On The Fence produced by Uchi Uchibeke: Recent Episodes
Uchi Uchibeke
Welcome to On The Fence produced by Uchi Uchibeke, Blockchain Engineer at SecureKey, founder of AfricaHacks, and NaijaHacks and fellow at On deck. In this podcast, I will discuss Blockchain, Africa, and my journey from Africa to North America
Pause for a second and think. When you hear the phrase Content Creator, what comes to your mind? You’re thinking Instagram Influencer, Vlogger, Travel Photographer, and Blogger. Continue thinking: Developer or Engineer does not come to mind. But are Developers content creators? If they are, what kind of content do Developers create? How can a Developer… Read More »Developers are Content Creators and should earn from their Content The post Developers are Content Creators and should earn from their Content appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
To illustrate how to build with Interledger, I will tell you a story. It’s December 2021, and many Nigerians from the South are back in Nigeria to spend Christmas with family and friends from all over the world. They will attend many scheduled weddings. It’s December 26, 2021, and Obi and Kelechi are getting married.… Read More »Doings: Build with Interledger to make it rain The post Doings: Build with Interledger to make it rain appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Web Monetization and the Passion economy are in their infancy. With Web Monetization and Interlegder, Builders are currently exploring products and solutions that provide fair, transparent, and alternative revenue models for content creators. On the other hand, Content Creators are exploring processes and methods for owning their content, earning revenue, and building a community around… Read More »A curriculum to introduce Web Monetization to beginners The post A curriculum to introduce Web Monetization to beginners appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Using VPN when a website, App, or IP is blocked Mobile network or other parties block access to specific websites, apps, or domains. How to bypass On Android: Download any of the apps belowPsiphon (Free)Private Internet Access (2 Month Free)Complete the setting and activate VPNYou will now be able to browse the blocked website or use… Read More »How to stay connected during an Internet shutdown with VPN and BLE The post How to stay connected during an Internet shutdown with VPN and BLE appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Journey into Web Monetization Web Monetization is a new Web Services (API) that allows users to stream a small number of micropayments to the website they are looking at via their browser or other web user agent. Webmonetization.org has all the technical details of the technology for those who are curious. However, this article aims… Read More »How to make Web monetization easy for content consumers The post How to make Web monetization easy for content consumers appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
The impact of an excellent digital identity on the life and wellbeing of all humans, especially refugees, cannot be overemphasized. Digital Identity can, for example, allow the forcibly displaced to prove their identity to register SIM cards in their own names, access financial services (such as opening a mobile money account), to undertake university courses… Read More »Digital Identity Systems are not inclusive! We need to change them The post Digital Identity Systems are not inclusive! We need to change them appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Many people have asked me how I got started with Blockchain, so I will be breaking it down in the post to share some insights for those looking to break into the space. I will share insights and options to help total a beginner become a Blockchain Developer. First, the basics. Bitcoin is not Blockchain… Read More »How to Become a Blockchain Developer The post How to Become a Blockchain Developer appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Web Monetization enables creators to make money from Youtube, Blogs, and other content. Once you have Web Monetization for Youtube enabled on your Youtube channel, you can immediately start making money. Certainly, Ads are annoying; that is why Web Monetization is the best way to allow your viewers to enjoy ad-free youtube content. As a… Read More »Make money from Youtube with Web Monetization The post Make money from Youtube with Web Monetization appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
In June, DEV announced that DEV is web monetized. That got me thinking about Web Monetization and how to enable Web Monetization in as many websites and apps as possible so that Creators can get paid for their work, and users/consumers can enjoy an ad-free experience. As React is one of the most-used web Frameworks, I started… Read More »Make money from your Apps! Web Monetization for React Apps The post Make money from your Apps! Web Monetization for React Apps appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
This was adapted from one of my lectures at the Tekedia Mini-MBA program where I taught New Technologies, Growth, Disruption Innovation. Introduction Blockchain technology revolutionizes the way we store and share data by storing data in a Secure, Flexible, and auditable way. Harvard Business Review even said it has the “Potential to create new foundations… Read More »Blockchain: Digital Currency vs. Identity Currency The post Blockchain: Digital Currency vs. Identity Currency appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
When I started NaijaHacks, I did not know what I was getting myself into. The original idea was to have a small 50–100 person self-funded hackathon. And we went big! We became Nigeria’s biggest tech competition in year one and Africa’s Biggest Hackathon in year two. To date, no other similar event can boast of… Read More »The greatest challenge of any new Founder is inexperience The post The greatest challenge of any new Founder is inexperience appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Your startup is growing, and you’re making lots of money. You notice users visiting from countries that are not English-speaking, and you celebrate. An influencer tries your app and tweets about it, and you see a spike in users: 100k plus users in 2 days. But there’s a problem, 80% plus of the users drop… Read More »The three most common ways to localize your web app The post The three most common ways to localize your web app appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Maybe you’ve just been rejected, or your startup has failed. Whatever it is that you’ve been trying to accomplish, you could be close to achieving it if you only did one thing. Nothing worth having comes easy is a famous saying by the American statesman, politician, conservationist, naturalist, writer, and 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.