Flexe makes on-demand warehousing possible by connecting organizations in need of additional space to organizations with extra space

Flexe solves the hardest omnichannel logistics problems for the world’s largest retailers and brands. Integrating technology, open logistics networks, and elastic economic models allows Flexe customers to move fast, at scale, and with precision. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Seattle, Flexe brings deep logistics expertise and enterprise-grade technology to deliver innovative eCommerce fulfillment, retail distribution, same-day delivery, and network capacity programs to the Fortune 500.

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Recently, I’ve been contracting with a team at a large enterprise company that is open sourcing their first library. For many of us releasing an idea as an open source project is a 10-second decision, but for a large company with equally large clients, it can be a long drawn out process that requires multiple stages of due diligence. offers tools for producers and consumers of open source software to help them along this journey, one that, with increased reliance on open source components, is becoming increasingly necessary and relevant. I spoke with to discuss how their tools help, why they are needed now more than ever, and how to secure the Internet of Things. Flexera Jeff Luszcz Originally published at dzone.com . Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own. Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.

Helping Make Open Source Secure, Compliant, and Sustainable With Jeff Luszcz of Flexera [Audio] —…

Picture this – you're , sitting in a futuristic spacecraft and tasked with managing a complex network of satellites. So would you rather handle it haphazardly, or do you prefer a well-labeled and meticulously organized system? thousands of miles above the earth Surely, you would choose the latter. Similarly, your and applications are that intricate network and application tagging is your to effortlessly navigate this galaxy of data. cloud infrastructure roadmap At its core, is the simple act of assigning labels – or "tags" – to your resources, offering a whole new level of clarity and control. tagging Whether you're a , enterprise decision-maker, or software engineer, your day revolves around managing and making sense of vast pools of data. With a solid tagging strategy, you enhance tech leader observability, robust decision-making, and seamless operations. From facilitating to and , good tagging is the silent champion that empowers your operations to be more agile, efficient, and effective. Let's look into the optimal strategies for effectively tagging your infrastructure and applications. maintenance optimizing costs security Understanding Tagging Source Tagging, at the basic level, is an to classify, define, and co-relate IT resources and assets within an infrastructure or an application. The purpose of tagging isn't merely regulatory, but rather much more compelling. It and improves transparency within your cloud infrastructure. And that is where the magic happens. organizational practice facilitates smarter resource management, enhances operational efficiency, Let's dive a little deeper. This is the lifeblood of effective tagging. Consistent formatting, naming conventions, and application are what make a tagging strategy truly powerful. It minimizes confusion across your teams. Consistency: Bonus point? When you're handling hundreds, or even thousands, of resources, manual tagging can be quite an arduous task. Incorporating automated tagging into your strategy is like having an invisible army at your disposal. Automation: The more detailed your tags, the better visibility you'll get into your resources. So, don't shy away from creating those detailed, granular tags. Comprehensiveness: Effective tagging isn't a one-and-done move. Revisit, refresh, and revamp - the mantra to add finesse to your tagging strategy in the long run. Review: A well-executed tagging strategy can be your knight in shining armor. It's like the ultimate roadmap to an organized, optimally functioning infrastructure. And who doesn't want that? Best Practices for Infrastructure Tagging Source Now, let's delve deeper into the nitty-gritty of organizing resources for efficient management, creating consistent, descriptive tags, and seamlessly implementing a standard tagging taxonomy. An Efficient Management of Resources Think of your cloud infrastructure as a massive library. Without organized sections and alphabetically arranged books, there is bound to be finding the information you need. The same applies here. chaos in terms of Group similar resources together. For instance, all resources related to your 'Payment Processing Solution' can be combined. This way, you're one search away from all relevant information about that particular application. Cluster wisely: Not everyone in your team needs access to everything. Restrict permissions based on roles to avoid accidental harm to important resources. Implement access controls: Creating Consistent and Descriptive Tags Each tag is a piece of metadata that adds context, making it easier to identify, organize, and search for resources. The key is to create yet tags. Here's how: descriptive consistent Your tags should be short, making them easier to remember and use. For example, instead of tagging a resource as 'PaymentProcessingProductionServer,' consider 'PP_Prod_Server.' Conciseness is key: Consistency across all tags will greatly pay off in the long run. Stick to a specific format so that any team member can understand the tag without much confusion. Stick to a naming convention: Implementing a Standardized Tagging Taxonomy Having a standardized tagging taxonomy means having a set tagging strategy that everyone sticks to. Let's illustrate with a simple example. One team in your organization may prefer the tag 'env=prod' while another may use 'environment=production' for the same thing. This inconsistency not only leads to confusion but also potential losses in resource management. Keep an up-to-date record of all tags and their descriptions for everyone to refer to. Maintain Documentation: Automation reduces human error. Using automated tagging solutions can allow for better accuracy and consistency. Automate the process: In conclusion, with these strategies, you're not just tagging your infrastructure and applications, you're adding a layer of efficiency and productivity that will greatly boost your overall operational success! Application Tagging Techniques Source Do you know what's great? Harnessing the right from the inception of any application. Can you guess why? It's because Yes, you heard that right! power of tagging tagging aligns perfectly with the different stages of an application's lifecycle! Aligning Tags with Application Lifecycle Stages Imagine for a moment that your application is in the development stage. Having , will make information retrieval a breeze during this phase. But, what happens when your application moves to the test stage? Simply tweak those tags from to ! It's like having a virtual assistant guiding your operations team throughout the application lifecycle. tags specific to "Development" "Development" "Testing" Let's have a look! "But how can tagging help in monitoring and troubleshooting?" Leveraging Tags for Enhanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting What's your first response when your application encounters an error? You investigate it, right? Now, imagine if your applications are neatly tagged per their roles, environment, and ownership. saves you from diving into the sea of code or sifting through log data, thus accelerating the troubleshooting process by a huge margin! Now that's what is called efficient monitoring! A simple filter on these tags Apply the tag "FrontEnd" to your application dealing with user-facing roles. When an error