Tag: Programming

This article explores the power of OpenAI’s GPT-4 as a tool for individual creativity and innovation.

I’ll discuss how GPT-4 catalyzes personal growth, boosts productivity, and streamlines complex tasks. Challenging conventional wisdom, I argue for the benefits of independent work with GPT-4 over corporate structures.

By showcasing practical case studies, I aim to inspire individuals to harness AI-powered innovation.

A small quote will be enough to communicate the idea of inspiring freedom that can be unlocked by large language models (LLMs):

“Whenever I have a new idea, I ask GPT-4 to write the most basic version, I provide feedback, it apologizes, and we iterate until we reach the 1.0 version I have in mind.

I use up my GPT-4 quota (25 entries/3 hours) multiple times a day. With the support of GPT-4, I feel unstoppable.

The overnight surge in productivity is intoxicating, not for making money or starting a business, but for the sheer joy of continuously creating ideas from my mind, which feels like happiness.”

Ke Fang

Understanding GPT-4: The Game-Changer in AI

GPT-4, OpenAI’s newest marvel, is not just a text generator. It’s your creative ally, language translator, coding guru, and productivity dynamo!

This self-learning model, built on the internet’s vast text, crafts human-like content with an eye for context and creativity. It outdoes its predecessor, GPT-3, and peers, excelling in translation, summarization, content generation, and coding aid.

Recommended: 10 High-IQ Things GPT-4 Can Do That GPT-3.5 Can’t

But GPT-4 isn’t just about words—it’s a key to your creative vault, productivity boost, and turning dreams into reality. The following sections explore these, offering a guide on making GPT-4 your catalyst for personal growth and innovation.

Personal Growth and Innovation with GPT-4

How can you use it to scale your productivity by an order of magnitude?

GPT-4 can assist in many creative tasks, from content creation to idea generation and problem-solving. With its ability to generate text coherently and contextually accurately, it can help you draft blog posts, create fictional stories, write code, or even compose poetry.

It’s like having a brainstorming partner that never runs out of ideas.

Moreover, GPT-4 can be your personal tutor, assisting you in learning new skills or enhancing your existing ones.

Want to learn a new programming language? GPT-4 can provide examples, answer your queries, and guide you through the process.

Want to learn a new human language? GPT-4 can be your friend you can talk to learn and gain proficiency. You can ask it any words if you struggle in the beginning.

Want to understand complex scientific concepts? GPT-4 is proficient enough to be able to teach you the basics of almost any field in philosophy, history, economics, and many more.

More than just fostering creativity and knowledge, GPT-4 encourages innovation by enabling you to take on projects beyond your current abilities. It’s like a co-pilot, guiding you through tasks you’ve never done before—be it developing a web application, creating a podcast, or launching a startup.

With GPT-4 by your side, the potential for personal growth and innovation is boundless.

10X Your Productivity with GPT-4

One key advantage of GPT-4 is its ability to handle tasks traditionally requiring specialized knowledge, thus freeing you to focus on other aspects of your work.

For instance, GPT-4 can write interfaces based on documentation and APIs, enabling even non-programmers to create software.

ChatGPT is the ultimate “No Code Tool” – a recent hype term on Twitter.

Similarly, it can generate accurate translations, aiding in quick and efficient product localization.

GPT-4 also shines in automation. With the ability to generate responses, GPT-4 can serve as a personal assistant, automating your emails, calendar appointments, and even customer service responses. That is if you know how to use ChatGPT Plugins.

Moreover, GPT-4 can quickly sift through large volumes of data and summarize key information, aiding in research tasks, market analysis, and decision-making.

By leveraging GPT-4, you can significantly increase your productivity, freeing up time for strategic thinking, creative ideation, and skill enhancement. GPT-4 is not just a tool, but a virtual collaborator driving efficiency and productivity.

Being Alone with GPT-4 Beats a Corporate Team

The conventional wisdom of a structured, corporate environment as the best place for career growth is being challenged by the potential of independent work amplified by AI tools like GPT-4.

Independence with GPT-4 can often prove more fruitful than being part of a large corporation.

The power of GPT-4 lies in its ability to augment individual abilities, acting as a multiplier of your skills and creativity. In a corporate setting, the focus is often on specialized roles, and the potential of a tool like GPT-4 can be diluted by bureaucracy, poor code, or lack of agility.

On the other hand, as an independent worker, the capabilities of GPT-4 can be fully harnessed. It can assist you in diverse tasks, enable rapid prototyping, and facilitate quick iterations of your ideas.

In effect, it can act as your personal team of specialists, available round the clock, without the constraints of a traditional office environment.

Moreover, working independently with GPT-4 promotes lifelong learning, forcing you to continually adapt and grow. It provides the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and even take risks that might be impossible within a corporate structure.

Don’t underestimate the power of being forced to learn and adapt in our rapidly changing times. The last thing you want to do is sleep through the tech developments during the next decade, which will be the most disruptive decade in the history of humanity!

Feel free to join the Finxter email newsletter to stay updated on the most profound trends and tools in AIs and LLMs.

Embracing independence with GPT-4 may not be the path of least resistance, but for those ready to navigate the uncharted waters of AI-driven innovation, it promises exciting opportunities and immense personal growth.

Real-World Examples: Harnessing GPT-4 for Individual Success

It’s one thing to talk about the potential of GPT-4 in abstract terms, but real-world examples truly illustrate its power.

Here are a few instances where individuals have harnessed GPT-4 to achieve remarkable success.

Case Study 1 – Building a Podcast Search Website: One individual with no prior experience in front-end coding was able to build a podcast search website after just 48 hours of conversation with GPT-4. This case study highlights GPT-4’s ability to provide step-by-step instructions, breaking down complex tasks into manageable actions, and facilitating the creation of a fully functional web application.

Case Study 2 – Developing a Chrome Extension: Another example is of an individual who developed a Chrome extension to skip certain timestamps when watching videos on web pages. GPT-4 guided the creation process, and within 15 minutes, a new tool was born. This showcases GPT-4’s proficiency in coding assistance and its potential to speed up development tasks significantly.

Case Study 3 – Launching Multiple Apps: Perhaps one of the most impressive examples is how this single developer, within five months, single-handedly launched five iOS apps. This underlines GPT-4’s capacity as a versatile partner capable of assisting in complex, multifaceted projects.

These case studies demonstrate GPT-4’s potential as an extraordinary tool for individuals. They serve as tangible proof that with the power of GPT-4, individuals can achieve their ideas and dream bigger than ever before.

“Many people may not be aware of the leverage GPT-4 offers to individuals and may not have considered the endless possibilities it enables. What I am doing is simply informing them of these aspects. I hope this is useful to the 0.01% of readers.” — Ke Fang

Where to Go From Here: The Journey Towards Mastery with Finxter Academy

You’ve seen the transformative power of GPT-4 and the immense opportunities it presents. But the question is – how do you acquire the skills to leverage this extraordinary tool effectively?

This is where Finxter Academy comes in:

At Finxter Academy, we’ve tailored our courses to help you harness exponential technologies like Python, machine learning, ChatGPT, and blockchain development. We aim to provide you with the knowledge and practical skills to master these technologies and create your path to success.

Python Courses: Python is the cornerstone of many AI-related projects. It is the language behind GPT-4 and other large language models. Mastering Python can enable you to interact more efficiently with GPT-4, customize its functionalities, and even build AI-powered applications.

Machine Learning Courses: Our courses in machine learning are designed to demystify the principles behind AI models like GPT-4. You’ll gain insights into how these models learn, their underlying algorithms, and how you can use machine learning for your innovative projects.

ChatGPT Courses: Given the central role of GPT-4 in the future of personal growth and innovation, we’ve developed dedicated courses on ChatGPT. These will provide in-depth knowledge on using GPT-4 effectively, enabling you to unlock its full potential.

Blockchain Development Courses: The future is not just AI; it’s a blend of multiple exponential technologies. Our blockchain development courses will empower you to delve into this revolutionary technology, opening up new avenues for innovation.

The potential of GPT-4 for individual growth and innovation is undeniable. By equipping yourself with the right skills at Finxter Academy, you can ensure you are fully prepared to harness this potential. We invite you to embark on this journey of lifelong learning and relentless innovation. Let’s set sail into the vast ocean of AI-powered possibilities together.

Join Finxter Academy today.

MPT-7B is a large language model (LLM) standard developed by MosaicML, for open-source, commercially usable LLMs and a groundbreaking innovation in natural language processing technology.

