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Golden Celestial Ratio (GCR): A Comprehensive Guide to the Divine Ecosystem

গোল্ডেন সেলেস্টিয়াল রেশিও (GCR): ডিভাইন ইকোসিস্টেমের একটি ব্যাপক নির্দেশিকা

Golden Celestial Ratio (GCR): Ein umfassender Leitfaden zum göttlichen Ökosystem

Proporción áurea celestial (GCR): una guía completa del ecosistema divino

Ratio Céleste Doré (GCR) : Un guide complet de l'écosystème divin

स्वर्णिम आकाशीय अनुपात (जीसीआर): दिव्य पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र के लिए एक व्यापक मार्गदर्शिका

黄金比（GCR）：神の生態系への総合ガイド

황금 천체 비율(GCR): 신성한 생태계에 대한 종합 가이드

Proporção Celestial Áurea (GCR): Um Guia Abrangente para o Ecossistema Divino

Золотое небесное сечение (GCR): подробное руководство по божественной экосистеме

Altın Gök Oranı (GCR): İlahi Ekosistem İçin Kapsamlı Bir Kılavuz

Tỷ lệ thiên thể vàng (GCR): Hướng dẫn toàn diện về hệ sinh thái thần thánh

黄金天体比例（GCR）：神圣生态系统的综合指南

HDR or SDR? A Study of Scaled and Compressed Videos: Details of Subjective Study

Any views expressed in the below are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions. The dollar-yen exchange rate is the most important macroeconomic indicator. In my last essay, “The Easy Button,” I wrote that something must be done to strengthen the yen. The solution I proposed was that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) could swap unlimited amounts of freshly printed dollars with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) for yen. This would allow the BOJ to give unlimited dollar firepower to the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MOF), with which they could purchase the yen in the global forex markets. While I still believe in the validity of that solution, it appears that the central banking charlatans in charge of the Group of Fools, a.k.a. the Group of Seven (G7), have chosen to convince the market that the interest rate differential between the yen and the dollar, euro, pound, and maple syrup (Canadian) dollar will narrow over time. If the market believes in this future state, it will buy yen and sell everything else. Mission accomplished! For this magic trick to work, the G7 central banks (the Fed, European Central Bank “ECB,” Bank of Canada “BOC,” and Bank of England “BOE”) with “high” policy interest rates must cut them. The critical thing to note is that the BOJ’s policy rate (green) is 0.1%, whereas everyone else is 4-5%. The interest rate differential between the home and foreign currency fundamentally drives exchange rates. From March 2020 until early 2022, errbody played the same game. Free money for all as long as you stay inside with the flu and shoot up that mRNA heroin. When inflation showed in such a big way that the elites could not ignore the pain and suffering of their plebes, the G7 central banks – with the exception of the BOJ – all raised rates aggressively. The BOJ could not raise rates because it owns over 50% of the Japanese Government Bond (JGB) market. JGB prices pumped as rates dumped, making the BOJ appear solvent. However, the highly levered central bank would suffer catastrophic losses if the JGBs it held declined because the BOJ allowed rates to rise. I did some scary maths for readers in “The Easy Button.” This is why if the decision by Bad Gurl Yellen, who calls the shots at the G7, is to reduce the interest rate differential, the only option is for the central banks with “high” policy rates to reduce them. In orthodox central bank thought, cutting rates is good if inflation is below target. What’s the target? For some reason, and I don’t know why, the inflation target for every G7 central bank is 2%, irrespective of differences in culture, growth, debt, demographics, etc. Is the current inflation rate hurtling through 2%? Each colored line represents a different G7 central bank’s inflation target. The horizontal line is at 2%. No G7 country’s manipulated and dishonest government-published inflation statistic is below target. Putting on my technical analysis hat, it appears that G7 inflation is forming a local bottom in the 2-3% range before exploding higher. Taking that chart into consideration, an orthodox central banker would not cut rates at their current levels. However, this week, the BOC and ECB cut rates while inflation was above target. This is strange. Is there some financial disturbance that demands cheaper money? Nope. The BOC cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The ECB cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The problem is the weak yen. I believe Bad Gurl Yellen stopped the rate hike Kabuki theatre performance. It is time to get down to the business of preserving the Pax Americana-led global financial system. If the yen isn’t strengthened, the big bad pinko commie Chinamen will unleash the dragon of a devalued yuan to match their chief export competitor Japan’s super duper cheap yen. In the process, US Treasuries will get sold, and that will be game, set, and match for Pax Americana if it occurs. Next Up The G7 meets in a week. The communique released after the meeting will greatly interest the market. Will they announce some sort of coordinated currency or bond market manipulation exercise to strengthen the yen? Or will they stay quiet but agree that everyone except the BOJ should begin cutting rates? Stay tuned! The big question is whether the Fed will start cutting rates this close to the November US presidential election. Typically, the Fed doesn’t change course this close to an election. However, typically, the favored presidential candidate is not staring down a potential prison sentence, so I’m ready to be flexible in my thinking. If the Fed were to cut at its upcoming June meeting whilst their favored doctored measure of inflation was above target, the dollar-yen would gap lower bigly, which means the yen would strengthen. I don’t believe the Fed is ready to cut rates, given that Slow Joe Biden is getting skewered in the polls over rising prices. American plebes understandably care more that the vegetables they eat are more expensive than the cognitive ability of the vegetable running for reelection. To be fair, Trump is also a vegetable because he loves munching McDonald’s fries and watching Shark Week while doin’ his thang. I still think it’s political suicide to cut rates. My base case is the Fed holds. By the time the dilettantes sit down for a sumptuous meal paid for by their tax-paying subjects on June 13th, the Fed and BOJ will have conducted their June policy meetings. As I said before, I expect no changes to monetary policy from the Fed or the BOJ. The BOE meets shortly after the G7, and while the consensus is they hold their policy rate steady, I think we are in for a surprise to the downside, given the BOC and ECB cuts. The BOE has nothing to lose. The conservative party is going to get their ass handed to them at the next election, so there is no reason to disobey orders from the rulers of their former colony in order to keep a lid on inflation. Exit the Choppa Zone The June central banking fireworks kicked off this week by the BOC and ECB rate cuts will catapult crypto out of the northern hemispheric summer doldrums. This was not my expected base case. I thought the fireworks would start in August, right around when the Fed hosts its Jackson Hole symposium. That is typically the venue where abrupt policy changes are announced going into autumn. The trend is clear. Central banks at the margin are starting easing cycles. We know how to play this game. It’s the same fucking game we have been playing since 2009 when our Lord and Saviour Satoshi gave us the weapon to defeat the TradFi devil. Go long Bitcoin and subsequently shitcoins. The macro landscape has changed vs. my baseline. Therefore, my strategy shall change as well. For the Maelstrom portfolio projects, who asked for my opinion on whether to launch their tokens now or later. I say, Let’s Fucking Go! For my excess liquid crypto synthetic-dollar