occurs, filter by this tag, and you'll instantly focus on resolving bugs that impact user experience! Example: Incorporating Security Measures Through Tagging Whoever thought that tagging could be your silent crusader in securing application infrastructure, right? As astonishing as it may sound, it's true! You can enforce security policies based on tags, thereby enhancing your application's overall security posture. For example, consider having a tag that says "PCI-DSS Compliant." Applying this tag to all relevant applications not only helps in but can also flag any application that isn't compliant! How's that for a guard dog protecting your application on the cloud? streamlining compliances So, isn't it interesting how effective tagging can streamline application lifecycle management, enhance monitoring and troubleshooting, and play a critical role in application security? Go ahead, and start tagging! Automation in Tagging Let's be honest here. As technology leaders and DevOps engineers, keeping track of the countless assets within our businesses may be just as daunting as herding cats. Believe it or not, we're all sailing in the same boat of massive infrastructures and applications. But have you ever wondered if this can be made any easier, smoother, or even automated? Well, here's the solution: automated tagging and streamlining processes that clinch the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency we all seek. Need some kind of for your tagging conundrums? Let's walk you through the game-changers. 'autopilot' With the ability to automatically tag infrastructure elements and applications, these tools can be monumental in minimizing manual intervention. They are, quite literally, lifesavers in AWS, Azure, and more. Some leading solutions include Middleware, AWS Auto Tagging, and Azure Policy. You won't believe the hours of toil they’re saving worldwide. Automated Tagging Tools: These have practically redefined automation. By providing comprehensive orchestration across different cloud environments, CMPs such as CloudCheckr and Flexera make tagging a breeze. They ensure you're not just tagging, but tagging right—with accuracy and consistency. Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs): Needless to say, any automated tagging discourse would be incomplete without acknowledging the role of DevOps tools such as Chef, Puppet, Ansible, and Kubernetes. They have rewritten the rules, enabling automated environment set-up, application deployment, scaling, and yes, even tagging. DevOps Tools: Now, these tools are not magic wands, and you surely can't just go . But if implemented correctly, they can offer , possibly saving you hours and a lot of stress. set it and forget it remarkable reliability and replicability in your tagging practices Case Studies Let's explore some where infrastructure and application tagging have been successfully implemented, and dive into the lessons learned and key takeaways. case studies Case Study 1 - Atlassian - Automating Infrastructure and Application Discovery with CloudSploit There was a time when the discovery of resources was a tedious, error-filled task. The limited insight into how cloud assets interacted elevated the risk of security vulnerabilities and non-compliance with regulations. Challenge: They integrated CloudSploit, which allows for seamless infrastructure and application discovery. It automatically assigns tags to your resources, providing you with crucial data and all the associated application dependencies. Strategy: Experienced a significant decrease in the time devoted to discovery and tagging and bolstered the security stance by promptly identifying and remedying any vulnerabilities. Outcome: Proper tagging, coupled with diligent oversight and automation, can lead to massive cost savings. Key Takeaway: Case Study 2 - Spotify - Streamlining Cloud Management with Tagging in OpenTelemetry Difficulty managing complex microservice architecture with diverse deployment environments. The lack of standardization and consistency in tagging made resource identification difficult. Challenge: Adopted OpenTelemetry, an open-source framework for distributed tracing and monitoring, and implemented a standardized tagging strategy across applications and infrastructure using labels. Strategy: Simplified cloud resource management with consistent and searchable tags. Achieved better observability and troubleshooting through granular tracing data. Outcome: Strategic application tagging can both elevate application performance and fortify security. Key Takeaway: Case Study 3 - Netflix - Scaling Cloud Operations with Tagging in CloudFormation and AWS Cost Tagging Difficulty managing large-scale infrastructure across multiple regions and accounts. The lack of granular costing insights hindered cost optimization efforts. Challenge: Utilized AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure provisioning and tagged resources with application names, environments, and ownership details. Enabled AWS Cost Tagging to track costs by application and team, facilitating granular cost allocation and optimization. Strategy: Improved operational efficiency by automating infrastructure provisioning and tagging. Gained detailed cost insights enabling informed resource allocation and budgeting decisions. Outcome: Effective infrastructure tagging can simplify compliance and create a more efficient audit system. Key Takeaway: These success stories underscore the . When properly implemented and managed, tagging starts to look less like a chore and more like a critical strategy for business success. transformative potential of effective tagging Future Trends in Tagging Practices Let's not beat around the bush here, folks. The breathless pace of technology's evolution has rippled through the world of tagging like a virtual tsunami. Take a minute to consider this. A staggering have adopted some form of cloud technology according to a . The explosion of cloud-native applications has shifted the focus to more effective and precise tagging. As a result, the old tag-and-hope methods just don't cut it anymore. 92% of organizations Faction report The Changing Winds of Tagging With the technological horizon constantly mutating, the ways we handle tagging our infrastructure and applications need to shift gears too. Consider these points: Emerging technologies like AI and ML are making a splash in the tagging world. AI/ML-powered automation can greatly reduce human errors in tagging, making your applications and infrastructure run more smoothly. Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning(ML): According to a , 94% of tech leaders emphasize the shift towards observability. This means adopting tagging strategies that highlight and communicate the right information, swiftly and accurately. Shift towards Observability: NewRelic 2020 report We all know that change can be challenging, especially in the volatile realm of technology. But when it comes to preparing for the future of infrastructure and application tagging, it's time to the change. Why merely adapt? Let's evolve, together. embrace Conclusion We can't stress enough how significant it is to have a good grip on your and what role effective tagging plays. Remember, - it's a performance game-changer that can fuel agility, efficiency, and scalability. Making in your IT team isn't just about diligent practice but fostering a better understanding and communication. IT operations tagging is not just a 'nice to have' tagging a culture Let's do a quick recap of best practices for tagging: Uniformity in your tagging approach ensures seamless identification of resources. Be Consistent: Tags should provide clear insights about the resource at a glance. Stay Descriptive: Crafting a classification system expedites resource management. Adopt a Standardized Taxonomy: Tagging is no longer an option; it is an essential tool in the modern IT Toolkit.

