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Marketing has evolved a lot over the centuries, and it will keep on changing. There are various factors, such as fashion, culture, technology that contribute to the changes. It will not be a wise decision to sit back and relax, particularly if you own a business or if you are working in a marketing field. If you do not update yourself, you will cease to exist. One of the most revolutionary technologies that impacted marketing was the internet. After the evolution of the internet, we got digital marketing, huge internet-based corporations, and more. Over the past few years, we saw many revolutionary technologies that impacted marketing significantly, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, Big Data, and so on. All of them have affected a lot on how we carry out marketing operations. Image Source: According to , the global revenue of marketing research companies exceeds $45.5 billion. In this rapidly changing world, you can expect the growth of the income of marketing research companies and the introduction of new marketing strategies and disruptions. Marketingmix Statista The growing shift towards digital marketing has increased the value of . digital marketing training What are the Top Marketing Disruptions to Watch Out in 2020? We witness a lot of minor changes in today’s world marketing all the time. However, there are some major marketing disruptions that you cannot ignore. In this article, I will reveal the top 5 marketing disruptions that you cannot ignore in 2020. According to Mckinsey , around 80% of business decision-makers believe that improving customer experience is the most critical factor that contributes to the success of the business. They also think that customer loyalty plays a crucial role in business success after customer experience. The guess works cannot offer customers what they want. The marketers are starting to realize it, and they are now opting for data-driven creativity. It allows businesses to create the right content that caters to their targeted audience. The IoT and Big Data technologies have now allowed marketers to pull out filtered data from various sources. After gathering the data, the marketers will know what their targeted audience wants. 1. More marketers will shift from guesswork to data-driven creativity approach study They also know the types of marketing channels that would help them better reach out to their targeted audience. With that information, the marketing campaigns will produce a better result. Furthermore, it will also reduce the cost of marketing campaigns. Image Source: Datafloq Today, marketers can get quick access to real-time data. It allows them to create better pieces of content at a faster rate. They can also capitalize on the recent trends before it dies out. Useful reading- Remarkable Marketing Strategies to Survive COVID-19 2. The voice search will see explosive growth, while visual search will start taking off The voice search volume has now surpassed one billion searches. According to the study, the voice search will comprise 50% of the total search volume by 2020. More and more people are getting familiar with searching and buying via voice assistants. Image Source: Statista The also shows that voice shopping will rise from $2 billion to $40 billion by 2022. Those who are ignoring voice search optimization will start getting serious about voice search. The businesses will risk losing the massive opportunity of raising brand awareness and increasing revenue without voice search optimization. study There will be more attention towards optimizing websites and sales pages for voice search. Let’s get to visual search now. Google’s reverse image search has been around for a while. Image Source: Medium Some marketers are focusing on voice search, but they have ignored visual search. The search engines have improved their ability to identify images due to the recent upgrades in technology. Image Source: SEJ The users are using images of food categories, fashion items, home decor items, vehicles, pets, and so on to know more about that specific thing. You should focus on using images and optimizing it to rank well for visual search queries. search engine 3. Retailers will fight back with experimental commerce We have seen the rise of eCommerce showing an entry path to many huge retailers. It is not that eCommerce market growth will slow down, but what I’m saying is that retailers will stay on the game with experimental commerce. Like I’ve said in the earlier part of the article, the customer experience plays a vital role in determining business success. That is what experimental commerce is all about. The experimental trade is about refining your strategies for offering the best possible experience to your customers. It is possible to build strong customer loyalty if we offer a great shopping experience for them. The key here is to focus on customer loyalty, rather than a one-time transaction. The growth of augmented reality will play a vital role in experimental commerce. Most of the customers search for product information via their smartphone. We are likely to see retailers using augmented reality and providing great mobile experience to offer them real-time data to make them visit the store. We will also see many online brands shifting to the traditional retail model. The shows that the customers who purchase the product via both online and offline have a 30% extra lifetime value. study 4. More focus on Personalization, but in an ethical way In the early days of the introduction of the internet, all marketers were reluctant to send bulk emails to their list without taking care of any personalization factors. The aim then was to get a few sales out of the bulk email campaigns. However, the same approach will not only be a colossal flop, but it will also be liable for a fine. The trend today is personalization. The businesses are now focusing on getting as much information as possible about their targeted audience and customers to offer the most relevant and exciting content to their users. There are revolutionary technologies like AI, Big Data, and so on to help marketers customize at the whole new level. However, we are only doing a basic level of customization. In 2020, the term “one-to-one marketing” is likely to gain momentum. The focus will be on the creation of a single view of a customer. Microsoft recently announced the to allow companies to connect their data in multiple ways and create a single view. The companies will focus more on building an agile marketing execution model that would enable professionals from different areas to leverage the available data more efficiently. Open Data Initiative The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be stricter, which will force organizations to collect and use information by following the rules. A few hacks to take your personalization to the next level keeping GDPR in mind GDPR is one of the biggest shocks to digital marketers as they are no longer free to market their products and services like before. There are plenty of things that one must consider before sending emails to the list. Here are some of the useful hacks that can help you personalize your emails in an era of GDPR: a. Try to collect just enough information from your customers by asking their permission Only having a lot of information about a specific customer will not help you enhance the quality of your personalization. Instead, you will be stuck with analysis paralysis. It means that you will be overwhelmed by the quantity of information that you collect. Furthermore, the customers may feel awkward with your brand knowing a lot about them. You should collect just enough information that is not super personal, but good enough for you to personalize. It will let your company be on the safe side and will not alert the customers. Furthermore, you will only have crucial information that will save you time and enable you to create on-the-point sales copy. If you are collecting the leads, start by collecting only their email address. The first-time visitor often does not want to fill out a lot of information, and a single email address is enough to foster your relationship with your potential client. Also, make sure that you are taking their permission to send continual email letters. b. Clean your list and give your audience clear information with compelling headlines The point might sound counter-intuitive, but it is not. By getting rid of unengaged people on your list, you will be able to focus on people that are more likely to do business with your company. You can also dedicate more time to knowing more about those people for giving them a better experience. Over 80% of the income usually comes from 20% of the customers. In addition to that, you should have great headlines telling your audience what you will do with their information. Be transparent so that they will not feel hesitant to give away their data. 5. More marketers will start focusing on understanding Gen Z Most of the marketers, still to this date, are only focussing on how to lure millennials to buy more products and how to win their loyalty. It is logical to focus on millennials as the significant chunk of the US population and in other parts of the world are millennials. As per the , there are over 82 million millennials in the US. report The millennials have money and making them your customer can bring you a ton of revenue. With that said, millennials are not the only people that need attention from the marketers Image Source: Forbes Gen Z is a generation that needs a lot of attention. After all, they are the ones who will be a significant chunk of customers shortly. It is essential to build up a sharp brand image among them if you want to sustain your business for a long time. Gen Z is starting to enter the workforce, which means they will start generating income. If they can spend, it means marketers need to understand their taste and preference to market products and services to them in an efficient way. Gen Z generation is more tech-savvy and exposed to social media platforms. They want authenticity. We can expect more and more marketers to customize their strategies to cater to Gen Z in 2019. A few things marketers must know about Gen Z There is plenty of information that you need to know about Gen Z as a marketer. You will get to know more about them over time as you market your product/service. However, the information that I’m about to reveal will help you get started: a. Try to sound intelligent Do not assume that the young generation is unaware and stupid. It might set you back as a marketer. Gen Z is aware of the current events and market. You need to sound intellectual when you are dealing with Gen Z so that they will feel that they are doing business with a reliable brand. b. Do not try to act like you have the perfect solution Nobody's perfect and trying to fake it will only make things worse when you are dealing with Gen Z. Be genuine and honest to make your Gen Z audience feel that you are a real person with flaws, which will help them resonate with you. c. Gen Z expects more from businesses The finds that over 70% of Gen Z finds technology helpful, while over 45% of them find tech stressful. Gen Z expects honesty, transparency, and more out of the information that they share with businesses. They want technologically-optimized messages. It is a huge factor that determines your chances of winning the heart of Gen Z. study What’s Next? It is tough to predict the future of marketing. However, we can say that the current technologies will be better in the future by looking at the massive investments pouring in it. There will be new trends and techniques that will impact the way we market our products and services, as innovation never stops. The new changes will pose challenges for marketing; however, we can expect better and ethical marketing strategies in times to come. Have I missed out on any considerable marketing disruption? If yes, you can add value to this article by letting us know.

