Bitcoin, FOMO, ETH and all the other 2021 slangs.
What do these strange letters, symbols, words mean? What is cryptocurrency?
Move over AI, you’re old news.
There’s a new kid on the block. Like a secondary school nickname for that one guy who’s always coming late, or always getting in trouble. Crypto.
But unlike that dude nobody wants to invite home during the holidays, everybody wants to associate with Crypto.
The crypto craze is so real that it’s turned virtually all of us into side-hustlers. Giant organisations who wanted nothing to do with it are now tripping over themselves in excitement, some concern and major trepidation. FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out.
FOMO is a present concern in practically every aspect of life – tapping you and pointing in the direction of a blossoming venture; waking you up in the middle of the night, reminding you just how much time you are wasting and how you just might never catch up. When the excitement for cryptocurrencies began, most of us ignored it like it was just another hype that needed a firm hand, hammer or event to “calm down.” But if you are an attentive person, or spend any amount of time at all on social media, then at some point, lately, you might think: but this thing really isn’t slowing down – and what if I’m missing out on what could potentially change my life forever?
To put this in context, at one point in 2018, Bitcoin traded at $3,000. At its highest points so far this year, it’s topped over $60,000. Forget the current dip, it is projected to hit $100,000 before the year runs out. Some Bitcoin enthusiasts estimate it might hit a million dollars at some point in the future. That’s $1,000,000!
Are you starting to pay attention?
Do you understand the language FOMO speaks now? No? Yes?
We must admit it’s got us all right where it wants us. You could be in the middle of Lagos traffic, displaying periodic Nigeria-type driver drama and plotting graphs on your windscreen. A thought could hit you right in the midst of reviewing a critical contract, leaving you to wonder “so what exactly does p2p mean, and how can I double my investment by August?”
ETH is a short form for Ethereum, an alternative to Bitcoin the Adam and King of Cryptos.
So why exactly is everyone getting on the cryptocurrency train? And should you? Is the momentum sustainable? What do these all even mean?
I explore in another post.
Read some more of my writing here.
Are the days of WhatsApp's domination over?
WhatsApp is the favourite baby boy of social media. The dude around every corner. The most popular guy on the block. And for good reason - the ease and success with-which it's permeated our lives and seeped into our beings is being studied in schools.
Across several industries, we have felt the impact. Tech and engineering, science and research, business and investment, startup and entrepreneurship, leadership and mentorship, legal and data-mining.
Moving stealthily at first, then aggressively, it toppled the world's former favourite platform - BBM.
Regardless, on January 4, 2021, WhatsApp shipped out an update, consequently reviewing its Privacy Policy - an action that cascaded into a worldwide #BoycottWhatsApp Campaign. Within days, WhatsApp's rivals celebrated record-breaking new entrants. Signal: 40 million, Telegram: 25 million.
How it started vs how it's going ???? pic.twitter.com/ERiFpZUz6c
— Signal (@signalapp) January 14, 2021
From the corner of my eye, I watched as people erected social media, virtual placards and clamoured for us all to jump ship. Elon Musk simply tweeted "Use Signal" and thousands followed suit - rapping relentlessly about the need for us all to leave now. Uhm…not quite. I mean, I considered it. Even researched what features Signal really has. I did a random survey on my contact list and found out that a few people actually did download the app. I do have the Telegram App and have had it for almost 2 years. I love it and stand in awe of its outstanding features. Head to head, it has so much more features than WhatsApp.
But these competitors notwithstanding, is it time for WhatsApp to be toppled yet? Nah, I don't think so.
You see, as yet, the userbase is too strong. And there is the undeniable counter-attack and defence posture that Facebook and Instagram provide. These platforms are firm backbones that you simply cannot ignore. I can almost hear you thinking - 'but BBM used to be the rave of the moment, and look what happened to it.' It's really not quite the same. The decline and eventual death of BBM cannot entirely be traced to WhatsApp. In fact, it was self-inflicted.
Terrible internal policies, bad employee management, a needless redirection, loss of passion and vagrant neglect of good advice. The Research in Motion Management (owners of BBM) decided to focus on building Enterprise Applications, security software, at the expense of the one thing that put them past the mobile giants of the day. To reflect, BBM was so successful that despite being just an app, it pushed BlackBerry ahead of Nokia, Samsung and the giants of that day.
