Ted Neward

The future of tech is here, and it's wearing glasses 🕶️ Here is an intriguing article about how Snap's CEO, Evan Spiegel, believes his company is leading the charge in AR smart glasses, with Meta and Apple set to follow. As someone who’s been following the AR space closely, I find it exciting to see companies like Snap pushing the boundaries of what smart glasses can do. Spiegel’s vision of using hands and voice to interact with augmented reality is a game-changer. Snap’s Spectacles, now in their 5th generation, are already making waves among developers. The goal is clear: to bring computing back into the real world, away from screens and closer to our daily lives. While Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories and Apple’s Vision Pro are also making significant strides, Snap’s approach to natural interaction and developer-friendly pricing could be the key to mainstream adoption. It’s an exciting time for AR, and I’m eager to see how these innovations shape our future. #AR #SmartGlasses #TechInnovation #FutureOfTech

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#MeWriting Tamar at 3x3 Customs has been one of my favorite YouTube woodworkers since the inaugural "Great Guitar Buildoff" a few years ago. Today she dropped a video about designing a 3D printed product for woodworkers. I think we can learn a lot about the LLM market from 3D printing and even from her video, attached. As she admits at the start of the video, her project is inspired by an existing hinge from Festool, a premium tool maker. I can already hear the LLM critic crowd cringing. You didn't think your now future facial contortions make noise. They do. And this is the note that creators need to take from 3D printing. People will try to "copy" your stuff. Copyright of words and ideas has stronger and easier legal protections than, for example, patents. But the desire to adapt, customize, remix, and other activities that go beyond mere copying is strong. One obvious difference between 3D printing and LLMs is the investment and returns. 3D printing has been a self-sustaining, organically grown industry for more than a decade, and built up to commercial prominence for 3 decades before that. It's a $28B industry this year. LLMs are about a $5.6B industry this year, with investment that's still a high multiple of returns. A similar criticism is the "crap" created. There is a lot of worry about all the plastic for superfluous things. In the 10s, I explored taking a 3D printed coffee accessory to market, but qualifying as "food safe" was a blocker. Turns out there is a huge market for people to print food unsafe designs for their own use. In discussions on other people's posts here, I often mention that I use LLM to create cute, personalized stories with public domain characters. For kids, especially emergent readers -- so you have to hate kids and literacy to hate what I do. And invariable, some "creative" chimes in with how lazy I am for not inventing my own characters. Similarly, my Frigidaire refrigerator had a plastic drawer slide about the size of a dime break. The replacement part is $40. I mocked it up in OpenSCAD, and printed it. Took a couple hours. Good practice of technique. Do you see how similar those two scenarios are? There's a lesson for creatives here. I know you feel hurt. But the market does not care about your feelings. The market just doesn't want to consume what you're offering right now. You might take a look at what people in the market want to consume, and adjust accordingly. Much like the people who complain about all the plastic, the people who make up the market do not care. Use the comments to tell me how lazy I am, please.

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NFT/'web3' cleanup: DraftKings was sued under the claim that their NFTs were unregistered securities. The Judge applied the Howey test and allowed the lawsuit to go forward. DraftKings shut their NFT collection and platform down THE NEXT DAY to avoid discovery and the possible impacts. The Howey test worked. Read the full article ----- Defector: "DraftKings Abruptly Shuts Down NFT Operation, Panicking Collectors With Vast Holdings Of Digital Tokens" (Chris Thompson) (August 1, 2024) (excerpt): "DraftKings, the daily fantasy sports and sports betting company, abruptly shut down a program called Reignmakers on Tuesday. Reignmakers, which the company launched in 2021. The decision to wipe the entire program, says DraftKings, was not made lightly, but was forced "due to recent legal developments." "DraftKings has not yet specified what "recent legal developments" are troubling its now dead Reignmakers product. The company was sued in U.S. District Court in 2023 by a Reignmakers player named Justin Dufoe, who accuses the company of dealing in unregistered securities, of taking advantage of relatively unsophisticated "retail investors," and of failing to market and support Reignmakers to the degree necessary to return to its users the expected financial benefits. DraftKings filed a motion in September to dismiss Dufoe's complaint, but that motion was denied on July 2. A scheduling conference was held by the parties on July 29; Reignmakers was shut down for good on July 30. A DraftKings spokesperson contacted by Defector Wednesday declined to confirm whether the Dufoe complaint is the "recent legal development" that forced the company's hand." Reignmakers users purchased NFTs at the assorted levels with the expectation that possession of them would convey better odds of winning contests hosted on DraftKings. That was the gamification element of Reignmakers, which came along several months after DraftKings began to market and mint their NFTs. But as with all NFTs, some too-large part of the real appeal to their purchasers was the expectation, however baldly insane, that these pointless and practically useless and infinitely duplicable digital images would grow in value over time." Defector: https://lnkd.in/gsuk9tdh #web3 #scam #nft #rugpull #howeytest #ponzi #cryptocurrency #blockchain #useless