cash, a.k.a. Ethena’s USD (USDe) that’s earning some phat APYs, it is time to deploy it again on conviction shitcoins. Of course, I’ll tell readers what those are after I have purchased them. But suffice it to say, the crypto bull is reawakening and is about to gore the hides of profligate central bankers. Any views expressed in the below are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions. Any views expressed in the below are the personal views of the author and should not form the basis for making investment decisions, nor be construed as a recommendation or advice to engage in investment transactions. The dollar-yen exchange rate is the most important macroeconomic indicator. In my last essay, “ The Easy Button ,” I wrote that something must be done to strengthen the yen. The solution I proposed was that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) could swap unlimited amounts of freshly printed dollars with the Bank of Japan (BOJ) for yen. This would allow the BOJ to give unlimited dollar firepower to the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MOF), with which they could purchase the yen in the global forex markets. The Easy Button The Easy Button While I still believe in the validity of that solution, it appears that the central banking charlatans in charge of the Group of Fools, a.k.a. the Group of Seven (G7), have chosen to convince the market that the interest rate differential between the yen and the dollar, euro, pound, and maple syrup (Canadian) dollar will narrow over time. If the market believes in this future state, it will buy yen and sell everything else. Mission accomplished! For this magic trick to work, the G7 central banks (the Fed, European Central Bank “ECB,” Bank of Canada “BOC,” and Bank of England “BOE”) with “high” policy interest rates must cut them. The critical thing to note is that the BOJ’s policy rate (green) is 0.1%, whereas everyone else is 4-5%. The interest rate differential between the home and foreign currency fundamentally drives exchange rates. From March 2020 until early 2022, errbody played the same game. Free money for all as long as you stay inside with the flu and shoot up that mRNA heroin. When inflation showed in such a big way that the elites could not ignore the pain and suffering of their plebes, the G7 central banks – with the exception of the BOJ – all raised rates aggressively. The BOJ could not raise rates because it owns over 50% of the Japanese Government Bond (JGB) market. JGB prices pumped as rates dumped, making the BOJ appear solvent. However, the highly levered central bank would suffer catastrophic losses if the JGBs it held declined because the BOJ allowed rates to rise. I did some scary maths for readers in “ The Easy Button .” The Easy Button The Easy Button This is why if the decision by Bad Gurl Yellen, who calls the shots at the G7, is to reduce the interest rate differential, the only option is for the central banks with “high” policy rates to reduce them. In orthodox central bank thought, cutting rates is good if inflation is below target. What’s the target? For some reason, and I don’t know why, the inflation target for every G7 central bank is 2%, irrespective of differences in culture, growth, debt, demographics, etc. Is the current inflation rate hurtling through 2%? Each colored line represents a different G7 central bank’s inflation target. The horizontal line is at 2%. No G7 country’s manipulated and dishonest government-published inflation statistic is below target. Putting on my technical analysis hat, it appears that G7 inflation is forming a local bottom in the 2-3% range before exploding higher. Taking that chart into consideration, an orthodox central banker would not cut rates at their current levels. However, this week, the BOC and ECB cut rates while inflation was above target. This is strange. Is there some financial disturbance that demands cheaper money? Nope. The BOC cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The BOC cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The ECB cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The ECB cut its policy rate (yellow) while inflation (white) is above the target (red). The problem is the weak yen. I believe Bad Gurl Yellen stopped the rate hike Kabuki theatre performance. It is time to get down to the business of preserving the Pax Americana-led global financial system. If the yen isn’t strengthened, the big bad pinko commie Chinamen will unleash the dragon of a devalued yuan to match their chief export competitor Japan’s super duper cheap yen. In the process, US Treasuries will get sold, and that will be game, set, and match for Pax Americana if it occurs. Next Up The G7 meets in a week. The communique released after the meeting will greatly interest the market. Will they announce some sort of coordinated currency or bond market manipulation exercise to strengthen the yen? Or will they stay quiet but agree that everyone except the BOJ should begin cutting rates? Stay tuned! The big question is whether the Fed will start cutting rates this close to the November US presidential election. Typically, the Fed doesn’t change course this close to an election. However, typically, the favored presidential candidate is not staring down a potential prison sentence, so I’m ready to be flexible in my thinking. If the Fed were to cut at its upcoming June meeting whilst their favored doctored measure of inflation was above target, the dollar-yen would gap lower bigly, which means the yen would strengthen. I don’t believe the Fed is ready to cut rates, given that Slow Joe Biden is getting skewered in the polls over rising prices. American plebes understandably care more that the vegetables they eat are more expensive than the cognitive ability of the vegetable running for reelection. To be fair, Trump is also a vegetable because he loves munching McDonald’s fries and watching Shark Week while doin’ his thang. I still think it’s political suicide to cut rates. My base case is the Fed holds. By the time the dilettantes sit down for a sumptuous meal paid for by their tax-paying subjects on June 13th, the Fed and BOJ will have conducted their June policy meetings. As I said before, I expect no changes to monetary policy from the Fed or the BOJ. The BOE meets shortly after the G7, and while the consensus is they hold their policy rate steady, I think we are in for a surprise to the downside, given the BOC and ECB cuts. The BOE has nothing to lose. The conservative party is going to get their ass handed to them at the next election, so there is no reason to disobey orders from the rulers of their former colony in order to keep a lid on inflation. Exit the Choppa Zone The June central banking fireworks kicked off this week by the BOC and ECB rate cuts will catapult crypto out of the northern hemispheric summer doldrums. This was not my expected base case. I thought the fireworks would start in August, right around when the Fed hosts its Jackson Hole symposium. That is typically the venue where abrupt policy changes are announced going into autumn. The trend is clear. Central banks at the margin are starting easing cycles. We know how to play this game. It’s the same fucking game we have been playing since 2009 when our Lord and Saviour Satoshi gave us the weapon to defeat the TradFi devil. Go long Bitcoin and subsequently shitcoins. The macro landscape has changed vs. my baseline. Therefore, my strategy shall change as well. For the Maelstrom portfolio projects, who asked for my opinion on whether to launch their tokens now or later. I say, Let’s Fucking Go! For my excess liquid crypto synthetic-dollar cash, a.k.a. Ethena’s USD (USDe) that’s earning some phat APYs, it is time to deploy it again on conviction shitcoins. Of course, I’ll tell readers what those are after I have purchased them. But suffice it to say, the crypto bull is reawakening and is about to gore the hides of profligate central bankers.

