Kourtney Kardashian, who is expecting her first baby with husband Travis Barker any day now, dressed as Winona Ryder's Beetlejuice character Lydia Deetz for Halloween this year. Posting an image on Instagram of her and Barker,

Kourtney Kardashian Channelled Beetlejuice For Halloween With Travis Barker

LeBron dressed up as Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) during the end of the film, where he's trying to get hitched to Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) in an inappropriate supernatural shotgun wedding. Savannah dressed up as the Neitherworld Receptionist/Miss ...

Lakers News: LeBron, Savannah James Dress Up As Spooky Icons For Halloween

In the 1994 Jim Carrey movie Dumb and Dumbe r, Harry and Lloyd get a little money and dress up in orange and powder blue tuxedos for a swanky evening. Bunnie and a friend call themselves Barry and Floyd and do the same thing.

Jelly Roll’s Wife Bunnie XO Reveals Five Saucy Halloween Costumes for 2023 [Pictures]

Replete with a deep red suit, Lebron James's Halloween costume shows off a creative take on the classic protagonist from the 1988 film Beetlejuice.

Lebron James's Halloween Costume Shows Off A Creative & Spooky Beetlejuice

The Poosh creator covered her baby bump in a red wedding gown as Lydia Deetz, while the Blink-182 rocker sported a maroon suit and green wig.

Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker await baby in ‘Beetlejuice’ Halloween costumes

Fans had a lot to say about Kourtney and Travis ’ head-turning Halloween costume.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker turn heads with couples costume and fans can’t get over major detail

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker dressed up as Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice respectively from the 1988 Tim Burton movie

Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker don ‘Beetlejuice’ costumes for Halloween: See Pics

The Weeknd embodied the film's titular character with remarkable accuracy, while Bella took on the role of Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder's goth teen character. Together, they made a memorable appearance at Heidi Klum's annual Halloween bash. Bella's Lydia ...

'The Weeknd and Bella Hadid did it better': Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker get dragged over ex-couple's Halloween look

Travis Barker, Kourtney Kardashian. Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker/Instagram Say his name three times! Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker got in the spooky spirit by dressing up as Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice for Halloween.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Channel ‘Beetlejuice’ for Halloween

deetz

HackerNoon Reporter: Please tell us briefly about your background. I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering. I worked as a software developer at Amazon, and a Program Manager for Microsoft before starting deetz. What's your startup called? And in a sentence or two, what does it do? We are deetz (short for details) and we show people what’s happening in their city right now! Everything on the app expires in 24hrs so you can get “right now” information on daily happy hours, live events, food specials, and more! What is the origin story? We launched during COVID and all our favorite restaurants were shutting down left and right. We wanted to support local businesses but didn’t have a good way to find the latest information on if they’re open, doing curbside pickup, or have their patio open without having to follow 100s of Facebook pages, Instagram, and outdated city websites. Google was just a list of “10 places near you” but people wanted to know “what are they offering today!”. So we built deetz to bridge that gap. Basically your Netflix for live events, happy hours, and more! We generated about $10,000 in economic activity each week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa alone! What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to solve this problem? Each and every one of us faced the exact same problem and feeling like our “city sucked because there is nothing to do” or always finding awesome things after the fact like a cool concert or art exhibit. We are basically building deetz for our own selfish need to live our best life in the city we live in! I have a strong technical background from my experience working at Microsoft and we have an amazing growth hacker, Grace Rigdon, who worked in Meredith Corporation and Hearst Corporation and helped scale the app from Cedar Rapids to all across Iowa and strategizing a national expansion! If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing? I’d be learning how to bake, knit, and surf! Or just about anything a hipster like me does these days. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics? We measure success through our “4-week comeback” metric. It defines what percentage of users in a given 4 week period using the at least 2 weeks. We chose this metric because that’s the cycle we notice people have when they go out for a happy hour, brunch, live events, etc. Like they do it at least once every 2 weeks. What’s most exciting about your traction to date? The most exciting thing is that people have been traveling to over 100+ cities across the U.S. and still got on deetz to see what’s happening in their new place! This unlocked a completely new market for us to focus on. Tourist destinations and travelers associate deetz as “not just where I live” but “It’s that one friend in the group who knows what’s going on no matter where we travel”. What technologies are you currently most excited about, and most worried about? And why? I am extremely excited about the growing adoption of AR with everyday use. We believe that’s the future, if the future is to help people live their best life. We want people to pull out their deetz app, scan around, and see what’s happening inside each businesses without having to go in! I worry about the dark patterns in the UI/UX these days. VCs seem to focus more on “who can keep the consumer’s attention the most” which leads to the perils of Instagram and TikTok, when it’ll be beneficial to look at it from the lens of “How productive and happy with their life can you keep a consumer?” because helping people live a more fulfilling life leads to long term retention vs short term highs. We shouldn’t strive to create “addicts”, but to help with how engaged people are with each other in real life. What drew you to get published on HackerNoon? What do you like most about our platform? I’ve been following HackerNoon from the Medium days, transitioning to its own platform, and never stopped rooting for you guys. The stories are thorough and different from similar tech publishers out there and I feel like I walk away with some learning each time vs. feeling like I just read an article that was more of an FYI. What advice would you give to the 21-year-old version of yourself? Breathe. Live. Experience. 4 years of college will fly by. Doing 20 things at the same time isn’t the measure of success but taking a moment to appreciate all the experience you had that day, past week, month, is crucial. Also, don’t get too drunk! What is something surprising you've learned this year that your contemporaries would benefit from knowing? I learned that if you’re a first-time founder, everything is stacked against you. You might have the best traction and story but still get turned down. You’ll also read stories about second-time founders raising millions in seed rounds while their idea is still on a napkin. Don’t take it personally. Those who are raising millions pre-seed as second-time founder struggled their first time. It’s okay and doesn’t reflect in your idea or capability as a person. It’s a numbers game and takes talking to 200 Angels/VC to get 1 yes. Vote for deetz as the . best startup in Cedar Rapids