With nearly 7 billion parameters, MPT-7B offers impressive performance and has been trained on a diverse dataset of 1 trillion tokens, including text and code. As a part of the MosaicPretrainedTransformer (MPT) family, it utilizes a modified transformer architecture, optimized for efficient training and inference, setting a new standard for open-source, commercially usable language models.

MosaicML achieved an impressive feat by training MPT-7B on their platform in just 9.5 days, with zero human intervention, at a cost of around $200,000. This model not only offers unparalleled quality but also mirrors the performance of Meta’s LLaMA-7B while maintaining an open-source status, making it ideal for commercial use.

MPT-7B’s lineup includes various specialized models like MPT-7B-Instruct, MPT-7B-Chat, and MPT-7B-StoryWriter-65k+, each catering to different use cases. By offering powerful performance and extensive functionality, MPT-7B emerges as a leading contender in the global LLM landscape.

MPT-7B Huggingface

MPT-7B is a large language model developed by MosaicML and available on Hugging Face for easy usage. It is designed for efficient training and inference, suitable for commercial use and outperforms other models in various benchmarks.

LLM

As a large language model (LLM), MPT-7B is trained from scratch on 1T tokens of text and code. It utilizes a modified transformer architecture for better efficiency and matches the quality of other LLMs while being open-source.

Comparison to Other LLMs

The MPT-7B is an impressive language learning model (LLM) that demonstrates performance comparable to the LLaMA-7B model, and even outpaces other open-source models ranging from 7B to 20B parameters in terms of standard academic tasks. (source)

Quality evaluations involving a compilation of 11 open-source benchmarks commonly used for in-context learning (ICL), in addition to a self-curated Jeopardy benchmark to test factual accuracy in responses, demonstrate the robust performance of MPT-7B.

Remarkably, zero-shot accuracy comparisons between MPT-7B, LLaMA-7B, and other open-source models revealed that MPT-7B and LLaMA-7B share a similar level of quality across all tasks, with each model earning the highest scores on 6 out of the 12 tasks.

Despite their comparable performance, MPT-7B and LLaMA-7B noticeably surpass other open-source language models, including those with substantially larger parameter counts.

These results, made possible through the MosaicML LLM Foundry’s ICL evaluation framework, are of particular importance as they were achieved under fair and consistent conditions without the use of prompt strings or prompt tuning.

Furthermore, this evaluation suite brings with it an invitation to the community to engage in model evaluations and contribute additional datasets and ICL task types for continued advancements in the evaluation process.

I also find a nice video on the model, check it out right here:

Commercial Use and Licences

MPT-7B is released under the Apache 2.0, CC-By-SA-3.0, and CC-By-SA-4.0 licenses on Huggingface, not GitHub, to my knowledge, making it usable for commercial applications without any restrictions.

1. Apache 2.0: It is an open-source software license that permits users to freely use, modify, and distribute the licensed work, while also providing explicit grant of patent rights from contributors to users.
2. CC-BY-SA-3.0: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 is a license that allows for free distribution, remixing, tweaking, and building upon a work, even commercially, as long as the new creation is credited and licensed under the identical terms.
3. CC-BY-SA-4.0: This is an updated version of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license that similarly allows anyone to remix, adapt, and build upon a work, even for commercial purposes, provided that they credit the original creation and license their new creations under the identical terms, but with a few enhancements in terms of internationalization and adaptability to new technologies compared to its predecessor.

Chat

The MPT-7B model has a specific version called MPT-7B-Chat that is designed for conversational use cases, making it a great option for building chatbots and virtual assistants.

Here’s another sample chat from the original website:

Storywriter 65K

I was always frustrated with ChatGPTs length limitations. Storywriter 65k is a nice open-source solution to it!

MPT-7B has a StoryWriter variant that focuses on generating coherent and engaging stories. This StoryWriter version is an excellent choice for content generation tasks. The MPT-7B-StoryWriter-65k+ version is designed to handle even longer stories, suitable for applications requiring extended narrative output.

Here’s an example prompt (source):

MPT-7B-Instruct

The Instruct version of MPT-7B is optimized for providing detailed instructions and guidance based on user input, making it a perfect fit for instructional applications and virtual learning.

Context Length

MPT-7B large language models are designed to handle varying context lengths depending on the use case. Longer context lengths allow for better understanding and more accurate responses in conversational scenarios.

Tokens, Meta, and Datasets

MPT-7B utilizes 1T tokens in various data sources such as the Books3 dataset created by EleutherAI and the Evol-Instruct dataset.

Meta-information about MPT-7B, such as its architecture and training methodology, can be found in the documentation.

Datasets used for training MPT-7B include Books3, Alpaca, and Evol-Instruct, which cover different types of text content to create a diverse language model.

(source)

You can check out their great GitHub repository MosaicML Streaming to train your LLMs easily from cloud storage (multi-node, distributed training for large models)!

Access

MPT-7B is easy to access through its Hugging Face implementation, making it straightforward to deploy and integrate into various projects and applications.

Benchmarks

MPT-7B has been benchmarked against several other large language models and matches the performance of LLaMA, as shown above, while being open-source and commercially friendly.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find an independently-researched benchmark that was not provided by their creators MosaicML. More research is definitely needed! If you’re an ML researcher, why not fill this research gap?

Databricks Dolly-15K, Sharegpt-Vicuna, HC3, Anthropic Helpful and Harmless Datasets

MPT-7B is designed to work effectively with various language models and datasets such as Databricks Dolly-15K, Sharegpt-Vicuna, HC3, and Anthropic’s Helpful and Harmless datasets.

Pricing

While there is no direct pricing associated with MPT-7B, users may experience costs associated with infrastructure, compute resources, and deployment depending on their requirements.

Thanks for reading the article! Feel free to join 100,000 coders in my free email newsletter on AI and exponential technologies such as blockchain development and Python!

Also, you can download a fun cheat sheet here:

OpenAI Glossary Cheat Sheet (100% Free PDF Download)

Finally, check out our free cheat sheet on OpenAI terminology, many Finxters have told me they love it!

Recommended: OpenAI Terminology Cheat Sheet (Free Download PDF)

ChatGPT has emerged as a powerful language model capable of transforming digital interactions across various platforms.

To improve your online presence and engage visitors, integrating ChatGPT into their websites has become a great hack for website owners.

Integrating ChatGPT into your website is not as complicated as it might seem, with several options for seamless implementation, such as the OpenAI API.

Integrating ChatGPT into Your Website

Integrating ChatGPT into your website can be done in various ways, depending on your preferred platform and technology stack. This section explores different methods, such as using API and Authentication, JavaScript and Node.js, WordPress Plugins, and Handling Post Requests.

Let’s start with the easiest approach:

WordPress Plugins

For WordPress-based websites, you can quickly build a site with ChatGPT by following instructions from providers like Meow’s AI Engine.

You can see AI Engine at work in this screenshot:

Installing appropriate plugins, configuring them, and connecting to the OpenAI API allows your site to access ChatGPT capabilities.

API and Authentication

To integrate ChatGPT into your website, you need to access the OpenAI API. Acquiring an API key is essential to authenticate your requests with the service.

Store the API key securely using a solution like AWS Secrets Manager. The API endpoint serves as the foundation for sending queries and receiving ChatGPT responses.

Recommended: OpenAI API – or How I Made My Python Code Intelligent

JavaScript and Node.js

If your website is built using JavaScript and Node.js, it is possible to integrate ChatGPT directly by sending requests to the OpenAI API.

You can create a live chat leveraging the latest OpenAI ChatGPT API models and training approaches.

Handling Post Requests

Proper handling of Post Requests is necessary when integrating ChatGPT into your website. These requests involve sending input data to the OpenAI API endpoint, which processes the information, generates a response, and returns it to the caller.

Attention to proper formatting, security, and consistency is vital to ensuring seamless integration of ChatGPT functionality into your site.

Recommended: ChatGPT at the Heart – Building a Movie Recommendation Python Web App in 2023

Customizing ChatGPT on Your Website

Adjusting Temperature Settings

One important aspect of integrating ChatGPT into your website is adjusting the temperature settings.

Recommended: ChatGPT API Temperature

The temperature settings allow you to control the randomness and creativity of the generated content by the chatbot. A higher value (e.g., 1.0) results in more diverse responses, while a lower value (e.g., 0.2) makes the chatbot more focused and conservative in its replies.

Consider experimenting with different temperature settings to find the optimal balance between creativity and coherence for your application.