Group of Fools

বোকাদের দল

Gruppe von Narren

grupo de tontos

Groupe de fous

मूर्खों का समूह

愚か者の集団

바보들의 그룹

Grupo de tolos

Группа дураков

Aptallar Grubu

Nhóm ngu ngốc

一群傻瓜

Authors: (1) Renato P. dos Santos, CIAGE – Centre for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Cognition and Education. Table of Links Abstract and Introduction Materials And Methods Results and Analyses Prompts and generated texts Conceptualizing chemical reactions Deepening on understanding of chemical reactions Question about combustion Question about a graph of gases turning into water over time Question about the difference between atoms, molecules, and moles Deepening on the concept of mole Question about changing of state Question about an animated representation of water molecules undergoing phase changes Question about plasma, a state of matter Question about chemical bondings Question about illustration of chemical bonds Question about the essence of the type of chemical bonding Further analysis Conclusions Limitations of the study and possible future studies Author Contributions, Conflicts of interest, Acknowledgements, and References Deepening understanding of chemical reactions P1: Yeah, but that sounds like my teacher talking. I don't even understand this chemical reaction business. What’s the use of an example of a business I don't understand? : ChatGPT I apologize for jumping ahead. Let's step back and approach this from a foundational perspective. Imagine you're baking cookies. You have a recipe that calls for 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Once you combine these ingredients and bake them, you get 12 cookies. You can't suddenly have more flour, sugar, or chocolate chips than you started with, right? Similarly, you can't end up with less than you put in. This is a basic principle of conservation—what you put in is what you get out. Chemical reactions are like recipes. You start with certain ingredients (called reactants) and end up with a product (or products). Just like you can't suddenly have more flour or less sugar in your cookies, in a chemical reaction, you can't have more of one type of atom at the end than you started with or less of another. So when we talk about balancing chemical reactions, we're making sure our "recipe" (the chemical equation) doesn't magically create or lose any atoms. We're ensuring everything is accounted for. Does this analogy make sense in understanding the concept of chemical reactions and the need for balance? : BingChat I’m sorry if I sounded like your teacher. I was trying to explain the concept of chemical reactions and balance in a clear and simple way. But I understand that sometimes it can be hard to grasp abstract concepts without seeing them in action. That’s why I suggested some online tools that can help you visualize and practice balancing chemical equations. But maybe you are wondering why you need to learn about chemical reactions and balance in the first place. What’s the use of knowing how atoms and molecules interact and rearrange during a chemical reaction? Well, let me tell you that chemical reactions are everywhere in our world, and they affect many aspects of our lives. Here are some examples of how chemical reactions are important and useful: • Chemical reactions are essential for life. All living organisms, including humans, plants, and animals, rely on chemical reactions to perform vital functions such as metabolism, respiration, photosynthesis, digestion, growth, and reproduction. For example, when you eat food, your body breaks down the molecules in the food into smaller units that can be used for energy or building blocks. This process involves many chemical reactions that are carefully regulated by enzymes. • Chemical reactions are involved in many everyday phenomena. Some examples are cooking, baking, cleaning, rusting, burning, fireworks, batteries, and fermentation. For example, when you bake a cake, you mix different ingredients that react with each other to produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas makes the cake rise and become fluffy. The heat from the oven also causes chemical reactions that change the color, flavor, and texture of the cake. • Chemical reactions are important for many industries and technologies. Some examples are medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, energy, and environmental protection. For example, in medicine, chemical reactions are used to synthesize drugs that can treat diseases or relieve pain. In agriculture, chemical reactions are used to produce fertilizers that can enhance crop growth and yield. In manufacturing, chemical reactions are used to create materials such as plastics, metals, ceramics, and textiles. As you can see, chemical reactions and balance are not just boring topics that you have to learn in school. They are actually very relevant and interesting topics that can help you understand how the world works and how you can make it better. I hope this helps you appreciate the importance and usefulness of learning about chemical reactions and balance. : Bard I apologize for my previous response, which was too formal and technical. Let's try to approach this from a different angle. Imagine you are running a bakery. You want to make a batch of cookies, so you gather up your ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and baking soda. You mix all of the ingredients together, and then you put the dough in the oven. When the cookies are finished baking, you have a new product: cookies! But how did this happen? What happened to the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and baking soda? They didn't just disappear. Instead, they reacted with each other to form new substances: cookies. This is what a chemical reaction is. It is a process in which two or more substances (the reactants) are converted into one or more different substances (the products). The reactants and products have different properties, which means that they have different chemical compositions. In the case of the cookie dough, the reactants are the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and baking soda. The products are the cookies. Chemical reactions happen all around us, all the time. When you light a match, the wood reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. When you cook food, the food reacts with heat to produce new substances. When your body digests food, the food reacts with enzymes to produce nutrients. Chemical reactions are essential for life. They are also used in many different industries, such as food processing, medicine, and manufacturing. I hope this analogy helps you to understand the basics of chemical reactions. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Here is another analogy: Imagine you are playing with Lego bricks. You can build all sorts of different things with Lego bricks: cars, houses, airplanes, and more. But what happens if you take the Lego bricks apart and put them together in a different way? You will create a new structure. Chemical reactions are similar to playing with Lego bricks. The atoms in the reactants are like the Lego bricks. When the reactants react, the atoms are rearranged to form new substances (the products). I hope this analogy helps you to understand the concept of chemical reactions a little better. : Claude You're right, jumping straight into balancing equations without a solid grasp of chemical reactions themselves is putting the cart before the horse. Let's back up and make sure you have a good foundation first. Chemical reactions are processes where the molecular structure of substances changes. Atoms within molecules get rearranged, broken apart, or joined together. This results in entirely new substances being formed with different properties. A simple everyday example is cooking an egg. When you heat an egg, the protein and fat molecules unravel and form new bonds. This changes the egg from a liquid to a solid. A chemical reaction has occurred! Reactions also happen around us all the time - in car engines, inside batteries, and even within ourbodies. Understanding them allows chemists to develop new materials, medicines, fuels, and all kinds of useful products. The key takeaway is that chemical reactions transform starting compounds (reactants) into different ending compounds (products). Balancing the equations comes later to represent what's happening at the atomic level. Does this help explain the basic idea and purpose of chemical reactions? I'm happy to use examples more relevant to your interests if that's more engaging. The goal is to make sure the foundation makes sense before going into the specifics. response use of the terms "foundational perspective," "Imagine," and "basic principle of conservation" correspond with the category of while "chemical reactions are like recipes," and "analogy" point to the categories , and . The casual tone, personalised feel, and the use of a question at the end add to the category. * goes into expansive detail with phrases like "seeing them in action," "online tools," and "examples of how chemical reactions are important," which hit the and categories. The emoji at the end provides a . use of two distinct analogies — a bakery and Lego bricks —aligns with the Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations category. Phrases like "I apologize," "different angle," and "please feel free to ask" contribute to the category . response, acknowledging "You're right" and "The goal is to make sure the foundation makes sense," emphasises the category. The egg example and references to daily life situations align with the ChatGPT’s Instructional Strategies, Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Meta-discussion & Perspective Framing Personalization & Personable Touch BingChat Detail Depth & Content Recommendation Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations Personable Touch Bard's Personalization & Personable Touch Claude’s Personalization & Personable Touch Use of Analogy & Comparative Illustrations. This paper is under CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