Startup Interview with Raghul Ethiraj, CEO of deetz

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I grabbed more than a grand with half a day of research. A quick disclaimer — my grandma asked me about buying cryptocurrency a few weeks ago. I gave her the best advice, but basically encouraged her to do her own research, and not bet the farm with my inheritance ;-). That goes for you too. Don’t take anything I write here as canon, and read, read, read before you decide to risk any funds, crypto or otherwise. The backstory — I bought just under 1 BTC back in the days for about $80 bucks. Thankfully I withdrew the currency into a local wallet before Mt Gox . Eventually I switched to the followup wallet called Multibit HD. For the most part, I completely forgot about Bitcoin until the recent cryptocurrency surge (Dec 2017). Mt Gox MultiBit became insolvent eeek, just the logo makes me shudder Anyway, on August 1, 2017, a bunch of the Bitcoin miners decided to create a new currency called Bitcoin Cash. They performed a “hard fork” and basically anyone that owned Bitcoin before the split now owned both Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash — and was entitled to the same amount of Bitcoin Cash that they already owned in Bitcoin. I mostly ignored this, but in the past week, since started listing Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the new currency, BCH, skyrocketed in value. Coinbase trajectory of bitcoin cash Between August 1 and today, I had sold off a chunk of my original BTC for “real money” (also via Coinbase). But I started doing research and it turns out that if I owned one BTC on August 1, I still was entitled to one BCH regardless of my actions after the August 1 fork. So after some Googling, the best tutorial I found about how to claim BCH from Multibit HD (or various other wallets) was here: _While we enjoy being market leaders, we still believe synergy and cooperation is the best way forward for all involved…_coinomi.freshdesk.com How to get Bitcoin Cash from many wallet/software/services with Coinomi : Coinomi Support But unfortunately this only worked for , an Android app. I didn’t have an Android device lying around. And I’d rather be chemically castrated than go to Walmart to buy one three days before Christmas. Coinomi DROID! After banging my head against a wall (and watching BCH lose value), I found a Stack Exchange article about how to . Essentially, since I still had my written down from MultiBit HD, I was able to input them into and actually claim my BCH. (It was slightly more complicated than that, see the for deetz). claim Bitcoin Cash from my Multibit HD Wallet wallet words Electron Cash Stack Exchange article electron cash After I got the BCH funds in my Electron Cash wallet, I transferred the BCH over to Coinbase and sold it immediately for USD, because USD can buy last-minute Christmas presents, and mythical coin money can’t (yet). When I’m not pretending that I know WTF I am doing with Bitcoin, I also run a site called SIMMER.io for sharing WebGL games . If you’re into games or game development check it out! And don’t forget to clap or follow me on Medium if you enjoyed this article. It provides great motivation for me to keep writing!