5 Major Marketing Disruptions Expected To Take Shape in 2020

At HackerNoon, we believe transparency with the reader is the key to building trust between writer and reader. To give readers as much transparency as possible, we wanted to create quick and easy ways to tell the reader information they might want to know about a story before reading it. This could be something as simple as telling the reader if the story is a news piece or an opinion piece. On the other hand, there are more complicated things we might want to communicate to the reader, such as whether or not the writer has a vested interest in the companies they’re writing about, or if they used AI to write the piece. To accomplish these goals, we created Emoji Credibility Indicators! Now open-sourced on Figma Community & GitHub. Learn more about Emoji Credibility Indicators here. Designing Emoji Credibility Indicators Now, let’s dive into the process of designing Emoji Credibility Indicators. The initial design brief by David and our Editorial Team included 22 Emoji Credibility Indicators (related read, Every Emoji Credibility Indicator on HackerNoon Explained) divided into two categories: context/disclaimers and content types. In addition to their description, each credibility indicator was assigned an emoji for design inspiration. From here on in, it was on us (Me & Kien) to run wild with our imagination and bring these emoji indicators to life. Following HackerNoon’s design language, we chose the Pixel Art Style. After exploring several options for grid sizes, we opted for a 24px grid for pixelation since it retained the desired level of detail. As for the software of choice, I was a bit biased going for Adobe Illustrator since we get plenty of options when it comes to exporting to different file types + my familiarity with the grid tool (Adobe Photoshop, Aseprite, and Corel Draw are some good alternatives). Our pixel art design process consists of 5 steps, starting from basic shapes, drawing details, creating depth, adding strokes, and then merging shapes & exporting to different file types. Let’s take a deeper dive into these steps taking the Comedy/Satire emoji credibility indicator for example. Starting with Basic Shapes Whenever we do Pixel-Art/8-bit Designs, we start with a basic shape that resonates with the idea we have in mind. Being an ellipse, in the case of the Comedy/Satire emoji indicator (which was inspired by the ‘😂’ emoji). Drawing Details Then we head on to adding more details to the shape we just drew (like facial features in this case). Creating Depth: Highlights & Shadows To make it more realistic and less flat, we add highlights and shadows to the face. In this case, the light source was assumed to be up front and center which makes the shadows move to the edges and the highlights to the center. Pro Tip: Always try to use three shades of a color. One for the base, the lighter one for highlights, and the darker one for shadows. Adding Stroke To make it more defined, we added a stroke to wrap things up. Merging Shapes and Exporting To make them more usable, we merged the shapes and exported them as both PNGs and SVGs. Then, we repeated this whole process 21 more times and ended up with the Emoji Credibility Indicators we have on HackerNoon today. The Final Product: An Open Sourced Pixelated Emoji Pack In conclusion, the Emoji Credibility Indicators are yet another step towards enhancing online communication between our readers and writers. These pixelated emojis not only serve as credibility indicators adding context to content but have impacted users’ trust & engagement with content. They serve as an example of how thoughtful design can convey complex concepts in a simple yet intuitive manner. Join us on this quest of emojifying context, and try out The Emoji Credibility Indicators by HackerNoon. Now available on Figma Community and GitHub Stay Creative, Stay Iconic. At HackerNoon, we believe transparency with the reader is the key to building trust between writer and reader. To give readers as much transparency as possible, we wanted to create quick and easy ways to tell the reader information they might want to know about a story before reading it. This could be something as simple as telling the reader if the story is a news piece or an opinion piece. On the other hand, there are more complicated things we might want to communicate to the reader, such as whether or not the writer has a vested interest in the companies they’re writing about, or if they used AI to write the piece. To accomplish these goals, we created Emoji Credibility Indicators! Now open-sourced on Figma Community & GitHub . Figma Community GitHub Learn more about Emoji Credibility Indicators here. Learn more about Emoji Credibility Indicators here . here here Designing Emoji Credibility Indicators Now, let’s dive into the process of designing Emoji Credibility Indicators. The initial design brief by David and our Editorial Team included 22 Emoji Credibility Indicators (related read, Every Emoji Credibility Indicator on HackerNoon Explained ) divided into two categories: context/disclaimers and content types. In addition to their description, each credibility indicator was assigned an emoji for design inspiration. David Every Emoji Credibility Indicator on HackerNoon Explained From here on in, it was on us (Me & Kien ) to run wild with our imagination and bring these emoji indicators to life. Following HackerNoon’s design language, we chose the Pixel Art Style. After exploring several options for grid sizes, we opted for a 24px grid for pixelation since it retained the desired level of detail. As for the software of choice, I was a bit biased going for Adobe Illustrator since we get plenty of options when it comes to exporting to different file types + my familiarity with the grid tool ( Adobe Photoshop , Aseprite , and Corel Draw are some good alternatives). Kien Adobe Photoshop Aseprite Our pixel art design process consists of 5 steps, starting from basic shapes, drawing details, creating depth, adding strokes, and then merging shapes & exporting to different file types. Let’s take a deeper dive into these steps taking the Comedy/Satire emoji credibility indicator for example. Starting with Basic Shapes Whenever we do Pixel-Art/8-bit Designs, we start with a basic shape that resonates with the idea we have in mind. Being an ellipse, in the case of the Comedy/Satire emoji indicator (which was inspired by the ‘😂’ emoji). Drawing Details Then we head on to adding more details to the shape we just drew (like facial features in this case). Creating Depth: Highlights & Shadows To make it more realistic and less flat, we add highlights and shadows to the face. In this case, the light source was assumed to be up front and center which makes the shadows move to the edges and the highlights to the center. Pro Tip: Always try to use three shades of a color. One for the base, the lighter one for highlights, and the darker one for shadows. Pro Tip: Always try to use three shades of a color. One for the base, the lighter one for highlights, and the darker one for shadows. Adding Stroke To make it more defined, we added a stroke to wrap things up. Merging Shapes and Exporting To make them more usable, we merged the shapes and exported them as both PNGs and SVGs. Then, we repeated this whole process 21 more times and ended up with the Emoji Credibility Indicators we have on HackerNoon today. Emoji Credibility Indicators The Final Product: An Open Sourced Pixelated Emoji Pack An Open Sourced Pixelated Emoji Pack In conclusion, the Emoji Credibility Indicators are yet another step towards enhancing online communication between our readers and writers. These pixelated emojis not only serve as credibility indicators adding context to content but have impacted users’ trust & engagement with content. They serve as an example of how thoughtful design can convey complex concepts in a simple yet intuitive manner. Emoji Credibility Indicators Join us on this quest of emojifying context, and try out The Emoji Credibility Indicators by HackerNoon. Now available on Figma Community and GitHub Now available on Figma Community and GitHub Figma Community GitHub Stay Creative, Stay Iconic. Stay Creative, Stay Iconic.