GenAIbots' Strategies for Explaining Chemical Reactions to Students 

The Tech Company News Brief is Changing! Starting soon, you’ll receive a new (and revamped!) version of HackerNoon’s editorial driven, once-weekly newsletter. Keep your eyes peeled! What happens when the world's richest man gets caught in the crosshairs of one of the oldest and most reputable news organizations in the world? Fireworks 🎆 It was only recently that Reuters caused panic amongst Tesla investors by reporting that Elon Musk's crown jewel was scrapping plans to produce a cheaper version of the company's electric car, causing all hell to break loose, albeit briefly. The news report prompted a decline in Tesla's stock price (~6% or so), before Elon Musk jumped in and addressed the article, reversing the downward slide. Musk's response? Fake news. According to Reuters, the reason why Tesla (allegedly) is no longer producing a cheaper electric vehicle is because it can't compete with Chinese companies that are flooding the market with their own battery-powered cars. And to drive that point home, you need look no further than Xiaomi. You see, the world's third-largest seller of smartphones is also now doubling down as an electric vehicle manufacturer, in what Chief Executive Lei Jun calls the "last major entrepreneurship project" of his life. And boy, Lei has reason to be proud and die peacefully, because the company's very first electric car, the SU7, has already garnered more than 100,000 orders. The SU7 would retail at under $30,000, below Tesla's Model 3 in China. Tesla could have competed with the car with its now-scrapped cheaper version, the Model 2 electric vehicle, which was supposedly going to retail at about $25,000. But that would have just been the tip of the iceberg since some Chinese cars go for as low as $10,000 and Musk's company certainly cannot compete at THAT price point. But all that's beside the point; the real reason why everyone wanted Tesla to produce an inexpensive model was because the company's growth depends so heavily on it. In corporate America, if number not going up, it going down. And at Tesla, number definitely going down, leaving everyone very, very unhappy. Teslas aren't cheap, and everyone knows it. And given that some of the higher-end models of the car are woefully out of the average consumer's reach, it makes sense for the company to focus on bringing its prices down. Abandoning plans for a cheaper Tesla would also serve as a reversal of Musk's vision for the company, since the eccentric billionaire had always planned on creating a low-cost family car after using profits from luxury vehicles. Anyway, news at Tesla hasn't been all that positive ever since Reuters reported the company was (allegedly) no longer going to produce a cheaper electric car. Ironically, Reuters has once again been at the forefront of all the crazy stuff going down at Tesla: Worryingly still, for Tesla at least, the company's stock has lost 35% of its value since the start of the yearandis still one of the most shorted stocks in American history. Meanwhile, Musk's just sharing memes: Tesla ranked #5 on HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings this week. 👋 You’re reading HackerNoon's Tech Company News Brief, a weekly collection of tech goodness that combines HackerNoon's proprietary data with internet trends to determine which companies are rising and falling in the public consciousness. Subscribe here to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday. It's a Bad Time to be an Alexa Developer😒 Were you one of the developers on Amazon's payroll to create apps for Alexa? Well, we've got bad news for you. Amazon recently announced that it will stop paying developers to build apps for its Alexa voice-activated digital assistant at the end of June. The company will also no longer offer free credits that Alexa developers could use to power their programs with Amazon Web Services. "These older programs have simply run their course, so we decided to sunset them," an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying by media outlets. Apps created for Alexa were called "skills" and saw some developers make hundreds if not thousands of dollars every month. The $100 monthly credit to Amazon Web Services was the icing on top. But as with all things corporate America, Amazon saw that there really wasn't enough interest in its program and certainly not enough of a return to justify paying peanuts from the billions it makes every year. Oh well. Amazon ranked #14 on HackerNoon's __Tech Company Rankings__this week. Spotify, Create a Playlist for HackerNoon!🎵 Ooh boy. I guess it was a matter of time before Spotify jumped in on the generative AI craze. Well, the company's take on generative AI is certainly more unique than others. If you're a premium user in the UK and Australia, you can now access a feature that can let youj create music playlists using prompts. That's right, anything from places, animals, genres or mood, can be used to create a playlist. So something like, a playlist for cats or tigers or for rainy days or the Eiffel Tower are all game! The tool will not produce results for non-music-related prompts, like current events or specific brands, however. So if you wanted a playlist for Louis Vuitton or Prada, you're out of luck. In Other News.. 📰 Bitcoin Could Surge to $120K on 'Doomsday Rally,' Trader Says — via CoinDesk
Elon Musk plans to charge new X users to enable posting — via TechCrunch
Facebook and Instagram’s response to deepfake porn is under review by oversight board  — via CNN
Baidu says AI chatbot 'Ernie Bot' has attracted 200 million users — via Reuters
"Top secret" is no longer the key to good intel in an AI world: report — via Axios
AMD rolls out its latest chips for AI PCs as competition with Nvidia and Intel heats up — via CNBC And that's a wrap! Don't forget to share this newsletter with your family and friends! See y'all next week. PEACE! ☮️ — Sheharyar Khan, Editor, Business Tech @ HackerNoon *All rankings are current as of Monday. To see how the rankings have changed, please visit HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings page. The Tech Company News Brief is Changing! Starting soon, you’ll receive a new (and revamped!) version of HackerNoon’s editorial driven, once-weekly newsletter. Keep your eyes peeled! The Tech Company News Brief is Changing! Starting soon, you’ll receive a new (and revamped!) version of HackerNoon’s editorial driven, once-weekly newsletter. Keep your eyes peeled! What happens when the world's richest man gets caught in the crosshairs of one of the oldest and most reputable news organizations in the world? Fireworks 🎆 It was only recently that Reuters caused panic amongst Tesla investors by reporting that Elon Musk's crown jewel was scrapping plans to produce a cheaper version of the company's electric car, causing all hell to break loose, albeit briefly. caused panic caused panic The news report prompted a decline in Tesla's stock price (~6% or so), before Elon Musk jumped in and addressed the article, reversing the downward slide. Musk's response? Fake news . Fake news Fake news According to Reuters, the reason why Tesla (allegedly) is no longer producing a cheaper