WhatsApp recently unveiled chat filters to help users easily organise their conversation and now the Meta-owned app is introducing some changes in this feature.Chats on WhatsApp were split into All,...

WhatsApp rolling out new changes in Chat Filters | Sci-Tech | thenews.com.pk

Billions of people try to live healthier lives through their wearable devices

WATZ

I recently (recently being about 3 AM this morning) decided that I’d try and replace my /VMWare setup with something a lot less resource intensive, Windows new Subsystem for (WSL). For those of you that aren’t familiar, WSL is not a VM. Rather it is a special Ubuntu distro built into Windows 10 that can be activated by using . Microsoft has been making big strides recently to become a more open-source company, and WSL has gone a long way towards bringing devs back to Windows. Arch Linux Linux bash.exe Now it’s definitely not a perfect solution. For now there is no built-in way to interface with Windows window manager, which means to get GUI applications running you have to install an X server and hack around. Certainly not ideal. Even with this hacky solution, a lot of editors just don’t work right. doesn’t even launch. Atom Arch Linux running in WSL using the Hyper terminal emulator So the solution would appear obvious; just install the Windows binary of Atom and use it that way. That would be a fine solution if Atom (or VScode, Sublime, or any other editor) had baked in support for WSL, but they don’t. When you install a linter, like for example, it expects there to be a binary available in the path and has no clue that WSL even exists. That means that I can do all the hacking around I want with PHP in the terminal, but if I want to lint code in Atom I have to install the PHP binary in Windows using something like . Obviously having 2 of the same, or slightly different, binary is not ideal. linter-php Windows Chocolatey So now that you see the problem, let’s talk about the solution. (These tests were being done with , but the steps would be similar for any plugin in Atom that requires access to a binary) linter-php WSL recently had an update that included a “interop” for bash. This allows you to enter a command like into command prompt, have it execute the command , and return the result without you ever having to enter the shell itself. This seemed like it would be the perfect solution. So I opened up Atom's settings, went to the settings for , and changed the "PHP Executable Path" to . Now either because of the necessary quotes around interfering with the passing of arguments, or just because the "PHP Executable Path" doesn't accept arguments, this didn't work. bash.exe -c "php -v" php -v linter-php bash.exe -c "php" PHP So I thought to myself, ‘how can I proxy a request to WSL’s PHP as a single command?’ A Windows batch file! So I set about writing a simple batch file and this is the result I got @echo offbash.exe -c "php %*" Just 2 lines of code! The first line turns off so that the command isn't echoed back. The second line simply executes passing in the argument for the interop and running with any included arguments. echo bash.exe -c php To test if it works I changed my “PHP Executable Path” in the settings to , opened up a PHP file, screwed something up, and bam! The red squiggly of death was there to greet me instead of an annoying error popup. I have never been so happy to see a linter error. linter-php C:\\Users\\myusername\\path\\to\\php.bat As a result of this journey I’ve decided to create a Git repo to host batch files such as this. It’s located at . https://github.com/watzon/wsl-proxy The original article was published on my blog at . Please go check it out and subscribe! https://blog.cwatsondev.com

