Test Your Business Idea Without Breaking the Bank: Try the ‘Mousetrap’ Model

Aprajita Sagar
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Test Your Business Idea Without Breaking the Bank: Try the ‘Mousetrap’ Model

Many believe entrepreneurs should make products then sell, but a better approach can boost success.

This article sheds light on-

  • Learn to make a quick test version of your product to see if people like it
  • Find the best place to show your ads online, decide how much money to spend, and plan your ads
  • Understand the important numbers to look at when you start advertising
  • Make a list of people who show interest in your product from your ads, they could be your first customers

Marketing Strategy Overall for your Business

Your business will use different marketing methods, and you need a good overall marketing plan. This tactic focuses on using online ads early on. Online ads give you more control over who sees your ads compared to other types of marketing, especially when you’re just starting or trying to reach new customer groups. Online ads are also cheaper and let you run small experiments.

With online ads, you can choose exactly who sees your ads, unlike a billboard that anyone can see. This saves you money by targeting only people in your main market and saves time by focusing on potential customers.

  • Online ads give you data to improve future ads.
  • They let you test new ideas quickly.
  • For new businesses, they’re great, but long-term success needs a full marketing plan.
  • Online ads might not always be the best choice.
  • Every business need marketing, not just sales.

What is a Mousetrap Model and how to use it?

“Mousetraps” help you see if people like your idea before making it. You set up a simple test (like a webpage) with your idea to see if people are interested. If they are, they might sign up for more information or even buy it. It’s like testing different baits to catch a mouse; you want to see what works best to attract customers.

Setting up these tests is easy and cheap. Keep the test simple so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

  • Landing pages for testing need just one image that shows who you’re targeting, the problem, or the solution. They should also have a headline and a few lines of text. Avoid using catchy phrases or listing features, especially if you haven’t made them yet.
  • To test your product, run an ad online targeting your ideal customer. The ad should have similar visuals and message as your landing page.
  • After running the ad, see how many people click on it and provide their information on the landing page. This will tell you if your target customers are interested in your product.

To Wrap Up

Creating multiple versions of your landing pages and ads with different messages can help you find the best way to market your product. By changing the wording, highlighting different benefits, or rearranging the selling points, you can see which version attracts more customers. This way, when you start spending more money on advertising, you’ll know you’re using the most effective approach.

FAQs

What is the ‘Mousetrap’ model?

The ‘Mousetrap’ model is a strategy for testing business ideas by creating simple, low-cost prototypes to gauge customer interest and gather feedback before investing significant time and resources.

How does the ‘Mousetrap’ model work?

The ‘Mousetrap’ model involves creating basic versions of your product or service, known as ‘mousetraps,’ to test different value propositions and marketing strategies. By quickly iterating and testing these prototypes, you can gather valuable insights to refine your offering

Why should one use the ‘Mousetrap’ model?

The ‘Mousetrap’ model allows you to test your business idea without making a large financial investment upfront. By gathering feedback early in the process, you can identify potential issues and make improvements before launching your product or service

What are the key benefits of the ‘Mousetrap’ model?

Some key benefits of the ‘Mousetrap’ model include:

Minimizing financial risk by testing ideas with low-cost prototypes
Validating customer interest and refining your value proposition
Identifying the most effective marketing strategies before scaling up

How can one implement the ‘Mousetrap’ model for my business?

To implement the ‘Mousetrap’ model, start by identifying your target market and creating a simple prototype of your product or service. Test different value propositions and marketing strategies with your target audience to gather feedback and refine your offering based on their responses. Repeat this process iteratively to optimize your product and go-to-market strategy.

Tata Steel Collaborates with Deeptech Start-ups for advancement

Aprajita Sagar
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Tata Steel Collaborates with Deeptech Start-ups for advancement

About the Advancement

Tata Steel is a well-respected name in Indian business, with a history spanning over 115 years. As a key player in India’s industrial growth, the company is adapting to the changing technological world. In the past five years, Tata Steel has collaborated with startups through its Innoventure program. And this initiative has involved about 1,200 startups working together to solve challenges in the steel industry using new technologies.

One big challenge is reducing carbon emissions, especially in the steel industry. This industry uses a lot of energy and creates a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a major contributor to climate change. According to the World Steel Association, the steel industry contributes about 8% of global CO2 emissions.

Another issue is that even though the demand for steel in India is growing rapidly, many Indian steel plants aren’t operating at full capacity. Their potential capacity is rarely used beyond 80%.