electric vehicle is because it can't compete with Chinese companies that are flooding the market with their own battery-powered cars. And to drive that point home, you need look no further than Xiaomi. You see, the world's third-largest seller of smartphones is also now doubling down as an electric vehicle manufacturer, in what Chief Executive Lei Jun calls the " last major entrepreneurship project " of his life. And boy, Lei has reason to be proud and die peacefully, because the company's very first electric car, the SU7, has already garnered more than 100,000 orders. last major entrepreneurship project last major entrepreneurship project The SU7 would retail at under $30,000, below Tesla's Model 3 in China. Tesla could have competed with the car with its now-scrapped cheaper version, the Model 2 electric vehicle, which was supposedly going to retail at about $25,000. But that would have just been the tip of the iceberg since some Chinese cars go for as low as $10,000 and Musk's company certainly cannot compete at THAT price point. could certainly But all that's beside the point; the real reason why everyone wanted Tesla to produce an inexpensive model was because the company's growth depends so heavily on it. In corporate America, if number not going up, it going down. And at Tesla, number definitely going down, leaving everyone very, very unhappy. real Teslas aren't cheap , and everyone knows it. And given that some of the higher-end models of the car are woefully out of the average consumer's reach, it makes sense for the company to focus on bringing its prices down. aren't cheap aren't cheap Abandoning plans for a cheaper Tesla would also serve as a reversal of Musk's vision for the company, since the eccentric billionaire had always planned on creating a low-cost family car after using profits from luxury vehicles. planned planned Anyway, news at Tesla hasn't been all that positive ever since Reuters reported the company was (allegedly) no longer going to produce a cheaper electric car. Ironically, Reuters has once again been at the forefront of all the crazy stuff going down at Tesla: Worryingly still, for Tesla at least, the company's stock has lost 35% of its value since the start of the year and is still one of the most shorted stocks in American history. and Meanwhile, Musk's just sharing memes: Tesla ranked #5 on HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings this week. Tesla Tesla HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings 👋 You’re reading HackerNoon's Tech Company News Brief, a weekly collection of tech goodness that combines HackerNoon's proprietary data with internet trends to determine which companies are rising and falling in the public consciousness. Subscribe here to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday. 👋 You’re reading HackerNoon's Tech Company News Brief, a weekly collection of tech goodness that combines HackerNoon's proprietary data with internet trends to determine which companies are rising and falling in the public consciousness. Subscribe here to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday. You’re reading HackerNoon's Tech Company News Brief , a weekly collection of tech goodness that combines HackerNoon's proprietary data with internet trends to determine which companies are rising and falling in the public consciousness. Subscribe here to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday. Tech Company News Brief Tech Company News Brief here complete It's a Bad Time to be an Alexa Developer 😒 It's a Bad Time to be an Alexa Developer Were you one of the developers on Amazon 's payroll to create apps for Alexa? Well, we've got bad news for you. Amazon Amazon Amazon recently announced that it will stop paying developers to build apps for its Alexa voice-activated digital assistant at the end of June. The company will also no longer offer free credits that Alexa developers could use to power their programs with Amazon Web Services. recently announced recently announced "These older programs have simply run their course, so we decided to sunset them," an Amazon spokesperson was quoted as saying by media outlets . media outlets media outlets Apps created for Alexa were called "skills" and saw some developers make hundreds if not thousands of dollars every month. The $100 monthly credit to Amazon Web Services was the icing on top. But as with all things corporate America, Amazon saw that there really wasn't enough interest in its program and certainly not enough of a return to justify paying peanuts from the billions it makes every year. Oh well. Amazon ranked #14 on HackerNoon's __ Tech Company Rankings __this week. Tech Company Rankings Spotify, Create a Playlist for HackerNoon!🎵 Ooh boy. I guess it was a matter of time before Spotify jumped in on the generative AI craze. Spotify Spotify Well, the company's take on generative AI is certainly more unique than others. If you're a premium user in the UK and Australia, you can now access a feature that can let youj create music playlists using prompts. That's right, anything from places, animals, genres or mood, can be used to create a playlist. So something like, a playlist for cats or tigers or for rainy days or the Eiffel Tower are all game! The tool will not produce results for non-music-related prompts, like current events or specific brands, however. So if you wanted a playlist for Louis Vuitton or Prada, you're out of luck. In Other News.. 📰 In Other News.. 📰 Bitcoin Could Surge to $120K on 'Doomsday Rally,' Trader Says — via CoinDesk Elon Musk plans to charge new X users to enable posting — via TechCrunch Facebook and Instagram’s response to deepfake porn is under review by oversight board  — via CNN Baidu says AI chatbot 'Ernie Bot' has attracted 200 million users — via Reuters "Top secret" is no longer the key to good intel in an AI world: report — via Axios AMD rolls out its latest chips for AI PCs as competition with Nvidia and Intel heats up — via CNBC Bitcoin Could Surge to $120K on 'Doomsday Rally,' Trader Says — via CoinDesk CoinDesk CoinDesk Elon Musk plans to charge new X users to enable posting — via TechCrunch TechCrunch TechCrunch Facebook and Instagram’s response to deepfake porn is under review by oversight board  — via CNN CNN CNN Baidu says AI chatbot 'Ernie Bot' has attracted 200 million users — via Reuters Reuters Reuters "Top secret" is no longer the key to good intel in an AI world: report — via Axios Axios Axios AMD rolls out its latest chips for AI PCs as competition with Nvidia and Intel heats up — via CNBC CNBC CNBC And that's a wrap! Don't forget to share this newsletter with your family and friends! See y'all next week. PEACE! ☮️ — Sheharyar Khan, Editor, Business Tech @ HackerNoon *All rankings are current as of Monday. To see how the rankings have changed, please visit HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings page. *All rankings are current as of Monday. To see how the rankings have changed, please visit HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings page. *All rankings are current as of Monday. To see how the rankings have changed, please visit HackerNoon's Tech Company Rankings page. Tech Company Rankings Tech Company Rankings