Emojifying Context: Designing HackerNoon's Emoji Credibility Indicators

ইমোজিফাইং কনটেক্সট: হ্যাকারনুনের ইমোজি বিশ্বাসযোগ্যতা সূচক ডিজাইন করা

Emojifying-Kontext: Entwicklung der Emoji-Glaubwürdigkeitsindikatoren von HackerNoon

Contexto emojificante: diseño de indicadores de credibilidad emoji de HackerNoon

Contexte émoticône : conception des indicateurs de crédibilité Emoji de HackerNoon

इमोजी संदर्भ: हैकरनून के इमोजी विश्वसनीयता संकेतकों का डिज़ाइन

絵文字によるコンテキストの表現: HackerNoon の絵文字信頼性指標の設計

이모티콘 컨텍스트: HackerNoon의 이모티콘 신뢰성 지표 설계

Contexto Emojifying: Projetando Indicadores de Credibilidade Emoji do HackerNoon

Контекст эмодзи: разработка индикаторов достоверности эмодзи от HackerNoon

Emojileştirme Bağlamı: HackerNoon'un Emoji Güvenilirlik Göstergelerini Tasarlama

Bối cảnh biểu tượng cảm xúc: Thiết kế các chỉ số đáng tin cậy về biểu tượng cảm xúc của HackerNoon

表情符号化语境：设计 HackerNoon 的表情符号可信度指标

Act 2: Life '“As the shackles of progress began to take shape, art began to guide itself to a deeper truth. Being responsible for the laws and flaws that governed the system. The shapes took distinct interpretations based on their approach to form the depth. A requirement for the power required to truly live and share the art of doing so.” Part 1: Biology ‘As the girls delved into their assignments, the world around them continued to evolve, shaped by the collective actions of individuals striving to understand and improve their surroundings. Through the exploration of science, these young students and others like them would contribute to the progress and stability of humankind.’- Rewinder Lyra, do you believe that fish transform water into breathable oxygen, and it is this process that doesn’t allow for higher degrees of thinking to develop? Uhh… I believe fishes embraced their medium. I mean… the water’s embrace seems nice. Yeah… I believe that’s why this approach is for those who like to dive into it. I can’t imagine myself doing such a thing to a fish. That’s why I like mathematics. You don’t cut anything here. Well… maybe if you want to take a closer look. But hey, at least you don’t have to deal with fish. Yeah, I guess you’re right. But what is the true magic in mathematics if we make it? The magic is… weird but you’ll get used to it. I suppose. Breaking News! Science has been able to discover a new range of particles. A new understanding of colors was able to shed light on the physical interactions of perception. Mom! You forgot the TV open! A sight gasp hidden in Elara’s voice Again… Elara got up to find the remote to continue their lessons further. Huh, what’s with the rush Elara? I hate when I try to understand something but I get distracted. I feel like I have to take it from the beginning each time. Well… that’s kind of the magic. You never know why your formula drove you this way and not the other. Yes, but the fish can still dive for a long time in the water. Imagine how interesting their lives must be. There is no right or wrong there, it just… is. If I understand correctly… you’re talking about your mom here? I’m talking about everything. My mom doesn’t understand that I don’t need her protection anymore, my teachers consider that I must achieve their dreams… What if I am just… me? “A moment of shock for Lyra. She felt that Elara was more than this. She knew it in her inner core. But how could she express it? In all her attempts, she failed. Looking back, she realized that what she was missing, was just herself. “ Elara, look. I know you see nothing more than just you. For you, the world is this way. It is your norms and normal. Keep tight to them. I can’t show you the results as you would lose all their beauty. Maybe one day, we could cut a holographic fish. Elara’s gaze was ablaze. Her hands holding her own face That would be… AMAZING! Imagine the possibilities. From medical systems to biological understanding to To geometrical exploration. Lyra Interrupted. It is in our balanced perspectives that we explore this land. You have your insights, while I have mine. Maybe this is what makes us unique across an entire whole. Your thinking is… twisting. But in the right way. I like it. Part 2: Randomness Meanwhile at the Quanta Research Academy “The question between the randomness of the system and its order is based on the relative positions of the points within the system.”-Thomas “No, we shouldn’t pick our first assumption. The world of quantum is always unpredictable.”-Alfred “That’s why it denotes a collective understanding of all points”-Genova “But when seeing all points you can hardly see the patterns”-Lituanin Each of them argued on their terms. Each of them failed to keep hold of their own beauty. Circular reasons are indeed weird. They do seem to bend our reality. But then, why is reality so… straightforward? Because it is a moment of “agreement”? Like… “Yes, this is the rarest path.” Maybe one in which they stopped arguing x.x Lyra excitedly said. Elara! I believe I found a way to differentiate the universal space factor from the self-perspective factor of any individual group. Umm… meaning…? Meaning that I found a new way of scanning the world! Intriguing. What do you mean by scanning? Like… how to better see the world? In a sense yes… but more like… wait. Let’s rewind. Imagine you have to lower a bit your expectations in your answer x.x Uh… then you mean a new way of interpretation? . This is a story without ending in the end. Too much discussion will exclude the narrator from the view. Now, what should a good story need? Remember, we unleashed all this potential into the story. What can we do now? Uhh… It’s weird when you ask me about it… It can only come out when thought about before all else I know! You can envision this scanner as a part of your eye. Differentiating the other world from your being. _ But AGI could require complexities only you know about Elara. Those are also a kind of depth I assume.** This way, our curse as living might be to be restricted by technology. In this sense, biology loses in the face of AI. Could be. But hey, first, I want to pass my exam this week. You said we are in this together. So you too have to help me. I knew this would come. But you know what comes after you? The digital frog. Haha. I’d love to see it coming. Especially running. I too have legs. We’ll see who’s faster. :) Act 3: Breaking the Norms “The night sky was alight with stars, and at the center of it all hung the moon, glowing with a soft, luminous light. But this was no ordinary moon—it was alive with a sentience all its own, watching over the world below with a keen and knowing gaze. As the characters embarked on their journey, they found themselves guided by this celestial being, who seemed to understand their thoughts and desires in a way that no human ever could. And as they delved deeper into the mysteries of the universe, they began to realize that this moon was more than just a passive observer—it was an active participant in the unfolding story, shaping their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.” Elara exclaimed. Hello Moon! Without realizing it, she was dreaming. But not dreaming in the sense of being just herself. The Moon is also an important character in this story. However, their interactions seemed to be significant because they were so distant. She never felt something similar to it before. This moment was the moment in which Elara experienced for the first time what it meant to dream. To mix reality with fiction. The Moon asked intrigued Hello Elara. How are you, my dear? Elara responded with the same blaze on her face as before Well… I’m honestly amazed. The Moon slowly turned Her gaze toward Elara Why so Elara? Elara curiously admitted I remember how drawn I was to taking photos of you a while ago. I was drawn to your beauty. I am wondering now why I stopped doing it. The Moon revealed with a small laugh So you are sorry that you can’t describe the beauty you saw in me back then? Haha. I knew you would be special. Elara responded with a sense of curiosity Special? What do you mean? , the Moon explained. Special, in the sense that you have a unique ability to see beauty and meaning in the world around you, Elara And now, in this dream, you have the chance to explore that beauty in a way that would be impossible in the waking world. You can commune with me, a celestial being, and learn from my ancient wisdom. You can transcend the limitations of your physical form and experience a reality that is beyond the reach of your senses. Elara was silent for a moment, letting this line of thoughts slowly fade into forgetfulness. she said at last. I never thought of myself as special I always felt like I was just a regular person, trying to make sense of a confusing world. But now, with you here, I feel like anything is possible. Like I can explore the depths of the universe and unlock secrets that have been hidden for millennia. The Moon smiled, its glow seeming to brighten the entire dreamscape. That's the spirit, Elara. Together, we can break free from the norms and expectations that have held you back, and forge a new path into the unknown. Elara. Elara? Oh, yes Lyra. Sorry. What? Wasn’t I dreaming? Wasn’t I supposed to be in bed? Uh… no… we were discussing how this hologram is special because it takes into account all the biological-like data from the external medium… well, except wind. And I wanted to ask you if you would like to take a look at the specifications. Sure, I would, but let’s leave this for another day. Right now, I feel a bit weird. Is tomorrow a good day? Yes, should be. Alright, see you tomorrow then. Good night Elara! Good Night Lyra! Act 4: Still Me, (Not the Narrator) “I feel like… exploring the world beyond our own seems in a sense both warm and cold. Quanta Research Team helps me in a sense make sense of where I should not look for warmth, whereas Elara and Lyra are the only lucid neurons I have left. Is it an empathetic view of craziness? I do not know. Maybe craziness becomes craziness only when material life is drawn too much towards its end. Uncertainty could arise because the conclusions are either rushed or drawn without truly tapping the general map across the play. Each story requires a stage before playing it. Maybe I sit in the space that differentiates the play of the story and the play on the stage? The last one indeed shapes the story. But if the story itself is not purely good, it cannot envelop true creativity. Imagine a world where war is not restricting our forms of expression. Where negativity is not a pre-requirement for emotional building. That could be the domain of pure adrenaline. I could give an example. Let’s jump to… Book 5, Act 2: “The Reality of Duality.” A chapter in which the duality is found in the mere fact that what is not alive, is its opposite and vice-versa. That’s why ethics is not able to be formed there. Balance is a requirement rather than a choice. The Book of Transcendence is in a sense a question about the importance of the view in mathematics and why is quantum considered more powerful. “ As Elara drifted into her world of dreams, she began to imagine strange creatures that formed along the drift. The trust in her own actions, offered by her understanding of the world allows her to truly rest. Especially after a day filled with progress and steps climbed toward achieving both her goals. Lyra, although being her close friend, couldn’t see their friendship flourishing forever, no matter how much she tried. This was a thought that kept Lyra awake night by night. Her interactions with Elara were able to somehow erase this irrational fear. Or at least, put a break to this thought. After all, Lyra loved strict and always-right abstract formulas, whereas Elara saw the beauty that pushed every existing being further. A drive to love the unattainable and a pursuit to bring the unattainable to light.