Tata Steel is exploring collaborations with deeptech startups to improve processes in major areas like energy management, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotics, and sustainability. In 2022, it partnered with a deeptech startup called TuTr to implement Hyperloop technology on a large scale. The company is also working with academic institutions such as IIT Madras, Cambridge University, and Imperial College of London, as well as with incubators and accelerators.

Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President of Technology and R&D at Tata Steel, acknowledges that working with startups has made the company more agile and open-minded. He highlighted, “We can leverage the creativity, enthusiasm, and agility of these deep-tech startups to quickly adopt new technologies.”

He also added, “Tata Steel has two main goals: first, to become a technology leader, a position it has been working towards since 2017; and second, to adapt to the rapid changes in the external world that affect its business.

While Tata Steel has traditionally focused its research, development, and technology on its core areas such as mines, minerals, coatings, and mainstream steelmaking processes, it now recognizes the growing importance of external factors like CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and water conservation.

To stay ahead, Tata Steel is collaborating with academia and deeptech startups. These startups have already tested their ideas at universities and can help Tata Steel quickly adopt new technologies and innovations, allowing the company to move ahead of the curve.”

Tata Steel works with startups based on themes that match its needs. Through the Innoventure programme, Tata Steel connects with deeptech startups. These startups are grouped into categories like safety, carbon capture, hydrogen, and AI, important for Tata Steel. Screening and pitch sessions help select the startups. Over the last five years, Tata Steel has tried out ideas from about 40 startups at its plants. Pilot plants, funded by grants, are set up for this purpose. Successful startups can then use their technologies in other sectors, benefiting from Tata Steel’s experience. This approach helps startups grow.

FAQs

What is a Deeptech Startup?

Deep technology startups are essentially innovative organizations that focus on leveraging advanced technology to solve complex real-world problems. These businesses are an offshoot of the startup ecosystem that prioritizes groundbreaking scientific discoveries and technological advancements

What does Deeptech work with?

Deep tech startups typically concentrate on transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, blockchain, biotechnology, quantum computing, and more. These organizations navigate uncharted territories, aspiring to make a significant impact on industries and society as a whole.

What are the challenges Deeptech counter?

Deep tech startups often tackle issues of significant complexity and scale. These could range from climate change and energy efficiency to healthcare, financial systems, and space exploration. They seek to develop products and solutions that can drastically alter existing paradigms or create entirely new ones.

OpenAI Enhances DALL-E with Image Editing and ChatGPT Integration

Aprajita Sagar
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0
OpenAI Enhances DALL-E with Image Editing and ChatGPT Integration

OpenAI’s DALL-E has received a major upgrade, adding new editing capabilities to the AI platform. The first version of DALL-E was announced in January 2021, and now, three years later, the third generation, DALL-E 3, has been released to ChatGPT, ChatGPT Plus, and ChatGPT Enterprise customers in October. This update brings image editing tools to DALL-E when using it within ChatGPT.

OpenAI’s DALL-E, the image generation model, now has new features to make creating AI-generated images easier and more inspiring. Users can now edit images directly within ChatGPT, whether on the web or mobile, streamlining the creative process.

The new features are available on both web and mobile. One of the key additions is preset style suggestions, similar to AI-generated wallpaper prompts on Android, which help enhance image creation. OpenAI has also informed users about the update through a post on X. Users can now edit DALL-E images in ChatGPT on the web, iOS, and Android.

The latest version of DALL-E focuses on improving user-friendliness, including integrating with ChatGPT to simplify image creation. These updates aim to make it easier for users to express their ideas.

The new style prompts are designed for both experienced creators and beginners, offering a starting point for those facing a creative block. With predefined styles and examples, DALL-E helps users start their creative projects with confidence, while still encouraging them to experiment and express their unique style. DALL-E has introduced style suggestions to spark creativity, similar to Android’s wallpaper prompts. These suggestions, ranging from woodcut to gothic, synthwave to hand-drawn, come with examples to help users choose their preferred style.

A new ‘select’ button allows users to highlight specific sections of images for editing. Users can change the design of objects in an image or add new ones. The update also includes usability features such as undo and redo buttons. Users can adjust the aspect ratio of the image and access new style suggestions.

While AI keeps advancing, trust in AI-generated content is still a concern. OpenAI is trying to address this with DALL-E 3 by adding visible watermarks and metadata to AI-created images. It’s a positive step, but ensuring content is tamper-proof remains a challenge that needs new ideas and cooperation.

7 Best Deepfake Apps and Websites You Can Try for Fun

Aprajita Sagar
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0
7 Best Deepfake Apps and Websites You Can Try for Fun

Deepfake technology is a fascinating and innovative tool that can produce incredibly realistic fake videos or images. For instance, Lensa AI is a popular app known for its ability to smoothly create these types of convincing fake portraits. While it’s enjoyable to experiment with such technology, it’s important to exercise caution, as deepfake videos have the potential to create serious issues.