Language Translation

ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for websites serving multilingual audiences.

With its language translation capabilities, the chatbot can automatically detect the user’s preferred language and respond accordingly.

By incorporating language translation, your chatbot can cater to diverse user communities and enhance the overall user experience.

Providing Context

For more accurate and context-aware conversations, it’s essential to integrate context into your chatbot by:

1. Providing an initial context message: This message sets the context and helps the chatbot provide relevant responses to user inquiries. For example, you can tell it to try to sell your most popular product to the user conversing with the Chatbot.
2. Utilizing message prefixes: You can use prefixes like “User:” and “Assistant:” to differentiate between user inquiries and chatbot responses. This helps ChatGPT keep track of the conversation context.
3. Limiting conversation history: Consider truncating or omitting parts of the conversation history to prevent exceeding token limits. Be mindful of maintaining a coherent and accurate context.

By customizing temperature settings, language translation, and providing proper context, you can create a highly effective and personalized ChatGPT experience for your website’s users.

Using ChatGPT for Various Purposes

In this section, we discuss various ways to integrate ChatGPT into different industries and applications, including customer support, travel and tourism, content creation, and SEO.

Customer Support

Integrating ChatGPT into your website can improve the overall customer support experience.

The AI-powered chatbot offers quick, accurate, and personalized responses for customers with queries. Proactive support allows websites to identify common FAQs, manage ticketing systems, and redirect users to appropriate web pages for further information.

Service availability around the clock minimizes response times, ensuring clients receive assistance regardless of their location or timezone.

Travel and Tourism

ChatGPT can effectively enhance user engagement on travel websites and applications, offering personalized recommendations for destinations, activities, and deals based on customer preferences.

For instance, chatbots that are able to interact with APIs of prominent travel platforms like Expedia can analyze prices and availability for various travel options.

Additionally, language translation capabilities can ensure smooth communication with international users, providing localized content and recommendations.

Content Creation

Content creators and businesses can leverage ChatGPT to generate blog posts, articles, and other written materials efficiently.

The AI tool assists with data analysis, topic ideation, and creativity, expediting the content generation process.

For example, ChatGPT could craft an overview text for a sitemap or an engaging email copy for newsletters. This helps create optimization opportunities and streamline workflows, leading to improved content quality and variety.

SEO

Incorporating ChatGPT into a website’s SEO strategy can further enhance website visibility and search engine rankings.

The powerful AI model assists businesses in generating topic-focused and relevant content, optimizing metadata, crafting informative FAQs, and providing link suggestions. These capabilities can increase the overall search engine performance of a website, driving organic traffic and conversions.

Limitations and Potential Issues

API Call Limits

Developers integrating ChatGPT into their websites should be aware of the API call limits.

There are restrictions on the number of requests that can be made to the AI within a specific time frame. This limit may vary depending on the subscription or account type, with Plus Users and paid API accounts potentially receiving more flexibility.

Going beyond the allowed number of API calls might result in temporary suspension or additional charges.

Developers need to monitor their API usage and design their applications to handle such limitations effectively.

Recommended: 9 Easy Ways to Fix “Rate Limit Error” in OpenAI Codex

Model Constraints

While ChatGPT exhibits remarkable capabilities in natural language processing and understanding, it still has a few critical constraints that need consideration.

• Context Understanding: ChatGPT sometimes struggles with understanding context, sarcasm or humor, causing it to provide inaccurate, unrelated, or inappropriate responses.
• Bias and Ethical Concerns: The AI model may unintentionally perpetuate biases that were present in the training data, which could lead to ethical and social implications.
• Information Accuracy: ChatGPT may occasionally generate plausible-sounding but inaccurate answers, which can pose a problem for users looking for reliable information.

To mitigate these constraints, developers should implement additional mechanisms for verifying the accuracy and context of generated responses and devise ways to handle inappropriate or offensive outputs.

Recommended: Hallucinations in AI – with ChatGPT Examples

Helpful Resources and Tips

Guides and Tutorials

Whether you’re just starting or want a refresher, guides, and tutorials can help you integrate ChatGPT into your website. For a more technical tutorial, explore how to integrate ChatGPT into your website using Ping Pong Labs.

If you’re working with .NET, consider this article on integrating ChatGPT models into your application.

Code Snippets

To simplify the integration process, familiarize yourself with code snippets that use popular web packages. For instance, you can utilize NPM and Axios for making API calls to ChatGPT:

const axios = require('axios'); async function callChatGPT(prompt) { try { const response = await axios.post('https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', { prompt: prompt, n: 1 }, { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.CHATGPT_API_KEY}` } }); return response.data.choices[0].text; } catch (error) { console.error(`Error calling ChatGPT: ${error.message}`); }
}

Add this code to your project to connect your website to ChatGPT via an API call.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need special permissions to use ChatGPT on my website? Yes, you need an account with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. Sign up for an account here.
• How can I control the output of ChatGPT? To control the output, adjust the prompt parameter and use other API parameters like temperature (for controlling randomness) and max_tokens (for limiting response length).
• Can I use ChatGPT in a real-time chat environment? While ChatGPT can be used in real-time chat applications, be mindful of API response times to ensure a smooth user experience.
• Are there any limitations to using ChatGPT on my website? As with any AI model, there are likely to be certain limitations, such as contextual understanding and content generation. It is important to monitor and improve its performance based on actual use cases.

OpenAI Glossary Cheat Sheet (100% Free PDF Download)

Finally, check out our free cheat sheet on OpenAI terminology, many Finxters have told me they love it!

Recommended: OpenAI Terminology Cheat Sheet (Free Download PDF)

This is the final part of the project tutorial series in which we are learning how to design a personal portfolio website. In the first and second part series, we designed the application and have it running on the local server.

In this final part, we want to move the application to a production server where anyone with the link can see the website and its content. This allows us to share what we have done with others including potential employers.

Live Demo: You can see my portfolio app live here: http://jonaben.pythonanywhere.com/

Deploying Django projects to a live server is not as easy as it is on a local server. Several configurations need to be done. Each hosting platform has its own rules and protocols that need to be observed.

We will deploy our portfolio website on PythonAnywhere for the following reasons:

Reason 1: It is the easiest way to make our website live.

The first point is the main reason I chose PythonAnywhere. I like to keep things simple. Be warned! Hardly will you use Django without dealing with things more complicated than deploying a website. So, expect the worse while you hope for the best.

Reason 2: We can host our website for free.

The second reason is more or less a choice depending on the nature of the website. There are many hosting platforms like Amazon Cloud Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure but they offer free services for a limited time. Heroku would have been my first choice but they have suspended their free plan.

Steps to Deploy on PythonAnywhere

We will follow a series of steps to deploy our portfolio website on PythonAnywhere. Ensure you have completed the previous parts and that it’s working in the local server before you attempt this final part.

Step 1: Uploading files to GitHub

You can skip this part if you already know how to upload files to GitHub.

Uploading files to GitHub is very simple. You simply go to GitHub.com and register an account if you haven’t already done so. Then you go to github.com/new to create a new repository.

On the page you are redirected to after creating a new repo, you will see instructions on how to set up GitHub starting with running git init on the command line.

But I want to show you my preferred way of pushing files to GitHub.

Run the following on your terminal assuming you are using Ubuntu and have git installed:

1. git clone https://github.com/Jonaben1/portfolio_website/
2. cd portfolio_website
3. mv ~/django_projects/portfolio_website/* .
4. git add .
5. git commit -m 'initial commit‘
6. git push

By following the above steps, your files will be uploaded to GitHub. Now, let me explain what I just did.

I clone the repo in my home directory and cd into it. My username is Jonaben1 and portfolio_website is the name of the Git repository. Make sure you adjust the URL to correspond to yours. Then, I move all files from portfolio_website folder to my current folder which also bears the same name.

Recall, in the first part of this series, we created a folder named portfolio_website. I like the idea of keeping all Django projects in one folder named django_projects. So, inside this folder, I created the portfolio_website folder. Doing this prevents conflict when I clone the repo.

The next command moves all the files (represented by *) to the current folder (represented by the dot). The ~ means the home directory. For further assistance, you may wish to check the internet. Now that our files are pushed to GitHub, we can go to the next step.

Step 2: Create an account on PythonAnywhere

Click here to register an account on the platform. After registration, you log in and be taken to your dashboard as shown below.