WSL Hacks: Making Atom linters work with Windows Subsystem for Linux

If you were to ask any developer whom I have frequent contact with what my favorite language is I can guarantee you that they would all shout out a resounding “Crystal!”. The reason for that is simple. Whether it be Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, or blogs I am always sharing my love for the Crystal language. Hell here I am doing it again. Now, my language of choice has been well established, but it wasn’t always Crystal. I’ve been in web and software development for 8 years and Crystal is still a fairly new language (not even out of beta yet). For the last couple years I have been a heavy JavaScript developer, but I’ve also worked with Rust, D, C++, Elixir, Nim, and several others. So why does Crystal take the spot as my favorite even though it’s still in development? Well to answer that it helps if you understand, or at least have seen, the Ruby syntax. I know it’s a controversial topic, but I actually find the Ruby syntax extremely beautiful. I mean take a look at this code and tell me that you don’t just fall in love a little. class SimpleClassdef say_hello(name)puts "Hello, #{name}"endend simple_class = SimpleClass.newsimple_class.say_hello("World") # => Hello, World Crystal shares the same basic syntax as Ruby which is the first reason I love it so much. As a matter of fact, that Ruby code above is also perfectly valid Crystal code. Mind blown yet? No? Well let’s continue then. Crystal is compiled This is the first huge difference between Crystal and Ruby. Crystal is a compiled language, which means that many errors are caught at compile time before they can cause problems in production. Of course this has a small “speed of development” tradeoff, but it pays off in the long run. It also means that you can build and ship a binary rather than having to deploy your entire code repository. This is very good for people that might have a VPS with only 10 or 20 GB of storage space. Of course compilation does come with it’s drawbacks as well. Interpreted languages, are extremely fast to write and test because you don’t have to wait for your code to compile every time you make a change. Ruby is also a very advanced language when it comes to meta-programming, or writing code that writes and modifies code. This means what with Ruby code can be changed in the fly, methods can be generated based on data that is constantly changing, etc. Such is not the case with Crystal, mainly for safety reasons. When a compiled language changes itself during run time it loses a lot of the safety features that make a compiled language great. Crystal is statically typed This is one of Crystal’s best features. Most all languages have some kind of basic type system. Even JavaScript has the basic types Number, String, Object, Array, etc. Many languages, however, don’t enforce types or provide any kind of type checking. JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and PHP are this way . (I know I’ll get comments about Python and PHP actually having types, but they really don’t. At least not to the same extent as real typed languages) Crystal is able to infer types a lot of the time, that’s why this code def str_concat(str1, str1)str1 + str2end puts str_concat("Hello, ", "World") works even though it doesn’t have any type information. Of course this code will also work for integers or any other values that can be added together using the operator. For that reason we can easily add type definitions to our code. + def str_concat(str1 : String, str1 : String)str1 + str2end puts str_concat("Hello, ", "World")puts str_concat(1, 5) # => Throws an exception Now the method only works with strings. str_concat Crystal also supports union types. These are basically combo types, meaning that something can be either type A, or type B. Here is an example of that. alias Num = Int32 | Int64 | Float64 def sum(num1 : Num, num2 : Num)num1 + num2end puts sum(3, 4)       # => 7_i32puts sum(4, 9.25)    # => 13.25_f64puts sum(7, "eight") # => Exception Crystal has macros Remember how I mentioned meta-programming earlier? Well Crystal actually does allow that as well, but only at compile time. Crystal does this through special methods called macros. Macros can be a confusing topic for some, but with a little bit of about how languages work I think they can be understood fairly easily. knowledge programming Most programming languages have something called a tokenizer (or lexer), and a parser. The tokenizer is responsible for taking the raw textual representation of your code and transforming it into “tokens”. These tokens represent everything from strings to identifiers (def, class, module, etc.), to numbers and usually include basic information such as the line and column where the token was found. The parser then takes those tokens and transforms them into an AST (abstract syntax tree). This tree contains nodes that represent classes, modules, methods, etc. This is an extremely basic, and probably somewhat flawed definition, but it works for our purposes. A macro gets expanded during the AST creation phase and actually modifies the AST as it is being created. That means you can add methods dynamically (at compile time), create and modify classes, etc. Crystal’s macro system is pretty basic when compared to the likes of Nim and Rust (with it’s extremely confusing macros), but it is helpful nonetheless. Here is an example of a simple macro. # This is an anti-pattern in Crystal, but I do it anyway sometimes macro alias_method(new_name, existing_method)def {{ new_name.id }}(*args, **kwargs){{ existing_method.id }}(*args, **kwargs)endend def send_tweet(message) Do something endalias_method :tweet, :send_tweet tweet("Hello, world") Basically the macro just takes a new method name and the name of an existing method and creates a method that replicates the existing method. Ruby can do this with but since it’s considered an anti-pattern the Crystal devs didn’t include it into the language itself. alias_method alias Crystal is fast As you can see, Crystal already has a lot going for it. It’s beautiful, compiled, statically typed, has meta-programming capabilities, what could possibly be next? Well what if I told you that Crystal is also almost as fast as C? I know it sounds unbelievable. I mean beautiful languages can’t be fast right? There are always trade-offs in the world of development. It is true though. At the very least Crystal is easily 100x (not joking) faster than Ruby. Just take a look at . the benchmarks Speed isn’t everything of course, but it sure is nice to not have to worry about it. What don’t I like? There are a few downsides to using Crystal, especially right now while it’s still in development. The first one is that Windows compatibility is basically non-existent. You can download and run Crystal in WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), but that’s not as good as native compatibility. Now , but it hasn’t been a top priority so development has been slow. this is being worked on Since it’s newer the development tools really aren’t all there yet. There has been great progress on a Crystal language server called , but once again a lack of full time devs leads to projects like this taking a very long time to complete. There are also plugins for Atom and VSCode which are in development. Scry Lastly is a problem with communication. This has been addressed several times, and to their credit the core devs have been doing a better job in recent months, but communication has always been a little bit of an issue with the Crystal project. Crystal is being developed and funded by a company called out of Argentina. They aren’t a huge company like Google or Microsoft and as such can’t pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into development. As such much of the time spent developing Crystal has been graciously donated by Manas to the community, and sometimes other projects take priority. Manas Tech Point is, Crystal is a wonderful language and you should definitely give it a shot. I will continue to evangelize and hope others will pick up the torch and do the same. If you want you can and check out some of my projects (many of which are Crystal ones surprise, surprise). visit my GitHub repo Happy coding!