One of the main concerns surrounding deepfake technology is its potential for misuse. These videos can be used to depict individuals saying or doing things they never actually did, leading to various problems such as misinformation, defamation, and privacy violations. As such, it’s crucial to approach the use of deepfake apps and websites with care and responsibility.

Despite these concerns, there are many safe and educational applications of deepfake technology. In this article, we’ve curated a list of seven deepfake apps and websites that are both safe to use and can provide valuable insights into concepts like machine learning, image recognition, and computer vision. These tools can be a fun and engaging way to learn about modern technologies while also enjoying the creative possibilities they offer.

7 Best Deepfake Apps and Websites

Deepfakes Web

Deepfakes Web is a tool you can use online to make deepfake videos. It uses advanced technology called deep learning to understand and copy different aspects of faces. It takes about 4 hours for Deepfakes Web to learn and understand from the videos and images you provide. After that, it takes another 30 minutes to switch the faces using what it learned. The free version of Deepfakes Web will give you the deepfake video after about 5 hours, while the premium version will do it much faster, in just 1 hour.

Even with the help of powerful computers in the cloud, creating deepfake videos can still take a long time to finish. However, if you’re interested in experimenting with making deepfake videos for computer vision research, you can give Deepfakes web a try.

Deepfakes Web

  • Platform: Web-based.
  • Features: Allows users to create deepfake videos with their own faces.
  • Ease of Use: Requires some technical knowledge to use effectively.
  • Accessibility: Can be accessed from any device with a web browser.

Reface

The company who made Doublicat have changed its name to Reface, named after Reface AI. Reface AI is the smart computer program that runs the app. Using the app is simple: just take a picture of yourself and pick a GIF you like. The app will then put your face on the GIF. It might not always look perfect because it depends on how symmetrical your face is and the GIF you choose. However, since there are so many GIFs online, you’ll always find something fun to try.

Reface

  • Platform: Mobile app (iOS and Android).
  • Features: Allows users to swap faces in videos and GIFs with celebrities or other characters.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface, suitable for beginners.
  • Accessibility: Available for download on mobile app stores.

Lensa AI

Lensa AI is a popular app that’s getting a lot of attention for making AI portraits. It’s not exactly like deepfake because it doesn’t put your face on other people’s bodies or in videos. Instead, it can create realistic portraits of you or anyone else using just a few selfies. The app can even make portraits in different styles, like superheroes or anime. While the app is free for basic use, if you want to make portraits, you’ll need to pay for each set or subscribe to the premium version. Lensa AI consistently produces impressive results, and you’ll likely enjoy the photos it creates.

Lensa AI

  • Platform: Mobile app (iOS and Android).
  • Features: Offers AI-based editing tools for enhancing portraits and selfies.
  • Ease of Use: Easy to use with intuitive editing features.
  • Accessibility: Available for download on mobile app stores.

MyHeritage

There’s another popular deepfake app called MyHeritage that you might want to try. It has a feature called Deep Nostalgia, which also became famous on social media. This feature lets you bring old photos to life by animating them. To use it, you just need to upload a picture and click the animate button. In a few seconds, you’ll see the image animated, with the face, eyes, and mouth moving as if it’s from the magical newspaper The Daily Prophet in Harry Potter.

MyHeritage

  • Platform: Web-based and mobile app (iOS and Android).
  • Features: Offers a deep nostalgia feature that animates old photos.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface for animating photos.
  • Accessibility: Can be accessed through the web or downloaded as a mobile app.

FaceApp

FaceApp is an amazing app that lets you do fun things with your photos. You can make yourself look older, give yourself a big smile, and more. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make the changes look real. It’s not just for fun; you can also use it to make old photos look better by adding smiles to them. It’s a great way to have fun with friends and make your photos more interesting!

FaceApp

  • Platform: Mobile app (iOS and Android).
  • Features: Offers a wide range of AI-based editing tools for photos, including age transformation and gender swapping.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface with a variety of editing options.
  • Accessibility: Available for download on mobile app stores.

Avatarify

Next, let’s talk about Avatarify, an AI-powered app that brings images to life by animating faces. It works like other deepfake apps but offers more features. You can add audio effects, sync head movements to songs, and use various memes for fun effects. Avatarify also has a Live Mode, allowing you to record your face and voice and overlay them onto avatars in real-time. You can share these recordings on the app. While there’s a paid version without watermarks, Avatarify is great for casual use and is one of the top deepfake apps available.

