and you can still combine them for tasks that require strict output control (e.g. alphanumeric sequence recognition, noisy keyword spotting, strict grammars, etc).
How does whatsapp make revenue? I've used it for years. I don't pay for it, I never see ads in it. They claim it is 'secure' and my conversation data isn't used for anything. Even if the last is untrue; and I wouldn't be particularly surprised if it was, is simply mining those conversations sufficient to generate the revenue to pay for server costs? How does it work?
Edit: Business APIs and payment fees is apparently the answer. I'm genuinely impressed I've been able to use it all these years for free without ever having a hint of this.
for what i recall, the actual messages on whatsapp are end-to-end encrypted, metadata and attachments are not. It is just another mass data gathering service
I think we’re nearing the point of the initial dotcom bust. A whole of internet startups went completely belly up when the early 2000s initial bubble burst.
That was no reflection of the actual potential it just indicated that people at all points of the value chain had not yet grasped how or what the internet was or how it would mesh with humanity.
That’s where we are now. It’ll burst but not because it’s overhyped; because we don’t collectively understand the implications.
I know this terror as a parent now, and recognize just how scary it must have been for mine. I was one of these kids growing up; I didn't free solo but I found plenty of cliffs to jump, steep hills to bomb, and difficult dangerous things to do in the ocean beyond the watchful eyes of my parents. I don't believe there was anything they could have done to prevent this. I also think that they recognized this, because while they always cautioned me to be careful, instead of trying to prevent my adventuring they consistently prepared me with training, information and opportunities to (semi-)safely test my limits.
I recognize myself in my son now, and while I also am sometimes terrified of what that might mean, I think my parents took the right tack and I'm trying my best to do the same. I'd rather he's a strong swimmer, a trained climber, a confident adventurer, than an adolescent just taking risks in defiance.
I used to climb up in the roof of my parents terraced house and walk along the steep roof towards my neighbours. The drop was 3 floors on both sides and I would do this in the middle of the night as a teenager (I was "inspired" by Daredevil comic books).
Looking back on those moments now as an adult, the hair on my skin stands up just at how incredibly stupid and dangerous it was.
I sometimes think of my parallel selves in other worlds, and wonder how many of them are dead and how my family progressed through the grief, from this action alone
> For an industry that doesn’t do it for the money, we sure talk about money an awful lot in the world of startups.
Do people really insist that this is the case with a straight face? The vast, vast, vast majority of startups exist to exploit a business niche that is either underserved or as-yet poorly understood, or to build an 'interesting' app. The point of all these is definitely and without doubt about building a successful business where 'successful' is a virtual synonym for 'profitable' and where 'profitable' also seamlessly serves as a proxy for 'meritocratic'. It seems really disingenuous to suggest that there is some nobler cause at work - and I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with that.
Same thing with “try to sound friendly.” Please and thank you are essential. But there are few things I hate more than cloying emails that start with “Hi!” (the exclamation point is the problem) and emoji are definitely worse.
Being polite is professional and shows mutual respect; IMO it implies an intention to build trust.
Affecting the trappings of friendliness or even loose intimacy in a professional setting or any setting where the relationship is in a rough spot has a strong chance of coming off as disingenuous.
