One of the reasons I ended up deep in this seemingly boundless cryptocurrency craze stemmed from worries about my three kids, ages twelve and up.
I’m worried that their generation is losing its ability to interact in person, with real life activities, in favor of the many faces of their screen time.
Gaming, YouTube, texting and social media have swallowed a big chunk of their time. I see studies about the emotional, psychological and physical effects on kids of so much time sitting still, homing in on their devices. But I’ve felt lost as to how to go about filling up that time with something else, something that to them is better.
What I’ve done hasn’t worked and frankly I don’t hear a lot of success stories from other parents in this realm. The virtual age is upon us, there is no going back. It’s too exciting, too enlightening, too appealing and too easy for people to pass it up.
I was one of the last Moms in my circle of friends to give in to video games. My eldest was 12 when Minecraft finally entered our lives. It seemed a natural progression for my son, a natural builder and engineer. All three kids to this day enjoy playing. Just this summer on a quiet home day they teamed up to defeat the Ender Dragon one more time. Having them work together for a common goal was a nice thing to witness.
But what first started out as a few hours a week of video game time rapidly spiraled in a rather sneaky way. Three years later and it’s now a big problem for me as a parent. Monitoring it all feels like a part time job in and of itself.
Trying to limit screen time in any way for my kids is an especially delicate issue - I myself have worked as an online entrepreneur for over three years. My intention was to create a job that allowed me to be home with my kids and get them to all their after school activities, and be here when they got back from school.
I began making money online by writing and then editing - in essence I got a job that paid me to read, write and learn - all things I love to do. I’m very grateful to have such fulfilling work.
So that’s what I was doing when I first came across the Saske white paper. The more I researched the idea and technology around it, the faster I became convinced that this was a good use of the internet. If I worked toward this project, there was a chance of effecting positive global change, with the added possibility of becoming more financially secure.
A realization came to me, partly from talking to Saske’s Inventor, Jo Polanco. We have these amazing tools - the internet, the blockchain, cryptocurrency and social media - that have all massively altered our lives. They have enabled many people (like myself) to start their own business, make money, connect with far away friends and relatives, collaborate with global teams, and express our creativity in boundless ways.
But have they ever been combined to focus on solving a world problem? Has anybody ever used all these tools to empower those who are suffering? Would it be possible to act as a role model (again the parent in me talking) and use these tools for the betterment of our world? Can we take the cash grab out of the digital explosion equation and focus on doing the right thing?
These questions compelled me to stick around. My curiosity and my will to make a good thing out of something new and fearsomely overwhelming drove me to see this through.
The best parts of the internet - the music, the socializing, the learning, the business opportunities and the unifying global interactions, etc. - all those things positively improve our lives. But what about the endless scrolling, the wasted time, the stupid videos, the unrealistic and damaging social media expectations, the hate, the divisiveness, the greed and the continuing collective act of ignoring the suffering of those we now see front and center every day in our feeds?
At the end of this article, I leave you with all twelve Use Case Scenarios from the Saske White Paper. Each scenario demonstrates how Saske can take our modern technological tools and use them to level up our world economy and empower people previously devoid of opportunities.
As I helped to write these, I began by researching the current job choices of Ugandan women in depth, for our character Kamali, who struggled to support a large family with few options. At this point, I was in complete agreement with Jo - we have the colossal tools at our fingertips to take a stab at redistributing wealth on this planet while fueling upward mobility.
I want my kids to see the true power of the internet. If I can’t get them to decrease their screen time, then I have to move ahead in this digital world and make it all about Kamali.
Use Case Scenario #1
Kamali uses her family’s mobile phone to post questions on farming forums and Facebook groups plus message with her friends. Since she’s been doing all this on Saske, she’s earned 21 SXAS, the equivalent of 75,000 Shillings, enough to keep her family fed for the week. She greets Ebo at the local market with a bright smile and he quickly scans her QR code to receive his payment.
Use Case Scenario #2
It is a long walk from the market but Ebo doesn’t mind. He’s been using Saske to learn Software Engineering by studying YouTube videos he’s downloaded along with blog articles where he frequently comments. Since doing so he doesn't worry as much about the drought putting him out of business, not just because he’s quickly becoming an expert, but because he is getting paid to learn. On his way home, Ebo makes his usual stop at Solomon’s, the local grain miller, to have flour delivered to his uncle’s bakery. The two old friends share jokes as his order is filled. Ebo uses his Android to pay in SXAS and, after some more ribbing with Solomon, continues on his way home.
Use Case Scenario #3
Solomon comes from a long line of grain millers, but he is the first to set up a website for the business. He knows social media is the best way to get more local bakers to buy from him, but posting regularly on four separate platforms, not to mention tracking and responding to all the comments, was just too much for him. He was so relieved when Mzee Dembe invited him to use Saske, where he could make one post and then syndicate it to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with a single tap. With the SXAS he earned promoting his milled flours, he was finally able to take Mzee Dembe up on his offer to buy solar generators for his equipment.