Elon Musk vs. Mainstream Media

What a crazy blessing. Ending in absolute fireworks, 2023 was a year of cleansing and rebirth. After the calamities of 2022, the year started off shaky and uncertain, full of political intrigue, regulatory contortions, institutional backflips, and Gary Gensler. In spite of the ravaging negative headlines, waning retail spirits, and eerie price action throughout the year, so much fundamental progress was made that market forces couldn't resist the alluring call of a maturing giga-industry, and crypto came back to life. New projects were launched, new technologies were discovered, regulators were challenged, companies held layoffs, hackathons took place, and life-changing money was made. It would be foolish (if not impossible) to cover everything that took place in a single attempt, but ultimately, the most important takeaway is that sentiments have shifted. We have begun to thaw from a prolonged bear winter and transitioned into colloquial "Crypto Spring." To celebrate our transition and prepare ourselves for the upcoming year, let's recap some of the most notable events that took place: * These are in no specific order. Political Progress Due to its boardless, digital nature, when talking politics in crypto, the conversations must always turn global. Traditionally, countries tend to structure their legislation following the example set by America. However, the constant ambivalent, opaque, monotonous attitude of the US has pushed innovation offshore and given an opportunity for other countries, including the likes of Singapore, the UK, and the UAE, among other, to take matters into their own hands and become leaders on the regulatory front. SEC gets Humbled Losing almost (if not every) major battle of the year, most notably Ripple, the Securities and Exchange Commission has become a laughing stock, largely considered incapable of conducting its duties at protecting anything (besides the interests of insiders). Now synonymous with the sneaky, sleazy, two-faced persona of Gary Gensler, it seems that in order to regain its reputation moving forward, the agency will have to rethink its policies and pivot into a more friendly, embracing position. Tornado Cash Sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and its founders were arrested. The privacy-preserving mixer has been deemed a threat to national security because it violates KYC/AML policies. Thus the technology has been blacklisted and banned from the US, and any crypto address interacting with it becomes an enemy of the state. LBRY Decides not to Appeal Losing its case against the SEC in 2022, in which the ruling claimed that LBC digital tokens were, in fact, securities and that the entity behind LBRY failed to register the assets as such, the project has decided not to appeal the decision. The company has gone into receivership, but the network continues to operate. It is very possible that the company's assets are acquired by another crypto company, and the infrastructure that was built out, alongside its active community, merge into something greater than ever before. NFT Projects are Met with Regulatory Enforcement NFTs continue to be an asset archetype that has not been formally defined by the legal system. Nevertheless, 2023 saw the first round of action against NFT projects, including Cool Cats and Impact Theory. Both cases have been resolved without prison time and with multi-million dollar settlements, things that will set the precedent moving forward as to what the industry can expect. Purging the Demons and Serving up Justice The froth of the last cycle brought about lasting economic impacts; scar tissue in the form of fraud, manipulation, and poor protocol design lingers in the not-to-distant memories of the market. FTX, Sam Bankman Fried, Alameda, Genesis, Gemini, BlockFi, Terra Luna, Celcius, 3AC, and the gaggle of crooks have become a sore for the industry. The exhausting mental resources allocated to discussing the issues that transpired, finding who to blame, and pointing fingers has begun to subside. A lot of cleansing has taken place, but there are still a few loose ends that need to be squared off. Crypto is much more exciting than the processes taking place in courtrooms; hopefully, we can move past this sooner than later. Binance and the SEC After settling with the SEC for over $2 Billion USD for its slew of legal infractions, Binance was forced to change its leadership and mark the end of the CZ era. From humble beginnings as a crypto-to-crypto exchange to the single largest entity for payments, trading, investments, NFTs, and everything else, Binance has become the most recognized brand around the world. Countless millions of users, hundreds of billions of dollars, and hundreds of countries; the amount of positive value that this single company brought is impossible to quantify. Introducing Generation 5 Technologies 2023 marked a year of incredible technological innovation manifesting itself in horizontal expansion (new project launches). Scalability, Interoperability, and Privacy continued to be the core tenets of new discoveries. Arriving in many form factors, including alt L1s, Optimistic rollups, ZeroKnowledge Rollups, mult-sigs, and DEFI applications, the list of new projects powered by new technological primitives, with new go-to-market mechanisms and glorious airdrop campaigns have given rise to the next generation of blockchains. (Depending on how you count or who you ask, this would be the 5th generation of public blockchain tech). Alternative Networks and Rollups SUI, SEI, Aptos, Manta Pacific, Stargaze, Kujira, Astar, Blast, the list of new blockchain-based networks is ever-expanding. Each of these networks is running some kind of action-based incentive program and attracting TVL into their ecosystems. Each chain demands its own applications, teams, communities, launch, and operational capital, but that hasn't seemed to slow anybody down. Rollups Becoming the de-facto scaling tech for EVM, Rollups have attracted the attention of some of the industry's most notable entities, including Coinbase and Binance. Proving their value by facilitating multiple times more transactions than legacy base layer ETH, it seems as though Rollups will become the interfaces for applications to conduct activity. Moreover, it seems as tho this is the tech that has caught the majority of mindshare. Interoperability A MultiChain future has only become all the more likely. Interchain operations with solutions from Cosmos's IBC, Polkadot's XCM, and, of course, LayerZero are facilitating more transfers than ever before. Bridges, including Wormhole, Orbiter, Stargate, Symbiosis, et al. are exploding in TVL. This is a trend that simply cannot, will not revert. Bitcoin Ecosystem and Inscriptions Being the oldest and largest crypto network of all, Bitcoin was for many years considered to be a somewhat stale technology that has long discovered its use case, and interest in it has peeked. Not so fast. With the introduction of smart contracts and inscriptions on Bitcoin, a new caliber of ultra-wealthy users that can now do something with the coins they have just been sitting on flooded the ecosystem. This has resulted in divisions amongst crypto maxis and brought massive transactional revenue bonuses to miners. Price action of Q4 If you like Bitcoin at $20,000; your going love it at $44,000. The apes, degens, and bulls are waking up and looking for somewhere to throw their capital in opposition to tradfi. The last quarter of 2023 brought mind-melting, eye-water gains to holders of crypto across the board. Memapaoloosa Reinvigorated internet culture is starting to do its thing. Obscure meme coins like WIF, PEPE, BONK, and COQ are posting gains north of 1000%. Even though memes do not carry inherent value and tend to enter pronounced death spirals, their presence highlights the early stages of a recovering market. If memes are popping off, then one of two things is likely: either there is excess capital in the system, or OGs are preparing for an influx of retail. Either way, even if you don't make money on the memecoins, the wealth effect will inevitably spill over into other cryptos. Solana's Rising From the Ashes Beatin into oblivion from the FTX saga, Solana has broken all mainstream beliefs and become the underdog and best performer of the year. Beyond just the token's meteoric bounce from lows around ~$8 to over $120, the ecosystem has seen an influx of new users, glorious new applications, and functional improvements to the tune of an order of magnitude. Hosting one of the tightest, most resilient communities, Solana has become a platform for realizing sophisticated real-world applications and emerging market segments such as DEPIN. After a world-class Aidrop from the Jito MEV/liquid staking protocol, a pipeline of projects primed to release their tokens through a powerful network of distribution (The Solana Mobile phone); there seems to be no more talk of its death, just questions on how to best take advantage of the technology. Spot Bitcoin ETF It would be remiss if this is not mentioned. Perhaps the single most talked about crypto event of the year, many of the world's largest institutions, including the megalodon BlackRock, have filled for a spot in Bitcoin ETF. Unlocking the gates to institutions, a Spot Bitcoin ETF is in the cards for approval in 2024. However, as it stands, these ETFs will likely still be forced to settle in cash, which is a net positive but not as fundamentally impactful as having to settle in BTC. The industry has mixed opinions on what is to be expected from this; on the one hand, there are those who want to buy into the happening, while others approach with more caution, implying it is a "sell the news" event. After the rumors began circulating and people started to front-running one another, the price responded with tremendous strength. Given the cash settlements, pent-up demand, confluence of macro events, and pre-committed capital that is already penned for inflows greater than $200,000,000 USD; the only thing that seems guaranteed is that no matter what, it is a matter of time before the instrument is live. The Narrative Cycle During the re-stabilization period, crypto was looking for narratives that would supercharge it. Throughout the year, narratives have been shuffled around from AI to RWA, to Alt L1s, Rollups, DEPIN, ETFs, and so on. Stablecoins continued to blossom; DEFI took a beating in TVL but has become much more secure, being the year with the least total amount of hacks. NFTs are starting to make waves again, arguably led by Pudgy Penguins and new Trump Card mints. An influx of new major market participants and an increase in participation from existing ones, including Google, Franklin Templeton, VanEck, and others further confirm the growth of crypto. In short, 2023 was the best time to accumulate. Those brave enough to shut out the noise and lead by investment have already been rewarded for their diamond hands. Many people are getting disappointed, thinking they have missed their chance; friends, the entire market cap of our industry is ~1.6 Trillion… The game has just begun. History may not always repeat, but damn… It sure does tend to rhyme. Excited to be on this journey with you all; I hope you have reaped the rewards of Crypto's past & that your bags are ready to grow to the future. See you all in 2024.