Open the bash console and clone your GitHub repo:

git clone https://github.com/Jonaben1/portfolio_website/

Create and activate a virtual environment

python3 -venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Change into your project folder

cd portfolio_website

Install Django and its dependencies using the requirements.txt file.

pip install -r requirements.txt

Go back to your dashboard, and click on Web to add a new app.

Select Django as the web framework. Then select the latest Python version (v3.9). Click Next.

Some do recommend setting the app with manual configuration. Well, the choice is yours. Once you arrive at the page, as shown in the image below, you have almost completed the setup.

Hoping that you are still on that page, scroll down to the Code section, you will see ‘WSGI configuration file,’ click on the link, and you will be taken to an editor. Note that this WSGI file is not the same as the one in your Django project files.

Edit linee 12 and 17. Make it look like this:

Hit save and go back to the Web section. Edit the source code as shown in the image below. In the virtualenv section, enter the whole path of your virtualenv name. Mine is /home/Jonaben/venv

Go back to the bash console. Open your settings.py file and save your domain name to the ALLOWED_HOST variable. Mine is jonaben.pythonanywhere.com. Hopefully, everything is all set.

Reload your web app to apply all the changes made. Enter your domain name to the web address in your browser. Your app is now live!

Conclusion

We have successfully come to the end of this project series.

From creating a Django app to deploying to a local server, to uploading files to GitHub, and now, deploying to a production server. No doubt, you have learned a lot. You can now create similar Django project and deploy it instantly to PythonAnywhere.

If you want to make changes to your app, how can you do so?

Quite easy. Either you do it locally, push to GitHub and pull the changes from the bash console or you make the changes directly in the bash console. It all depends on what changes you are making.

For example, you will notice that I applied the changes in the ALLOWED_HOST variable in the settings.py file directly rather than pulling from GitHub. This is in case I decide to host my application using other hosting platforms.

Remember, you need to log in to your account at least once every 3 months if you want your app to remain live. Happy coding!

Recommended: [Dash + Flask] How to Deploy a Python Dash App on Pythonanywhere.com

In today’s connected world, knowing how to interact with Bluetooth devices is a valuable skill. Python is a popular and versatile programming language that can help you scan and connect to Bluetooth devices. Using a library called PyBluez, you can easily discover nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices, making it a perfect choice for beginners and advanced programmers.

PyBluez is a popular Python library that allows developers to create Bluetooth applications and interact with nearby devices. With this library, you can scan for nearby devices, establish connections, and send and receive data. The library is compatible with various platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

To start scanning for Bluetooth devices with Python and PyBluez, you must install the required packages and import the necessary modules before writing your code. Scanning for devices is simple and intuitive, making it easy for programmers to integrate Bluetooth functionalities into their projects. So, gear up to explore the world of wireless communication with Python!

Prerequisites

Before diving into scanning for Bluetooth devices using Python, let’s make sure you have the necessary setup in place. This section guides you through setting up your Python environment and installing the Pybluez library.

Python Environment Setup

To get started, ensure that you have Python installed on your machine. For this tutorial, we recommend using Python version 3.6 or higher. You can check your Python version by running the following command in your terminal:

python --version

If you don’t have Python installed or need to upgrade, visit the official Python website to download the latest version.

Next, you’ll want to set up a virtual environment. This creates an isolated environment to install Python packages, ensuring that your projects don’t interfere with each other or with the system Python installation:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # or "venv\Scripts\activate" on Windows

With your environment set up, you can move on to installing Pybluez.

Installing Pybluez

Pybluez is a Python library that provides a simple interface for working with Bluetooth devices. To install it, you’ll need to use pip, the Python package manager:

pip install pybluez

If you don’t have pip installed, you can follow our full guide on the Finxter blog.

Great! Now you have a Python environment with the Pybluez library installed, you’re all set to start scanning for Bluetooth devices. In the next sections, you’ll learn how to use Python and Pybluez to detect nearby devices and manipulate Bluetooth services.

Discovering Bluetooth Devices

This section will discuss how to scan for Bluetooth devices using the Python programming language. We’ll explore the Pybluez library, discover devices using the discover_devices function, and fetch device names with the lookup_names function.

Using Pybluez Library

Pybluez is a popular Python library that simplifies working with Bluetooth devices. You can easily install it using pip, the Python package manager:

pip install pybluez

With Pybluez installed, you can now access various features for Bluetooth devices, such as scanning, connecting, and retrieving information.

Discovering Devices with Discover_Devices

To discover nearby Bluetooth devices, use the discover_devices function of the Pybluez library. This function returns a list of device addresses.

Here is a simple example to get started:

import bluetooth nearby_devices = bluetooth.discover_devices()
print("Found %d devices" % len(nearby_devices))

This code snippet initiates a Bluetooth scan, and when the scan is complete, prints the number of devices found.

Fetching Device Names with Lookup_Names

After discovering the available devices, you can retrieve their names using the lookup_names function. Here’s a code snippet that demonstrates how to use lookup_names in combination with discover_devices:

import bluetooth print("Performing inquiry...")
nearby_devices = bluetooth.discover_devices(lookup_names=True)
print(f"Found {len(nearby_devices)} devices.") for addr, name in nearby_devices: print(f"Address: {addr}, Name: {name}")

This code initiates a Bluetooth scan and returns a list of tuples containing the address and name of each discovered device. The results are printed in a human-readable format, making it easy to identify nearby devices.

Platform Compatibility

Next, we’ll discuss the platform compatibility of scanning for Bluetooth devices using Python libraries. We’ll cover Linux Support and Windows Support.

Linux Support

For Linux, the recommended library is pybluez2. Pybluez2 provides an easy-to-use interface for scanning and connecting to Bluetooth devices on Linux systems.

To install pybluez2, simply run the following command:

pip install pybluez2

Once installed, you can use it to scan for nearby devices and open Bluetooth sockets .

Windows Support

On the Windows platform, PyBluez is a popular choice for working with Bluetooth devices in Python. It works well with Windows and can be installed by running:

pip install pybluez

Additionally, you can use the pygatt library to communicate with BLE devices on Windows. Install with:

pip install pygatt

Using these libraries, you can effectively scan and communicate with Bluetooth devices on both Linux and Windows platforms .

Remember to keep your code updated and use the appropriate library for your specific platform, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience while working with Bluetooth devices in Python.

Bluetooth Low Energy Scanning

This section will focus on how Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scanning works using Python libraries. We’ll dive into the details of BLE and its differences from Bluetooth Classic. This will help you understand how to scan for devices using Python more effectively.

Exploring Bluetooth LE

Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, is a low-power wireless technology designed for short-range communication between devices.

One of the key features of BLE is its ability to send and receive advertisements, which are small packets of data broadcasted by devices that contain necessary information such as MAC addresses and service identifiers.

Scanning for BLE devices with Python can be achieved using libraries like gattlib or bleak. These libraries streamline discovering and connecting to BLE devices, giving you the power to interact with and manage Bluetooth LE connections.

Differences from Bluetooth Classic

BLE differs from Bluetooth Classic in several ways, making it a more suitable option for applications that require low power consumption and efficient wireless communication. Some key differences include:

• Power consumption: BLE is designed with power efficiency in mind, making it ideal for battery-operated devices or IoT applications.
• Range: Bluetooth Classic offers a longer range, but BLE provides shorter range communication, focusing on minimizing power consumption.
• Protocol: Bluetooth Classic uses a complex protocol stack, while BLE employs a simpler protocol, allowing for quicker and lighter device connections.
• Connection speed: BLE connects much faster than Bluetooth Classic, making it more suitable for applications that need frequent connectivity changes.

By understanding these differences, you’ll be better equipped to choose the appropriate technology and Python library for your specific project needs.

Whether you’re working with BLE or Bluetooth Classic, leveraging Python libraries will simplify scanning for and connecting to other devices.

Pairing and Connecting Devices

This section will explore how to pair and connect Bluetooth devices using Python libraries. We’ll provide a general understanding of the pairing process and explain how to establish connections using Python sockets.

Understanding the Pairing Process

Pairing is establishing a connection between two Bluetooth devices, ensuring they are authenticated and have the required permissions to interact with each other. This usually involves exchanging a passkey or using an “out-of-band” method, such as Near Field Communication (NFC).

1. Device A initiates the process by sending a pairing request to Device B.
2. Device B receives the request and either accepts or rejects it.
3. If accepted, both devices exchange authentication keys and establish a secure connection.

Connecting using Python Sockets

Python provides a powerful and flexible way to establish connections between Bluetooth devices using sockets. These are virtual communication channels enabling data exchange between devices.