Use Case Scenario #4
Mzee Dembe is always caring for the people in his community, who love him dearly and look to him for leadership. By using Saske, he organizes local youth to launch an online drive in his town to raise enough SXAS to buy an electric water pump and solar generator for the town’s well, along with a water filtration system for their drinking and bathing needs. It's the first step in Mzee Dembe’s longful dream to have safe, clean water reliably delivered to the homes in his community.
Use Case Scenario #5
Dr. Samantha Ruse, a physician volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, navigates through her Saske feed and catches the link to Dembe’s campaign. Immediately seeing the value and importance of his initiative to the community she serves, Dr. Ruse creates a blog post and shares it with all of her fans and global health connections. She and her readers eagerly
donate SAS to Dembe’s project.
Use Case Scenario #6
Big chain cafes have been putting lots of local shops out of business. But Maria’s not worried. She cleverly used her SXAS reserves to equip her little coffee shop with Li-Fi plus to buy and sell Li-Fi enabled devices to her customers. They are thrilled to buy her devices - with SXAS - and ditch “Crawl-Fi.” Now they spend less time stressing out over limited data and more time enjoying exquisite coffee and good company comfortably at her busy, busy cafe.
Use Case Scenario #7
One of Maria’s regulars is a nursing student named Ritah. A LinkedIn notification updates her on Dr. Ruse’s latest article. Ritah is instantly inspired! You see, not only is she is a devoted caregiver, she recently lost her beautiful baby brother to Malaria. She would do anything to keep others from suffering her anguish. Motivated by Dr. Ruse’s example, Ritah springs into action and organizes a mission to bring antiparasitics to her hometown for the very first time. With a few quick taps on her mobile device, she broadcasts a passionate video about her fundraiser to all her followers on social media. Enough SXAS is raised to purchase the needed medicines along with mosquito nets and to cover her travel expenses. She happily exchanges the funds into Euros on DEX, ready to put her life-saving plan in motion.
Use Case Scenario #8
Frustrated by yet another power outage, Yusuf hastily heads to a local almaqhaa to charge his tablet and check his feed. Once back on Saske, he gets a tweet sharing Ritah’s video and quickly comments, offering his specialized online travel booking services, hoping he's not too late. Running a business on shaky electricity is aggravating, but his company has flourished since he found out about Saske’s Allied Marketing Exchange. With no set-up fees, adjustable rates for conversions, and a simple way to connect with hundreds of Allies, he no longer feels intimidated when it comes to affiliate marketing. Yusuf absolutely loves that for every minute he spends active on Saske he earns SXAS! He can’t wait to save enough to finally build that micro wind turbine farm on the roof of his house he’s been dreaming of and kiss his blackout problems goodbye!
Use Case Scenario #9
Online marketing has never been so easy for Bayani since installing the Saske App on his Android device. His loving wife and their mix of eight adoring tweens and teens suffer heartbreak and financial tragedy every time a terrifying typhoon crashes onto their island community. They of all people understand the devastating realities of global warming. Now, by using the power of Saske on all their various mobile devices and taking advantage of the extremely favourable exchange rates, they collaborate on a very special family project. Using Zephyrs, their aspiration is to each get 30 new Actors to plug into Saske, pool all the SXAS they earn in referral rewards, and then buy typhoon-rated construction materials to replace their battered shack with a modest yet beautiful, energy-independent home.
Use Case Scenario #10
It was a miracle Léoni even survived that horrific head-on collision, but the traumatic brain injury she incurred now causes bouts of suicidal depression and anxiety. Finding steady work is challenging to say the least, because as a single mom with disabilities, it's easy for employers to overlook her talents and expertise. But loves to write and decides to use her struggles as motivation to start a blog for others with similar “invisible” disabilities. One day, her niece invites her to download the Saske App, which ultimately enables her to quickly and easily syndicate her popular content and reply to comments across all her social media outlets, giving her the freedom and flexibility to work at her pace and care for her precious children. Without even realizing it, Léoni’s SXAS earnings soon accumulate enough for her to pay for regular therapeutic neurofeedback sessions. It's been a long, hard road back but she's doing so well, she plans to take her family on a much deserved dream cruise to Curacao - paying for it all with SXAS.
Use Case Scenario #11
Mai has worked many exhausting nights building her freelancing career - but it's paying off. She’s finally earning enough SXAS to care for her younger siblings along with her widowed mother. Were it not for the life-saving medicines she was able to buy, the Haemorrhagic Fever her mother contracted would have killed her weeks ago. Each night, after a long day of work and family obligations, when the house is finally quiet, Mai comes alive again to continue her labor of love - all the while earning SXAS.
Use Case Scenario #12
As a virtual employee working remotely, Niko receives his paychecks in SXAS, which automatically get deposited to his WAVES Wallet. His small Northern city hasn't quite caught onto the Saske revolution - yet. But when he hears how easy it is to link his WAVES Wallet to a BitPay Visa debit card, he jumps on it. With the favorable exchange rates SXAS is enjoying, his family saves at least 90% on all of their everyday purchases. Life has never been better!
SASKE White Paper: http://bit.ly/2uc3S56