Optimal Strategies for Effectively Tagging Your Infrastructure and Applications

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Fraud, scandal, regulatory squabbling, and bankruptcy marked crypto's 14th year. 2023 may have been one brutal year in the industry, but ironically, it may still have been one of the sector's best years. cryptocurrency As macro conditions rally and Bitcoin bounces back, financial cops and entrepreneurs anticipate similar to the 2013 BTC-led bull market. This article looks back at the highlights of 2023 in anticipation of a possibly glamorous 2024. A Whirlwind Year For Crypto 2023 was ruthless, to say the least, with a cast of malefactors associated with the 2021 crypto boom meeting justice by and large. From Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) to Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and other less prominent individuals making all the bad press as US authorities flexed their muscles on crypto. Furthermore, the early teen industry still notched notable wins like Bitcoin's 160% surge. Industry players were overjoyed as courts judged in favor of crypto in two high-profile court cases (XRP and Coinbase). Moreover, there's pregnant anticipation regarding a long-awaited approval for a popular investment product in January, potentially bringing new investors. It was a year of cryptocurrency resiliency as digital assets benefited from cooling inflation and a growing economy. The year 2023 hit the road with an exuberant start, with the crypto market's entire market cap posting a $1.2 trillion gain (50%, according to AltCoinTrader). The gain somewhat reversed the damage occasioned by FTX's collapse, while Q2 saw the market take a breather to consolidate the gains. In Q2, a and other news about securities was the big news. The SEC approved Grayscale’s Bitcoin spot ETF approval and sparked a positive run in Q4. This pushed the crypto market cap to $1.65 trillion. 30% surge in Ethereum staking What Will 2023 Be Remembered For? BTC's Annual Low of $16,680 Bitcoin’s value slid from an all-time high of $69,000 in November 2021 to an all-time annual low of $16,800 in January 2023. This was a culmination of the sad events of 2022, like the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange that saw BTC's value continually decrease. Thankfully, Bitcoin later created a bullish candlestick that brought it close to $42,668 at the time of writing. https://twitter.com/dan_pantera/status/1734594848974315828?embedable=true Ripple Wins in SEC Case Ripple Labs Inc. scored a last July following a landmark ruling stating the firm never violated the federal securities law. US District Judge Analisa Torres's ground-breaking ruling that sent the XRP price surging by up to 75% and is considered a victory for the entire cryptocurrency industry is likely to galvanize other crypto firms toward battling the SEC amidst the ongoing regulatory confusion. partial victory against the SEC Later in October, the Bard Garlinghouse and executive Chairman Christian Larsen, making it a third consecutive win in the long-drawn legal tussle that had become a stain on Ripple and XRP. The SEC lawsuit that was filed in 2020 had accused Ripple Labs' executives of selling $1.3 billion in unregistered digital asset securities, with the pair personally accused of effecting at least $600 million in illicit securities sales. SEC dropped its case against Ripple CEO Journey towards the Approval of a Spot Bitcoin ETF The price of Bitcoin of $37,970 last October following BlackRock's taking initial steps towards an Ether Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). BlackRock is among at least nine different asset management firms, including Valkyrie and WisdomTree, eagerly awaiting the SEC's approval of their desire to issue spot Bitcoin ETFs, which experts believe could happen . US-based investors can only buy Bitcoin futures ETFs from firms with futures contracts with plans to sell later at agreed-upon prices. The highly-anticipated Bitcoin spot ETFs awaiting SEC approval would enable users to invest in BTC directly and potentially make it accessible to the masses. scored an 18-month high in early 2024 SBF's High-Profile Trial After a , the highly-anticipated Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) case returned a guilty verdict. The prosecutors accused the former founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX of stealing and using billions of dollars belonging to his customers. Bankman-Fried may have maintained his innocence throughout the trial. However, the guilty verdict means he could earn . The sentencing is expected in March 2024. month-long trial up to 110 years in jail Bitcoin above $44K For the first time since April 2022, Bitcoin in early December. The digital asset that’s now trading at $42,643 brought the entire crypto market with it in its wake. That was a great achievement, considering it opened the year at less than $17,000. BTC's increasingly improving performance happens at a time when numerous respected Wall Street firms are awaiting the SEC's approval of their Bitcoin ETF application approvals. Analysts believe the SEC will likely approve the popular investment vehicle that tracks the digital asset's value and is expected to give traditional investors to crypto in a safe and regulated environment. crossed the $44,000 mark SEC against Binance and CZ Crypto billionaire Changpeng Zhao, the founder and CEO of Binance, was forced to step down after he pleaded guilty . According to the criminal charges filed by the SEC, both CZ and his firm, Binance, violated the Bank Secrecy Act. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) documents, CZ and Binance agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement. to 13 charges facing him https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1727063503125766367?embedable=true The against the world's largest crypto exchange by trade volume and its founder, accusing them of commingling billions of dollars of customers' funds and sending them to a Europe-based company controlled by CZ. According to the US securities watchdog, CZ and his exchange subverted "their controls" by allowing high-net-worth American investors to trade at their unregulated international exchange. According to the complaint, the accused used Binance.US as a shield for CZ and the parent company to retard law enforcement and insulate Binance. SEC had filed 13 charges in June 2023 NFTs are Coming Back There's every sign of the as we draw the curtains on 2023. Despite what appeared like prices hitting rock bottom, major NFT brands like are seeing renewed interest in their products from online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. Moreover, established firms are trooping back to the NFT space, with brand building expected to become a significant driver of Web3 adoptions in 2024 resurgence of interest in NFTs Pudgy Penguins https://twitter.com/pudgypenguins/status/1659325632499572736?embedable=true While mainstream media may have written off NFTs following their dismal performance and poor demand, stores like Walmart and others are jostling to sell them alongside physical products. They could end up building stronger NFT brands. There's every indication that the next wave of viral NFT products could be somewhat different from the previous successful ones by focusing on value creation instead of speculation. Moreover, they could center on large quantities sold at more affordable prices and target a broader market. Some companies that successfully experimented with mass-market NFTs include Starbucks, Mike, and Reddit, to name a few. Summary of 2023 Once again, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing unprecedented growth. Every indication is pointing towards an inevitable Bull-Run. It’s, therefore, important for every crypto enthusiast to equip themselves with knowledge and insight so they can make informed decisions. Should everything hold constant, we can expect a fresh liquidity boost from institutional investors as banks and other large investors allocate portions of their assets under cryptocurrencies. As it was in 201, 2017, and 2021, the emergence of new crypto projects is likely to become the foundation of a recent surge of users in 2024 and 2025, with the main driver being the adoption of Web3 by large Web projects and introduce a new audience to the crypto sphere.