Avatarify

  • Platform: Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux).
  • Features: Allows users to animate images using the faces of celebrities or other characters.
  • Ease of Use: Requires some technical knowledge to set up and use.
  • Accessibility: Can be downloaded and installed on desktop computers.

Deep Art

Deep Art is another popular app. Although, it’s not for making deepfake videos, but it can create deepfake images inspired by art, ancient buildings, and paintings. While there are many similar apps, what makes Deep Art unique is that it uses AI to turn any photo into artwork. The advanced algorithm is inspired by the human brain and uses styles from famous artworks to make artistic images. Deep Art learns from the works of many artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, and more. If you want to try something artistic, Deep Art is the best app to use.

Deep Art-

  • Platform: Web-based.
  • Features: Offers artistic filters and styles to apply to photos.
  • Ease of Use: User-friendly interface for applying artistic effects to photos.
  • Accessibility: Can be accessed from any device with a web browser.

Note- Even though deepfake technology isn’t perfect at fooling people, it’s crucial to use it ethically. Don’t use deepfakes for illegal things, and never use someone else’s pictures or videos without asking them first.

FAQS

What is a deepfake?

A deepfake is a type of synthetic media generated using deep learning techniques to manipulate visual or audio content to depict something that didn’t occur in reality.

Are deepfake apps legal to use?

The legality of deepfake apps varies by jurisdiction. In many places, using deepfake technology for non-consensual purposes, such as creating fake pornographic content, is illegal.

Can deepfake technology be used for entertainment purposes?

Yes, many people use deepfake technology for fun and entertainment, such as creating videos of themselves singing famous songs, etc

Is there a way to detect deepfake videos?

There are tools and techniques available to detect deepfake videos, such as analyzing facial movements and looking for inconsistencies in the video.

Are there any concerns about the misuse of deepfake technology?

Yes, there are concerns about the potential misuse of deepfake technology, such as creating fake news or spreading misinformation.

Are there any regulations regarding the use of deepfake technology?

Some countries have started to introduce regulations regarding the use of deepfake technology, particularly around issues of privacy and consent.

Apple’s On-Device AI System ReaLM Can Outperform GPT-4?

Aprajita Sagar
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Apple’s On-Device AI System ReaLM Can Outperform GPT-4?

Apple is all set for WWDC 2024 in June, where they’re expected to make some big AI announcements. While the exact details are still under wraps, one focus will be enhancing Siri, which has been a point of frustration for many iPhone users.

Recently, Apple’s AI researchers released a paper on a new system called Reference Resolution as Language Modeling (ReALM). This system aims to improve how AI understands context in conversations. If successful, ReALM could help Siri better understand what’s on your screen, remember details from past conversations, and even recognize background activities. This could mean exciting changes for Siri, possibly in time for WWDC.

Using ReaLM, understanding conversations, what’s on your screen, and even background activities become simpler. This method shifts away from traditional approaches, which rely heavily on the context of the conversation. Instead, it converts everything into text, making it easier for large language models (LLMs) to grasp the meaning.

The researchers compared ReaLM models to GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, which are currently used in ChatGPT and ChatGPT Plus. They found that their smallest model performed similarly to GPT-4, while their larger models performed even better.

“We demonstrate large improvements over an existing system with similar functionality across different types of references, with our smallest model obtaining absolute gains of over 5% for onscreen references,” the researchers explained in the paper. “We also benchmark against GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, with our smallest model achieving performance comparable to that of GPT-4, and our larger models substantially outperforming it.”

The paper describes four sizes of the ReALM model: ReALM-80M, ReALM-250M, ReALM-1B, and ReALM-3B. The “M” and “B” stand for millions and billions of parameters, respectively. For comparison, GPT-3.5 has 175 billion parameters, while GPT-4 is said to have around 1.5 trillion parameters.

“We show that ReaLM outperforms previous approaches, and performs roughly as well as the state-of-the-art LLM today, GPT-4, despite consisting of far fewer parameters,” the paper states.

While ReALM outperforms GPT-4 in this specific benchmark, it’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily make it a superior model overall. ReALM simply excelled in a benchmark specifically designed to its strengths.

Although, it’s still unclear if Apple will use this research in iOS 18 or its newest devices.

7 Easy Ways To Make Money With AI

Aprajita Sagar
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7 Easy Ways To Make Money With AI

In today’s tech-savvy world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the center stage, sparking curiosity about its money-making potential. With the recent debut of the popular ChatGPT and the increasing corporate interest in AI, the buzz around this technology is palpable. While there are some who express concerns about AI replacing jobs, others see it as a lucrative opportunity to capitalize on its capabilities and generate wealth.