Why Crystal is my favorite programming language of 2017 and beyond

It’s a well-known fact: has the market share when it comes to git hosting, with following close behind due to their “unlimited private repositories” policy. But what if I told you that those weren’t your only options. GitHub Bitbucket Now I have nothing against . It’s a great and I’ve been using it for years. It’s built primarily in a framework I love, Ruby on Rails, and its design is one we’ve all come to tolerate (if not love). With Github controlling most of the market share, most open source projects have also found a home there. GitHub tool All of this being said, I’d be lying if I said that Github didn’t have it’s . If you want private repositories it’s going to cost you a pretty penny at $25 per month for your first 5 users, and then $9 per user after that. For comparison sake, if you have 10 users in your organization it’s going to cost you $80 a month, and that’s a pretty small team. Github also has a sordid history when it comes to communicating with the community, implementing new features, and updating its somewhat dated look. downsides Bitbucket is another beast altogether. Created by the tech conglomerate Atlassian, BitBucket is their answer to GitHub. Its claim to fame is that you can have unlimited private repositories for free… as long as your team has no more than 5 people. This is actually the reason I first started using BitBucket. However, if you do have more than 5 people you’re going to pay, and the quality that you pay for isn’t all that great. I’ve worked on a number of projects on BitBucket where my team was plagued by slow pulls/pushes, 503 errors when attempting to view a repo, and just overall jankyness. Besides that their design also leaves a lot to be desired. The new design looks better, but also somehow makes things even more confusing. (Someone needs to learn the difference between UI and UX) To be completely honest I don’t have anything good to say about BitBucket, so I’m going to continue on. So what’s this GitLab thing? Is it the answer to all of our git hosting woes? Well yes and no. is a very good product, but it’s not perfect. It certainly isn’t as fast as GitHub when it comes to pushing and pulling repos. That being said, here are my reasons for switching to GitLab for my personal projects: GitLab GitLab is a git hosting solution with a very large toolset and, objectively, a beautifully designed website (could it still use some work? Yes, but I digress). It is completely free for unlimited users, unlimited private repositories, and full access to most of the awesome features they provide. Yes, they still have paid tiers for the enterprise. You can’t expect them to keep an awesome project like this going without some kind of monetization, but for us little guys you’ll most likely never have to pay. That has got to be music to your ears. So you said it has “awesome features”. To what are you referring? Well, there’s quite a list. Let’s take a look: In case you didn’t get that I’ll say it again, syntax themes! This has been something that I have been waiting a long time for GitHub to come out with, but GitLab beat them to the punch. We’re still probably a long way away from having custom themes, but the ability to have a dark theme when checking diffs in the browser is awesome. Syntax themes! GitLab also has a built in Docker registry for your projects. This is an amazingly powerful feature for those that want to keep their containers off of the public registry at hub.docker.com, but don’t want to pay for a private service. Registry. Continuous integration is a huge time saver and a great way to make sure a pull request isn’t going to break your app. GitLab saves you from having to use an external CI service by having their own CI built right in. Not to say you can’t use an external CI if you want; GitLab has integrations for Jenkins, Bamboo, and much more. Pipelines/GitLab CI. as mentioned above, GitLab has 3rd party integrations for several services such as CI’s, code coverage, messaging, etc. Their Slack integration is great for notifying your team when stuff has been merged into master. I will be honest though, I am sure Github has more integrations. 3rd Party Integrations. GitLab also ships with Wikis, Markdown-based readmes, etc. You don’t really lose any features by switching, but you gain a ton. All the features that make Github great. So if it’s so great, why isn’t everyone using it? There are a couple of answers to that question. First off you have the market share factor. Github was one of the first git hosting providers to market and they’ve managed to hold onto that. That means that if you want people to contribute to your project, it helps to have it on Github because chances are the people that you want to contribute have an account. The other answer is related. Comfortability. People are simply comfortable with the tool they know and a lot of people aren’t like me (willing to throw everything out the window because I truly believe that the better product should get my business). This is the same reason so many people are still using Atlassian products. It’s definitely not because of their user interfaces. So where should I go from here? That depends on you. If you’re comfortable getting to know a new way if doing things, I’d suggest you take a look at GitLab. It really is worth the time you’ll put into it. If you’re already then go ahead and stick with what you know, but at least now you know that there are alternatives. comfortable Either way, if you liked this article please share it. I’m also starting a that I have big plans for, so be sure to head on over there and subscribe! YouTube channel This article originally appeared on my blog . Please head on over and subscribe to be notified when I post again.

Git wars: Why I’m switching to Gitlab

As every nerd on the planet should be aware, 11 was announced yesterday at WWDC 2017. Several improvements to the mobile operating system were announced including a revamped control center, person-to-person payments via Pay, a completely redesigned App Store, and some major improvements to everyone’s, ok maybe just a select few people’s, favorite digital assistant, Siri. iOS Apple Some of these changes came as a big surprise to the community, as Apple actually managed to keep a lid on rumors this year as far as iOS is concerned. Most “leaks” this year were pure speculation and conjecture, but a surprising number also hit the metaphorical nail right on the head. One of the major changes is a new app called Files. The Files app gives iOS users something we have been sorely missing, access to some kind of filesystem. Not only that, but Files will integrate with cloud apps such as Box, Dropbox, Adobe, and more. This, combined with the new drag-and-drop functionality on iPads, will extend iOS like never before. Of course, native filesystem access has been available on Android for years, but I digress. The goal of this post will be to document the iOS 11 beta as it develops. That means this post will grow continually over time until the final release of iOS 11 sometime this fall, so check back continually. I want to document features, bugs, compatible (and non-compatible) apps, and anything else that comes to mind. If you have any suggestions or something to add please drop a comment below! (please see the to keep updated!) original post on my blog iOS 11 beta 1 My first impression of the first developer beta is about what you’d expect from a first beta; it’s buggy, certain apps refuse to launch, and I can’t use some of the best features because none of my family or friends have the beta installed. That being said, I do like what I have seen so far. What works Well just about everything that should work, does to varying degrees. The new App Store gets a big thumbs up! A design refresh has been long overdue, and I feel like they really did a good job. The new Today tab, which displays app tips, news, suggestions, and more, is ingenious. They also added a new dedicated Games tab, so as to keep apps and games separate, as well as providing a more centralized experience. The new Control Center is amazing! The look will take some getting use to, but I am glad we finally have a modicum of control over its contents. Finally having a volume slider is probably the best overall improvement in iOS 11. I’m also glad they finally gave me another reason to use 3D Touch as well. The new app drawer in the iMessage app is another marked improvement. One of my biggest problems with the iMessage Apps was the number of steps it took to get to the app I want. Now I can just slide to the app I want, select it, and done. A+ Apple. What doesn’t work I have found a number of bugs already, and I’m sure there will be more to come. It is the first beta, so I expected things to be buggy. One of the bugs was actually pretty funny as well. I could tell you what it is, but I think the below screenshot would be a good enough explanation on its own. I apologize in advance for the semi-nsfw content. For those that don’t speak Spanish, bunny is whereas is Jew and means Jewish. Therefore the actual translation of the above should be . What she ended up telling me instead is “I want to do Jewish things with you”, which doesn’t carry quite the same connotation. conejo judío judías Quiero hacer cosas de conejos contigo Besides the hilarious translation mistake, I’ve found several UI bugs. Mainly minor things though, considering. First off is in the Medical ID section of the Health app. When adding emergency contacts the delete icons are superimposed over the relationship. In the new Files app if you go to the Browse tab and select edit the tabs at the bottom of the screen disappear. The only way I’ve found to get them back is to either select a tag and click back, or restart the app. Multitasking is also a little wonky. Closing a running app causes some kind of UI stutter to occur. It’s not a big deal, but it is noticeable. I will continue updating this list as I find new things, I would also appreciate comments and screenshots if you find something else! Apps that are broken I don’t have the entire App Store installed, so this is obviously not going to be an all inclusive list, but I will list the apps that I find that are completely unusable. FabFocus Thanks for looking! Make sure to visit the for updates. original article on my blog