Crazy Crypto Year - The Most Notable Events Of 2023

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With the advent and adoption of no-code platforms, there is a rumor in the IT industry about the extinction of . Here, we evaluate the truth! DevOps DevOps is an IT development and operations approach emphasizing collaboration, automation, and integration between development and operations. Its importance lies in streamlining the software delivery process, enabling faster and more reliable releases of products. The approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement, agility, and responsiveness to customer needs. DevOps helps organizations develop higher-quality software and achieve greater customer satisfaction by automating manual tasks, reducing errors, and promoting collaboration. However, due to the recent innovations in the digital landscape, the future of the approach has somewhat become uncertain. Is DevOps Dying or Dead? The one-word answer is NO. DevOps is highly versatile, and with every passing day, it is evolving and improving. So, how did the conception of DevOps dying pop up in the first place? According to experts, many organizations tend to (simply) hire DevOps engineers rather than trying to understand its fundamental principles. In such cases, DevOps seems like something unrewarding. Mallory Haigh, the director of customer success at Humanities, explains that if something in DevOps goes extinct, it will be the ideology, not the methodology. DevOps is transitioning into its second phase, emphasizing engagement and enablement so companies can guarantee more robust infrastructures. To keep their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) high, many companies combine platform engineering with DevOps approaches to develop reliable solutions. DevOps Vs. NoOps: Will the Latter Prevail? NoOps, short for "No Operations," is an emerging software development and operations concept. It represents a shift toward a fully automated, self-sufficient system with little or no human interference. In a NoOps environment, sophisticated platforms and tools manage and automate all tasks, from infrastructure provisioning to monitoring and scaling. The most common NoOps tools include Kubernetes, AWS Lambda, Terraform, etc. Although NoOps presents an intriguing vision of automation, it does not signify the end of DevOps. Instead, it represents an evolution within the DevOps ecosystem. Firstly, not all organizations are ready for NoOps. Transitioning to a NoOps model requires significant infrastructure and tooling investments. A survey in 2021 confirmed that around 85% of IT companies were employing DevOps techniques to achieve high business values. [1] Secondly, the complexity of modern applications and the need for real-time adaptability may still mandate human intervention. Therefore, DevOps principles (which emphasize collaboration between development and operations teams) remain vital in troubleshooting and handling unforeseen issues. Moreover, compliance with strict regulations is critical in highly regulated industries like finance and healthcare, which necessitates human intervention. DevOps incorporating security is known as DevSecOps and comprises of holistic approaches for application security and compliance. Many organizations are still running on legacy monolith apps that require human supervision because NoOps methodologies do not apply to all types of environments. Therefore, despite the emergence of this zero-maintenance approach, DevOps will continue to be superior as it enables working with people from all domains to develop quality products. Why DevOps Won’t Be Leaving the Stage Anytime Soon? Industrial Evidences Here are some reasons why DevOps will never cease to exist despite the appearance of no-code platforms. However, the methodologies may evolve according to industrial advancements. Stable Software Delivery DevOps ensures stable software delivery through continuous integration, automated tests, and incremental deployment. Collaboration among teams streamlines communication and eliminates errors. Infrastructure as code maintains consistency, and monitoring ensures an early detection of issues. The feedback loops ensure quick adjustments, enhancing stability over time. Next, security measures are integrated into the process to ensure safer deployments. Regular updates and improvements keep the software robust and adaptable. DevOps fosters a culture of responsibility, accountability, and shared ownership, promoting stability throughout the software development and delivery lifecycle. Secure Productions DevOps ensures secure production environments through a holistic approach called DevSecOps. It integrates security practices throughout the software development lifecycle. Security is not treated as an afterthought but is ingrained from the start. Automation tools scan code for vulnerabilities, while continuous monitoring detects and responds to security threats in real-time. Regular security audits and compliance checks are part of the process. Teams collaborate to prioritize security concerns, mitigating risks early. This proactive stance safeguards sensitive data and minimizes the potential impact of security breaches. DevSecOps ensures that security remains a shared responsibility and a core element of every production release, guaranteeing more resilient and secure systems. Fast Releases DevOps also guarantees fast releases by automating processes, enabling continuous integration and delivery. Automation decreases manual errors, accelerating the development process. Collaborative workflows facilitate efficient communication, and IaC allows for rapid provisioning and scaling of resources. There are monitoring and feedback loops to identify bottlenecks and issues early, ensuring quick resolutions. DevOps promotes a culture of efficiency, transparency, and accountability, pushing teams to prioritize speed while maintaining quality. By optimizing the entire software development pipeline, DevOps ensures rapid and reliable releases, meeting the demands of fast-paced development environments. Integration With Cloud and Modern-Day AI Systems DevOps integration with modern cloud and AI systems is highly beneficial. Cloud platforms offer scalable infrastructure, making it easier to implement DevOps practices. According to a report by Flexera, around 92% of the organizations have employed multi-cloud strategies and are using DevOps for optimized cloud utilization, scaling, and resource management. [2] AI augments DevOps by automating anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and code analysis tasks, and its market size will grow by 38% from 2023 to 2032 [3]. The synergy boosts operational efficiency, accelerates software delivery, and enables more agile responses to changing business needs, making DevOps a vital asset in the cloud and AI technologies era. Efficient Automations DevOps ensures efficient automation through its core collaboration, integration, and delivery principles. By fostering seamless communication and cooperation between development and operations teams, DevOps accelerates the integration of automation into the software development lifecycle. This collaborative approach ensures automated processes are designed, tested, and deployed efficiently. Continuous integration practices, where code changes are frequently merged and tested, enable early detection of automation issues. Additionally, DevOps emphasizes the automation of repetitive tasks such as testing, deployment, and infrastructure provisioning, reducing manual errors, improving efficiency, and ultimately enhancing the quality and speed of software delivery. The Bottom Line DevOps is one of the most used methodologies in the IT industry, aiming to improve collaboration between the development and operation-handling teams. However, the no-code platforms popped up since DevOps application development approaches may prove difficult. These platforms are significantly easier to use but aren't as versatile as DevOps. Moreover, DevOps ensures more tailored outputs, faster releases, and wide learning opportunities, so it will continue to evolve and expand in the future rather than becoming obsolete. Statistics links [1] https://www.strongdm.com/blog/devops-statistics [2] . https://www.copado.com/blogs/how-using-a-multi-cloud-architecture-can-increase-agility-and-minimize-risk#:~:text=According to the Flexera 2021,have embraced multi-cloud strategies [3] . https://marketresearch.biz/report/generative-ai-in-devops-market/#:~:text=Global Generative AI in DevOps Market size is expected to,period from 2023 to 2032 Research links https://devops.com/why-devops-will-cease-to-exist/ https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/feature/Is-DevOps-dead-What-the-future-of-DevOps-could-look-like https://www.knowledgehut.com/blog/devops/future-of-devops https://thechief.io/c/editorial/does-devops-have-a-future/ https://www.bunnyshell.com/blog/is-noops-the-end-of-devops/