First, install the PyBluez library to utilize Bluetooth functionality in Python.

pip install PyBluez

Create a socket to establish a connection between two Bluetooth devices:

import bluetooth server_socket = bluetooth.BluetoothSocket(bluetooth.RFCOMM)

You can bind the server socket to a specific address and port, and start listening for incoming connections:

server_socket.bind(("", bluetooth.PORT_ANY))
server_socket.listen(1)

To accept incoming connections and initiate data exchange, use the following code:

client_socket, client_address = server_socket.accept()
print(f"Accepted connection from {client_address}")
data_received = client_socket.recv(1024)

Close the connection once the data exchange is completed:

client_socket.close()
server_socket.close()

Advanced Topics

In this section, we will explore using a Raspberry Pi for Bluetooth device scanning and the application of Python libraries in Covid-19 contact tracing.

We will discuss the benefits, implementation, and requirements for using these advanced tools in your project.

Using Raspberry Pi for Scanning

Raspberry Pi can be a powerful tool for scanning Bluetooth devices when properly equipped with a Python library. Utilizing the pybluez library, a Raspberry Pi can search for active Bluetooth devices and expand its functionality.

Some benefits of using Raspberry Pi for scanning include:

• Compact and portable design
• Affordable and easy to use
• Highly customizable with various Python libraries

However, there are a few requirements to set up your Raspberry Pi for scanning:

1. A compatible Raspberry Pi model with Bluetooth capabilities
2. The Pybluez library installed
3. A Python script that uses Pybluez for scanning

After meeting these requirements, you can start exploring Bluetooth scanning capabilities with Raspberry Pi, opening up new possibilities for your projects.

Recommended: Getting Started With Thonny – The Optimal IDE for the Raspberry Pi Pico

Application in Covid-19 Contact Tracing

Python libraries and Bluetooth scanning can play a crucial part in Covid-19 contact tracing efforts.

Using Bluetooth signals to detect nearby devices makes it possible to estimate the proximity between individuals, helping to identify potential exposure risks.

Key concepts in using Python and Bluetooth scanning for contact tracing include:

• Developing an app or software that uses a Python library for Bluetooth scanning
• Collecting anonymous encrypted data from nearby devices
• Analyzing device proximity to determine potential exposure risks

By putting these concepts into practice, Python and Bluetooth scanning can contribute to contact tracing methods, helping in the fight against the spread of infectious diseases. Implementing this technology may keep people safe and provide valuable data for health officials during a pandemic.

Licensing and Limitations

PyBluez is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which allows you to use, modify, and distribute the library as long as the same license terms are applied to your software. More information about the license can be found on the PyBluez PyPI page. Adhering to the license terms is crucial when using open-source software like PyBluez.

Regarding limitations, it is essential to be aware of the compatibility of PyBluez with your platform.

While PyBluez supports both Windows and Linux operating systems, you might face some challenges with Mac OS.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that PyBluez primarily focuses on classic Bluetooth and not Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. Thus, in case your project targets BLE devices, you may need to look for alternative libraries like Adafruit’s BLE library.

Lastly, ensure that your Python version is compatible with the PyBluez library. Regular updates to the library are necessary to maintain compatibility with newer Python versions and to leverage bug fixes from the community. Staying updated ensures you have a smooth development experience with minimal issues.

Conclusion

Scanning for Bluetooth devices using Python is simple with the help of libraries such as PyBluez and Bleak. Following the provided examples, one can efficiently develop an application to discover nearby Bluetooth devices and even incorporate communication between them.

Working with Python and Bluetooth allows for the creation of various applications, like remote monitoring or automation. It’s essential to have a solid understanding of both Python programming and Bluetooth technology to develop useful solutions.

Always test your code thoroughly, ensuring it works with various Bluetooth devices and operating systems. This way, you can create a robust and reliable application. Good luck on your Python and Bluetooth journey!

If you want to improve your skills in Python, check out our free email academy and download our Python cheat sheets:

In today’s digital world, you have numerous opportunities to make money online, especially as a programmer.

With your unique skill set, there are various ways to monetize your passion and expertise to generate a six-figure income. Yeah, coders in the US make six figures on average!

The comfort and freedom of working from home have become increasingly attractive to professionals, including programmers. This article explores 20+ profitable avenues as you embark on your journey to achieving financial success.

Whichever idea you want to pursue, remember that consistency and dedication are key. Any idea will work — but you cannot pursue every one! Stay focused!

As you delve into the potential six-figure earning possibilities, it’s essential to always be open to learning and adapting. The world of technology constantly evolves, and you need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and innovation such as AI and blockchain development.

You can do so by joining our free email newsletter on tech and programming:

Freelancing as a Programmer

Upwork and Fiverr

As a programmer, one of the most flexible ways to make money online is through freelancing .

Recommended: Become a Python Freelancer Course

You can start your journey by creating profiles on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. These platforms allow you to showcase your skills and attract potential clients looking for your expertise.

By bidding on projects that interest you, you can earn a substantial income while working on exciting tasks.

Remote Work and Work from Home

Embracing remote work and work-from-home opportunities can significantly boost your earnings. Many organizations prefer hiring remote developers, which means you have access to a global pool of jobs .

Searching for remote work on job boards and company websites can lead you to high-paying positions that match your qualifications.

Building a Portfolio

A crucial step in making six figures online as a freelance programmer is building a strong portfolio. Your portfolio should demonstrate your skills, past projects, and client testimonials .

Displaying your portfolio on personal websites or portfolio platforms can help you gain more visibility and attract clients. Make sure to update your portfolio regularly with your latest completed projects and achievements to showcase continuous growth in your field.

Remember, a well-maintained portfolio is your ticket to grabbing the attention of potential clients and landing those lucrative freelance gigs.

Recommended: How I Designed a Personal Portfolio Website with Django

Online Courses and Training

As a programmer, you have numerous ways to generate a six-figure income online. One of the most lucrative and rewarding options is online courses and training. You can share your programming knowledge with others while making a significant income.

This section will explore two sub-sections: creating and selling online courses and teaching on platforms like Udemy.

Creating and Selling Online Courses

Creating your own online courses is a fantastic way to showcase your expertise and foster a loyal audience.

To ensure success, validate your course idea by asking questions, conducting polls, and tracking responses. Once you’ve gathered feedback, develop content based on the solutions you have devised, and continually test it.

Moreover, you can use affiliate programs to incentivize your most devoted fans to promote your course. You’ll not only expand your reach but also share your earnings with those who have contributed to your growth.

Teaching on Platforms Like Udemy

Teaching programming courses on platforms such as Udemy offers numerous benefits. They already have an established audience, so you won’t have to invest much time or resources in marketing your courses.

Your success will depend on your ability to produce high-quality content that resonates with students.

To build a successful course on Udemy, consider the following tips:

• Design a beautiful, engaging course that students will find valuable
• Use the platform’s built-in support and resources to optimize your course structure
• Launch your course, even if you don’t have a large audience, and gradually build it up

Developing and selling your programming courses will help you establish a fruitful career, earn a six-figure passive income, and share your valuable knowledge with the online community.

Now, it’s up to you to embrace the opportunities and make the most of your skills.

Blogging and Content Creation

As a programmer, you can make a substantial income through blogging and creating high-quality content. This section will cover starting a blog on WordPress, technical writing, and publishing ebooks.

All of these options let you leverage your programming expertise to potentially earn six figures online .

Starting a Blog on WordPress

If you want to share your knowledge and experiences as a developer, starting a blog on WordPress is a great idea. Here’s a quick guide to help you set up your blog:

1. Choose your niche, focusing on your preferred programming languages or topics related to your field of expertise .
2. Select a domain name relevant to your content and niche.
3. Sign up for a WordPress hosting service, such as Bluehost or SiteGround.
4. Install WordPress and customize your blog with a professional theme and essential plugins .
5. Create high-quality, engaging content to attract readers and build a loyal audience.

Remember to promote your blog on social media, programming forums, and other online platforms to grow your readership .

Technical Writing

Technical writing is another way for programmers to make six figures online. As a technical writer, you can create content like:

• User guides for software and applications
• Programming language tutorials
• API documentation
• Software release notes

To succeed in technical writing, focus on enhancing your writing skills and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in your field. You can also enroll in courses, join online communities of technical writers, and attend relevant events and webinars .