When Barack Obama became president, it is reputed that he refused to give his Blackberry up, instead saying that the officials who wanted him to stop using it would have to "pry it out of [his] hands".
Still, look how bad decisions killed its vibe.
I do not see WhatsApp making the same mistake. I have seen the company respond in real-time to competition, copy amazing features of its competition (though most times it's slower than we'd have appreciated). It is quick and responsive in terms of its policies, and has even responded quickly to the current concern by releasing a response to what it calls a misconception, extended the date by-which users need to accept the terms, and silently rolled out new features. Annnnd, there's Mark. Talking about entrepreneurs, Mark Zuckerberg is as dogged and rugged as they come. Look how much userbase he musters. At its height, BBM had less than 200 million users. In comparison, WhatsApp has more than 2 billion. Facebook, almost 3 billion. IG, over 1 billion. In an earlier post, I commented about how Mark controls a combined virtual, digital country of almost 5 billion people.
And left alone, undeterred by regulators or antitrust, anti-competition suits, Facebook is capable of buying both Telegram and Signal in seconds, without breaking a sweat. Don't put it past them.
So, to address the elephant in the room, what's all the fuss really about? And how much data does WhatsApp really hold on you?
I'll address this in another post.
But here's a pro tip: the time hasn't come for WhatsApp to be toppled. In fact, it's about to get bigger and better. Lots of exciting, amazing features are coming and I personally cannot wait. Yes, ADs are coming, and I'm sure you could have predicted that. But more - chat edits are coming for sent (delivered and already read messages), greater admin powers will arrive, disappearing messages have arrived, mini-websites within WhatsApp Business are coming.
This is the most exciting for me:
Multi-device support! In short, you will finally be able to sign in on many devices at once.
If the time ever comes to move and/or ditch WhatsApp, I'll let you know it.
So stay tuned ????
Read some more of my writing here.
The impacts of 2020 and COVID will stay with us forever.
Sometimes we need to take people literally at their word. Not infer a metaphor, not assume an implication. But take them at face value.
The 2020 experience.
For a year that appeared on the horizon promising to take our breath away, it looks like we misread the memo. Not to be a naysayer, pessimist or any such thing, the year has literally attacked our breathing system - individually, corporately and collectively. This attack for mankind's lungs would eventually crystallize in George Floyd's gruesome murder, instigating the worldwide "I can't breathe" campaign.
Our world has suddenly become a smaller, largely scarier, and more delicate place to live in. On the whole, this has impacted us to the very core of our beings and our unified race. And its impact won't leave in a hurry. Family life, faith, work, existence and socialization will feel the ripple effects forever.
I compiled a list of things that may never go back to the way they were.
Parties and condensed areas. It's the age of Zoom weddings and Instagram Live Introductions. Would you have assumed that there would be such a time as this? Parties are still currently outlawed in most parts of the world, marketplaces are running on shifts, people are observing strict physical and social distancing. What a time to be alive. Even when this is over, the consciousness for personal space will stay etched in our consciousness.
Social places [eateries, restaurants, clubs and parks, cinemas]. Get your food and leave! You may eat in your car or drive all the way home if you can wait, but the government and food vendors are saying: please love us from a distance, we'll do the same. That love waxing cold isn't sure to get warm anytime soon. Netflix and similar subscription-based movie screening and streaming are the future. Football viewing centres will suffer reduced patronage as wave after wave of the virus continues. Even after we find a cure, I'd rather just enjoy home-screening, thank you very much.
The Finance Industry. Cash transactions will slowly bite more bullets. Fintech is the future of banking. Technology is the future of virtually anything, anyway. But in particular, more transactions will move to digital, non-cash, tech-based forms. The prudent banker needs to take the time to garner as much knowledge in this field as possible because it's almost fully buffered. During the strictest periods of the lockdown, we realised how little one needed cash for things that really mattered. Online ordering, subscriptions, ticketing and e-wallets ensured that we were all safe behind our phone and computer screens while the virus ravaged and rummaged outside.