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A lot of XR agencies didn’t survive 2023 (what founders 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱’𝘃𝗲 done). In 2022 it seemed like XR agencies were the new web agencies. There were going to be hundreds, if not 1000s. Every business was going to need an AR or VR experiences (like they need a website now). Then it didn’t happen. It’s sad because I used to see some agencies posting some kick-ass examples of their work. In tech, you can always count on change. But there’s ONE very specific thing these founders failed to do to prepare: —— 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 —— When a founder builds an audience they own they have options. — Launch a digital product — Pivot to another tech stack — Run referral campaigns (pay for leads) — Take the valuable audience to a joint venture with another founder A lot of agencies will come and go. If you’re running an agency today and you're 𝗻𝗼𝘁 building an audience you own, you’re at risk. And if you’re planning to start an agency, budget time for audience building. What else could a founder do with an audience they own? ------------------------------- I'm Jason and I never click the "Rewrite with AI" button. Message me if you run a tech agency and want help building on LinkedIn.

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If you're interested in XR and emerging technology, this event is a must. Bring your own unique wealth of experience and a curious mindset and watch the magic happen! By far my favorite format of conference!

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Bitcoin is protected free speech. Today in my remarks at the DC Blockchain Summit I'm encouraging attendees to go back to first principals in understanding what it means to ”regulate” Bitcoin and crypto. #Bitcoin is protected free speech. Full stop. Smart contract code is protected free speech. Full stop. Here is a short story (simplified and probably with a few facts not 100% correct) of the relevant US history... In three parts... 1. PGP - the first successful consumer offering for securing transmitted Internet data- and its creator Phil Zimmerman, was attacked for years by the USG for potentially violating arms export rules. The attacks started in 1991 and continued for years until he published the PGP source code on his t-shirt and made it clear once and for all that PGP was protected free speech. 2. Shortly after PGP's release, in 1994 Netscape created SSL to enable encrypted communications in web browsers. Due to the same export rules mentioned in the PGP case we had two versions of the web browser… a domestic version and an export version. The latter being hackable with shortened private keys. Soon after launch we met with reps from the French gov that told us that they wanted to ban SSL in France as it was an assault on their people and culture. Fortunately European companies implemented secure browsing locally and ultimately the USG changed the export rules. France ultimately relented on their stance regarding encryption via the web. Ultimately the Bernstein case below put this issue to rest once and for all in the US. 3. The Bernstein v. United States case, decided by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1999 is foundational to cryptocurrencies and digital assets as well as computer code as protected free speech in general. The story goes like this... Daniel J. Bernstein, a mathematics professor, sought to publish his encryption software, “Snuffle.” As alluded to above, encryption software was classified as a munition under U.S. export control laws, and Bernstein needed a license to publish it. Bernstein challenged the export controls, arguing it violated his First Amendment rights to free speech. The court ruled in favor of Bernstein, stating that source code is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment. The decision meant that the government could not restrict the publication of encryption software as it would any other form of speech. This decision is considered the “gold standard” in understanding that computer code, including encryption, is protected free speech. Hence Bitcoin and smart contracts are protected free speech. Full stop. #Bitcoin #investing #crypto #regulation #freespeech

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My friend Saul Pwanson recently released a web series called Mag World, about thinking in orders of magnitude. It turns out, this is a very fun and useful lens for looking at all kinds of things, and how they change qualitatively at different scales. Mag World presents a fresh and handy perspective on the universe and math. To make it work, Saul adopts two conventions: First, he uses the up arrow sigil to mean "order of magnitude". So ↑3 means 1,000, and ↑6 means 1,000,000. These are pronounced "mag 3" and "mag 6". Second, Saul adopts the convention that ↑0 (which equals 1 and is pronounced "mag zero") is taken to mean human-scale. That is, the order of magnitude that we humans deal with day-to-day. A ↑0 unit of time is one second, and a ↑0 length is one meter, roughly arms-length. ↑0 also corresponds to the SI base units, such as the kilogram, joule, or watt. In the series, Saul applies this lens to such things as sizes, distances, speeds, RAM, latency, and even wealth. It's a fascinating read, and it changed the way I think. https://saul.pw/mag