iOS 11: The good, the bad, and the completely unusable

One of my most proud accomplishments of late is finally, after 7 years of , having one of my personal sites be secured with a valid SSL certificate. Now, this may not sound like such a big thing to some more seasoned developers, but to me, it’s kind of a big deal. My wife had to witness me have a nerdgasm afterward, as I tried to explain to her the significance of having an SSL certificate. Mainly it came down to having that satisfying little green lock with the word “Secure” next to it. web development Now, anyone who has tried to get an SSL certificate in the past knows that they are a pain in the but to get. There are hundreds of providers and they can be expensive. Unfortunately, for those exact reasons SSL certificates aren’t usually seen as a priority for smaller sites such as personal blogs like this. Thankfully , as well as , have come to the rescue in the form of . The Linux Foundation a myriad of other supporters Let’s Encrypt According to Let’s Encrypt’s website: Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the public’s benefit. It is a service provided by the . Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) What does this mean for us as developers? It simply means that securing your website isn’t just for the big boys anymore. Any developer with a little bit of terminal knowledge can generate and install their very own certificate and get that comforting little “Secure” emblem next to their website’s URL. So, how do I get started? Getting started with Let’s Encrypt is super fairly easy. First of all, you should know that my primary development machine right now is running . Yours might be different and that’s okay. The client works with almost all Unix-based operating systems. Those with Non-Unix systems, such as Windows running Microsoft IIS, aren’t completely out of luck, but my instructions here won’t help. You might try using something like instead. Ubuntu Certbot ACMESharp For Debian-based Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, the process is fairly straightforward. First, you’ll need to open a terminal window. For those that aren’t familiar with the terminal this can be daunting, but fear not! The terminal isn’t as scary as it first appears. Paste the following commands into the terminal, making sure to respond yes to any prompts. sudo apt-get install software-properties-common  sudo add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot  sudo apt-get update After the update has finished, enter the following command. For this example I’m using , if you're using you should install instead. nginx apache python-certbot-apache sudo apt-get install python-certbot-nginx Once the plugin is installed, run the following to generate a cert and automatically add it to your configuration file. nginx certbot --nginx It’s also possible to get a little more control when installing your certs. For instance, with this blog I used the flag to have a validation file placed into this site's root in order for Let's Encrypt to verify that this site is mine. The full command I used was: --webroot certbot --webroot -w /var/www/my-blog -d blog.cwatsondev.com -d www.blog.cwatsondev.com This installed both certs and then verified that my sites were where I said they were. Finally, these certificates expire after 90 days, so you will need to renew them often. The easiest way to do that is to run the command. This creates a that will auto-renew the certificate for you. certbot renew --dry-run cron job Congratulations! You now have an certificate installed! All of the instructions above are also listed on the for a myriad of different distros. SSL Certbot Website This article is also available on my personal blog at . Please check it out! https://blog.cwatsondev.com Edit: For people that are wondering about the “super fairly easy”, check out my . The original version has a strike through and that didn’t translate here. blog