Worship centres and rigid religious idiosyncrasies. Three months now, we've all been barred from going to religious places. Churches, mosques and other religious centres where it seemed like physical attendance was the only way to worship have found ways to keep the faith and spiritual consciousness unhindered and on point. I personally have had to review a lot of idiosyncrasies I had regarding a myriad of issues, and although I haven't lost my faith [I am a practising Christian], I have realised how flimsy, lightweight some of the rigid beliefs and approaches I had were. A lot has changed in me, as I'm sure they have in many. God isn't a figment of our imagination, neither a product of our rigid and unbending "if you don't believe what I believe you're doomed" approach. Faith is extremely personal, and although our experiences do influence others, they should by no means be the lens by which we grade their morality, holiness or uprightness.
Real estate. This is a big deal - particularly commercial real estate. Working from home has become a darling phrase during these times; perhaps only beaten to second place by 'Coronavirus or COVID-19'. Employers who were originally adamant, unwilling to even consider the possibility of remote work, are now clutching the concept very close to their chests. It took only a few weeks of COVID-19's merciless punches to humble them. Costs are being cut, cut, cut. This can only mean that even when we leave these dangerous times, employers need no external data - they know that over 80% of work they've always compelled physical presence for can be done remotely. Still sure you need that intended million dollar commercial real estate project? Think again.
Did I miss out on any?
Please let me know in the comments.
And don't forget to share.
______
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Our humanity is under attack.
"I can't breathe."
-George Floyd
Our humanity is under attack.
On Monday, 25th May, a shop-owner at a Minnesota shop called on cops to help apprehend George Floyd, a black man, based on unconfirmed fears that Floyd was issuing a potentially counterfeit bill. Moments later, as cameras will reveal, George can be seen pleading with the officers, attempting to negotiate the obvious mistaken situation. Soon afterwards, he is rendered almost motionless as one of the officers kneels on his neck. He can be heard and seen struggling for breath, as onlookers plead with the officer to release him.
"I can't breathe, I can't breathe," Floyd repeats as the officer ignores his cries, and goes on kneeling on a harmless, unharmed, obedient man's neck, for at least 7 minutes - in a flagrant, obvious, cruel show of racism. An undisguised evil act. When the officer eventually releases the knee-hold, Floyd is unresponsive and limp. He is taken to a hospital where he is pronounced dead.
Evil used to sneak around, too scared to walk in the light. It used to creep up on unsuspecting women having a fresh, nice time in a garden. It used to hide in the shadows, silently whispering its destructive ideas into the unsuspecting ears of the listener. Not anymore. Nowadays, it walks with shoulders held high, clothes ironed crisply, confidence bolstered by how many times in the past it’s had its way; how many times it's gotten away with the mindlessness of its perpetrators and all who do its bidding.
Our peace is being threatened.
From self-assumed “superiors” who brandish nothing more than a skin treated to a fairer shade because of genetic, migration and anthropological effects spread out over a period of time. We treat each other worse than animals. The uproar that Floyd’s death has generated in the US is incensed by the fact that this isn’t a first, and will certainly not be the last. Just across the continental divide, news of whole towns and villages being sacked, people being massacred in Nigeria has filled the airways, dominated the news all week.
“I can’t breathe. I’m about to die.”
How ironical the similarity this plea bears with our everyday lives.
Read some more of my writing here.
Indulgence isn't Cure.
Indulgence isn't Cure.
"...better is one with self-control than one who takes a city." - Proverbs 16.32
A boy makes his first earnings from some manual job, remembers the trouble at home, and heads for a bar. He finds a dark, quiet corner and orders some bottles of beer. When he's spotted and asked what he's doing there, he responds "wiping away my worries."
If you've ever battled some addiction, any addiction, you know that most people get into the addictive habit as a temporary getaway from depression or trials. Hard to imagine deliberately walking head-on onto a train-track and giving yourself over to inevitable destruction. But no addiction ever introduced itself as a foe.
Addictions mask themselves in borrowed, fake, misleading clothing. Your hand finds the bottle and you pour it down because it offers some temporary relief from your present predicament. It numbs the current pain and shuts your mind completely off.
The only problem is - as soon as the effects of the alcohol wear off, your eyes and mind wake up, and you realise that the problem sat right there waiting patiently. Then it taps you and reminds you it's going nowhere. Ignored problems don't go anywhere. Drag them to God, and let Him deal accordingly with them.
Indulgence isn't Cure.
Read some more of my writing here.
Should the -ember months scare you?