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This no-lose sales tool is only for the courageous XR agency owner. Here it is: Do free work. Before you come at me with your virtual pitchforks... I’m not saying do spec work. I’m not saying you should stop billing clients or putting a price on your work. I’m talking about the best sales and marketing tool on the planet... 🎉 The Pitch in Public 🎉 The pitch in public is killer because you get to show off! And you get to do it for someone you really want to work with. You see these every day on LinkedIn. Those posts where someone says: “I just spent 500 hours going through XR Bootcamp’s website." "I found 5 conversion killers that they should fix right away.” “I’ve redesigned the landing page to show what I think they should do.” And then you see: – the breakdown – the new landing page – and the reasons why it will work That’s a pitch in public. There are HUGE benefits to this form of marketing! 💡 You demonstrate expertise. Showcasing real solutions to real problems, agencies can prove their: – creativity – technical skills – industry knowledge in a tangible way 💡 Lead Generation You attract potential clients who may have similar problems or needs. You open doors to decision-makers you might've been shut off to before. (These leads don't even interact with your posts - they're lurking) 💡 Brand Awareness and Thought Leadership Creating innovative public pitches increases your agency’s visibility. You look like a thought leader in the XR space ↳  (media, speaking, podcasts here you come!) Your agency becomes a go-to resource for XR solutions. 💡 Market Education Education may be the most powerful approach for growing the market. You create demand with potential clients who don't know their problem is solvable with XR yet. 💡 Accelerated Sales Cycle Shorten the sales process by showing your agency's capabilities upfront. Build trust and credibility before you even meet which leads to ↳  Faster decision-making and project start-up. This post is already too long for me to remove the objections you’re sure to have. Or to give you a list of pitch in public opportunities. Should I make a part two? Have you tried a pitch in public? How did it go?

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Few AR apps will achieve product market fit in the next year and one reason is incorrect first principles regarding space. One memory that stands out to me is an AR gaming product panel at Meta Connect last year. There were a couple product leads and executives talking about making indoor AR experiences. The AR leaders talked about challenges associated with AR experience for their multi story and multi bedroom homes. The problem for consumer AR isn't designing around stairs in-doors. The problem is that many AR early adopters don't have that kind of open space in their homes. VR intrinsically requires less space. I think this is one fundamental reason why consumer VR apps are doing a lot better than AR apps on HMDs (Quest 3, AVP). Consumer AR requires more space. It requires hardware to be made for the outdoors. As long as it is indoors - it will be limited to enterprise use cases only. When you consider the space constraints of a lot of AR enthusisasts - you have to consider word of mouth and content sharing. People with limited space are going to be more self conscious about sharing footage of their homes. The way to eliminate this problem is to have hardware that is outdoor AR friendly. Otherwise the vast majority of people interested in consumer AR will never actually share content (and companies will never have viral distribution through content sharing). If you are an investor or publisher interested in XR - happy to catch up in-person if you are in LA this week for AWE and exchange ideas. If you are interested in strategy and emerging technology - subscribe to my Games of Strategy newsletter. You can participate in polls like the one I'm sharing here and interact with other emerging technology enthusiasts! #augmentedreality #AR #VR #spatialcomputing #games #videogames #AWE

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According to a SEC filing from a company called Cuentas, the Roofs.com domain name was acquired in May of 2023. I connected with the former registrant, a domain investor who wants to remain private, and he confirmed the six figure sale. Once added to DNJournal and NameBio, it will rank in the top 20 publicly reported domain sales of 2023. Here's what I learned: https://lnkd.in/eeW9DkFT

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California's AI Safety Bill (SB1047) Vetoed – A Turning Point for Tech Innovation and Safety Regulations. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, just vetoed an AI safety bill and drove a lot of conversation about the balance between innovation and safety. This bill aimed to safeguard the public from potential risks and make tech companies liable for those risks. By enforcing "kill switches" for advanced AI models, it would’ve been the nation's toughest regulation. Supporters like Geoffrey Hinton (aka the godfather of AI), argued that AI models need robust oversight to prevent future risks, like cyberattacks and misuse of powerful technologies. Critics like OpenAI and Google claimed it would strangle innovation and drive talent out of California. This battle is far from over. As AI diffuses all aspects of life, the need to balance growth and protection isn’t going anywhere. The SB1047 bill is dead, but the conversation about responsible AI is only just beginning. https://lnkd.in/d229zUrA #ai #regulation