I claimed my Bitcoin Cash and You Can Too

SINGAPORE — In what many are calling the boldest move in crypto innovation, the latest stablecoin, "USDN" (short for US Deez Nuts), launched at Token2049 with the promise of being a rock-solid, man-pegged asset. Unfortunately, the coin’s value plummeted to zero following sudden post-event clarity, leaving investors grasping for answers—and their wallets. Editor’s note: This article is satire and a creation of the author’s mind. “We wanted a stablecoin that truly represented the resilience of the U.S. dollar,” said USDN's founder, Chad "Diamond Hands" Johnson, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Got Nuts?" on the back. “But also, we wanted it to be fun. You know, like a meme, but serious. That’s where the name came from.” Initially, the coin enjoyed rapid adoption, with hundreds of Token2049 attendees eagerly trading their assets for USDN in the hopes of escaping the volatility of other cryptocurrencies. "I wanted a safe haven for my portfolio," said one trader, moments after swapping his Ethereum for USDN. "Plus, the name is hilarious." However, within hours of launch, USDN's value began to wobble. Investors grew concerned when they discovered that the coin’s stability was, in fact, pegged not to the U.S. dollar but to a complex algorithm based on "vibes" and "hype metrics" from crypto Twitter. “We were blindsided,” admitted Johnson, sipping on a $12 coconut water purchased with real fiat money. “Turns out, pegging a currency to Twitter memes wasn’t the most solid foundation. Who could’ve seen that coming?” As the coin’s value collapsed from $1 to $0.69, then swiftly to $0.00, Token2049 attendees realized they had been left holding a metaphorical bag—not of nuts, but of regrets. The USDN Discord server, once buzzing with “Deez Nuts” jokes and GIFs, quickly turned into a hotbed of panic and desperation. Still, some remained optimistic. “I’m just gonna HODL,” said one determined trader, who refused to sell his now-worthless USDN holdings. “I believe in the long-term vision. Deez nuts always bounce back.” Johnson, unfazed by the collapse, assured investors that USDN would return stronger than ever with a rebranding effort. “Next time, we’ll just call it Deez Nutscoin,” he said. “I think people will really rally behind that. It’s not about the money, it’s about the memes.” In the aftermath of the collapse, the crypto community reflected on the lessons learned from USDN’s spectacular failure. Chief among them: maybe not every meme needs to be a financial product. SINGAPORE — In what many are calling the boldest move in crypto innovation, the latest stablecoin, "USDN" (short for US Deez Nuts), launched at Token2049 with the promise of being a rock-solid, man-pegged asset. Unfortunately, the coin’s value plummeted to zero following sudden post-event clarity, leaving investors grasping for answers—and their wallets. Editor’s note: This article is satire and a creation of the author’s mind. Editor’s note: This article is satire and a creation of the author’s mind. Editor’s note: This article is satire and a creation of the author’s mind. Editor’s note: This article is satire and a creation of the author’s mind. “We wanted a stablecoin that truly represented the resilience of the U.S. dollar,” said USDN's founder, Chad "Diamond Hands" Johnson, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Got Nuts?" on the back. “But also, we wanted it to be fun. You know, like a meme, but serious. That’s where the name came from.” Initially, the coin enjoyed rapid adoption, with hundreds of Token2049 attendees eagerly trading their assets for USDN in the hopes of escaping the volatility of other cryptocurrencies. "I wanted a safe haven for my portfolio," said one trader, moments after swapping his Ethereum for USDN. "Plus, the name is hilarious." However, within hours of launch, USDN's value began to wobble. Investors grew concerned when they discovered that the coin’s stability was, in fact, pegged not to the U.S. dollar but to a complex algorithm based on "vibes" and "hype metrics" from crypto Twitter. “We were blindsided,” admitted Johnson, sipping on a $12 coconut water purchased with real fiat money. “Turns out, pegging a currency to Twitter memes wasn’t the most solid foundation. Who could’ve seen that coming?” As the coin’s value collapsed from $1 to $0.69, then swiftly to $0.00, Token2049 attendees realized they had been left holding a metaphorical bag—not of nuts, but of regrets. The USDN Discord server, once buzzing with “Deez Nuts” jokes and GIFs, quickly turned into a hotbed of panic and desperation. Still, some remained optimistic. “I’m just gonna HODL,” said one determined trader, who refused to sell his now-worthless USDN holdings. “I believe in the long-term vision. Deez nuts always bounce back.” Johnson, unfazed by the collapse, assured investors that USDN would return stronger than ever with a rebranding effort. “Next time, we’ll just call it Deez Nutscoin,” he said. “I think people will really rally behind that. It’s not about the money, it’s about the memes.” In the aftermath of the collapse, the crypto community reflected on the lessons learned from USDN’s spectacular failure. Chief among them: maybe not every meme needs to be a financial product.

US Dollar-Pegged "USDN" (US Deez Nuts) Promises To Penetrate Volatile Market, Fails Spectacularly

Το "USDN" (USDN) που συνδέεται με το δολάριο ΗΠΑ υπόσχεται να διεισδύσει στην ευμετάβλητη αγορά, αποτυγχάνει θεαματικά

El "USDN" (US Deez Nuts), vinculado al dólar estadounidense, promete penetrar en un mercado volátil, pero fracasa espectacularmente

L'USDN (US Deez Nuts), indexé sur le dollar américain, promet de pénétrer un marché volatil, mais échoue lamentablement

"USDN" (US Deez Nuts) המוצמד לדולר ארה"ב מבטיח לחדור לשוק הפכפך, נכשל בצורה מרהיבה

अमेरिकी डॉलर से जुड़े "यूएसडीएन" (यूएस डीज़ नट्स) ने अस्थिर बाजार में पैठ बनाने का वादा किया, लेकिन यह विफल हो गया

"USDN" (US Deez Nuts) ki fikse sou dola ameriken pwomèt pou l antre nan mache temèt, echwe espektakilèman.