Here are 7 exciting ways AI tools can boost your Income

As AI becomes more integrated into our lives, new opportunities to profit from this technology arise. Here are seven simple ways individuals and businesses can use AI to make money and spur innovation:

Generate written AI content

Generative AI programs like ChatGPT help you write faster and better. They can assist with creating blog posts, website content, sales copy, social media posts, and more.

These tools can help you come up with ideas, outline your writing, and even write entire pieces. They’re especially useful for freelance writers who want to produce more content quickly. More advanced AI tools, such as Jasper.ai, can help you create professional sales copy for emails, landing pages, and ads. You can also use AI to develop scripts for videos, speeches, e-books, and other materials.

By offering AI-generated writing services, you can increase your productivity and earn more money from your writing.

Create art generated with AI

AI tools such as DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney make it easy for anyone to create detailed image prompts. The better the command, the better the images the AI generates. Platforms like PromptBase let you list and sell these prompts, or create your own.

You can also turn your AI-generated art into NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and sell them, or transform them into memes to monetize. Additionally, you can create physical products like t-shirts, wall art, or decorations featuring your AI-generated art to sell.

Create videos for YouTube

AI tools make it easy for anyone to create videos for YouTube, whether it’s to promote a product, service, or simply share content. ChatGPT can help by generating ideas and scripts, and it even has a text-to-speech feature for creating voiceovers. Another tool, Synthesia, can be used to generate videos to upload on YouTube. Creating evergreen videos with content that remains relevant can generate recurring passive income from ad revenue or affiliate links within the video.

Generate various types of Digital Visual content

AI isn’t just for writing; it can also help you create various types of visual content for the digital world. Whether you need digital ads, logos, or marketing materials, AI tools can make the process easier. Editing photos and graphics is a breeze with AI assistance.

With tools like AdCreative.ai, you can produce commercials and social media content that businesses will love. Canva’s AI-powered features simplify the creation and editing of graphics, videos, and presentations.

Pitch decks, essential for startups pitching to investors, can also benefit from AI. Tools like ChatGPT and Tome can speed up the creation of these slides, which freelancers can offer on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork.

Create websites with help of AI

AI tools can assist you in creating websites, whether it’s for small-business clients or for your own income through affiliate marketing, ads, or subscription sales.

Platforms like Wix.com offer website-building tools that enable anyone to create a professional-looking website using templates or Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI). With these tools, you can swiftly develop websites for clients or build them for your own products or to promote affiliate marketing links.

Generate audio content

AI can do a lot with sound! With text-to-speech tech, you can turn written words into audio. First, write a script for an audiobook using AI prompts, then use a tool like Play.ht or Murf.AI to bring it to life. Want to translate content? Nova A.I. can help. It adds subtitles to videos and translates them. You can offer translation services to video creators on Upwork or Fiverr. Plus, text-to-speech tools can turn written words into audio, helping the visually impaired access content.

Creating and selling online courses

AI software can be a great help for creating and selling online courses, even those teaching AI. Many AITools can assist you in brainstorming ideas, developing course materials, and even creating videos and scripts. With AI, you can easily record voiceovers and use text-to-speech tools to enhance your course content. Additionally, AI can help you market and sell your courses, possibly on a website built with AI-powered tools.

You can make money with AI!

You can earn money using AI to create content such as blog posts, videos, and online courses. Start by using AI tools to create content and learn the best prompts for high-quality results. Then, find ways to monetize your AI-produced content or services.

Since many people use AI for content creation, you’ll need to stand out to succeed. This might involve focusing on a specific niche, building your personal brand, offering excellent services, and adding a human touch to your content. It’s also important to stay updated with the latest AI technology, as it’s always changing.

Unlocking the Financial Freedom with- Paxful

Aprajita Sagar
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Unlocking the Financial Freedom with- Paxful

We at Sociobits had the opportunity to have an insightful conversation with Roshan Dharia and tried to understand what Paxful’s story and mission are, what changes it is bringing in the world of crypto and what plans it holds for the future.

About The CEO of Paxful- Roshan Dharia

Roshan Dharia, CEO at Paxful, leads global operations and strategic evaluation. With 17 years of experience, he founded PTHL Affiliates, specializing in distressed company acquisition and turnaround. Formerly with TrustToken, he led DeFi institutional lending, deploying over $1.5 billion. Roshan drives profitable growth, having managed $30 billion in financial restructurings and M&A. He aims to enhance Paxful’s user experience for its 12 million users.

What is the story of Paxful’s?