Ebooks

Publishing ebooks is a fantastic way to monetize your programming knowledge. To get started, you can write ebooks on popular topics like:

• Mastering a specific programming language
• Building web applications or mobile apps
• Best practices in software development
• Tips and tricks for programmers

When writing ebooks, always aim for clarity and simplicity. Use real-world examples and practical tips to make your content more useful and engaging. You can publish your ebooks on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or Gumroad for maximum exposure .

Keep your content fresh and relevant in all of these areas, and with persistence and dedication, you could see yourself making a substantial income from blogging and content creation as a programmer!

Affiliate Marketing and Advertising

As a programmer, you can leverage your skills and knowledge to create an income stream through affiliate marketing and advertising. This section will explore a couple of tried-and-tested ways involving Amazon and web hosting affiliate programs, and Google Adsense with ad revenue.

While finding the right approach for you may require some experimentation, the following information should provide you with some valuable insights.

Amazon and Web Hosting Affiliate Programs

If you’re well-versed in the world of e-commerce or regularly recommend products to your network, consider joining the Amazon Associates Program. With their extensive selection of products, you could earn a commission for every purchase made through your affiliate links.

Web hosting services, such as Bluehost and SiteGround (these are not affiliate links ), also offer affiliate programs that can help you earn impressive commissions. Promote the hosting services you genuinely trust, and watch your earnings grow.

Here are some ideas to get started with affiliate programs:

• Write blog posts reviewing popular products
• Share your product recommendations on social media platforms
• Create product comparison articles
• Develop tutorials using the hosting services you recommend

Google Adsense and Ad Revenue

Google Adsense is a popular ad network that can help you earn passive income through display advertising. This ad network serves highly targeted ads to your website visitors. To make this approach successful, you’ll need a website with substantial traffic and valuable content.

Prep your site for Google Adsense with these steps:

1. Create engaging, SEO-optimized content
2. Apply for Google Adsense and get approval
3. Implement ads on your site and monitor your earnings

Remember that while earning six figures is possible, it typically requires significant effort, dedication, and a bit of luck.

So, keep honing your skills and working tirelessly to achieve your income goals. And who knows? You could be well on your way to earning six figures online as a programmer!

YouTube and Podcasting

As a programmer, you can leverage YouTube and podcasting platforms to make six figures online. Next, we’ll explore three strategies to help you achieve this goal: creating technical video tutorials, interviewing experts, and sharing advice.

Creating Technical Video Tutorials

You have the knowledge and talent to create informative and engaging technical video tutorials. Start by identifying programming concepts or tools that interest your audience.

Then, create a series of videos that break down complex topics into easily digestible segments. Don’t forget to optimize your video for YouTube search and use captivating thumbnails to attract viewers.

Recommended: I Use These Free Open-Source Tools to Make Professional Tutorial Videos

Interviewing Experts

Your programming expertise can open doors to conversations with prominent figures in the tech industry. Establish your own podcast to interview experts and entrepreneurs who can offer invaluable advice, unique perspectives, and innovative ideas.

By consistently producing interesting and informative content, you’ll build trust and rapport with your audience, encouraging them to subscribe and engage with your podcast.

Sharing Advice

Both YouTube and podcasting platforms provide immersive channels for sharing advice and knowledge with fellow programmers.

On YouTube, consider hosting live coding sessions or answering common questions in a Q&A-style format.

For your podcast, discuss trending programming topics or provide tips and tricks that can help your listeners level up their skills.

Remember, your aim is to engage, educate, and entertain both new and experienced programmers, so keep your tone friendly and your content informative.

So, get started with a YouTube channel or podcast today and leverage your programming knowledge to make six figures online! Good luck!

Software and Plugin Development

As a programmer, you have plenty of opportunities to make six figures by developing software and plugins. With creative business models, you can turn your technical skills into profitable income streams. Here’s how.

Creating WordPress Themes and Plugins

Developing unique and user-friendly WordPress themes or powerful plugins can skyrocket your online business.

To start, identify a niche or problem that needs solving in the WordPress ecosystem. Then, design and build your themes or plugins to cater to those needs.

You can sell your creations through marketplaces like:

• ThemeForest
• WordPress.org

Or, create your own website and sell them directly for % commission. Besides sales, you may also earn from additional services such as support and customization.

Building Mobile Apps

Capitalizing on the growing mobile app market can bring you closer to that six-figure income. As a developer, you can build mobile apps for iOS or Android platforms to solve specific problems or provide user-friendly solutions.

To monetize your mobile apps, consider:

• Selling your app on app stores
• Running in-app advertising
• Offering in-app purchases or subscriptions

Remember, a unique and high-quality mobile app can generate consistent passive income. So, put your programming skills to good use and scale your online business ventures. Good luck!

Recommended: Mobile App Developer — Income and Opportunity

Building and Flipping Websites

You, as a programmer, have a unique opportunity to make six figures online by building and flipping websites. Through buying and selling domain names, creating niche websites, and expanding your eCommerce reach, you can generate a lucrative income .

Let’s explore these opportunities in more detail.

Buying and Selling Domain Names

Your journey starts with purchasing valuable domain names. Look for domain names that are catchy, easy to remember, and have potential to be sought after in the market.

Then, monitor domain auctions or expired domain lists to snag great deals. Once you have a portfolio of domain names, you can sell them for profit. This will give you a head start in generating income before even creating a website .

Creating Niche Websites

As a programmer, you have the skills to build niche websites that cater to a specific audience. Identify topics, areas of interest, or industries that are in demand, and build websites focused on them.

Add unique, valuable content to your sites and optimize them for search engines to drive traffic . Don’t forget to monetize them through advertising, affiliate marketing, or selling digital products.

You can further maximize your income potential by selling these niche websites through website flipping after growing their traffic and revenue. The higher the monthly earnings, the more attractive your website will be to potential buyers .

When it comes to eCommerce options, consider using platforms like Shopify for an easy-to-use and scalable solution. Shopify can help you create beautiful online stores, manage inventory, and handle all the details of running an eCommerce business . This way, you can focus on expanding your reach and exploring new niche opportunities.

Recommended: How to Earn $4000/M Passive Income as a Coder?

Coding Contests and Competitions

As a programmer looking to make six figures online, participating in coding contests and competitions can be a great way to earn some extra cash and improve your skills!

Not only can you win prizes, but you’ll also gain valuable experience and exposure to potential employers.

Participating in Programming Contests

You may want to try participating in programming contests like Google’s Coding Competitions where you can test your skills, work through multiple rounds of algorithmic puzzles, and potentially win up to $15,000 USD.

Hone your coding abilities and compete against others in your field to make a name for yourself! As you rack up achievements, you’ll boost your online profile and increase your chances of landing high-paying jobs.

Creating and Hosting Contests

If you’re a talented programmer with an entrepreneurial spirit, consider creating and hosting your own coding contests.

By organizing and promoting programming competitions, you can draw in participants, attract sponsors, and generate income through entry fees, advertising space, and other means. Plus, you’ll be helping other coders develop their skills and build their careers, fostering a collaborative community in the process.

With coding contests and competitions under your belt, you’ll soon be on your way to making a six-figure income doing what you love as a programmer!

Coaching and Consulting

In today’s competitive world, it’s essential to diversify your income streams—especially as a programmer. You have honed valuable skills and can provide insight in various areas.

This section will explore how you can make six figures through coaching and consulting services in fields like software development, product management, and even law or finance.

Offering One-on-One Sessions

You don’t need to have decades of experience to be a valuable resource. Start by offering one-on-one coaching sessions to help clients in areas like software development, finance, or product management.

By understanding their specific needs and goals, you can tailor your guidance for maximum impact. As your client base grows, this can become a lucrative income stream .

You can even take advantage of the online marketplace by offering your expertise through platforms like Appointlet and Entrepreneur.

Group Workshops and Seminars

Diversify your coaching services further by organizing group workshops and seminars.

These events can focus on areas like software development, finance, or law where you have a genuine understanding. Not only do these educational events enrich the lives of many, but they can also serve as an opportunity for participants to network with others in their industry .

By providing in-depth training and facilitating discussions, you’ll be hailed as an expert in your field and have lucrative prospects .

Not found your best money-making strategy as a developer yet? Try one of those proven strategies:

12 Bonus Ways to Make Money as a Coder

Starting a SaaS (Software as a Service) Business

This involves developing software and hosting it online where users can access it for a regular subscription fee. Examples include project management tools, CRM software, or marketing automation tools.

Working Remotely for a High-Paying Company

Many companies, especially in tech, offer remote work options. If you can land a job at one of these companies, you can make a six-figure salary without leaving your home.