ԱՄՆ դոլարով կապված «USDN»-ը (ԱՄՆ Deez Nuts) խոստանում է ներթափանցել անկայուն շուկա, տպավորիչ կերպով ձախողվել է

"USDN" (US Deez Nuts) yang Dipatok pada Dolar AS Berjanji Menembus Pasar yang Bergejolak, Namun Gagal Total

Il dollaro statunitense "USDN" (US Deez Nuts) promette di penetrare il mercato volatile, ma fallisce clamorosamente

米ドルにペッグされた「USDN」（US Deez Nuts）は不安定な市場に浸透すると約束したが、見事に失敗した

ASV dolāram piesaistītais "USDN" (ASV Deez Nuts) sola iekļūt nestabilajā tirgū, iespaidīgi neizdodas

„USDN“ поврзан со американски долари (US Deez Nuts) ветува дека ќе навлезе во нестабилниот пазар, спектакуларно не успеа

Not every day can you meet people like Joel Dietz, Founding Member of , Architect of MetaMask, and the Founder of MetaMetaverse. I sat down with Joel to chat about Web3 technologies, innovation, and our future as he sees it. Ethereum What's your current role and what do you like about it? I founded the , and am currently running it as CEO. I'm also the lead language designer of the __ __language and metaurl protocol. We believe we have the best secret sauce for uniting all metaverses and becoming the platform of choice for individuals, DAOs, and businesses in building their metaverse. We focus on the experience of the Web3 travelers, and engagement throughout their journey traversing our cosmic system with a narrative to give travelers purpose when initiating their launch sequence. In the past, I was a founding member of Ethereum and the founding architect of . I have over a decade of experience in Ethereum development, governance protocols, cryptoeconomics, and establishing legal standards for utility tokens at Harvard and MIT. MetaMetaverse metalambda MetaMask How and when did you get into programming? I was always a logical thinker. I think of myself more as a thinker, rather than just a programmer. I first started programming games, but later my research interests focused on the confluence of blockchain network topologies and swarm intelligence, especially how the principles within decentralized organizations can be used to fuel global innovation. I also worked on holonic philosophy, the evolution of jurisprudence, data-driven approaches to innovation, and smart city data architecture. What's your earliest memory of learning to code? Very long ago. I think I was about six years old and started with Qbasic, and this cool magazine called 3-2-1 contact that used to have basic programming challenges. Not to show my age, but I think nowadays a lot has changed within the sector. When Elon Musk achieves his dream of getting us to Mars, what technology do you think would be important on Mars and why? Well, once the dream becomes a reality the next step needed would be one of Horticulture, they say Martian soil has some nutrients which plants need to grow and survive. But because of Mars's extremely cold conditions, plants such as Watney's potatoes would need to grow inside a controlled environment. This technology might already be around to sustain this growth. Another important step would be transportation, outside of the obvious necessity of providing appropriate tech and science to have individuals being able to breathe air freely. What's a programming language that you would build EVERYTHING and ANYTHING in and why? I love metalambda because it is the first language oriented about generating your own metaverses, simulations, and virtual reality. MetaLambdas are cross-platform functions that accompany computational lifeforms such as anticipated by Von Neumann in his Universal Constructor Theory. What's something you think Software developers do not do enough of? I believe software developers nowadays need to focus more on QA, effectively making sure they read their own code and making sure it works in that scenario. Planning out the purpose of building that code is another one of major importance, rather than building it because it ‘ended up in your lap.’ Writing test coverage is another thing. For those who do not know what that is, it’s a technique that determines whether our test cases are actually covering the application code, and how much code is exercised when we run those test cases. Build it with integration in mind - this is of the utmost importance nowadays given flexibility and robustness are of the highest necessity. A solid life balance is significant. Honestly, more developers need to cut time away from their computers and enjoy life a bit. Sometimes individuals who are constantly coding become lost in their work, and mistakes become abundant. What is your least favorite thing about programming? This goes back to my previous answer, it’s very easy for programmers to become introverted, with lots of people ending up not understanding you. It ends up being easier for people with bad intentions to take advantage of you. That’s why a solid life balance is important. What’s a technology you’re currently learning or excited to learn? There are too many, time is the issue. Currently, I’m looking at Pickover, who has a list of esoteric languages, and, in general, I like these very obscure programming languages. Time travel 10 years into the past or 10 years into the future? What does technology look like? Give reasons for your answer. In my opinion, I feel as if Telepathy will be the new frontier for the future. Imagine having the element of a smarter, sharper AI connected to your mind, and having the possibility to manipulate 3D space. The implications of this would be incredible. I’ll also be chatting with Joel about metaverses in twenty years on stage during Badass Show, an edutainment talk show about Web3, that I’m launching as a host during on November 2nd. I can’t wait for hundreds of people to see the show live at WOW, and millions - online. WOW Summit Lisbon Learn more about the summit here.