Stop Paying for SSL Certificates

Everyone looks at languages differently. There are those that want speed and are willing to compromise syntax (I’m looking at you C++ developers), and then there are those that would rather have something that looks beautiful but lacks in performance (like ). I’ve never understood why a language didn’t exist that married the two ideas into a language that was both fast, and beautiful. programming Ruby Several languages have tried over the years and a few have gotten close. Go is a perfect example. Still loosely based on the C language, Go has an easier to understand and easier to read syntax without sacrificing too much on the performance end. Having been developed by Google it has also matured quickly and gained a high adoption rate. It also compiles down to machine code which means you can use it to write the same types of programs in Go where you’d normally use C. However it’s still not as beginner friendly or as easy to understand as a language like Python or Ruby. Enter , a beautiful Ruby-esque programming language that compiles down to machine code. I stumbled upon crystal while searching for a way to make Ruby compile to machine code, or at least C, and instantly fell in love. Here are some of the things I love about Crystal: Crystal It’s statically typed, but with built in type inference. That means no more bugs due to incorrect types. It compiles to native machine code which means much faster execution time. The compiler is also extremely fast and can compile itself in under 30 seconds on my machine. Crystal is written in Crystal which makes contributing to the language super easy. It’s syntax is so similar to Ruby that some Ruby programs are actually valid Crystal programs and vice-versa. It has a modern standard library complete with support for JSON, Markdown, XML, and YAML parsing; it also has built in websocket support and macros. And those are just to name a few. Crystal also comes with a built in package and dependency manager called Shards that makes distributing libraries and binaries easy. Crystal’s syntax is clear, concise, and human readable. Here is an example (taken from their website): That code could easily be ruby, but the major difference is that when I run my little server will get compiled into a single binary file called which ends up being upwards of 100x faster than the Ruby version. crystal build myserver.cr myserver So how fast is it? Excellent question, for which we’ll need some benchmarks. Lucky for me others have already taken up the task of creating these benchmarks and have provided us with some pretty great data. _crystal-benchmarks-game - Crystal implementations for The Computer Language Benchmarks Game_github.com kostya/crystal-benchmarks-game I decided to run some of the examples myself and got similar responses. All examples show execution time and memory usage. Crystal== 10.21s, 2.2Mb ==C== 9.81s, 0.7Mb ==Ruby== 116.65s, 8.8Mb == Mandelbrot Crystal== 0.20s, 2.5Mb ==C== 0.09s, 1.2Mb == Meteor **Binary Trees**Crystal== 13.61s, 108.6Mb ==C== 6.59s, 33.2Mb ==Ruby== 35.06s, 116.3Mb == As you can see Crystal is closer to the speed of C than it is to Ruby. By a lot in most cases. Crystal’s Status Right now Crystal is still in the alpha stage, meaning that there will be breaking changes along the line. That being said it is one of the least buggy alpha’s that I have ever been a part of. Yes, Crystal is still missing some things, Windows support for one; but the future looks bright for this new kid on the block and I, for one, can’t wait to see where it goes. How Can I Help? Crystal is open sourced and located at . They accept pull requests and seem to respond to issues very quickly. You can also help out by evangelizing Crystal, like I am now, submitting issues, and adding your own “shards” to github. github.com Happy coding!