2023 Was the Best Time to Accumulate Crypto

2023 ক্রিপ্টো জমা করার সেরা সময় ছিল

2023 war die beste Zeit, Krypto anzuhäufen

2023 fue el mejor momento para acumular criptomonedas

2023 était le meilleur moment pour accumuler de la crypto

2023 क्रिप्टो जमा करने का सबसे अच्छा समय था

2023 年は仮想通貨を貯めるのに最適な時期だった

2023년은 암호화폐를 축적하기에 가장 좋은 시기였습니다

2023 foi o melhor momento para acumular criptografia

2023 год был лучшим временем для накопления криптовалюты

2023 Kripto Biriktirmenin En İyi Zamanıydı

Năm 2023 là thời điểm tốt nhất để tích lũy tiền điện tử

2023年是积累加密货币的最佳时机

North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER XLVIII. here CHAPTER XLVIII. “NE’ER TO BE FOUND AGAIN.” “My own, my father’s friend! I cannot part with thee! I ne’er have shown, thou ne’er hast known, How dear thou art to me.” Anon. The elements of the dinner-parties which Mrs. Lennox gave, were these; her friends contributed the beauty, Captain Lennox the easy knowledge of the subjects of the day; and Mr. Henry Lennox, and the sprinkling of rising men who were received as his friends, brought the wit, the cleverness, the keen and extensive knowledge of which they knew well enough how to avail themselves without seeming pedantic, or burdening the rapid flow of conversation. These dinners were delightful; but even here Margaret’s dissatisfaction found her out. Every talent, every feeling, every acquirement; nay, even every tendency towards virtue, was used up as materials for fireworks; the hidden, sacred fire, exhausted itself in sparkle and crackle. They talked about art in a merely sensuous way, dwelling on outside effects, instead of allowing themselves to learn what it has to teach. They lashed themselves up into an enthusiasm about high subjects in company, and never thought about them when they were alone; they squandered their capabilities of appreciation into a mere flow of appropriate words. One day, after the gentlemen had come up into the drawing-room, Mr. Lennox drew near to Margaret, and addressed her in almost the first voluntary words he had spoken to her since she had returned to live in Harley Street. “You did not look pleased at what Shirley was saying at dinner.” “Didn’t I? My face must be very expressive,” replied Margaret. “It always was. It has not lost the trick of being eloquent.” “I did not like,” said Margaret, hastily, “his way of advocating what he knew to be wrong—so glaringly wrong—even in jest.” “But it was very clever. How every word told! Did you remember the happy epithets?” “Yes.” “And despise them, you would like to add. Pray don’t scruple, though he is my friend.” “There! that is the exact tone in you, that”—she stopped short. He listened for a moment to see if she would finish her sentence; but she only reddened, and turned away; before she did so, however, she heard him say, in a very low, clear voice,— “If my tones, or modes of thought, are what you dislike, will you do me the justice to tell me so, and so give me the chance of learning to please you.” All these weeks there was no intelligence of Mr. Bell’s going to Milton. He had spoken of it at Helstone as of a journey which he might have to take in a very short time from then; but he must have transacted his business by writing. Margaret thought, ere now, and she knew that if he could, he would avoid going to a place which he disliked, and moreover would little understand the secret importance which she affixed to the explanation that could only be given by word of mouth. She knew that he would feel that it was necessary that it should be done; but whether in summer, autumn, or winter, it would signify very little. It was now August, and there had been no mention of the Spanish journey to which he had alluded to Edith, and Margaret tried to reconcile herself to the fading away of this illusion. But one morning she received a letter, saying that next week he meant to come up to town; he wanted to see her about a plan which he had in his head; and, moreover, he intended to treat himself to a little doctoring, as he had begun to come round to her opinion, that it would be pleasanter to think that his health was more in fault than he, when he found himself irritable and cross. There was altogether a tone of forced cheerfulness in the letter, as Margaret noticed afterwards; but at the time her attention was taken up by Edith’s exclamations. “Coming up to town! Oh dear! and I am so worn out by the heat that I don’t believe I have strength enough in me for another dinner. Besides, everybody has left but our dear stupid selves, who can’t settle where to go to. There would be nobody to meet him.” “I’m sure he would much rather come and dine with us quite alone than with the most agreeable strangers you could pick up. Besides, if he is not well he won’t wish for invitations. I am glad he has owned it at last. I was sure he was ill from the whole tone of his letters, and yet he would not answer me when I asked him, and I had no third person to whom I could apply for news.” “Oh! he is not very ill, or he would not think of Spain.” “He never mentions Spain.” “No! but his plan that is to be proposed evidently relates to that. But would you really go in such weather as this?” “Oh, it will get cooler every day. Yes! Think of it. I am only afraid I have thought and wished too much—in that absorbing wilful way which is sure to be disappointed—or else gratified, to the letter, while in the spirit it gives no pleasure.” “But that’s superstitious, I’m sure, Margaret.” “No, I don’t think it is. Only it ought to warn me, and check me from giving way to such passionate wishes. It is a sort of ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ I’m afraid my cry is, ‘Let me go to Cadiz, or else I die.’” “My dear Margaret! You’ll be persuaded to stay there; and then what shall I do? Oh! I wish I could find somebody for you to marry here, that I could be sure of you!” “I shall never marry.” “Nonsense, and double nonsense! Why, as Sholto says, you’re such an attraction to the house, that he knows ever so many men who will be glad to visit here next year for your sake.” Margaret drew herself up haughtily. “Do you know, Edith, I sometimes think your Corfu life has taught you——” “Well!” “Just a shade or two of coarseness.” Edith began to sob so bitterly, and to declare so vehemently that Margaret had lost all love for her, and no longer looked upon her as a friend, that Margaret came to think that she had expressed too harsh an opinion for the relief of her own wounded pride, and ended by being Edith’s slave for the rest of the day; while that little lady, overcome by wounded feeling, lay like a victim on the sofa, heaving occasionally a profound sigh, till at last she fell asleep. Mr. Bell did not make his appearance even on the day to which he had for a second time deferred his visit. The next morning there came a letter from Wallis, his servant, stating that his master had not been feeling well for some time, which had been the true reason of his putting off his journey; and that at the very time when he should have set out for London, he had been seized with an apoplectic fit; it was, indeed, Wallis added, the opinion of the medical men—that he could not survive the night; and more than probable, that by the time Miss Hale received this letter his poor master would be no more. Margaret received this letter at breakfast-time, and turned very pale as she read it; then, silently putting into Edith’s hands, she left the room. Edith was terribly shocked as she read it, and cried in a sobbing, frightened, childish way, much to her husband’s distress. Mrs. Shaw was breakfasting in her own room, and upon him devolved the task of reconciling his wife to the near contact into which she seemed to be brought with death, for the first time that she could remember in her life. Here was a man who was to have dined with them to-day lying dead or dying instead! It was some time before she could think of Margaret. Then she started up, and followed her upstairs into her room. Dixon was packing up a few toilette articles, and Margaret was hastily putting on her bonnet, shedding tears all the time, and her hands trembling so that she could hardly tie the strings. “Oh, dear Margaret! how shocking! What are you doing? Are you going out? Sholto would telegraph or do anything you like.” “I am going to Oxford. There is a train in half-an-hour. Dixon has offered to go with me, but I could have gone by myself. I must see him again. Besides, he may be better, and want some care. He has been like a father to me. Don’t stop me, Edith.” “But I must. Mamma won’t like it at all. Come and ask her about it, Margaret. You don’t know where you’re going. I should not mind if he had a house of his own; but in his Fellow’s rooms! Come to mamma, and do ask her before you go. It will not take a minute.” Margaret yielded, and lost her train. In the suddenness of the event, Mrs. Shaw became bewildered and hysterical, and so the precious time slipped by. But there was another train in a couple of hours; and after various discussions on propriety and impropriety, it was decided that Captain Lennox should accompany Margaret, as the one thing to which she was constant was her resolution to go, alone or otherwise, by the next train, whatever might be said of the propriety or impropriety of the step. Her father’s friend, her own friend, was lying at the point of death; and the thought of this came upon her with such vividness, that she was surprised herself at the firmness with which she asserted something of her right to independence of action; and five minutes before the time of starting, she found herself sitting in a railway carriage opposite to Captain Lennox. It was always a comfort to her to think that she had gone, though it was only to hear that he had died in the night. She saw the rooms that he had occupied, and associated them ever after most fondly in her memory with the idea of her father, and his one cherished and faithful friend. They had promised Edith before starting, that if all had ended as they feared, they would return to dinner; so that long, lingering look around the room in which her father had died, had to be interrupted, and a quiet farewell taken of the kind old face that had so often come out with pleasant words, and merry quips and cranks. Captain Lennox fell asleep on their journey home; and Margaret could cry at leisure, and bethink her of this fatal year, and all the woes it had brought to her. No sooner was she fully aware of one loss than another came—not to supersede her grief for the one before, but to re-open wounds and feelings scarcely healed. But at the sound of the tender voices of her aunt and Edith, of merry little Sholto’s glee at her arrival, and at the sight of the well-lighted rooms, with their mistress, pretty in her paleness and her eager sorrowful interest, Margaret roused herself from her heavy trance of almost superstitious hopelessness, and began to feel that even around her joy and gladness might gather. She had Edith’s place on the sofa; Sholto was taught to carry Aunt Margaret’s cup of tea very carefully to her; and by the time she went up to dress, she could thank God for having spared her dear old friend a long or a painful illness. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (2003). North and South. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4276/pg4276-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