Meet Joel Dietz, Founding Member of Ethereum, MetaMask Architect, and CEO of MetaMetaverse

Conozca a Joel Dietz, miembro fundador de Ethereum, arquitecto de MetaMask y director ejecutivo de MetaMetaverse

Rencontrez Joel Dietz, membre fondateur d'Ethereum, architecte MetaMask et PDG de MetaMetaverse

जोएल डाइट्ज़, एथेरियम के संस्थापक सदस्य, मेटामास्क आर्किटेक्ट और मेटामेटावर्स के सीईओ से मिलें

イーサリアムの創設メンバーであり、MetaMask アーキテクトであり、MetaMetaverse の CEO である Joel Dietz に会いましょう

Conheça Joel Dietz, membro fundador da Ethereum, MetaMask Architect e CEO da MetaMetaverse

Gặp gỡ Joel Dietz, Thành viên sáng lập Ethereum, Kiến trúc sư MetaMask và Giám đốc điều hành của MetaMetaverse

认识以太坊创始成员、MetaMask 架构师和 MetaMetaverse 首席执行官 Joel Dietz

Original photo by Frida Aguilar Estrada at ; Logos are from the respective companies Unsplash Recently, for our Information Technology Entrepreneurship class, we students were split into groups, and each group had to compare and analyze a set of related apps. Our group decided to analyze music apps, particularly the ones that are the most popular but are also accessible here in the Philippines. So we picked Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. We analyzed each app’s history, features, UX Design, and marketing strategies. Here’s five of the lessons I learned and uncovered from the research we made as a group. #1: Your number of users and success has nothing to do with how long you’ve been operating. “Success doesn’t just come and find you, you have to go out and get it.” Spotify was officially founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in Sweden. Since then, it’s grown to have over and as of July 2017. back in 2006 140 million active users 60 million paid subscribers Spotify’s user growth On the other hand, Deezer was founded about the same time. It was founded by Daniel Marhely and Jonathan Benassaya , and it operates out of Paris. Deezer is also similar in terms of features to Spotify. back in 2007 However, Deezer currently and as of Jan. 2017. It now mainly focuses on selected markets in Latin America, Africa and Asia. only has 10 million active users as of Dec. 2016, 6.9 million paid subscribers are growing, but not growing that fast Deezer’s paid subscribers Meanwhile, Apple Music was . However, it’s already grown to have . only launched in June 30, 2015 30 million paid users as of Sept. 2017 Apple Music is catching up to Spotify. In just 2 years, they have as Spotify. half as many paid subscribers Of course, Apple Music benefits from the brand of Apple and its partnerships with record labels, plus it made the app available on all new iPhones after it launched. But I was still surprised to learn they had this many paid users in just 2 years. #2: Apps can’t help but copy each other “The best compliment someone could give you is to copy you.” As we’ve seen in how Facebook and Instagram are copying Snapchat’s features, music apps love to copy each other’s features as well. They even copy each other’s pricing: P129 = 129 Philippine Pesos, which is only 2.54 USD. Spotify is way cheaper in the Philippines than in the US. As you can see above, all three music apps have the same prices for their premium and family plans. The only key differences are 1) Apple Music doesn’t have a free plan, and 2) Spotify priced their family plan cheaper by 5 pesos in the Philippines. Moreover, all three music apps also have the same basic set of features for their free and paid versions (except Apple Music, since it has no free version): Spotify and Deezer’s free plans have the same features All 3 apps have the same base set of features for their paid plans Spotify was the true trendsetter in terms of its pricing and its features, and they are the leader in this category, so it is smart for Apple Music and Deezer to just copy their pricing and features. But this leads me to my next point: #3: If there’s nothing setting your app apart, there’s no reason for me to keep it on my phone “Don’t be afraid of being different; be afraid of being the same as everyone else.” For the group work, we split up different parts of the research so each of us in the group had something to work on. I volunteered to analyze each app’s UX and features because I was very curious about their differences. Being a UI/UX designer myself and having interned as one recently, I wanted to use this as an exercise to critique each app’s UX and features. I’ve already been a Spotify user for 3 years and a premium user for a few months, but I haven’t used Apple Music and Deezer. So for this study, I downloaded and signed up for each app as if I was a new user, even for Spotify. I tried out all apps’ free versions and paid versions. Here’s what I found to be each app’s differentiating features in their paid plans: Spotify’s Differentiating Features (4): and