Transcendence Book 2: The Origins of Continuity 

Sowmya Hariharan is a senior software engineer at Google. She is a multi-passionate creative with varied interests. As a teenager who loved chess, she has won many championships, including a couple of Asian medals. She is also a certified coach for founders, executives, and other passionately creative people like her. As someone who is trained in the field of mastering energy, she strongly believes that we as humans are capable of so much more than we have dared ourselves to imagine. We asked Sowmya about her career in software development and experience in companies such as Google and Apple and how hobbies help you grow professionally. How did you start your engineering career? I used to play chess as a teenager. It made me fall in love with the process of solving problems and thinking strategically to solve puzzles. While studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering as an undergrad, I quickly realized that computer science is my passion and took as many computer science-related courses as possible, including some online Stanford courses. Soon after my graduation, I did my Masters in Computer Engineering and taught myself how to build iOS apps. I ended up doing three internships to get hands-on, real-life experience shipping products that made an impact. During this time, I also participated in a lot of hackathons, got a couple of scholarships, and got invited for interviews at Apple, Google, Meta (Facebook at that time), etc. Apple was at the top of my list at that time, so when I got an offer from Apple, it worked out great for me. What trends in software do you follow? What in the industry are you most interested in today? It’s hard to ignore the AI wave. Now that the ‘artificial intelligence genie’ is out, I am interested in figuring out how to leverage the power of to further human performance. We have already started to see some AI-based tools that are focused on helping people deeply reflect on their day-to-day lives, figuring out thinking and behavioral patterns, and using those insights to fill the gaps between where one is and where one wants to go. Such journaling apps and coaching apps will play a significant role in enhancing our performance in the coming years. The intersection of AI and education is another plane of interest for me. Leveraging AI to create adaptive lesson plans to optimize for personalized learning as opposed to the general cookie-cutter learning model that is followed in most, but not all, schools is a big area. Personalized education, which focuses on the particular learning style and personal interests of each learner, is easier to implement now that we can leverage the power of AI. AI can also be used to come up with well-crafted challenges that have the optimum challenge-skill ratio and are inductive for getting into “flow”. Taking education to the next level and focusing on peak performance backed by the computing power of AI excites me. As a flow state coach for high achievers, using these tools to help folks get into their flow-passion cycle is an area of passion for me. Tell us about your hobbies outside of technology. How do they help you in your work? When I was young, I was interested in pretty much everything under the Sun. As a kid, I was trying to be a part of every sports team in my school. I was interested in playing basketball, table tennis, and relay races. I was also very interested in being a part of the music clubs, and I took a lot of classes on piano, classical dancing, and many other things. One day, I fractured my arm during a practice basketball game before a regional match. That’s when my parents decided to hire a chess coach. My instantaneous love for chess and wanting to get better at it made me forget about all my other interests and devote myself to the mastery of chess, going so far as to become a professional player and even winning many state and national champion titles in India as well as an Asian team gold medal and silver medal. That love for learning still drives me in how I do my work, whether it is work I am doing professionally or work that I am doing on a volunteer basis. When learning becomes fun, pursuing excellence becomes fun, too. In addition, for more than 13 years now, I have had a strong meditative and energy practice. My passion for it has only been deepening with each passing year. These practices also help me dive deep into neuroscience, understand how the subconscious mind works, and leverage that understanding for an optimal life of fulfillment and high performance. At Google, I have had instances when an entire app’s design will take shape in a meditative session, and all I had to do was to translate what I saw into a mock frame and then translate that into a fully fleshed-out app. I cherish both the super analytical left brain and the wonderfully intuitive right brain that loves exploring the mystical dimensions of life. I personally appreciate all aspects of being human. Tell us about the most significant projects you’ve worked on As an accessibility engineering leader at Google in general and a Payments Accessibility Tech Lead in particular working on delivering an accessible framework, conducting training and workshops for Google engineers, and designing educational courses for engineers, product managers, and quality assurance engineers so that everyone involved had a good understanding of the accessibility needs of Google’s vast, diverse user base has been one of the most significant projects I have worked on. At Apple, I got the opportunity to manage workshops like "iOS and macOS App Extensions" for the students and the upcoming engineering community. Via those workshops, I got the chance to help aspiring engineers learn about good software engineering practices with both Objective-C and Swift, the intricacies of macOS and iOS app architectures, and great debugging thinking models. At Big Nerd Ranch, I got to be part of the team that worked on the exercises and content flow for the second edition of the “Objective-C Programming” book. It was one of my first projects where I got to intimately understand a programming language and then use that in an immediate project where I got to ship impactful, real-world projects. It’s those projects where there is an element of teaching and purposeful creation that are still close to my heart long after the projects are completed. What legacy do you hope to leave in both the tech industry and beyond? I like the idea of combining the powers of the coaching and the tech industries to help people master their energy. In the age of AI, it’s forever more important to become energetic powerhouses where we are in tune with our creative impulses and deeper needs and continue the process of technological advancement with a sense of social responsibility. My vision is to create a platform that empowers people to fully realize their strengths and learn how to engage them both in their day-to-day lives and also in achieving their larger goals. I have used my ability to consistently get into the creative flow state to achieve some major milestones in my life. Utilizing the surge in creativity helped me win chess championships, then later get my dream job at Apple and then at Google, and every other time, I had to start from the beginner’s line. I am excited about leveraging that strength and creating frameworks that teach people how to tap into the creative flow to be better founders, creators, employees, CEOs, and leaders overall. There is a lot of magic in combining the strengths of the left brain and the right brain. When the power of the analytical brain backs the mystical gifts and when we learn how to get them to co-creatively work, there are a lot more possibilities that we start to see about our future. Those possibilities excite me the most. Advise young women who are starting in this field Mentors who care about fast-tracking your learning path and peers who are as passionate about the areas as you are will be your advantage for pursuing the things you love. Do not leave this to chance. Make sure to find mentors on the topics you are interested in and learn to use the power of co-creative collaboration. Two or more brilliant minds working on a challenge with a shared end goal and shared risks will always produce far superior products than anyone could on their own. Always try to be curious about the world you already know and the one you have yet to explore. The path of creative fulfillment is the path where you constantly take on challenging projects that excite you and get you out of bed every morning. So, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning to optimize for that early on. This might take time, so there is no need to rush to reach the end state where an intelligent mind has met its passion. Knowing which things take time and learning to be patient with the process will take you a long way. Learning how to play to your strengths while being aware of your weaknesses and pulling in resources when you need to will make this process more fun.