Roshan Dharia- Started in 2015, Paxful is further along on its mission today than ever: global financial inclusion and individual empowerment. Growing rapidly from the US into the Global South – especially underbanked populations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. At its core, Paxful is a borderless payments marketplace that allows anyone to move money anywhere, powered by a global community of cryptocurrency traders. 

Today, Paxful is run by a veteran management team with deep dedication to excellence across product, safety, support and compliance. We’re actively helping over 12 million users across 130 countries access digital assets, send money globally, grow their business and much more. This allows the Global South to leapfrog local financial infrastructure and jump directly into better  saving or earning opportunities, consume foreign goods and services, or swap out of a local currency.

How does Paxful differentiate from its competition?

Roshan Dharia- Paxful offers something special to 12 million registered users around the world: a way of sending money from anywhere, to anyone – often without the need for a bank account. This allows users in the Global South to be independent of the local financial infrastructure and immediately join the global economy. 

As a peer-to-peer marketplace, Paxful acts as a borderless payments marketplace, allowing individuals and businesses to better send, save or earn money across hundreds of payment methods by transacting directly with one another to access digital or foreign currencies.

Paxful consolidates four key elements: a vast web of international payment providers, on-the-ground experts and community leaders, institutional-grade 3rd party escrow, and finally, professionally run compliance and support departments to simultaneously serve customer needs and operate securely.

By fostering a decentralized marketplace that offers greater flexibility, accessibility, and control over transactions, Paxful users are empowered to enter the global economy regardless of local constraints, especially in underbanked regions.

How does Paxful select and verify its users, especially considering the potential for fraudulent activities in peer-to-peer transactions?

Roshan Dharia- Paxful operates at extremely high standards of excellence for both global compliance and marketplace safety. Any marketplace is only as good as its buyers and sellers, which is why we emphasize trader quality above all in who we welcome to trade on Paxful. We do that by verifying the identity of every trader for eligibility, enforcing an expectation of safe and fair trading through both automated and staffed tools, and through multiple community-level programs on both a digital and in-person basis to cultivate a strong culture of peer-to-peer economies. 

You can look at this process as welcoming new users into a valuable club: once it’s clear they are who they say they are, Paxful offers them a strong foundation of clear rules, in which a community of friendly global traders are moving and making money from anywhere, to anyone.

How does Paxful ensure the security of transactions and user funds on the platform?

Roshan Dharia- Paxful takes a multi-pronged approach to securing funds and transactions, emphasizing transparency, trade and user integrity, independent custody, and attentive support. 

While peer-to-peer trading carries some inherent risks, one of the most important layers of security is making certain your counterparty is who they say they are. To that end, Paxful employs comprehensive global ID verification as part of onboarding, while also screening out sanctioned or suspicious signups.

To further protect our users and the integrity of trading on the marketplace, we allow buyers and sellers to come to their own trade terms, then assist a fair and fast transaction by providing cryptocurrency escrow through an independent institutional-grade custody partner. Whether during or after a trade, we also provide around-the-clock customer support and dispute resolution users have come to trust and rely on.

The data of every one of these touch points is fed into an underlying fraud prevention system composed of both people and software, proactively responding not just to individual scam attempts – but entire patterns of behavior at once. In the veteran hands of a blended technical and support team, many with plenty of their own P2P trading experience, our in-house and 3rd-party tools help make Paxful a reliable place to trade.

Besides what Paxful can do for its users, we educate our traders about how to trade both safely and effectively, with endless video, written, and social content through the ages not just on how to protect yourself on Paxful, but even profit.

What are some of the most popular payment methods used on Paxful, and how do you ensure a seamless trading experience for users using these methods?

Roshan Dharia- Of over 450 payment methods served, among the most popular are bank transfers, popular payment apps like PayPal or Skrill, and gift cards of all types. Peer-to-peer markets thrive in places where financial infrastructure is minimal or artificially controlled, individuals and businesses are underbanked, or where there’s unmet local demand to engage with the global economy – whether to access their currencies or for financial opportunity.

From sourcing deep and diverse payment option liquidity, to keeping user funds safe in institutional-grade escrow during transaction, to offering 24/7 global support (soon with live chat), we make sure every step of every trade is best in class.

How does Paxful plan to evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology?

Roshan Dharia- Without spoiling too much, we can say we’re looking both within and outside of the cryptocurrency industry for innovation. On that journey, we’ve really committed to the practice of building in the open, by sharing our recent and upcoming product efforts with our community in the form of user town halls. 

This dialogue forms another core pillar of our plans: being guided by the needs of our users versus by industry trends. That’s what’s built our loyal and growing audience to date, we’ve continued to double down on our community, and all sides are being well rewarded for it in the form of an increasingly best-in-class marketplace.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own cryptocurrency or fintech businesses? 