Connect Behind The Lyrics and for your country Public Playlists Top Charts Spotify has four differentiating features. Spotify Connect lets you use one device to be a Spotify remote for another device. Behind the Lyrics lets you view lyrics and trivia to a song. And although Apple Music also lets you listen to your friends or other people’s playlists, Spotify’s public playlists are definitely more popular and widely used, so I’d call it Spotify’s differentiating feature. Apple Music’s Differentiating Features (1): Meanwhile, Apple Music only has one differentiating feature: its ‘Connect’ feature. This feature lets you see updates from artists you like on Apple Music. In fact, when you first go in to Apple Music, you’ll see a feed of their recent posts. You can also comment and like. Apple Music’s feature Connect Although the other apps have nothing like this, most fans are used to seeing updates on their artists on other platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, so it’s tough to see this catching on. Deezer’s Differentiating Features (2): Lastly, Deezer actually has 2 differentiating features: its Flow playlist and its ‘karaoke-style’ lyrics feature. Deezer’s and Features Flow Playlist Lyrics Deezer’s Flow playlist is basically the app’s main playlist for you. It plays the songs it thinks you’ll love, based on the artists, songs, and albums you’ve ‘liked’ on Deezer. While I was using it, it did play songs I like, and I loved the simplicity of it. Deezer puts Flow as the main section when you open the app, so it doesn’t let you get lost in other playlists. It’s perfect for if you’re not too picky about what you listen to and don’t want to get lost in choices, which I often do in Spotify. Also, Deezer’s karaoke-style lyrics are one-of-a-kind. Basically, the lyrics are highlighted as they are sung in the song, so it makes it easier to memorize and sing along to. Spotify only shows you a few lyrics with its Behind the Lyrics feature, and Apple Music just shows you the lyrics as a block of text at the bottom, so Deezer definitely wins here. How I’d rank them: Because of this, if I had to rank the three apps based on their UX and features, I’d rank . Spotify first, Deezer second, and Apple Music third Although Apple Music is a very well-made app, Deezer’s karaoke-style lyrics and Flow playlist make it differentiated and more useful than Apple Music. That being said, I don’t see why anyone would ever switch from Spotify to Deezer or Apple Music permanently, and it’s because of this: #4: Spotify’s features and network effects make it hard for users to switch to a new app. “What does a company with large cash flows far into the future look like?…they usually share some combination of the following characteristics: proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale, and branding.” — Peter Thiel In 2009, Mark Zuckerberg famously sent out this status on Facebook: mhmm, Spotify is so good 2 years later, Spotify launched its integration with Facebook. This was vital to Spotify’s popularity, because users were now able to see what their friends are listening to on Facebook and go to Spotify to listen to it. Spotify took off after that, and as you can see below, they’ve exponentially increased their number of paying Spotify subscribers. This is the true result of network effects. Spotify got more valuable and useful as more people used it, so it just kept growing. Picture credit So if you’re a current user of Spotify, most of your friends probably are as well. And there’s such a high cost to switching music apps that you wouldn’t want to ever leave Spotify. You’d have to re-download all your favorite songs, recreate all of your playlists, and you wouldn’t be able to access the playlists you follow on Spotify on the new music app. So this leads me to my last insight: #5: Spotify will continue to be the leader among music apps in the future. Although I had a hunch that Spotify would have the best UX and features even before this study, doing this comparative study made me realize why they’re the best even more. Their features, network effects, and marketing strategies are all brilliant. Of course they still have their issues — after all, and continue to lose millions every year. But as long as they continue to innovate and reach more users, Spotify will always be the market leader here. they’re still not profitable Connect Deeper If you liked this article, please mash that clap button or leave a response below! Every clap helps me reach more people with my writing :) Brian Tan is a 20-year-old writer, UI/UX designer and front-end web developer from the Philippines. He’s also the co-founder and CEO of HangTime — a web app built to help students create and share class schedules with each other. Get in touch with him at brian@hangtimeapp.com.