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The latest issue of Relentlessly Curious and Deeply Engaged is out. This is a Weekly Link Roundup packed full of stories about #archaeology, #gamedesign, building #GenAI into your mouse, companies building nextgen services for #HR, and how to keep the rights to your brain waves. As always, please feel free to share this and subscribe if you haven't already (it's free!). https://lnkd.in/gxgi5Cd4

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- Modular Architecture - Cosmos Network - EVM Engine Is what shapes CrossFi Chain! Message me for access to the full talk. #scalability #security #L1 #modular #cosmos #ethereum #evm #futureproof #blockchain #crossfi

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This is unfortunate. Humanoid Origin is closing down. These are ex-Bioware devs (and others) trying to build an exciting new sci-fi series. Funding is very tough for indie game studios right now (that are not spewing unsustainable 'gen' AI nonsense to investors). Publishers and investors are both being more conservative, more scrutiny, more due diligence, more questioning. Funding is not automatically being reupped. And game devs are getting hit hard. The one observation I would make is that nobody as an indie or independent developer should be making a Triple A budgeted game right now, especially not with new IP. Leave the Triple A and Quadruple A to internal dev studios of publishers using it for existing IP. Or to independent studios making sequels and franchise extensions with comfortable funding. New IP has to start smaller and prove itself in the market in a Single A to Double A range. What "Triple A" means has grown so much in the last 25 years that it has stopped meaning just "make a high-end, quality game". And it has become, "make a game for $30 to $50 to $100 million". The market, (and publishers) cannot bear or justify $50 million games for new IP. I don't want to keep seeing studio closures. We have to start smaller. Put simpler Humanoid Origin needs to build a new single player. character driven. narrative game not with the budget of a Mass Effect 4 or even a Mass Effect 1, but with what BioWare would have made Mass Effect 1 with if BioWare hadn't been bought by JR's VGH holdings. Indie studios have to build indie games on indie budgets. Because the market and economy are unforgiving right now. Good luck all. My heart goes out to them. This sucks. Keep trying to make that game, but make it smaller to start. Make what the market can bear. ----- VideoGameChronicle: "Mass Effect trilogy director Casey Hudson’s studio is shutting down. Humanoid Origin is closing due to “an unexpected shortfall of funding” (Tom Ivan) (Nov 25, 2024) "Humanoid Origin, the studio led by former BioWare general manager Casey Hudson, has announced it’s shutting down. In a post on LinkedIn, the Canadian studio said it was closing because of funding issues. “Earlier today, we informed our staff that Humanoid Origin will be shutting down,” it said. “Despite efforts to shield the studio from broader challenges in the industry, an unexpected shortfall of funding left us unable to sustain operations. “Thank you to everyone who supported us throughout our journey.” Humanoid Origin was founded by Hudson and a team of game industry veterans in 2021. Its first game was going to be a multiplatform AAA title focused on character-driven narrative. During almost 20 years at BioWare across two stints, Hudson directed and produced the original Mass Effect trilogy and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. He left the company for the second time in December 2020." VideoGameChronicle: https://lnkd.in/g3jPXheC #gameindustry #gamedev #indiegames #studioclosure

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Visitors to the AI Village at this year's DEF CON hacker conference will have the chance to star in their own deepfake video simply by standing in front of Brandon Kovacs' camera, and watching as he turns them into a digital likeness of a fellow attendee – for a good cause. Kovacs is a senior red teamer at security biz Bishop Fox, and this won't be his first time creating real-time video and voice clones – and demonstrating how easy it is for criminals to use these techniques to improve social engineering attacks. #artificialintelligence #security #fraud #ai #machinelearning #technology #datascience #python #deeplearning #programming #tech #robotics #innovation #bigdata #surveillance #coding #iot #computerscience #data #dataanalytics

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PSA for CEOs: It’s your job to understand what potential acquirers want. Even if you’re not looking to sell yet. This idea was top of mind for me during GDC, where I met with several bigger studios. I took every opportunity to ask how they think about acquisitions: - What makes a potential acquisition interesting to them? - What thresholds do studios have to meet? - What metrics do they value most? This type of forward-looking market exploration is a shift for me. My primary focus for the last four years has been building FunCraft into a successful business. But my role needs to evolve. While FunCraft is growing and thriving independently, it’s still my responsibility to gauge what could make us an attractive acquisition down the road and understand how we build toward it. My advice to other CEOs: If an acquisition is something you can envision for your company down the road, don't plan for it in a silo. Talk extensively with potential acquirers and let their input inform your strategy early on.

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