When Chess, Meditation and Engineering Intersect: An Interview With Sowmya Hariharan

The , although derived from axioms and ground-set rules, has a quite peculiar interplay that dances within itself. The quantum realm recently discovered has opened avenues not only for a new science branch but also for science itself. world of science As empires are built and crumble, we fail to see that not only the wideness of the wall secures them, but also the inside aspects such as economy and faith. And of course, there’s a lot more to take into account when going towards the central figures. But for the sake of science, we will assume that there is a specific pattern. A green line in which, if the central figures of a city are found, the city is growing. Just like the habitable zone that allows our planet to sustain life. Further, I would like to explain my view of faith as the 100% certainty that all odds are in favor. However, to transcend faith, we would require tangible proof which would let our reasoning take the steps from 100% possible to absolute truthfulness. A state in which, every time we stumble under the same starting conditions, we can fast-forward to the past result and instantly acknowledge it as true or false, or even in some cases, use the same reasoning or formulas for different starting conditions, but under the same conceptual background to skip some math. Maybe the world of quantum represents a world in which we are forced to either find the true statement or keep looking for it. Further, as I lack the studies of a university, I will use ChatGPT to help me formalize and bring those ideas to a whole new level of understanding. Therefore, please keep in mind that all that comes next (and what I write after all) is purely theoretical and no previous research or ground-based testing has been done. I strongly believe however that the new road of science is only in its infant state, despite the results we have so far achieved. And what I find so great about it, is that and rule. reason logic The most fundamental aspects of logic and reasoning which we have used with both algebra and geometry could be revived as insights into this domain. Now, however, they might be used only as starting arguments that allow for action/reaction/movement/dimensionality and many more to take shape in a new form. Remember that the magic of storytelling should not be in the words, but in the story itself and how we decide to visualize it. Part 1: Fuzzy Logic Try to envision mathematical concepts as a background set of rules. Arrangements in which this fuzzy logic makes sense. Quantum mechanics is the whole of this world. A world that has segments that are either ordered by those rules or not. When a rule is not followed, the truthfulness of information kind of transcends into the realm of possibilities where they fade until they will eventually reappear. Higher-dimensional aspects are those that show us insights into where the state of the probability is. More clouds suggest a higher chance of rain. The mathematical rule has not been achieved yet. It's at a point where it is in the process of being completed. The full background shows us that it is not raining yet, even if it’s close. Let us see how our little AI helper sums these up. (Of course, I will lend my understanding to each point with italicized text.) Mathematics provides a set of rules and structures that help us model and understand the world. These rules can range from simple arithmetic to complex algebraic equations and beyond. The consistency and universality of mathematical principles make them a powerful tool for describing various phenomena. Mathematical Concepts as Background Set Rules: Fuzzy logic deals with degrees of truth rather than absolute truth values. It's often employed in situations where information is imprecise or uncertain. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, is a branch of physics that deals with the behavior of particles at the quantum level. The probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics introduces an element of uncertainty, and the concept of superposition allows particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously. Fuzzy Logic and Quantum Mechanics: Here, we could say that those clouds are seen by 2 cities. In one city it’s raining, while in the other, it’s not. Even if the clouds are the central figure of the statement, the space marks the difference between where this is true and where it isn’t. Just like 2 particles can influence each other despite the distance, but when change is made, how can we know who made the change if it wasn’t us? In mathematics, higher-dimensional spaces extend beyond our familiar three-dimensional space. These spaces are often used to model complex systems or describe relationships involving more than three variables. The idea of higher dimensions is also explored in physics and string theory. Higher-Dimensional Spaces: Higher dimensions could simply be the newly opened avenues in which the probability fluctuates. Maybe dimensions are created and destroyed just like cells. Cells may depend on both internal and external variables when it comes to their destruction. Whereas dimensions are created and destroyed only by rules that result from a greater whole, the whole of summed parts. We could see them as being only externally dependent. Simply representing the “external” concept. Something beyond. Quantum mechanics introduces the concept of probability into the description of physical systems. The behavior of particles is often described by wave functions that provide probabilities for different outcomes. Observations collapse these probabilities into definite states. Probability and Quantum States: By observing, you see the “present” which was “present” 0.001, no, 2 seconds, no, 5 seconds ago. I believe there is no known way yet that allows us to see the real slope of growth as it is dependent on multiple factors. Focusing on just some of them will never allow us to see the full picture of the past, but we can use it to gather information for the potential full picture of the future. Just like a pirate using his spyglass to view a castle. He can never be sure that the castle is 100% the same as when he spies at the door since he cannot see the whole castle. The notion that certain mathematical concepts are not yet complete suggests ongoing exploration and discovery. In fields like pure mathematics, researchers are continuously working on extending existing theories, proving new theorems, and exploring the boundaries of mathematical knowledge. Incomplete Mathematical Concepts: In the end, we might get to a new science, a new understanding which we will call “true science” and for those that come next will be just… science. Part 2: A State of Chaos There is so much information. So many weights and counterweights to take into consideration. What has to remain and what has to be scratched off? Oh God… I feel like my head is going to explode—theoretically, of course. The point of no return, when the force of rejection will simply become stronger than the pull, is too far ahead. But then… we wouldn’t wish for a blackhole to appear either. How can we balance this play? What does it MEAN to be in balance yet, not be dead? We know (or theorize) that life could resemble the turning gears of change. Without change, everything is static. No good, no bad could happen further. But then, if life is always pulling up the rope of change, balance is surely broken. If we were to counterweight life, we would arrive at death. What else could happen here so that we will ever grow? Could life be its own domain? Could life be so inextricably different from death that it never touches it? Could life and death, and their impossibility to touch each other, be both enveloped into a both-enveloping sphere? So many questions, so few answers. “But how? And why?” - and this just makes it worse. Let’s turn our glare towards the prime numbers and something interesting ChatGPT explained to me. ”The distribution of prime numbers is a fascinating topic in number theory. Primes are often considered the "building blocks" of natural numbers, and their distribution on the number line has been a subject of extensive study. While primes themselves may seem somewhat irregular (as they have no divisors other than 1 and themselves), the overall pattern of their distribution exhibits some regularities. There are well-known results and conjectures related to the distribution of primes, such as the Prime Number Theorem, which describes the asymptotic distribution of primes among the natural numbers.” - ChatGPT. Part 3: When will this stop? “The overall pattern… exhibits some regularities.” Down below, I would like to place some patterns I randomly found a while ago when playing with primes. Now if you are to ask me what is going on in those pictures, I will ask you in return for better equipment. I will check the patterns and think that I see something. After days, weeks, or months, I would simply take a break from all the patterning and turn back to rational thinking in the hope that this time, the patterns that come into my mind support my claims. And this is how I deal with primes in a nutshell. No fuzzy logic. No fuzzy math (only to the point where logic and reason seem to hold tight to the primes). Only admiring and thinking about what could this great picture of art mean. Could we have discovered order itself? If yes, then how would we explain it? How can we understand its meaning? How can we communicate with/using it? Sadly, my job is not a full-time researcher. No matter how much I involve myself in the field there will always be someone ahead of me. Someone who will say: The Riemann zeta function is a mathematical function that plays a crucial role in number theory and complex analysis. It is named after the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann, who first defined and studied it. The Riemann zeta function is defined for complex numbers �(kind of S and C combined symbol)s with real part greater than 1 by the infinite series: �(�)=1�+2−�+3−�+4−�+…ζ(s)=1s+2−s+3−s+4−s+… This series converges when the real part of �s is greater than 1. The series can be analytically continued to other values of �s (except for �=1s=1, where it has a simple pole), providing a way to define the zeta function in a larger domain. One of the most famous properties of the Riemann zeta function is its connection to the distribution of prime numbers. In particular, the zeta function is closely related to the Prime Number Theorem, which describes the asymptotic distribution of prime numbers. - ChatGPT You are telling me that you found a function that correctly jumps at each prime number occurrence, yet, you have no idea why it does that. Now you try looking into those domains and dimensions that you had no idea even existed. Exploring a land of the unknown where all your beliefs shatter, only to force you to connect them once again if you want it to make sense. And that is… MARVELOUS. We, as humankind, are insignificant. Yet, here we are. Closer and closer to the power of understanding dimensionality. This pursuit of knowledge seems like it must be our happiest years. When in the meantime, some place their ideas into new smart ways for crypto. Others pray that today will be our happy day. Others are simply lost due to psychological or physical warfare. If knowledge is what we say defines us, it sure seems we never met our parents. I hope you all stay safe and healthy. It is a very foggy world out there. And our lanterns seem to shine only ourselves. Take care of your loved ones, of yourself, and of course, of your knowledge. “If she is cherished, one is exalted; if she is embraced, one is honored. But if you refuse to listen to her when she calls, when you pay no attention when she stretches out her hand, so too, will she ignore you when you most need her, in times of distress and trouble. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” - Eternalised Lead image by Manuel on Unsplash