Roshan Dharia- From students paying their tuition to institutions moving millions of dollars of cryptocurrency between countries every month, Paxful is home to all kinds of users. It’s their advice I’d most eagerly refer you to, like Jay Villarante of Moneybees in the Philippines, and the owner of TradeX in South Asia!

Tech Hiring Contrasts: Google’s Rigor vs. Meta’s Flexibility

Aprajita Sagar
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0
Tech Hiring Contrasts: Google’s Rigor vs. Meta’s Flexibility

In 2015, Max Howell, the creator of Homebrew, a popular package manager for macOS and Linux, experienced rejection from Google during his job application. Google employees often use MacBooks, and Homebrew is instrumental in saving developers hundreds of hours while enhancing productivity.

Despite Homebrew’s significant impact, Google’s demanding interview process, renowned for its challenging data structures and algorithms problems, determined that Howell, a highly proficient engineer, did not meet their criteria.

In contrast, Meta is using a different way to hire people to stay competitive in the AI race. They’re hiring some candidates without interviews and offering more money to employees who consider quitting.

A race to recruit talent, with AI playing a crucial role

According to reports from inside the company, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been emailing researchers at Google DeepMind to try to hire them. Meta is focusing a lot on developing generative AI, and this has led to them investing a lot of money in this area. Many of Meta’s researchers have left to work for other companies like OpenAI and DeepMind, and some have even started their own companies, like Mistral.

Zuckerberg is said to be getting directly involved in hiring AI talent for the company, which is not something he usually does according to employees. However, Meta is still finding it difficult to hire because the salaries they offer are not as high as those at OpenAI, Microsoft, or Google.

Meanwhile, Nadella is focusing on AI and hiring the best talent in the world. He recently brought Mustafa Suleyman to lead Microsoft AI, following OpenAI and Sam Altman. This shows how AI is changing the way big tech companies hire employees.

At the same time, Owen Rubel shared his experience with Google’s hiring process. He was part of the original Amazon team that advised the AWS team on creating ‘API Chaining’. Despite this experience, Google rejected him multiple times after interviewing him. Rubel believes Google rejects many candidates because they don’t fit into their narrow criteria.

James Cook commented that Google’s hiring process is so strict that it’s like they’re “too big to fail”. Bob Freitas, who applied to Google twice, mentioned that Google expects candidates to prepare for topics within a very short time frame, which he finds nearly impossible.

He explained that during the interview, candidates are given “toy” problems that don’t relate to the actual job. These problems are more like speculative and academic puzzles.

The demand for mediocre talent in tech companies

Big tech companies like Google and Amazon prefer to hire people who are good at memorization and enjoy solving theoretical problems, rather than those who excel at solving real-world business problems. They often expect employees to stay for a short time before moving on to other companies like Apple or Meta. This approach helps them save costs by hiring lower-level developers to maintain their systems once they are built by experts.

For example, Amazon is known for pushing away engineers every two years, believing that smart employees will find new jobs quickly, while mediocre ones will either leave on their own or be laid off due to high targets. Microsoft also has a challenging interview process, which can be discouraging for applicants.

However, there are many smaller companies that are looking for talented individuals to help build their businesses from the ground up, and they often offer competitive pay. This has led some to believe that while big tech companies are focusing on AI projects, it’s actually a great time for startups to thrive and succeed.

11 Best Online Dating Websites For Young Adults in 2024

Anju S Nair
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11 Best Online Dating Websites For Young Adults in 2024
Searching for your perfect match or interested in casual dating? Online dating sites provide you with this exceptional opportunity to meet the person of your dreams. The speed, ease, and convenience of these sites make them the best option for searching for a match. With more than 1000 dating sites it is necessary that you choose the one that is apt for you. If you haven’t tried one yet then you got to check this out.

List of Online Dating Websites

1. eHarmony

For single men and women looking for long-lasting relationships, eHarmony is one of the best options. eHarmony was developed by Neil Clark, a psychologist and the author of relationship advice books. It is not that all singles get entry to this site. It is the questionnaire in the profile that decides whether you are eligible for the matching process. By asking the users to answer these questions, the site makes sure that it only admits those users who really want to be in a long-term relationship. The site also operates eHarmony labs, a relationship research facility, and eHarmony advice, a relationship advice site.

2. Match.com

Match.com is an online dating site with users from over 25 countries and the service reaches them in more than 8 languages. Developed by Gary Kremen and Peng .T .Ong match.com serves both serial daters as well those wanting long-lasting relations. The site also launched a mobile app; ‘stream’ that uses location to match people.