Crystal: Ruby syntax with almost C efficiency

Navigating Bitcoin’s Volatile Waters: Why Now Might Be the Right Time to Invest Bitcoin has always been a rollercoaster ride for investors. As we delve into the current landscape, it's essential to understand the factors driving Bitcoin's price and why now could be an opportune moment to consider investing. Mount Gox Repayments The fall of Mt. Gox, once the largest Bitcoin exchange, left a significant mark on the cryptocurrency world. Fast forward to today, the process of repaying creditors has begun. Over 142,000 BTC and 143,000 BCH are being released into the market, stirring fears of increased selling pressure. However, this event, while introducing short-term volatility, also symbolizes the closure of one of Bitcoin’s most infamous chapters, paving the way for a more stable and transparent market​ (Coin Telegraph). Germany’s Strategic BTC Sale In a parallel development, the German government is liquidating a substantial amount of Bitcoin seized from the illegal streaming site Movie2k.to. This sale has injected additional supply into the market, further contributing to price fluctuations. However, the strategic liquidation of these assets is part of a broader trend where governments are becoming more engaged with cryptocurrencies, understanding their value and potential​ (Coin Telegraph)​​. Navigating Election Year Adding to the complexity is the uncertainty brought by election years. Political changes and potential shifts in economic policy can impact market sentiment. While this introduces short-term volatility, it also underscores Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against traditional financial uncertainties. Investors often turn to Bitcoin during turbulent times, recognizing its potential to provide stability and growth amid economic fluctuations. The Nature of Bitcoin Bitcoin’s journey has always been characterized by its volatility. Large corrections are part of its nature, driven by profit-taking, macroeconomic factors, and significant market news. While this volatility can be daunting, it also presents opportunities for savvy investors to buy during dips and capitalize on future price increases. The Dawn of Bitcoin Spot ETFs The approval and launch of Bitcoin spot ETFs have brought a wave of institutional interest and investment. These ETFs offer a regulated and accessible way for investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin, driving substantial inflows and enhancing market liquidity. The success of these ETFs demonstrates growing confidence in Bitcoin’s legitimacy and long-term potential​ (CoinDesk)​​. Technological Advancements Bitcoin’s technological infrastructure is also evolving. Notably, Bitcoin side chains like Rootstock (RSK) are introducing smart contract capabilities to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Rootstock leverages Bitcoin’s security while enabling more complex transactions and decentralized applications. This integration of smart contracts on Bitcoin’s network enhances its functionality and opens up new use cases, making Bitcoin more versatile and practical for various applications (https://rootstock.io/powpeg/). Side chains are separate blockchains that are attached to the main Bitcoin blockchain. They enable the transfer of assets between the main chain and the side chain, allowing for greater flexibility and experimentation without affecting the main Bitcoin network. Side chains can host smart contracts, enable faster transactions, and introduce new features that enhance Bitcoin’s capabilities. Runes and Other Innovations In addition to side chains, innovations like Runes are pushing the boundaries of what Bitcoin can do. Runes are a new type of digital asset that can be used within the Bitcoin network to create more advanced financial instruments and decentralized applications. These technological advancements are making Bitcoin more competitive with other smart contract platforms and expanding its use cases beyond just a store of value or a medium of exchange. Embracing the Opportunity While Bitcoin faces a mix of challenges and opportunities, and while the price continues to struggle, reverting attention back to your core thesis behind Bitcoin is important. The resolution of long-standing issues like the Mt. Gox repayments, and the inherent volatility of Bitcoin all contribute to its volatility. However, with positive developments such as the launch of Bitcoin spot ETFs, increasing adoption by companies and countries, and continuous technological advancements like Bitcoin side chains with smart contracts and innovations like Runes, Bitcoin’s future looks promising. For investors, these factors suggest that now might be an opportune time to buy Bitcoin. By navigating the complexities and embracing the potential, investors can position themselves to benefit from Bitcoin’s enduring growth and transformative impact on the global financial system. Of course, this writing is not to be taken as financial advice; this piece is a call for those who may be doubting their decision to get involved in Bitcoin and crypto to zoom out and look at the bigger picture to understand that Bitcoin is fundamentally stronger than ever. Navigating Bitcoin’s Volatile Waters: Why Now Might Be the Right Time to Invest Bitcoin has always been a rollercoaster ride for investors. As we delve into the current landscape, it's essential to understand the factors driving Bitcoin's price and why now could be an opportune moment to consider investing. Mount Gox Repayments Mount Gox Repayments The fall of Mt. Gox, once the largest Bitcoin exchange, left a significant mark on the cryptocurrency world. Fast forward to today, the process of repaying creditors has begun. Over 142,000 BTC and 143,000 BCH are being released into the market, stirring fears of increased selling pressure. However, this event, while introducing short-term volatility, also symbolizes the closure of one of Bitcoin’s most infamous chapters, paving the way for a more stable and transparent market​ ( Coin Telegraph ). Coin Telegraph Germany’s Strategic BTC Sale Germany’s Strategic BTC Sale In a parallel development, the German government is liquidating a substantial amount of Bitcoin seized from the illegal streaming site Movie2k.to. This sale has injected additional supply into the market, further contributing to price fluctuations. However, the strategic liquidation of these assets is part of a broader trend where governments are becoming more engaged with cryptocurrencies, understanding their value and potential​ ( Coin Telegraph )​​. Coin Telegraph Navigating Election Year Navigating Election Year Adding to the complexity is the uncertainty brought by election years. Political changes and potential shifts in economic policy can impact market sentiment. While this introduces short-term volatility, it also underscores Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against traditional financial uncertainties. Investors often turn to Bitcoin during turbulent times, recognizing its potential to provide stability and growth amid economic fluctuations. The Nature of Bitcoin The Nature of Bitcoin Bitcoin’s journey has always been characterized by its volatility. Large corrections are part of its nature, driven by profit-taking, macroeconomic factors, and significant market news. While this volatility can be daunting, it also presents opportunities for savvy investors to buy during dips and capitalize on future price increases. The Dawn of Bitcoin Spot ETFs The Dawn of Bitcoin Spot ETFs The approval and launch of Bitcoin spot ETFs have brought a wave of institutional interest and investment. These ETFs offer a regulated and accessible way for investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin, driving substantial inflows and enhancing market liquidity. The success of these ETFs demonstrates growing confidence in Bitcoin’s legitimacy and long-term potential​ ( CoinDesk )​​. CoinDesk Technological Advancements Technological Advancements Bitcoin’s technological infrastructure is also evolving. Notably, Bitcoin side chains like Rootstock (RSK) are introducing smart contract capabilities to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Rootstock leverages Bitcoin’s security while enabling more complex transactions and decentralized applications. This integration of smart contracts on Bitcoin’s network enhances its functionality and opens up new use cases, making Bitcoin more versatile and practical for various applications ( https://rootstock.io/powpeg/ ). https://rootstock.io/powpeg/ Side chains are separate blockchains that are attached to the main Bitcoin blockchain. They enable the transfer of assets between the main chain and the side chain, allowing for greater flexibility and experimentation without affecting the main Bitcoin network. Side chains can host smart contracts, enable faster transactions, and introduce new features that enhance Bitcoin’s capabilities. Runes and Other Innovations In addition to side chains, innovations like Runes are pushing the boundaries of what Bitcoin can do. Runes are a new type of digital asset that can be used within the Bitcoin network to create more advanced financial instruments and decentralized applications. These technological advancements are making Bitcoin more competitive with other smart contract platforms and expanding its use cases beyond just a store of value or a medium of exchange. Embracing the Opportunity Embracing the Opportunity While Bitcoin faces a mix of challenges and opportunities, and while the price continues to struggle, reverting attention back to your core thesis behind Bitcoin is important. The resolution of long-standing issues like the Mt. Gox repayments, and the inherent volatility of Bitcoin all contribute to its volatility. However, with positive developments such as the launch of Bitcoin spot ETFs, increasing adoption by companies and countries, and continuous technological advancements like Bitcoin side chains with smart contracts and innovations like Runes, Bitcoin’s future looks promising. For investors, these factors suggest that now might be an opportune time to buy Bitcoin. By navigating the complexities and embracing the potential, investors can position themselves to benefit from Bitcoin’s enduring growth and transformative impact on the global financial system. Of course, this writing is not to be taken as financial advice; this piece is a call for those who may be doubting their decision to get involved in Bitcoin and crypto to zoom out and look at the bigger picture to understand that Bitcoin is fundamentally stronger than ever.