Will DevOps Cease to Exist? My Honest Opinion 

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In the grand chessboard of global politics, every move, every strategy, every player can send ripples across the world. And in this high-stakes game, one piece has been drawing a lot of attention lately - President Joe Biden. As whispers of a second term grow louder, the world is watching, waiting, and wondering. But there's one community that's more than just a little interested. They're practically on the edge of their seats. Yes, we're talking about the crypto enthusiasts, the Bitcoin believers, the blockchain buffs. Why, you ask? Well, the answer lies in the heart of a digital revolution - Bitcoin. This isn't just any old currency; it's the poster child of a financial frontier, the trailblazer of a new economic era. And with Biden potentially back in the driver's seat, the road ahead could take some interesting turns. So, what could a Biden re-election mean for Bitcoin? Will it be a smooth sail on calm waters or a wild ride through stormy seas? Let's embark on this journey together, navigating the intriguing intersections of politics and cryptocurrency. Fasten your seatbelts, folks. It's time to dive deep into the digital depths of the Bitcoin ocean. The Crypto Executive Order: A Splash or a Tsunami? In the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency, every move by those in power can send shockwaves through the market. And when President Biden stepped onto the stage with his crypto executive order, ripples of concern surged through the Bitcoin and crypto community. Whispers of a covert war on the crypto industry filled the air, leaving many to wonder: was this just a mere splash or the precursor to a full-blown tsunami? The answer remains elusive, leaving the crypto enthusiasts on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the reverberations of this executive order to unfold. The impact of this order is still shrouded in uncertainty, as its implications are yet to be fully realized. Speculation runs wild as the crypto community engages in fervent debate, weighing the potential consequences for the future of Bitcoin and its counterparts. Will this executive order be a mere blip on the radar, causing temporary turbulence before returning to calmer waters? Or will it unleash a torrential wave that reshapes the very fabric of the crypto cosmos? Only time will tell, as the true extent of the executive order's impact gradually reveals itself. In this swirling sea of speculation, the crypto community remains poised, attentively monitoring the unfolding narrative. The tides of change may bring surprises, challenges, or unforeseen opportunities, leaving no stone unturned. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Building Bridges or Walls? Biden's legislative quill didn't run dry after the executive order in November 2021, it wasn't just infrastructure on the agenda. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act carried a subplot that sent a ripple through the crypto cosmos. This wasn't your average tale of roads and bridges; it was a narrative with a crypto twist. The law introduced amendments that dialed up the reporting requirements for cryptocurrency. Set to spring into action in 2024, these changes stand at a crossroads, with two potential paths unfurling ahead. On one hand, they could illuminate the crypto landscape with a beacon of transparency. By ramping up reporting requirements, the law could bring a new level of clarity to the often murky waters of the crypto world. On the flip side, these changes could weave a web of red tape. The increased regulations could potentially stifle innovation and deter newcomers, challenging the very essence of cryptocurrency - its decentralization and freedom from traditional financial constraints. So, what's in store for Bitcoin and its digital brethren? Will these changes build bridges or erect barriers? As we edge closer to 2024, the crypto community watches with bated breath, ready to navigate the waves of change. Only time will tell the true impact of this legislative plot twist in the ongoing saga of cryptocurrency. Bitcoin's Bullish Surge: Riding the Wave In the face of political headwinds and amidst the ever-changing landscape of global finance, Bitcoin has proven time and again that it's no pushover. The year 2023 witnessed a remarkable display of strength as this digital David flexed its muscles, propelling its value by a substantial 40%. But Bitcoin's bullish run was not a solitary endeavor; it lifted the fortunes of other major cryptocurrencies as well, creating a rising tide that lifted all digital ships. This market rally is a testament to Bitcoin's inherent grit and gusto. It showcases the cryptocurrency's ability to hold its ground amidst the turbulent winds of political puppetry. Despite the uncertainties and challenges, Bitcoin remains resilient, serving as a beacon of hope for investors and enthusiasts alike. The Triple Triumph: A Hat Trick or a Fluke? Prepare to be amazed by a remarkable trivia tidbit that will leave even the most seasoned Bitcoin aficionados in awe. Since the momentous announcement of the election results on November 7, 2020, the BTC price has more than tripled. Is it a mere coincidence, or is it a testament to Bitcoin's true potential? This triumphant ascent serves as a resounding endorsement of Bitcoin's ability to not only survive but thrive amidst the shifting tides of political change. It speaks volumes about the cryptocurrency's unwavering resilience and its knack for weathering the storm of uncertainty. Bitcoin has firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with, capable of defying expectations and surpassing even the loftiest predictions. The Approval Rating Factor: A Slip or a Slide? In April 2023, President Biden tossed his hat into the re-election ring, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the Bitcoin narrative. However, it wasn't all roses and applause. Biden's approval rating took an unexpected nosedive, injecting an intriguing twist into the Bitcoin tale. The question on everyone's mind is how this political sentiment will translate into the crypto market. The correlation between political approval ratings and Bitcoin's performance remains a puzzle waiting to be solved. Will it lead to a slip in Bitcoin's value, or will it pave the way for a surprising surge? The answer lies in the intricate interplay between politics and cryptocurrency, and it's a piece of the Bitcoin jigsaw puzzle that's worth keeping a keen eye on as we approach the forthcoming election. The Quick and Dirty Version FAQs: Navigating the Bitcoin-Biden Landscape Impact of Biden's re-election on Bitcoin? Q: Biden's potential re-election could impact regulations, market sentiment, and the crypto landscape. A: Bitcoin's performance under Biden? Q: : Bitcoin has shown resilience despite regulatory concerns, with significant value surges. A Can political sentiment affect Bitcoin's value? Q: Yes, external factors like political sentiment can influence market dynamics. A: Jin Park Signing Off: Charting the Course of Bitcoin's Future As we sail through the tempestuous seas of political uncertainty, the future of Bitcoin in a potential Biden re-election scenario remains a captivating blend of promise and unpredictability. While regulatory changes present challenges, the cryptocurrency's demonstrated resilience reveals its capacity to adapt and flourish in the face of adversity. As we inch closer to the election, the crypto community will remain vigilant, ready to navigate the ever-changing waves of this fascinating journey. Chart your course wisely, my fellow Bitcoin enthusiasts, for in this realm of innovation and disruption, change is the only constant. Jin Park signing off until we meet again on the shores of the crypto landscape. Support me, and unleash your inner ‘Jinius’ with Jin Park - dive in now! @ ❤️ https://ko-fi.com/jiniusme

Biden and Bitcoin: A Second Term Showdown?