5 Things I Learned From My Comparative Study of Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer

How to Improve the Accuracy of Online Ratings for AI Chatbots and Virtual Assistants

Solana’s recent governance vote on the SIMD-228 proposal, which put forward the idea of lowering Solana’s inflation rate and boosting staking, showed the network can effectively handle major voting decisions without a hitch on the technical level. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen throughput on the network increasing to accommodate the huge volume of memecoin trading. However, one major hurdle remains on its path to becoming the “Nasdaq on the blockchain” – MEV bots. Solana’s recent governance vote on the SIMD-228 proposal, which put forward the idea of lowering Solana’s inflation rate and boosting staking, showed the network can effectively handle major voting decisions without a hitch on the technical level. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen throughput on the network increasing to accommodate the huge volume of memecoin trading. However, one major hurdle remains on its path to becoming the “Nasdaq on the blockchain” – MEV bots. “Nasdaq on the blockchain” MEV stands for maximum extractable value and refers to the additional profit that can be made from a transaction. MEV is like waiting in line at a store checkout, having someone cut in front of you to buy everything in sight, and then selling it back to the rest of the line at a higher price. The MEV problem So how do MEV bots actually work? When you make a transaction, like buying or swapping tokens, that transaction goes into a waiting area, generally called a mempool, before it’s added to a blockchain. Validators – the people or computers that add blocks to the chain – or bots can see these waiting transactions. They sometimes reorder or add their own transactions first to make a profit, often paying huge fees to cut in line. Advocates see MEV as a byproduct of a healthy network and free market mechanics, while others stress the downsides for users. Whichever camp you find yourself in, though, MEV bots have been responsible for huge losses due to front-running and sandwich attacks. For example, Ethereum saw a total of $675 million extracted through MEV between December 2019 to September 2022. total of $675 million extracted total of $675 million extracted However, since 2024, Solana has been seeing a marked uptick in MEV activity due to sandwich bots. This means traders on Solana are losing profits on a daily basis to MEV bots. As such, unless the ecosystem figures out a way to approach the challenges posed by MEV, it threatens Solana's goal of providing distributed financial services at the speed of light. marked uptick in MEV marked uptick in MEV MEV on Solana is different The thing is, MEV is intrinsic to all blockchains, especially when block proposers rotate. It’s not unusual for validators on any blockchain to manipulate transactions to extract profit. This can occur during NFT mints, liquidations, swaps, or by exploiting arbitrage opportunities. Not all MEV is bad, though, but certainly sandwiching and frontrunning are. \ Due to Solana's speed and architecture, however, certain types of MEVs are naturally eliminated, and network participants' ability to extract value hinges on their ability to outperform the time to finality of Solana transactions. Moreover, since Solana doesn't have a mempool, MEV searchers have to integrate with existing high-stake node operators to see potential value extraction opportunities. Mempools aren't the solution However, without a place to queue transfers, there's no other way than simply trying again when a transfer fails. To fix this, in 2023, Jito launched a protocol off-chain that auctioned partial blockspace, providing inclusion guarantees for sets of transactions called bundles. The aim of creating an auction mechanism off-chain was to increase efficiency and reduce spam. While this move pulled existing MEV activity into the open, mitigated some of the front-running activities, and established a transparent auction mechanism, the lack of solid MEV protection tools still left the end user at a severe disadvantage. As complaints from DeFi protocols and users mounted, Jito Labs shut down its mempool entirely. But Pandora's box had been opened, and private, even less beneficial mempools took its place. Centralization risks According to a Helius report earlier this year, much of the MEV revenue results from sandwich attacks and accrues to just one centralized entity (DeezNode). This suggests that while Jito’s memepool was at least allowing this to happen transparently, these attacks have now moved into the dark. report report sandwich attacks sandwich attacks The key concern here is that if those validators that extract more value are left unchecked, it will be a permanent drag to Solana users. In short, fixing MEV is not solely about creating a network that disincentivizes validators from lining their pockets with profits they sandwiched out of memecoin traders; it's also about ensuring the integrity and decentralization of the network. The search for a fix MEV is a natural part of every blockchain network, but currently, it's benefitting a few at the expense of many. And this problem will likely increase exponentially, with Jito Co-Founder Zano Sherwani predicting MEV will become a billion-dollar sector. sector sector Ethereum addressed its MEV problem mainly by establishing a transparent marketplace for it. This is complemented by various tools, including MEV-protection bots and RPCs, that aim to protect users from MEV. On Solana, suggestions to address the issue include whitelists – a last-resort option as it would lead to potential censorship – implementing RFQ systems, which replace AMMs with professional market makers to provide fair pricing to end-users, and protocol changes. However, protocol changes, such as introducing concurrent leaders throughout the block production process to prevent one from becoming the target of MEV bots, will take years to implement. We might not have years to find ways to address MEV on Solana, as users quickly move away once they are burned. concurrent concurrent Emerging solutions Fortunately, MEV research on Solana has picked up, and while developers are working on protocol changes, there are plenty of things other network participants are delivering. Ellipsis Labs, for example, recently launched its first experimental sandwich-resistant AMM. AMM AMM Meanwhile, Titan’s swap feature gives users more control with live updates that cuts the time it takes to execute a swap, reducing the attack surface by reducing expected slippage. Jito bundles are also used extensively to provide further protection from searchers. Another app-layer approach is implementing dynamic slippage, where the Talos algorithm, powered by statistics and machine learning, adjusts in real time to reduce negative slippage. Lastly, mirroring how TradFi is kept in check through the social layer, Solana stakers could stir network behavior by staking their funds with validators that don't engage in malicious practices. Simple, yet effective. A combination of stronger MEV protection, protocol layer changes, and social layer influence is a strong base for creating a better network for everyone involved. Only once Solana effectively addresses MEV can it truly shine as the mainstream blockchain it was designed to be.

Solana Needs to Fix Its MEV Problem

سولانا بحاجة إلى إصلاح مشكلة المركبات الكهربائية متعددة الاستخدامات

Solana MEV problemini düzəltmək lazımdır

Solana трябва да реши проблема си с MEV

Solana necesita solucionar su problema con los vehículos eléctricos

سولانا باید مشکل MEV خود را برطرف کند

Solana Perlu Memperbaiki Masalah MEVnya

SolanaはMEVの問題を修正する必要がある

Solana უნდა გადაიხადოს მისი MEV პრობლემა

លោក Solana មានតម្រូវការដើម្បីដោះស្រាយបញ្ហា MEV របស់គាត់

ERROR: invalid target_lang (rw)