Navigating Bitcoin’s Volatile Waters

By Amanda Kavanagh While tech sectors like healthcare, climate tech and cybersecurity are urgently focused on retraining in AI, it’s not quite as important for other programmers. That’s according to Christian Rebernik, co-chief executive and co-founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, who reckons you don’t need to throw the baby out of the bath water, and ditch your expertise for AI. In an interview with the Financial Times, he makes this recommendation: “You can secure yourself, if you are a top-tier expert who can help teach AI in your field . . . [you can] earn from training models on data set created by you.” 3 high-paying roles to apply for today DevOps Engineer, Accenture Federal Services, Chantilly ($76,000 - $144,000)
Principal DevOps Engineer, Autodesk, TX ($141,400 - $228,800)
Staff/Sr. Staff DevOps Engineer, SciTec, Boulder ($93,000 - $137,000) The key is deep knowledge. As subject matter expertise really matters when it comes to creating the best prompts, once you’ve an understanding of prompt engineering, and experiment with AI tools in your day-to-day life, that may be enough for now. This frees programmers up to focus on the languages making waves in the coding community; here we’ll look at three of the newest and well-paid languages of the moment. Zig Created by Andrew Kelley in 2015, Zig is pitched as a general purpose language and as a modern alternative to C, but it’s still relatively obscure. In a Stack Overflow survey of 89,184 software developers across 185 countries, just 0.83% reported proficiency in Zig. However, the same survey also found that Zig developers command the highest median salaries on average. Median earnings of $103,000 may be pocket change to some in highly-paid AI roles, and it won’t put you in the top 10% of earners in the U.S. – you’ll need to be on $167,639 for that – but it’s the only programming language that hits six figures in the Stack Overflow survey. The next closest is Erlang ($99,492), F# ($99,492), Ruby ($98,522), and in fourth place, the former 2022 leader, Clojure ($96,381). Comparatively, the bottom four are: Visual Basic (.Net) with $65,000 median pay, MATLAB with $61,735, PHP at $58,899, and Dart, which commands the least at $55,862. Because Zig is compatible with C codebases, it may be readily incorporated with current projects, making it a solid option for systems development, embedded systems, game design, and scripting. Non-profit Zig boasts a vibrant contributor community where developers are invited to utilize it for personal open-source projects, allowing real-world problems to surface and be resolved in real-time. Its rarity makes it something of a risk, as you may have to plug and play, figuring out mistakes as you go. Depending on the pace in your current role, this may or may not be possible. But clearly, there can be salary gains if you can find a company that utilizes and values Zig. Finch Finch is the latest programming language from MIT, which was announced earlier this year. It aims to resolve the challenges associated with computing over-structured arrays. Finch does this by providing a programming model that unifies control flow and diverse data structures into a single representation that allows for co-optimization. Specifically, it automates the control flow to the data, freeing up performance engineers to experiment with many algorithms. MIT says that Finch is, to the best of its knowledge, the first programming language to support affine indexing or scatter/gather of sparse or structured operands, as well as if-conditions, early breaks, and multiple left hand sides over structured data. Early-adopters are praising the time-saving automatic specialization and smooth control flow, particularly in fields like image processing and scientific computing, where structured data is essential. Being a complete newbie, Finch doesn’t have a vast library of tools and frameworks to refer to, meaning it’s not really suitable for large-scale projects just yet. But if you’re a keen early-adopter, Finch is one to watch, and as the community expands, it may become a very valuable tool in the near future. Swift Apple’s Swift has been knocking around for a decade, but its next iteration – Swift 6 – is slated for release later this year. This is the first major update since Swift 5, five long years ago. This release expands upon the async/await, existentials, and macros capabilities that were first included in the Swift 5.x series. Apple director of languages and runtimes, Ted Kremenek says, “Swift’s safety, speed, and approachability, combined with built-in C and C++ interoperability, mean Swift is the best choice to succeed C++.” Meanwhile, forums and blogs are already advising programmers on how to migrate projects across, which is expected to be tricky for legacy codebases. 3 great tech jobs hiring now DevOps Engineer - Sports Technology, Electronic Arts, Orlando
Sr. DevOps Engineer - Store Frontend, hims & hers, San Francisco ($155,000 - $175,000)
Senior Engineer Fullstack (Java), GTT LLC, Chevy Chase The good news is there is clear demand for Swift programmers. According to jobs site Indeed, iOS developers and senior mobile developers are sought after in major companies all over the world, including Accenture, DataAnnotation, and Netflix. It’s widely-accepted that for a long, productive, and well-paid career in programming, developers must always move with the times. Ideally, your existing role will allow time for experimentation and upskilling, enabling you to explore these languages and integrate them into your projects. But if upskilling isn’t a priority in your workplace, it could be time to look for something new. Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today By Amanda Kavanagh While tech sectors like healthcare, climate tech and cybersecurity are urgently focused on retraining in AI, it’s not quite as important for other programmers. That’s according to Christian Rebernik, co-chief executive and co-founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, who reckons you don’t need to throw the baby out of the bath water, and ditch your expertise for AI. In an interview with the Financial Times , he makes this recommendation: “You can secure yourself, if you are a top-tier expert who can help teach AI in your field . . . [you can] earn from training models on data set created by you.” Financial Times Financial Times 3 high-paying roles to apply for today 3 high-paying roles to apply for today DevOps Engineer, Accenture Federal Services, Chantilly ($76,000 - $144,000) Principal DevOps Engineer, Autodesk, TX ($141,400 - $228,800) Staff/Sr. Staff DevOps Engineer, SciTec, Boulder ($93,000 - $137,000) DevOps Engineer, Accenture Federal Services, Chantilly ($76,000 - $144,000) DevOps Engineer, Accenture Federal Services, Chantilly ($76,000 - $144,000) DevOps Engineer, Accenture Federal Services, Chantilly ($76,000 - $144,000) Principal DevOps Engineer, Autodesk, TX ($141,400 - $228,800) Principal DevOps Engineer, Autodesk, TX ($141,400 - $228,800) Principal DevOps Engineer, Autodesk, TX ($141,400 - $228,800) Staff/Sr. Staff DevOps Engineer, SciTec, Boulder ($93,000 - $137,000) Staff/Sr. Staff DevOps Engineer, SciTec, Boulder ($93,000 - $137,000) Staff/Sr. Staff DevOps Engineer, SciTec, Boulder ($93,000 - $137,000) The key is deep knowledge. As subject matter expertise really matters when it comes to creating the best prompts, once you’ve an understanding of prompt engineering, and experiment with AI tools in your day-to-day life, that may be enough for now. This frees programmers up to focus on the languages making waves in the coding community; here we’ll look at three of the newest and well-paid languages of the moment. Zig Zig Created by Andrew Kelley in 2015, Zig is pitched as a general purpose language and as a modern alternative to C, but it’s still relatively obscure. In a Stack Overflow survey of 89,184 software developers across 185 countries, just 0.83% reported proficiency in Zig. Stack Overflow survey Stack Overflow survey However, the same survey also found that Zig developers command the highest median salaries on average. Median earnings of $103,000 may be pocket change to some in highly-paid AI roles , and it won’t put you in the top 10% of earners in the U.S. – you’ll need to be on $167,639 for that – but it’s the only programming language that hits six figures in the Stack Overflow survey. highly-paid AI roles highly-paid AI roles The next closest is Erlang ($99,492), F# ($99,492), Ruby ($98,522), and in fourth place, the former 2022 leader, Clojure ($96,381). Comparatively, the bottom four are: Visual Basic (.Net) with $65,000 median pay, MATLAB with $61,735, PHP at $58,899, and Dart, which commands the least at $55,862. Because Zig is compatible with C codebases, it may be readily incorporated with current projects, making it a solid option for systems development, embedded systems, game design, and scripting. Non-profit Zig boasts a vibrant contributor community where developers are invited to utilize it for personal open-source projects, allowing real-world problems to surface and be resolved in real-time. vibrant contributor community vibrant contributor community Its rarity makes it something of a risk, as you may have to plug and play, figuring out mistakes as you go. Depending on the pace in your current role, this may or may not be possible. But clearly, there can be salary gains if you can find a company that utilizes and values Zig. company company Finch Finch Finch is the latest programming language from MIT, which was announced earlier this year. It aims to resolve the challenges associated with computing over-structured arrays. Finch Finch Finch does this by providing a programming model that unifies control flow and diverse data structures into a single representation that allows for co-optimization. Specifically, it automates the control flow to the data, freeing up performance engineers to experiment with many algorithms. MIT says that Finch is, to the best of its knowledge, the first programming language to support affine indexing or scatter/gather of sparse or structured operands, as well as if-conditions, early breaks, and multiple left hand sides over structured data. Early-adopters are praising the time-saving automatic specialization and smooth control flow, particularly in fields like image processing and scientific computing, where structured data is essential. Being a complete newbie, Finch doesn’t have a vast library of tools and frameworks to refer to, meaning it’s not really suitable for large-scale projects just yet. But if you’re a keen early-adopter, Finch is one to watch, and as the community expands, it may become a very valuable tool in the near future. Swift Apple’s Swift has been knocking around for a decade, but its next iteration – Swift 6 – is slated for release later this year. This is the first major update since Swift 5, five long years ago. This release expands upon the async/await, existentials, and macros capabilities that were first included in the Swift 5.x series. Apple director of languages and runtimes, Ted Kremenek says, “Swift’s safety, speed, and approachability, combined with built-in C and C++ interoperability, mean Swift is the best choice to succeed C++.” Meanwhile, forums and blogs are already advising programmers on how to migrate projects across, which is expected to be tricky for legacy codebases. 3 great tech jobs hiring now DevOps Engineer - Sports Technology, Electronic Arts, Orlando Sr. DevOps Engineer - Store Frontend, hims & hers, San Francisco ($155,000 - $175,000) Senior Engineer Fullstack (Java), GTT LLC, Chevy Chase DevOps Engineer - Sports Technology, Electronic Arts, Orlando DevOps Engineer - Sports Technology, Electronic Arts, Orlando DevOps Engineer - Sports Technology, Electronic Arts, Orlando Sr. DevOps Engineer - Store Frontend, hims & hers, San Francisco ($155,000 - $175,000) Sr. DevOps Engineer - Store Frontend, hims & hers, San Francisco ($155,000 - $175,000) Sr. DevOps Engineer - Store Frontend, hims & hers, San Francisco ($155,000 - $175,000) Senior Engineer Fullstack (Java), GTT LLC, Chevy Chase Senior Engineer Fullstack (Java), GTT LLC, Chevy Chase Senior Engineer Fullstack (Java), GTT LLC, Chevy Chase The good news is there is clear demand for Swift programmers. According to jobs site Indeed, iOS developers and senior mobile developers are sought after in major companies all over the world, including Accenture, DataAnnotation, and Netflix. It’s widely-accepted that for a long, productive, and well-paid career in programming, developers must always move with the times. Ideally, your existing role will allow time for experimentation and upskilling, enabling you to explore these languages and integrate them into your projects. But if upskilling isn’t a priority in your workplace, it could be time to look for something new. Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today Ready to find your next role in tech? Whether you want to pivot to AI or put your coding expertise to good use, visit the Hackernoon Job Board today

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