Quantum Realms, Fuzzy Logic, and the Enigma of Prime Patterns

First, what is Bitcoin Mining? Bitcoin mining creates new Bitcoin as transactions are verified and added to the blockchain. Miners currently use ASICs to solve complex mathematical problems to approve network exchanges; a new block is added to Bitcoin's ledger when transactions are verified, leaving an immutable and digital ledger. Miners gain freshly minted and transaction fees for their computational efforts and energy. This process ensures the integrity of the network and maintains its decentralized structure. Bitcoin If that's hard to follow, consider Bitcoin mining like a digital gold rush. Miners use computers to confirm and record all the transactions people make with Bitcoin. Miners are like bankers; they ensure transactions are accurate. Like banks, miners can't work for free. The winning miner is rewarded with new Bitcoins when a transaction is verified. It's akin to discovering gold while working at a bank. Inquiring minds frequently reach out to us about financial technologies; many “normies” ask if HODLing Bitcoin and BTC mining are still profitable, and, as always, they demand we predict the industry's future. Well, digital assets and the mining instruments that have upheld blockchain protocols swiftly evolved as Bitcoin’s user base broadened. Let's explore the evolution of Bitcoin mining for a better glimpse of the digital economic landscape and profitability in mining. Since its inception, the machines responsible for carrying the Bitcoin network have rapidly become more powerful and sophisticated. Mining is critical to Bitcoin’s network.  It permits mining profitability and facilitates the processing of transactions onto the blockchain. Although often overlooked, mining equipment was crucial to turning crypto into a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite ongoing development, indications suggest a potential slowdown. The CPU Era On January 3, 2009, the enigmatic figure mined the inaugural Bitcoin block. As the network's sole miner, Nakamoto didn't need specialized equipment to get the ball rolling. An ordinary CPU sufficed back then. Satoshi Nakamoto The computers commonly used for internet browsing, running applications like Microsoft Word, and other mundane tasks have what's called a central processing unit (CPU). This component is how commands are processed and executed on a computer. Due to the dearth of competition in the early days, the computational power needed to generate new blocks and gain mining rewards could be found on your home computer. But as more miners joined the Bitcoin network to vie for the budding cryptocurrency, an arm’s race began to take shape. GPU and FPGA Mining Mining hardware rapidly expanded after Bitcoin gained a respectable market value. In a historic move on May 22, 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz, a computer whiz, bought two Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 BTC, worth about $25. According to Coin Metrics, Bitcoin's price rocketed to 8 cents by July, and by October that year, hitting 10 cents, saw the birth of the first mining device using graphics processing units (GPUs). GPUs, unlike CPUs, specialize in specific computational tasks. Initially made for gaming, they parallel process simple math tasks, simultaneously churning out thousands of image pixels. They can tackle the math required for mining new BTC with a tweak. GPU mining turbocharged Bitcoin block production, making it roughly six times more efficient on average, according to Josh Metnick, CEO of mining gurus Navier. Even though GPUs cost just twice as much as average CPUs, they scored big on efficiency. But the glory days were fleeting. Enter 2011, when field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) were given a makeover for Bitcoin mining. Metnick’s numbers show FPGAs solve the mining equations needed twice as fast as top-notch GPUs. However, building FPGAs is a more demanding gig. You must fine-tune software and hardware, programming them for custom code execution and perfecting their setup for top-notch performance. This adaptability makes FPGAs a hotshot for Bitcoin mining compared to GPUs. ASICs ASIC mining marked a pivotal shift, demanding extensive resources and time for its development. Unlike previous adaptations, this innovation focused on creating dedicated machines to be used solely for mining Bitcoin. Canaan Creative, a China-based hardware manufacturer, made waves in 2013 by releasing the first application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) tailored specifically for this enterprise. Unlike CPUs, GPUs, or FPGAs, these ASICs were purpose-built from scratch for Bitcoin mining. All their hardware and software components were meticulously designed and optimized solely for the precise calculations required to create new Bitcoin blocks. The efficiency gains achieved by ASICs surpassed all previous general-purpose devices. While Canaan Creative led the charge, other manufacturers like Bitmain and MicroBT joined in, releasing increasingly advanced ASICs. One notable development since 2013 has been the consistent reduction in chip size, from an initial 130nm down to 7nm in the latest models. The importance of chip size ties directly to mining efficiency. Larger ASIC chips require more electricity for data transmission due to wider communication channels. Per Metnick's calculations, today's ASIC Bitcoin mining devices operate a staggering 100 billion times faster than the average CPU in 2009. Experts say Bitcoin’s skyrocketing dollar value is a driving force behind the mining hardware explosion. The escalating market value of block rewards incentivizes innovations in mining technology, aiming to elevate miner profit margins while reducing operational costs. Is Bitcoin Mining Still Yielding Millions!? Since 2015, the reduction in chip size for has been less dramatic compared to earlier years like 2013 and 2014. ASIC Bitcoin mining devices Furthermore, there has yet to be a breakthrough technology comparable to GPU or FPGA mining that significantly boosts mining efficiency after the initial Bitcoin ASIC miner. Many commercial operations suggest we're approaching fundamental limits in Bitcoin mining and across the semiconductor industry. There’s a call to action for a “revolutionary new device” to propel progress. Such game-changing tech is necessary for miners to shift their focus away from the hardware competition that's defined the past decade. If mining hardware becomes standardized, miners must seek other avenues for a competitive edge— energy sourcing, financial strategies, or product diversification. While hardware advancements historically drove efficiency gains, this trend might taper off with fewer significant innovations. Competition will continue, clamoring for an upgrade, but what will the next leap entail? 2024 & the Future of Bitcoin Mining Bitcoin's impending halving has miners anticipating potential impacts from reduced $BTC mining yields. Price and trader sentiments will shape how the highly-awaited halving affects miners in the future.