THE SIMULATION OF DEATH

A BEE-HUNTER: THE PHILANTHUS AVIPORUS

STRANGE EXODUS

In what is becoming a very cost-conscious world of cloud usage due to a myriad of reasons; global economic pressures, run-away cloud costs, failed migration programs et cetera. Is that there is still an opportunity for each organization irrespective of existing or new landing zone design (organizational governance structure) to achieve the necessary cost visibility to enable Cloud Financial Operations ('FinOps') practices to be operationalized in a way that ensures best-of-breed outcomes in a given scenario. Table of Contents The Magical Cloud What does this mean? Why does it matter? Architecting Account Hierarchy for Cost Visibility Common governance constructs Company A - Environments Company B - Business units Company C - Workloads & environments Conclusion The Magical Cloud , once marketed as the magical computer, tucked away in the sky, ready to solve your organization's most complex problems, has seen the sentiment change drastically in the last few years as organizations learned the hard and fast way, that it isn't that simple. Cloud computing From failed migrations where chatty bloated on-premises monoliths were lifted and shifted in a rush to promote 'cloud first principles' with no supporting skills to refactor once there. Through to poorly planned and established governance to ensure enforcement of basic guard rails to protect organizations from security events, and what this article is about, architecting to avoid bill shock by bringing visibility to your organization's cloud spend. As "what get's measured, get's improved" Peter Drucker The reality is, that the world of the cloud is not in any way similar to on-premises workloads, with millions of SKUs representing every flavor of service, computing, memory, storage, and more at the click of a button. Engineers can single-handedly blow a hole in an organization’s IT operating budget. As Dann Berg puts it in his article the 'money feedback loop' is significantly longer (if there is at all) compared to a failed technical change by an engineer. here What does this mean? It means, by the time organizations realize deployed a fleet of u-12tb1.112xlarge AWS EC2 instances with a whopping 448 vCPUs, 12TB of memory for a Proof of Concept Web App, and took off on holidays, they have at least an 80K USD bill by EOM. Intern Engineer A Now, this is an unlikely scenario in that the intern was left to deploy without an approval workflow but the fact is, it can happen and it does every day of the week, worldwide. As that kind of tin isn't available on premises for anyone to spin up without jumping through hoops, and certainly not as quickly as the magical cloud enables. Why does this matter? It matters because cloud usage isn't showing signs of slowing down. has forecasted a 20.4% growth in public cloud spending in 2022, and a total of $600B is forecasted to be spent worldwide by 2023. Though according to , of that significant worldwide spend, 32% is expected to be wasted in 2022 ($158.3B). Ouch. Gartner Flexera Those numbers alone are eye-watering, but when contrasted with the global economy trending toward more trying times, and 83% of organizations' top cloud challenge is managing their cloud spend (Flexera). It is inevitable that executives are already asking or about to ask, where can I save money? Though to save money, to optimise, to operate efficiently, we first must know where spend is occuring across the organisation So let's examine that. Architecting Account Hierarchy for Cost Visibility Depending on whether your organization was an early cloud adopter or whether your organization is exploring best-of-breed practices to establish new cloud capabilities within your organization. The answer to cloud visibility is not just #tagging. Several articles speak to tagging as if it's the panacea to solving all an organization's allocation and visibility concerns. Though, as a cloud architect and a FinOps lead working in Professional Services where I am engaged at all ends of the spectrum in a variety of organizations' cloud journeys, I find the truth of 'tagging' to be one lever of many. But as stipulated in many articles, they don't provide the complete picture which leads to why I am writing this article. It all begins with how your organization has utilized its offerings to design necessary governance upfront. You see, tagging comes after establishing the necessary organizational structure, control policies, guardrails, etc. for how your organization may want to best organize itself. This could be by business units, environments, workloads et cetera. CSP Based on this, there are more than just cost considerations, and depending on the industry of your organization, you may find that governance constructs vary greatly. The below is going to provide a number of the common constructs I see, and what the pros and cons of these are to enable you to make the right decision for your organization. The intent here is to 'shift left' FinOps capability to not rely on one factor that is commonly just 'tacked on' i.e. tagging, but to 'bake it in' to the design of your governance structure within your CSP or CSPs if you are multi-cloud. To discuss this, we first must clarify some general nomenclature so we are all on the same page. Across CSPs, the terminology used to represent the same logical construct is different though in deployment we can achieve the same outcome. The below provides a comparison of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure (Azure) and how their terminology of governance hierarchy differs yet enables the same outcomes. In all examples below, I will be utilizing AWS terminology, but please refer back to the below for a comparison of terms if I lose you! Note: Common Governance Constructs As discussed briefly above, the governance construct your organization deploys or has deployed may be based on what was available at the time (early adopter) or well-architected best practices that exist now. Either way, understanding how different industries may architect their landing zones and governance constructs enables you to make better decisions to improve cost visibility in your organization now and move forward and make the right trade-offs. In the examples below the 'Management Account' is used as a collective of potential 'other' accounts which are used for common governance and policy enforcement, security etc. And not specific to AWS terminology whereby 'management account' is the central account used to manage AWS Organisation Hierarchy (formerly known as the master account). These may include, but are not limited to: Note: Identity Account; centralize management of Active Directories, RBAC, etc. Connectivity Account; centralized management and configuration of network resources such as AWS Direct Access Management Account; central management of monitoring, logging, and analytics which may connect back on-premises to SIEM tooling like Splunk So please don't get hung up on those management accounts. Additionally, the examples provided below are by no means exhaustive but attempt to provide you with enough information to begin to consider your organizational governance requirements. As such, may require you to organize your organizational units and their respective accounts in ways that support the scale, policies, network design, or management boundaries that best serve the organization's operational needs. As one size does not fit all. Company A - Environments This organizational structure uses AWS Organisational Units (OUs) and breaks accounts up by environments with all business units and their respective workloads mixed into each 'DEV', 'TEST', and 'PROD' in this example. This structure has the benefit of minimizing cost as common resources can be shared and logically the account creates a boundary for isolation that separates concerns. So even without tagging, we can attribute workloads to their environment. However, due to the structure by ‘environment’, it is easy to see tagging here is crucial if a 'chargeback' cost allocation method is intended or even a 'show back' to each business unit and their workloads. Though security here is of concern, as the 'PROD' account is a honey pot of production workloads waiting to be exploited if not managed correctly. Company B - Business Units This organizational structure uses OU's to represent business units with all workloads of that business unit, and their respective 'environments' managed within each. This structure has the benefit of minimizing cost as common resources can be shared, and logically the account creates a boundary for isolation that separates concerns similar to Company A. So even without tagging, we can attribute workloads to logical business units. In an organization where show back or a chargeback is used for cost allocation, this may be enough to have specific cost boundaries defined by the account structure. However, to understand further what workload was utilizing a specific resource and to further break down costs, tagging is required. It is important to call out here that this organizational structure does introduce risk around security similar to Company A, as environments are mixed, therefore engineers may through negligence inadvertently make a change meant for a 'DEV' environment but instead affect a 'PROD' workload. Strong development practices, pipelines, code reviews et cetera are important here. Including the use of AWS Service Control Policies (SCPs), AWS Control Tower, and AWS Organisations to help manage and enforce policy guardrails. CI/CD Company C - Workload & Environment This organizational structure is not common for many organizations but is common in high-security organizations were limiting the blast radius is important such as for my clients in the Defence & National Security sector. Organizational units may be used, but if so are to implement control policies as cost granularity is achieved by the very nature of account structure. Accounts are broken up by both workloads and by the environment. As such, each workload will at minimum have two accounts with all 'Non-Production' workloads in one account and 'Production' in another. The number of accounts can increase where higher-level non-production environments such as 'Pre-Production' has integration with third parties to test end-to-end configuration and integration and separation of concerns are needing to be maintained. This structure, undoubtedly, is the most expensive way to operationalize an organizational structure within a CSP as no resources are shared. Given workloads that may communicate with each other as part of an end-to-end system must take additional measures to enable peering etc. Additionally, costs are duplicated for the organization as core resources used such as AWS WAF are required in every account, and are charged accordingly. Given this structure, workloads have evident operational boundaries and policy enforcement. In turn, costs can be directly attributed to a specific workload and its respective environment. In this scenario, tagging becomes less crucial as costs are granular to the cent, with no shared costs to allocate back. This structure therefore may be enough for some organizations to have confidence in just 'paying the bill' and trusting teams to take action through cloud-native advisor tools. However, when you begin to consider what resources are being used such as Kubernetes Clusters, and getting to the next level of visibility in large workloads with hundreds of VMs potentially, tagging becomes crucial. As is discussed above, it comes down to your organization's imperative. I have spoken with some organizations in the Cryptocurrency Exchange business who are not concerned at all about their spending and therefore don't care for visibility in context to finances (though may from an SRE perspective. While others, such as the government are spending public funds and have tighter controls on how that money should be spent. Conclusion Understanding the organizational governance structure is the first step toward better cost allocation and visibility. Though tagging plays an incredibly important role in this, it is just a lever, and understanding the purpose of why things are architected the way they are enables you to pull the lever more effectively. Lowering the burden on your engineering teams, and increasing the value-add certain tags have. As too many tags without a specific purpose simply create overheads. Don't be that team! So get intimate, and understand and I promise you will achieve better outcomes for your finops team, and in turn, your organization. the why This article represents my personal opinion only and not that of my employer. Also published here.