Should the -ember months scare you?
I believe in the Scriptures.
I believe in symbolism.
And in the spiritual significance of numbers.
But, sentiments and unscriptural apprehensions must be treated as what they are. Many cultures have their respective superstitions and practices passed down over the years. In rare circumstances, some of these superstitions step above their peers and enter the world stage - especially in respect of matters such as time which is a common phenomenon to us all.
There is nothing extraordinarily eerie to the months, save the anxiety they have come to attract.
Time is a constantly revolving wheel, switching between the past, present, and future.
There's as much trouble in the world in the 'ember' months as in January and August. And as much glory and beauty in September as in April.
Our fears have added horns to these times and made figures out of shadows.
It can change. We can change.
God is in all days, eternally good and perpetually protective. His love doesn't go on vacation once the Calendar flips to September.
Stay prayerful.
Stay hopeful.
Read more of my writing here.
You need help.
Everybody needs help.
Too often, we fall into the trap of a lone man ranger ideology. Somebody hurts us, betrays our trust, reveals some confidential information to a third party, or crushes our expectations to our face. We clench our fists, fume through the ears, and mentally delete them from our list of favourite people - before going ahead to block and mute them everywhere.
But, bitter as it may sound, we cannot always go it alone.
The fingers on our hands are proof that solitude and self-aggrandizement, when not monitored, can be dangerous. We were made for company. An unchecked, wild-west, I-need-nobody mentality is both dangerous and senseless
God has angels who do His biddings.
Jesus was as divine as the other members of the Godhead, and as human, as the work required, yet He had help. All through His ministry, He constantly made calls to Heaven's powerhouse.
Moses had help, Samuel did, Peter did, Paul did.
You do, and will.
Praying is a common, worthy Helpline process.
So is talking to a good friend, a mentor, a role model.
And whenever you're too preoccupied, arrogant or ignorant to seek help, when a helper reaches out, competently and genuinely, jump at it.
Read some more of my writing here.
No longer business as usual.
No longer business as usual.
A woman, having waited many years to conceive, eventually does. One night, she wakes up, taps her husband, and says 'I feel really weird.' Alarmed, he jumps up and tries in futility to get her to explain what the issue is.
"We call the doctor 1st thing tomorrow!'
"Hi, Doc. Nothing feels right. I'm throwing up. I'm nauseated many times. I feel dizzy. Most especially my clothes. They longer fit!"
"Well, ma'am. I'm sorry nobody warned you in advance. That's the idea."
Lined up dreams/goals for the new year?
Prepare for a paradigm shift.
Especially as delivery approaches.
No longer business as usual.
Ecclesiastes 3.1
Read some more of my writing here.
Go over, through, or around it.
The human body is made up of 55-65% water. Biologically, we are a chemical combination of some pretty amazing stuff. Oxygen, hygrogen, carbon, calcium, phosphorous, etc.
For new born babies, about 93% of their body mass is water.
And if you know only a little about water, you know that it deals with challenges differently. When faced with a wall, it can either pull down, go through, go over, go under, or go around.
So the next time you're faced with an obstacle, remember you are more than half water. If you can't pull it down, find a way around it.
Exodus 14.15
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The Incubator Experience: Pregnancy
Pregnancy.
Wherever your affiliation lies - creation or evolution, everybody agrees that pregnancy is central to the peopling of the world, and the advancement of our race as a sentient being. From time immemorial, we have studied it, sought to understand its stages, its object and implication.
It is the 9-month incubator experience that forms the bones, elements, features and traits of human beings. The biological state by which a woman carries her young until they are ready to be born. The bulge in a woman's stomach area signifying new life and an explosion of joy.
Animals carry their young too. But for different durations. Elephants are pregnant for 22 months. Some sharks can be pregnant for 3-and-a-half years.
Men carry pregnancies too. Just not of human young, but of ideas, dreams and aspirations. And women can be pregnant with more than human young. Whether carrying pregnancies for days, weeks, months or years, everybody hopes to someday birth the manifestation of their biggest dreams.
Are you the 'young' in life's womb?
If so, are you ready to face the world?
Conversely, are you pregnant with dreams?
Are they ready for the world?
Timing is crucial.
Have a safe birth to your pregnancy.
Read Eccle. 11.5
Read some more of my writing here.