Bug Bounties

Many companies offer “bounties” to individuals who can find and report bugs in their software. Some of these bounties can pay very well, though they require a high level of skill and experience.

Especially in the crypto industry, many projects provide great rewards and bug bounties because they require an incredibly high level of security! Examples of projects that provide bug bounties are Rocketpool, Uniswap, and Internet Computer. And myriads more exist!

Recommended: The State of Crypto

Algorithmic Trading

If you have a knack for data analysis and quantitative skills, you could create algorithms for trading stocks, Forex, or cryptocurrencies. This requires a solid understanding of both programming and financial markets.

Mobile Application Development

This involves creating applications for mobile platforms like iOS and Android. You can develop various types of apps, such as games, productivity tools, or social networking apps, and earn money through app sales, in-app purchases, or ads.

Offering Technical Support Services

As a skilled programmer, you can offer tech support services to businesses or individuals. This could range from software installation and troubleshooting to offering support for specific programming-related issues.

Data Analysis or Data Science Services

Businesses are constantly looking for ways to extract valuable insights from their data. If you’re skilled in data analysis or data science, you can offer your services to these businesses, helping them make data-driven decisions.

Blockchain Development or Smart Contract Writing

With the rise of cryptocurrencies and decentralized applications, there’s a high demand for developers who understand blockchain technology and can write smart contracts. This could involve working on existing blockchain platforms or creating new ones.

Recommended: Solidity Syllabus [Free Course + Video]

Game Development

Creating your own video games can be a profitable venture. Whether you’re developing for PC, consoles, or mobile platforms, well-made games can sell well and generate significant income.

AI/Machine Learning Development

As AI and machine learning continue to grow, businesses are looking for developers who can create and implement AI models. This could involve anything from creating chatbots to developing complex predictive algorithms.

Recommended: How I Created a High-Performance Extensible ChatGPT Chatbot with Python (Easy)

Custom ERP/CRM Development

Businesses often need custom Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. If you can create these, you could earn significant income, either through one-time sales or ongoing support and updates.

Cybersecurity Services

With the increasing number of cyber threats, businesses and individuals are more concerned about security than ever. If you have skills in cybersecurity, you can offer services such as vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, or security system design.

Definitely check out this article if you want to become a security researcher:

Recommended: Security Engineer — Income and Opportunity

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That’s it! There are many more ways to make money with your coding skills – be creative!

Also, feel free to check out our free Finxter newsletter for more ways to succeed and stay up to date in our rapidly changing world of tech:

As data becomes more and more abundant, digital scarcity becomes more valuable. Let me explain.

Imagine a world where robots built houses for free. The abundance on one side (=houses) increases the scarcity on the other side (=land). Consequently, prices of land would skyrocket.

Similarly, digital bots and generative AI create floods of digital information, helpful research, and abundant knowledge multiplying the productivity of knowledge workers. As a result of this data abundance, scarce digital data infrastructure must become more valuable.

What is the most scarce digital infrastructure?

Bitcoin blockspace.

I’m not referring to the price of Bitcoin or the limited BTC supply, but rather the capacity to store data on a digital infrastructure that is so secure and robust that even the most formidable nation-states or corporations cannot erase it.

On average, Bitcoin generates a 1MB block every 10 minutes.

To store 1GB of data on the Bitcoin blockchain, you would need exclusive write access to over 1000 blocks. During the last bull market, miners earned around 1BTC per block transaction fees, meaning the cost of storing 1GB of data could reach 1000 BTC during high-demand periods.

This was before the rise in popularity of storing various types of data on Bitcoin. (Yeah, ordinals and inscriptions .)

With a price tag of $30k per BTC, embedding 1GB of data into the secure and durable Bitcoin database would cost upwards of $30 million – talk about prime digital real estate!

In a nutshell, humans and autonomous internet bots constantly compete to store data in each block, using their BTC as transaction fees.

Three Killer Apps for Scarce Bitcoin Blockspace

Here are three killer apps that would need this pricey distributed database:

App 1: Want to secure a place in the history books and ensure your name is remembered long after the likes of Hercules, Julius Caesar, and Achilles have faded? Embed your name in the Blockchain. You no longer need to be a great warrior to achieve immortality.

App 2: To immortalize your love, consider writing your love message in the Blockchain while it’s still affordable for ordinary people like us. (In fact, I had this idea while having coffee with my wife a year ago, and we created a simple service for it. Check out BitcoinVows.com.)

App 3: If you’re a nation-state looking to store encrypted GPS locations of strategic military assets in a database that could survive a nuclear war, Bitcoin blockspace is your top choice.

With all the uncertainty about the future, this is something you can bet your house on:

Data volumes and processing capabilities will continue to explode in the upcoming decade.

In this rapidly changing environment, you can either bet on change by learning about AI, staying informed on tech, and mastering topics we discuss daily at Finxter, or you can bet on what remains scarce and constant in an increasingly digital world, like blockspace.

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This article first appeared in my tech newsletter:

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• Ethereum protocol developers plan a new upgrade, called MEV-Burn.
• MEV-Burn will solve the Miner Extractable Value (MEV).
• As a bonus, MEV-Burn will reduce ETH supply on top of the normal burn from EIP-1559 (“The Merge”)
• Developers anticipate a surge in ETH price due to the deflationary shock.

Disclaimer: The author holds securities mentioned in this article.

I just listened to a great podcast on the MEV-burn upgrade, so I thought to contribute a blog post on the topic.

This upgrade addresses the Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) issue and enhances the overall Ethereum ecosystem. The presence of MEV in Ethereum can lead to negative consequences for user experience and network finality. But don’t worry, there’s hope on the horizon with the upcoming MEV-burn upgrade.

In the expanding world of DeFi, MEV has become a growing force in the Ethereum ecosystem, resulting in toxic forms like frontrunning and sandwich attacks, which can be detrimental to transaction originators. The MEV-burn upgrade promises to mitigate these issues and further reduce Ethereum’s circulating supply, ensuring a better experience for users like yourself.

As Ethereum has completed its much-anticipated transition to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus, the MEV issue becomes even more critical to address. The potential risks include validator centralization and other unforeseen challenges. Thankfully, the MEV-burn upgrade could play a crucial role in safeguarding the network, providing you and the rest of the Ethereum community with more confidence in its security and long-term stability.

Let’s start with a quick overview of the proposal — don’t worry if you don’t get it yet but keep reading. You’ll be smarter afterward!

High-Level Overview

The MEV-Burn proposal aims to reduce proposer centralization, make validator rewards smoother, and enable MEV smoothing for all ETH holders. It allows Ether to capture on-chain value and enhances its economic attributes by making ETH the currency for block building and protecting its monetary premium. MEV burning results in ETH burn of equivalent value for any extracted opportunity, regardless of the assets involved.

In this system, each validator has a chance to become an eligible proposer for a slot. The average number of eligible proposers per slot can bid to propose the next block. These bids determine how much ETH must be burned by the chosen execution block.

Proposers will likely bid up to the MEV amount, resulting in most MEV being burned. The protocol doesn’t measure MEV directly but allows a burn auction to occur every slot.

The proposal involves increasing slot time to 16 seconds, with the first 4 seconds as a “bidding period.” During this time, eligible proposers submit bids, committing to an execution block hash that must burn ETH equal to their bid.

After bidding ends, the slot proceeds, and the highest bidder reveals their block. Other bidders can also reveal blocks, but higher bidders’ blocks will be prioritized.

ETH protocol developer Justin Drake argues that the MEV Burn will have a significant impact on the number of ETH burned. It could essentially double the deflationary rate, i.e., burning 200k-400k ETH more per year on a current supply of roughly 120M ETH. This could add an additional deflationary “yield” of 0.2% per year!

For a scarce asset like ETH, the MEV-Burn could mean an absolute supply shock. In a bull market with lots of demand that would lead to exploding prices.

Wen MEV Burn?

If you’re wondering when the MEV burn will be hard-forked into the Ethereum chain, here’s my best guess based on people more credible than me:

In a recent bankless podcast interview, the Ethereum protocol researcher Justin Drake estimated that the MEV-Burn upgrade will take three to five years. If you take the average and adjust for unforeseen protocol issues, you should not expect MEV burn to come into effect before May 2027.

Understanding MEV and Ethereum

Ethereum Ecosystem

In the Ethereum ecosystem, a key concept you should know is MEV, or Maximal Extractable Value.

MEV is the amount of profit that miners, validators, and block builders can extract from a block by rearranging or including certain transactions. This can impact transaction costs, causing higher gas fees and delays for regular users like yourself.