Navigating Cloud Costs: How to Achieve Financial Visibility with Cloud Architecture 

THE PSYCHIC STATE IN PREGNANCY

We have seen what the object of detumescence is

SYMBOLISM IN DREAMS

Meriem and Bwana were sitting on the verandah

Tarzan and the Ant Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . CHAPTER XXII Tarzan and the Ant Men Chapter XXII A Waziri, returning from the village of Obebe the cannibal, saw a bone lying beside the trail. This, in itself, was nothing remarkable. Many bones lie along savage trails in Africa. But this bone caused him to pause. It was the bone of a child. Nor was that alone enough to give pause to a warrior hastening through an unfriendly country back toward his own people. But Usula had heard strange tales in the village of Obebe the cannibal where rumor had brought him in search of his beloved master, The Big Bwana. Obebe had seen nor heard nothing of Tarzan of the Apes. Not for years had he seen the giant white. He assured Usula of this fact many times; but from other members of the tribe the Waziri learned that a white man had been kept a prisoner by Obebe for a year or more and that some time since he had escaped. At first Usula thought this white man might have been Tarzan but when he verified the statement of the time that had elapsed since the man was captured he knew that it could not have been his master, and so he turned back along the trail toward home; but when he saw the child's bone along the trail several days out he recalled the story of the missing Uhha and he paused, just for a moment, to look at the bone. And as he looked he saw something else—a small skin bag, lying among some more bones a few feet off the trail. Usula stooped and picked up the bag. He opened it and poured some of the contents into his palm. He knew what the things were and he knew that they had belonged to his master, for Usula was a head-man who knew much about his master's affairs. These were the diamonds that had been stolen from The Big Bwana many moons before by the white men who had found Opar. He would take them back to The Big Bwana's lady. Three days later as he moved silently along the trail close to the great thorn forest he came suddenly to a halt, the hand grasping his heavy spear tensing in readiness. In a little open place he saw a man, an almost naked man, lying upon the ground. The man was alive—he saw him move—but what was he doing? Usula crept closer, making no noise. He moved around until he could observe the man from another angle and then he saw a horrid sight. The man was white and he lay beside the carcass of long-dead buffalo, greedily devouring the remnants of hide that clung to the bleaching bones. The man raised his head a little and Usula, catching a better view of his face, gave a cry of horror. Then the man looked up and grinned. It was The Big Bwana! Usula ran to him and raised him upon his knees, but the man only laughed and babbled like a child. At his side, caught over one of the horns of the buffalo, was The Big Bwana's golden locket with the great diamonds set in it. Usula replaced it about the man's neck. He built a strong shelter for him nearby and hunted food, and for many days he remained until the man's strength came back; but his mind did not come back. And thus, in this condition, the faithful Usula led home his master. They found many wounds and bruises upon his body and his head, some old, some new, some trivial, some serious; and they sent to England for a great surgeon to come out to Africa and seek to mend the poor thing that once had been Tarzan of the Apes. The dogs that had once loved Lord Greystoke slunk from this brainless creature. Jad-bal-ja, the Golden Lion, growled when the man was wheeled near his cage. Korak, the killer, paced the floor in dumb despair, for his mother was on her way from England, and what would be the effect upon her of this awful blow? He hesitated even to contemplate it. Khamis, the witch doctor, had searched untiringly for Uhha, his daughter, since the River Devil had stolen her from the village of Obebe the cannibal. He had made pilgrimages to other villages, some of them remote from his own country, but he had found no trace of her or her abductor. He was returning from another fruitless search that had extended far to the east of the village of Obebe, skirting the Great Thorn Forest a few miles north of the Ugogo. It was early morning. He had but just broken his lonely camp and set out upon the last leg of his homeward journey when his keen old eyes discovered something lying at the edge of a small open space a hundred yards to his right. He had just a glimpse of something that was not of the surrounding vegetation. He did not know what it was; but instinct bade him investigate. Moving cautiously nearer he presently identified the thing as a human knee just showing above the low grass that covered the clearing. He crept closer and suddenly his eyes narrowed and his breath made a single, odd little sound as it sucked rapidly between his lips in mechanical reaction to surprise, for what he saw was the body of The River Devil lying upon its back, one knee flexed—the knee that he had seen above the grasses. His spear advanced and ready he approached until he stood above the motionless body. Was The River Devil dead, or was he asleep? Placing the point of his spear against the brown breast Khamis prodded. The Devil did not awaken. He was not asleep, then! nor did he appear to be dead. Khamis knelt and placed an ear above the other's heart. He was not dead! The witch doctor thought quickly. In his heart he did not believe in River Devils, yet there was a chance that there might be such things and perhaps this one was shamming unconsciousness, or temporarily absent from the flesh it assumed as a disguise that it might go among men without arousing suspicion. But, too, it was the abductor of his daughter. That thought filled him with rage and with courage. He must force the truth from those lips even though the creature were a Devil. He unwound a bit of fiber rope from about his waist and, turning the body over upon its back, quickly bound the wrists behind it. Then he sat down beside it to wait. It was an hour before signs of returning consciousness appeared, then The River Devil opened his eyes. "Where is Uhha, my daughter?" demanded the witch doctor. The River Devil tried to free his arms, but they were too tightly bound. He made no reply to Khamis' question. It was as though he had not heard it. He ceased struggling and lay back again, resting. After a while he opened his eyes once more and lay looking at Khamis, but he did not speak. "Get up!" commanded the witch doctor and prodded him with a spear. The River Devil rolled over on his side, flexed his right knee, raised on one elbow and finally got to his feet. Khamis prodded him in the direction of the trail. Toward dusk they arrived at the village of Obebe. When the warriors and the women and the children saw who it was that Khamis was bringing to the village they became very much excited, and had it not been for the witch doctor, of whom they were afraid, they would have knifed and stoned the prisoner to death before he was fairly inside the village gates; but Khamis did not want The River Devil killed—not yet. He wanted first to force from him the truth concerning Uhha. So far he had been unable to get a word out of his prisoner. Incessant questioning, emphasized by many prods of the spear point had elicited nothing. Khamis threw his prisoner into the same hut from which The River Devil had escaped; but he bound him securely and placed two warriors on guard. He had no mind to lose him again. Obebe came to see him. He, too, questioned him; but The River Devil only looked blankly in the face of the chief. "I will make him speak," said Obebe. "After we have finished eating we will have him out and make him speak. I know many ways." "You must not kill him," said the witch doctor. "He knows what became of Uhha, and until he tells me no one shall kill him." "He will speak before he dies," said Obebe. "He is a River Devil and will never die," said Khamis, reverting to the old controversy. "He is Tarzan," cried Obebe, and the two were still arguing after they had passed out of hearing of the prisoner lying in the filth of the hut. After they had eaten he saw them heating irons in a fire near the hut of the witch doctor, who was squatting before the entrance working rapidly with numerous charms—bits of wood wrapped in leaves, pieces of stone, some pebbles, a Zebra's tail. Villagers were congregating about Khamis until presently the prisoner could no longer see him. A little later a black boy came and spoke to his guards, and he was taken out and pushed roughly toward the hut of the witch doctor. Obebe was there, as he saw after the guards had opened a way through the throng and he stood beside the fire in the center of the circle. It was only a small fire; just enough to keep a couple of irons hot. "Where is Uhha, my