Gamefi

 GameFI

This visual, sourced from the famous cryptocurrency tracking website Coingecko, provides an overview of the launch and failure of GameFi Projects (Gaming Finance) in the last five years.

Generally, each year the number of failed projects was less than but close to the launched projects. The only year the failed project was higher than the launched ones is 2022, with 693 new and 742 failed web3 games. On average, the failure-to-launch ratio is approximately 75%. 

In the downturn period from 2018 to 2020, there was a gradual decline in GameFi startups. It just suddenly surged in 2021 when the crypto market turned bullish. This year recorded the lowest percentage of failed gaming projects.

Overall, most GameFi will bankrupt in the first year of launching, and investing in this field is still a risky game.

031 - jaken - 30/11/2023

English Proficiency Index

This visual demonstrates the EF English Proficiency Index of Vietnam. It includes an overview and proficiency trends by year and age group.

Vietnam ranked no 58 and scored 505, a moderate proficiency level. That score is similar to the global average score of 502. In the top-right chart, we can see that Vietnamese proficiency level significantly increased in the 2011-2013 period, from a very low to moderate level in 2 years, then maintained this sideway trend to 2023.

In specific age groups, the trends vary. While younger individuals decreased in proficiency a little from 2015 to 2023. The older groups show a significant increase. This change reflects a movement from younger to older groups.

In summary, Vietnamese reached a plateau in English fluency. The country stayed at a moderate level for ten years and didn't improve much. 

Source: https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/regions/asia/vietnam/

30 - jaken - 29/11/2023

Cursed with knowledge

Knowledge is somewhat like money, people tend to want more than what they have. However, sometimes it causes suffering rather than peace.

Once some know much, they'll be less likely to understand the thoughts of those who have less information than them. Although everyone used to be naive, they forgot their past innocence once they gained experience and built new biases.

In some manner, life includes many anomalies, injustices, and sorrow. While a mind sees raw truth without a right mental filter, it will hurt them like a thorn in the eye. And this is the curse: they will reject to discard their understanding, craving for more things that lead them to unhappiness.

In the end, those who have wise pains may find themselves admiring naivety, but no longer want a fooled joy.

028 - jaken - 27/11/2023

Don’t break the streak.

Don’t break the streak.

Today I feel exhausted. As I reflect on my recent endeavors and the lengthy journey that lies ahead. A thought of giving up emerges. Therefore I write for myself some motivative words:

Jaken, you did a good job in discipline writing, at least 30 minutes each day, among other small tasks. You don't see any results now, but they will manifest once you've completed your journey.

Recall the reason why you started and the fulfillment you got with each completed step. You're making progress, bit by bit, every day. Regardless of what others said, your friends and family saw all and always supported you, but you need to be on your side too.

Your emotions are just illusions, not real struggles that cannot be overcome. If the streak is broken once, it could be two, or three until all process and motivation dissipate. All your past efforts could become nothing, and you would regret the moment of weakness.

Please don't break the streak.

027 - jaken - 26/11/2023

Artificial general intelligence (AGI)

When the CEO of OpenAI was fired a week ago, there were rumors about a huge step in the development of artificial intelligence. Newspapers said that OpenAi might create a model that can solve grade school math problems. And it could lead to the creation of AGI.

In recent years, computers have outperformed human beings in many intelligence-type tasks. Start with handwriting, speech, and image recognition. After that is language processing and generation. There are fields in which AI is still not as good as humans. But with its rapid development speed, the time when robots reach the intelligent level of man is very near.

Such creatures are so powerful. An intelligent computer could think a million times faster than a human. After being created, It could absorb all the knowledge of humankind on the internet and become better than any of us. That's the singularity, while homo sapiens no longer stay on top of the Earth's food chain.

A brand new Doomsday Clock is ticking.

025 - jaken - 24/11/2023

Phishing

Every day, internet users receive countless emails, messages, and notifications from strangers around the world. This notorious scam called phishing, was born before the internet and became a dreadful threat in the digital age.

Some people might wonder: "Who will fall for such simple schemes?" The success of phishing is based on the law of large numbers. With thousands or even millions of messages sent out, there are always some people who read and follow the instructions in them. Maybe they are just naive, curious, or get drunk that day.

The next step, the scammer will trick victims into sending them money, and private information or downloading a virus onto personal computers. And thanks to blockchain technology, sometimes people could lose their entire cryptocurrency in a few clicks. And it's so hard to investigate these frauds; the culprits could be anywhere with a laptop and a criminal mind.

There are two sides to every coin. And this is one of the costs for the convenience of modern technologies.

024 - Jaken - 23/11/2023

Overcoming the plateau

 Overcoming the plateau

Six years ago, I weighed 75 kg and was dissatisfied with my body. Therefore I set a target to reduce my weight to 63kg. But I failed several times while reaching a plateau at 65kg.

In the initial year, I bought and rode a bicycle to the office every day. Two hours of exercising a day improved my health. As a result, one kilogram was reduced from my body per month. However, after a year, I was stuck at 65 and could not improve. It discouraged me, and when I stopped practicing, my weight quickly rebounded above 70kg.

In the following years, I got the motivation to practice several times, but each time I always failed to overcome the plateau. The circle of gaining and losing weight continued. Until the time I tried hard enough, the miracle happened and I finally achieved my goal.

Now I have a new plan for maintaining my current weight. It's continuing practice to decrease body fat and increase muscle mass. 

023 - Jaken - 22/11/2023