“NE’ER TO BE FOUND AGAIN.”

Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . THE DAY WE CELEBRATE here THE DAY WE CELEBRATE ADDRESS AT THE FOURTH-OF-JULY DINNER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY,
          LONDON, 1899. I noticed in Ambassador Choate’s speech that he said: “You may be Americans or Englishmen, but you cannot be both at the same time.” You responded by applause. Consider the effect of a short residence here. I find the Ambassador rises first to speak to a toast, followed by a Senator, and I come third. What a subtle tribute that to monarchial influence of the country when you place rank above respectability! I was born modest, and if I had not been things like this would force it upon me. I understand it quite well. I am here to see that between them they do justice to the day we celebrate, and in case they do not I must do it myself. But I notice they have considered this day merely from one side—its sentimental, patriotic, poetic side. But it has another side. It has a commercial, a business side that needs reforming. It has a historical side. I do not say “an” historical side, because I am speaking the American language. I do not see why our cousins should continue to say “an” hospital, “an” historical fact, “an” horse. It seems to me the Congress of Women, now in session, should look to it. I think “an” is having a little too much to do with it. It comes of habit, which accounts for many things. Yesterday, for example, I was at a luncheon party. At the end of the party a great dignitary of the English Established Church went away half an hour before anybody else and carried off my hat. Now, that was an innocent act on his part. He went out first, and of course had the choice of hats. As a rule I try to get out first myself. But I hold that it was an innocent, unconscious act, due, perhaps, to heredity. He was thinking about ecclesiastical matters, and when a man is in that condition of mind he will take anybody’s hat. The result was that the whole afternoon I was under the influence of his clerical hat and could not tell a lie. Of course, he was hard at it. It is a compliment to both of us. His hat fitted me exactly; my hat fitted him exactly. So I judge I was born to rise to high dignity in the Church some how or other, but I do not know what he was born for. That is an illustration of the influence of habit, and it is perceptible here when they say “an” hospital, “an” European, “an” historical. The business aspects of the Fourth of July is not perfect as it stands. See what it costs us every year with loss of life, the crippling of thousands with its fireworks, and the burning down of property. It is not only sacred to patriotism and universal freedom, but to the surgeon, the undertaker, the insurance offices—and they are working it for all it is worth. I am pleased to see that we have a cessation of war for the time. This coming from me, a soldier, you will appreciate. I was a soldier in the Southern war for two weeks, and when gentlemen get up to speak of the great deeds our army and navy have recently done, why, it goes all through me and fires up the old war spirit. I had in my first engagement three horses shot under me. The next ones went over my head, the next hit me in the back. Then I retired to meet an engagement. I thank you, gentlemen, for making even a slight reference to the war profession, in which I distinguished myself, short as my career was. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Mark Twain (2004). Mark Twain's Speeches. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3188/pg3188-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

THE DAY WE CELEBRATE

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EVERGREEN INDEX #4470

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FIREWORK

thefirework.app

-- employees

Since n.d.

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FIREWORK

EVERGREEN INDEX #4470

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