Recommended: Introduction to Ethereum’s Gas in Solidity Development

MEV in Decentralized Finance

The concept of MEV has become more prominent with the explosion of DeFi (Decentralized Finance) in 2020 — and particularly with the merge, i.e., the move towards proof-of-stake consensus.

Recommended: Common Consensus Mechanisms in Blockchains

In DeFi, various financial applications are built on top of blockchain networks like Ethereum. MEV plays a crucial role in these applications, as it can affect transaction costs and user processing times.

Toxic forms of MEV, such as frontrunning and sandwich attacks, can result in negative settlements, which means you, the transaction originator, may face disadvantages when trading on DeFi platforms such as Uniswap.

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MEV Participants and Opportunities

The main participants involved with MEV are validators and block builders. These entities are responsible for securing the Ethereum network, validating transactions, and building new blocks. By leveraging MEV opportunities, these participants can increase their revenue.

For example:

• Miners: They
• Validators: Validators can reorder, include, or exclude transactions in a block to maximize their profits, i.e., rearranging transactions to benefit from MEV.
• Block builders: In a PoS (Proof of Stake) model, block builders can also extract value from MEV by optimizing transaction ordering.

Transaction Frontrunning Example (MEV)

An example of Ethereum MEV is when a validator reorders transactions to make a profit. For instance, a validator can extract MEV by reordering transactions in a way that benefits them financially.

Suppose a user wants to trade 1 ETH for 100 DAI, and another user wants to trade 1 ETH for 200 DAI. The validator can re-order the transactions so that the second user’s trade is executed first, and then the first user’s trade.

By doing so, the validator can extract the price difference between the two trades, which is 100 DAI, as a profit.

This practice is known as “transaction frontrunning” and is a common way for validators to extract MEV (source: CoinDesk).

Impact of MEV on Gas Prices and Transactions

EIP-1559 and Gas Prices

With the introduction of EIP-1559, Ethereum aimed to make gas price estimation more predictable for users. However, it is essential to consider MEV’s influence on gas prices. When MEV bots attempt to extract value from transactions, they can drive up the gas prices in two ways:

1. MEV bots pay higher gas fees to prioritize their transactions, creating a competitive market for the limited block space.
2. Non-MEV users also pay higher fees to place their transactions above MEV-extracted transactions, leading to a chain reaction.

This situation might result in an unexpected spike in transaction fees for Ethereum users, even with EIP-1559 in place.

MEV Bots and Network Congestion

MEV bots compete with each other to extract value from user transactions. In times of high network activity, they can contribute to network congestion. MEV bots flood the network with transactions, hoping to exploit profitable opportunities.

In turn, this creates the following scenarios:

• Longer transaction confirmation times
• An increase in the number of pending or dropped transactions
• Overall decline in the network’s performance

These factors affect the user experience for all Ethereum users, making it less predictable and, potentially, less efficient.

But it seems like MEV is a phenomenon that just comes with any complex monetary system and we just have to accept it. MEV burning at least attempts to use the energy to fuel the economic value of the ETH token.

Transaction Discrimination in MEV

One significant concern related to MEV is transaction discrimination.

MEV bots often target high-value transactions, such as those involving DeFi protocols or large trades. As a result, if your transaction falls into this category, it might be targeted and front-run by MEV bots. Also, MEV bots might sandwich your transaction, potentially causing you to receive a worse deal.

If your transaction is not considered valuable by MEV bots, they might still impact your experience indirectly.

For example, because of the increased gas prices and network congestion caused by MEV bots, your transaction might still be delayed or require higher transaction fees.

MEV-Burn: A Solution to MEV Issues

MEV-Smoothing Concept

As you dive into Ethereum, you’ll come across the concept of Maximal Extractable Value (MEV). Again, MEV refers to the profits derived from exploiting the ordering of transactions on the blockchain. The MEV-Smoothing concept aims to distribute these profits more fairly across the Ethereum ecosystem.

This innovative idea introduces mechanisms to “smooth” the revenues generated from MEV, ensuring that all participants, including ETH holders and mining pools, can benefit from the value being extracted from the network. It takes a collective approach to address the negative impacts of MEV and creates a more equitable environment for everyone involved.

Proposer-Builder Separation

As Ethereum transitions towards proof-of-stake (PoS) and staking, the proposer-builder separation is one of the key concepts introduced to help mitigate MEV-related issues.

Currently, miners have the power to both create and validate blocks, often leading to frontrunning and other malicious practices that exploit MEV.

With the proposer-builder separation, these roles are effectively split. Proposers become responsible for aggregating transactions and proposing blocks, while builders focus on executing and validating them. This separation reduces the ability of miners to exploit MEV, increasing fairness and trust in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Reducing MEV Profits and Sell Pressure

The introduction of MEV-burn aims to further align the incentives of individual miners with the rest of the Ethereum ecosystem. This innovative upgrade creates a mechanism to burn the MEV profits extracted by miners, reducing the sell pressure on ETH’s price and ultimately benefiting ETH holders.

As mining pools and stakers see their MEV profits channeled back into the system, they can expect a more equitable distribution of rewards. This process, in turn, helps strengthen the entire Ethereum ecosystem by curbing the negative effects of MEV and enabling a more sustainable growth trajectory for the network.

In conclusion, the implementation of MEV-burn, proposer-builder separation, and Mev-Smoothing concepts contribute significantly to addressing the MEV issue in Ethereum. By fostering a more equitable distribution of profits and reducing the ability of miners to exploit MEV, these solutions help ensure a brighter future for the Ethereum ecosystem and its participants.

Exploring Front-Running and Back-Running in MEV

In Ethereum and blockchain technology, front-running and back-running are common issues. As you delve into these topics, it’s important to understand how they can affect users and developers within the ecosystem.

Flashbots and Front-Running Attacks

Front-running occurs when someone—such as a miner or a node—takes advantage of their position within the network to exploit transaction orderings for their own benefit.

Flashbots are a recent development that aims to address this issue by introducing a fairer environment for all participants. These bots work by transparently allowing searchers to compete for MEV rewards through order flow auctions.

To avoid being a victim of front-running attacks, familiarize yourself with the concept of MEV activity and consider using tools that safeguard your transactions. Keep in mind that Ethereum developers are already addressing this issue through various mempool design improvements.

Back-Running and Chain Reorgs

Back-running, on the other hand, involves the execution of concurrent transactions that aim to capitalize on another user’s desired transaction. It poses a similar threat as front-running and is often tied to chain reorgs where multiple transactions are reorganized within the blockchain.

Knowledge about back-running can help you stay aware of potential risks associated with certain transactions, and may encourage you to engage with projects that actively combat these issues.

The expansion of Flash Boys 2.0 and other efforts focusing on the mitigation of front-running and back-running risks indicates that the Ethereum community is dedicated to addressing these concerns.

Addressing MEV Challenges

The Merge

The Merge has offered new opportunities to address MEV challenges. Ethereum researchers are working on the proposer-builder separation, which separates the role of validators into two distinct functions:

• Proposers: Responsible for creating blocks and providing transaction ordering
• Builders: Responsible for collecting and packaging transactions into block candidates

Separating these roles reduces the risk of validator centralization, and the incentives for harmful actions like eclipse attacks and DDoS attacks are minimized. This new structure will provide a level playing field for all validators, ensuring a healthier network for you and other Ethereum users.

Alternative Solutions to MEV Problems

Ethereum researchers are exploring alternative approaches to address MEV-related problems. One such solution is MEV smoothing.

MEV smoothing involves evenly distributing the MEV revenue to a larger group of participants, preventing any single validator from receiving a disproportionately high reward. This can help reduce validator centralization further and enhance the security of the Ethereum network.

For example, Rocketpool has already distributed a decentralized staking mechanism with smoothing pool for MEV.

Another solution currently under development is the MEV-burn upgrade, which aims to redistribute extracted value to Ethereum users by burning a portion of the MEV rather than passing it to validators. This upgrade is conceptually similar to EIP-1559 and aims to make the Ethereum network more equitable for its users.

Chain reorgs are another MEV-related concern. However, with the Proof-of-Stake model and the proposer-builder separation, the potential for chain reorgs should be significantly reduced. This will help maintain the integrity of the Ethereum network and protect your transactions from being manipulated.

In conclusion, addressing MEV challenges is a priority for Ethereum researchers, and various solutions are being developed to safeguard the network and improve your experience as an Ethereum user.

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