සොලානාට එහි MEV ගැටලුව විසඳා ගැනීමට අවශ්‍යයි

Solana Yi Lava Ku Lulamisa Xiphiqo Xa Yona Xa MEV

Last June, I spoke at Berlin Buzzwords. In all honesty, I rarely attend others' talks for a variety of reasons: lack of time, lack of energy, no interest in the proposed subjects, etc. When I do, I go either for subjects I know and want to deepen my understanding of or for subjects I know nothing about to get a foot in the door. This time, I attended Monitoring your home, with DevOps observability tools. I thought it would be about OpenTelemetry for your home. After the speaker mentioned Home Assistant, however, I didn't pay much attention to the rest. Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. I have many different "smart" devices at home and no centralized system to manage them all. Plus, I'm concerned about privacy and am an ardent Open Source proponent. I immediately decided to invest in Home Assistant. In the first post of this series, I describe my current context and goals. The context includes a collection of 'smart' devices at home, each managed separately without a centralized system. My goals are to enhance privacy and control by adopting an open-source, local-first approach to home automation. My Existing Infrastructure My smart home didn't start as a conscious thought but as a speaker's gift of DevFest Vienna. In 2018, Google wanted to promote Google Home Mini, which was part of the package. I put it in my living room, but it delivered little value besides answering a few questions. Soon afterward, a then-colleague gave me a regular Google Home. I moved the Mini to my office and put the regular one in its place. At this point, I had a Deezer account (think Spotify, but French), so I could listen to music by asking Google. With these two assistant devices, I decided to acquire smart lamps, which I could switch on and off with a voice command. I don't remember why, but I set my eyes on a Philips Hue pack. With the solution, you need a dedicated Hub that needs to be physically connected to the network with a cable—no Wi-Fi is possible. I installed lights in a couple of rooms; their setup is relatively easy via the dedicated Hue mobile app. Icing on the cake, the lights were easily imported into Google Home. Through the app, I discovered that the Hub could manage sensors. I configured one to switch on the toilets' light. If the sensor detected no activity, it would switch off after a set period. I was happy with the setup, with one exception: if anybody pressed the button to switch on the light, it would achieve its goal, but I wouldn't be able to control it vocally later. In rooms with people coming in regularly, it defeats the purpose. Worse, people naturally switched off the light when they left the toilets, so the sensor didn't switch on the light back again. The next logical step was to acquire smart switches to fix this issue, which I installed in the relevant rooms. My Goals Everything works as expected. Still, some improvements are in order. I rely on two different providers, Philips and Hue. They do whatever they want with my data, although I unchecked every possible checkbox I could. I can live with it, but I still dislike the lack of privacy. I'd like a local but centralized entry point to monitor and command my devices. These limitations often leave me feeling frustrated and restricted in my choices. They must be compatible with either one or the other. I have other devices which I want to manage, but I can't. This was an introductory post. In the following posts of this series, I'll delve deeper into a specific subject. Stay tuned! To go further: Home Assistant Originally published on A Java Geek on November 25th, 2024 Last June, I spoke at Berlin Buzzwords . In all honesty, I rarely attend others' talks for a variety of reasons: lack of time, lack of energy, no interest in the proposed subjects, etc. When I do, I go either for subjects I know and want to deepen my understanding of or for subjects I know nothing about to get a foot in the door. Berlin Buzzwords or This time, I attended Monitoring your home, with DevOps observability tools . I thought it would be about OpenTelemetry for your home. After the speaker mentioned Home Assistant , however, I didn't pay much attention to the rest. Monitoring your home, with DevOps observability tools Home Assistant Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. I have many different "smart" devices at home and no centralized system to manage them all. Plus, I'm concerned about privacy and am an ardent Open Source proponent. I immediately decided to invest in Home Assistant. In the first post of this series, I describe my current context and goals. The context includes a collection of 'smart' devices at home, each managed separately without a centralized system. My goals are to enhance privacy and control by adopting an open-source, local-first approach to home automation. My Existing Infrastructure My smart home didn't start as a conscious thought but as a speaker's gift of DevFest Vienna . In 2018, Google wanted to promote Google Home Mini, which was part of the package. I put it in my living room, but it delivered little value besides answering a few questions. Soon afterward, a then-colleague gave me a regular Google Home. DevFest Vienna I moved the Mini to my office and put the regular one in its place. At this point, I had a Deezer account (think Spotify, but French), so I could listen to music by asking Google. With these two assistant devices, I decided to acquire smart lamps, which I could switch on and off with a voice command. I don't remember why, but I set my eyes on a Philips Hue pack. With the solution, you need a dedicated Hub that needs to be physically connected to the network with a cable—no Wi-Fi is possible. I installed lights in a couple of rooms; their setup is relatively easy via the dedicated Hue mobile app. Icing on the cake, the lights were easily imported into Google Home. Through the app, I discovered that the Hub could manage sensors. I configured one to switch on the toilets' light. If the sensor detected no activity, it would switch off after a set period. I was happy with the setup, with one exception: if anybody pressed the button to switch on the light, it would achieve its goal, but I wouldn't be able to control it vocally later. In rooms with people coming in regularly, it defeats the purpose. Worse, people naturally switched off the light when they left the toilets, so the sensor didn't switch on the light back again. The next logical step was to acquire smart switches to fix this issue, which I installed in the relevant rooms. My Goals Everything works as expected. Still, some improvements are in order. I rely on two different providers, Philips and Hue. They do whatever they want with my data, although I unchecked every possible checkbox I could. I can live with it, but I still dislike the lack of privacy. I'd like a local but centralized entry point to monitor and command my devices. local centralized These limitations often leave me feeling frustrated and restricted in my choices. They must be compatible with either one or the other. I have other devices which I want to manage, but I can't. This was an introductory post. In the following posts of this series, I'll delve deeper into a specific subject. Stay tuned! To go further: To go further: Home Assistant Home Assistant Originally published on A Java Geek on November 25th, 2024 Originally published on A Java Geek on November 25th, 2024 A Java Geek

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