\ Prominent players stress the necessity of efficiency to sustain profitability post-2024's halving. Bitcoin's protocol diminishes the BTC given to miners with each additional block. The upcoming halving, the fourth event of its kind, will slash the Bitcoin mining reward from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. Previous halvings occurred in 2012, 2016, and 2020 or approximately every four years, with a block added every ten minutes, marking a reduction after every 210,000 blocks. The reduction in mining rewards holds significant weight for miners, impacting profitability, returns on hardware investments, and operational expenses, so we all ask, now you know the history, what is the future of Bitcoin mining? Authored By Alyze Sam is a refreshing blockchain strategist, a novel educator, a multi-award-winning author, a serial co-founder, and a vehemently driven advocate. She is launching Web3 solutions as the CEO of a fair launch incubator. Sam has notably published books with Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott and wrote a tech encyclopedia with inventors of the tech, Eric Pulier, Craig Sellars, Reeve Collins, J.R. Willett, and many other Thought Leaders. The Bad Crypto Podcast developed a Blockchain Hero NFT inspired by her work: Mz. Stability. Sam has been ranked top 50 in Blockchain, Top 100 in Web3, and top 5 Women in NFTs (HackerNoon, 2022) and released The ABCs of NFTs with the world's youngest author, her 4-year-old son! Alyze Sam Edited By Adam Alonzi Alonzi is a biotechnologist, documentary maker, programmer, and author. His scientific interests include gene therapy and neuroscience, the latter culminating in a publication in in 2017. He is also an analyst for the Millennium Project and Head of New Media for BioViva Science. The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness Sam & Alonzi have six published books that have been awarded best sellers and best releases in over 14 science, business, education, and technical categories. Order their latest #1 new release with Alex Tapscott on Amazon now: Digital Asset Revolution and her #1 in Computer Science & Financial Education: Stablecoin Evolution & the AR interactive NFT and coffee table collectors edition is out for pre-sale now Nifty Encyclopedia Alyze Sam, Award-Winning Technical Author, Serial Co-Founder & College Educator Contact Alyze - Amazon Page & Bio (or X.. whatever Elon is doing this week) : Sam@TechandAuthors.com -LinkedIn -Facebook -Instagram -Medium -Twitter -Email

The ASIC Chronicles:
The Historical Timeline of Bitcoin's Mining Revolution

In October 2008, when the world was right in the center of a financial crisis, with major institutions like Lehman Brothers collapsing and stock markets plummeting, like a spark amidst the chaos, something happened. Governments and central banks were in crisis management mode, and those in traditional finance were grappling with the tumultuous times. The Beginning of Bitcoin On October 31, 2008, an event that would change the world of finance forever occurred. Or, at least, that's what we thought. Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic figure or a group of developers, made the Bitcoin whitepaper public. Back then, this publication went unnoticed by many in the traditional financial sector, but in hindsight, it marked the birth of something undeniably innovative. However, when the concept eventually gained traction, Bitcoin, as is often the case with pioneering ideas, faced skepticism, with some branding it as a mere speculative bubble. Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper did not explicitly state that their peer-to-peer system was a direct challenge to the faltering Wall Street giants. However, its subtle implications were not lost on those who recognized the urgency of a decentralized solution. In time, it captured the attention of the financial behemoth, which discerned the potential between the lines. Thus, the cryptocurrency world and much romanticized hopes for a better financial future began to take shape. Today, in early November 2023, I scan through multiple 15-year-anniversary texts that still follow this poeticized narrative, and I can’t help but question - does the leading cryptocurrency still follow Satoshi’s lead? The early days of Bitcoin were modest, with a few pizzas being purchased for it. A website initially designed for trading Magic: The Gathering cards transformed into a major cryptocurrency exchange, only to be victimized by a significant hack. Other cryptocurrencies emerged, broadening the capabilities of blockchain technology. As visionary individuals embraced the concept of decentralization and the elimination of intermediaries in financial transactions, cryptocurrencies witnessed meteoric price increases. Surely, during the days of the DeFi Summer, crypto became a new frontier for those lacking noble intentions and attracted its share of opportunists and fraudsters. And then, traditional finance, often referred to as "TradFi," began to take notice. It explored the possibility of integrating conventional financial processes into blockchains and delved into trading "digital assets." Fast forward to today, and an interesting paradox has emerged. The very giants of finance who were once threatened by cryptocurrencies are now propelling the industry forward (without of course caring much for its initial purpose). A recent example is the excitement generated by BlackRock and other major asset managers' intentions to launch Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. The anticipation of these easily tradable products entering the market significantly influenced Bitcoin's price, as it represents the potential for traditional financial institutions to become the new dominant players in the Bitcoin space. And keep in mind rumors about Gary Gensler, whose course of action supposedly lies in either ‘rugging’ Bitcoin spot ETFs altogether and drowning the sector or flipping sides. Furthermore, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group), a historical institution rooted in 19th-century agricultural commodities trading, is on the verge of surpassing Binance to become the world's leading crypto derivatives exchange. This remarkable development underscores how traditional financial entities have become major contributors to the crypto trading landscape. In a rather ironic twist, as traditional finance integrates itself into the crypto arena, the fundamental principles of decentralization and disintermediation envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto seem to remain intact. But imagine funds in the amount twice the market capitalization BTC has now coming to it, will the idea of money returning to the people remain? Of course, arguing for the possible incorporation of Bitcoin into the global financial landscape, it is essential to recognize that Bitcoin ETFs and crypto derivatives represent only a segment of the overall cryptocurrency landscape. Bitcoin is a huge but one component of this expansive realm. The crypto space encompasses a multitude of blockchains and associated layer-2 networks, including Ethereum and Polygon. These platforms are designed to run smart contracts that have the potential to revolutionize various financial and non-financial applications. Satoshi's words from 15 years ago still resonate: "We have proposed a system for electronic transactions without relying on trust." The journey from the Bitcoin whitepaper to a global financial force has raised both: excitement and concerns. The intrusion of traditional finance, while ironic, underscores the transformative power of cryptocurrencies. While the path forward remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the cryptocurrency revolution continues, and the space continues to evolve.