… Read More »Winning big comes down to one thing: Grit The post Winning big comes down to one thing: Grit appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Last week, I updated my Linkedin profile with my new role as a Software Engineer working on Verified.Me Identity Network at SecureKey. Hundreds of people congratulated me with the normal “Congrats on your new job” messages. In the mix were a few messages about why I decided to join SecureKey. Since Shopify is a great… Read More »How I decided which Software Engineering job offer to accept The post How I decided which Software Engineering job offer to accept appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Lagos, Nigeria, 1 October 2018 — Today sees the official unveiling of NaijaHacks, a tech invention competition that was started to inspire a generation of Nigerian innovators to use technology to create solutions for their communities using technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and many more. NaijaHacks is the brainchild of Uchi Uchibeke, a Nigerian-Canadian Engineer at Shopify… Read More »NaijaHacks: Nigeria’s Official Hackathon The post NaijaHacks: Nigeria’s Official Hackathon appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Ever wondered how Big Data and AI will affect you personally? Well, you’d get the answer in a moment. We all like good food, cheerful music, engaging company and perfectly-planned events. Is it possible to use AI to make parties more fun? How about party planning? Can we use AI to make the planning process… Read More »Finally, an AI for your wedding planning The post Finally, an AI for your wedding planning appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
I moved my medium posts to my static site and it was easy This post is going to be simple and straight to the point. I must also warn that it is technical. If you follow the instructions, the steps are detailed enough to allow anyone who’s familiar with nodejs to follow it. Setting up Install… Read More »I moved my medium posts to my static site and it was easy The post I moved my medium posts to my static site and it was easy appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
My mother built an empire with $3 and it inspires me do what I do When I was a kid growing up in Nigeria, my mother started a Business with less than $3 (650 NGN). She started by learning how to sew and then worked as a tailor for a few years. After that, she expanded… Read More »My mother built an empire with $3 and it inspires me do what I do The post My mother built an empire with $3 and it inspires me do what I do appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
I could not pay my tuition and I almost dropped out of University In the summer of 2013, I moved to Canada to start a BA&BSc (combined) degree with a full scholarship from the Nigerian Government. I got this scholarship after failing 3 times, rewriting the exam 3 times and interviewing 3 times. I wait… Read More »I could not pay my tuition and I almost dropped out of University The post I could not pay my tuition and I almost dropped out of University appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
As Canadians prepare for Cannabis to hit stores by the end of the summer, how can we ensure that smokers and non-smokers are safe and public safety is not compromised? How do we ensure that people do not drive under the influence of the plant and that it does not get used by minors? How… Read More »Cannabis legalization: How not to mask public safety The post Cannabis legalization: How not to mask public safety appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
A.I is very biased and we should stop it As a black male living in North America, it is sometimes hard to admit the bias that is inherently present in me. This is especially difficult because most things that I see on social media and the news are stories of people like me experiencing biased treatments — stories… Read More »A.I is very biased and we should stop it The post A.I is very biased and we should stop it appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Stop stressing out about life after College I was asked to speak to undergraduate students about how to get a great career in tech. Below are some highlights from what I shared with them. I started by sharing a story about how passion augmented with extra-hard work can help a person build an empire. The point… Read More »Stop stressing out about life after College The post Stop stressing out about life after College appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Many proponents of blockchain technology emphasize that one of the potential benefits of the blockchain is that it will allow the unbanked get access to services that are currently not accessible to them. The assumption is that a big challenge that the unbanked face is a lack identification. And that because they have no government-issued… Read More »I connected SMS to a Blockchian. It can make your Blockchain app usable The post I connected SMS to a Blockchian. It can make your Blockchain app usable appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Nigerians spend millions on a wedding. The industry is huge! Nigeria and Nigerians love to party & have fun. The wedding industry in one of the fastest growing industries in Nigeria. In a typical Nigerian wedding, people can attend without an invite and it is often hard to manage attendees. Additionally, inviting and tracking guests… Read More »We failed at starting a Business & it was depressing The post We failed at starting a Business & it was depressing appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
We wanted to understand the Nigerian Wedding Industry and people’s experience so we did a huge survey. Ultimately, we wanted the survey to inform our decision as to develop a platform for making the stressful process of wedding planning fulfilling. The Wedding Survey Structure After weeks of research and tweaking, we decided on a structure.… Read More »We studied Nigerian weddings & were shocked The post We studied Nigerian weddings & were shocked appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
February 13th, 2017 was the day. I woke up at midnight and felt the urge to write something. My heart was filled with expressions that had to get out. It felt like the expressions were going to cause an explosion if I did not let them out. So I let the bubbles them out. I… Read More »I wrote a poem and love it The post I wrote a poem and love it appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Imagine someone stealing you design and selling as theirs. Fighting them will take ages and if you’re a small designer, it’s easier to let it go. That must stop! This article is the second article in a series of developing a Blockchain business network. Last week’s article focused on introducing this series and highlighting its… Read More »Don’t ever ignore Blockchain if you’re into Fashion The post Don’t ever ignore Blockchain if you’re into Fashion appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
Blockchain is not just Crypto. Blockchain can be used for many applications and it is very easy to get started. This is the first article in a series of short articles in which I will discuss the process of designing a Blockchain business network using Hyperledger Fabric (Composer, specifically). The purpose of this week’s piece… Read More »Stop thinking Cryptos when you hear Blockchain The post Stop thinking Cryptos when you hear Blockchain appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.
A year ago, I started long Internship. May 5th was the date; my first day at IBM as a Software Developer Intern in the Performance Quality Assurance Team of the Watson Data Platform organization. Excitement, bewilderment and nervousness. These were not astray from my path: they stayed closely on my way. Prior to the day,… Read More »I worked at IBM and loved it The post I worked at IBM and loved it appeared first on Uchi Uchibeke - Blockchain, Digital ID, Smart Cities.