daughter?" demanded Khamis. The River Devil did not answer. Not once had he spoken since Khamis had captured him. "Burn out one of his eyes," said Obebe. "That will make him speak." "Cut out his tongue!" screamed a woman, "Cut out his tongue." "Then he cannot speak at all, you fool," cried Khamis. The witch doctor arose and put the question again, but received no reply. Then he struck The River Devil a heavy blow in the face. Khamis had lost his temper, so that he did not fear even a river devil. "You will answer me now!" he screamed, and stooping he seized a red-hot iron. "The right eye first!" shrilled Obebe. The doctor came to the bungalow of the ape-man—Lady Greystoke brought him with her. They were three tired and dusty travelers as they dismounted at last before the rose embowered entrance—the famous London surgeon, Lady Greystoke, and Flora Hawkes, her maid. The surgeon and Lady Greystoke went immediately to the room where Tarzan sat in an improvised wheel-chair. He looked up at them blankly as they entered. "Don't you know me, John?" asked the woman. Her son took her by the shoulders and led her away, weeping. "He does not know any of us," he said. "Wait until after the operation, mother, before you see him again. You can do him no good and to see him this way is too hard upon you." The great surgeon made his examination. There was pressure on the brain from a recent fracture of the skull. An operation would relieve the pressure and might restore the patient's mind and memory. It was worth attempting. Nurses and two doctors from Nairobi, engaged the day they arrived there, followed Lady Greystoke and the London surgeon, reaching the bungalow the day after their arrival. The operation took place the following morning. Lady Greystoke, Korak and Meriem were awaiting, in an adjoining room, the verdict of the surgeon. Was the operation a failure or a success? They sat mutely staring at the door leading into the improvised operating room. At last it opened, after what seemed ages, but was only perhaps an hour. The surgeon entered the room where they sat. Their eyes, dumbly pleading, asked him the question that their lips dared not voice. "I cannot tell you anything as yet," he said, "other than that the operation, as an operation, was successful. What the result of it will be only time will tell. I have given orders that no one is to enter his room, other than the nurses, for ten days. They are instructed not to speak to him or allow him to speak for the same length of time; but he will not wish to speak, for I shall keep him in a semi-conscious condition, by means of drugs, until the ten days have elapsed. Until then, Lady Greystoke, we may only hope for the best; but I can assure you that your husband has every chance for complete recovery. I think you may safely hope for the best." The witch doctor laid his left hand upon the shoulder of The River Devil; in his right hand was clutched a red-hot iron. "The right eye first," shrilled Obebe. Suddenly the muscles upon the back and shoulders of the prisoner leaped into action, rolling beneath his brown hide. For just an instant he appeared to exert terrific physical force, there was a snapping sound at his back as the strands about his wrists parted, and an instant later steel-thewed fingers fell upon the right wrist of the witch doctor. Blazing eyes burned into his. He dropped the red-hot rod, his fingers paralyzed by the pressure upon his wrist, and he screamed, for he saw death in the angry face of the god. Obebe leaped to his feet. Warriors pressed forward, but not near enough to be within reach of the River Devil. They had never been certain of the safety of tempting providence in any such manner as Khamis and Obebe had been about to do. Now here was the result! The wrath of the River Devil would fall upon them all. They fell back, some of them, and that was a cue for others to fall back. In the minds of all was the same thought—if I have no hand in this The River Devil will not be angry with me. Then they turned and fled to their huts, stumbling over their women and their children who were trying to out-distance their lords and masters. Obebe turned now to flee also and The River Devil picked Khamis up, and held him in two hands high above his head, and ran after Obebe the chief. The latter dodged into his own hut. He had scarce reached the center of it when there came a terrific crash upon the light, thatched roof, which gave way beneath a heavy weight. A body descending upon the chief filled him with terror. The River Devil had leaped in through the roof of his hut to destroy him! The instinct of self-preservation rose momentarily above his fear of the supernatural, for now he was convinced that Khamis had been right and the creature they had so long held prisoner was indeed The River Devil. And Obebe drew the knife at his side and lunged it again and again into the body of the creature that had leaped upon him, and when he knew that life was extinct he rose and dragging the body after him stepped out of his hut into the light of the moon and the fires. "Come, my people!" he cried. "You have nothing to fear, for I, Obebe, your chief, have slain The River Devil with my own hands," and then he looked down at the thing trailing behind him, and gave a gasp, and sat down suddenly in the dirt of the village street, for the body at his heels was that of Khamis, the witch doctor. His people came and when they saw what had happened they said nothing, but looked terrified. Obebe examined his hut and the ground around it. He took several warriors and searched the village. The stranger had departed. He went to the gates. They were closed; but in the dust before them was the imprint of naked feet—the naked feet of a white man. Then he came back to his hut, where his frightened people stood waiting him. "Obebe was right," he said. "The creature was not The River Devil—it was Tarzan of the Apes, for only he could hurl Khamis so high above his head that he would fall through the roof of a hut, and only he could pass unaided over our gates." The tenth day had come. The great surgeon was still at the Greystoke bungalow awaiting the outcome of the operation. The patient was slowly emerging from under the influence of the last dose of drugs that had been given him during the preceding night, but he was regaining his consciousness more slowly than the surgeon had hoped. The long hours dragged by, morning ran into afternoon, and evening came, and still there was no word from the sick-room. It was dark. The lamps were lighted. The family were congregated in the big living-room. Suddenly the door opened and a nurse appeared. Behind her was the patient. There was a puzzled look upon his face; but the face of the nurse was wreathed in smiles. The surgeon came behind, assisting the man, who was weak from long inactivity. "I think Lord Greystoke will recover rapidly now," he said. "There are many things that you may have to tell him. He did not know who he was, when he regained consciousness; but that is not unusual in such cases." The patient took a few steps into the room, looking wonderingly about. "There is your wife, Greystoke," said the surgeon, kindly. Lady Greystoke rose and crossed the room toward her husband, her arms outstretched. A smile crossed the face of the invalid, as he stepped forward to meet her and take her in his arms; but suddenly someone was between them, holding them apart. It was Flora Hawkes. "My Gawd, Lady Greystoke!" she cried. "He ain't your husband. It's Miranda, Esteban Miranda! Don't you suppose I'd know him in a million? I ain't seen him since we came back, never havin' been in the sick chamber, but I suspicioned something the minute he stepped into this room and when he smiled, I knew." "Flora!" cried the distracted wife. "Are you sure? No! no! you must be wrong! God has not given me back my husband only to steal him away again. John! tell me, is it you? You would not lie to me?" For a moment the man before them was silent. He swayed to and fro, as in weakness. The surgeon stepped forward and supported him. "I have been very sick," he said. "Possibly I have changed; but I am Lord Greystoke. I do not remember this woman," and he indicated Flora Hawkes. "He lies!" cried the girl. "Yes, he lies," said a quiet voice behind them, and they all turned to see the figure of a giant white standing in the open French windows leading to the veranda. "John!" cried Lady Greystoke, running toward him, "how could I have been mistaken? I—" but the rest of the sentence was lost as Tarzan of the Apes sprang into the room and taking his mate in his arms covered her lips with kisses. 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. Edgar Rice Burroughs (2020). Tarzan and the Ant Men. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/61837/pg61837-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 www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

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