The Coin That Lived:
Do We Still Have What Satoshi Wanted for Bitcoin?

The concept and existence of the blockchain have shown us that its ever-evolving landscape is a playground for innovation. Here, diverse elements converge to perform the magic of innovation and redefine possibilities. From the big boys in venture capital firms to utility tokens, , and even fashion brands, the ecosystem is experiencing an intriguing convergence of ideas and applications. blockchains This convergence doesn't end at the doors of coexistence only. It is a dynamic fusion of ideas that is facilitating the evolution of blockchain technology. An industry that keeps showing clear signs of improvement. According to , in 2022, the global blockchain technology market size was valued at USD 11.14 billion and is projected to grow from USD 17.57 billion in 2023 to USD 469.49 billion by 2030, showing a CAGR of 59.9% during the forecast period. Fortune Business Insights In this article, we will embark on a journey through this convergence and explore how these seemingly unrelated elements are shaping and reshaping the blockchain ecosystem. The Venture Capital's Vital Role in Blockchain Innovation Since the blockchain took off, Venture Capital (VC) firms have been the fuel powering the engines of the industry. These companies recognize the blockchain's transformative potential and tap into it by investing in the best minds in the space. Great VCs are pivotal in identifying visionary ideas and nurturing emerging talents. In the first half of 2022, . Q4 saw $3.7 billion in funding. A 61% drop from . This can be attributed to the general market condition. Still, beyond providing financial support, these firms offer invaluable mentorship, insights, and avenues to collaborate that bridge the gap between innovation and actualization. Web3 startups raised nearly $16 billion $9.6 billion in Q4 of 2021 Some of the ways by which VC firms play a key role in shaping and advancing the blockchain industry include: VCs provide initial capital for innovative projects to take shape. Seed Funding: They offer networks and mentorship from industry experts. Access to Expertise: VCs help speed up project development and market entry. Accelerating Development: Venture Capitals focus on groundbreaking ideas that push boundaries. Driving Innovation: VCs facilitate partnerships and collaborations among projects. Ecosystem Building: They attract other investors and validate project potential. Market Validation: Supports expansion and user acquisition for long-term success. Scaling Impact: An example of venture capital in the blockchain space is Gains VC. prides itself on its patience and long-term vision. The firm performs extensive research on any project by studying materials and gathering information from a network of well-connected people in the industry. At the heart of what they do is collaboration. They are always looking to connect individuals and companies, discuss ideas, challenge opinions, and share knowledge that ensures the industry's growth. Gains VC Venture capitalists like Gains VC play a crucial role in funding the initiatives and supporting disruptive technologies that bridge the gap between traditional and blockchain-powered solutions. A notable project with these VCs' backing is Manilla Finance, a forward-thinking Centralized Decentralized Finance (CeDeFi) company. is taking on the challenge of seamlessly integrating utility tokens into everyday life by enabling utility bill settlements in native cryptocurrency tokens. An innovative approach that not only showcases the utility of blockchain technology but also paves the way for a transition from Web2 to Web3 in fintech. Manilla Finance Utility Tokens: Bridging the Gap Between Real-World Assets and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Utility tokens are at the forefront of a financial revolution. These tokens represent a remarkable fusion of traditional assets with the limitless possibilities of the cryptocurrency space. Token's primary function is to provide genuine DeFi experiences by introducing real-world, tangible assets into the blockchain realm. According to the Bank of America, real-world asset tokenization is a “ .” In their report, the tokenized gold market has captured over $1 billion in investment, with a growing demand for tokenized U.S. Treasury bonds. According to data compiled by CoinDesk, this has a combined market capitalization of tokenized money market funds of almost . key driver of digital-asset adoption $500 million Tradable multi-faceted utility tokens are an example of tokens backed by assets like art, real estate, or even commodities. The genius of utility tokens lies in the way they digitize, tokenize, and democratize access to these tangible assets. These tokens serve as dynamic conduits for facilitating the integration of traditional assets into the blockchain scene. MNICorp and its utility token, is a prime example of this integration. A multi-faceted utility token, MnI brings genuine DeFi experiences to its community by integrating real-world commercial enterprises with asset-backed holdings into the cryptocurrency realm. Mnl Transformation of the Fashion Industry in the Web3 Era The fashion industry is traditionally rooted in its physicality, but blockchain technology is disrupting this. The technology is ushering in transparency, innovation, and traceability into the fashion space. For example, with the provision of immutable records, the journey of a garment from the creation to the consumer is well-documented and transparent. This reduces the prevalence of counterfeit products (said to have caused an to the global economy in 2018), thereby enhancing authenticity. The counterfeit industry is one where the world is losing nearly and is predicted to grow to . estimated $323 billion in damage , $90 billion annually $2.8 trillion and cost 5.4 million jobs by 2022 Blockchain technology also optimizes supply chains by establishing secure, transparent ledgers used for tracking materials and production. This leads to more efficient and error-free processes while boosting sustainability through eco-friendly practices. A company that is using the capabilities of blockchain technology in the fashion industry is . They are spearheading the transformation from traditional technologies to Web3 in the textile sector. By utilizing blockchain for provenance and supply chain management, MetaWear is redefining how consumers interact with fashion. MetaWear Institutional Blockchains: The Scalable Future of Finance Institutional blockchains are another element of the ecosystem revolutionizing the financial industry. Blockchain solutions are ushering in a new era characterized by accessibility, scalability, and innovation. They bridge the gap between retail and institutional finance by democratizing access to a wide range of financial products and services. And this is leveling the financial sector's playing field. It is estimated that by 2025, could be stored on the blockchain. An event that could be a major tipping point for more financial institutions to incorporate blockchain into their operations 10% of the world's GDP Furthermore, with the ability to process transactions swiftly and securely on a global scale, blockchains are paving the way for innovations with the potential to redefine how we save, invest, and transact in the financial terrain of the future. is a shining example of a blockchain. Avem is a Cross-chain Layer-1 protocol with interoperable features. The platform is an all-in-one asset place for all of its products, including leveraging DeFi on the metaverse, utility tokens and security, CBDCs, etc. Avem Finance Conclusion The blockchain industry is witnessing an interesting convergence of innovation, where venture capital firms are fuelling brilliant minds and ideas, utility tokens are bridging real-world assets and DeFi, fashion brands are embracing Web3, and institutional finance is reshaping the finance sector. These seemingly disparate elements are coalescing nicely to create a dynamic and transformative industry. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, it is important to recognize the interplay of these elements and the impact they have on our future. This convergence is not just a trend; it is a testament to the potential of blockchain technology, and it proves every day that when different sectors collaborate, innovation knows no bounds.

TAKESHAPE

takeshape.io

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TAKESHAPE

takeshape.io

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Since n.d.

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