3. Adult Friend Finder

If you are looking for a casual one-night hookup or friends with benefits then this is where you belong. Adult friend finder is an adult-oriented social networking site that gives a platform for like-minded sex partners to interact. Those who are in search of a ‘no strings attached’ relationship then this site is one of the best options. It also has numerous niche dating sites like senior Friend finder, alt.com, amigos.com, etc.

4. PerfectMatch.com

The site looks into making perfect matches by analyzing the personality, values, ideals, lifestyle, and preferences of the users. As the name suggests the site is for those who want long-term relationships and avoids those who are interested in just casual dating.

5. ChristianMingle.com

This online dating website is only for the Christian community. Using email, chat rooms message boards, and instant messages, the site helps those who want to marry within their Christian fate to make friends and find life-long partners.

6. Date.com

With over 8 million users, The site is a popular online dating site. What makes this site unique from the others is its free toolbar installation. With the free toolbar installation, you can surf the web while being present on the site, and also alerts you immediately when you receive an email.

7. How About We

How about we………………………………………. Come-on fill it up. The site gives you the chance to fill these dots with the dates that you prefer. You can also pull in contacts from your Twitter and Facebook accounts here. So if you are looking for fun dates then this is it.

8. SilverSingles.com

You’re over the 50s and you want to be in a relationship. Well, love doesn’t see the age. For those ‘young at hearts’ this site offers a comfortable, safe, and easy-to-use online dating service.

9. BlackSingles.com

As the name suggests this is an online dating networking site for the black community. The members of this online dating service have joined because they are looking for people who share similar values, cultural aspects, traditions, and beliefs. While not exclusively for African Americans, the site permit membership across all races who may have a physical preference towards or be open to inter-cultural dating/ethnic dating.

10. SuggarDaddie.com

An online dating service for the classy, attractive, and affluent singles. It is here that successful men with financial security find their match. Apart from being a millionaire dating service the site also provides sound dating advice.

11. Lavalife

Whether casual dating, long-term relationships, or intimate encounters Lavalife is here at your service. It provides the users with the ability to search, reply to messages, and flirt for free.

Over to you.

Online dating sites can be scary but by taking the right precautions you can meet the person of your dreams here. Good luck finding your match. Image credits: knowyourmeme.com

Hume AI’s Emotionally Intelligent Conversational AI- EVI

Aprajita Sagar
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Hume AI’s Emotionally Intelligent Conversational AI- EVI

Artificial Intelligence is doing amazing things! It can now turn text into images using DALL-E and even make entire videos with Sora. Some people are using AI to create companions, like the chatbot Pi from Inflection AI, which is smart and friendly.

Hume, a research lab and tech company in New York, has introduced what they call the ‘first conversational AI with emotional intelligence’.

Explaining AI with emotional intelligence

An AI with emotional intelligence is like a smart assistant that not only follows commands but also understands how you feel and what you mean when you speak. Hume’s new AI voice interface is working on creating this kind of empathic AI. They say it could help improve people’s well-being. They’re developing a way for the AI to interpret emotions and respond in an empathetic way. An API is like a connection that lets one software talk to another. So, Hume’s API would let their empathic AI work with other software.

Hume’s AI isn’t just one app. In fact, it can work with many apps. They call their tech Empathic Voice Interface (EVI). It’s like a tool that other apps can use. EVI uses their special large language model (eLLM). This eLLM can understand and copy how people talk, like tone and which words are important. This helps make talking to AI more natural.

How to use it?

Hume’s conversational AI technology stands out for how well it can work with other programs, not just on its own. It’s not just a single app; it can be integrated into many different things. This could change a lot of industries by making apps that can interact more like humans. For example, we might have AI assistants that talk like people, customer service agents that feel more natural to talk to, and therapists who can understand us better. There’s also a guide available for anyone who wants to use this technology.

Where is it accessible?

Interacting with Hume’s demo is quite simple. Just go to their website, hume.ai, and if you’re using a laptop, allow microphone access. Then, start talking. You can speak naturally, and the AI will respond. It will also show your tone and emotions on-screen. Remember not to share personal or sensitive information.

As per reports, AI has a sense of humor and can match your tone, making the interaction fun. Although not perfect, it can accurately sense emotions most of the time and sounds almost like a real person.

About Hume AI

The company thinks its job is to make sure that AI helps people and makes them feel good. It’s called Hume AI, named after David Hume, a philosopher who said that emotions are important for making choices and feeling good. Hume AI believes that AI should consider our emotions when making decisions, to better serve us.

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