fast. So, what does this mean for you if you're looking to build something? It means you need to be smart about who you work with. The future isn't in pure AI coding or in stubbornly sticking to old methods. It's in finding developers who know how to wield AI effectively, who can take its output and shape it into something truly innovative and functional. The AI coding revolution isn't some far-off concept anymore. It's here, it's real, and it's separating the adaptable from the obsolete. The question isn't whether AI will take over coding. It's whether you're going to get on board with the developers who are riding this wave or get left behind wondering what the hell happened. The Future is Here, But It's Not Evenly Distributed The Future is Here, But It's Not Evenly Distributed I'm reminded of William Gibson's famous quote: "The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed." The reality is, while some developers and companies are riding the wave of this AI revolution, others are still paddling in the shallows, unsure of how to harness this powerful new tool. The gap between those who embrace AI and those who don't is widening rapidly. Companies like Solicy, who have fully integrated AI into their development processes, are able to deliver complex, high-quality software solutions at a pace that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. They're not just surviving in this new landscape; they're thriving, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in software development. But here's the thing – this isn't a story of AI replacing humans. It's a story of humans evolving, adapting, and finding new ways to excel. The developers I met weren't threatened by AI; they were excited by it. They saw it as a tool that allowed them to focus on the aspects of their work that they truly loved – solving complex problems, creating elegant solutions, and pushing the boundaries of technology. As we stand on the brink of this new era, the question isn't whether AI will take our jobs. The question is: How will we rise to meet the challenge and opportunity that AI presents? Will we cling to old ways of working, or will we embrace this new tool and use it to augment our own capabilities? The future belongs to those who can see AI not as a threat but as a partner in creation. It belongs to the developers who can harness the power of machine learning and combine it with human creativity and insight. It belongs to companies like Solicy, who are showing us what's possible when we stop fearing AI and start collaborating with it. So, to answer the question I posed at the beginning of this article – should you use AI to code your product or stick with traditional development methods? The answer is neither. The real path forward is to find developers who understand how to leverage AI as a tool and can use it to augment their own skills and create solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts. The AI revolution isn't coming – it's already here. And it's not killing coding jobs; it's transforming them, elevating them, and opening up new possibilities that we're only beginning to explore. The future of software development is bright, exciting, and full of potential. All we need to do is embrace it.

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